"We get called in to put out a fire, and then we get blamed for the water damage."
—a quote from Bob WIse, a fellow superintendent, refering to out role in dealing with conflict situations in local churches
"Without a gardener there is no garden"
—Dr. Don Meyer
"Hire for attitude; train for skill"
The bow that is always bent soon ceases to shoot straight."
—From an interesting story about John the Beloved as told by John Cassian (fifth century). John was playing with a tame partrige when a narrower and more rigid brother rebuked him for wasting time. John answered, "The bow that is always bent soon ceases to shoot straight."
"Faith makes invisible things visible, absent things present, and things that are far off to be very near unto the soul."
—Thomas Brooks
"Races are won or lost by the passing of the baton."
"If you want to walk fast, walk alone; if you want to walk far, walk together."
"You never know which way that bronc will buck until you get in the saddle."
"When you attract people with a hot dog, someone else will take them away with a hamburger."
—Pastor Marla Moore
"I like getting in hot water. It keeps you clean!"
—C. K. Chesterfield
"It has been said that Jesus promised His disciples three things—that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy and in constant trouble." —William Barclay, New Daily Study Bible, Gospel of Luke
"The difference between the difficult and the impossible is that the impossible takes a little longer to do."
—Attributed to various sources, most commonly Paul Leob
"Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them."
-Francois de la Rochefoucauld
"The worried cow would have lived 'til now,
If she had saved her breath;
But she feared her hay wouldn't last all day,
So she mooed herself to death!"
"He who slings mud looses ground"
"If you are on a small island and throw enough dirt, you may end up swimming"
"If you chase two rabbits, you will lose both"
"The only thing worst than being talked about is not being talked about"
"One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory" --Rita Mae Brown, (1944- )
"If you don't want to fall into the muddy pond, don't play on its slippery banks."
"Work when you work, play when you play,
One thing at a time, that is the way,
All that you do, do with your might,
Things done by half are never done right."
—McGuffey Reader
Here are some old ones:
"As a rule man's a fool,
When it's hot he wants it cool,
When it's cool he wants it hot,
He always wants something he hasn't got!"
"A man convinced against his will,
Is of the same opinion still."
"Confession is good for the soul, but hard on the reputation!"
This old tailors adage is good advise:
"Measure three times and only cut once!"
When faced with huge challenges, think on these sage words:
"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at time!"
"The highest mountain must be climbed one step at a time."
"The mighty oak is just a little nut that held his ground."
"God can pull you through if you can stand the pull."
We can't live in the past:
"No church has a future unless its dreams are bigger than its memories."
These one may be old, but something to think about:
"To marry in haste is to repent at leisure."
"Puppy love can lead to a dog's life."