Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world...it's the only thing that ever has.   Margaret Mead Think small.  No really, think small so that big can be accomplished.  Ever heard the phrase, "too many cooks in the kitchen"?  Same thought process applies here.  The core group of any "difference maker" operates best and most productively when it remains small and committed.  When accountability is high and there is more action than talk.  When a core group gets too big things start to get blurred, accountability starts to drop off, and the vision can get lost in the midst of too many opinions, and then no difference is really made.  Notice I said "core group".  There are large organizations all over that are making a difference and obviously they operate with the help of more than just a handful BUT the core group should be small.  The group that is where "the buck stops".  In a different ...

Sometimes, I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.   The White Queen from Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll        I haven't read this book (GASP!  I know right?!?) so I don't know the actual context in which this particular quote is actually spoken so I'm going to take it as I see it!  :) My blog, my choice.  Ha.  Sometimes what we need to do is begin to believe what seems impossible.  Once belief gets behind what is called "impossible" then suddenly it begins to look...possible!  Imagine that.  :)  I know for myself a lot of times what I consider to be impossible really isn't, I'm just afraid.  I like to use my trips to Africa as an example.  I thought it was impossible to actually lead a team through Kenya.  The reality is it wasn't impossible I was just scared.  And my fear bled into how I led the team from time to time but when all was said and...

Never let your public anointing exceed your private devotion. Unknown Life that we live in front of other people is like a stage.  Who we really are is the life we live in the greenroom.  Who are you behind the closed doors of the greenroom?  Are you the same person - character - persona - as you are on the stage of your life?  While today's quote actually leans more toward people in "professional ministry" it begs a look from all of us.   The focal point of today's quote is this: is what you "preach" to the people you come into contact with daily the way you also live your life when nobody is watching?  Or have you allowed "takeover" to occur?  Have you allowed the lure of pleasing people to deter you from living out your true convictions?   When what we do on the stages of our lives doesn't match how we live in the greenroom then there's a problem.  Who we really are - what we really believe about God, work ethic, parenting, etc etc ...

Don't feel bad if people remember you only when they need you.  Feel privileged that you are like a candle that comes to their mind when there is darkness.   Unknown My husband swears that it is my lot in life to only be remembered when something needs to be done - whether that's a party, a task, etc.  I've been called "the glue" that holds groups of people together - mostly because I'm the "doer".  I'm not complaining, I've made my peace with it.  (My husband complains about it but that's a whole different blog - ha!) Don't get me wrong, when I say I've made my peace with it I don't mean that I have reluctantly resigned myself to my apparent role in life. It means that I have come to appreciate being known as a light.  It's okay, it really is.  It's okay that I'm remembered mostly for what I can do to help out a situation/circumstance/etc.  I fall by the wayside otherwise and that's okay.  Do you feel the ...

I do have desires.  But my dreams will never come true, so let me not have any dreams at all.   Pre-teen Boy in India This is not okay.  NOT OKAY.  You may just be one person.  I may be just one person.  But we have resources to help us make a difference in the lives of children and their parents all over this world.  We have the opportunity to restore dreams. Check out the following organizations for how you can make a difference and restore the dreams of people: live58.org  compassion.com amazima.org Are there others?  Yes.  Find them, check them out for legitimacy - click here for how, and then jump in.  We all can be part of making a difference and that will happen in a variety of ways - don't let indifference and the unimportant keep you from being a dream weaver.

Just because you don't understand the reason for something doesn't mean there isn't a reason at all. Rev. Matt Powell  I stole this quote straight off a blog from One Thousand Gifts author Ann Voskamp .  And the day I read it it just, well, hit me!  In the article she got it from (you can see now that us bloggers steal each other's stuff all the time) Rev. Powell was using today's quote as part of a teaching on commands that we don't understand because of the long standing traditions of ethics and morality behind them that we haven't either bothered to investigate or have come to a dead end on the investigation.  (If you are interested in reading the blog from Rev Powell click here  - and don't comment to me about the overall topic of the article, just read it and do what you will with it!  I'm so not up for nor interested in debate of any sort.)  Growing up I am sure most of us heard our parents or other loved ones say things like, "Stop a...

Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength.   Eric Hoffer A person who is weak feels insecure, worthless, unimportant and so they will do and say what they can to insert themselves into the lives of people around them.  Unfortunately they do it in inappropriate ways that are off-putting to people rather than endearing.  Rudeness, overt or subtle, is one of those ways.  Snide remarks meant as "jokes", behavior that is "assertive" but is really just jerky, etc - these are ways in which a weak (hearted) person tries to prove to him/herself that they are strong in character.  Except character strength is not formed nor displayed through rudeness, quite the opposite. The next time you are tempted to be rude, STOP.  Evaluate your motive behind the rude behavior or words.  What are you trying to tell others through your behavior?  That you are strong in character?  Or weak in heart (i.e. character)?  If you are trying to prove ...