‘Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.’

When I read this quote I thought in terms of athletics and recalled a question I’ve heard asked many times of coaches. What would you rather have, a player with unlimited physical ability that has zero work ethic, no discipline and is not a very good teammate … or a player that is less physically talented but works hard, never complains and is supportive of his team and coaches? Invariably, the answer is of course always the latter.

Beyond sports, and in every aspect of life this same scenario holds true. I believe that every single person is gifted, however some never bother to open their present. As I often do, let me tie another quote in with this one. Zig Ziglar put talent in perspective and goes right to the heart of a misconception that many people have. He said: ‘Success is not measured by what you do compared to what others do, it’s measured by what you do with the amount of ability that God gave you.’

Just imagine if everybody followed that path!

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Friday and a blessed day!

‘Be willing to be a new beginner every single morning.’

Sometimes inspiration appears in the strangest places. This morning, like all mornings, I was at the local convenience store getting my daily shot of caffeine – my kick-starter. A lady was checking out in front of me and she was talking to the cashier, a young man in his early 20s. She must have known him because she called him by name. She was kidding him asking him if he “was pushing all the right buttons this morning” on the cash register where he deals with gas/lottery etc. He laughed and said ‘no’ and said he had to ‘clear’ the register and start all over again a couple of times.

Perhaps my mind works a little differently, but I immediately thought of how life is just like that conversation. There is not a day goes by that we all ‘hit the right buttons.’ Sometimes we say the wrong thing, we’re quick to anger, we’re negative, we lean toward bitterness and resentment. But the beauty is that, just like the young man who had to clear the register, we also have the ability, through Jesus Christ, to clear our own personal register and start all over again.

Remember, nobody can make a brand new start, but everybody has the option to make a brand new ending. And you can start this day, this hour, this minute and hit the ‘clear’ button.

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Thursday and a blessed day!

‘Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.’ — 1 Peter 5:7

I’m more of a ‘reader’ on Facebook than a ‘writer.’ Some weeks, and this is one of them, it’s overwhelming the amount of battles that friends face daily. Loved ones, young and old, passing unexpected and serious illnesses along with the every day struggles of life. It seems trouble and heartache are lurking around every corner.

The good news today and every day is that Jesus cares, he cares for you and he cares about the situation you’re facing in your life. But, the beauty tucked away in the 11 words that make up 1 Peter 5:7 is that Jesus invites you to ‘cast all your cares on him.’ Remember, that ‘all means all … big and small.’

God’s blessings to you on this day and when life’s troubles start to weigh you down, remember 1 Peter 5:7! Have a great Wednesday and a blessed day!

‘Service is the very purpose of life. It’s the rent we pay for living on the planet.’

I believe some people have the idea that the word ‘service’ mentioned in this quote means that we have to do grand things, involving a large number of people. If you can pull that off, that’s great, however a quote I read recently attributed to Mother Teresa, sums up, I believe, what service is all about. She said: ‘If you can’t feed hundreds of people, then feed one.’

I believe even something small as a kind word, a kind gesture, a smile, reaching out to someone going through a rough time or just taking the time to talk to somebody is a service that we can all practice every single day. By doing these things, we can start paying our ‘rent’ for living on the planet.

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Tuesday and a blessed day!

‘Every test in life — big or small — makes us bitter or better, every problem comes to make us or break us. In the end the choice is ours whether we become victim or victor.’

I love this quote and agree completely, but I don’t think it’s just reserved for the big ‘tests’ in life. I think this is how we should approach every single issue, every single day. And the beauty and truth of this gem is that the choice is ours, all ours. Bitter or better? Make us or break us? Victim or victor?

With the help and grace of God, my plan is to work daily to be better, to make it and in the end to be the victor … how about you?

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a super Monday and great start to your week!

‘Failure should be our teacher not our undertaker. Failure is delay not defeat. It is a temporary detour and not a dead-end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing and being nothing.’

Everybody — and I mean every single person that has lived — has failed at one time or another. It’s inevitable, it’s just part of life. But, it’s what you do when those failures come that matters the most. Do you let it defeat you, or do you use it as a stepping stone and a learning experience and push on?

I think Winston Churchill summed up failure best by giving his definition of success. ‘Success consists of moving from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.’

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Sunday and a blessed day!

‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ — Psalm 46:1

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a super Saturday and a blessed day!

‘The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.’

As a young writer many years ago I was often told by editors to ‘write tight.’ In other words, put as much punch as possible in as few words as possible. I thought of that when I read this single, powerful sentence. In only 18 words the writer (unknown) delivered a perfect blueprint for any problem, regardless of size, that we might face.

And when practicing that short distance between your problem and a solution let me remind you of one of my favorite verses that goes perfectly with this sentence. ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ – Philippians 4:13. Remember, that verse doesn’t say ‘I can do some things … or a few things’ it says, ‘I can do ALL things.’

My prayer today is that anytime you’re looking for a solution to a problem you’ll recall this perfectly-worded sentence and the verse that reminds us that ‘all’ things are possible.

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Friday and a blessed day!

‘The reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go, instead of how far they’ve already gone.’

There are a lot of quotes — and I’ve posted many of them — that talk about not looking back, not getting caught up with the past. While I still agree with those … I think today’s quote is a great example that it’s OK to glance back when you’re measuring what you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve progressed. In many instances this provides a great measuring stick of your success, and certainly that’s great motivation to continue on.

Remember, two steps forward and one step back is still progress toward your goal.

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Thursday and a blessed day!

‘It’s a great day to have a great day!’

I woke up this morning and immediately when my eyes opened I started thinking about the long list on ‘my plate’ for today. Easily, Wednesday is my longest, busiest most tiring day, and on this Wednesday (today) I have a couple other tasks that just added to my worry and concern … before my feet even hit the floor.

Almost in the same instance that I was trying to prioritize my ‘crisis list’ for the day, a simple verse came to my mind – ‘This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ Isaiah 41:10

As I pondered that wonderful verse I asked myself a very important question: ‘How can I rejoice and be glad in this day that God made for me if I’m stressed out and worried about whether I get my work list done or not?’ As I felt a calmness settle in (rare for me) I decided that I was going to rejoice in this (beautiful) day, work hard and do all I can do. However, what doesn’t get done will just have to stay undone for right now.

God’s blessings to you on this day that the Lord has made! Rejoice and be glad because of this day you’ve been given, have a wonderful Wednesday and a blessed day!