-George Bernard Shaw

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

-Thomas Edison

Times of stress and difficulty are seasons of opportunity when the seeds of progress are sown.

-Thomas F. Woodlock

Lost time is never found again.
-Benjamin Franklin

Nothing you write, if you hope to be any good, will ever come out as you first hoped.
-Lillian Hellman

• If you don’t have a lot of money to give above your 10% find ways to get free stuff at the grocery stores, pharmacies and super stores (ie. Target, Walmart).  Clipping coupons for “freebies” is a great way to give back and you’re just using your time to gather the food and personal care items to give to the food bank or shelters.  A great resource to find these deals is www.nowthatmakescents.com
• Along the lines of the item above some food banks &/or shelters take coupons so that they can use them when adding to their stock piles, donate the coupon sections from your Sunday paper, it saves them a ton of money!
• Do “spring” cleaning (it doesn’t really matter what season) go through your clothes, closets, garage, pantry; figure out what you are just not using and donate it to places/people who need it and will ACTUALLY use it.  This act will not only benefit someone else but it’s proven that purging your life of “clutter” frees you up emotionally, physically and spiritually….less STUFF, less stress!

Our Father, who art in Heaven; hallowed by Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen.  –Reinhold Niebuhr

Prayer of Jabez

Oh that Thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast [territory], and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! 1 Chron 4:10

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 118

(Reading through this will give you strength and encourage you in all that you are facing.  We’ve bolded verses that you can use as short prayers to embolden you and give you reassurance that God is on your side!)
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”
In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!
The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.  From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Others

Lead me this day, Lord,
to live fully in the present moment
and enjoy all that is good around me.
May all that is life-giving remind me of your life and love
that surround me now.

Here are some suggestions to help get you started:

Dont’s:

• Don’t repeat past behaviors.
• Don’t make excuses.
• Never use the word “but.”

Do’s:

• Acknowledge the other person’s pain.
• Do anything and everything in your power to correct the situation.
• Offer to help bear any burden you may have caused.
• Change.

This is a very difficult process for many people. You are not alone in having some difficulty in getting started. You will find, however, that once you do get started the people you need to make reparations to will probably be very receptive. It is like anything worth doing, once you create momentum it will be easy to continue in this process. You will be able to clean up the mess you have made in the past and look to a future full of promise and hope.

Once you clear up the past, if you continue to practice this fundamental, you will have happiness and joy. People will be more receptive to you and you will have no more pain or shame from the hurts you have caused others. You will see the world and all of its people in a new, more positive light!

1. We don’t view it as a character flaw. 
2. We are unaware of it.
3. We think it will be too painful to remove it.

If we don’t view a particular behavior as a character flaw it is difficult, if not impossible to get it removed. Only after we finally realize how our character flaw has hurt ourselves and other people will we even consider taking action on it. One way to overcome this difficult situation is to let other people talk openly about how they view you. Open yourself up for some criticism and you will see a side to yourself that you never knew existed.

The next situation is when we are unaware of our character flaw. This is very similar to the situation mentioned above. The easiest way to uncover this is to let other people in. Allow yourself to be viewed from another person’s perspective and you will get fresh insight into the inner workings of yourself and how you can improve. As with the previous reason, make sure that you are prepared to hear what someone else may say. You may not like it, but if done correctly, it will be extremely beneficial.

The third reason is that you simple think it will be too painful to remove the defect. This is a situation that will cause you to live in an environment of ever increasing pain. To remove the character defect you need to relate more pain to continuing to let it exist than you do to removing it. Visualization will help a great deal to helping you achieve this. Visualize yourself living with this character defect; project your visualization one, five, ten and twenty years into the future. Feel the pain and failure that it has caused in your life. Next, visualize the opposite; project your visualization one, five, ten and twenty years into the future. Feel the freedom and success you have experienced in your life by overcoming this obstacle. If done correctly for several weeks, you will be willing to part with this flaw.

As with all of our character flaws, ask God to reveal them to you. Ask him to remove them and He will!

I often get asked the question: Who should that “trusted confidant” be? To answer that question easily, it can be anybody! Any human being who is breathing and has a pulse will serve the purpose and be able to help you get the job done. If you are comfortable in approaching a stranger to sit and listen to you, then that would work just fine.

Most of us, though will find it difficult to walk up to someone in the mall or an airport and ask them to sit and listen to us for as long as it takes for to confess all of our past mistakes and grievances.

There is a better way. Find someone who you trust. Then ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this person spiritually fit?
• Will they judge you for what you are about to tell them?
• Does anything you have to say involve this person?

Some good choices, I think, are priests, rabbis, ministers or other clergymen and women. Some people have used their doctors, psychologists, personal or business coaches. Try to avoid, if possible using parents, siblings, spouses, and best friends. The title of the person is not so important. What is important is that they help get you through this difficult process, so that you can continue your growth and have a positive impact on everyone around you.

Daily renewal is a difficult process for many people. It involves sitting down and reviewing your past, whether it is the past 24-hour or the past 24 years. It involves honesty and discipline. It takes the courage to face the harm that you have or may have caused. It takes a real leveling of your pride and ego. It takes the strength and commitment to make things right and admit that you were wrong. It lifts people up and shows them you care.

The people who have overcome the main issues involved in practicing the fundamental of daily renewal still find it difficult; But why? It makes life better and makes you more successful. Everybody wants that. I think. The main problem, I believe, is in making daily renewal a habit. Make it something you do everyday and before long it won’t even be an issue. It will just become a part of daily life.

You wouldn’t go to bed at night before brushing your teeth or doing any other tasks necessary to your health and well-being. It’s should be the same with this fundamental. Make it a part of your life. Make it an important part! Develop the habit of doing this daily. Do it until you don’t have to think about doing it anymore… then it’s a habit. You will reap tremendous benefits and results.

If done correctly, and made a habit, soon, when you get into bed after your day is finished, you won’t seem quite right without practicing this simple exercise (assuming you have done the work already with removing the “debris” from your past). After practicing this fundamental until this point it will become automatic and easy.