Love He whom love touches not walks in darkness. (Plato, 4th-5th century BC, Greek philosopher) In the confusion of a fast-paced society where old, familiar terms are re-defined, it’s good to be reminded of values that last century after century. In our time love is...
Being Good No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. (C. S. Lewis, British writer) The standard for good no doubt varies considerably. But even when we try to be good by whatever measure we choose, we most often discover that we have missed...
Hurry Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. (Dallas Willard, late university professor) It’s more than just your spiritual life that suffers from undue haste. How many times have you discovered an...
Community Community is not something you find; it’s something you build. (James Emory White, pastor and author) White continues: “Community is not something discovered; it is something forged . . . all relationships of worth are products of labor.” Finding the right...
Perspective Man is affected not by events but by the view he takes of them. (Epictetus, 1st century B.C. Greek philosopher) Difficult events do affect us, but our response to them is of great importance. The human spirit can overcome tragedies when people see their...
Character What you are is more important than what you know. (Tim LaHaye, late evangelical author) We often hear a similar axiom: “What you are is more important than what you do.” That’s because what you are determines pretty much what you do. In the same way, what...
Opinion The world is changed by your example not by your opinion. (Paulo Coelho, Brazilian lyricist and novelist) The belief in relativism makes self the ultimate judge of truth. What is true for you may not be true for me. So, personal opinion seems to be the ruling...
Failures Failures are part of life. If you don’t fail, you don’t learn. If you don’t learn, you’ll never change. (Quoted by Pastor Chris Suitt) How many times have we dreamed of a project, maybe even took the first steps to achieve our dream but gave up early because...
Success There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. (Colin Powell, late military and political leader) Many would regard Powell as a success. He was a four-star general, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff,...
Others Associate with people who are likely to improve you. (Seneca, 4th century BC Roman philosopher) The philosopher continued: “Welcome those who you are capable of improving. The process is a mutual one: men learn as they teach.” We like to be with people who...
Labor Day Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. (Aristotle, 4th century BC Greek philosopher) This is the day each year when we honor those in the workforce who provide the necessities and often luxuries of life for us. Sometimes work is difficult and...
Habits Habits eat willpower for breakfast. (John Ortberg, author) How long did it take you to forget your New Year’s Resolutions this year? Or maybe more realistically, how many times did you decide to diet or give up some unhealthy practice? How long did those...