Revitalize Your Church

How do you know you are on the path to success? It’s uphill all the way! Nobody coasts to their desired destination. Anything worthwhile requires overcoming significant difficulties and obstacles. It’s simply a part of the territory. When you’ve given your best and failed, it’s tempting to throw in the towel and give up. Sadly, many people would have achieved the goal if they would have hung on just a little longer. Don’t quit too soon. You may be inches away from the breakthrough! Refuse to cave into discouragement. Looking back, I’ve regretted almost every decision I’ve made from discouragement. Humans were made to hope, and that means believing in a better tomorrow. I have always been inspired by this poem by an unknown author. May it bring encouragement to your heart: When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When c...

After reading my newspaper column,   "Do You Need a Refresher Course in Pre-School,  a friend from Iowa sent me this poem as a follow-up: Five Little Words There are five little words I'd have you know, They are "pardon me", "thank you" and "please." Oh use them quite often wherever you go; There are few words more useful than these. These five little words are filled with a power That fame of moneyh cannot give. So commit them to memory this very hour, And use them as long as you live. -- Anonymous

When Dr. F. B. Meyer was young, he was often negative and irritable. One day an elderly saint told him how he had gained victory over irritability in his own life. "When irritation rises in my heart, I look up and say, 'Your sweetness, Lord!'"  Meyer said he tried this practice and it worked for him! The great evangelist explained the best way to counter unhelpful thoughts and attitudes, is breathing a prayer of replacement. For falsehood -- your truth, Lord. For unkindness -- your kindness, Lord. For impatience -- your patience, Lord. For selfishness -- your unselfishness, Lord. For roughness -- your gentleness, Lord. For discouragement -- your courage, Lord. For resentment -- your sweetness, Lord. The cycle of negative thought patterns can be broken by calling to heaven for positive reinforcements.

I love dandelions! Call me crazy.  Call me lazy.  Call me a weed lover all you want --I Iove dandelions.  I used to hate 'em, but now I love 'em. Why in the world would I have an affinity for such pesky plants? Because they are a splendid illustration of how to live! 1. You can't keep a good dandelion down. Try all you want, those little yellow flowers keep popping up all over the place. Weed eaters, lawn mowers, and even poisons don't phase them. They just keep coming back. Dandelion people are like that too. When the setbacks and disappointments come, they refuse to cave into discouragement. They do not allow the circumstance to get the best of them. These folks figure out a way through the problem. Instead of complaining about how bad the situation is, they figure out ways to make things better. Whatever comes -- they will always find a way to bounce back. You can count on it! 2. Dandelions add color to the landscape. Isn't it...

Grown ups frequently forget the valuable lessons they learned as youngsters.   Maybe we all ought to go back to preschool for a refresher.  If we did  that, here are a few important words we'd learn to say again: 1. Please. So often, people make selfish demands of other people, forgetting that  gentle requests are far more productive than dictates and ultimatums. Just think how pleasant our world would be, if we all treated each  other with courtesy and respect.   "Would you please. . ." goes much further than "You'd better. . . or else!" 2. Thank You. Ingratitude is at the heart of most misery. Your emotional and  spiritual health is directly linked to the level of thankfulness in  your life.   If you go around thinking that "life owes you", your unhappiness  is  guaranteed.  Gratiude at the root, produces joy as the fruit. 3. I'm Sorry. A measure of maturity is how we own and admit our mistakes. Whenever  we've hur...

little flowers familiar strangers we have not learned each others' names but that's alright we smile the same and give a friendly nod and wave whene'er we pass because they're summer residents