One of my Facebook girlfriends posted this..."Most people will never fully reap their own harvest because they go around looking for fruit to pick instead of finding seeds to plant."

One of my Facebook girlfriends posted this..."There's a certain freedom from frustration and stress that we feel when we accept things and people for what they are. Too often, we feel the need to step in and make changes but some THINGS aren't meant to change. Sometimes, WE are the ones that need to change." Her words prompted me to write a Facebook Note about something I observed concerning a homeless man..."It's Not About a Tent!"

"Remember, you must separate your "do" from your "who." You’re a unique and special individual, with God-given talents and skills. And even though you may have made mistakes in the past, it’s time to move on and learn to like yourself!" JM

"Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact." - William James

I came across this..."Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't...and the other half who have nothing to say...and keep on saying it." * Robert Frost

I like this..."If you can go through life without experiencing pain you probably haven’t been born yet." ~ Neil Simon

"Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart." - Henry Clay

"You may not be where you need to be, but thank God you’re not where you used to be!" JM

"Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity." - W. Clement Stone

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." - This is one of my favorite lines from the movie, "The Help."

I treated myself to lunch and a movie (The Help). What a good movie!! I found that, before the movie even started, I was getting emotional watching previews of upcoming movies. I thought to myself, "You really need to get out more often!" :)

"Don’t be so busy with your plan that you ignore God if He tries to change it." –J M

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." - George Bernard Shaw

"People of genius are admired, people of wealth are envied, people of power are feared; but only those of character are trusted."

"Patience is the settled reality that we are not in control."

At the clinic I volunteer at, I encounter patients who have allowed the "pain" in their life to override the "purpose." They get stuck in the pain. They sometimes forget that you have to "go through to get through." I make sure I share this verse with them..."When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2

In the clinic I volunteer at, I encounter patients who dwell on and in the past so much, it is nearly impossible for them to move into the next good thing God has for them. I make sure I share this verse with them..."Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19

"Everybody needs somebody." - Mahalia Jackson

One of my favorite Facebook posts was posted by Wendy Lee 'Quietstorm'. She wrote..."I'm trying not to get on my soapbox but I must say this . . . I dislike how people rush to the bedside of a dying loved one after they haven't called, visited or reached out to them in years. I dislike how people are quicker to show up for a funeral than a wedding or birthday party. People take off work for funeral but how many take off for a birth or a wedding? It especially bothers me how people will respect the wishes of the deceased, respect graves and say all kinds of "nice" things about them. BUT we disobey the living, don't say "excuse me", "please" or "thank you" and we are quick to bad mouth our breathing neighbor. We are so backwards."

On August 16, 2001, I told a couple something like, "You know, I think I have sinned more and made more mistakes as a Christian than before I was a Christian." The man said something like, "Yes, I understand what you are saying. We sure can make a lot of mistakes when we try to figure out how things 'should' be and what they 'should' look like." God, please help me to not do that anymore. I'm tired of making mistakes. I'm tired of of living with my mistakes. Please help me to start over again.

"I wish I would have learned to pray first, instead of waiting until everything else had failed."

At the clinic, on August 16, 2011, I had a major dose of "uncertainty." It hit me all of a sudden. It was an odd and disturbing thing. It took a while for it to pass. When I came home, I came across this quote..."Maintaining the right attitude is easier than regaining the right attitude." God, please help me to maintain the right attitude, so I don't have to struggle so much to regain it.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

I love this quote..."What talent is laying in that gutter with you that you haven't used? Use what you have. If you don't have a PHD, use your GED." - TDJ

"We have nothing to fear, for our honesty with the Father doesn't reveal to Him anything that He doesn't already know! His intellect is so keen that He doesn't have to wait for you to make a mistake. He knows of your failure even before you fail. His knowledge is all-inclusive, spanning the gaps between time and incidents. He knows our thoughts even as we unconsciously gather them together to make sense." -TDJ

