• Make your dreams bigger than your memories.

  • The flip side of sorrow is joy.

  • Before you suicide yourself, don't give up until you consider all your options.

  • You can have perfect eyesight and still not see the beauty of your lifetime.

  • A lifetime goes by faster than you think. On average 27,000 days separate the doctor who helps bring you into this world from the doctor who pulls the sheet over your face.

  • We all die. Some die content and happy as a clam at high water.

  • You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

  • Find something you love to do so much that you can't wait for the sun to rise to do it all over again.

  • When we work hard for something we don't believe in, it's called stress. When we work hard for something we believe in, it's called passion.

  • Don't let the time it takes to accomplish something stand in the way of you doing it. The time will pass anyway.

  • The best time to plant a shade tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

  • The difference between what you try to achieve and what you actually accomplish is development.

  • Victory loves preparation.

  • Any thought process that begins with what we don't have is not helpful, because you can't build anything substantial on that thought. It makes a poor foundation for human reasoning.

  • Habits begin like flimsy spider webs and in time become strong as cables of steel.

  • Present choices determine future consequences.

  • Life is a series of choices and every choice you make, makes you.

  • We don't let people who do wrong cause us to lose our peace.

  • You can't swim other people's races for them.

  • Your value does not increase nor decrease based upon what others might say or think about you.

  • People can't make you feel inferior unless you give them permission.

  • We will need to learn to navigate through disappointment, loss, criticism and betrayal.

  • The troubles of this life will melt me, but I get to choose which mold I am poured into.

  • Being wrong is no big deal. Staying wrong is.

  • The only common denominator I can find in all of my troubles is me.

  • Learn from your mistakes.

  • The first principle is that you must not fool yourself. And you are the easiest person to fool. 

  • Fooling yourself involves self-deception, where you convince yourself of something that is false or inaccurate. You will face enough adversaries without you becoming your own worst enemy.

  • People measure you by your words. Be slow to speak and careful what you say. Your troubles will be less.

  • Any fool can criticise, condemn and complain and most fools do.

  • Decide to embrace continuous self-accountability. Judge yourself so that you are not judged.

  • Never make permanent decisions based upon temporary emotions.

  • Sensible people control their temper. They earn respect by overlooking wrongs done to them.

  • God's mercies are new every morning. My mercy to others needs to be new every morning too.

  • If I can forgive wrongs against me, God can then forgive me.

  • My wrongdoing is inexcusable but not unforgivable.

  • We all die someday. Other days we don't. Use the other days.

  • The tongue of the wise brings healing. Continue to plant kind, encouraging words and nurture them with a smile and a prayer.

  • Be slow to speak of calamity or scandal. Save your words for beautiful things, helpful things, comforting things.

  • A glad smile from a thankful heart is a perfect sermon.

  • Happiness and thankfulness are both decided ahead.

  • Thankfulness is the #1 virtue that can change a person's life.

  • Happiness doesn't depend upon who you are or what you have. It depends solely upon what you think about most of your time.

  • No amount of regret changes the past. No amount of worry changes the present. But any amount of gratitude changes the future.

  • We all die, but only our body dies. Our spirit or ghost will continue to live somewhere forever.

  • Peace with God is not something we must struggle to earn nor fear to lose. It is given to us freely.

  • God loves you even when you don’t like yourself.

  • God not only loves you, he likes you. It's a little harder to believe but true.

  • If Jesus had a catch phrase it would be, "Only Believe."

  • There is a difference between believing in God and believing what he has said about you.

  • Rain can ruin your weekend, or rain can spare your life, depending on who you are and what your thirst is like.

  • Good people are everywhere. If you can't find one, be one.

  • Be the person with the qualities you admire most. Improve yourself.

  • A pleasant surprise is the foundation of delight. Do something nice for someone today.

  • Make friends with yourself and learn to enjoy your own company.

  • Give yourself permission to relax and be happy.

  • I've seen slaves on horseback while princes walked about on foot like slaves.

  • How do you see yourself? As a person sees themself, so they are.

  • You are not insignificant. Of course, if you think you are, it will be as if it were true.

  • Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. It's always too early to give up on your dream.

  • Take time for reflection, God may have more dreams and plans for you.

  • The Lord is my shepherd. He guides me along the right paths. He restores my soul.

  • God's not mad at you. He's on your side.

  • God is wiser and kinder than the nicest person you know. He's trustworthy.

  • God never intended me to be filled with anxiety.

  • God is a good father, that's who he is. I'm the one who is thankful. That's who I am.

  • God can do anything, far more than you could ever imagine in your wildest dreams.

  • The enemy of your soul is going to try his best to convince you that your situation is utterly hopeless.

  • The enemy of my soul is going to try his best to keep me doubting God cares about me.

  • Demons love to frighten people but the minute you resist them they turn tail and run.

  • Any area of my life for which I have no hope is under the influence of a lie.

  • Everything will get evened up one day. The first will be last and the last will be first. Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is right?

  • The Lord is a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who trust in him. - The Bible.

