Creativity

Because of their courage, their lack of fear, they (creative people) are willing to make silly mistakes. The truly creative person is one who can think crazy; such a person knows full well that many of his great ideas will prove to be worthless.
The creative person is flexible - able to change as the situation changes, to break habits, to face indecision and changes in conditions without undue stress. They are not threatened by the unexpected as rigid, inflexible people are.

- Frank Goble -

Mother Teresa

Once before Mother Theresa died, she was being honoured at the White House for her contributions to humanity. In her speech she said, "A country who allows abortion teaches its people how not to love."
With sober face, President Clinton kept his head bowed while she spoke. After she finished he approached the microphone and said, "It's hard to argue with a life so well lived."
How do our lives speak???

Never defeated

I play to win even when common sense should tell me that I no longer have a chance. Even when I have been playing at my worst, or when all the breaks have been going against me, I approach each new day, each new hole, as a glorious opportunity to get going again.

- Arnold Palmer -

From Blaming to Forgiving

Our most painful suffering often comes from those who love us and those we love. The relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters, teachers and students, pastors and parishioners - these are where our deepest wounds occur. Even late in life, yes, even after those who wounded us have long since died, we might still need help to sort out what happened in these relationships.
The great temptation is to keep blaming those who were closest to us for our present, condition saying: "You made me who I am now, and I hate who I am." The great challenge is to acknowledge our hurts and claim our true selves as being more than the result of what other people do to us. Only when we can claim our God-made selves as the true source of our being will we be free to forgive those who have wounded us.
- Henri Nouwen

Sermons We See

I’d rather watch a winner, than hear one any day.
I’d rather have one walk with me, than merely show the way.
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear.
Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear.
And the best of all the coaches are the ones who live their deeds.
For to see the truth in action is what everybody needs.
I can soon learn how to do it, if you’ll let me see it done.
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true.
But, I’d rather get my lessons by observing what you do.
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give.
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
I’d rather watch a winner, than hear one any day.
- Edgar A. Guest

Extraordinary People

Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they begin to see it as possible.

- Cherie Carter-Scott -

Interesting Interpretation

The Rabbi was carefully explaining the story of Elijah the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. He explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces and laid it upon the altar.
And then Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times.
"Now, said the Rabbi, "can anyone in the class tell me why the L--D would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?"
A little girl raised her hand with great enthusiasm and said "To make the gravy?"

Life Balance

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air .... work, family, health, friends and spirit .... and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls -- family, health, friends and spirit -- are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

Choose your burden

The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear." The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish." The man was filled with relief. "Thank you Lord," he sighed, and he did as he was told. Upon entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. And the Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

And God said ‘No’

I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said, "No." He said it was not for Him to take away,
But for me to give up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,
and God said "No." He said her spirit is whole,
Her body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said "No." He said that patience is a byproduct of tribulation,
It isn't granted, it's earned.
I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said "No." He said He gives blessings,
Happiness is up to me.
I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said, "No." He said "Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to Me."
I asked God to make my spirit grow
And God said, "No." He said I must grow on my own.
But he will prune me to make me fruitful.
I asked God to help me love others,
As much as He loves me,
And God said "Ah, finally, you have the idea."

By Claudia Miden Weisz

I will cling to the old rugged cross,
Blood-stained timber, slowly rotting.
My hopes are pinned there, and I cling and cannot let go.
My Saviour bids me move away,
But I’m not sure. In the cross
I have security, a sense of permanence.
Away from the cross are only his promises.
I can feel and see my precious cross.
It is more than a mere symbol.
The image of tortured death is my only reality.
Its shadow covers me,
and I have grown used To the pain of the splinters
And its oppressing weight.
It is my only comfort, even though
My Lord says he will carry it for me.
Others pass me by,
Whispering what good kindling it would make.
Their voices are demons hissing.
I shake the darkening doubts they stir up.
And cling ever tighter to the old rugged cross
Watching the Lord walk away, beyond the rise.

- Stephen R Clark

Fasting and Feasting

I’m going to try to fast today.
I’m not doing it to lose weight, Although I know I need to lose weight.
I’m fasting because I’m hungry.
The starvation I feel is within my shrivelled spirit.
My soul is as empty as my stomach is full.
The pangs of my physical hunger remind me of my stronger need.
Until I am fed by God’s own Spirit, I will always be hungry.
So I’m going to try to feast today…
At a table spread with love and peace.

Audrey Diebel Collins

A Constructive Marriage

In a constructive marriage... the partners must regularly, routinely, and predictably, attend to each other and their relationship no matter how they feel. As has been mentioned, couples sooner or later always fall out of love, and it is at the moment when the mating instinct has run its course that the opportunity for genuine love begins....

- M Scott Peck, The Road Less Travelled -

Get the Picture?

A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she came to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

Different Perspectives

A Mathematician, a Biologist and a Physicist are sitting in a street cafe watching people going in and coming out of the house on the other side of the street.
First they see two people going into the house. Time passes.
After a while they notice three persons coming out of the house.
The Physicist says: "The measurement wasn't accurate."
The Biologist concludes: "They have reproduced."
The Mathematician says: "Now if another person enters the house, it'll be empty again."

All I Really Need to Know I Learned From Noah's Ark:

1. Don't miss the boat.
2. Don't forget that we're all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
4. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big.
5. Don't listen to critics, just get on with what has to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
8. Two heads are better than one.
9. Speed isn't always an advantage; the snails were on board with the cheetahs.
10. When you're stressed, float awhile.
11. Remember that the ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic was built by professionals.
12. Remember that woodpeckers inside are a larger threat than the storm outside.
13. No matter the storm, when God is with you there's a rainbow waiting.