"God has blessed some of you so well that many people think you led a privileged life. They think you haven't been through anything. They think kool-aid came out of your water fountain. They think your bubble gum didn't run out of sugar. They think you really had it going on and you never had a trouble in your life. They don't know you went through hell and high water, but it was worth it all to finally come into the place that God has for you." - TDJ

"Prayer does not need to be long to be effective. Speak to God with simplicity and sincerity and expect an answer." – JM

"Knowledge can teach you how to load a gun; Wisdom tells you when to pull the trigger." - TDJ

"The LORD gives...the LORD takes away...the LORD gives again...every single time." - Beth Moore

"After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before." Job 42:10

"Wisdom is proven in struggles and tests and trials. The barometer of the depth of your wisdom is not what happens to you but how you react to what happens to you. How you respond to adversity is a determinant of real power. Peter freaks out and slashes a the ear of a soldier, an action that could have adversely affected his ministry, but Jesus calmly scoops it and places it back on. It's the accidents and incidents that happen along the way and how you react to them that show whether you are really a wise man or just a pretender." - TDJ

Someone posted this on Facebook..."Grapes must be crushed before they can be made into wine. Silver must withstand fire to become pure. Diamonds go through high pressure and temperatures to become beautiful gems. And so it is with us as we seek to grow more Christlike. The process is completed through trials, testing and adversities. Times of "light" are for equipping, times of "darkness" are for growth..."

"Reject useless thoughts as quickly as they come, otherwise they will spoil your day." –JM

"So many people quit...not realizing they were just one step away from their dreams."

I came across this quote..."I wish a politician who openly prayed and asked for God's help, wasn't newsworthy ... because they were all doing it."

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." - Helen Keller

"As you get down on your knees and try to tell God what's going on, I have a news flash for you--GOD ALREADY KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE. He knows a tear before it falls down your face. He knows an enemy while they're still disguised as friends. He knows the end while you're still trying to figure out the beginning. He knows how to bring the blessing out of the burden. You have to rest in the omniscience of God or you can't make it. GOD ALREADY KNOWS." - TDJ

"God can do a lot with a little, so never underestimate the power of one." -Harvest Devotional

"Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life; the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right; and the determined choice to praise God in all things." ~ Kay Warren

"Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness." ~ Mother Teresa

"Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee." – Augustine

"God is not nervous when you are nervous because He has set your end from the beginning. While you are struggling, groping and growling, wondering whether you will make it, God knows you’re going to make it because He has already set your end." - TDJ

"A bad day is not a failure and it’s not forever. It’s just a bad day. Get back on track and don’t give up. Tomorrow is a new day." - TDJ

"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain...but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving." * Dale Carnegie

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." - Cynthia Ozick

One of my precious nieces posted this quote, by Helen Keller. For some reason, when I read it, my eyes became misty. I think, as I go through life, I still look down too much. I need to change that. ~ "Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye." ~ Helen Keller

Wow! One of my Facebook girlfriends posted this..."I might not be everyone's first choice, but I am a great choice. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not because I'm good at being me. I might not be proud of some of the things I've done in the past, but I'm proud of who I am today. I may not be perfect...but I don't need to be. Take me as I am, or watch me as I walk away."

Why are some people so mean and hateful...even after you tell them you are sorry?

One of my Facebook friends posted this..."Every journey starts with a single step. It doesn't matter how you start or when you start. It matters that you start and the same God that saw you start will see you to the end."

"People can’t see what’s in your heart. They can only see what you do." JM

One of my precious nieces recovered from having her wisdom teeth removed. During her recovery, she stated, "...so far, so good. I haven't made it out of bed either. :)" Her words reminded me of something I once read--"Dear God...So far, today has been a good day for me. I have told no lies, I did not swear, steal, lust, or hurt anyone. I have not committed any sins. I am going to get out of bed soon, and I'm fairly certain that I will need Your help from then on." :)