Wherever you go, God is sending you. Wherever you are, God has a purpose in you being there. Christ who indwells you has something He wants to do through you where you are! Believe it and go in His grace and power.
– Richard C. Halverson
Halverson was is a Presbyterian minister who served for many years as Chaplain of the United States Senate in Washington, who is noted for this parting benediction.
I attended a funeral for a well-loved man of my congregation in Dearborn earlier this week.
On the back of the memorial service bulletin, there was a creed, which happened to be the mantra that this man tried to live by. A simple Google search showed that this is an excerpt from Forest Witcraft’s poem, “Within My Power” and is commonly used to recognize teachers.
“One hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what house I lived in, how much was in my bank account, nor what my clothes looked like. But the world may be a better place because I was important in the life of a child.”
In my opinion, this man did not just try to live by these words, but outright succeeded in all efforts. He wasn’t a teacher in the traditional sense, he worked for Ford Motor Company for 31 years and then devoted his retirement to serving his community through being an active member and leader in Kiwanis, advisor to the Dearborn High Key Club (Kiwanis Educates Youth), actively served within our congregation at First Dearborn as well as many other things.
As I prepare to begin a full-time ministry with abandoned children in Peru (this is even applicable here in Dearborn as I serve as the Interim Student Ministries Director within my congregation!), this philosophy is an important thing to remember. In this world we live in that is filled with wants, desires, and “needs” (different from the true needs), it is very easy to get caught up in that. The most important thing we can do is build positive relationships with the generations to follow and be important in their life.
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
If only it was truly that easy. Unfortunately it’s easy to worry about the upcoming, unexpected and unknown.
Even more unfortunate, it’s something I’m good at doing.
– Thomas Jefferson.
This quote was part of a documentary movie at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC, which I visited during fall break.
I don’t know exactly what it was about this quote that was so inspiring and powerful when I first heard it. It seems something so simple, especially with all of the “inspirational” quotes and self help books/websites/information available today.
I think the best thing about this quote is that it is something simple, but yet profoundly eloquently written. Not to mention, I also find it inspiring that our forefathers had such a great faith in their future and the future of the country.
(This quote was taken from an advertisement for the Intercontinental Hotels.)
You can’t have a favorite place until you have seen them all. Without being everywhere, how can you make a decision about which is your favorite? While I have done some extensive traveling on the South American, North American and European continents, I have discovered places that are quite high on my list. The cold, crisp rivers running through the high peaks of the Andes mountains, with the narrow and winding road following the base of the mountains in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina; the aqueduct built by the Romans that divides the old city from the new – while simultaneously dividing the small town culture from the big business neighborhoods in Segovia, Spain; the winding, rambling streets and colorful homes and storefronts in the pedestrian city of Guanajuato, Mexico; and the golden red colors of the mountains and vast sky in the old west New Mexico.
These places definitely have a high rank in my list of places to return (or maybe live) because of their immense beauty, the experiences I had and the people I shared them with. But despite the love for these places that I feel, I must say that my favorite place is not because of the physical beauty that I see in it, but the people and history that have lived and has happened there. My favorite place is where my friends and family are located – they are the people that color my world and give it substance. They are the people that know me, and know my past, my present, and where I want to go in the future. While I have not seen every place, I can say that no matter what else I see, my home will always be my favorite place.