Listening Wise is the listener who doesn’t feel compelled to fill up all the blank spaces. (Charles Swindoll, pastor and author) Listening seems to be a lost art today. In many conversations, we are thinking about our responses while our companion is still expressing...
Hospitality It’s better to leave too early and be missed than to stay too late and be pitied. (Victoria Warden) Have you ever had guests who overstayed their welcome? They just didn’t seem to want to leave, and you were eager to wrap up the party. It takes a lot of...
The Narrow Road Roads were made for journeys, not destinations. (Confucius, ancient Chinese philosopher) At first glance, you might agree with Confucius. The journey along life’s road, no matter its destination, is where you live daily. So, you need to think...
Wise Choices If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month. (Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States) Roosevelt’s comment may have been tongue-in-cheek, but it may also be too true too...
Health It is health that is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver. (Mahatma Gandhi, 19th-20th century independence leader in India) Have you seen all the TV commercials, touting silver and gold as the safest place investments for your money? Or, the...
Freedom Freedom is liberty within bounds: liberty to obey. ... True . . . liberty never sets us free to indulge our lusts or to follow our fallen impulses. (A. W. Tozer, 20th century pastor and author) On this 4th of July holiday, we celebrate the freedoms and...
Future Plans It is good to know where you came from. It is even better to know where you’re going. (Antonin Scalia, late justice of the U.S. Supreme Court) Scalia’s comments in a commencement address are most appropriate for graduates who are excited about having...
Government All government originates in families, and if neglected there, it will hardly exist in society . . . (Noah Webster, 18th & 19th century author) With so much criticism of government from all sides, we would do well to consider the significance of...
Positivity No one forces a person to be negative, and no one forces anyone to be positive. (Byron Pulsifer, motivational speaker and author) It’s difficult, isn’t it, to be around a person who always seems to have a negative attitude? On the other hand, it’s uplifting...
The vow of marriage is not one of unending happiness, but a vow of determined decision making. (Jeff Bogue, pastor) When we say “I do” at the altar, what are we committing ourselves to? Living with our companion in never-ending bliss and happiness? Like any other...
Blowing out someone’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter. (Amber Teamann, elementary school principal) That sounds like a very good principle to teach elementary school children, who often display a “Me first” attitude. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson many...
Freedom is unsustainable without virtue. (John Stonestreet, worldview writer) Americans love their freedom. After all, that’s what the Revolutionary War was all about, wasn’t it? In reality, we have to constantly ask ourselves what freedom really means. Am I free to...