February 28, 2009

light and free

“The natural temptation with every difficulty

is to plan for it,

to put it out of the way yourself;

but stop short with all your planning,

your thinking, your worry,

and talk to Him!
‘Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.’”

- A. E. Funk

“I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety

in order to be light and free.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh

February 27, 2009

small beginnings

“The considerable actions in the world
have usually very small beginnings.
As of a few letters
how many thousand words are made!
Of ten figures, how many thousand numbers!
And a point is the beginning of all geometry.
A little stone flung into a pond
makes a little circle, then a greater,
till it enlargeth itself to both the sides.
So from small beginnings,
God doth cause an efflux through the whole world.
He useth small means in his ordinary works.
The common works of nature
spring from small beginnings.
Great plants are formed from small seeds.”
- Charnock

February 26, 2009

always returns

photo by Erin Doyle

“My responsibility is to follow the Scriptures

which call upon us to occupy the land

until Jesus returns”

- James Watt

“Tarry at the promise till God meets you there.

He always returns by way of His promises.”

- Selected

February 25, 2009

don’t hide behind
a stone wall

“One of the greatest moments
in anybody's developing experience
is when he no longer tries
to hide from himself
but determines to get acquainted
with himself as he really is.”
- Norman Vincent Peale

“To hide the key to your heart
is to risk forgetting
where you placed it.”
- Timothy Childers

February 24, 2009

walk in it
photo by Rick Stahl

“Just as treasures
are uncovered from the earth,
so virtue appears from good deeds,
and wisdom appears
from a pure and peaceful mind.
To walk safely through
the maze of human life,
one needs the light of wisdom
and the guidance of virtue.”
- Buddha

“Whether you turn
to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear
a voice behind you, saying,
‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
- Isaiah 30:21

February 23, 2009

“…do that for the world
which the world needs.

You ask, ‘What can I do?’
You can furnish one Christian life.
You can furnish a life so faithful to every duty,
so ready for every service,
so determined not to commit sin,
that the great Christian Church
shall be the stronger for your living in it,
and the problem of the world be answered,
and a certain great peace come into this poor,
perplexed phase of our humanity
as it sees that new revelation
of what Christianity is.”
- Phillips Brooks

February 22, 2009

to be used

“O Lord, I give myself to Thee,
I trust Thee wholly. Thou art wiser than I -

more loving to me than I myself.

Deign to fulfill Thy high purposes in me

whatever they be - work in and through me.

I am born to serve Thee,

to be Thine, to be Thy instrument.

Let me be Thy blind instrument.

I ask not to see - I ask not to know -

I ask simply to be used. Amen.”

- John Henry Newman

February 21, 2009

defining moment
photo by Faye Doyle

“I believe each life has a defining moment
that determines how the rest of that life is lived.”
- Betty Downs

When that moment comes,
choose wisely.

February 20, 2009

live wisely

“The secret of health for both mind and body

is not to mourn for the past,

worry about the future,

or anticipate troubles,

but to live in the present moment

wisely and earnestly.”

- Buddha

February 19, 2009

frozen for now

But wait till Spring…

it is right around the corner.

“There are two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

- Albert Einstein

February 18, 2009

beware of pride

“I asked God to take away my pride

and God said ‘NO’,

He said it was not for He to take away,

but for me to give up.”

- Author Unknown

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,

praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven,

because everything he does is right

and all his ways are just.

And those who walk in pride

he is able to humble.”

- Daniel 4:37 NIV

February 17, 2009

secure hold

“He who has his affections

set on things above

is like one who hangs on by the skies.

And having a secure hold of these,

he could say,

though he saw the world roll away

from beneath his feet,

‘My heart is fixed;

my heart is fixed; O Lord,

I will sing and give praise!’”

- Guthrie

February 16, 2009

each day

photo by Erin Doyle

“To draw from you, the strength,
the wisdom and the courage
to meet whatever I may
be called upon to face,
in the knowledge and the faith
that You, Dear Father,
are always with me.
For all this, I am deeply grateful,
mindful of my dependence
upon Your God-given power,
each minute of each day.”
- Harold Sherman

February 15, 2009

support one another

stick together

“A snowflake is one of God's
most fragile creations,
but look what they can do
when they stick together!”
- Author Unknown

February 14, 2009

Love One Another...

"There is no mistaking love.
You can feel it in your heart.
It is the common fiber of life,
The flame of what heats our soul,
energizes our spirit
and supplies passion to our lives.
It is our connection to God
and to each other."
- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

February 13, 2009

day by day

original photo by Susan

Feel like you have been

walking the plank to destruction?

“I am not alone.

God, the Father, is always with me.

My soul, my identity -

that something which says,

’I am I’ to me -

is an eternal gift from God, the Father.

I can never lose my self

because this self is a part of God,

and God has a greater purpose in life for me

which He is revealing, day by day,

as I grow in strength of body, mind and spirit.

I am well and strong.

I have the power to overcome

all things within me.

In God’s care, no harm can befall me.

I now give myself over to God’s protection in sleep,

and I will follow His guidance day by day.”

- Harold Sherman

(How to Use the Power of Prayer)

February 12, 2009

successful day
photo by Erin Doyle

“If I have been of service,

if I have glimpsed more of the nature

and essence of ultimate good,

if I am inspired to reach wider horizons

of thought and action,

if I am at peace with myself,

it has been a successful day.”

- Alex Noble

February 11, 2009

tracks

We leave tracks wherever we go.
It is difficult, very difficult,
to overcome bad habits and habitual sin.
In almost all cases, a lifetime of habitual sin
is impossible to stop by yourself.

