GROW GREAT BY DREAMS

The question was once asked of a highly successful businessman: "How have you done so much in your lifetime?"


He replied, "I have dreamed. I have turned my mind loose to imagine what I wanted to do. Then I have gone to bed and thought about my dreams. In the night I dreamt about my dreams. And when I awoke in the morning, I saw the way to make my dreams real. While other people were saying, 'You can't do that, it isn't possible,' I was well on my way to achieving what I wanted." As Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the U.S., said: "We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers."


They see things in the soft haze of a spring day, or in the red fire on a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nourish them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true."


So please, don't let anyone steal your dreams, or try to tell you they are too impossible.
"Sing your song, dream your dreams, hope your hope and pray your prayer."

ACORNS & PUMPKINS

An old poem describes a woman walking through a meadow, meditating on nature. While strolling about, she came upon a field of golden pumpkins. In the corner of the field stood a majestic, huge oak tree.


She sat under the oak tree musing on the strange twists in nature which put tiny acorns on huge branches and huge pumpkins on tiny vines. She thought to herself, "God blundered with Creation! He should have put the small acorns on the tiny vines and the large pumpkins on the huge branches."


Nodding off, the woman stretched out under the oak tree for a nap. A few minutes after falling asleep she was awakened by a tiny acorn bouncing off her nose. Chuckling to herself, she rubbed her nose and thought, "Maybe God was right after all!"

HAPPINESS ON HOLD

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. 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 that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that 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 nice vacation,or when we retire.


The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time waits for no one.


So, stop waiting
--until your car or home is paid off
--until you get a new car or home
--until your kids leave the house
--until you go back to school
--until you lose ten pounds
--until you gain ten pounds
--until you finish school
--until you get a divorce
--until you get married
--until you have kids
--until you retire
--until summer
--until spring
--until winter
--until fall
--until you die


There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.


So, work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching.
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.

FAITH HELPS PREVENT ROBBERY

In a recent incident which took place at a nondescript Pompano Beach, Florida, a cell phone store employee talked a man out of robbing the store on July 23, 2010 by talking to him about Jesus. The would-be robber was described to be a white man with a mustache in his late 30s to mid-40s who was about 5 feet 9 inches tall.

The unidentified man who was armed went into the MetroPCS store which was located on Cypress Road, pretending that he wanted to buy a cell phone. The man talked pleasantly to 20-year-old Nayara Goncalves, the only employee in the store, before pulling a gun and demanding cash from the register. Though Nayara might be only 20, she has the heart of a lion.

Goncalves remained calm and started talking to the man about what he was doing. The conversation between the clerk and would-be robber was captured by surveillance video which was installed inside the store.

When the gunman confronted Goncalves, the store clerk reacted calmly by saying, “I’m Christian".

"So am I, and I actually really hate doing this," the gunman said. "I'm embarrassed to have to do this, and I have no choice."

"You don't have to do this," Goncalves said.

"Talk about making it harder," the gunman said.

"Jesus has got something way better for you, for everyone that's out there. I'm not blaming you. I'm not judging. I don't know what you're going through, but all of us are going through a hard time right now, a very hard time right now," Goncalves said.

"That's why I refuse to do anything to anybody else," the gunman said. "I've never done this before."

According to the surveillance video, Goncalves spoke to the gunman for about five minutes, even offering to help him get a job so he would not have to steal.

"I have a job," the gunman said.

"You do? Then why are you doing this?" Goncalves said.

"Because I'm going to be evicted if I don't come up with $300," the gunman said. The man reasoned that he needed the money to pay rent or else he would be evicted. But Nayara continued to share her faith with the man.

After Goncalves talked to the man, he left without harming her or taking anything, police said.

"I'm sorry. I understand if you still have to call the police," the gunman said as he left. Defeated by the truth of her words, the man left empty-handed.

Goncalves said she does not believe the man was a bad person, just desperate. "I'm very Christian and I go to church a lot, so I just feel like I want to tell everybody about Jesus," she said.

How many of us would have reacted the way Nayara Goncalves did? Would we have summoned enough courage not only to thwart a robbery but also share about Jesus Christ? The boldness of the young woman is very inspiring. She is a vivid example of Jeremiah 1:8 - "Don't be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord".