This parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule praying or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to...

You don’t have to go somewhere special to be somewhere special. Wherever you happen to be has a unique and valuable beauty all its own. You don’t have to do anything special to experience how truly great and special life is. Even in the ordinary things there is always extraordinary richness to be found. Just the sensation of the warm sun on your skin is amazing. And that’s something you can feel anywhere on the...

You don’t have to prove how good you are. Just be how good you are. You don’t need anyone else’s permission to live your dreams. Give yourself permission, and inspiration, and a sincere reason, and go for it. The quality of your life is not determined by what other people choose to think of you. It is determined by what you choose to think and do. Stop wishing for someone to bail you out, or waiting for someone...

“It’s time you finally allowed yourself to sense the impact and contributions you have made to the world. Recognizing your impact isn’t just an activity so you can pat yourself on the back. It’s so you can sense a grander meaning and purpose to all that you’ve experienced in life. It’s time to take account of your contributions so that you finally give yourself the credit you deserve. Whether or not you ever give grand...

The fear of failure is also the fear of success. If you hold yourself back due to fear of failure then you will be cut off from the possibility of success. Achievement requires effort, and effort often results in disappointment. Yet that is really not such a bad thing. In fact, disappointment does not have to hurt you or even slow you down. Instead of making a big deal about it, you can choose to continue making...

Sometimes our greatest weakness can become our greatest strength. Take, for example, the story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese Judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,” the boy finally said,...

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees. “Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!” Very...

Romans 8:38-39
 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord

When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers.
The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn...

Giving Blood There is a story of a little girl named Liza who was suffering from a disease and needed blood from her five-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment...