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| Index |
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| I Am Thankful (from our Sunday Bulletin) |
| For the taxes that I pay, because that means that I am employed. |
| For the mess to clean after a party, because that means that I have been surrounded by friends. |
| For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat. |
| For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine. |
| For the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning & gutters that need fixing, because that means I have a home. |
| For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech. |
| For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking & that I have been blessed with transportation. |
| For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm |
| For the lady behind me in church that sings off key, because it means that I can hear. |
| For a pile of laundry & ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear. |
| For weariness & aching muscles & my feet that hurt a the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard. |
| For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that I am alive |
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| Human Relations |
| The six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake." |
| The five most important words: "You did a good job". |
| The four most import words: "what is your opinion?". |
| The three most important words: "If you please." |
| The two most important words: "Thank You". |
| The one most important word: "We". |
| The least important word: "I". |
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| decisions |
| My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they're popular; you make them because they're right. |
-Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C. |
former president, University of Notre Dame |
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| if |
| If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But make allowance for their doubting too, If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master, If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will, which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much, If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
--Rudyard Kipling |
| God Speaks |
| Here's a list of all variations of the "God Speaks" billboards. The billboards are a simple black background with white text. No fine print or sponsoring organization is included. ..enjoy.
Tell the kids I love them -God
Let's meet at my house Sunday before the game. -God
C'mon over and bring the kids. -God
What part of "Thou Shalt Not..." didn't you understand? -God
We need to talk. -God
Keep using my name in vain, I'll make rush hour longer. -God
Loved the wedding, now invite me into the marriage. -God
That "Love Thy Neighbor" thing... I meant it. -God
I love you and you and you and you and... -God
Will the road you're on get you to my place? -God
Follow me. -God
Big bang theory?... You've got to be kidding!!! -God
My way is the highway. -God
Need directions? -God
You think it's hot here? -God
Have you read my #1 best seller? There'll be a test. -God
Do you have any idea where you're going? -God
Don't make me come down there!!! -God |
| From Your Father |
You got it from your father,
It was all he had to give.
So it's yours to use and cherish,
For as long as you may live,
If you lose the watch he gave you,
It can always be replaced.
But a black mark on our name, son.
Can never be erased.
It was clean the day you took it
And a worthy name to bear,
When he got it from his father,
There was no dishonor there.,
So make sure you guard it wisely,
After all is said and done.
You'll be glad the name is spotless,
When you give it to your son |
| A Strong Message |
| Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate.
It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session Of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good", but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that. We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery, We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare, We have killed our unborn and called it choice, We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable, We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem, We have abused power and called it politics, We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition, We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression, We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent: to direct us to the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea.
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program," The Rest of the Story", and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God".
If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything." Think about this: if you forward this prayer to everyone on your email list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world. |
| Secret to Success |
There are two principles that almost no one understands...but they are critical to success. First, everything happens at the margin. Take some kid who's just as smart as you are...and one of you will do very
well, while the other one might do not-so-well. What's the difference? One makes just a little bit more effort. Of course, just a little bit more effort doesn't make any big difference the first day...but that's where my second principle comes into play - 'compounded effort over time.' You know how compound interest works. You put money in the bank. Depending on the interest rate, it builds up. At first, you barely notice the increase. But after a while, it grows at an incredible pace. Well, effort is the same. At first, the results are barely perceptible. But over time, the guy who puts in just a
little more effort...who listens just a little more carefully...who tries to work just a little harder...and just a little longer...and who cares just a little bit
more about the way things turn out...after a few years, this guy's extra efforts compound until he is far ahead of the other guy.
-Bill Bonner to his 14yr old son
Response: "But Dad...how do you know what to do? I mean, like, I could work harder on my math...or on my Spanish...or I could try to create my own video game, sell it and get stinking rich. But I can't do, like, everything great."
"That's right, you have to make choices," I tell him. "There are only three important ones: what you do, whom you do it with, and where you do it ." |
| The Lessons learned ... |
"'The road,' wrote Cervantes, 'is always better than the inn.' Those
who settle on fame or fortune, and having arrived, call it quits, miss
the whole point of life. Realistically, there is no inn, no ultimate
point of arrival. It is the road now and forever, finite man probing
infinity, finding his way, endlessly. All that matters are the lessons
learned along the way."
Leonard E. Read
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| Persistence |
N othing in the world can take the place of
persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than
unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is
almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated
derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Calvin Coolidge
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| A good man |
| A good man, left to his own observations, knows better. He doesn't waste his money or drive recklessly. Over time, he realizes that the way to get ahead is simple: get up early, work hard, save as much money as possible and invest it wisely.
But give the guy a theory that allows him to believe that he can get rich by spending his money instead of saving it and he'll swallow it like a shot of whiskey on an empty stomach. Under the influence, confidence will flush his cheeks, his spirits will rise, and his wallet will come out as fast as a purse on the Paris metro. He'll spend...as long as he's able.
-Bill Bonner |
| Raising my child |
If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self esteem first and the house later.
I'd finger paint more and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing seriously and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less nagging.
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.
I would be firm less often and affirm much more.
I'd model less about the love of power...
and more about the power of love.
-Diane Loomans |
| The Prophet |
Your children are not your children
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you But not from you,
and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love, but not your thoughts.
You may house their bodies, but not their souls,
for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday.
- Kahlil Gibran |
| The road not taken |
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
-Robert Frost |
| Make Things Better |
Paul Harvey writes:
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.
I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being
cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen. It will be
good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him. When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her. I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom. If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books. When you learn
to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head. I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like. May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen
flagpole. I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend
offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend. I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle. May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand. These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life. |
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