‘The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss, but it’s too low and we reach it.’

I recently had a conversation with a parent about young athletes setting what might look like unrealistic goals about college and professional sports. It was an interesting conversation that goes far beyond athletics and applies to everything we do.

While I think its important to reach goals I also think it’s equally important to have that goal, that dream, that seems just out of reach. It’s that goal, the one that seems unattainable that keeps us pushing forward, keeps us focused and keeps us working hard. I recently read another quote that said: ‘Aim for the stars and even if you don’t reach it, you will fly higher than if you aimed at an object on a level with yourself.’

God’s blessings to you on this day and my prayer is that aim high and shoot for the stars! Have a great Sunday and a blessed day!

“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

It has been a tough month for Franklin County. By my count we have lost five young people, ranging in age from two to 14 years old. That’s a lot of grief for a small, rural area. Each time I’ve heard of another tragedy, this verse has crossed my mind.

Read it slowly … there is not a single word in this verse that does not contain a treasure of thought for anybody willing to listen and learn. Let me break this verse down to three parts:

* Come Unto Me – “That’s an open invitation and there are no restrictions on anybody, men, women, and children, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, black, white, red, yellow … it doesn’t matter – it says come unto me.

* All ye that labor and are heavy-laden – isn’t that everybody these days? Everybody, without exception has problems, and we’re all in a hurry to get somewhere … but nobody knows for sure where they’re going. And clearly it means times when the burdens of life are heavy, and for many right now those burdens are overwhelming.

* I will give you rest – That’s the ‘kicker’ – the wonderful promise attached to this – Rest comes in knowing Christ as your personal savior and in the promise of eternal life. Rest comes in handing your burdens to Jesus.

God’s blessings to you on this day and my prayer is that when the burdens of life are heavy the promise in Matthew 11:28 will fill your mind. Have a great Saturday and a blessed day!

‘The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping stone is decided by how high you raise your foot!’

This quote reminds me of the question: ‘Is the glass half full or half empty? The way a person answers that question explains a lot about how they approach life.

In this instance where some people might see a stumbling block others know that by stepping a little higher they can turn an obstacle into an opportunity, a bitter experience into a better life and a test into a testimony. This quote reminded me of another quote that ties in well. It states: ‘Don’t carry your mistakes around with you. Instead, place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones.’

God’s blessings on the ‘paths’ you travel today, tomorrow and in the future and my prayer is that if you run into a stumbling block you can do some ‘high-steppin’ and turn it into nothing more than a stepping stone. Have a great Friday and God Bless You!

Happy moments — Praise God.
Difficult Moments — Seek God.
Quiet Moments — Worship God.
Painful Moments — Trust God.
Every Moment — Thank God.

The mark of a good writer is to say more in less words. Here, the unknown author used only 10 words  to lay out a blueprint for life. A guide for us to go by regardless of what is happening in our life.  The key point and the constant in these 10 powerful words is that God is always with us. Any emotion, any situation good, bad or in between, every triumph, every heartbreak, every minute — God is there.

God’s blessing to you on this day and my prayer is that you will tuck this ‘blueprint’ away and keep it with you. Have a great Thursday and a blessed day!

‘Happiness and positive thinking is an attitude. By the way we approach life and our everyday thinking we either make ourselves miserable and weak or happy and strong. Interestingly, the amount of work is the same.’

There are people, we can all name them, who have to work hard to be as miserable and negative as they are each day. These are the kind of people that when you comment how beautiful the weather is they’ll let you know quickly that it’s supposed to rain next week. The last sentence is the ‘kicker’ to this quote – the amount of work in developing a negative or a positive attitude is the same.

Remember, you can complain because rose bushes have thorns … or you can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses — the work and effort is the same and the choice is yours!

God’s blessings to you on this day and my prayer is that the ‘work’ you put in on ‘you’ results in happy and strong. Have a wonderful Wednesday and a blessed day!

‘Success is the sum of small efforts repeated over and over again, day in and day out.’ – Unknown

So, on those long and sometimes monotonous days when you think your small efforts have little or no meaning, remember this quote, remember the sum of small efforts … and keep on pushing forward!  Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.

God’s blessings to you on this day, which very well might be one of those ‘day in and day out’ days that will lead to your success. Have a terrific Tuesday and a great day!

So do not fear for I am with you and do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and I will help you and I will hold you up with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

I was looking for something Sunday night to post on Monday morning, something to begin the week. I read through this verse, quickly, like I always read. Then I slowed down, something that is hard for me to do, and read it slowly and the promises and the messages of hope sort of jumped off the page at me. ‘… do not fear’ … ‘I am with you’ … ‘do not be dismayed’ … ‘I am your God’ … ‘I will strengthen you’ … ‘I will help you’ … ‘I will hold you up with my righteous right hand.’

Maybe, along with all these wonderful promises and messages of hope, the real lesson in this verse for me (and maybe you too) is to slow down, don’t be afraid and understand that God is in control.
God’s blessings your way on this day and my prayer is that no matter what you’re going through or what mountain you’re facing you will slow down and remember Isaiah 41:10. Have a Marvelous Monday and a blessed day!

‘With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or you can treat what has happened as a gift. Everything in life is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. The beauty is … you get to choose.’ — Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

When I read this quote I thought of the old story about when life hands you lemons, the best thing to do is to make lemonade. And again, the key point is that the way you handle every life situation is up to you – the decision is yours to either suck on the lemons or make lemonade.

‘Sometimes me think what is friend?’ And then me say, ‘Friend is someone to share the last cookie with.’ — Cookie Monster

At the end of a long work week, who better to hear from than “Cookie Monster,” a legendary figure many of us met through our children and got reacquainted with through our grandchildren. I saw this quote recently and remembered it from many years ago. What a great reminder about the joy of friendship! I particularly love this because friendship here in the high-tech 21st Century is sometimes measured by making a mouse-click on Facebook. But, friendship is so much more, as Cookie Monster points out, it’s ‘someone to share the last cookie with.’ Now … that’s a true friend!

God’s blessings to you on this day and my prayer is that you have a ‘share-the-last-cookie’ kind of day. Have a fabulous Friday and a great day!