Morning Briefings

I know it’s probably heretical for anyone of my generation to say this, but I never liked the song ‘Me and Bobby McGee.’ To say, “Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose,’ seems dangerously shortsighted. When our freedom to do mocks all we have fought so hard to be free from, freedom seems to be the very thing we might lose.

– Dwight Curry
How We Behave at the Feast

Every cancer is a journey. You never know where the journey will take you, where you’ll go. You’ll have moments of fear, hope, pain, and if you’re lucky, joy. What’s important is to go with it–wherever it goes. A great many things will be outside your control. You have to accept that you’re not entirely the driver.

– Joe Eszterhas
Crossbearer

But, ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’

– Mark 5:36

God sometimes puts us on hold so that, after the wait, there is less of us and more of Him.

– Kent M. Keith
Devotional Ventures: 60 Inspiring Devotions by Business Professionals for Business Professionals

One thing I’ve learned is that no problem ever goes away on its own. For any human obstacle to be overcome, there must be inner work.

– Dr. Arthur Caliandro
Simple Steps: Ten Things You Can Do to Create an Exceptional Life

It’s the wheel of the world turning around: In the blink of an eye it can change your life and it never even slows down. It can open your heart, it can break you apart and it never even slows down. It’s the wheel of the world turning around.

– Carrie Underwood
The Wheel of the World

When humans act creatively, when we build things, make things, invent things, and imagine things, we are truly acting like God and using his power within us to the fullest.

– Anthony DeStefano
Travel Guide to Heaven

O Breath of God, blow softly on the gifts that have weakened or grown stale in my life. Stir up the flame of my original love, faith and hope. Breathe on me anew.

– Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B.
Living Faith

Study: Most Entrepreneurs Between 55-64. The study also said that the nation might be on the cusp of an entrepreneurship boom, because of an aging population, decline of lifetime employment, and the effects of the recession on established sectors of the economy.

– socalTECH.com

If you aren’t blessed with strength, you can’t be blessed with peace.

– Dennis Prager from a June 17, 2009 radio program

Dads can be multidimensional mystery characters. Is it because they withhold so much, or is it because we don’t ask the right questions?

– Vincent Staniforth
Questions for My Father: Finding the Man Behind Your Dad

Mary had a husband on earth who tried to demonstrate the value of anonymous work. Although he was not heard from very much, he was the one who provided the roof over their heads and the food for their mouths, and who allowed his wife and son to do all that they did.

– Paulo Coelho
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

God, I don’t understand why you’re allowing me to feel distant from you right now, but I trust that you will always do what is best for me. So I place my prayer life in your hands, and I accept whatever it is you wish to do with it.

– Mark E. Thibodeaux
God, I Have Issues

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.

– Booker T. Washington

A greeting is a minimal yet meaningful conferral of honor on a person for just being a person. With it, not only do we acknowledge and validate, but we also put to ease and wish well.

– P.M. Forni
Choosing Civility

With each passing day I realize more how much he lives in me, and how great a shadow he casts over my life. It is the same for all men. None of us can escape this shadow of the father.

– Kent Nerburn
Letters to My Son: A Father’s Wisdom on Manhood, Life and Love

Because it goes against human nature, forgiveness must be taught and practiced as one would practice any difficult craft.

– Philip Yancey
What’s So Amazing About Grace?

To become a source of deep satisfaction, a human activity has to meet some stringent requirements. It has to have been important (you don’t get deep satisfaction from trivial things). You have to have put a lot of effort into it. And you have to have been responsible for the consequences. There aren’t many activities that satisfy those three requirements. A good marriage. That qualifies. And having been really good at something–good at something that drew the most from your abilities. That qualifies.

– Charles Murray in a March 11, 2009 speech at the American Enterprise Institute entitled The Happiness of the People

Only those who walk in the dark see the stars.

– Mark E. Thibodeaux
God, I Have Issues

Theology is knowing truth about God. That’s important, but not as important as knowing God; just as knowing things about your friend is not as important as knowing your friend.

– Peter Kreeft
Prayer: The Great Conversation

Every woman works. But some are more appreciated for what they do than others. No matter what kind of work your wife does, she needs your prayers and encouragement, and God’s guidance and blessings.

– Stormie Omartian
The Power of a Praying Husband

A society that denies the supernatural usually ends up elevating the natural to supernatural status.

– Philip Yancey
Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing?

We were all born originals. Why is it so many of us die copies?

– Edward Young from
The Business Ethics Activity Book

I’ve observed that people who have had actively praying parents seem to find their life’s work early. Their careers may not take off immediately, but they have a sense of purpose and destiny that propels them in the right direction.

– Stormie Omartian
The Power of a Praying Wife

Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn.

– William A. Ward from
The Business Ethics Activity Book

A wise man once said, ‘the most important thing we do in life is show up.’ What he is telling us is that the purpose of life is to live, to live in a proper way. For a Christian, this means to live in a loving way, loving toward God, loving toward others.

– Reverend James O’Leary
I Think I Am Happier Than I Think I Am

You have the need and the right to spend part of your life caring for your soul. It is not easy; there are many obstacles.

– Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. from
Handbook for the Soul

Get all the advice and instructions you can, and be wise the rest of your life.

– Proverbs 19:20
TouchPoints for Leaders

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes. Everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night. Every change life has thrown me. I’m thankful, for every break in my heart. I’m grateful, for every scar. Some pages turned, some bridges burned, but there were lessons learned.

– Carrie Underwood
Lessons Learned

Memorial Day is much more than a three-day weekend that marks the beginning of summer. To many people, especially the nation’s thousands of combat veterans, this day, which has a history stretching back all the way to the Civil War, is an important reminder of those who died in the service of their country.

– History.com

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. Rise, let us be on our way.’

– John 14:27-31