Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!
Category Archives: Food for Thought
Ideas, stories, quotes, and short essays or selections from books that stimulate thoughtful consideration of a topic or spiritual principle.
Freedom and Security
After the Western ideal of unlimited freedom, after the Marxist concept of freedom as acceptance of the yoke of necessity—here is the true Christian definition of freedom. Freedom is self-restriction! Restriction of the self for the sake of others!
-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Bread for My Neighbor
The care of another – even material, bodily care – is spiritual in essence. Bread for myself is a material question; bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one.
-Jacques Maritain
Warfare
A brother said to an old man, “I do not know of any warfare in my heart.” The old man said to him, “Then you are a building open on all four sides. Whatever wishes to, goes in and out, and you do not notice. If you had windows and a door, and shut them so as to bar certain thoughts, you would soon realize how many there are outside, waiting to slip in and attack you.”
Each Act
When the eagle soars in the endless blue,
its shadow races after, far below.
Yet space does not divide; bird and shadow are linked.
So too each act — each choice and consequence.
-Jigme Lingpa
Discipline
God does not waste suffering, nor does He discipline out of caprice. If He ploughs, it is because He purposes a crop.
— J. Oswald Sanders
Success vs. Fruitfulness
We have been called to be fruitful–not successful, not productive, not accomplished. Success comes from strength, stress, and human effort. Fruitfulness comes from vulnerability and the admission of our own weakness.
Henri J. M. Nouwen
Public address at Yale, March 30, 1995
Memos from a Child
The Struggles of Parenting
When parenting, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between what a child NEEDS and what a child merely wants. Giving in to their every wish isn’t necessarily the best way to raise a child. In addition, children aren’t always able to express their true feelings and needs accurately. Also, in their often simple thinking, they don’t realize the implications and sometimes dangers that come together with granting their requests. Listed below are some “Memo’s from a child” which give great insights into the true needs of a child for those who are parenting young children.
Memos from a Child
- Don’t spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not to have all I ask for … I’m only testing you.
- Don’t be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it .. it makes me feel more secure.
- Don’t correct me in front of people if you can help it. I’ll take much more notice if you talk to me in private.
- Don’t make me feel that my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.
- Don’t be too upset if I say “I hate you.” It isn’t that I hate you, but only that I need your attention.
- Don’t protect me from consequence. I need to learn the hard way.
- Don’t take too much notice of my small ailment. Sometimes they get me the attention I want.
- Don’t nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.
- Don’t make rash promises. Remember that I feel badly let down when promises are broken.
- Don’t forget that I cannot explain myself as well as I should like. This is why I’m not always accurate.
- Don’t tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.
- Don’t be inconsistent. That completely confuses me and makes me lose my faith in you.
- Don’t put me off when I ask you questions. If you do, you will find that I stop asking and seek my information elsewhere.
- Don’t tell me my fears are silly. They are terribly real and you can do much to try to understand.
- Don’t ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It gives me too great a shock when I discover that you are neither.
- Don’t ever think it beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm to you.
- Don’t forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be very difficult for you to keep pace with me but please try.
- Don’t forget I love experimenting. I couldn’t get along without it, so please put up with it.
- Don’t forget that I can’t thrive without lots of love. But I don’t need to tell you all the time, do I?
For more tips for parents and parents ministry, visit Parents Ministry on Creative Youth Ideas.
Long for the Longing
The soul must long for God in order to be set aflame by God’s love; but if the soul cannot yet feel this longing, then it must long for the longing. To long for the longing is also from God.
-Meister Eckhart
Life is Stronger
“Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger that the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right;
Faith and Hope triumphant say
Christ will rise on Easter Day.”
— Phillips Brooks
Easter CollectionGames and Activities in celebration of Easter.
Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!
=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection