CUT IT OFF!

"if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.'" - Luciano's Father

In life, where we are today is a result of past decisions and choices. Where we will be tomorrow, or what our lives will eventually become will be determined by the choices we choose to make now, or cut off altogether. The point is, making one choice automatically changes 'what could've been.' The question now is, "How do we know what to cut off, or allow?"

Kenneth Langley relates about Film maker Walt Disney. Walt was ruthless in cutting anything that got in the way of a story's pacing. Ward Kimball, one of the animators for Snow White, recalls working 240 days on a 4 1/2 minute sequence in which the dwarfs made soup for Snow White and almost destroyed the kitchen in the process. Disney thought it was funny, but he decided the scene stopped the flow of the picture, so out it went. When the film of our lives is shown, will it be as great as it

A CHILD

"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression." - Doug Larson

Train Them

Harry S. Truman says, "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." Anne Frank had this to say, "Parents can only give good advice or put them - children - on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."

Celeste Sibley, one-time columnist for the Atlanta (GA) Constitution, took her three children to a diner for breakfast one morning. It was crowded and they had to take separate seats at the counter. Eight-year-old Mary was seated at the far end of the counter and when her food was served she called down to her mother in a loud voice, "Mother, don't people say grace in this place?" A hush came over the entire diner and before Mrs. Sibley could figure out what to say, the counterman said, "Yes, we do, sister. You say it." All the people at the counter bowed their heads. Mary bowed her head and in a clear voice said, "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food."

What you don't create time to teach your child now, you might spend the rest of your life trying to "un-teach" him. The kind of training you give your child today, will determine the principles that will help him form his character tomorrow. Training isn't a one-night-sitting-down business: it spans the child's growing years. The parent has failed - in my opinion - who sit their child down to advice him, on the right way to live, just a day to their departure from home to college. Would that be you?

Let us pray: Father, help me with grace to train my children rightly, in Jesus name.

WISDOM NUGGET: Proverbs 22:6
"Train up a child in the way he should go..." - KJV

REMARKABLE, OR WASTED?

"The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege." - Charles Kuralt

Family

Barbara Bush says, "I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life." If you ask me, I'll say 'togetherness' is the only ingredient. Do we really understand that, "Family is not an important thing. It's everything," according to Michael J. Fox? Read the story below.

Charles Francis Adams, 19th century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary. One day he entered: "Went fishing with my son today--a day wasted." His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence. On that same day, Brook Adams made this entry: "Went fishing with my father--the most wonderful day of my life!" The father thought he was wasting his time while fishing with his son, but his son saw it as an investment of time. The only way to tell the difference between wasting and investing is to

CHILDLIKE, OR CHILDISH?

"It is the childlike mind that finds the kingdom." - Charles Fillmore

Robert Fulghum wrote in the Kansas City Times, "Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.
"These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody...When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together." This captures was Jesus was saying, "Unless you become like little children, you won't enter the kingdom of heaven."

Coleridge tells us that "the truest genius is the man of childlike disposition." Being Childish means being silly or immature - it generally points to unfavourable qualities.

ARE YOU?

"Beauty without chastity is like a mandrake apple, comely in show, but poisonous in taste." - Thomas Blount

In October 1989, a beautiful blond senior shares: "When we date, we start giving gifts, like flowers or candy. When a couple becomes engaged, they give special things--a diamond and very personal things. The most personal gift that I can ever give is myself. I have nothing more precious to give. When I marry, I want to give my husband the best that I have--my whole self as completely as I can."

Chastity in this 21st Century has been trampled deep into the mud, that it's almost irrelevant as a topic for public, and even private discussion. However, that

AN EARTHEN VESSEL

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." - Nelson Henderson

Laurence Stern says, "If thou art rich, then show the greatness of thy fortune; or what is better, the greatness of thy soul...support the distressed, and patronize the neglected. Be great; but let it be in considering riches as they are, as talents committed to an earthen vessel. Thou art but the receiver.

No one can give what they don't have: the point is, EVERYTHING we have was given us - by GOD! We weren't given just so we can 'can all we can,' no, but so we can - like channels that we are - distribute all we should to others. Freely we have received,

A MAN IS WHAT HE IS

"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody 

C.S Lewis asserts that, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am."

