Morning Briefings

In addition to ignoring the issues faced by businesspeople, seminaries offer little analysis of or appreciation for the moral roots of modern corporation, the concept of business as a calling, or multiple tasks that business performs for society and the common good.

– David W. Miller
God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement

Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested. It is said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, in the language of the desert, ‘one dies of thirst just when the palm trees appeared on the horizon.’

– Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist

The river makes a difference to the landscape through which it flows.

– Margaret Silf
Inner Compass

I am constantly surpirsed at how I keep taking the gifts God has given me–my health, my intellect and emotional gifts–and keep using them to impress people, receive affirmation and praise, and compete for rewards, instead of developing them for the glory of God. It’s almost as if I want to prove to myself and to my world that I do not need God’s love, and that I can make a lofe on my own.

– Henri J.M. Nouwen
The Return of the Prodigal Son

For the saying is true, ‘Someone plants, someone else reaps.’

– John 4:37

It seems to me that the season of Lent and the celebration of Easter fall at the perfect time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. Easter and spring arrive together. The church asks us to imitate nature and make sure that we are giving birth to new life at Easter. No matter how old we are, there is still new life in all of us.

– Reverend James O’Leary
I Think I Am Happier Than I Think I Am

The logistics of aging—the wills and medical networks and living arrangements—will always have their place. But if that’s all there is, the years ahead will become little more than tests of endurance. I don’t know what really old age holds for me and my husband. But I am very certain that however long I live, I want those around me to remember the telling details of who I am and have been.

– Robbie Shell, The Wall Street Journal
Love and the Little Things: Yes, nest eggs are important. But simple acts and shared memories will grace the years ahead.

A recent survey uncovered that among those who reported they were victims of rude behavior on the job, 22 percent consciously decreased their work effort, and one of every eight people actually left their job because of it.

– Peter Post
Essential Manners for Men

As I reflect on my own journey, I become more and more aware of how long I have played the role of observer. Had I, myself, really ever dared to step into the center, kneel down, and let myself be held by a forgiving God?

– Henri J.M. Nouwen
The Return of the Prodigal Son

Some of the newest evidence suggests that people who focus on living with a sense of purpose as they age are more likely to remain cognitively intact, have better mental health and even live longer than people who focus on achieving feelings of happiness.

– Is Happiness Overrated?
The Wall Street Journal