  • God himself has said, I will not in any way give up on you. I will never let you down. I'll never walk off and leave you.

  • The unseen God isn't the God they told you about. He isn't out to destroy you, demean you, embarrass you or kick you out.

  • If you are a kind, merciful, forgiving brother, sister, husband, wife, dad, mom, neighbor or co-worker, then you are doing better than you know.

  • When I get depressed I find it's because I have forgotten that the most high God has adopted me.

  • The Bible says be exceedingly happy, for your reward in heaven is great, absolutely inexhaustible.

  • The worth of your salvation is far greater than all of the earth’s fortunes past, present and future. You are rich beyond your wildest dreams.

  • The eternal riches I have are far greater than the temporary earthly riches of a multi-billionaire.

  • The reality of God's presence with me, now and forevermore, outshines any fantasy I could ever imagine.

  • More significant than any title or position is the fact that I am a child of the most high God.

  • Believers have an incredible, tremendous inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you.

  • I can be sad about a few crummy, temporary things or I can be glad and happy about a few permanent eternal things.

  • The Bible says I am God's heir and a co-heir with Jesus.

  • Because of Jesus, I am forgiven, confident, secure, accepted and approved.

  • Even when nobody on this earth wants me, I am welcomed, valued and loved by Jesus.

  • God isn't going to leave me -- not ever. I am his forever.

  • Jesus (the prince of peace) said, come unto me all who are weary and troubled and I will give you rest.

  • The peace of God which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus.

  • Great will be the peace of your children, says the Lord.

  • With a never ending love Jesus has pursued you. He always will. Won't you come to him?

  • The outward man fades away while the inner man is brand new every day.

  • Jesus said, he who believes in me shall live even though he dies.

  • Faith is the result of surrender, not determination.

  • When we love God, we will love what He loves and care about what He cares about; and God cares about people.

  • Wherever God has a son, I have a brother.

  • Humility is quietness of heart. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is being at peace when all around is trouble.

  • I can choose to talk about my problems or God’s promises.

  • God inhabits my praise and thanksgiving. Guess who wants to inhabit my complaints and grumbling.

  • Faith gives thanks and is glad. Doubt despairs, complains and is sad.

  • It's not helpful for me to have thoughts about myself, that God does not have about me.

  • Even though I have faults, God is for me, not against me.

  • I don't have to be perfect or heroic, I do need to lean the right direction.

  • Any conversation about following Jesus is incomplete without acknowledging the biblical admoniton to act on one's faith, as the Bible says, "be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

  • God's word to me is "only believe." Don't lean to my own understanding.

  • We are believers, not under-standers.

  • We walk by faith, not by sight.

  • There are things which must be done in faith, or else they never have being.

  • We do not look at things which are seen, but at things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

  • We can live in hope or dread. We can live in faith or fear. We have to live in faith or faith means nothing.

  • I only have authority over the storm I can sleep in.

  • Nothing is impossible with God. He is way bigger than my problems.

  • All things are possible to him that believes.

  • It's not appropriate for me to be worried or downcast. Even though I'm not, God is faithful.

  • Those who honor me I will honor, says the Lord.

  • God will do what he said he will do and we will take him at his word.

  • Be bold, be strong, be happy because the Lord your God is with you.

  • You may feel distant from God. If you have invited Jesus into your life, don't confuse feelings with reality. He is living in you.

  • If you cannot live in remembrance of your forgiveness, then you cannot live in expectation of victory.

  • Remember nothing in all of creation can separate you from God's love.

  • Imagine yourself delighted, elated, joyful, jubilant and an overcomer. It can happen.

  • Choosing joy is an expression of faith.

  • Jesus said, "my sheep know my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and no one will snatch them out of my hand."

  • God made you in his image and crafted you with the ability to choose joy. Be happy.

  • Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.

  • God's presence in the present is an endless source of joy - a continual feast.

  • Practicing the presence of Jesus can outshine all other pleasures.

  • Nothing is more important to your spiritual life than prayer. Communicate.

  • Jesus, who will never leave you, is a boundless source of joy. Rest in the truth that every day of your life is a good day. When you have a day where you struggle, refuse to call it a bad day.

  • If you know Jesus, there is a gold mine of peace deep within you, waiting to be tapped.

  • The more fully I trust Jesus, the more my heart can leap for joy.

  • God speaks to you in the depths of your being. Hear him saying soothing words of peace, assuring you of his love. Do not listen to voices of accusation, they are not from him.

  • Beloved is your deepest, truest identity. Remembering you are perfectly loved by the one who created you is a solid foundation for your life.

  • God lives inside of you (if you have welcomed him in). Don't worry that you aren't an adequate home. He's not a short-term tenant. He will patiently lead you and transform you into a masterpiece.

  • Have faith in God. Don't be discouraged. Don't be upset. Expect God to act on your behalf. He is your help in time of trouble. He is your God!

  • God's unseen presence is more real than the flesh-and-blood people around you. Wherever you are, wherever you go, He is with you.

