“What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying” was once noted by American author, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Emerson’s observation speaks to the importance and impact of our influence.
The dictionary defines influences as “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.” Simply defined influence is the sway one has over others. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
The eminent Athenian philosopher Plato is credited with saying, “The good teacher does not write his message in ink that will fade; he writes it upon men.”
If that quote is accurate it says a lot about Plato, his teacher Socrates, and his most famous student, Aristotle. I wonder if the well-educated apostle Paul who learned from the leading first century Rabbinic authority, Gamaliel, had this in mind when he wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2? Continue reading
Filed under Influence
A Peanuts cartoon showed Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown in which she said, “Guess what, Chuck? The first day of school, and I got sent to the principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck.”
Charlie Brown responds, “My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?”
To which she declares, “You’re my friend, aren’t you, Chuck? Then you should have been a better influence on me.” Continue reading
Filed under Influence
Paul J. Meyer, in his book “Unlocking Your Legacy,” tells about the time in 1969 his mother was found after having fallen in her home. She died a few days later in the hospital.
Meyer writes, “In the apron she was wearing the day she fell, I found a note that read: ’S.S. HOPE: 7 miles, 7 cents.’”
“I cried uncontrollably, realizing that she had raised seven cents after walking seven miles for S.S. HOPE, a hospital ship that provided medical care to people in developing nations. Those seven miles might have even been what killed her.” Continue reading
Filed under Influence
“Matty Lovo is a Hero,” the headline read.
I googled it. And it’s a true story. It happened 12 years ago when Matty was just 9 years old and saved his father’s life.
Matty’s dad, Matty Lovo, Sr, a semi-tractor-trailer driver, was hauling lumber through St. Helens, Oregon, when he had a seizure and lost consciousness. The semi veered into oncoming traffic. Stuck a utility pole. And seemed destined for a tragic accident. Continue reading
Filed under Influence
“College-aged millennials today are far more likely than the general population to be religiously unaffiliated,” according to the Pew Research Center. “This is true when they are compared to previous generations as well.”
Furthermore Pew documents that millennials are the least outwardly religious American generation, where “one in four are unaffiliated with any religion, far more than the share of older adults when they were ages 18 to 29.’” Continue reading
Filed under Christian Living, Culture, Family, Influence
Today Time Magazine released its annual list of the top 100 influential people in the world. The entertainment world is heavily featured, with artists on four of the six covers.
Oscar winner, Leonardo diCaprio, Musical artist Nicki Minaj, Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quantico actress Priyanka Chopra. The other two covers include monetary Fund leader Christine Lagarde and husband and wife philanthropists Mark Zukerberg and Priscilla Chan who share a cover. Continue reading
“Jacob’s Ladder,” was a 1980’s hit written by Bruce Hornsby and performed by Huey Lewis and the News. Remember them?
The song was set in Birmingham, Alabama, and married the Biblical image of Jacob’s ladder with someone who rejects a proselytizing evangelist, preferring to struggle through life one day at the time. In part the lyrics go like this. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
“The power of one man or one woman doing the right thing for the right reason, and at the right time, is the greatest influence in our society.” – Jack Kemp
I was reminded of this truth again this week. Last night I finished a meeting at a church called Hardies Chapel in Gordon, GA Probably most of you have never heard of it. But the story of their beginning impressed me and I wanted to share it with our readers. Continue reading
Filed under Influence
Bill and Hillary Clinton were on vacation back in her home state of Illinois. One afternoon they decided to go for a drive to see the countryside and some of Hillary’s “old “haunts.” After driving for a while, they stopped for gas at a tiny station in small town. One of those that still pump gas for you!
As the man walked out to help them, Hillary jumped out of the car and screamed, “Charlie! Is that you? I can’t believe it!” Continue reading
Filed under Influence
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