Monday, January 30, 2012

Use What You've Been Given

Listening to the children's choir singing their "Amen"s yesterday, I was blessed by their enthusiastic worship.  Sweet smiling faces, voices lifted in song.  Some sang softly, some at the top of their lungs, some right on key and some with a melody of their own!  Each child bringing their own offering of music, and what a delight it was!

"Use whatever talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."  ~ Henry Van Dyke

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Deeper than Words

This is one of my all time favorites!  Think about the hope that dwells deep within.  Sometimes there just are no words adequate to define or explain it.  None are needed.  It is that deep place where, really, only God can speak.

" Hope is the thing with feathers
        That perches in the soul
And sings a tune without the words
          And never stops at all."

            ~Emily Dickinson~

Friday, January 27, 2012

Appreciating God's Creation

As wonderful as technology, science, great inventions and discoveries are....I must say I agree with Lindbergh.  He had the right perspective.  Nothing is as brilliant or thrilling as the wonder of His creation!

"I realized that if I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes." ~ Charles Lindbergh

Monday, January 23, 2012

Everyday Life

 I am thinking of the simple pleasures that are mine each day;  a good meal, a call from a friend, a child's laughter, a sunrise, birds at the birdfeeder, warm blankets, a hug, a cup of tea, a good book, quiet moments and sweet memories.....and so much more.  At the end of the day, as I reflect on the blessings that have been mine, my heart responds in praise and thanksgiving.

"In almost everything that touches our everyday life on earth, God is pleased when we're pleased.  He wills that we be as free as birds to soar and sing our Maker's praise without anxiety."  ~  A.W. Tozer

Friday, January 20, 2012

Wings!

The following quote brings immediately to mind a passage of Scripture from Isaiah 40:31...."but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint".  What a wonderful picture!

"Be like the bird that, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings."  Victor Hugo

Monday, January 16, 2012

That Little Bird

  I am impressed by how often I read inspiring writing in which the writer uses the image of birds to teach us wonderful little nuggets of wisdom concerning life.  The next few quotes will be a sampling of just that.  Enjoy!

"That little bird has chosen his shelter.  Above it are the stars and the deep heaven of worlds.  Yet he is rocking himself to sleep without caring for tomorrow's lodging, calmly clinging to his little twig, and leaving God to think for him."  Martin Luther

Monday, January 9, 2012

Learning to Wait

As a person who by nature would like things done yesterday, who likes the "touch it once" rule and who does NOT like the "let's just do this for now" theory, I often find it frustrating to wait.  The following quote from Dr. Tony Evans on his Urban Alternative radio program spoke clearly to me concerning my frequent impatience with delays, especially in the more serious situations in life, but even in the inconsequential.  I am beginning to understand, on a deeper level, that waiting is often related to simply trusting God's timing.

"Sometimes God delays because He is doing something bigger than my situation."  ~  Dr. Tony Evans
                                                                            

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Lessons Learned in the Valley

Surely one of the most valuable truths we learn as we go through the difficult seasons of our lives is that....... "It is in the Valleys I Grow".  That is the title of a poem sent to me years ago by a friend who was seeking to encourage me as I was finding my way through a painful loss.
Are you feeling light-hearted today?  Experiencing joy upon joy and blessing upon blessing?  If so, then you must celebrate and savor every moment!  But we know that seasons change..... struggles, hardship and suffering will inevitably come to challenge us and darken our path.  If this is where you find yourself today, take heart, and remember that the rugged terrain can produce in us bravery, patience, perseverence, character and hope.....if we walk through it with God and allow Him to do His redeeming work in us.

"We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world" ~ Helen Keller

Monday, January 2, 2012

Welcome to "Quotable Wisdom"

For the past few years, I have had a little book that I called "my quote book" and have used it to collect thoughts and quotes that have inspired, convicted, comforted and encouraged me.  A few months ago, I decided that it would be fun to share these little gems with friends who just might find them a source of inspiration.  You will find a wide variety of sources, from fictional characters to great theologians.

My first entry on my new blog is a thought for the new year.  Enjoy! 

"And I said to the one who stood at the gate of the year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand  into the hand of God.  That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.'"  ~ Minnie Haskins