  • If God is for you, who can successfully be against you?

  • This world will try to force you into it's mold. If that fails, the enemy of your soul will be content if he can keep you too busy to think about God.

  • Because you live in a terribly broken world, it can be hard to remember that you are royalty: adopted into the family of the King of kings.

  • Freedom happens when I become fully convinced of God's goodness, and his true love for me, individually.

  • How would you feel if you believed what God said about you was true?

  • How would you feel if you knew God keeps his word?

  • How would you feel if you knew the price Jesus paid on the cross was enough to pay for all of your sins, including today's sins and all the ones in the future?

  • I have an ongoing struggle with regret and it's 2 companions, shame and guilt, but I've come to realize that God is never surprised. His high hopes for me are never dashed. In the long run everything I regret is small stuff compared with the fact that God forgives me and accepts me, no matter what.

  • I know that I am neither perfect nor sinless, but I am indeed holy and right in God's sight because of what Jesus did for me. He took my place and paid the penalty for my sin. That payment was enough to put me in right standing with God for all time, even forever.

  • Be happy because Jesus sacrifice on the cross absorbed all of your guilt: past, present and future. There is no condemnation for those who follow him.

  • God created us for himself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in him.

  • God meets you in the stillness of your soul. A person who is open to his presence is exceedingly precious to him.

  • God's eyes search to and fro throughout the whole earth, looking for one whose heart is seeking him.

  • The unseen God counts it a joy to show himself real to those who believe and trust in him.

  • God's never ending love has no limit in quality, quantity or duration. It will never run out. How priceless is his never ending love.

  • Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Don't lean on your own understanding. He will show you the right path.

  • God is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.

  • It's God's kindness that leads us to repentance.

  • God's kingdom is not about earning and deserving. It's about believing and receiving.

  • The good news is God loves us unconditionally.

  • The good news is God's grace is always greater than our sin.

  • God's mercies are new every morning.

  • The good news is God will never give up on us no matter how many times we lose our way.

  • The good news is we are the children of God by grace through faith in Jesus and what he did on the cross.

  • The maker of heaven and earth has decided to adopt you. What do you say?

  • If the God of the universe really likes you, that ought to put everything else into perspective. It should make you laugh and even dance. It might even cause people who don't understand to say to you what was said about the early Christians - that you must be drunk.

  • You can know what it is to be forgiven and have peace with God. You can be brought into the family of God by you simply trusting what He has said. You can be a follower of Jesus.

  • You can know and understand God's ways. You can talk like him. You can think like him. He has told us to imitate him.

  • God does not offer forgiveness and peace to only good people. He welcomes the undeserving. He does for his children what they cannot do for themselves.

  • No matter what kind of mess you have made of your life, God still loves you and still wants you. Faith in yourself is not a requirement for salvation; only faith in Jesus. If you can pray, "Lord remember me ..." as the criminal dying on the cross beside Jesus did, Jesus will forgive your sins and save your soul.

  • My salvation does not depend upon me living a sinless life, but on the finished work of Jesus. The Bible says ... "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves."

  • The Bible says ... "God does not treat us as our sins deserve, nor repay us according to our wrongdoing."

  • Jesus said ... "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and feast with him, and he with me."

  • The Bible says ... "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name."

  • "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

  • "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, so that you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises."


  • Both hope and hopelessness are contagious.

  • Some people have to discover hope before they can find faith.

  • What does love look like? It has hands to help others.

  • Everywhere you go, you have this incredibly valuable, priceless gift with you. It will change your awareness of who you are and what your assignment is. Suddenly, our sense of importance, our sense of purpose changes when we realize what we carry, the message of the gospel.

  • It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

  • I've done some amazing things while pretending to be a person that could do amazing things.

  • Sometimes I can be invisible and invaluable at the same time. I believe you are extremely useful and indispensable. I believe I am too.

  • It doesn't matter to God if he saves by many or by few. You may only be one person, but God can use your influence to save many.

  • Have you fallen into the empty hum-drum, glassy-eyed stupor of doing the same unfulfilling thing day after day, after boring day? Make some choices. The clock is ticking. You can share hope with others.

  • At the bookstore there is an entire section on "Self Help". There is no section on "Help Others”. You and I have the privilege to build the "Help Others" industry. And it starts with optimism and faith.


  • One More Thing:  By re-reading these notes I’ve given you each week, you’ll be setting yourself up for long-term success. Here’s why it’s so beneficial: 

  • Reinforcement of Key Concepts: When you revisit the material regularly, it helps cement the most important ideas and information in your mind. Repetition is key for true understanding and retention.

  • Identification of Gaps:  Re-reading these notes weekly allows you to spot any areas where you may be missing key details. This gives you the opportunity to go back and fill in those knowledge gaps.

  • Improved Recall:  The more frequently you review the material, the easier it will be to recall the information when you need it. 

  • Continued Engagement:  Staying engaged with the content on a weekly basis keeps it fresh in your mind. This ongoing connection will make the information meaningful and useful to you in the long run.