When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone
before and the first of what is still to come. Leonardo da Vinci
It is strange how often a heart must be broken before the years make it wise. Sara Teasdall
Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it and I shall
move the world. Archimedes
Jesus ruined every funeral he attended including his own.
Bill Johnson
I've never seen a man washing a rental car!
Phil Graham
The man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The
man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been before.
Francis Phillip Wernig
Nothing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. Let
it first blossom , then bear fruit , then ripen. Epictetus
If you are put on a pedestal you're supposed to behave like a pedestal type of person.
Pedestals actually have a limited circumference not much room to move around.
Margaet Atwood
The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep.
E. Joseph Cossman
Do not despise the bottom rungs in the ascent to greatness...if you want to reach
the highest, begin at the lowest. Publilius Syrus
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on
it you can. Danny Kaye
In youth the days are short and the years are long, in old age the years
are short and the days long. Panin
Quite minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on to fortune or misfortune
at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.
Robert Louis Stevenson
You gotta be careful with your body. Your body is like a bar of soap. The more you use
it, the more it wears down. Richie Allen
A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks
others have thrown at him. David Brinkley
I don't run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.
Ronald Rook
Where there is an open mind there will always be a frontier.
Charles Kettering
I feel we are all lighthouse, and my job is to shine as brightly as
I can in the darkness. Jim Carrey
Whenever you take a step forward, you are bound to disturb something.
Indira Gandhi
Cunning is a short blanket- if you pull it over your face, you expose your feet.
Austin O'Malley
Gray hairs, tombstones, and even birthday candles all testify ...
that we are aging and someday we will die. GKG
A morning- glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics
of books. Walt Whitman
Prayer releases the energies of God.
Charles Trumbull
Even though you and I are in different boats, you in your boat and we in our canoe,
we share the same river of life. Qren Lyons
I have learned that there is more power in a good strong hug than
in a thousand meaningful words. Ann Hood
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Psalm 150:6
Do not build obstacles in your imagination. difficulties must be studied and dealt with,
they must never be magnified by fear. Norman Vincent Peale
The Bible and a window seem similar to be. The closer you are too it,
the more it allows you to see. GKG
Oh, how horrible our sins look when they are committed by someone else.
Charles Swindoll
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
Henry Adams
Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?
Job 39:27
Every putt makes someone happy.
Warren Buffet
We should not only use the brains we have, but all that we borrow.
Woodrow Wilson
Go within every day and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out.
Katherine Dunham
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were.
Carl Sagan
It is difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a
homegrown tomato. Lewis Grizzard
The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.
Plutarch
The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.
Pat Morita
When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his
fingers are pointing to himself. Louis Nizer
If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces.
Shane Koyczan
We men and women are in the same boat upon a stormy sea. We owe each other
a terrible and tragic loyalty. G.K. Chesterton
Where is God? Where can I find him, we ask. We don't realize that's like a fish swimming
frantically through the ocean in search of the ocean. Ted Dekker
The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the mother never.
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
If you don't know where you are, a map won't help.
Watts Humprey
Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
Franklin P. Jones
The reluctance to put away childish things may be a requirement of genius.
Rebecca Piper Sinkler
The biggest enemies are your bills. The more you owe, the more you stress. The more you
stress over bills, the more difficult it is to focus on your goals. Mark Cuban
How marvelous books are, crossing worlds and centuries, defeating ignorance
finally, cruel time itself. Gore Vidal
Don't confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not
make any progress. Alfred A. Montapert
Average leaders raise the bar on themselves, good leaders raise the bar for others;
great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar.
Orrin Woodward
A man's mind, stretched by new ideas, may never return to its
original dimensions. Oliver Wendell Holmes
Every father should remember one day his son will follow his example
, not his advice. Charles Kettering
Someday this upside -down world will be turned right-side up . Nothing in all eternity
will turn it back again If we are wise ,we will use our brief lives on earth positioning
ourselves for the turn. Randy Alcorn
Mark it down. You will never go where God is not.
Max Lucado
When we bring sunshine into the lives of others, we're warmed by it ourselves. When we
spill a little happiness, it splashes on us. Barara Johnson
When we have God in clear focus, his powerful presence eclipses our fear.
Charles R. Swindoll
Satan is locked and loaded, and his bullets have our names on them.
Ron Rhodes
All success in life starts with you. You know what to do. You know how to do it.
Your next step is simple. You are the first domino. Gary W. Keller
Deep experience is never peaceful.
Henry James
There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till
he takes up a pen to write. William Makepeace Thackery
Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.
Louis L' Amour
The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of your life is to develop it.
The meaning of your life to give your gift away. David Viscott
We look with awe and wonder as the eagle soars the sky.
Yet when we wait upon the Lord , we too have wings to fly.
The soul has two strong pinions, which can lift us from the dust;
One wing is called surrender; and the other one is trust.
Daniel Stauffer
It is inhumane, in my opinion ,to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee
to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational
activity. Dave Barry
Do not sit long with a sad friend .When you go to a garden do you look at the weeds?
Spend more time with the roses and jasmines. Jelaluddin Rumi
The only thing you find in the middle of the road are dead animals and dumb Americans.
Anton Newcombe
The first day of spring is one thing and the first spring day is another. The difference
between them is sometimes as great as a month. Henry Van Dyke
Disneyland. The world's biggest people trap, built by a mouse.
Bill Murray
Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took years to
understand that this too, was a gift. Mary Oliver
Instead of wondering when your next vacation is , maybe you should set up
a life you don't need to escape from.
Seth Godin
To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard
those those that have outlived their purpose. Marie Condo
The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do
not expect to sit. Nelson Henderson
The cross is not a plus sign but a trust sign.
GKG
Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls
family, friends, integrity are made of glass. If you drop oneof these , it will
be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.
Gary Keller
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that releases your
understanding. Kahlil Gibran
Sometimes in life, maybe some of the best things happen after you been kind of crushed.
Joe Gibbs
All the scholastic scaffolding falls, as a ruined edifice , before a single word : faith.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in
life's relationships , just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on
the windowpanes , which vanish with the warmth.
Soren Kierkegaard
Life is like a hot bath : it feels good while you are in it , but the longer you stay ,
the more wrinkled you get. Garfield (the cat)
I am still encouraged to go on. I wouldn't know where else to go.
E.B. White
Keep going come what may ...the goal will become clearer , will emerge slowly but
surely, much as the rough draught turns into a sketch. Vincent Van Gogh
The mind has exactly the same power as the hands: not merely to grasp the world,
but to change it. Colin Wilson
If a man does not keep pace with his companions , perhaps it is because he hears a
different drummer. Henry David Thoreau
I have found there is more power in a good strong hug than a thousand
meaningful words. Ann Hood
Among free men there can be no successful appeal from the balot to the bullet....The
balot is stronger than the bullet. Abraham Lincoln
For many of us, too often we're on Facebook instead of seeking God's face.
Chris Hodges
The ladder of lfe is full of splinters , but they prick the hardest when we
are sliding down. William L. Brownell
Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosphy.
Ludwig von Beethoven
The way to see by faith is to shut the eyes of reason.
Benjamin Franklin
I wonder if the snow loves the trees and the fields, that it kisses them so gently?And then it
covers them up snug, you know with a white quilt: And perhaps it says," Go to sleep darlings ,
till the summer comes again." Lewis Carroll
My idea of Christmas whether old fashioned or modern, is very simple. Loving others come to think of it , why do we have to wait to Christmas to do that. Bob Hope
Life is a collection of moments. Mindfulness is the beautification of the moments.
Amit Ray
The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that fits all cases.
Carl Jung
Your children need your presence more than your presents.
Jesse Jackson
Putting pen to paper lights more fire than matches ever will.
Malcolm Forbes
All is perspective . To a worm , digging in the ground is more relaxing than going fishing.
Clyde Abel
There is no good arguing with the inevitable. The only argument available
with an east wind is to put on your overcoat.
James Russel Lowell
Books are the compass and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men
have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.
Jesse Lee Bennett
Shun idleness. It is a rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant of metals.
Voltaire
Laugh to forget, but don't forget to laugh.
Arnold Glasow
Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered.
Shakespeare
If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper
you're misinformed. Mark Twain
The sea ,that giant library of books one cannot read.
Ian Fleming
All changes are more or less tinged with melancholy, for what we are leaving behind
is part of ourselves. Amelia E. Baar
Teach me to live that I might dread
The grave as little as my bed.
Bishop Ken
It is strange how often a heart must be broken before the years can
make it wise. Sara Teasdale
Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot
to the town gossip. Will Rogers
No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.
Abraham Lincoln
In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.
Sir Francis Bacon
Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and
blunder through life blindfolded.
J.J. Packer
Towering genius distains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.
Abraham Lincoln
The soul is indestructible and it's activity will continue through eternity. It's like the sun to our
eyes seemed to set but has in reality only gone on to diffuse it's light elsewhere.
Johaan Von Goethe
Some go to church and think about fishing, others go fishing and think about God.
Tony Blake
Life is like riding a bicycle, in order to keep our balance, you need to keep moving.
Albert Einstein
If God lights the candle, none can blow it out.
Charles Spurgeon
There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick or treater looking
for a brightly lit front porch. Robert Brault
Whenever I see someone with an abundance of empathy, I want to ask what heartbreak they
have suffered , for compassion is often birthed in the valley of despair.
Zoe Clark- Coates
I love that this morning's sunrise does not define itself by last night's sunset.
Steve Maraboli
There are times when we stop, we sit still. We listen and breezes from
a whole other world begin to whisper. James Carroll
If you get off the beaten path, you can expect thorns and briars.
T. D. Jakes
Our greatest weakness is not giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always
to try just one more time. Thomas Edison
Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.
A. A. Milne
If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.
Roy T. Bennett
Do your little bit of good where you are: it's those little bits of good put together
its those little bits of good that overwhelms the world.
Desmond Tutu
People are like stained glass windows.They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
but when the darkness sets in,their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.
Elizabeth Kubler Ross
Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus
A man who gets treed by a lion but enjoys the scenery is an optimist.
Walter Winchell
It is comforting to know that not only the steps but also the stops of a good man
are orderd by the Lord. George Mueller
Not everybody repeats gossip. Some improve it.
Franklin P. Jones
It is not by the gray of the hair that one knows the age of the heart.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Stand firm for what you know is right.
It's wise , as I have found.
The mighty oak was once a nut.
That simply held it's ground.
Agnes W. Thomas
Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase , just take
the first step. Martin Luther King, Jr.
You know you are getting old when you've got money to burn,but the fire's gone out.
Hy Gardner
Butterflies count not months but moments , and yet have time enough.
Rabindranath Tagore
Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.
Mary H. Waltrip
By perseverance the snail reached the ark.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
No one has ever drowned in sweat.
Lou Holtz
Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee , and just as hard to sleep after.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
There are two levers for moving men - interest and fear.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Those that are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed
by those who are dumber. Plato
God often does not show up until we throw our hands up .
GKG
People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
Joseph Fort Newton
Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath.
Eckart Tolle
There is one good throw upon the dice, which is to throw them away.
Chatfield
He will hew in the line of right , let the chips fall where they may.
Roscoe Conkling
A weed is no more than a flower in disguise.
James Lowell
Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart.
Mort Walker
There is a subtle magic in the falling of old leaves.
Avijeet Das
Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun.
George Scialabba
Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.
Merry Browne
Life is like a puzzle we are are trying to solve.
It is like no other in that as we work through it' the pieces change and evolve.
Some of the pieces we had with us at the start, are taken from us and
this makes us feel lost and breaks our heart.
As we stare out in space and the places they used to be , We do not know what to think or do.
We are not aware but God is changing us too.
Other pieces show up and have been added that were not there before. This does does make
any sense and confuses us all the more.
We cannot see the big picture and get frustrated and bent out of shape.
It is often hard to tell and seems like hell but God is using every twist, turn, bruise ,and scrape
I found Jesus and in knowing him have a peace my heart has never known
I do not fear or need to see what is ahead for me because the eyes of my heart
can clearly see my Lord, Savior, and King loooking out for me sitting calmly on his throne.
Every poem is a momentary stay against the confusion of this world.
Robert Frost
A kite only flies if it's tethered.
Victor Robert Lee
The devil may send the package but I'm the one responsible for signing for it.
Steve Campbell
Double-click here to add your own text.
Life is not a" brief candle. "It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before
handing it on to future generations.
Bernard Shaw
People often belittle the place where they were born but heaven can be found in the
most unlikely places. Mitch Albom
Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
People who drink to drown their sorrow should be told that sorrow knows how to swim.
Ann Landers
Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
Warren Buffett
Anxiety's is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn't get you very far.
Jodi Picoult
Double-click here to add your own text.
Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside.
Marilyn Ferguson
One child,one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.
Malala Yousafzai
These mountains that you are carrying , you were only supposed to climb.
Najwa Zebian
There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature . A scar means the hurt is over
, the wound is closed and healed, done with.
Harry Crews
An idea can turn into dust or magic ,depending on the talent that rubs up
against it. Raymond Inman
If opening your eyes,or getting out of bed, or holding a spoon, or combing
your hair is your daunting Mt. Everest you climb today, that is ok.
Carmen Ambrosio
To touch a child's face, a dog's smooth coat , a petaled flower , the rough surface of a rock
is to set up a new order of brain motion. To touch is to communicate.
James W. Angell
Why do things I long for lose their shine when they are mine?
GKG
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
Bern Williams
The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change,
and the realist adjusts the sails William Arthur Ward
The morning glories and the sun flowers turn naturally towards the light, but we have
to be taught, it seems.
Richard Rohr
Nothing on earth is so weak and yielding as water, but for breaking down the firm
and strong it has no equal. Lao Tsu
That glimmer of light,surrounded by so many shadows, seemed to say without words: Evil has not yet taken complete dominion. A spark of hope is still left. Isaac Bashevis Singer
Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who have already
been there. Vine Deloria, Jr
Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.
Christina Rossetti
Teaching may be the greatest of arts. Since the medium is the human mind and spirit.
Robert Steinbeck
To try to live life completely independent of God is like trying to drive a beautiful boat down
a superhighway. That boat is a wonderful creation, loaded with amazing design details , but it
was not designed to run on a hard surface. Paul Tripp
We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are. Fred Rogers
I am not afraid of the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks, I am afraid of the man who has
practiced one kick ten thousand times. Bruce Lee
It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold or silver.
Gandhi
Happy is the man who has broken the chains which hurt the mind ,and has given up worrying once and for all.
Be patient and tough; one day this pain will be useful to you. Ovid
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
Robert Louis Stevenson
It isn't the mountains that wear you down. It's the pebble in your shoe.
Muhammad Ali
Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.
John Barrymore
Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers,
intensifies, but never destroys it. Eliza Tabor
It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.
Lena Horne
In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
Ephesians 6:16
I would give you no comfort about absenting yourself from the house of God.
Billy Graham
We praise thee Thee for thy radiance
That from hallowed page
A latern to our footsteps
Shines on from age to age
William How
Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.
