Spiritual Thoughts

  I f we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we are not really living. Growth shows faith. ~ Gail Sheehy (amended)   N ow the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. ~ Luke 8:11, 15

  O ne can choose to back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be over come again and again. ~ Abraham Maslow   S ow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until He comes and showers His righteousness on you. ~ Hosea 10: 12

  S eeds of faith are always within us;  sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth. ~ Susan L. Taylor   C onsider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith grows endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ~ James 1:2-4

  C riticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth, without destroying his roots. ~ Frank A. Clark   G ive instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. ~ Proverbs 9:9

  C hallenge yourself every day to do better and be better. Remember, growth starts with a decision to move beyond your present circumstances. ~ Robert Tew B e like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. ~ 1 Peter 2:2-3

L ife is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely . ~ Anonymous   M ay the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people. ~ 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Friday Tale - Thoughts for Tough Times D ifficult times often inspire people to become more extraordinary. Challenge and adversity can push people toward their own greatness. It can launch you on a deeper personal journey toward happiness, fulfillment, and a life of meaning. As you explore ways to gather strength and improve self-esteem, remember, it is not so much about what you have but who you are. May these tips inspire you. May you go from strength to strength and be a source of strength to others. Broke Is Not Broken Being broke is not the same as being broken, losing money is not the same as being lost, and finding your balance is not something you can do on a balance sheet. Having Less Doesn't Mean You Are Less Don't confuse having less with being less, having more with being more, or what you have with who you are. Savor Life and Slow Down When you're in a hurry, go slowly. The faster you go in life the sooner it is a blur. Prayer Creat...

G rowth itself contains the germ of happiness . ~ Pearl S. Buck L ike newborn-infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation - if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. ~ 1 Peter 2:2-3 (ESV) 

T imes of stress are also times that are signals for growth, and if we use adversity properly, we can grow through adversity . ~ Abraham Twerski C hrist gives the body [believers] its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God. ~ Colossians 2:19 (CEV)

G rowth itself contains    the germ of happiness.   -Pearl S. Buck W alk in a manner worth of the Lord,   fully pleasing to Him,    bearing fruit in every good work     and increasing in the knowledge of God.  -Colossians 1:10  (also, 1 Samuel 2:26)

G rowth begins when we start to      accept our own weakness.    -Jean Vanier S trengthen the weak hands, and   make firm the feeble knees.    Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come....      He will come and save you." -Isaiah 35:3-4                 

Growth itself contains the germ of happiness. -Pearl S. Buck  [ Hold fast to our] Head, from whom the whole body,  nourished and knit together through its joints and    ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. -Colossians 2:19

Real growth comes in    small portions day by day. -Denis Waitley  I am the vine, you are the branches.    Whoever abides in me, and I in him,      he it is that bears much fruit. - John 15:5 

A man won a prize at the county fair for a full-grown pumpkin shaped like a small jar!   How did he accomplish this? When the pumpkin started to bloom he simply put the   bloom into a glass jar and the pumpkin, as it grew,     filled up the jar.  He then broke the jar,       and the pumpkin duplicated the size and shape of the jar. Many times we do the same to ourselves.    We place our selves in containers that limit our growth.  The container will be just as large or small as we believe it to be. It is a matter of choice.       We can choose to grow or          we can choose to become ripe and rot.  -Unknown But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,     they shall mount up with wings like eagles;        they shall run and not be weary;     ...