Trouble

Trouble makes us one with every human being in the world - and unless we touch others, we're out of touch with life. If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I wouldn't pass it around. Wouldn't be doing anybody a favour. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don't say embrace trouble. That's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes -

Off the Ark

After he opened the door to the ark, Noah told the animals to go forth and multiply, which they did--most of them. A little while later, he found a pair of snakes that hadn't multiplied and asked them why not. "We can't multiply," they replied. "We're adders."
Well, this was quite a dilemma, so Noah asked God what he should do. God told him to construct a platform out of stripped tree trunks and put the snakes on the platform. Noah did so, and the snakes multiplied forthwith.
And so Noah learned the deep spiritual truth that adders need log tables to multiply.

A Shot at Life

...one of my favourite stories...
A tough old cowboy once counselled his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a little gunpowder on his oatmeal every morning.
The grandson did this faithfully and he lived to the age of 93. When he died, he left 14 children, 28 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren and a fifteen foot hole in the wall of the crematorium.

Hand Prints On The Wall

One day as I was picking
the toys up off the floor,
I noticed a small hand print
on the wall beside the door.

I knew that it was something
that I'd seen most every day,
but this time when I saw it there
I wanted it to stay.

Then tears welled up inside my eyes,
I knew it wouldn't last
for every mother knows
her children grow up way too fast.

Just then I put my chores aside
and held my children tight.
I sang to them sweet lullabies
and rocked into the night.

Sometimes we take for granted,
all those things that seem so small.
Like one of God's great treasures...
A small hand print on the wall.

The Discipline of Solitude

The very first thing we need to do is set apart time and place to be with God and Him alone. The concrete shape of this discipline of solitude will be different for each person, depending on individual character and ministerial tasks. But a real discipline never remains vague or general. It is as concrete and specific as daily life itself.

- Henri Nouwen, “The Way of the Heart” -

Child-like Trust

A grandfather overheard his granddaughter repeating the alphabet in reverent, hushed tones. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I'm praying, Grandpa," she said. "I can't think of the right words, so I just say all the letters. God will put them together for me, 'cause He knows what I'm thinking."

Driving the Negatives Away

Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor vexation. Where there is poverty and joy, there is neither greed nor avarice. Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.

- Francis of Assisi -

How To Be Unhappy

• Make little things bother you. Don't just let them, MAKE them.
• Lose your perspective on things and keep it lost: don't put first things first.
• Get yourself a good worry, one about which you cannot do anything.
• Be a perfectionist, which means not that you work hard to do your best, but that you condemn yourself and others for not achieving perfection.
• Be right. Be always right. Be the only one who is always right, and be rigid in your rightness.
• Don't trust or believe people, or accept them at anything but their worst and weakest.
• Be suspicious. Insist that others always have hidden motives.
• Always compare yourself unfavourably to others. This guarantees instant misery.
• Take personally everything that happens to you.
• Don't give yourself whole-heartily to anyone or anything.

Keep on…

* Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
* Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
* Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
* Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.
* Do not be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
* Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love; The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.
* Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way.

Letting Go

To let go is not to care for, but to care about,
To let go is not fix, but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be protective, it is to permit another to face reality.

To let go is not to deny but to accept.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires but to take each day as it comes and to cherish the moment.
To let go is not to regret the past but to grow and live for the future.
To let go is to fear less and love more.

All I Need to Know About Life I Learned from Trees

It's important to have roots.
In today's complex world, it pays to branch out.
Don't pine away over old flames.
If you really believe in something, don't be afraid to go out on a limb.
Be flexible so you don't break when a harsh wind blows.
Sometimes you have to shed your old bark in order to grow.
If you want to maintain accurate records, keep a log.
To be politically correct, don't wear firs.
Grow where you're planted.
It's perfectly okay to be a late bloomer.
Avoid people who would like to cut you down.
Get all spruced up when you are meeting friends.
If the party gets boring, just leaf.
You can't hide your true colours as you approach the autumn of your life.
It's more important to be honest than poplar.

(author unknown)

An Ordinary Member

'Just an ordinary member of the church,' I heard him say;
But you'd always find him present - even on a rainy day.
He had a hearty handclasp for the stranger in the aisle;
And a friend who was in trouble found sunshine in his smile.
He always paid up promptly and tried to do his share,
in all the ordinary tasks for which some have no care.
His talents were not many, but his love for God was true;
His prayers were not in public but he prayed for me and you.
An ordinary member? I think that I would say….
He was an extra-ordinary, in a humble sort of way.

Author unknown

Greatness

Let every man or woman here, if you never hear me again,
remember this, that if you wish to be great,
you must begin where you are and with what you are, now.
He who can give to his city any blessing,
he who can be a good citizen while he lives here,
he who can make better homes,
he who can be a blessing
whether he works in the shop
or sits behind the counter
or keeps house,
whatever be his life,
he who would be great anywhere
must first be great in his own community.
Right here. Right now.

- Russell H. Conwell

The paradox of our time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers;
wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints;
we spend more, but have less;
we buy more, but enjoy it less;
We have bigger houses and smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time;
we have more degrees, but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgement;
more experts, but more problems;
more medicine, but less wellbeing
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life;
We've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.
We've conquered outer space, but not inner space;
we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul;
we've split the atom, but not our prejudice;
we have higher incomes, but lower morals;
we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of tall men/women, and short character, steep profits and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or just read and continue on as you were...

The Discipline of Service

The service of listening: the first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. We need so desperately the help that can come through listening to one another. We do not need to be trained psychoanalysts to be trained listeners. The most important requirements are compassion and patience.
We do not have to have the correct answers to listen well. In fact, often the correct answers are a hindrance to listening for we become more anxious to give the answer than to hear. An impatient half-listening is an affront to the person sharing.
To listen to others quiets and disciplines the mind to listen to God.

Taken from Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster