Christmas reminds us we are not alone. We are not unrelated atoms, bouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but are a part of something, which holds and sustains us. As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same. Christmas shows us the ties that bind us together, threads of love and caring, woven in the simplest and strongest way within the family.
Donald E. Westlake
Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
Oren Arnold
Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.
- Barack Obama
It is during adversity when one can really make a big difference. But making a difference is not about being a big hero. It is simply about leaving the bathroom a little cleaner going out, than when you came in.
When you feel that you have reached the end and that you cannot go one step further, when life seems to be drained of all purpose: What a wonderful opportunity to start all over again, to turn over a new page.” - Eileen Caddy
When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice
Cherokee Expression
The greatest gift you will ever receive will never be found under a Christmas tree. It is far too valuable to be stored in any other place but in the depths of your heart.
Anonymous
When faced with a challenge, look for a way, not a way out."
---David Weatherford
You cannot see faith, but you can see the footprints of the faithful." We must leave behind "faithful footprints" for others to follow.
Dr. Dennis Anderson
It is a glorious thing to know that your Father God makes no mistakes in directing or permitting that which crosses the path of your life. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. It is our glory to trust Him, no matter what.
Joni Eareckson Tada
To reach a port, we must sail—Sail, not tie at anchor—Sail, not drift.
Franklin Roosevelt
'When God had me in mind, He had someone who was 'very good' at the heart of His design programme'
Nigel DiCastiglione
The beautiful thing about this adventure called faith is that we can count on Him never to lead us astray.
Charles Swindoll
Most Christians are like a man who was toiling along the road, bending under a heavy burden, when a wagon overtook him, and the driver kindly offered to help him on his journey. He joyfully accepted the offer, but when seated, continued to bend beneath his burden, which he still kept on his shoulders. "Why do you not lay down your burden?" asked the kind-hearted driver. "Oh!" replied the man, "I f...eel that it is almost too much to ask you to carry me, and I could not think of letting you carry my burden too." And so Christians, who have given themselves into the care and keeping of the Lord Jesus, still continue to bend beneath the weight of their burden, and often go weary and heavy-laden throughout the whole length of their journey.
Hannah Whitall SmithSee more
A psychiatrist asks a lot of expensive questions your wife asks for nothing.
Joey Adams
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
Mignon McLaughlin
Experience is what you got by not having it when you need it.
God has wisely kept us in the dark concerning future events and reserved for himself the knowledge of them, that he may train us up in a dependence upon himself and a continued readiness for every event.
Matthew Henry
"A smart person knows all the rules so he can break them wisely."
---Lubna Azmi
Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters.
Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome.
Terrify and terrific.
Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation.
- Alan Cohen
One to remember!!
Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
-Joshua J. Marine
"Kindness is the evidence of greatness. If anyone is glad that you are here, then you have not lived in vain." Charles Fenno Hoffman (1806-1884), poet
"When the Japanese mend broken objects they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold, because they believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful." Barbara Bloom
"There are two different kinds of people in this world: those who finish what they start, and"
---Brad Ramsey
There are no mistakes, save one: the failure to learn from a mistake.
- Robert Fripp
'I cannot afford to have a thought in my head about me that is not in His'
(I think that is a Bill Johnson quote)
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
-Helen Keller
Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.
- James Baldwin
A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.
–William Shedd
What did the Zen Buddhist Monk say to the Hotdog Vendor?......
Make me One with everything.
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Friday, 12 August 2011
Risk
ONLY A PERSON WHO RISKS IS FREE
by Author Unknown
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your ideas, your dreams,
before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the
greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The people who risk nothing, do nothing,
have nothing, are nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change,
grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes they are slaves;
they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.
by Author Unknown
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your ideas, your dreams,
before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the
greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The people who risk nothing, do nothing,
have nothing, are nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change,
grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes they are slaves;
they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Don't Worry About the People in Your Past There's a Reason They Didn't Make It to Your Future...
Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendouslyinterested in it. Julia Child
Happy he who learns to bear what he cannot change. Johann Friedrich Von Schiller
We learn from failure much more than from success; we oftendiscover what we will do by finding our what we will not do; and probablyhe who never made a mistake never made a discovery. Samuel Smiles(1812-1904, Scottish author)
The only people who never fail are those who never try. Ilka Chase
Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream willtake care of itself. You may be surprised at how easily this happens. Yourdoubts are not as powerful as your desires, unless you make them so. Marcia Wieder(American speaker, trainer, author)
Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing isdemonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that theyknow it just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, teachers. Richard Bach(1936-, American author)
Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendouslyinterested in it. Julia Child
Happy he who learns to bear what he cannot change. Johann Friedrich Von Schiller
We learn from failure much more than from success; we oftendiscover what we will do by finding our what we will not do; and probablyhe who never made a mistake never made a discovery. Samuel Smiles(1812-1904, Scottish author)
The only people who never fail are those who never try. Ilka Chase
Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream willtake care of itself. You may be surprised at how easily this happens. Yourdoubts are not as powerful as your desires, unless you make them so. Marcia Wieder(American speaker, trainer, author)
Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing isdemonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that theyknow it just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, teachers. Richard Bach(1936-, American author)
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Buttprints
Buttprints in the Sand
One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some strange prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet."
"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you along.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."
"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."
"Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand."
-- author unknown
One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some strange prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet."
"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you along.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."
"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."
"Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand."
-- author unknown
Monday, 4 April 2011
There are two ways of meeting difficulties. You alter the difficulties or you alter yourself to meet them.
-- Phyllis Bottome
Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.
-- Faith Baldwin
To love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun?
-- Katherine Graham
We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.
-- Fredrick Koeing
When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, never give up then, for that is just the time that the tide will turn.
-- Harriet Beecher Stowe
When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding.
-- Thich Nhat Hahn
-- Phyllis Bottome
Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.
-- Faith Baldwin
To love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun?
-- Katherine Graham
We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.
-- Fredrick Koeing
When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, never give up then, for that is just the time that the tide will turn.
-- Harriet Beecher Stowe
When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding.
-- Thich Nhat Hahn
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Friday, 1 April 2011
Catch up quotes
There is no oil without squeezing the olives; No wine without pressing the grapes; No fragrance without crushing the flowers; and no real joy without sorrow
Faith never knows where it is being led but it loves the One who is leading
Hope is a feeling you have that the feeling you have isn't permanent
Don't wanna be a mouldy Christian - rather a moulded one...tho hopefully not too much squeezing involved! Will try to be malleable instead!
Blessed is any weight, however overwhelming, which God has been so good as to fasten with His own hand upon our shoulders. --F. W. Faber
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Winston Churchill
Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on.
Winston Churchill
I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.
E. B. White
God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.
Jim Elliot
'Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.'
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.
Joseph Campbell
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
Helen Keller
I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.
Albert Camus
Insanity:doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results
Albert Einstein
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and to be that perfectly. ~ Saint Francis de Sales
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."
-- Desmond Tutu
All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble.
Raymond Hull
Our ice cream man was found lying on the floor of his van covered with hundreds and thousands. Police say that he topped himself
Kindness is the evidence of greatness. If anyone is glad that you are here, then you have not lived in vain." Charles Fenno Hoffman (1806-1884), poet
On this (just about) Valentine's Day...
For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked.
Bill Cosby
Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.
...Amy Bloom
"To be is to do" - Socrates;
"To do is to be" - Jean-Paul Sartre;
"Do Be Do Be Do" - FrankSinatra
"Yaba Daba Doo!"-Fred Flintstone
If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.
- Thomas Alva Edison
Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.
- Margaret Cousins
God is not in the business of satisfying curiosity seekers, so don't come to Him to find out what He wants so you can decide whether or not you'll do it.Decide FIRST whether or not you really want God's will. If you decide you so,and you'll do what He wants, no matter what it is, the battle is 99% over
Russ Johnston
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.
Anatole France
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
William James
It's not who you are that holds you back - it's who you think you're not
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis This is the longest word...my fam could say antidisestablishmentarianism when IT was....but this is a whole new challenge
God gives the nuts but He does not crack them!
