Thursday, July 08, 2004

People Will Never Forget How You Made Them Feel. People Will Never Forget How You Made Them Feel. Great Poem By Maya Angelou Via Dawn Winter Don't Break The Elastic When I was in my younger days, I weighed a few pounds less,   I needn't hold my tummy in to wear a belted dress. But now that I am older,    I've set my body free;   There's the comfort of elastic  Where once my waist would be.     Inventor of those high-heeled shoes   My feet have not forgiven;   I have to wear a nine now,    But used to wear a seven.     And how about those pantyhose-    They're sized by weight, you see,    So how come when I put them on    The crotch is at my knee?     I need to wear these glasses    As the print's been getting smaller;    And it wasn't very long ago    I know that I was taller.     Though my hair has turned to grey    and my skin no longer fits,    On the inside, I'm the same old me,    It's the outside's changed a bit.     But, on a positive note...     I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.     I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.     I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. 11:39:17 AM    comment []

Are We On A Mission? Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional for July 8th, 2004   THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN® LIFE Daily Devotional July 8, 2004 Sent by John Fischer Sometimes I act as if I’m just muddling through life. I’m lucky if I make it through a day. People ask me how I’m doing and I hear myself say—even to fellow Christians—“Oh, I’m hanging in there, just barely.” Then I remember Christ praying to the Father: “As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world,” and I have to ask myself: Do I sound like someone who has been “sent?” If I have been sent, then I am on a mission, and if I am on a mission, how can I just be muddling through life? Somehow I don’t think muddling is in my mission statement. I’m thinking of Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 where he says that he is always being lead in a public display and is manifesting, wherever he goes, something real about the nature of his faith in Christ, and it is always having an effect on people, and I realize God can accomplish this mission in spite of what is currently happening in my life. Paul even makes this statement right after he has confessed his anxiety over plans not going as expected (verses 12-13). Even then, he could still say he was being lead on a mission. That means nothing can stop us because nothing can stop God’s work in our lives. It would be great today if when people ask how I am, I could say, even if it’s just to myself, “I’m on a mission,” because I am. I’m on a mission to love God today with all my heart, and let that love reflect in all I do. I’m on a mission to look for opportunities to give a reason for the hope I have in Christ. I’m on a mission to tell my story to anyone who wants to hear it. I’m on a mission to manifest the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ wherever I go. All this can happen regardless of the circumstances in my life. I don’t get to muddle through anything. In the movie “Saving Private Ryan,” a platoon of men in World War II are on a mission to find Private Ryan and bring him home. Sometimes they struggle with their mission. Some of them almost abandon it, but as long as they are moving with the mission of the group, they are all on it. They were sent. How about you today? Have you been sent? Then you aren’t just hanging in there; you are on a mission. Be aware of it today, and look for what God has for you. PDL John Fischer is an author, speaker, and song writer based in Southern California. His latest book, Love Him in the Morning has been released by Revell Publishing.   10:06:05 AM    comment []