Jim Rohn
I come against you ole dreary day in Jesus's name that you may not smother or quinch
the Holy Spirit's inner flame. GKG
An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox.
Lao Tzu
The beauty of the sunbeam lies partly in the fact that God does not keep it. He gives it away to all of us.
David Ewing
People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
Joseph Fort Newton
Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of the canyons.
Elisabeth Kubler Ross
Glasses and Bibles should both be worn.
GKG
We cannot hold a torch to light anothers path without brightening our own.
Ben Sweetland
Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile,give them yours.
Zig Ziglar
Human beings will line up for miles to buy a bucket of catastrophes, but don't try selling
sunshine and light-you'll go broke. Chuck Jones
We are just walking each other home.
Ram Doss
God's grace is not always pleasant. It often comes in the form of something we would have never chosen
to go through if we were controlling the joystick. Paul Tripp
Most folks are like a barb-wire fence. They have their goods points.
Texas Bix Bender
If opening your eyes, or getting out of bed, or holding a spoon , or combing your hair is the
daunting Mount Everst you climb today, that is OK. Carmen Ambrosio
Bible study is like eating peanuts.The more you eat ,the more you want to eat.
Paul Little
All changes are more or less tinged with melancholy,for what we are leaving behind is
a part of ourselves.
Amelia E. Barr
People are just as wonderful as sunsets if I let them be...When I look at a sunset , I don't find myself saying ,' Soften
the orange a bit on the right-hand corner.' I don't try to control a sunset. I watch it as it unfolds.
Carl Rogers
I kiss the wave that threw me up against the rock of ages.
Charles Spurgeon
Where are you the weakest? Be forewarned , this is the spot that Satan seeketh.
GKG
A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't.
Rev. Christian Johnson
We are half-hearted creatures...like an ignorant child who wants to go one making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are too easily pleased.
C.S. Lewis
Days are like rivers or so it seems, they bring good things and bad things and everything in between.
GKG
When I was a young boy, I learned in school that in the morning the sun did not actually rise. It just seems that way but in truth the earth bows each morning before the sun and that had never dawned on me so imagine my surprise! Now I am not suggesting sun worship as other have done. It shows the earth knows and remembers there is another who gives it life and honor should be given to that one. What a fine example it sets for us to do the same. We should bow and thank God each and every every morning for giving us life through his Son ,Jesus, and praise his mighty name. GKG
In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shawdows to blind those who don't
Blaise Pascal
In relationships,trust isn't a promise never to hurt each other. It's the risk we will hurt each other and the confidence that, if we do, we will come together to heal. Esther Perel
You can't get up in the morning without bumping into God.
Paul Tripp
I believe that each of us comes from the creator trailing wisps of glory.
Maya Angelou
There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.
Roger Staubach
The Lord gives us friends to push us to our potential and enemies to push us beyond it.
Jim Vorsas
From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.
Psalms 65:8
A blank page is God's way of showing you how hard it is too be God.
Author Unknown
Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water.... be still and allow the mud to settle.
Lao Tzu
The Bible teaches us that life does not end at the cemetery.
Billy Graham
The world does not read the Bible-it reads you and me. The Godly man is the ungodly man's Bible.
Corrie Ten Boom
Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.
Jessica Jackley
How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose , if there was no winter in our year.
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Being a great father is like shaving , you have to do it again tomorrow.
Reed Markham
The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads
nothing but newspapers. Thomas Jefferson
It is our nature to worship something ,and sometimes we worship things God has
made instead of Him and often it is nature.
GKG
Many people plan financially for retirement but not spiritually or emotionally.
Billy Graham
Two things are infinite :the universe and human stupidity; and I am not sure about the universe.
Albert Einstein
The ordinary think inside the box,the extraordinary think outside the box, but genius
thinks inside,outside, below, and above the box. Matshona Dhliwayo
As sunlight is to the earth, so is Jesus to the human heart.
Billy Graham
Christmas is a very special time of year. Our hearts and thoughts always head to those we hold most dear.
GKG
The small manger where Jesus laid his head
Was the world's first King sized bed
Hope was born into this world in a most unusual way
The wise men found Him asleep in the hay.
GKG
Whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31
All the statistics in the world can't measure the warmth of a smile.
Chris Hart
Let me be a little kinder, let me me a little blinder to the faults of those around me.
Edgar A. Guest
I'm just maverick to say that I think fewer Christians ought to be going into the ministry and more should be going into business and into occupations that have nothing to do with the vocational service. I don't see life divided into public and private, secular and sacred. It's all an open place of service before our God. My hope is to see ...a group of Christians who will infiltrate our society- in fact, our entire world-with a pure ,beautiful message of grace an honesty in the marketplace. Charles Swindoll
Read a wonderful devional this morning. Sent it to a few friends. short version is a white flower showed her how dirty her place and even her face was and made her clean up her act.
The Bible does the same for us. It reminds us that we are all unclean and think I read somewhere the only thing that can do that for us is also red!
