August 24
"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." Mother Teresa
"Habits are like comfortable beds; they are easy to get into, but difficult to get out of." -- Denis Waitley
"Nothing needs reforming so much as other people's habits." -- Mark Twain
"Good habits are as addictive as bad habits, and a lot more rewarding." -- Harvey Mackay
"You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, 'I release the need for this in my life'." -- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
"Memories and mistakes should be guideposts, not hitching posts."- Paul Powers
My doctor said I was paranoid... well, he didn't actually say it, but I could tell he was thinking it.
'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never
did' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you,
but merely opening your hands to receive something better.
Concentrate on this sentence....
The will of God will never take you where the
Grace of God will not protect you.'
If we go to a storehouse, all the corn in it will be eaten up someday, but if we go to some boundless plain that grows it, we can be sure that there will be a harvest next year as there has been a harvest last. So think of God not as a storehouse but as the soil from which there comes forth, year by year and generation after generation, the same crop of rich blessings for the needs and hungers of every soul.-- Alexander Maclaren
There are so many noises and pulls and competing demands in our lives that many of us never find out who we are. Learn to be quiet enough to hear the sound of the genuine within yourself so that you can hear it in other people. Marian Wright Edelman
Our Greatest Need
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
In the Library of Congress there are 1,172 reference books on William Shakespeare, 1,752 on George Washington, 2,319 on Abe Lincoln, and 5,152 on Jesus Christ. Perhaps H. G. Wells best summed up the runaway difference in interest. "Christ," he wrote, "is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth."
Like other great newspapers the Washington Post has a room filled with file folders. These folders contain information on famous people who are no longer alive. Each of these famous people is identified with a single vocational notation ("home run king," "motion picture star," etc.). One of these is marked "Jesus Christ." The notation is simply "martyr." Coming to grips with who Jesus is and what He means to us is the most important task we have.
It has often been noted that Jesus' favorite teaching method was the asking of questions. There are over 100 questions asked in the four Gospels. Of his parents Jesus asked, "Didn't you know that I would be in my Father's house?" Of the paralyzed man he asked, "Do you want to get well?" Of people who listened to Him teach but failed to act, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" No question is more important, however, than the question He posed to His disciples at Caesrea Phillipi: "Who do you say that I am?"
The Greatest Building
When you think of great building projects, what typically comes to mind? We might think of great buildings that were built centuries ago that still stand today. The Kremlin was built 500 years and was an architectural marvel of its day. The Great Wall of China as we know it today was built in the 15th and 16th centuries and is over 4,000 miles long. The main construction of the Taj Mahal took 20,000 workers 11 years to build and the whole project spanned 22 years. Sometimes these projects took several decades to complete. Herod’s temple, the one destroyed in 70 A. D. , took over 80 years to build. Construction on St. Peter’s Basilica began in 1506 and was not completed until 109 years later in 1615.
But as spectacular as any of these are in the eyes of man, there is one building project that far eclipses all of them. Its design is so spectacular that it couldn’t be drawn by even the best architects. It has been under construction not for decades or centuries, but for millennia, and it still is not finished. Its size is not mere acres or square miles, but encompasses all parts of the earth. What is more amazing is that this building has no steel, bricks, concrete, or windows. Its construction is with very unique, precious stones called "living stones." Unlike all of these other projects, this building will not fade with time. In fact, it will endure forever. What is this greatest of buildings? It is the church, God’s master project.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," Socrates continued.
"Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't know if it's true or not.
Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true.
The third filter is Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
Use this triple filter each time you hear loose talk about any of your near and dear friends.
"Habits are like comfortable beds; they are easy to get into, but difficult to get out of." -- Denis Waitley
"Nothing needs reforming so much as other people's habits." -- Mark Twain
"Good habits are as addictive as bad habits, and a lot more rewarding." -- Harvey Mackay
"You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, 'I release the need for this in my life'." -- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
"Memories and mistakes should be guideposts, not hitching posts."- Paul Powers
My doctor said I was paranoid... well, he didn't actually say it, but I could tell he was thinking it.
'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never
did' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you,
but merely opening your hands to receive something better.
Concentrate on this sentence....
The will of God will never take you where the
Grace of God will not protect you.'
If we go to a storehouse, all the corn in it will be eaten up someday, but if we go to some boundless plain that grows it, we can be sure that there will be a harvest next year as there has been a harvest last. So think of God not as a storehouse but as the soil from which there comes forth, year by year and generation after generation, the same crop of rich blessings for the needs and hungers of every soul.-- Alexander Maclaren
There are so many noises and pulls and competing demands in our lives that many of us never find out who we are. Learn to be quiet enough to hear the sound of the genuine within yourself so that you can hear it in other people. Marian Wright Edelman
Our Greatest Need
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
In the Library of Congress there are 1,172 reference books on William Shakespeare, 1,752 on George Washington, 2,319 on Abe Lincoln, and 5,152 on Jesus Christ. Perhaps H. G. Wells best summed up the runaway difference in interest. "Christ," he wrote, "is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth."
Like other great newspapers the Washington Post has a room filled with file folders. These folders contain information on famous people who are no longer alive. Each of these famous people is identified with a single vocational notation ("home run king," "motion picture star," etc.). One of these is marked "Jesus Christ." The notation is simply "martyr." Coming to grips with who Jesus is and what He means to us is the most important task we have.
It has often been noted that Jesus' favorite teaching method was the asking of questions. There are over 100 questions asked in the four Gospels. Of his parents Jesus asked, "Didn't you know that I would be in my Father's house?" Of the paralyzed man he asked, "Do you want to get well?" Of people who listened to Him teach but failed to act, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" No question is more important, however, than the question He posed to His disciples at Caesrea Phillipi: "Who do you say that I am?"
The Greatest Building
When you think of great building projects, what typically comes to mind? We might think of great buildings that were built centuries ago that still stand today. The Kremlin was built 500 years and was an architectural marvel of its day. The Great Wall of China as we know it today was built in the 15th and 16th centuries and is over 4,000 miles long. The main construction of the Taj Mahal took 20,000 workers 11 years to build and the whole project spanned 22 years. Sometimes these projects took several decades to complete. Herod’s temple, the one destroyed in 70 A. D. , took over 80 years to build. Construction on St. Peter’s Basilica began in 1506 and was not completed until 109 years later in 1615.
But as spectacular as any of these are in the eyes of man, there is one building project that far eclipses all of them. Its design is so spectacular that it couldn’t be drawn by even the best architects. It has been under construction not for decades or centuries, but for millennia, and it still is not finished. Its size is not mere acres or square miles, but encompasses all parts of the earth. What is more amazing is that this building has no steel, bricks, concrete, or windows. Its construction is with very unique, precious stones called "living stones." Unlike all of these other projects, this building will not fade with time. In fact, it will endure forever. What is this greatest of buildings? It is the church, God’s master project.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," Socrates continued.
"Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't know if it's true or not.
Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true.
The third filter is Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
Use this triple filter each time you hear loose talk about any of your near and dear friends.
posted by joypastordon at 6:53 PM
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