Time I will live in the past, the present, and the future! (Charles Dickens, 19th century English writer) We often hear that we can’t live in the past or future, so we must concentrate on the here and now. However, Dickens may have a point. Our past certainly has...
Humility 2 True greatness is accompanied by humility. (Rob Singleton, author and storyteller) The fame of many popular artists, actors, sports figures, and politicians is often rather short-lived. The next “great” person on stage or in the record book will usually...
Humility 1 The know-it-all has nothing to learn. (Antonin Scalia, late US supreme court justice) He said, “[The] attitude of humility before the breadth of knowledge mankind has accumulated, and before the even greater breadth of the unknown, is the beginning of...
Being and Doing What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality. (Plutarch, ancient Greek philosopher) To put it another way: what we are is more important than what we do, because what we are determines what we do. Conversely, what we do reflects what we really...
First Things First When your priorities are confused, don’t be surprised if you are, too! (Kenneth J. Brown, author) What do I do next? What should I concentrate on today? When should I schedule my next appointment? These are questions we all face from time to time,...
Focus What we focus on makes all the difference. (Ruth Rupp, grandmotherly advice) Rupp emphasizes: “We can’t always change our circumstances, but we can choose what we focus on.” How often do we wish we could change things around us? If we just had a different job;...
World Changer It’s ridiculous to want to change the world without acknowledging that we need to change ourselves. (Eugene Cho, pastor and author) Many years ago, a Russian author expressed the same idea: “Everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of...
Our Gifts Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well. (Josh Billings, pen name of 19th century American humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw.) We often wish we had been dealt better cards, that is, that our heritage, environment, gifting, and...
Independence Day There [can] be no freedom without each of us discharging our responsibilities. (Paraphrase of Clarence Thomas, supreme court justice) On this important holiday, we most often think of the liberties and freedom that were won for us by our Founding...
Stories Storytelling—in songs, paintings, films, and books—is perhaps the most important way we learn about our world. (Eric Metaxas, radio host and author) Metaxas has told fascinating stories of men like Reformer Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, World War II...
Truth Truth is so obscure in these times and falsehood so established, that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it. (Blaise Pascal, 17th century French philosopher) Apparently not much has changed since Pascal’s 17th century observation. We can’t seem to even...
Today This moment isn’t meant to be a destination but a preparation . . . (Paul David Trip, author) Sometimes we think that what we’re doing today is the most important issue of life without realizing what happens today is critical to tomorrow's success, too. Tripp...