…whenever you face trials of many kinds, …know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance..

The trying of our faith is meant to produce patience.

Dennis Martin – Unionville, MO Beside Still Waters

Too many are too lazy to wait, and others are in too much of a hurry.

Beatrice V. Pannabecker, August 1936

Spiritled Woman Devotional p. 273

One of the new things people began to find out in the last century was that thoughts – just mere thoughts – are as powerful as electric batteries – as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one as poison.

The Secret Garden, In the Garden, page 216, Frances Hodgkin Burnett

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye Heavenly Host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

The Secret Garden, “It’s mother!”, page 210, Frances Hodgkin Burnett.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

MCMS 2021 yearbook counselor quote

Lord, make me an instument of your peace:
where there is hatred let me sow love;
where there is injusry, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

Lord , may I not so much seek
to be consoled as to console’
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

Because it is in giving that we receive,
in pardoning that we are pardoned.

St. Francis of Assisi
p. 8 Mother Teresa, In My Own Words (Memorial 1910-1997)

The Present

Yesterday’s potential is past. Tomorrow’s promise is not yet ours.Today is the day of opportunity.

Beside the still waters

If you have any experience with sheep, you know that it does not work well to chase them.

The heavens delcare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handiwork

Beside the Still Waters Vol. 26, Issue 3

2… night after night they reveal knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is hard for them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the end of the world.
5 In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and
makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived at its warmth.
7 The Law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The Satutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right;
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant;
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous…
…11 By them your servant is warned’
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
May they not rule over me
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words..
…and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.

Like most of us, when I took my inventory…, I found both “good” and “bad” characteristics. For example, I’m pushy. I’m very determined to get things done.

But this determination can come at the expense of relating to people with real sensitivity. When you’re determined, you tend to move quickly. That can cause other people to stumble.

Instructions to the Cook
A Zen Master’s Lessons in Living a Life that Matters

The Second Course
Recipes for Learning p. 45
Bernard Glassman & Rich Fields