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...
Truth A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good just because it’s accepted by the majority. (Booker T. Washington, 19th-20th century educator) We are living in an upside-down world today where Washington’s comment may be...
Work Hard The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. (H. Jackson Brown, inspirational author) We’ve often been counseled not to put off to tomorrow what we can do today. Procrastination has been the downfall of a lot of people who just can’t seem to...
Legacy No legacy is so rich as honesty. (Shakespeare) We surely want to leave for our children and grandchildren a legacy of generosity and humility (as noticed in previous comments). Those two, however, will probably not be passed on if we don’t recognize...
Legacy It is more important to be generous than to be wealthy. (Paraphrase of Neil Cole, speaker and author) More and more Americans are becoming millionaires. For some it’s because of their success as athletes or entertainers. Others have achieved that status because...
Words Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place but leave unsaid the wrong thing. (Benjamin Franklin) It’s probably true that every living person has said something they immediately regretted. Unfortunately, we recognize our faux pas just after it’s...
Words The raw material of language is to the mind what chewing gum is to the jaw. (Paraphrase of Antonin Scalia, late Supreme Court justice) Words, words, words! We’re besieged with text messages, blogs, podcasts, and “talking heads.” It’s more than the mind can...