D-Day Remembered

D-Day - 6 June 1944

Omaha Beach Cemetery

Reflecting on the generations who have gone before gives us continued inspiration and motivation.

(after Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 5 November)

6 June 2013

Justice, Equality, Tolerance

Are justice, equality, and tolerance ... 

[values] that we pursue or just words that we utter?

Do we need to change .. the priorities of our lives?

(The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 11 November)

24 May 2013

Haves & Have-Nots

... the disparity between the haves and the have-nots becomes greater and greater. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 16 November) 11 May 2013

It's Our Fault

We are responsible for the injustice done to earth through our careless acts of selfishness or misconduct. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 16 October) 6 May 2013

Character

(Photo by Mr. Dickie)

Character does not evolve by chance; it is forged by practical decisions made in mundane circumstances of everyday experiences. (Les Dahl in The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 22 September) 3 May 2013

Words

I have always loved words. It all started with the magical stories my father read to me from big, colorful storybooks when I was a child. The words on the page seemed to contain great mysteries awaiting discovery and great knowledge awaiting learning. All a person needed was the tool, the ability to decipher words, and new worlds could be experienced. Words are instructive, powerful, and enjoyable. (Tamara Elizabeth Lewis in The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 4 November) 5 April 2013

What Me Worry?

In this land of freedom, ... [many of us] jealously guard our right to do as we please; we [want to] keep the rules few and simple. Yet confronted by school shootings and terrorist attacks, promiscuity and irresponsible parents, lying politicians and greedy evangelists, ... [others] plead for more standards, tougher laws, real accountability. ... In such an environment, discussion of laws and standards conjures up anxiety, confusion, frustration, resignation or anger. (J. Marshall Jenkins in The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 13 September) 26 February 2013

Crisis

Crises can be averted by making some changes. Change is seldom easy, especially when we deal with deep-rooted habits, long-standing associations, and entrenched attitudes. Drastic situations demand decisive action. Whatever causes you to stumble, tear it out or cut it off! (Les Dahl in The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 27 September) 12 February 2013

Economic Reality

... some of our casual attitudes toward the economic reality in which we live may need revision as we responsibly consider the ripple effects of our actions that we have not imagined. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 5 September) 1 February 2013

Role Playing

Whatever role we play in life, we have to make decisions. Even when they seem trivial, they still carry ... [the potential to profoundly impact] our lives and those of others. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 18 August) 9 January 2013

Interaction

We should pay special attention to examing the content of our conversation - not only for untruths but for anything that does not build others up. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 10 August)

If you argue with a person who is unbalanced, after a few minutes it's hard to tell which one of you is unbalanced. (Jim Burns in Keepers Of The Wisdom by Karen Casey, 28 April)

Our interaction with others staves off boredom and dull-mindedness. (Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 27 March)

Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost Of Discipleship, p. 205) 10 May 2012

Spiritual Gifts Inventory

Take time this evening to do a brief review of the day.  Try to clean out any daily dirt with God or others before putting your head on the pillow.
(The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 10 August) 9 May 2012

See What I Mean?

... people can see things about me that I cannot see myself. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 24 March)

You should also watch out for those things that irritate you in other people; when you see them in yourself, get rid of them. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 25, p. 60)

Throughout our entire lives we come face-to-face with our limitations. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 28 July)

Our lives can be filled with miraculous surprises if we pay attention to the moments of grace. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 26 July)

I must not let myself go in resentments, hates, fears, pride, lust, or gossip. (Twenty-Four Hours A Day, 11 April)

Reading And Writing Program

I follow my daily reading and writing program for instruction and emotional support I cannot find elsewhere.  I know I need not accept everything I read, but  the thinking process it engenders will set me on the right path. (after One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 6 April)

Do you understand what you are reading? ... How can you, unless someone guides you? (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 14 May)

There are things in the world I want to change, and I'm going to work on them.  Those things I can't change, and which I dislike, I will stop expecting to be different, since my expectations will always end up being disconfirmed, and therefore upset me. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 186)

Consider what you'd like to do, and then let God decide how and if it needs to be done. (Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 29 March)
15 April 2012

