Dear GutsIsKey Reader, 

     Nine years ago, I had the wonderful privilege to be a minister at a Quaker Meeting in Friendsville, Tennessee.  I made some really special friends there.  Anne Stephens was one of them. She taught my daughter to bake bread & knit, and helped a guy lost without his first wife keep his house clean. She was not only a very practical friend, who was quick to do things for me & my kids. She was also someone, with whom I laughed and cried and prayed.

     I will not describe the details of her life; other than to say that she has been through things that most people will never have to. Things so difficult, that not only will you never go through them; you couldn’t even imagine them, unless she shared them with you. And she is a very private person so she doesn’t share these things a lot.  So, I am very blessed that she shares with me.

     Since we both had been through some really hard stuff; we made a deep bond while I was Pastor in Tennessee and shared a lot. Anne often told me that I was the only preacher she trusted enough to talk to. … And you know, the feeling goes both ways. She remains a very special, loyal friend today.

     She is the first to beat my butt, when I am off track. She doesn’t mind telling me when I goof and doesn’t mince or waste words doing it. She is also the first to send a helpful word when I need encouragement.

     I can not count the times she has made my day, with some small act of thoughtfulness.  Sometimes, her straight shooting advice causes me to have “Wow moments.” Moments when I am really touched deeply & changed, by her powerful thoughts.

     I asked Anne to write something for my BEAM for us. She doesn’t think she is a writer and didn’t want to….. But, After calling me a few names, she didn’t actually consent to writing a BEAM. But she did write me a touching letter & gave me permission to share it, if I wanted…. I wanted. This will bless your day. It did mine.

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Hi Tim,

Came across some sayings that I have tried to live by through the years.  You and I, once talked about depression.  When I was young I took a Dale Carnagie course.  Each student had to stand up and beat our desks with a rolled up newspaper and shout; “WHEN YOU ACT ENTHUSIASTIC, YOU WILL BE ENTHUSIASTIC!!!!”  It actually worked.   What I learned and remember to this day, is that what we say and do is exactly what we become.  That was one of the biggest if not the biggest lessons of my life.  I thought perhaps you might be able to use these (sayings) somewhere.  If not, that’s fine too, because it is another part of sharing with a friend.  I have put asterisks after my favorites, and don’t pay any attention to the different kinds of type.  They were entered into their file at different times.  I keep them and use them for my needlework.

Looking at these and the ones I marked (all are important to me) I think my philosophy of life is that we become what we allow ourselves to think and say.  The word “allow” is the key word here.  That and not letting ourselves become overwhelmed by immense situations; by breaking down the situation, taking one tiny part and saying “I can do that.”; we can get through overwhelming problems.  You just have to give a quick look at something, choose one little bit, focus only on that one little bit and do only that.  Then another quick look and choose another little bit.  First thing you know the whole thing is solved………  ///Note from Tim:  @SteveGutzler teaches this more in-depth & calls it “framing.”///

Anyway here is my “To live by list”:

 “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” Frank Outlaw ****

Words have power. They work. That’s why poetry can affect people. That’s why music and lyrics and songs affect people, and that’s why chants and prayers and affirmations and all those various things affect the frame of mind.”

Sammy Hagar

“Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones.”

Proverbs 16:24

“Talk happiness; talk faith; talk health. Say you are well, and all is well with you, and God shall hear your words and make them true.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“Don’t compare your path with anybody’s else’ s. Your path is unique to you. Whatever path you take, it’s God calling you.”

Ram Dass

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.”
– Lillian Smith 

“The greatest discoveries have come from people who have looked at a standard situation and seen it differently.”
– Ira Erwin 

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
– Marcel Proust 

“To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.” ******
– Chinese Proverbs

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

—Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey

 Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, “Press on,” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

 —Calvin Coolidge

Action is the antidote to despair.*****

 —Joan Baez

 You will face many defeats in your life, but never let yourself be defeated.

 —Maya Angelou

 “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day” ****

Henri Nouwen

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God bless you this week. Let’s apply Anne’s thoughts & have joy in action this week!!!