Spiritual Thoughts

  W e will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~ Edit Lovejoy Pierce T rust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and  He will make straight your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

  A  journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~ Chinese Proverb L et me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my life. ~ Psalm 143:8

  T here are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots, the other is wings. ~ Hodding Carter F or the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. ~ Acts 2:29

  Friday Tale - One Solitary Life He was born in an obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was about thirty. He then became an itinerant preacher. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He had no credentials but Himself. After preaching three years, the public turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His clothing, the only property He had on earth. He was laid in a borrowed grave. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned have not affected the life of man on the earth as much as that  ONE SOLITARY LIFE. ~ Unknown B eing found in appearance as a man, He humb...

  T his day and in the coming year,  may the light of Jesus shine brightly in your life, filling your home with love, joy and peace. Wishing you and your family a coming year filled with faith, hope and the joy of the Lord. May His peace and love be with you today and always. ~ Anonymous N ow to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless, with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority,  before all time and now and forever. Amen ~ Jude 24:-25

  T he birth of Christ is the ultimate  expression of God's love, bringing hope and peace to a world in need. ~ Unknown D o not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." ~ Luke 2:10-14

  K indness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning. ~ Frederick W. Faber T hus has the LORD of hosts said, "Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother. ~ Zechariah 7:9

  A  kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.  ~ Washington Irving D o not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart ~ Proverbs 3:3

  Friday Tale - You  Are Rich I  once asked my Aunt, Dora Jane, who raised me as if she were my mother where we stood on the spectrum between rich and poor. I said, "I know we live well and have money, but we don't have millions of dollars. What does that make us?"   She responded by saying, "I beg your pardon! We are rich, we have always been rich and we will always be rich!"   I responded, "But Auntie, we don't have money like the Getty's!"     She interrupted me and said as she pointed to her heart, and then to her head, "Rich is in here and up here.   You will always be rich in heart and mind. If you have a lot of money that makes you wealthy. If you have no money, that makes you broke.   You see, richness is a state of mind; not how much money you have.   It does not matter how much you have that counts in life.   It's what you do with what you have than counts.   And so long as you remember that you will always ...

  H e is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not,    BUT  rejoices in what he has. ~ Epictetus I ndeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. ~ Philippians 3:8

  Y ou cannot always control what goes on outside. BUT you can always control what goes on inside. ~ Wayne Dyer N ow may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement, grant you to be of the same mind with one another like Christ Jesus. ~ Romans 15:5

  A  part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve. ~ Joseph Joubert B ut I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that  you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ~ Matthew 5:44-45

  L ife is not about getting and having, it is about giving and being. ~ Kevin Kruse I f your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, and the LORD will reward you. ~ Proverbs 25:21

  Friday Tale ~ What Do We SEE? A  man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.  Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.  The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and...