On Books and Life

   There are those who say that 

life is like a book, 

with chapters for each event in your life 

and a 

limited number of pages 

on which you can spend your time. 

But I prefer to think that

a book is like a life,

particularly a good one, 

which is  

well worth staying up

all night to finish.
- Lemony Snicket

George Mueller's Faith

"If God fails me at this time, 

it will be 

the first time."

-George Mueller

This from the man who:

• Began his ministry caring for orphans with 2 shillings in his pocket. 
• Built 5 large orphanages.
  
• Cared for over 10,000 orphans in his lifetime
• In 1834 there were accomadations for only 3,600 orphans in England and twice that many orphans under the age of eight were in prison.  50 years later, through George Mueller's hard work and dedication England was able to care for over 100,000 orphans.
• Became a travelling missionary (a lifelong dream of his) at the age of 70 and continued for the next 17 years.
• Travelled to 42 countries preaching on average once a day often to crowds of 5,000.
  
• Read his Bible cover to cover more than 200 times.  
• Took in donations for several million dollars for the orphans without once asking anyone for money.
• Gave up his small salary when he discovered it was paid for by the rental of church pews and didn't  take a salary for the next 68 years.
• Never took out a loan or went into debt.
• The orphans never went hungry although several times they prayed over empty plates, only to have food arrive at the last moment.
• Founded 117 schools.

  "The beginning of anxiety is 

the end of faith, 

and the beginning of 

true faith

is the end of anxiety."

-George Mueller

"Now faith is the 

substance of things 

hoped for, 

the evidence of 

things not seen."

-Hebrews 11:1

Realistically...

You can't have everything... where would you put it all?

Give Thanks

So how can I thank you? What can I bring?

What can these poor hands lay at the feet of the king?
I’ll sing you a love song it’s all that I have
To tell you I’m grateful for holding my life in your hands

Good News

"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves."
-Thomas A. Edison

Lincoln

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

-Abraham Lincoln

The young girl passed...

... And in passing she looked at him.

She looked at him steadily, with a sweet and thoughtful look

which made Marius tremble from head to foot.

It seemed to him that she reproached him for having been so long without coming to her,

and that she said:

"It is I who have come."

Marius was bewildered by these eyes

full of flashing light and fathomless abysses.

He felt as though his brain were on fire.

She had come to him, what happiness!!

And then, how she had looked at him!

She seemed more beautiful than she had ever seemed before.

Beautiful with a beauty which combined all of the woman with all of the angel,

a beauty which would have made Petrarch sing and Dante kneel.

He felt as though he was swimming in the deep-blue sky.

At the same time he was horrible disconcerted,

because he had

a little dust

on his boots.

-Les Miserables

Victor Hugo

Princess Bride

Inigo and the Dread Pirate Roberts are having a duel....

Inigo: I admit it, you are better than I am.

Dread Pirate Roberts:Then why are you smiling?

Inigo: Because I know something you don't know.

Dread Pirate Roberts:And what is that?

Inigo: I am not left-handed. (switches sword to right hand and resumes fighting)

Dread Pirate Roberts:You're amazing!

Inigo: I ought to be after twenty years.

Dread Pirate Roberts:There is something I ought to tell you.

Inigo: Tell me.

Dread Pirate Roberts:I'm not left-handed either.

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."

We took a ferry from Jersey City out into the harbor and circled the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

I couldn't help imagining how those thousands of immigrants that sailed into New York Harbor must have felt when they got that first glimpse.

They must have been exhausted from their many weeks at sea. They might have been sick, hungry. They disembarked at Ellis Island and while they were trying to get back their land legs they were herded through lines. They waited for hours to be inspected and finally allowed to walk out onto American soil.

I've been to foreign countries and experienced the apprehension of culture shock. Being surrounded by an alien language is bewildering to say the least. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for these immigrants to uproot their entire lives and move to completely unknown territory.

But, they came because they wanted something better for their families. Something better than they had always known.

Joseph's thoughts after the birth of Jesus...

"The elsapsed time since The Eternal Son of God first drew breath as a

Son of Man on earth could be counted by a single hour and a handful of minutes.

Yet His true age was beyond time-everlasting-and thus

beyond human comprehension."

- Sixth Covenant

Bodie and Brock Thoene

Read Slowly...

"Mr. Speaker, I said the honorable member was a liar it is true and I am sorry for it. The honorable member may place the punctuation where he pleases."

-Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) British dramatist. On being asked to apologize for calling a fellow MP a liar. Attrib.

It's always "daisy-time"

Quote of the day...

"We're too young

To realize certain things are impossible...

So, we do them anyway."

-William Pitt

Amazing Grace

writing

“Real seriousness in regard to writing is one of two absolute necessities. The other, unfortunately, is talent.”

Don't make me laugh...

Quote of the Day...

"It is no use to preach to children if you do not act decently yourself."

Anybody wanna guess who said this?

Afternoon Tea

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. ~Henry James

Recipe for a fun afternoon:
Friends
Funny Hats
Food

a little color... in promise of spring

I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns.
-Winston Churchill

"Who Strives Valiently..."

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
-Teddy Roosevelt

Pray for our troops....