You can't change the past but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.
Trust that small voice that says, 'This might work - I will try it'
Diane Mariechild
Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps
David Lloyd George
The beginning is always today."
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.
Victor Hugo
They may forget your name but they will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou:
Keep praying, but be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers !
William Culbertson
Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.
- Peter F. Drucker
"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile."
-- Mother Teresa
Sometimes opportunity knocks, but most of the time it sneaks up and then quietly steals away.
- Doug Larson
The way to gain a good reputation, is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. - Socrates
There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.
Orison Swett Marden:
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
George S. Patton
If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more,
you are a leader.
John Quincy Adams
A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.
William Shedd
I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.
Louisa May Alcott
A saint is a sinner who keeps trying
Nelson Mandela
Don't take tomorrow to bed with you.
Norman Vincent Peale
Be interesting, be enthusiastic... and don't talk too much.
Norman Vincent Peale
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
C. S. Lewis
As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.
Ben Hogan
'Flowers grow out of dark moments'
It doesn't matter what awaits me just across the sea if I haven't built a boat
"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile."
-- Mother Teresa
If the first thing you do in the morning is to eat a live frog, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that it's probably the worst thing you'll do all day.
'When I worked for the devil I got to do the devil's stuff; If I'm working for Jesus, I wanna do what Jesus did'
John Wimber
In the beginning, the Lord created chocolate, and he saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the dark, and it was better.
Forget love-- I'd rather fall in chocolate!!!
Faith never knows where it is being led but it loves the One who is leading
Hope is a feeling you have that the feeling you have isn't permanent
Don't wanna be a mouldy Christian - rather a moulded one...tho hopefully not too much squeezing involved! Will try to be malleable instead!
Blessed is any weight, however overwhelming, which God has been so good as to fasten with His own hand upon our shoulders. --F. W. Faber
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Winston Churchill
Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on.
Winston Churchill
I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.
E. B. White
God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.
Jim Elliot
'Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.'
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.
Joseph Campbell
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
Helen Keller
I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.
Albert Camus
Insanity:doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results
Albert Einstein
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and to be that perfectly. ~ Saint Francis de Sales
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."
-- Desmond Tutu
All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble.
Raymond Hull
Our ice cream man was found lying on the floor of his van covered with hundreds and thousands. Police say that he topped himself
Kindness is the evidence of greatness. If anyone is glad that you are here, then you have not lived in vain." Charles Fenno Hoffman (1806-1884), poet
On this (just about) Valentine's Day...
For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked.
Bill Cosby
Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.
...Amy Bloom
"To be is to do" - Socrates;
"To do is to be" - Jean-Paul Sartre;
"Do Be Do Be Do" - FrankSinatra
"Yaba Daba Doo!"-Fred Flintstone
If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.
- Thomas Alva Edison
Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.
- Margaret Cousins
God is not in the business of satisfying curiosity seekers, so don't come to Him to find out what He wants so you can decide whether or not you'll do it.Decide FIRST whether or not you really want God's will. If you decide you so,and you'll do what He wants, no matter what it is, the battle is 99% over
Russ Johnston
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.
Anatole France
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
William James
It's not who you are that holds you back - it's who you think you're not
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis This is the longest word...my fam could say antidisestablishmentarianism when IT was....but this is a whole new challenge
God gives the nuts but He does not crack them!
You can't change the past but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.
Trust that small voice that says, 'This might work - I will try it'
Diane Mariechild
Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps
David Lloyd George
The beginning is always today."
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.
Victor Hugo
They may forget your name but they will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou:
Keep praying, but be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers !
William Culbertson
Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.
- Peter F. Drucker
"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile."
-- Mother Teresa
Sometimes opportunity knocks, but most of the time it sneaks up and then quietly steals away.
- Doug Larson
The way to gain a good reputation, is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. - Socrates
There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.
Orison Swett Marden:
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
George S. Patton
If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more,
you are a leader.
John Quincy Adams
A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.
William Shedd
I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.
Louisa May Alcott
A saint is a sinner who keeps trying
Nelson Mandela
Don't take tomorrow to bed with you.
