Success Part I Success is to be measured not by the position one has reached in life, but by the obstacles which one has overcome. (Booker T. Washington, 19th-20th century educator) We often think of someone who has reached a high level social status as successful...
Truth vs. Lies The fact is, truth is your truest friend, no matter what the circumstances are. (Abraham Lincoln) How many people have stumbled over this simple principle? We try to make lies more acceptable by calling them “fibs” or “white lies,” but that doesn’t...
Good Counsel A new pair of eyes can help solve old problems. (Chris Suitt, pastor) When you face problems that don’t seem to have solutions, what do you do? You can worry a lot; you can try to muddle through, or you can just give up. Of course, you can and should...
Starting Over You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. (C. S. Lewis, late British writer) How often have we wished we could go back and start all over again? Because we can’t, we may decide to give up and move...
Right & Wrong The time is always right to do what is right. (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) In fact, the Bible says, “It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (James 4:17). But it isn’t always easy to know what is right and what is wrong,...
Compassion Both compassion and wisdom are virtues. But compassion without wisdom can be careless, even reckless. Wisdom without compassion is useless, even pharisaical. (Christopher Yuan, author, seminary professor) Yuan continues, “True compassion flows from wisdom,...
Books I never feel lonely if I’ve got a book—they’re like old friends. (Emilia Fox, English actress) Fox continues, “Even if you're not reading them over and over again, you know they are there. And they're part of your history. They sort of tell a story about your...
The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. (Nelson Henderson, 19th century athlete) If we’re interested in landscaping in an age of impatience, such as today, we’d want to plant fast-growing trees, so we can enjoy them in a...
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. (Marcus Aurelius, 1st century Roman emperor) What’s the first thing that comes into your mind when you awake in the morning? The day’s tasks?...
Worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace. (Randy Armstrong, musician) So many people seem to worry about the future. Will rain spoil our picnic? Will my boss squash my proposal? Will I have enough money to pay my taxes this year?...
The off-ramp that leads to Unityville is neither doctrine nor agreement. It’s humility. (Neil Cole, church-planter) Whether it’s a business organization, an athletic team, or a church—teamwork (unity) is necessary for success. We can’t succeed without a high degree of...
Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get. (Ray Kroc, late business man) That’s a really down-to-earth idea, isn’t it? People refer to sweat-equity when they talk about the investment of their time and effort into a personal project....