Light There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it (Edith Wharton, 19th-20th century writer). Not everyone can be a leading scorer on the basketball or football team or have the lead role in a play or movie. The role of the...
Winning The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated… it is finished when it surrenders (Ben Stein, writer). Everyone loses from time to time, whether it’s a debate, an investment, or an athletic competition. It hurts, but it’s not the end unless we let it...
Doubts Doubt is letting your circumstances get between you & God. Faith is letting God get between you & your circumstances (Mark Batterson, author). Circumstances are like mattresses. When you’re on top of them, you can be really comfortable. But, when you’re...
Seeds You can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can never count the number of apples in a seed. (Karen Jensen, actress) “Of course; that’s obvious,” we might say. But how seriously have we applied that thought to our daily lives? How can your investment...
Opportunity Having the opportunity to develop our strengths is more important to our success than our role, our title, or even our pay (Tom Rath, author). Some people are impressed by titles—professor, CEO, all-star and so forth. Others consider the wage scale a good...
Resources At the time of our greatest need we tend to forget our greatest resource (Kip Cone, pastor). When things are going well and life seems good, we aren’t greatly concerned about our sources of help. All is working, and we’re getting along fine with our own...
Best Good, better, best; never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best (Sterling Shepherd, “Shep,” former professional football player). This is one of many motivational statements “Shep” uses in challenging young people to live a positive life...
Changes There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered (Nelson Mandela, late president of South Africa). Have you had an experience like Mandela’s? Perhaps he was alluding to his return to civilian...
Fear A life lived in fear is a life half lived (Alan Hirsch, author). Some people seem to live in fear. And there is a lot to be fearful about today: diseases, threats of war, corruption in politics and business, to name a few. But, as Hirsch suggests, living in fear...
Certainty Optimism is a wish without warrant (J. I. Packer, Canadian theologian). Optimism helps a lot of us face the difficulties that arise in our experience with a positive outlook on life, hoping for the best. Packer continues: “Optimism hopes for the best without...
Don’t Wait! The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. (W. M. Lewis, teacher) Procrastination seems to be a continuing problem among many people. It keeps them from getting started on something they may really want to do....
Love Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love (Socrates, 4th century B.C. Greek philosopher). “Love ya” seems to be the more and more popular expression when parting company with a friend—or even a mere acquaintance....