Friendship II Every man should have a fair-sized cemetery in which to bury the faults of his friends. (Henry Brooks Adams, 19th-20th century historian) How do you respond when you discover that a friend isn’t as “perfect” as you thought he or she was or when you’ve...
Friendship I This communicating of a man's self to his friend works two contrary effects; for it redoubleth joy, and cutteth griefs in half. (Francis Bacon, 16th-17th century English philosopher) The math of Bacon’s statement is an oxymoron; how can something be...
Advice Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 18th-19th century English poet) It’s winter now, and as the snow falls, it might be helpful to put aside the reluctance to...
Weakness You have to take responsibility for how you respond to… trial. (John Stumbo, author) John Stumbo suffered from a months-long undiagnosed illness that kept him unable to walk, stand, swallow, or eat except by a feeding tube. He dealt with depression from time...
Riches and Poverty We regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about. (Pericles, 5th century B.C., Greek orator) He continues, “As for poverty, no one need be ashamed to admit it. . .” Wealth and poverty are extremes which...
Encouragement The fact that you are willing to say, “I do not understand, and it is fine,” is the greatest understanding you could exhibit. (Wayne Dyer, self-help, best-selling author) When a friend shares his difficult situation with us, we may be so eager to help...
Blending There may need to be some bending to achieve good blending. (Brent Sandy, author) Using the analogy of the popular smoothie drinks, Sandy referred to the multitude of blended families in our society. In any merger involving parties from different backgrounds...
Hope and Action Hope in every area of life is a privilege that attaches to action. No action, no hope. (Peter Levi, poet) Pastor Chris Suitt adds, “You know the type. Those who are all talk, but no action. . . Our world needs hope, not mere words.” Remember the old...
Thinking and Acting Doing and thinking work together to form character. (Paraphrase of Larry P. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College) He continued, “If their characters are not courageous, moderate, and just, then not only will they [lack courage] in action, but their...
Friendship I find friendship to be like wine, raw when new, ripened with age, the true old man's milk and restorative cordial. (Thomas Jefferson) On Presidents’ Day we look to our third president for a helpful comment about friends. Various drinks are often cited for...
Needs & Wants Giving the people what they want is not nearly as powerful as teaching people what they need. (Seth Godin, author and marketer) It’s often a difficult dilemma when we have to choose between wants and needs. It might be easy for parents to choose when...
Tact It takes tact to have contact. (Warren Wiersbe, author) To have a fulfilled life, we need to have good relationships with at least a few close people. These connections are sometimes difficult to create and maintain. As Wiersbe suggests, tact is important. We may...