Giving and Receiving After all, you must have a capacity to receive, or even omnipotence can’t give. (C. S. Lewis, British scholar) Gift-giving is easy, but Lewis suggests that receiving might not be so easy. Have you ever tried to give something to someone who...
Each Other God designed us for community. Isolation robs us of our greatest level of usefulness. We need each other. (Tim Sprankle, pastor) The recent, long-lasting pandemic lockdown has created isolation and a deep sense of loss, resulting in discouragement and...
Virtue Virtue is the mark of a life well lived, and it takes a lifetime to cultivate. (John Stonestreet, worldview writer) Have you noticed how often we seem to extol the virtue of some notable person only to have them act in a way that discredits the acclaim we’ve...
Love If you've never received unconditional love, it can become hard to then give it out. (Author unknown) Someone else put it even more simply, “One who has not received love cannot give love.” There’s only one way to have experience and that is to have it. How can...
Aging When our memories outweigh our dreams, it is then that we become old. (Bill Clinton former US president) When we’re young, we want to grow up; when we’re old, we wish we could be young again. But aging is a natural process that is inevitable and unstoppable. At...
Mistakes and Failure Our worst mistakes double as our greatest opportunities. (Bart Blair, church consultant) Someone else has said, “Failure is not the worst thing in the world. The very worst is not to try.” And Blair’s observation encourages us to make the effort...
Perseverance It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up. (Vince Lombardi, famed football coach) Chinese philosopher Confucius put it this way, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Like a toddler learning...
Be a Friend You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes. (Winnie the Pooh, cartoon character) Some of us are not really out-going people. We like to stay in our “corner of the forest,” and we’re...
Accepting Advice No one is so successful that he or she no longer needs wise counsel. (Mike Lee, pastor) Have you ever known someone who seemed to know it all? At least, you got that impression if you offered an opinion or suggestion. Great leaders and thinkers...
Leadership III Most leadership lessons are learned from a failure or challenge of some kind. (James Emery White, Minister) White suggests what can be a positive result of such challenges: “You shoulder your way through it and, in hindsight, learn lessons you will...
Leadership II Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. (Peter Drucker, late management consultant) In an election year you hear a lot of political supporters spouting the attributes and...
Leadership I Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way. (General George Patton, WW II leader) If you’ve seen the movie, Patton, you can well imagine him bark the order, “get out of my way.” However, even though Patton didn't stand for any disobedience from his troops,...