Confrontation Confrontation is not a matter of tact, diplomacy, and smoothness of tongue. It is basically simplicity of speech, empathy in attitude, and honesty in response. (David Augsburger, author) Very few people enjoy confrontation; most of us try to avoid it at...
I Want It! Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. (Dalai Lama) Parents know what it’s like to deal with children who want what they want when they want it—and that’s right now! We also know that our children’s wants are not...
Unconditional Love Love is not unending tolerance of bad behavior. It is true that love covers sin, but it also corrects it. (Randy Smith, teacher) We hear a lot about unconditional love today, meaning you have to continue loving someone almost to the point of...
Problems The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be. (Horace Bushnell, 19th century minister) People generally try to avoid all the problems of life that they can. No one wants to...
Today Nothing is worth more than this day. You cannot relive yesterday. Tomorrow is still beyond our reach. (Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 18th & 19th century German writer and statesman) In one sense, time is all we have to deal with. When it’s gone, it’s gone. It...
Songs Give me the songs of a people, and I care not who writes its laws. (Damon of Athens, 5th century B.C. Greek musicologist) We like to say that we are a nation of laws, and, indeed, that’s true. Without law-abiding citizens, no nation can survive long. Yet, it...
Belief In any project the important factor is your belief. Without belief, there can be no successful outcome. (William James, 19th & 20th century philosopher and psychologist) Many will agree with James’ proposition. Certainly, you have to believe in what you’re...
Money Money might make you wealthy, but friends make you rich. (Author unknown) Money often seems to be the measure used to determine the value of a product or a person. How much is he/she/it worth? It doesn’t take much to discover, however, that many of the...
Opportunity Water doesn’t go under the bridge twice. (Author unknown) We don’t know what the originator of this expression meant, but we can learn at least two things from it. 1) Water will flow under the bridge in only one direction. To change its direction would...
Offering Help A hungry man doesn’t have ears. (Stephen Joyce, son of author James Joyce) A simple statement, but a pungent reminder of how we should consider our offer to help those in need. We may want to scold a homeless man for not looking for a job or “preach” to...
Investments A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in. (Investment advertisement) The mention of investments brings to mind thoughts of money, bank accounts, the stock market, and much more. And yet, there are other investments that are...
Sensitivity Sensitivity is exercising my senses so that I can perceive the true spirit and emotions of those around me. (Bill Gothard, speaker and writer) When we think of a sensitive person, we sometimes picture someone who is easily hurt personally by the comments...