Consequences

(Photo: Mr. Dickie - dogs next door)

... most of what happens in a day is of little lasting consequence. (Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 14 March)

A long life does not always improve us; in fact, it often adds to our problems! (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 23, p. 55)

If you had an extended illness or recovery from surgery or have grieved the loss of someone close to you, you know something about the isolating impact of illness and grief. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 7 June)

Anxiety, it seems, is the raw material of guilt.  At the very least, anxiety is a standard companion to good behavior. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 281)

We look at our fellow men too much from the standpoint of our own prejudices. (Elizabeth Prentiss in A Gentle Spirit, 1 April)

You always have options.  In every situation, you can chose how you are going to deal with it and how you are going to feel about it. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 208)

[Blows or trauma to the head are never trivial.] Inside the brain, a car crash today keeps right on happening tomorrow and the day after; it is a terrifying process to contemplate. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 344)

... trouble comes to pass, not to stay. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 31 January)

... the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want.  This principle works equally well for individuals, corporations, societies, and nations. (Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws, p., 31)

Many of us grew up in families with an addicted parent. (Touchstones, 6 January)

It is not a sign of loving someone to withhold information you think will distrub them. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 16 February)

If the best man's faults were written on his forehead, it would make him pull his hat over his eyes. (Gaelic Proverb, in Touchstones, 8 February)

"Mediocrity finds safety in standardization." (Frederick Crane in Pulling Your Own Strings by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, p. 77)

Gangs are classic examples of mass cowardice. (Craig Nakken, Finding Your Moral Compass, p. 115)
7 April 2012

Transfer Of Power

... persons or groups that come to power rarely want to leave those positions. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 19 July) 6 April 2012

World Economy

(Melva with her latest quilt)

Currently the economy is bad in many countries, which forces people to work extra hours to make ends meet.  Why does it surprise us to realize that stress, depression, heart problems, and burnout now characterize people in our world? (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 20 July) 5 April 2012

Trustworthiness

We in contemporary society witness a lack of trustworthiness in all areas and institutions of our lives:

• our electoral process,
• our government,
• our leaders,
• our courts,
• our political parties,
• our banking industry,
• our stock market,
• our marriages,
• our churches,
• our schools,
• our friendships,
• our investment plans,
• our educational systems,
• our corporations and companies,
• our loved ones,
• ourselves.

Whom can we trust?
(after The Upper Room Disciplines - 2011, 16 July)
28 March 2012

We've Got It Made

What ruling power has ever existed on earth that could hold both extravagant fortune and true justice in balance?  Why do power and wealth lead to loss of compassion and injustice for the poor and marginalized?  Is it inevitable?  What does such repeated failure tell us about ourselves. (Barbara Dick in The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 1 July) 14 March 2012

Possessions

[The goal of advertising is to create] ... another catchy way to have us spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need to impress people we don't like. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 30 June)

As humans, we have a natural propensity toward addiction ... Too many of us spend too much of our time accumulating stuff and things that fill our time but do not fulfill our lives, we seek more and more and obtain less and less. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 24 June)

We're always in danger of ending up possessed by our possessions. (Johann Christoph Arnold, Escape Routes, p. 44)

... whatever you're dragging around could kill you. (Johann Christoph Arnold, Escape Routes, p. 80)

Sometimes the best thing I can do with things that seem well worth keeping is to give them away. (Karen Barber, Daily Guideposts - 2010, 13 January)

The greatest disappointment (and resulting pain) you can feel is when you have just experienced that which you thought would bring you the ultimate in pleasure - and it has let you down.  Pleasure without boundaries produces life without purpose. (Ravi Zacharias, The End Of Reason, p. 41)

Since every choice I make rules out the alternatives and since I won't live long enough to do everything, my choices say something about what I value most. (Harold S. Kushner, The Lord Is My Shepherd, p. 89)

... I will never feel deprived or diminished if I don't get what I yearn for, because I know how blessed I am by what I have. (Harold S. Kushner, The Lord Is My Shepherd, p. 36)
29 February 2012