QUIPS & QUOTES

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them, anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway

Mother Teresa Quoted from Pulpit Pieces Weekly email list

A Rabbi asks his students, "How can we determine the hour of dawn, when the night ends and the day begins?"

One student suggests, "When, from a distance, you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep?"

"No," the Rabbi answers.

"Is it when you can distinguish between a fig tree and a grapevine?" asks a second student.

"No," the Rabbi says.

"Please tell us the answer, then," say the students.

"It is," says the wise teacher, "when you have enough light to look human beings in the face and recognize them as your brothers and sisters. Until then the darkness is still with us."

By Henri Nouwen Source: Signs of the Times, Copyright (c) May 1989, Pacific Press, http://www.signstimes.com

By way of wit and wisdom

If you wouldn't write it and sign it, don't say it.

Quoted from net153.com email list

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made--I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, worldly-talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, hired away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, give up till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes my banner will be clear!

From Words Aptly Spoken, by Dr. Bob Moorehead Available on various websites on the Internet

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car? Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a
job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first, or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.

WHAT DID HE SAY?

He answered: I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams.

Quoted from http://www.cybersalt.org email list

Graham Scroggie once observed: "Too many Christians live on the right side of Easter but the wrong side of Pentecost; the right side of pardon but the wrong side of power; the right side of forgiveness but the wrong side of fellowship. They are out of Egypt but they have not reached the land of promise and blessing, and are wandering about in the wilderness of dissatisfaction and frustration."

Quoted in The Bible Speaks to Our Times by Alan Redpath, Fleming H. Revell, 1968

A man was taking it easy, lying on the grass and looking up at the clouds. He was identifying shapes when he decided to talk to God.

"God", he said, "how long is a million years?"

God answered, "In my frame of reference, it's about a minute."

The man asked, "God, how much is a million dollars?"

God answered, "To Me, it's a penny."

The man then asked, "God, can I have a penny?"

God said, "In a minute."

Quoted from net153.com Email list

"Salvation is free, ... but discipleship will cost you your life." -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"The turning point in our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is." -- Patrick Morley

Quoted from the Sermon Fodder Email List

Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous,
teach me to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to seek reward,
except that of knowing that I do your will.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Help fight truth decay....read your Bible today!

Terri asked her Sunday School class to draw pictures of their favorite Bible stories. She was puzzled by Kyle's picture, which showed four people on an airplane, so she asked him which story it was meant to represent. "The flight to Egypt," said Kyle.

"I see ... And that must be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus," Ms. Terri said. "But who's the fourth person?"

"Oh, that's Pontius - the Pilot.

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

Mother Teresa

Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in money and you may have it taken from you; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.

D.L. Moody

A true friend walks in when the world walks out.

*Trials and Tribulations*

Take a piece of wax, a piece of meat, some sand, some clay, and some wood shavings, put them on the fire and see how they react.

Each of them is being acted upon by the same agent, yet...the wax melts, the meat fries, the sand dries up, the clay hardens, the wood shavings blaze.

Just so, under identical influence of circumstances and environment one man is made better, and he becomes stronger, and another becomes weaker, while another withers away.

This explains why one hears the Word of God and is made better. Still another hears the same thing and is made angry. Not so much what is done to us, but what we do, determines our destiny. Take heed how you hear and act.

"Even if they try to kill you, you develop the inner conviction that there are some things so precious, some things so eternally true that they are worth dying for. And if a person has not found something to die for, that person isn't fit to live!"

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mahatma Gandhi led the people of India through a passive resistance that ended in their liberation from British domination. Gandhi based his methods on the person and activities of Jesus. Of this method he said, "First they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

Dr. Robert U. Ferguson, Jr., "Who Is This?"

A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear.

When about to pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft soothing voice, "Isn't it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let's negotiate the matter."

Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, "I want a fur coat."

"Good," said the bear, "that is a negotiable item. I only want a full stomach, so let us sit down and negotiate a compromise."

They sat down to negotiate and after a time the bear walked away, alone. The negotiations had been successful.

The bear had a full stomach, and the hunter had his fur coat!

Count your blessings instead of your crosses; Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes; Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears; Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean; Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth; Count on God instead of yourself.

A father wanted to read the paper, but was being bothered by his little daughter, Vanessa.

Finally, he tore a sheet out of his magazine, on which was printed the map of the world.

Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Vanessa, and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this together."

After a few minutes, Vanessa returned and handed him the map correctly fitted together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.

"Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got Jesus in His place, then the world came out all right."

PARABLE OF THE PENCIL

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.

Three: You will be able to correct mistakes you will make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.

And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you; always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct mistakes you might make or grow through them.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to serve God in everything.

By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart and a relationship with God daily.

-- Author Unknown

Title: The Devil's Beatitudes

BLESSED are they who are too tired & busy to go to church on Sunday: for they are my best workers.

BLESSED are they who are bored with the preacher's & teacher's mannerisms and mistakes: for they will get nothing out of the services.

BLESSED is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church: he is an important member to me.

BLESSED are they who do not go to church on Sunday evening: they cause the world to say "The church is failing."

BLESSED are they who gossip: for they cause strife and division, which pleases me much.

BLESSED are they who are easily offended: they soon get angry and quit.

BLESSED are they who do not give of their tithes and offerings to carry on God's work: they are my helpers.

BLESSED is he who professed to love God but hates his brother: he shall live with me forever.

BLESSED is he who has no time to pray: he will be an easy prey.

BLESSED is he who doesn't read God's word: he will follow me readily.

John & Cathy O'Brien Missionaries to Russia

One of the leaders of the early church was Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. He was brought to trial by the authorities and told he must renounce his Christian faith. He replied, "Fourscore and six years have I served Him, and He never did me wrong: how then can I revile my King, my Savior?" They took him out and put him to death. Later when the Christians wrote their history of that period they said, "Polycarp was martyred, Statius Quadratus being proconsul of Asia, and Jesus Christ being King forever!"

James S. Stewart, The Wind Of The Spirit (Abingdon Press: Nashville and New York, 1968), p. 55.

"Some persons say they cannot bear to spend one hour in quiet solitude; they have nothing to do, nothing to think about. No Christian will ever talk like that, surely; for if I can but give him one word to think of--Christ--let him spell that over forever; let me give him the word Jesus, and only let him try to think it over, and he shall find that an hour is not enough, and that eternity is not half enough time to utter our glorious Savior's praise."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

There are three things that all of us have to do:

1.) You have to be born, you cannot be unborn
2.) You have to die, (unless Jesus comes soon)
3.) And you have to stand before God and be Judged.

- Billy Graham - Quoted from Net153.com email list

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark...

One: Don't miss the boat.

Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

Six: Build your future on high ground.

Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.

Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Quoted from net153.com email list