Month: August 2010

Something good…

I Know Something Good About You!

Wouldn’t this old world be better
If the folks we meet would say,
‘I know something good about you! ‘
And treat us just that way?

Wouldn’t it be fine and dandy
If each handclasp, fond and true,
Carried with it this assurance-
‘I know something good about you! ‘

Wouldn’t life be lots more happy
If the good that’s in us all,
Were the only thing about us
That folks bothered to recall?

Wouldn’t life be lots more happy
If we praised the good we see?
For there’s such a lot of goodness
In the worst of you and me.

Wouldn’t it be nice to practice
That fine way of thinking too?
‘You know something good about me,
I know something good about you! ‘

Anonymous

Wake up!

 

 Rules from God 

1. Wake Up !! Decide to have a good day.
“Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up!!  The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7

3. Listen Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen.
God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
“He who guards his lips guards his soul.” Proverbs 13:3  

4. Stand up!! For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything..
“Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good…” Galatians 6:9-10  

5. Look up!! To the Lord.
“I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:13  

6. Reach up!! For something higher, God.
 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5-6  

7. Lift up!! Your Prayers.
“Do not worry about anything;
Instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING.” Philippians 4:6

 

C.S.Lewis’ writing advice

C. S. Lewis’ advice to children on writing is good advice to pastors on preaching, or anybody on talking.

1.   Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn’t mean anything else.

2.   Always prefer the clean direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.

3.   Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean “More people died” don’t say “Mortality rose.”

4.   In writing, don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing is “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers “Please, will you do my job for me.”

5.   Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

(Originally published in Letters to Children, letter from June 26, 1956. Quoted in Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root in The Quotable Lewis, p. 623.)