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DISAPPOINTMENTS Disappointments come to all of us; and the more I see of life, the more convinced I am that one of the most important lessons anyone can learn is how to handle these disappointments. One of the great disappointments in my youth happened during my sophomore year in high school when I was running for class president. The class elected a cute brunette cheerleader. Another popular girl, another of the cheerleaders, came in second. And I trailed the field with only four votes. That was quite a blow to a cocky young boy to be defeated by not...

HOW BIG IS ONE? As a man walked a desolate beach one cold, gray morning he began to see another figure, far in the distance. Slowly the two approached each other, and he could make out a local native who kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he hurled things into the ocean. As the distance between them continued to narrow, the man could see that the native was picking up starfish that had been washed upon the beach and, one at a time, was throwing them back into the...

TEN WAYS TO BE PERFECTLY MISERABLE 1. Think about yourself 2. Talk about yourself 3. Use "I" as often as possible 4. Expect to be appreciated 5. Be suspicious 6. Be sensitive to slights 7. Never forgive 8. Trust no one but yourself 9. Do as little as possible for others 10. Always consider "What is in it for me"?

PERSEVERANCE The idea of perseverance is an important component in athletics, the military, studies, and even in religion. Perseverance is the master key, the secret of success when you are in the middle of the struggle. It is that extra, the second air, the capacity to overcome the discouragement. Our society is making a lot of progress. We have technology and facilities that no one in history ever had before. The new generations can grow up today more healthy, and live longer. But we do have an Achilles' heel: the absence of the spirit of perseverance. A young man...

NAVIGATION Navigation of a ship at sea is, in principle, a very simple matter: you plot a course between where you are and where you want to be, and let the propeller muscle the ship through the water. As simple as that seems, it won’t happen without another very important element: the rudder! The rudder performs its quiet, steady work, unshaken by the tremendous pressures directed against it. And it must hold the true course without deviation. The navigation of a human life is also, in principle, a very simple matter. As with a ship, there must be motivation...

MEDITATION ON SUCCESS "Do not let this Book of Law (The Torah) depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8) "Great success, like disgrace, can bring great trouble. Success which advances ego can make you lose your way." (Tao 13.) A lawyer once commented to me, "If you preachers ever convince people to live by the Ten Commandments, I will be out of business". Now there is a thought: lawyers out of business! Doing God's will...

LIFE CHOICES What would you do? You make the choice. Don't look for a punch line...there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice? At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He...

FAITH OR FEAR? For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful]. — Romans 14:23 Is it possible to allow someone to control and manipulate us, honestly saying we are doing so in faith? Of course not! We know this type of behavior is rooted in fear, not faith. Faith obeys God, but fear is easily intimidated and finds many excuses for disobedience. A person who is a perfectionist, a workaholic, or involved in sexual perversion is just as dependent as someone who is...

AN HONEST DOUBTER The often heard quip, "He or she is a doubting Thomas," usually is given in a negative way...someone who can't get with the program or is not a team player. The origin of this statement goes to the passage in John's Gospel. Thomas, who somehow missed the first appearance of the resurrected Jesus to the rest of the disciples, states he will not believe until he sees and touches the Lord. He is a realist, a man who is shattered in his faith after witnessing the arrest and death of Jesus. He is honest enough to...

A THANKFUL HEART Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. — Philippians 4:6 Years ago I taught a message saying that when you ask God for something, you should thank Him ahead of time that you are going to get it because that will help release your manifestation. I believe that. I took the scripture above to mean just that, that when I prayed for something, I should start thanking God that it was...

STRIVING FOR BALANCE In a university commencement address several years ago, Brian Dyson, former CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises (1986 - 1991), spoke of the relation of work to one's other commitments: "Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are...

DARE TO DREAM Someone once commented that "One of the most powerful things in the world is a dream. Not those dreams that come to us while we sleep, but those we consciously pursue while we are awake." Think of how dreams have shaped our modern life. Of Martin Luther King whose famous speech began, I have a dream today." And of Robert Kennedy who said, "Some men see things as they are and ask "Why?"; I dream things that never were and ask 'Why not?'" Think of how children's lives are often shaped by their parent's dreams. I...

WHY DO WE STILL HAVE SCARS? One of the greatest truths we can know in life is that God is always able and willing to forgive us for our shortcomings. All we have to do is ask for His forgiveness. And if God is willing, then we too, should forgive ourselves. Yet one of the greatest ironies concerning forgiveness is that the painful memories, the scars of our past, remain with us. We may wonder, "What's the sense in receiving forgiveness if the scars from the painful memory remain?" Maybe the question should be, "What goes through your mind...

YOU ARE NOT SUPERMAN There are times when some events of life overwhelm us. Things at home or things at work can drain us. Sometimes we sense an urge to be "Superman" or even "God". We want to "fix" things or "make everything better." In reality, this feeling can be the source of great stress and tension. We sometimes have to admit that certain things can't be fixed; certain things will not go away. Got a problem, talk about it. It may not get "fixed" or go away, but you will feel better! CAPT Thom Dansak, CHC, USN

IMPORTANT WORDS The SIX most important words: "I ADMIT I MADE A MISTAKE." The FIVE most important words: "YOU DID A GOOD JOB." The FOUR most important words: "WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?" The THREE most important words: "IF YOU PLEASE." The TWO most important words: "THANK YOU." The LEAST important word: "I"

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW.... I LEARNED FROM NOAH'S ARK 1. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark. 2. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big. 3. Don't listen to critics -- do what has to be done. 4. Build on high ground. 5. For safety's sake, travel in pairs. 6. Two heads are better than one. 7. Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so were the snails. 8. If you can't fight or flee -- float! 9. Take care of...

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS Most of us become familiar with the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," fairly early in our childhood days. Significant others, who happen to be adults, seem to stumble over themselves in being the historic "first" to teach the young child this bit of wisdom. Hmmmmmmm, I stumbled upon a quote for those of us who are adults with a burning desire to pass the Golden Rule on to our young children of today: "We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it...

PALM SUNDAY Matthew 21.1 - 11 1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the...

A HUMBLE SPIRIT It's always surprising to me when someone, in an honest and unguarded moment, confides that God could never use THEM. They may keep up appearances most of the time, but, down deep, they just don't feel worthy. Have you ever felt that way? If so, you're in luck; God places a high value on humility! In fact, your sincere recognition of your own need may just be the key that opens the door to a deeper, more genuine and rewarding spirituality. Isaiah wrote, "For thus says the High and Holy One Who inhabits eternity, whose name...

WHEN DO WE START TO LIVE AND BE HAPPY? We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated we have teenagers with whom to deal. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage! We tell ourselves our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a vacation, when we retire. The truth is, there's...