This is a nice book! Uplifting, inspiring, happy. ;) We can live a more meaningful and purposeful life when we focus on coming to know Him each day. That's what life's really all about. They teach five principles - tilt your soul (pray), let down your bucket (study His word, the scriptures), seek a compassionate detour (do it His way, serve), take off your shoes (notice His blessings with gratitude), be all in (be committed). These are wonderful principles and a great way to start the day and live each minute. Focusing on Christ brings joy and purpose and meaning.
Here are a few quotes I liked:
"'I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived (Henry David Thoreau)."
"'Every now and then one meets them, their very voices and faces are different from ours: stronger, quieter, happier, more radiant. They begin where most of us leave off. They are, I say, recognizable; but you must know what to look for.... They do not draw attention to themselves.... They love you more than other men do, but they need you less. They will usually seem to have a lot of time; you will wonder where it comes from (C.S. Lewis).'"
"'Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35).' In those first moments, Jesus prayed."
"Everyone was asking where He was. So the apostles came looking.... It is why He had sought out a solitary place. He knew. Answers come when the day begins with the soul tilted upward."
"Where is the well that you visit daily?"
"Days without purpose so often lead to a life without meaning."
"Do you ever lie in bed at night, exhausted, and wonder if you've made a difference? At the end of the day, you reached your destination, but should you have considered a different route? Are you ever so set on your own plan that you accidentally miss His?"
"'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;...
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference (Robert Frost).'"
"It doesn't always matter how well you have planned; every so often your day comes to a halt unexpectedly. One path becomes two--Yours and His. Sometimes His path will require you to take a detour."
"Seek a compassionate detour."
"Service...
expands your capacity to love.
creates a heart like His.
magnifies your gifting.
allows you to be the difference.
When was the last time you were moved with compassion?"
"'Not all of us can do great things... but we can do small things with great love (Mother Teresa).'"
"Today, if one path becomes two, choose His."
"'Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries (Elizabeth Barrett Browning).'"
"How long has it been since your heart filled with gratitude for the mercies that fill your life?"
"The heights of holiness are most often discovered in the depths of gratitude."
"A man of small stature, important but often overlooked. A man whose life was about to be altered, changed, defined. Because he climbed a tree. He did something out of the ordinary, something that required his heart, might, mind, and strength, in an attempt to know more of the Lord."
"Commitment...
takes sacrifice and courage.
is born of determination, dedication, and desire.
requires us to do hard things.
understands that achieving impossibilities sometimes requires letting go of possibilities that have become too familiar.
deepens character, stretches capacity, and overcomes apathy."
"Maybe today you will begin to realize it's not about you--it's about Him."
"He knows your heart. Live your life so you can come to know His."