A quote by James Allen from
The Gift of Inner Peace
comes to mind.

“Where the calm mind is,
there is strength and rest,
there is love and wisdom;
there is one who has fought successfully
innumerable battles against self,
who, after long toil in secret
against his own failings
has triumphed at last.”

These are the lucky ones.

Admitting that you have a problem
is the first step;
this usually comes through guilt.
Wanting to correct the problem
is a big second step.

There may be several reasons
why you may want to quit.

If your reason is spiritual…
because you want a right relationship
with the Father…
then you have access to a Spiritual helper.
By confessing your sins to God,
asking forgiveness,
and accepting Jesus Christ
as your personal Savior...
through His death and resurrection...
you gain the gift of forgiveness,
an in pouring of God’s love,
and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Even then,
the road is difficult
and may take many years of struggle
and many stumbles or backslides
along the way.

But if we persevere and do not lose heart
we will eventually see victory.
During those struggles,
which the Lord will allow,
we become continually closer to Him,
relying on Him
instead of ourselves… as we grow.

I pray that those struggles
may bring Him, and you
a successful victory

before it may cause you,
and the ones you love,
heartache upon heartache.

Remember the tracks
and avoid turning a crisis into a catastrophe.

Even then
never give up hope
and trust always in the Lord.

February 10, 2009

on the bridge

photo by Erin Doyle

The sign says,

"No fishing from dam".

It is not easy to deny ourselves,

yet that is exactly what Jesus

says we must do if we would come after Him.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples,

‘If anyone would come after me,

he must deny himself

and take up his cross and follow me.

For whoever wants to save his life

will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for me

will find it.

What good will it be for a man

if he gains the whole world,

yet forfeits his soul?

Or what can a man give

in exchange for his soul?’”

- Matthew 16:24-26 NIV

February 9, 2009

rescue me from the mire

“Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the LORD Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
Answer me, O LORD,
out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
Come near and rescue me;”
- Psalm 61: 1-2,5-6,13-18 NIV

February 8, 2009

“soul winning service”

photo by Erin Doyle

“How sad if the modern movement

of the Spirit

is better known for chorus-singing

hand-clapping, lifted hands,

and great mass meetings

than for service.”

- Catherine Marshall

(The Helper, 1978)

February 7, 2009

requires courage

photo by Rick Martin

“Whatever course you decide upon,

there is always someone to tell you

that you are wrong.

There are always difficulties arising

which tempt you to believe

that your critics are right.

To map out a course of action

and follow it to an end

requires courage.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Choose the correct path,

the one that will bring you eternal joy and peace

and then follow it with all your heart and soul,

letting Him be your guide.

February 6, 2009

To Love Another

photo by Lee Keefer

“It is also good to love: because love is difficult.

For one human being to love another human being:

that is perhaps the most difficult task

that has been entrusted to us,

the ultimate task, the final test and proof,

the work for which all other work

is merely preparation.

That is why young people,

who are beginners in everything,

are not yet capable of love:

it is something they must learn.

With their whole being, with all their forces,

gathered around their solitary, anxious,

upward-beating heart, they must learn to love.

But learning-time is always a long,

secluded time ahead and far on into life,

is solitude, a heightened and deepened kind

of aloneness for the person who loves.

Loving does not at first mean merging,

surrendering, and uniting with another person

(for what would a union be of two people

who are unclarified, unfinished, and still incoherent?),

it is a high inducement for the individual to ripen,

to become something in himself,

to become world, to become world in himself

for the sake of another person;

it is a great, demanding claim on him,

something that chooses him

and calls him to vast distances.”

- Rainer Maria Rilke

February 5, 2009

nearer the goal

photo by Lee Keefer

“Know what you want to do,
hold the thought firmly,
and do every day what should be done,
and every sunset will see you
that much nearer the goal.”
- Elbert Hubbard

February 4, 2009

if only you are willing

photo by Lee Keefer

“The best six doctors anywhere

And no one can deny it

Are sunshine, water, rest, and air

Exercise and diet.

These six will gladly you attend

If only you are willing

Your mind they'll ease

Your will they'll mend

And charge you not a shilling.”

- Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields

(What the River Knows, 1990)

“Diseases of the soul are more dangerous

and more numerous

than those of the body.”

- Cicero

February 3, 2009

old age

“Now the harvest of old age is,
as I have often said,
the memory and rich store of blessings
laid up in earlier life.
Again, all things that accord with nature
are to be counted as good.
But what can be more in accordance with Nature
than for old men to die?
A thing, indeed, which also befalls young men,
though Nature revolts and fights against it.
Accordingly, the death of young men
seems to me like putting out a great fire
with a deluge of water;
but old men die like a fire going out
because it has burnt down of its own nature
without artificial means.
Again, just as apples when unripe
are torn from trees,
but when ripe and mellow drop down,
so it is violence that takes life from young men,
ripeness from old.
This ripeness is so delightful to me that,
as I approach nearer to death,
I seem, as it were, to be sighting land,
and to be coming to port
at last after a long voyage.”
- Cicero

February 2, 2009

His will be done

“From whose womb comes the ice?

Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens…”

- Job 38: 29 NIV

Can human wisdom comprehend

God’s divine purpose?

“Those that see God’s hand in everything

are content to leave everything

in God’s hand.”

- Author Unknown

February 1, 2009

still gonna shine

“We are told to let our light shine,

and if it does,

we won't need to tell anybody it does.

Lighthouses don't fire cannons

to call attention to their shining-

they just shine.”

- Dwight L. Moody

“You can turn off the sun,

but I'm still gonna shine.”

- Jason Mraz