Spiritual Thoughts

  B e the courageous hero and stay committed to your greatest ideas and ideals, however they are received by those around you. ~ Unknown   W hat then shall we say to   these things??  If God is  for us, who is against us? ~ Romans 8:31

  Friday Tale - God's Cake   S ometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation!     A daughter is telling her mother how everything is going wrong.  She's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake".     "Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck," says her daughter.     "How about a couple of raw eggs?"  "Gross, Mom!"     "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!"     To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad by themselves.      BUT when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!     God works the same

  T hat which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah, the rest is explanation. ~ Talmud (Jewish wisdom)   Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others. ~ Isocrates   Do to others as you would have them do to you. ~ Luke 6:31 (the Golden Rule)

  C ompassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity. ~ Pema Chodron   T hus has the LORD of hosts said, "Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his neighbor, and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor. ~ Zechariah 7:9

  C onstant kindness can  accomplish much. As the sun makes the ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to evaporate. ~ Albert Schweitzer   W hen He went ashore, Jesus saw   a large crowd and felt compassion  for them and healed their sick. ~ Matthew 14:14

  W hat are the things that you can't see that are important? I would say justice, truth, humility, service, compassion, love. They are the guiding lights of a life. ~ Jimmy Carter   BUT a Samaritan who was on a journey, came upon a beaten man, and when he saw him, he felt compassion, came to him, bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ~ Luke 10:34

  Friday Tale - The World is Mine   Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely girl with golden hair; She seemed so gay, I envied her and I wished I were so fair; When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle; She had one foot and wore a crutch, BUT as she passed, a smile.           Oh God, forgive me when I whine,           I have two feet—the world is mine.   I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; He seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm; I said, “It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find”; He turned and said, “Oh, thank you sir.” And then I saw that he was blind. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine. Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue; He stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do; I stopped a moment, then I said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?” He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not h

  T he best things in life  are not things. ~ Art Buchwald   T he LORD has done great things for us; therefore, we are glad. ~ Psalm 126:3

  T he best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.   T herefore, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fail. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Peter 1:10-11

  T he answer to the big questions in running is the same to the big questions in life: do the best with what you've got. ~ George Sheehan   D o you not know that those who run in a race all run, BUT only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath BUT we an imperishable crown. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

  E ven if it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go on out and sweep streets  like Michelangelo painted pictures; sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music; sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Do your best. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.   I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. ~ 2 Timothy 4:7 

  Friday Tale - Clay Balls or Treasure?   A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.   They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.   He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!   Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls.  Each contained a similar treasure.  He found thousands of dollars’ worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him.   He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in tr

  P eace is not merely a distant goal  that we seek, BUT a means by which we arrive at that goal. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.   R ejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like minded, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you. ~ 2 Corinthians 13:11

  H e who is not satisfied with a little, is satisfied with nothing. ~ Epicurus   I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. ~ Philippians 4:11 and 1 Timothy 6:8

  N ever let any external circumstance alter your purpose or disturb the calmness with which you pursue it. ~ Pablo Casals   A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body. ~ Proverbs 14:3

  W hen we sow a seed, we plant a narrative of future possibility. ~ Sue Stuart Smith   J esus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." ~ Luke 13:18-19

  Friday Tale - Put the Pieces Together   S everal centuries ago, the Emperor of Japan commissioned a Japanese artist to paint a particular species of bird for him. Months passed, then a whole year. Finally, the Emperor himself went to the artist’s studio to ask for an explanation. The artist set a blank canvas on the easel and within fifteen minutes, had completed a painting of the bird. It was a masterpiece! Admiring both the painting and the artist’s great skill, the Emperor asked why there had been such a long delay.     The artist then went from cabinet to cabinet in his studio. He pulled from them armloads of drawings of feathers, tendons, wings, feet, claws, eyes, and beaks, - virtually every aspect of a bird, from virtually every angle. He placed them before the Emperor, who nodded in understanding.  The magnificence of any finished product can never be greater than the magnificence of any singular detail.     To have an excellent life, strive for an excellent year. W

  M usic washes away from the soul the dust of every day life. ~ Red Auerbach   I t is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High, to declare Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness at night, with the ten-stringed lute and with the harp, with resounding music upon the lyre. ~ Psalm 92:1-3

A good word is like a good tree whose root is firmly fixed and whose top is in the sky. ~ Unknown   A nxiety in a man's heart weights it down, BUT a good word makes it glad. ~ Proverbs 12:25

  I n this new year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, BUT never in want. ~ Irish Proverb   A friend loves at all times. ~ Proverbs 17:17 

  W elcome to Flight 2022. We are prepared to take off into the New Year. Please ensure your Positive Attitude and Gratitude are secured and locked in the upright position.     All self-destruct devices: pity, anger, selfishness, and resentment should be turned off at this time.     All negativity—hurt and discouragement—should be put away.     Should you lose your Positive Attitude under interior cabin pressure during this flight, reach up and pull down a Prayer.    Prayers will automatically be activated by Faith.    Once your Faith is activated, you can assist other passengers who are of little Faith.    There will be No Baggage allowed on this Flight. God, our Captain and Pilot, has cleared us for take- off.    DESTINATION: Goals Fulfilled!!!    Wishing you a New Year filled with new HOPE, new JOY, and new BEGINNINGS.    BLESSINGS TO YOU!    ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY!    WELCOME to 2022!” ~ Unknown   T he fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the