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Volume 32, # 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 2016 |
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![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds-1c.jpg)
![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds-2c.jpg)
Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!
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Result of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T.H. Huxley
"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early one’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he or she learns thoroughly."
Common Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samuel Coleridge
"Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom."
Afraid of Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knute Rockne
"I don’t like to lose, and that isn’t so much because it is just a football game, but because defeat means the failure to reach your objective. The trouble in American life today, in business as well as in sports, is that too many people are afraid of competition. The result is that in some circles people have come to sneer at success if it costs hard work and training and sacrifice."
You Are Known . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gene Autry
"It’s not who you know – it’s how you are known by those who know you."
Grace is Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled, p. 300
"[G]race is available to everyone,…we are all cloaked in the love of God, no one less nobly than another. The only answer…is that most of us choose not to heed the call of grace and to reject its assistance."
On Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naveen Jain
"Success doesn’t necessarily come from breakthrough innovation but from flawless execution. A great strategy alone won’t win a game or a battle; the win comes from basic blocking and tackling."
Instrument of Thy Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alan Paton
"If a Christian takes seriously the commandment to love his neighbor as himself, he may incur the
active hostility of State and Church. And we should remember that Jesus did exactly that, and that he told his disciples that this might happen to them also.
‘Give us courage, O Lord, to stand up and be counted, to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, to stand up for ourselves when it is needful for us to do so. Let us fear nothing more than we fear Thee. Let us love nothing more than we love Thee, for thus we shall fear nothing also.’"
On Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James A. Froude
"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge one yourself."
Thoughts Unsought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Locke
"The thoughts that come often unsought, and, as it were, drop into the mind, are commonly the most valuable of any we have."
Courage: Moral Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles McMoran Wilson
"Courage is a moral quality. It is not a chance gift of nature like an aptitude for games. It is a cold choice between two alternatives, the fixed resolve not to quit, an act of renunciation which must be made not once but many times by the power of the will. Courage is will power."
Listening Gets Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bits & Pieces, Nov. `88
"Listening intently not only shows that you take another seriously, it can help resolve a problem more quickly. By focusing on what the other is trying to say, you can cut through the extraneous language to get at the root of the problem. Active, focused listening gets results."
Thanksgiving Prayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prayer of Christians
"For the haunting rhythm of our universe,
we thank you, Creator and Lord.For the still-reaching reachers of our world,
we thank you, Creator and Lord.For giving us a history and a destiny,
we thank you, Redeemer and Lord.For becoming yourself, a man among men and women,
we thank you, Redeemer and Lord.For drawing us into the mystery of life and love,
we thank you, Spirit and Lord.For touching us with stars and blades of grass,
we thank you, Spirit and Lord."
Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warren Bennis & Burt Nanus
"…[Power] is the basic energy needed to initiate and sustain action or, to put it another way, the capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it. Leadership is the wise use of this power: transformative leadership."
Superior Person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Confucius
"The superior person acts before he or she speaks, and afterwards speaks according to one’s actions."
Action Conquers Fear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soundings, Vol. 4, # 1
"Deadlines will help you overcome the fear of actually doing something with your ideas. Action conquers fear. Act once and you won’t be so hesitant the next time."
Life Must Be Lived . . . . . . . . David K. Reynolds, Playing Ball on Running Water, p. 56
"Life must be lived moment by moment. Each moment brings possibilities for purposeful activity. Each moment carries a message, a lesson for us.…When our attention is alert to notice what reality has brought us in this moment and to fit ourselves to it by doing what needs to be done, we are living fully during each of those waking hours."
Makeup of Character. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Adams
"There is no such thing as a self-made man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the makeup of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our successes."
A Leader’s Credibility . . . . . . . . . . Kouses & Posner, The Leadership Challenge, p. 187
"Words and plans are not enough. Leaders stand up for their beliefs. They practice what they preach. They show others by their own example that they live by the values that they profess. Leaders know that while their position gives them authority, their behavior earns them respect. It is consistency between words and actions that builds a leader’s credibility."
Courage to Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elton Trueblood
In his book, The Yoke of Christ, Elton Trueblood quotes a letter from a school girl who probes the depth of her soul. She writes, "I’ve been thinking much of this year about the importance of caring, of the passion of life. I’ve often realized that it takes courage to care.
"Caring is dangerous. It leaves you open to hurt, to looking like a fool. And perhaps it’s because they have been hurt so often that people are afraid to care. You cannot die if you are not alive. But then who would rather be a stone?
"I’ve found many places in my own life where I keep a secret store of indifference as a sort of self-protection."
That’s a penetrating insight – a secret store of indifference. It takes courage to care greatly.
The Tiger & the Fox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown
A man walking through the deep forest saw a fox that had lost two legs, and he wondered how it survived. Then he noticed a tiger approach with some meat in its mouth. The tiger ate its fill and left the rest of the meat for the fox.
Again and again, he saw how God fed the fox by means of the same tiger. The man wondered at God’s greatness and said to himself, "I too will just rest in a corner of the forest with full trust in God to provide me with all that I need."
He did just that for several weeks but nothing happened and he was almost at death’s door when he heard a voice within him say, "O you who are in path of error, open your eyes to the truth! Stop imitating the disabled fox and follow the example of the tiger."
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