Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone. (Charley Brown in Peanuts) Three weeks from today millions around the world will celebrate Christmas. This time of year the “Christmas spirit” pervades our hearts, and we want to do kind and...
The value of achievement lies in the achieving. (Albert Einstein, influential 20th century physicist) Another way of saying it: “The value of work is the working.” Whatever the accomplishment, honest work is important and is its own reward. According to...
Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. (Epicurus, 4th century B.C. Greek philosopher) For many in the more affluent societies of the world, the mindset seems to be that having more is a guarantee for happiness. But real wealth is not...
Life is an echo; what you send out comes back. (Chinese proverb) We probably do not fully understand what influence our lives have on others. What we say and do don’t just reflect what we really are, but we may see that reflection in the way others respond to...
Happiness is a spiritual need. And if it's a spiritual need, the filling of that need can only come from God. (Mike Lee, American pastor) We delight in our right to “pursue happiness.” Yet, happiness is often elusive, difficult to find and hold onto....
God doesn’t give you what you can handle. He helps you handle what you are given. (Seen on a tee-shirt) You can see strange quotes on tee-shirts, but sometimes there’s some pretty good theology, too. While not an entirely accurate biblical concept, there...
Those who trade liberty for security have neither. (John Adams, 2nd president of the United States) In days of turmoil, stress, and fear, people are looking for security. When life and possessions are threatened, some look for a deliverer, and they are...
A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born. (Antoine de Saint Exupery, French writer and poet) We think we know ourselves pretty well until something traumatic happens, and we discover another whole personality...
In war: resolution; in defeat: defiance; in victory: magnanimity; in peace: good will. (Winston Churchill) The third is probably the more difficult. To be magnanimous (having a courageous and generous spirit) after struggling to overcome a dangerous foe is not easy....
Nothing gives one a more spuriously good conscience than keeping rules. (C. S. Lewis, British Christian apologist) It feels good to play by the rules, doesn’t it? Unless, of course, the rules prevent us from doing something we want to do that’s...
Maintaining a complicated life is a great way to avoid changing it. (Elaine St. James, author) Life in the 21st century has become very complex. We talk about simplifying our lives, but we find it difficult to do. We sometimes find it almost impossible...
Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all happiness and growth occur while you’re climbing it. (Andy Rooney, late television social commentator) Anticipation is often more gratifying than the realization of a dream, and the effort to achieve...