Norman Vincent Peale
Be interesting, be enthusiastic... and don't talk too much.
Norman Vincent Peale
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
C. S. Lewis
As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.
Ben Hogan
'Flowers grow out of dark moments'
It doesn't matter what awaits me just across the sea if I haven't built a boat
"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile."
-- Mother Teresa
If the first thing you do in the morning is to eat a live frog, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that it's probably the worst thing you'll do all day.
'When I worked for the devil I got to do the devil's stuff; If I'm working for Jesus, I wanna do what Jesus did'
John Wimber
In the beginning, the Lord created chocolate, and he saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the dark, and it was better.
Forget love-- I'd rather fall in chocolate!!!
Thursday, 31 March 2011
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves
preacher and pamphleteer, the Rev. William Boetcker
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves
preacher and pamphleteer, the Rev. William Boetcker
Napoleon
Napoleon and his army once conquered an important island
in theMediterranean Sea. As he and his generals were
discussing their victory, a young officer appeared at the door of
the tent. He came boldly before the emperor and asked, “Give me
this island as my own!” To the amazement of the generals,
Napoleon immediately granted him his request for the strategic
island. “How could you do that?” asked one of the generals.
“What made him worthy to receive this great island?” Napoleon
responded, “I gave him the island because he honored me with
the magnitude of his request!”
in theMediterranean Sea. As he and his generals were
discussing their victory, a young officer appeared at the door of
the tent. He came boldly before the emperor and asked, “Give me
this island as my own!” To the amazement of the generals,
Napoleon immediately granted him his request for the strategic
island. “How could you do that?” asked one of the generals.
“What made him worthy to receive this great island?” Napoleon
responded, “I gave him the island because he honored me with
the magnitude of his request!”
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Being good
Dear Lord. So far today I've done all right.
I have not gossiped.
I have not lost my temper, lied or cheated.
I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or overindulgent.
I am very thankful for that.
But in a few minutes, Lord, I am going to get out of bed,
and from that moment on I am going to need a lot more help.
I have not gossiped.
I have not lost my temper, lied or cheated.
I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or overindulgent.
I am very thankful for that.
But in a few minutes, Lord, I am going to get out of bed,
and from that moment on I am going to need a lot more help.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
When I became a Christian by Adrian Plass
Michael Frost read a poem by Adrian Plass during his final talk at the 2007 Presbyterian Global Fellowship conference.When I Became a Christian
By Adrian Plass
When I became a Christian I said, Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin.
He said, your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - I think.
I think Amen, Amen I think, I think I say Amen,
I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say my body may be killed and left to rot and stink,
Well, yes, that sounds terrific, Lord, I say Amen - I think.
But, Lord, there must be other ways to follow you, I said,
I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed.
Well, yes, he said, you could put up with the sneers and scorn and spit,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - a bit.
A bit Amen, Amen a bit, a bit I say Amen,
I’m not entirely sure, can we just run through that again?
You say I could put up with sneers and also scorn and spit,
Well, yes, I’ve made my mind up, and I say, Amen - a bit.
Well I sat back and thought a while, then tried a different ploy,
Now, Lord, I said, the Good book says that Christians live in joy.
That’s true he said, you need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow,
So do you want to follow me, I said, Amen - tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say Amen,
I need to get it clear, can I just run through that again?
You say that I will need to joy, to bear the pain and sorrow,
Well, yes, I think I’ve got it straight, I’ll say Amen - tomorrow.
He said, Look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity,
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit,
Now tell me, will you follow me? I said Amen - I quit.
I’m very sorry Lord I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do.
He said forget religion then, and think about my Son,
And tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.
Are you man enough to see the need, and man enough to go,
Man enough to care for those whom no one wants to know,
Man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear,
To battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear.
And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of a friend,
Are you man enough to hold your tongue, and man enough to cry?
When nails break your body-are you man enough to die?
Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again?
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said Amen.
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen; Amen, Amen, Amen,
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said, Amen.
By Adrian Plass
When I became a Christian I said, Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin.
He said, your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - I think.
