“We live in a time when science is validating what humans have known throughout the ages: that compassion is not a luxury; it is a necessity for our well-being, resilience, and survival.” – Roshi Joan Halifax
Getting Organized
My sister was bemoaning the fact that she had procrastinated cleaning and organizing her house for a long time. Since she was planning to entertain, she felt a lot of pressure to get moving.
That afternoon she phoned, sounding glum. “I went to the bookstore,” she explained. “And I bought a book on how to get organized. I was all fired up, and decided to clean out all the shelves in the living room. While I was working, I found the same book. I had bought it a couple of years ago.”
Appreciating Our Neighbor
Promises May Gain Friends
Cake Personality Test
If you were buying a cake and you had your choice of the following, which would you choose:
- Angel Food
- Brownies
- Lemon Meringue
- Vanilla with Chocolate Icing
- Strawberry Short Cake
- Chocolate on Chocolate
- Ice Cream
- Carrot Cake
You can’t change your mind once you scroll down So think carefully, what your choice will be!
OK – Now that you’ve made your choice, this is what research says about you:
- Angel Food – Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being child-like and immature at times.
- Brownies – You are adventurous, love new ideas, are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up, you whip out your saber. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.
- Lemon Meringue – Smooth, sexy, and articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don’t try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, but you have many friends.
- Vanilla with Chocolate Icing – Fun-loving, sassy, humorous. Not very grounded in life, very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad, however, you are a friend for life.
- Strawberry Short Cake – Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people and can be counted on in a pinch. You tend to melt. You can be overly-emotional and annoying at times.
- Chocolate on Chocolate – Sexy, always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.
- Ice Cream – You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don’t like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.
- Carrot Cake – You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends.
Picnic Punishment
The minister’s little six-year-old girl had been so naughty during the week, that her mother decided to give her the worst kind of punishment. She told her she couldn’t go to the Sunday School Picnic on Saturday.
When the day came, her mother felt she had been too harsh and changed her mind. When she told the little girl she could go to the picnic, the child’s reaction was one of gloom and unhappiness. “What’s the matter? I thought you’d be glad to go to the picnic.” her mother said. “It’s too late!” the little girl said. “I’ve already prayed for rain!”
Putting the Federal Government in Charge
Riches are a Blessing
Our Ministry, Our Calling
“We don’t have a ministry because we decide to have one; we have a ministry because God gives us one. Our calling is God’s doing, not ours. Our privilege is to obey what God tells us to do; our responsibility is to serve Him faithfully in the place of obedience. We cannot manufacture God’s blessing and anointing simply by being ambitious, highly motivated, or hard working. An ounce of obedience is worth more than a pound of strife and a ton of self-effort.” – Roy Lessin
The Mommy Test
I was out walking with my then 4 year old daughter. She picked up something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I asked her not to do that. “Why?” “Because it’s been laying outside and is dirty and probably has germs.” At this point, she looked at me with total admiration and asked, “Wow! How do you know all this stuff?”
“Uh,” I was thinking quickly, everyone knows this stuff, “Um, it’s on the Mommy test. You have to know it, or they don’t let you be a Mommy.” “Oh.” We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information. “I get it!!!!” she beamed. “Then if you flunk, you have to be the Daddy.”