Nothing to do?

"It is the people who can do nothing who find nothing to do, and the secret to happiness in this world is not only to be useful, but to be forever elevating one's uses."

Sarah Orne Jewett
1849-1909, Author

How to deal with your obstacles

"Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have."

Norman Vincent Peale

Barefoot running

Swine flu alert

Do it!

"You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you've lost them forever."

Wayne Dyer
Author and Speaker

How we see the world

"Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world... Same world."

Wayne Dyer
Author and Speaker

The White House and Mao Zedong

"It’s proving harder than I expected to shake off the image of White House Communications Director Anita Dunn praising Mao Zedong at a commencement speech in June.

The videotape of her evoking one of her “favorite political philosophers” before an audience of graduating teenagers and their parents has a blandly sinister quality that’s all the more gripping for its echoing, tinny sound — a consequence of the soaring architecture of the National Cathedral, where Dunn gave the speech."

Stanford Faculty Teach Gregorian Chant

Make me feel important!

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.' Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life."

Mary Kay Ash
1918-2001, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

Worry

"Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything."

Mary Hemingway
1908-1986, Author and Journalist

Achieving your goals

"Make a notation in your calendar to review your goals weekly and to grade yourself at the end of the month. Actually schedule time to work on and achieve your goals."

Raymond Aaron

How to be happy

"Happiness doesn't depend on what we have, but it does depend on how we feel toward what we have. We can be happy with little and miserable with much."

William Dempster Hoard
1836-1918, Politician and Publisher

Resting

"The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest."

Einstein

Achievment and success

"My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement - success will follow."

Helen Hayes
1900-1993, Award Winning Actress

Counting your blessings

"Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward with the life that God intended for you."

Og Mandino
1923-1996, Author and Speaker

What you want to change

"No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change."

Barbara DeAngelis
Author

Giving thanks

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation."

Brian Tracy
Author and Speaker

Confession in the context of the liturgy

The notion of confession comes up very frequently in the scriptures, though not always by name.

I think we've acquired a certain narrow sense of confession by some Roman and Lutheran teachers who imply that confession is only something done in the meaning of "confessing our sins."

Which is certainly a part of confession. But confession in the scriptures also seems to entail correction, admonition, godly counsel, and privately teaching the Christian about this or that doctrine.

Here's an example, done in King Hezekiah's temple restoration:

"And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers." (2 Chronicles 30.22)

Hearken unto her voice

Was struck today by Sarah's resemblance to the church in Genesis 21.9-12:

"And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called."

The church points us to Christ; we know Christ because the church tells us about Him. So even faithful Abraham -- the prototype of the faithful believer -- is commanded to listen to Sarah's voice.

The church is our mother (Galatians 4.26), and our mother shows us who our Father is.

Vitamin D Prevents Cancer: Is It True?

20 Tips for More Efficient Google Searches

"For millions of people Google is an indispensable search tool that they use every day, in all facets of their lives. From work or school, research, to looking up movies and celebrities to news and gossip, Google is the go-to search engine."

Citing cybercrime, FBI director doesn't bank online

My kids would say this is an example of why old people should not be allowed to use the internet. I'm becoming inclined to agree with them:

"The head of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has stopped banking online after nearly falling for a phishing attempt.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said he recently came "just a few clicks away from falling into a classic Internet phishing scam" after receiving an e-mail that appeared to be from his bank."

Power over circumstances

"Refuse to let your present results influence your thinking. Keep reminding yourself that you have a power within you that is superior to any condition or circumstance you may encounter enroute to your goal."

Bob Proctor

Prayers against evil

"And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know." (Gen. 18.20-21)

Notice that God says that He has heard ("the cry of it") of the evils of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

I'd always assumed that "the cry" was God's general omniscience coming into play.

I'm not so sure, especially when comparing the Genesis 18 passage with that of 2 Peter:

"And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds)." (2 Peter 2.7-8)

Is this perhaps an early instance of imprecatory prayers prayed against evildoers? (In this case, Lot praying about the cities in which he dwelt).

Messiness

"Wealthy people tend to be orderly, while those who struggle have lots of messes. Each mess is a lock on the gate that keeps abundance out."

Raymond Aaron

Going beyond failure

"Most great people have achieved their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure."

Napoleon Hill

What we think about

"Our minds become magnetized with the dominating thoughts we hold in our minds, and these magnets attract to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonize with the nature of our dominating thoughts."

Napoleon Hill

Chicago’s Loss: Is Passport Control to Blame?

"Did Chicago lose the chance to host the 2016 Olympics because of airport security issues? Among the toughest questions posed to the Chicago bid team this week in Copenhagen was one that raised the issue of what kind of welcome foreigners would get from airport officials when they arrived in this country to attend the Games. Syed Shahid Ali, an I.O.C. member from Pakistan, in the question-and-answer session following Chicago’s official presentation, pointed out that entering the United States can be 'a rather harrowing experience.'"

Ultra-Orthodox Jews accused of fight to keep ‘Jews for Jesus’ out

"Israel is using an ultra-Orthodox group to crack down on Messianic Jews — who believe that Jesus is the Messiah — and prevent them from staying in the country, officials have told The Times.

The Messianic Jews have been accused of Christian missionary activities and complain of harassment and intimidation by the state.

An official at the Interior Ministry said that an anti-assimilation group called Yad L’Achim was working with the ministry to prevent Messianic Jews — known as Jews for Jesus — from being allowed to live in Israel, which they consider their spiritual home."

This ONE Action Keeps Brain Function at its Peak

"Researchers have found that individuals with a high daily intake of vegetables and fruits also demonstrate higher cognitive performance. Please notice that vegetables are mentioned first because they are FAR more important than fruits.

Subjects with a high intake (about 400 grams per day) of fruits and vegetables had higher antioxidant levels, lower indicators of free radical-induced damage, and better cognitive performance."

Obama’s Olympic failure will only add to doubts about his presidency

"Chicago’s dismal showing today, after Mr Obama’s personal, impassioned last-minute pitch, is a stunning humiliation for this President. It cannot be emphasised enough how this will feed the perception that on the world stage he looks good — but carries no heft."

Wasted time

"Regret for time wasted can become a power for good in the time that remains, if we will only stop the waste and the idle, useless regretting."

Arthur Brisbane
1864-1936, Journalist and Editor