Spiritual Thoughts

  P rotect your spirit from  contamination.  Limit your time  with negative people. ~ Thelma Davis   D o not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts g ood morals." ~ 1 Corinthians 15:33

  T he most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh   H e has told you what is good, and what does the LORD require of you BUT to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? ~ Micah 6:8

  T o be proud of virtue is to poison yourself with the antidote. ~ Benjamin Franklin   A  man's pride will bring him low BUT the humble in spirit will  retain honor. ~ Proverbs 29:23

  Friday Tale  - What did you expect him to do?   O ne  of the highlights of my life as a dad – and having five kids, I’ve had quite a few – occurred on a Saturday afternoon when I was taking my then 13-year-old son Justin and his friend Aaron to a movie. As we entered the theater, I noticed the ticket seller had undercharged me, so I asked the boys to wait a moment while I returned the money.        This did not please the boys, who were anxious to get choice seats [this was before you could reserve seats!].        Nevertheless, I endured hostile glares from people in line and even an annoyed reaction from the cashier, who corrected the mistake. When I returned, Aaron, who was exasperated because the prime seats had been taken, asked, “Why did you have to do that? It was her mistake, not yours.”       I was about to launch into a lecture on integrity when my son, who was also irritated, looked at his friend and said, “What did you expect him to do?”          Many years later

  T o give real service  you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. ~ Donald A. Adams   I n everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that  cannot be condemned. ~ Titus 2:7-8 (NIV)

  T he most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity. ~ Zig Ziglar   B etter is a poor man who walks in his integrity, than he who is  perverse in speech and is a fool. ~ Proverbs 19:1 

  T he virtue [integrity] of a man ought to be measured, not by his extra-ordinary exertions, BUT by his every day conduct . ~ Blaise Pascal   H e who walks blamelessly [with integrity]                   will be delivered,  but he who is crooked will fall al at once. ~ Proverbs 28:18 

Y our word is more valuable  than a surety bond. ~  Denis Waitley   O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. ~ Psalm 15:1-2

  Friday Tale - When Your Hut is on Fire   T he  only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.      He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming      Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.      One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived “home” to find his little hut in flames with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.      He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger.      He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"      Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him!       "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.   The Moral of This Story:       I

  G race has been defined as the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul. ~ Wiliam Hazlitt   F or by grace you have been saved  through faith, and that not of  yourselves, it is the gift of God. ~ Ephesians 2:8

G race is not just a little prayer you say before receiving a meal. It is a way to live. ~ Jackie Windspear   T herefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this  grace  in which we stand, and we exult in hope of the glory of God. ~ Romans 5:1-2

  D o not rail [complain] about life. Make positive contributions where you can. Practice gracious acceptance always. Express daily gratitude for all of life. ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie   T he LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace. ~ Numbers 6:24-26

  T o bear defeat with dignity, to accept criticism with poise, to receive honors with humility - these are marks of maturity & graciousness. ~ Henry James   But  just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge  and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. ~ 2 Corinthians 8:7

  Friday Tale - "You Don't Love me!"   H ow many times have your kids laid that one on you? And how many times have you, as a parent, resisted the urge tell them how much? Someday, when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a mother, I’ll tell them. ·     I loved you enough to bug you about where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home. ·     I loved you enough to insist you buy a bike with your own money that you could afford. ·     I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover your friend was a creep. ·     I loved you enough to make you return a Milky Way with a bite out of it to a drugstore and confess, “I stole this.” ·     I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken me fifteen minutes. ·     I loved you enough to say, “Yes, you can go to Disney World on Mother’s Day.” ·     I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment,

  I t is nice to be important, BUT it is more important to be nice. Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how. ~ Henry James   D o not neglect to extend hospitality   to strangers -- being friendly, cordial,  and gracious, sharing the comforts  of your home and doing your part  generously, for by this some have  entertained angels without knowing it. ~ Hebrews 13:2 (Amplified) 

K eep your face always  toward the sunshine, and  shadows will fall behind you. ~ Walt Whitman   BUT the path of the righteous is   like the light of dawn that shines  brighter and brighter until the full day. ~ Proverbs 4:18

I t is in our lives, and not from our words, that our religion must be read. ~ Thomas Jefferson   I n everything set them an example by doing what is good. ~ Titus 2:7

B e thou the rainbow in the storms of life. the evening beam that smiles  the clouds away, and tints  tomorrow with prophetic ray. ~ Lord Byron   H e who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain. ~ 2 Samuel 23:3-4

    Friday Tale - Great Pitcher or Bad Hitter? When Ron gave his seven-year-old son Nick a ball and bat, Nick wanted to play immediately. Ron said, "Son, baseball's a serious game. You have to practice hard before you can play it." The boy went outside and began throwing the ball in the air and swinging at it over and over.           After an hour he said, "Dad, can we play now?"           Ron said, "Show me what you can do."           Nick threw the ball in the air, took a mighty swing and missed.           "Strike one," he said enthusiastically. He tossed the ball again and missed again. "Strike two," he yelled.           Ron said, "Concentrate, Son. Remember, three strikes and you're out." The boy threw the b

F riendship is precious, not only in the shade, BUT in the sunshine of life. ~ Thomas Jefferson D ear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. ~ 3 John 1:2

  N o use complaining, don't you worry, don't you whine. 'Cause if you get it wrong, you'll get it right next time. ~ Gerry Rafferty   D o not complain against one another, so that you will not be judged for it. Look! The Judge is standing right at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ~ James 5:9-10 

  F ar away there in the sunshine are my greatest aspirations. I may not reach  them, BUT I can look up and see their  beauty,  believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. ~ Louisa May Alcott   I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ~ Philipians 3:14

  M ay your life be as beautiful as a summer day, with just enough clouds to make you appreciate the sunshine. ~ Lawrence Ragan Y ours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun. This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. ~ Psalm 74:16; 118:24