The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. (James Oppenheim, 19th & 20th century American poet, novelist, and editor) If we’re living as if happiness is a goal that can be achieved only in the distant future, we are missing...
A book is a gift you can open again and again. (Garrison Keillor, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality) Everything is provided for us today in sound bites and on phone apps, so who needs to read? But, even to use the Internet effectively, one must be able to...
The #1 thing we want is happiness/fulfillment. We don’t know how to attain it because what we really want is great relationships. (Mike Lee, American pastor) In spite of a highly educated, affluent society, many people still seem to be unhappy, even depressed. Lee...
Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action. (Benjamin Disraeli, 19th century British prime minister) Have you ever been tempted to put off any action until you have thought it through thoroughly and, maybe, had some experience in the...
By: By: Lyndal Shadel, Potato Valley, PA. My husband and I are blessed to live on a farm in a beautiful valley in central Pennsylvania, called Potato Valley. Our farm is in the woods, tucked away from the primary roads. This gives us the luxury of allowing our...
Happiness is not easily won; it is hard to find it in ourselves, and impossible to find it elsewhere. (Nicolas Chamfort, 18th century French writer) Children seem to be happy most of the time. Infants enjoy playing with their toes or some simple toy. As they grow,...
We are all faced with a series of great opportunities - brilliantly disguised as insolvable problems. (John Gardner, 20th century novelist and literary critic) Sometimes we don’t recognize an opportunity that’s right in front of us because, as Gardner suggests, it may...
People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they are not on your road does not mean they have gotten lost. (H. Jackson Brown, American inspirational author) As you grew up, it didn’t take long, did it, to discover that not everybody is...
By: Dave Illingworth Getting it wrong: “No!" yells a congregation member after the worship leader asks if they should sing again the praise song "Draw Close to Me." Getting it right: Apostle Paul wrote, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit...
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. (Wayne Gretzky, former professional hockey star) It sounds too simple to be true, but it must not be overlooked. Sometimes we fail to pursue a desired goal because we fear failure. Yet, if we don’t try, we surely won’t...
There is . . . no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself. (Henry David Thoreau, 19th century poet, author, philosopher) When we look to things, activities, or other people as sources for happiness, we are launched on a failed mission. It is true...
What we do for the human soul is incomparably more important than what we do for the transient things of this world (Chuck Colson, prison reformer, Christian apologist) The old adage is true that “all that glitters is not gold,” meaning that not every attractive...