“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”—John 15:13 To lay down your life is to serve selflessly: to protect the weak, to uplift the poor in spirit, and to demonstrate decency and draw forth dignity, regardless of the circumstance. This is not sacrifice; this, my …
Personal progress is a common side-effect of doing something for others. When you feel like you’re getting nowhere, whether it is writer’s block or a general pattern of frustration about your life at the moment, the best remedy just might be serving another in some unexpected and impromptu way. Such frustrations in life have a …
Continue reading Are you stuck, feeling like you’re getting nowhere? Consider this.
The wellspring of inspiration is the fountain of youth. You cannot drink from it without sharing it, for the rejuvenating qualities of the waters of inspiration are only sustainable as they are given again, once received. If you try to take inspiration to yourself and don’t share it, it will quickly fade and you will …
“Encouragement” by Mrs. Elizabeth Clementine Kinney When first peeps out from earth the modest vine,Asking but little space to live and grow,How easily some step, without design,May crush the being from a thing so low!But let the hand that doth delight to showSupport to feebleness the tendril twineAround some lattice-work, and ’t will bestowIts thanks …
“A mere theory of life, that remains but a theory, is about as useful to a man, as a gilt-edged menu is to a starving sailor on a raft in mid-ocean. It is irritating but not stimulating. No rule for higher living will help a man in the slightest, until he reach out and appropriate …
There are no vicious horses, just spoiled ones. Likewise, there are no evil people, just damaged ones. In many if not most cases, the injuries can be repaired and the gaps can be filled through a steady diet of empathetic attention and thoughtful intervention. The ideal, of course, is to create a world wherein as …
A friend visiting from Colorado asked an important question over lunch a couple of days ago, the answer to which finally surfaced during a quiet moment earlier today. While I didn’t ask, I imagine the question was asked as he is at an age (mid 20s) where I recall noticing the same thing in the …
“If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself. Character is a by-product, and any man who devotes himself to its cultivation in his own case will become a selfish pig.” ~ Woodrow Wilson I cannot think of a section in the bookstore that …
Of all the things that can be in the course of a day, the two most important in my mind relate to protection and service. What is there to protect? In an nutshell, that which is sacred. Sacred things must be protected from the coarseness of the world. Sacred things cannot be destroyed, however, they …
"Let us face the great truth that the greatest success in the world is that of those brave souls who made a hard fight, on the battle-field of life, for character and—won. Character is the only real life, everything else is either getting ready for it or evading it. Let us regard money in its …
Gregory Hake 