In Our Daily Walk, F.B. Meyer adds, "The supreme test of goodness is not in the greater but in the smaller incidents of our character and practice; not what we are when standing in the searchlight of public scrutiny, but when we reach the firelight flicker of our homes; not what we are when some clarion-call rings through the air, summoning us to fight for life and liberty, but our attitude when we are called to sentry-duty in the grey morning, when the watch-fire is burning low. It is impossible to be our best at the supreme moment if character is corroded and eaten into by daily inconsistency, unfaithfulness, and besetting sin."

In the light of the revelations pertaining to character, how healthy or sickly is your character. Will rats be seen when the 'suddenness' or 'provocation' befalls.

IN PURSUIT OF CHARACTER II

“Character is a by-product; it is produced in the great manufacture of daily duty.” - Woodrow Wilson

The subject matter of character isn’t one that should be taken lightly at all. However, Character isn’t found on trees, it is built over time. According to Woodrow Wilson, “…it is produced in the great manufacture of daily duty,” it requires a conscious decision to develop. Character is at the heart of advancement and growth; personal or organizational. Hear what some notable personalities have to say about character. Calvin Coolidge said, “We do not need more knowledge, we need more character!” Then D.L. Moody had this to say, “Character is what you are in the dark."

According to Jerry Flint in Forbes, W. Michael Blumenthal, chairman of Unisys, talks about the mistakes he made in hiring: In choosing people for top positions, you have to try to make sure they have a clear sense of what is right and wrong, a willingness to be truthful, the courage to say what they think and to do what they think is right, even if the politics militate against that. This is the quality that should really be at the top. I was too often impressed by the intelligence and substantive knowledge of an individual and did not always pay enough attention to the question of how honest,

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

"Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching." - C. S. Lewis

Zig Ziglar it is who said, "The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty." And that "With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt."
Charles Swindoll in Living Above the Level of Mediocrity says that the world needs men: who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it" because

DARE IT

"The task ahead of you is never greater than the power behind you." - Unknown

Sir Edmund Hillary - one of the two people to first reach the summit of Mount Everest - once said, "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." Our greatest enemy when it comes to achieving great feats, is ourselves. Yes, you read right. No doubt people will ALWAYS see why your idea is 'un-do-able,' but do you agree with them?

Several years ago I met a gentleman who served on one of Walt Disney's original advisory boards. What amazing stories he told! Those early days were tough; but that remarkable, creative visionary refused to give up. I especially appreciated the man's sharing with me how Disney responded to disagreement. He said that Walt would occasionally present some unbelievable, extensive dream he was entertaining. Almost without exception, the members of his board would gulp, blink, and stare back at him in disbelief, resisting even the thought of such a thing. But unless every member resisted the idea, Disney usually didn't pursue it. Yes, you read that correctly. The challenge

OPPORTUNITIES MISSED

"Put all thine eggs in the one basket and watch that basket." - Anonymous

Do you know that a stranger, is a friend waiting to be made? Every friend you have now, was once a stranger to you. In the same way, every opportunity you have today was once alien to you. You're where you are today because of the decisions you made in the past, or those you refused to make. Are you still waiting for life to begin, or you're already living in it? When you look back tomorrow at your life will you have any regrets?

Technology and it's many advancements and their importance to humanity, cannot be over emphasized. Without advancement in technology, I'm sure you wouldn't be reading this piece, the way you are right now, but it shouldn't control your life.

A stranger is a friend waiting to be made put down that phone a while, and have a conversation with that lady, gentleman, or grandpa sitting next to you in that

CHOOSE

"I live a very joyful life, with a lot of laughter and good times." - Kimberly Elise

Donald Cargil once said, "This is the most joyful day that ever I saw in my pilgrimage on earth." Gargle might have experienced an appealing situation, or vice versa, but his statement packs a powerful punch. 'Today' is the key word here. Your today is either how situations determine, or how you chose. The choice is yours.

Author Leo Buscaglia tells this story about his mother and their "misery dinner." It was the night after his father came home and said it looked as if he would have to go into bankruptcy because his partner had absconded with their firm's funds. His mother went out and sold some jewelry to buy food for a sumptuous feast. Other members of the