®   Volume 22, # 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November, 2006

©

Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!

download as a PDF

---

Great Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles Spurgeon

    "A little faith will bring your soul to heaven; a great faith will bring heaven to your soul."

---

Wasting Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Salada tea bag

"Wasting time is just about the same as wasting life."

---

On Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Stone, Dear Mentor

    "To be a leader of excellence in major events, you must also be a leader of excellence in minor ones. True excellence is a continuous condition, not an on or off event. If you have the value of excellence in your core, it is not necessary to strive for excellence in a certain situation, for excellence will surely exude in all that you do as part of your natural behavior pattern. When in search of excellence, start from within."

---

Let us be Thankful… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Gallatin

"Let us be thankful for the blessings we receive. Let us be thoughtful of others. Let us remember dear and close friends. Let us have faith in tomorrow. Let us live life as a Golden Rule. Let us find sunlight through the clouds. Let us believe; let us be the people      we have the ability to be. Let us have understanding. Let us say this thanks, in prayer…      to God, for the gifts he has given."

---

The World is Hungry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Archbishop Tutu

    "The world is hungry for goodness and recognizes it when it sees it—and has an incredible response to the good. There’s something in all of us that hungers after the good and true, and when we glimpse it in people, we applaud them for it. We long to be a little like them."

---

The Enduring Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . Coach Vince Lombardi, Top Achievement

    "After the cheers have died down and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written and after you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has been placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare has faded, the enduring things that are left are: the dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory, and the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live."

---

Mackay’s Moral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harvey McKay, From The Masters

    "Mackay’s Moral: True leadership must exist for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders."

---

Find Peace and Serenity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest Kurtz, The Spirituality of Imperfection, p. 20

    "A spirituality of imperfection suggests that spirituality’s first step involves facing self squarely, seeing one’s self as one is: mixed-up, paradoxical, incomplete and imperfect. Flawedness is the first fact about human beings. And paradoxically, in that imperfect foundation, we find not despair but joy. For it is only within the reality of our imperfection that we can find the peace and serenity we crave."

---

To Get Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bits & Pieces, Vol. C, # 12, p. 6

    "The person who gets ahead is the one who does more than is necessary—and keeps on doing it.

---

Dare… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward

"Dare to make your dreams come true; Dare to be a better you. Dare to choose kind words to say; Dare to walk the higher way. Dare to give a helping hand; Dare to make a better land. Dare to smile when skies are gray; Dare to share a brighter day."

---

The Will of Providence . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . Abraham Lincoln, The Practical Cogitator, p. 566

    "It is my earnest desire to know the will of Providence…And if I can learn what it is, I will do it.

    These are not, however, the days of miracles, and I suppose it will be granted that I am not to expect a direct revelation. I must study the plain, physical facts of the case, ascertain what is possible, and learn what appears to be wise and right. The subject is difficult, and good men do not agree."

---

On Humility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn, Treasury of Quotes, p. 50

"Humility is a virtue;
timidity is a disease."

---

Be on the Alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich, p. 76

    "Be on the alert…for plans, and when they appear put them into action immediately. When the plans appear they will probably ‘flash’ into your mind through the sixth sense in the form of an ‘inspiration.’ Treat it with respect, and act upon it as soon as you receive it."

---

Habit of Sustained Inquiry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Carmody, The Progressive Pilgrim

    "Few of us are attentive, few of us conquer distraction and self-concern. Attention, however, pushes beyond itself, for it has a dynamic connection with understanding. We wonder in order to know.

    We are human because we want to know, and the better we want to know the more human we are. The first thing students have to learn is the habit of sustained inquiry."

---

Trouble of Praise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Norman Vincent Peale

    "The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism."

---

Build Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, Spring ‘84

    "Individuals do not ‘build community,’ life does. Just as one cannot ‘get a friend’ by making another into a friend, so too, people cannot ‘build a community.’ Both happen as the natural outcome of our being present to life and sharing that life out of our own experience."

---

The Devil & Thanksgiving . . . . . . . . . . . Sower’s Seeds That Nurture Family Values, # 84

There’s an old European story about a traveler who came upon a barn where the devil had stored seeds which he planned to sow in the hearts of people. There were bags of seeds variously marked "Hatred," "Fear," "Lust," "Despair," "Unforgiveness," "Envy," "Greed," "Drunkenness."     Out from the shadows, the devil appeared and struck up a conversation with the traveler. He gleefully told the traveler how easily the seeds sprouted in the hearts of men and women everywhere.     "Tell me," the traveler asked, "are there any hearts in which these seeds will not sprout?"     Glancing about carefully, the devil slyly confessed, "These seeds will never sprout in the heart of a kind, generous, thankful and joy-filled person."

---

A November Feeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous

    November is the season to settle down before the fireplace and look back, to remember and to be grateful. Also, it can be seen as the in-between season, the lull period—post harvest and pre-Christmas. It is the month when the leaves have fallen, and the weather turns gray. November is a time for saints, for poor souls, for veterans and for giving thanks.

    The lectionary readings have a "November" feeling to them, an "end time" peal, but filled with hope. This is a time to remember and look back on our life—What kind of memories are there from this past year? What direction is your life now heading? Ask yourself "Where am I now, and where should I be? The real question to be asked in November is not if there is life after death, but is there life before death.

As John H. Rhoads wrote:

"Do more than exist, live.
Do more than touch, feel.
Do more than look, observe.
Do more than read, absorb.
Do more than hear, listen.
Do more than think, ponder.
Do more than talk, say something."

It is written, "God is not a God of the dead but of the living." Are you among the living? Are you alive for God?

 

Top of Page