Denouncing evil is a far cry from doing good.   Philip Gourevitch Denounce your atrocity of choice all you want but unless I see you doing something to aid in relieving it I'm not going to do much listening.  Sometimes actual aid isn't possible at the moment but the crazy thing about this world we live in is that something can always be done.  Maybe you are the one to start the doing instead of so much talking.  Or maybe you just need to do a little more research and find the person/organization who is already acting on it and join them.  Once our eyes are opened to something we then carry a responsibility to act on it in some way.  And the ways in which we act on it will be different for each person.  Whatever you are compelled or prompted to do...DO.  Don't shrink back, don't second guess, don't hesitate, DO.  (Be wise about it though.  If it's an organization you find to align yourself with then research them and mak...

Don't do something permanently stupid just because you're temporarily upset.   Unknown When we get upset we can act irrationally.  Sometimes what we do isn't temporary but can have a permanent outcome.  Our actions are not contained just to ourselves, they are like dominoes and as we do something it falls into another action and off it goes from there.  To think that what we do, or say, affects only us is a very narrow and selfish viewpoint to have.  Our actions affect others, whether we see that or not.  When angry, frustrated, jealous, insecure, etc focus on responding rather than reacting.  Reacting generally leads to something that would fall in the category of "permanently stupid", responding is the evidence of self-control because a response always comes out of thinking before speaking or doing.  Take a moment to get outside of yourself and see the bigger picture.  When we allow our emotions to...

Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.   Unknown If you can't plan ahead and do as much as possible on your end then don't place the burden of your lack on someone else. Really.  It is rude, insensitive, and selfish.  Additionally, if you dream up some "great idea" and feel the urgency to get it done yesterday then do it yourself and do not place the burden on others.  If others have to be involved then breathe and attempt to think clearly instead of forcing others to alter their work or plans for you.  Could you be any more selfish? It's probably fairly obvious that this is one of those things that frustrates me.  People are so self-absorbed these days that even their work they put ahead of anyone else's responsibilities.  And trying to make someone else own your lack of preparedness is rude.  So if you want to wait until last minute or not prepare at all and then come to me seeki...

The next time God calls you to do something completely inexplicable, be open to it. And say yes. Jim Mellado, Compassion International's next President Ever wanted to do something but thought to yourself, or had others tell you, things like: That's crazy to even consider! But that makes no sense! There's no way that can work out. etc etc etc Right?  We've all done that or perhaps are currently doing that.  Usually we stall out and never take action on what it might be.  But a few have been willing to say yes and those are the few that we hold up in high esteem for being courageous and risk takers.  The good news is we can be courageous and risk takers also.  We just have to be open to the adventures we will most certainly travel through to get to the destination.  We have to take the first step which is say "yes" to that thing and then trust the path that God opens up in front of us.  If God calls us to it, asks us to go on adventure with him,...

Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.   H. Jackson Brown, Jr.  I think we might all have that "thing".  The thing you know you are meant to do, the thing you know you are created to do, the thing that you know if you did it other people would benefit, the thing that brings honor to your Creator.  But the world and this life do all they can to keep us from doing that thing.  We get thrown insecurity, jealousy, fear, doubt, criticism, circumstances that delay, etc and those things thrown at us put in a position of defeat.  Don't let the defeat win!  Don't let what seems to be actually be.  Dig deep and honor what your heart is telling you to do.  Oh sure, it will probably take you longer to get to it than you want but part of that time you are learning and growing and will be able to use that time to enhance the "thing", whatever it is.  Don't despise the time and the obstacles you...

It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.   Lena Horne We all have some baggage to carry.  Sometimes it's short-term and other times it's long-term.  But baggage is baggage.  Awkward, weighty, cumbersome, kind of a hassle.  There's technique in how to handle baggage with ease, grace, and without making it seem as if it has us totally flustered!  It isn't the baggage that flusters us so much as it is our technique in carrying it.  In the literal sense of baggage, before the days of rolling luggage carrying around luggage was a P.A.I.N.  Amiright?  But nowadays almost all luggage is rolling luggage and life has sure gotten a lot easier for travel!  What if we approached our personal baggage the same way?  What if we quit trying to lug it around but instead attached rollers to it? We would be able to handle it, manage it, carry it a lot easier.  Right?  What do rollers on our own personal baggage lo...

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.   Ralph Waldo Emerson People, actions do speak louder than words.  They mean more too.  Words can be empty and meaningless when action does not prove them true.  Telling someone you love them but physically and/or verbally punching them doesn't really match up does it?  Do *you* really think they are going to believe your empty sentiment?   We are just making a bunch of noise with our words if actions don't come behind them to prove them .  Our actions do most of our speaking for us.  You may not like it but it's true.  Our words should be what reinforces our actions because our actions carry more volume in our lives.  Talk all you want but just make sure your words will be proven true with your actions, for that is what people are actually listening to and hearing.