All of us have become like someone who is unclean, and our righteous are like filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6
As you come up our drive and after you cross the small creek,you pass between two field stone
pillars that match the stones on our home. There is a light atop both of them . Right now, one is green and the the side is white. The green light is to show support for all the people who serve our military as well
as those who have done so in the past.
At Christmas i hang white lights along the 4 rail horse fence. We change the white one to red and
The entryway is good to go. The placement of the red and green has a reason behind it as well.
It may seem to be be random but Iassure you is not the case.
On a plane the red light is always on the left side and the green is on the right side. green and right both
have 5 letters and this was how I was taught to remember as a boy. This applies to boats as well.
Our oldest son, Josh, is a navel aviator. He and his wonderful wife , Christina, are a week or two from going
to Japan. They have lived in several places over the last few years. They lived in Fallon Nevada
most recently and we were blessed to have all of our boys and their girls under our roof and together
the holidays.
Since they aproached our farm from the west the right light was green and the left one was on the left
came home. When they were out east in Va it was the reversed. Japan is on the other side of the world
so I am not sure what I will do. I have not stepped it off but am told it is about as far east to west as it is
west to east.
God is a concerned loving Father who loves you so much! He has made a way for you to come
home through his son Jesus. The porch light of heaven is on . You have a green light my friend.
Because of the red blood of Jesus ,your sins are forgiven . Your approach is cleared as well as all your sins.
As far as the east is from the west,so far has removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12
I am not afraid of the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks. I am afraid of the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times. Bruce Lee
ENTRY
Yesterday I went out to check on the horses. It has again been very hot here of late and a daily chore
to top off the water troughs will cool clear water. As I make my rounds the horses usually get excited when they hear the sound of our old red ATV. Because this vehicle usually has horse feed as well as carrots. We call it "Chuck" short for chuck wagon.
There is a mare and two young ones in the south pasture. I whistled and they did not come. I banged on the
red tubes on the gate with the scooper. It makes a sound that sounds like a hillbilly dinner bell. I had seen them the evening before and knew they were ok. I surmised they had found a place with a breeze and had it made in the shade.
I set the bright orange bucket filled with feed and carrots in front of the gate. This bucket was a physical reminder for me to "let's do this later". I had some mowing to do and that filled several hours of the afternoon. I kept looking down at the water tank seeing they had not yet drunk from it and for the first time became a little concerned.
I went down to the gate and did the two-toned whistle my dad taught me. I do this in honor of him and have taught my sons to do the same. They all would turn and prick up their ears and know it was me if I did this even in a crowd.
I banged again on the gate and in no time flat heard the three of them flat out running as hard as they could go. They seemed happy to see me and even more to see Chuck. They were breathing heavy as they devoured their snacks.
My friend I believe God is calling all of us. As we read Scripture, we learn he calls us all differently. Many people tell me after I speak that I missed my calling. I would quite my practice and enroll in seminary school tomorrow if I felt in my heart that is what God wanted for me. I answered my "call to the see" many years ago. I love the interaction I have with patients for the most part. I never would have believed God would and could use me to write these stories for his glory.
He has blended and used the very things I love and hold dear such as horses, hunting, and rivers. I am often very surprised at how stories and lessons come together in such a way that I know it is not me but him working through me. Here is the exciting part, he wants to do the same with you. You may not be called to write or do eyes, but you are being called. What do you do that gives you joy and satisfaction? There is your best clue in regard to what God is calling you to do.
I pray that at times this website feeds you. I write for all God's people and not just those who gather under the steeple. All I know is when I do this with the hope of pleasing my Savior, it just feels so "write"!
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things
you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3
When you empty yourself, God rushes in.
A.W. Tozer
For the man who prays in his heart, the whole world is a church.
Sylvain of Athos
ENTRY
When I am not working, my style of dress is pretty boring and quite predictable. Even since
my college day, jeans ,flannel shirt with rolled up sleeves and boots.
I picked up one of my best friends yesterday morning and he drove about 40 miles
to the closest Cracker Barrell for breakfast. We have did this many time over the years
and it was great to hang out with him and I already look forward to our next jaunt.
We met up on a Saturday morning and I was running a little behind. I came out of the gate slowly
and rushed around trying to get dressed and out the door. I opened my hunting sock drawer
to get a pair of socks to wear under my boots. I grabbed the first two I saw . They were completly
different in both color and thickness. I knew that if I looked I would find another pair that was just
like the two I put on.
I am a little surprised at my lttle quirk in regard to this. I am very picky about some things
and for the most part a fan of balance and symetry. It doesnt matter to me and in a weird way , I prefer having socks that do not match. I have done this so long it doesn't feel right to me when they are alike.
Years ago, we went up to Louisville for a huge boat expo. They had fishing boats, ski boats, and cabin
cruisers so large they would qualify as small yachts. One even had a place for aa chopper to land on the rear of the giant boat!I am not sure how many vessels we boarded that afternoon. To do so , you had to put a slipper over your shoes or just take off your shows before touring the boat.
The little slip ons were too little for my big boots. I unlaced my boots and just carried them from boat
to boat . it was very crowded and as we walked everyone stared at my two mismatched hunting socks.