I think Amen, Amen I think, I think I say Amen,
I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say my body may be killed and left to rot and stink,
Well, yes, that sounds terrific, Lord, I say Amen - I think.
But, Lord, there must be other ways to follow you, I said,
I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed.
Well, yes, he said, you could put up with the sneers and scorn and spit,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - a bit.
A bit Amen, Amen a bit, a bit I say Amen,
I’m not entirely sure, can we just run through that again?
You say I could put up with sneers and also scorn and spit,
Well, yes, I’ve made my mind up, and I say, Amen - a bit.
Well I sat back and thought a while, then tried a different ploy,
Now, Lord, I said, the Good book says that Christians live in joy.
That’s true he said, you need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow,
So do you want to follow me, I said, Amen - tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say Amen,
I need to get it clear, can I just run through that again?
You say that I will need to joy, to bear the pain and sorrow,
Well, yes, I think I’ve got it straight, I’ll say Amen - tomorrow.
He said, Look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity,
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit,
Now tell me, will you follow me? I said Amen - I quit.
I’m very sorry Lord I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do.
He said forget religion then, and think about my Son,
And tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.
Are you man enough to see the need, and man enough to go,
Man enough to care for those whom no one wants to know,
Man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear,
To battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear.
And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of a friend,
Are you man enough to hold your tongue, and man enough to cry?
When nails break your body-are you man enough to die?
Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again?
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said Amen.
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen; Amen, Amen, Amen,
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said, Amen.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Change
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.
Anatole France
Anatole France
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
What you are
Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and to be that perfectly.
~ Saint Francis de Sales
~ Saint Francis de Sales
Shirley Valentine
"I've fallen in love with the idea of living. Because we don't do what we want to do, do we? We do what we have to do and pretend that it's what we want to do.
And what I want is to stay here and be Shirley Valentine. "
"I've led such a little life. And even that will be over pretty soon.
I have allowed myself to lead this little life, when inside me there was so much more. And it's all gone unused. And now it never will be.
Why do we get all this life if we don't ever use it? Why do we get all these feelings and dreams and hopes if we don't ever use them? That's where Shirley Valentine disappeared to. She got lost in all this unused life."
"Dreams. They are never in the place you expect them to be
And what I want is to stay here and be Shirley Valentine. "
"I've led such a little life. And even that will be over pretty soon.
I have allowed myself to lead this little life, when inside me there was so much more. And it's all gone unused. And now it never will be.
Why do we get all this life if we don't ever use it? Why do we get all these feelings and dreams and hopes if we don't ever use them? That's where Shirley Valentine disappeared to. She got lost in all this unused life."
"Dreams. They are never in the place you expect them to be
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
I'd dare to make more mistakes next time.
I'd relax, I would limber up.
I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances.
I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would perhaps have more actual troubles,
but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of those people who live
sensibly and sanely hour after hour,
day after day.
Oh, I've had my moments,
And if I had it to do over again,
I'd have more of them.
In fact, I'd try to have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another,
instead of living so many years ahead of each day.
I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat
and a parachute.
If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies.
Nadine Stair,
85 years old.
I'd dare to make more mistakes next time.
I'd relax, I would limber up.
I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances.
I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would perhaps have more actual troubles,
but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of those people who live
sensibly and sanely hour after hour,
day after day.
Oh, I've had my moments,
And if I had it to do over again,
I'd have more of them.
In fact, I'd try to have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another,
instead of living so many years ahead of each day.
I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat
and a parachute.
If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies.
Nadine Stair,
85 years old.
Saturday, 5 February 2011
The Will of God
This is my blog made to record some of the wonderful poems, quotes and sayings that I come across.
My first post is a wonderful poem - I dont know its origins but I often pass it on to others
The will of God will never take you
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.
The will of God will never take you
Where the spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mould you.
The will of God will never take you
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercy of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.
The will of God will never take you
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.
My first post is a wonderful poem - I dont know its origins but I often pass it on to others
The will of God will never take you
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.
The will of God will never take you
Where the spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mould you.
The will of God will never take you
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercy of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.
The will of God will never take you
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.
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