May 24

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” – Jesse Owens

Do you want your eternity with or without God?

"Somebody just gave me a shower radio. Thanks a lot. Do you really want music in the shower? I guess there's no better place to dance than a slick surface next to a glass door." - Jerry Seinfeld

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." -- Phillips Brooks

There's only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.
Vince Lombardi (1913-1970) Football coach

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls, and looks like work." -- Thomas Alva Edison

"Every man is the architect of his own fortune." -- Appius Claudius

"Your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing." -- Abraham Lincoln

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -- Abraham Lincoln

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog." -- Unknown

"Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch." -- Ivern Ball

"Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody." -- Henry Wadsworth

"The best way to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm. If our community doesn’t help itself, who will?" -- Rena Hull


Our culture puts a premium on speed, deifying this notion that faster is better, that you must fill every single moment with activity. There's a powerful taboo that makes "slow" a dirty word. In this hyped-up world, we need to keep an eye on our personal speedometers- it's very easy to do things fast just because everything else around you is going fast, without even considering whether or not it makes sense.
Americans' natural tendency is to go fast, perhaps because the U.S. is a young country with a dynamic frontier history. That restlessness informs the American psyche, on the work front in particular: Working hours have come down everywhere except in the United States, where they keep going up! But working such long hours puts a squeeze on everything else.


Knock the "t" off the "can't." George Reeves (1914-1959) Actor

"There are three kinds of givers -- the flint, the sponge and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. Which kind of giver are you?" - Unknown

A Church Is a Family Charles E. Jefferson once described the difference between an audience and a church. He said, "An audience is a crowd. A church is a family. An audience is a gathering. A church is a fellowship. An audience is a collection. A church is an organism. An audience is a heap of stones. A church is a temple." And he concludes, "Preachers are ordained not to attract an audience, but to build a church." I hope that everyone in this room understands that critical difference. If the Lion's club or the Kiwanis club is torn with dissension, it is a shame. But when the church of Jesus Christ is in turmoil, it is a tragedy. Christ depends on us.

To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world. Karl Barth

"Be My Witnesses." The first command Jesus gave us was "Follow me!" The greatest commandment Jesus gave us was "Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor and love each other, too." The last commandment Jesus gave before he was taken from our sight was, "Be my witnesses."

"When written in Chinese the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity."



EACH DAY I CHOOSE - BY MAX LUCADO

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot.
The sky is still black. The world is still asleep.
The day is coming.
In a few moments, the day will arrive.

It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to
the day's demands. It is now I must make a choice.

Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose.
And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE…
No occasion justifies hatred;
no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…
the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see
people as anything less than human beings,
created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
I will be kind to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God
has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it only be of myself.
I am a spiritual being…

After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal.
I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek His grace.
And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Prayer: Lord, help me each day to choose the attitudes that are pleasing to you. Amen