I could not care less but my wife's face was a shade of red that makes one think of October leaves.
I think I enjoyed looking at her more than the big boats.
The salesman that were aboard these high dollar vessels also looked down at my feet with both amusement and perhaps disgust. The did not turn red as the leaves but they decided to leave me alone. I guess they decided I could not afford a high end vessel if I could not afford matching socks. This
worked out quite well for me . I saw a few smirks and sneers out of the corner of my eye . This odd look blessed my socks off , and I walked through them among them without being bothered.
This is a lesson and a reminder for all of us. Maybe sometimes we are too quick to judge and look
down on those who do not live up to and match our own expectations.
It is New Years Eve. I do not mean to brag but I have enough money to last me the rest of this year.
We are about to cross over the threshold and through a new door. It is my prayer that God will bless
your socks off in 2024!
If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all be be millionaires.
Abigail Van Buren
Only God is in a position to look down on anyone. Sarah Brown
You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.
James D. Miles
ENTRY
A few years ago, I found something on ebay that caught my eye. It is just a few feet away from me
and it sparkles and shines. It is an aluminum vintage Christmas tree. It has a color wheel that sits
on the floor and the wheel turns and as it does projects four different colors on the tree.
Many times I turn off all the lights and sit quietly in my office and stare at the tree. As I do it
takes me back to a time and place where life was a lot simplier.. my childhood. My family never
owned one of these . The small white church where I grew up had a small one. Each year, it was placed on a small table off to the left side in the very front.
I would sit there and watch as the tree changed color . I am not sure I paid any attention to the preachers words as I stated at the tree .As it turns out, I think the words I heard influenced me more than I realized at the time. a young boy, that little church had a big impact on me and my life. My faith was growing
and little did I know but in a few years I would need it more than ever. I went off to college and met
very smart people who thought it was stupid to believe in Jesus.
I remember one particular Christmas when I was struggling at many diffent levels. I had just came home
and was very tired after a long drive. My mom wanted me to go see a play put on by the kids .
I agreed to go but my heart was not in it at all. When I got there it seems they were needing
someone to be God's voice in this little play. They talked me into it but I did not feel qualified or worthy.
I agreed to do so and stood out of sight behind a white curtain. When I spoke for God I talked slowly and clearly holding an empty paper towell holder to my lips. I do not remember my lines or the verses I uttered. I do remember the wonderful feeling I had as I had in my heart for being allowed and choosen to do that.
The gal that asked me to do that did so on a whim but I feel it was from Him. She had no idea what that
that meant to me and it warmed my heart and lit a fire that had almost went out.
I still get that feeling when I am asked to give a talk or participate in a church service. I get
great satisfaction and that wonderful feeling of peace and refreshment even as I type these very words . I do so with the hope my efforts please him. I live with the hope that perhaps they will be found on a day when another's light is flickering and about to go out. I am both honored and shocked God would use me to play a part. He knows my heart and my true colors better than anyone including me. Turns out as I read my
my Bible , it seems he has used to flawed and blemished people to turn other's hearts around and back to him.
The full measure of a man is not to be found in the man himself, but in the colors and textures
that come alive in others because of him. Albert Schweitzer
Whatever comes from the heart carries the heat and color of its birthplace.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
ENTRY
Christmas brings a plethora of thoughts and feelings. I sit here at my computer and think
how different it is now from years ago. Two of our sons live close by and plan to drop by our
house later today with their wives. Both are soon to be fathers, and it is very exciting to think
we will soon be grandparents.
Our oldest son is in the military and lives in Japan. He will not make it home and this stings a bit.
He has been in close to ten years and this is only the second Christmas he has not made it home.
We feel very blessed for the times and are very thankful for those. We try to focus on our many blessings
and try to think about all we have instead of what is missing. He has his orders and will be returning
to the states in early March. He will be in florida for about a month and we hope to go down and visit.
I look forward to the feel of the warm sun on my face but even more to my son's strong hug and embrace.
I love to read and enjoy learning new words. Not long ago I stumbled across the word, atiptoe. After
looking it up , I drew a little picture of a face looking over a fence at me and I can only see his eyes.
This will help me remember its meaning. Atiptoe means to look forward to something with great excitement.
It is kinda of a word that almost makes sense .
I imagine the little man I drew is standing on tip toes to see what is beyond. I chuckle at my self and
because as I share my thoughts with you this very moment, I am doing just that. The presents are
still under the tree . I know nothing that my wife or son' presents will give me as much pleasure as just seeing them and being together. We will laugh and have fun and just like that it will be done. I know
that sounds sad, but tell me if I am wrong . I will watch them go down the drive and will look forward to
the next visit. The upcoming florida trip if God allows will march on and we will headed back home with a brown face and a blue heart.
Life is at times complex. The same family that had tears of joy picking up family at the airport a few days ago will soon shed tears of sadness as the same loved ones depart. So I guess what I am trying to say
is we should try to again focus on today and what we have and what we have had. It is ok and perfectly
fine to look forward to the future but not so much that we miss the wonderful things that are right here
right now.
