May 2

"Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way." -- Abraham Lincoln

"The highest form of success comes to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship or from bitter toil, and who, out of these, wins the splendid ultimate triumph." -- Theodore Roosevelt

"We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing must be attained." -- Marie Curie

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread." -- Mother Theresa

"Appreciate people. Nothing gives more joy than appreciation." -- Ruth Smeltzer

"Who can save a child from a burning house without taking the risk of being hurt by the flames? Who can take away suffering without entering it?" -- Henry Nouwen

"No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently." -- Agnes De Mille

An 11-year-old boy was doing his violin practice at home and the torturous noise was making the dog howl. Upstairs the boy's father was trying to work on the computer. After putting up with the combined racket of the violin and the dog's wailing for 20 minutes, the father eventually called out, "Jason, can't you play something the dog doesn't know?"

The Impact of Working Together
Anthills are made when a bunch of insignificant creatures get together.
If you ever mistakenly step on an anthill without shoes, their fellowship will make an impact on you. One ant bite might sting a little. Most folks can handle that. But if a person messes with the whole family in an anthill, those ants will gather around your foot and serve notice that you are unwelcome in their house.

One ant can't create that kind of impact by itself. Gathered together, their combined effect is much greater. Not only do they ward off intruders together, they will also work together to rebuild in a day-and-a-half what was destroyed. By Tony Evans.

You will never have a friend if you must have one without faults. -- Italian Proverb

* “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” – Jim Rohm
* "Few sinners are saved after the first 20 minutes of a sermon." —Mark Twain
"God grant me the ability
to reject the things about me
that are not true,
the humility to accept
the things that are, and the discernment
to know the difference."


Fewer Young Adults Attending Church
According to a new survey by a Christian research firm, a majority of young adults, age 18 to 29, don't pray, don't worship and don't read the Bible.
The research, conducted by LifeWay Christian Resources, revealed that:
* Sixty-five percent identify themselves as Christian, while 14 percent say they are atheist or agnostic, 14 percent list no religious preference, and 8 percent claim other religions.
* Sixty-five percent rarely or never pray with others, and 38 percent almost never pray by themselves either.
* Sixty-five percent rarely or never attend worship services.
* Sixty-seven percent don't read the Bible or sacred texts.
* Seventy-two percent say they're "really more spiritual than religious."
* Many are unsure Jesus is the only path to heaven: Half say, yes — half say, no.
"We have dumbed down what it means to be part of the church so much that it means almost nothing, even to people who already say they are part of the church," says Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources.

"Your integrity will affect your destiny, don't leave home without it." -- Clarence E. Hodges

"Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it." -- Lou Holtz

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -- Mohandas Gandhi

"Don't wait. The time will never be just right." --Napoleon Hill

"Alexander, Caesar, and Hannibal conquered the world but had no friends.... Jesus founded his empire upon love, and at this hour millions would die for him.... He has won the hearts of men, a task a conqueror cannot do." -- Napoleon

"God hasn't promised us tomorrow, but he has promised us eternity." — Tony Snow
"Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage of your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you." - Fran Lebowitz

"Many church leaders decry the decline of biblical literacy and knowledge among the younger generations. Rightly so; many teenagers don't even know what they believe, or why. But the leaders are pointing fingers at the wrong culprits. The debate shouldn't be between entertainment versus biblical education. We ought to be discussing (loudly and openly) the difference between ineffective instruction and truly life-changing instruction." - Jeff White, Holy Wow



"Busyness does not equal effectiveness." - Doug Fields, What Matters Most

A CHARTERED BUS was rolling along the highway to a football game when one rider turned to his companion and said, "I feel guilty. Here it’s Sunday and I’m going to a football game instead of church."
"What would you be doing in church?" his friend asked. "Listening to the sermon," the man replied. "Well, why don’t you act as if you were in church listening to the sermon," the friend suggested. The man thought this was a terrific idea. So he settled back into his seat and fell asleep.

When you're too busy for family, friends or most importantly, God you really are too busy.

God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it in the nest.

The Church in Action From time to time we hear statistics about how people first came into church membership. These figures trace back to the Institute for American Church Growth, which asked 10,000 people about their pilgrimage. What led them in? Answers were:
Special need, 2 percent;
Walk-in, 3 percent;
Pastor, 6 percent;
Visitation, 1 percent;
Sunday school, 5 percent;
Evangelistic crusade, 5 percent;
Program, 3 percent;
Friend/relative, 79 percent.
SO....get out there and spread the word!!