I thank God for the gift of life. I thank him for sending his son, Jesus. Because of what he did for us we
will be able to live with him forever. It is hard to imagine a place without hardship, tears, fears,
and good byes. Do you hope you are going to heaven are are you sure? There are only two types of faith
for those who do believe. There is hope so and know so. Give your heart to Jesus today. There is nothing you
could give to him that would please him more. Nothing you you have been given , own, or done can
give you any more joy or satisfaction than his presence in your life. His spirit will help you weather the weary, dreary, and teary days all the while reminding you the best is yet to be and we can look forward to them
with atiptoe.
The same fence that shuts others out shuts you in.
Bill Copeland
The moment after Christmas, every child thinks of his birthday.
Stephen Uys
The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.
John Vance Cheney
ENTRY
Christmas is just around the corner. People are out and about looking for the perfect gift for loved ones
and family. The malls are still quite busy despite online shopping. Every evening I do my little routine and take our red ATV down to get the mail before I go over to the horse barn to feed my friends. It seems each year there are more and more magazines. They are there to remind me what I need and is lacking in my life.
I feel most of us are pretty good at that on our own and do not need any help in that regard.
I saw a cartoon recently that had a medievil theme. It showed a large catapult pushed up close to a castle
wall and the castle door was shut tight. The man in command told his men that it was Christmas
and it was time to release the magazines .It made me chuckle and think of it watch evening as I open our mailbox.
Holidays, especially Christmas, makes me very nostalgic. Even though the boys have grown and flown the nest, this time of year brings many wonderful memories to mind. My wife places pictures taken down through the years and she puts them out around the large nook where we eat our meals. I look at them often and it feels good and yet stings a little at the same time. There is not a parent out there that does not exactly how these bittersweet memories tease our very hearts.
Years ago ,I was walking out to do something in our garage. Christmas music was playing in the house.
Our middle son,Jace ,and our youngest ,Jarah ,were in the great room. They were laying on their stomachs side by side both leafing through a Christmas catalog. The fire was on and it looked like a Hallmark commercial . As they turned the pages, they both pointed to something they hoped Santa would bring them. They were not aware of my presence and were excited about the presents... of a different kind
Christmas was just around the corner and hopes , desires, and expectations were high. I felt a sense of peace come over me as watched them.
As I did so, a bible verse came to mind :
How pleasant good and pleasant it is when brotherS live in unity.
Psalm 133:1
After a few short moments, I came back in the house and heard a great commotion fronm the great room that did not sound all that great. As I came around the corner , they were fighting and on top of the magazine and several pages were ripped wrinkled and crinkled and a few pages were torn out.I separated them and then learned that all had been well until they both pointed to the same toy. They both wanted the very same thing . This amuses us because they fought as if there was only one of these on planet earth.
The peace in my home was over as they wrestled over such a silly little thing.
I watch the news in that same room and see people all over our country and the world doing the very
same thing.It is not amusing but scary. We do not need to teach our children to be selfish. This sems to come quite naturally. I really do not think we ever grow out of it.
I have learned to been able to put my selfish side aside and give forgiveness and grace to those who have hurt me. I have not fully masterd this mind you but I am getting better. I have a long way to go.
This Christmas , I suggest a special gift for you. It may at first seem selfish but it is not ,I assure you. it is the polar opposite. This is something we do not get but is something we do recieve when we give up the grudge or chip on our shoulder from someone who has hurt you in the past. If nothing or no one comes to mind, I suggest you pray for a better memory. Yup, we all have someone me included.
Give someone a break. Let it go! This will not come easy . Your mind and your heart will wrestle back and forth as you try but still will not want to. Your heart wants to but your mind has it own list of offenses that it has kept and nicely cataloged for you . Pray for them asking God's very best for them and those they love.
You will be floored by the sense of peace that comes over you ... it is not of this world.
The me-ism of our times has taken a serious toll on the family.
Charles Swindoll
My idea of Christmas whether old fashioned or modern , is very simple; loving others come to think
of it, why do we have to wait to Christmas to do that. Bob Hope
ENTRY
I have been thinking about my dad . I have been going through a rough patch
here of late and wish I could turn to him for advice. I often share some of the wisdom my father passed
down to me in the office . He has been gone a long time . His birthday was 2 days ago
and if he was still here with us, he would have been 90 years old.
Oranges make me think of my dad. He would often tell me to peel my eyes when I was trying to see
a deer or a rabbit in a thicket. I guess that is my very goal with this book is to try to teach the reader
how to spot God in the ordinary and everyday.
He loved to eat oranges and had one almost every single morning. He has his own medical theory
that you would never catch a cold if you had one daily. I would chuckle when Mom would catch heck if
we would run out. It could be 4 months later and dad would get a cold and he would blame it on Mom
because he missed a day or two without an orange.
Christmas is just around the corner and the malls are full and Amazon trucks and vans seem to be
everywhere. We are trying to find the perfect gift for loved ones. As I take this all in I remember a story my dad once shared with me about one special Christmas he had as a boy.
My dad grew up without a dad. His father ran off and left my grandmother Hazel with 4 young chilren.
They were very poor and they struggled. She kept them all fed and clean but times were lean. I took the help of extended family but they made it. One Christmas, my dad's only gift was an orange. It was all his and
he did not have to share it. Can you imagine how far a gift like that would go over now days? Orange you
a little embarrassed ? I know , I am.
I blush beet red as I type these words because we are the type of country that has been so blessed with abundance .We aquire more and more and put more and more on our plates . Maybe we are morons. Could it be that less is more? Should we are try hard to put less on our plates? Is this the' less on 'we all cannot seem to remember? Is that the secret not only about enjoying Christmas but life in general ?
I Love to listen to the wonderful Christmas songs on the radio. Between the songs are the ads that try to get us to add more. These ads appeal to our greed and make us all confuse needs with wants. Without realizing it they just caused us to tune in to our own selfish and favorite station, WIFM. This acostic
stands for :
Whats
In it
For
Me
We need to tune in to God's word and calibrate our hearts to hear and listen to his voice. Peel your eyes and look for good and you will see it. Be the good and share what you have with others. It might just be
one of your best Christmas's ever.
Seek first the virtues of the mind; and other things will come or not be wanted.
Francis Bacon
ENTRY
I have set out to write a devotional about things in and around our house. As a reader , I have taken you
out into the fields and forests. I have told you stories about our horses and barns. Today I am
frustrated because I can't come up with anything.
I have many goals and dreams and like you probably will not live long enough to accomplish all of them.
I would like to someday write a book about things that happened in the office . I even have a possible title for it called" BEHIND THE SEENS'. With your forgiveness, I would like to take a story about the office and share it with you today. I found a large tin foiled E in our garage in a drawer. I have not clue how this came to be but since its here I feel it qualifies.
I cut this large E out of cardboard years ago. To my surprise, I had patients that were adults that did not know
their letters and could not read or write. I used this most often with kids. When I checked their vision , I would put up a chart on the wall that had all E's turned in all directions. I would hand them the tin foiled
E to match the one projected on the wall.
When I did this, I usualy started off with big E with the bar on the bottom with the three arms
sticking up. Once when I was doing this, I asked a little four year old boy what he saw on the wall. He
looked at it for a long while with a puzzled look on his face. He answered with a question. He's response
was," a drunk E?
I have told this story in the office many times down through the years. His answer tells us that he put and two and two together and got floor! Like you, I was not aware that an E could drink. I tell this humorous story but it saddens me a bit as well. As young as he was, he had seen the effects that drinking can have
on people. Someone in his life was setting a poor example for him and had forgot as we all do, that this little ones are always watching and listening .
Two things that a man cannot hide : that he is drunk and that he is in love.
Antiphanes
Sometimes God has to put us flat on our back before we are looking up to him.
Jack Graham
ENTRY
I had a lot of pain last night. I have been having a lot of hip and back issues that haunt me
from time to time . I had a pretty good day pain wise but it it was Halloween all night long. I even got up during the night and took the combo of pills that usually work but it did very little to put the fire out. I do not feel like myself this morning and probably should not be at my computer. I do not like pity parties or like being around people who tend to throw them.
This short entry is about my alarm clock . A week or so ago it was just an alarm clock. It is small black
and battery operated. It still does it's job and wakes me and sends me off to work even when the electricity
is off. I think I have shared before in print my family's weird habit of naming things we own and use.
For example , our red ATV is called ,Chuck. You see it is used as I go around the pasture to feed our horses.
Even the sound of it , causes great excitement and nickering as the chuck wagon delivers vittles.
Wisdom comes into our lives from many different ways. Yes we earn a lot from books, movies and even You
Tube. Many lessons come to us through things we learn from other people . The may say things that cause us to look at something with a new perspective. I see myself as one who tries to glean and from time to time pass on and along things that may help others as well as just being too good not to share.
I was talking with a patient that had just had a tumor removed from his kidney. It was benign and
he discussed the discomfort of his surgery and the after effects but was grateful for that and
glad to be alive. I had tapped into one of my previous loops about being frustrated at the alarm
sounding off rousing me from sound sleep . I got up staggered towards it with an attitude.
The patient told me what he had learned recently. He corrected me and said that was not the way I should treat it at all. He went on to say , I should pat it gently after I turned off the alarm button.
He gently scolded me and I should not approach it in that manner. I should not be irratated or angry
but grateful. It was not a rude awakening but was just reminding me of something that I had forgotten.
I was alive and could get up out of that bed and go about my day and on my way. To be honest , I did not do this this morning. My restless night caused be to be ticked off. I am working on putting this new habit in place and I guess I do not have it down pat just yet. By the way, the alarm that sits near by my bed and reminds God has given me another day has been given the name Pat. ;)
Learning sleeps and snores in libraries, but wisdom is everywhere , wide awake on tiptoe.
Josh Billings
Time marks us while we are marking time. Theodore Roethke
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118 : 24
ENTRY
Less than a week ago ,it was Opening Day for shotgun season in Indiana. My sons who
live close to us were busy that day and our oldest was in Japan. My heart was a little heavy as I set out
&nb