Daily Kip
February 22, 2012
Do you seek more to understand? or more to be understood? To understand is to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; to be thoroughly familiar with; apprehend clearly, appreciate. “The one who understands does not speak; the one who speaks does not understand” – Chinese Proverbs
February 21, 2012
Where are you and what are you doing when you feel most alive; when you’re flourishing? To flourish is to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth. bloom. develop. expand. ”When you flourish, you become more you. You become more that person God had in mind when he thought you up. You don’t just become holier. You become you-ier.” – John Ortberg <– What’s preventing you from becoming you-ier?
February 20, 2012
Problems. Difficulty. Issues. Bad Situations. Can you take ownership? Determine what you’re responsible for and walk away from projecting blame? When we own it, we can move past it. “The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.” – Albert Ellis
February 19, 2012
One principle in life is moderation. Everything in moderation, nothing in excess; balance. When our life is off or unbalanced we can, in due time, experience destruction or pain. We can only examine, know personally and accept areas in our life that need to be modified. Are there areas of your life that are excessive, out of control? If so, what action can you take to moderate? self-control.
February 18, 2012
Striving to be perfect or to do things BIG and ALL OUT can prevent us from taking steps forward. Simply doing our best in our everyday life is crucial to progress; crucial to success. “God does not want us to do extraordinary things; He wants us to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.“ – Bishop Gore
Weekly Digest
Just in case you missed something — Have a GREAT weekend…
Monday: LOVE Keeps No Record of Wrongs
Tuesday: Different as Night and Day
Wednesday: HALT
Thursday: Prepared for the Blindside
Friday: Happiness is a By-Product
February 16, 2012
Lead by example. Our biggest impact will not be made with our words, it will be made with our actions. What is speaking louder in your life? Your actions? or your words? “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.” – Albert Einstein
February 15, 2012
We can commit to starting fresh, doing things different. We wake up in the morning with good intentions; desiring to do the right thing. Then, before we know it, there’s a hiccup, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Romans 7:15 Can you relate to this? Do you continue to circle the same mountain even though you desire not to? Who’s strength are you relying upon to live out what you desire?
February 14, 2012
We can be our worst critic, our worst enemy. We can abuse ourselves with our thoughts and tell ourselves lies. The most important relationship we have is the relationship with ourself. It all starts with thoughts. Are you loving yourself with your thoughts; self-talk? “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” – James Allen
February 13, 2012
Are you paying attention? We can intentionally search everywhere, turn to everybody looking for answers and not find them. God speaks to us in many ways if we are paying attention; through people, situations, quiet moments, lyrics to songs, creation, and other aspects in life. If you’re looking for answers, turn to God, ask Him to show you. Whisper this simple prayer, “Open my eyes to see, open my ears to hear, open my heart to know what your will is for my life. Amen” Pay attention.
February 12, 2012
Quality time is different than just being in someone’s presence. You could “be around” others {children, spouse, friend, sibling, etc.} all day, but if you don’t engage with them, pay attention to them, talk to them, listen to them, does it matter that they’re just around you? How are you spending your time with those important to you? ”How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.” - David Norris
February 11, 2012
Kind; indulgent. considerate. helpful. loving. gentle. thoughtful. friendly. understanding. How can you be more kind today? Who can you be more kind to? Break down barriers with kindness; be enormously kind to everyone. ”Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” - Plato
February 10, 2012
There is a fine line between humility and being a door mat. Do you sometimes wonder which side of that line you’re on? Take inventory of how you are feeling. Humility is absence of pride or self-assertion and should leave you feeling at peace. Being someones doormat, on the other hand, may mimic humility, however, it leaves you feeling empty, angry, resentful, disrespected.
February 9, 2012
Appearance is the state, condition, manner, or style in which a person or object appears; outward show or seeming. What our eyes see can often be the opposite from the way things really are; appearances can be deceiving. Are you deceiving others with your appearance? What “jackets” are you wearing? ”Things do not pass for what they are, but for what they seem. Most things are judged by their jackets.” – Baltasar Gracian
February 8, 2012
Do you ever reflect back at what you’ve done and think, I could’ve done that better? In everything we do, we should always do your best, but sometimes we need to lighten up on ourselves and not be so tough. ”Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.” – D. Miguel Ruiz
February 7, 2012
Favoritism is the favoring of one person or group over others with equal claims; partiality, bias, discrimination, unequal. We are ALL created equal, not one of us is better than the other. James 2:9 says, “But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.” Are you showing love? or favoritism? Focus on practicing the universal law –> love your neighbor as yourself.
February 6, 2012
Grace is the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. There is no bottom to God’s well of grace; it is a free gift always available to us. We can be our own stumbling block, the wall, that prevents us from receiving forgiveness and grace from God if we are unwilling to extend it to ourselves. Are you holding on to regret, past mistakes, or beating yourself up over things you’ve done wrong? If so, what would it take, for ‘you’ to forgive ‘you’, extend grace to yourself?
February 5, 2012
If you want something, give it away. If you want compliments; compliment others. If you need affirmation; affirm others. If you want to be forgiven; forgive others. If you want to be loved, love others. Remember, what goes around comes around. Don’t expect things to start with others; let things start with you.
February 4, 2012
Our talk. The words we speak. Our tongue. This can be one of the hardest things to tame. What types of seeds are you sowing with your tongue? What seeds are you watering with your words? “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.” – Ephesians 4:29 Msg.
February 3, 2012
Not taking things personally mitigates hurt and drama in our lives. So often we make the “why” about us. We seem to think the reason why others do things has something to do with who we are. ”Don’t take anything personally”, practicing this is VERY difficult, “Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” – D. Miguel Ruiz
February 2, 2012
Perfect is conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type, or excellent and complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement. This is just NOT possible. We are not perfect, we will never be perfect. Knowing this, why are we so quick to magnify others’ imperfections? Should we not focus on acceptance and forgiveness? Who are we? “When you love and accept someone’s imperfections they become perfect to you.” – Chanel Smith
February 1, 2012
It can be very difficult to watch others whom we love and care about go through painful experiences. Our initial reaction can often be to want to “jump right in” and help, or figure out how WE can fix it. Are you placing yourself in someone’s ‘experience’ where maybe you really don’t belong? Experiences build character; sometimes the journey through them needs to be traveled alone with God.
January 31, 2012
Living out what you know is when knowledge, having facts, turns into wisdom, applying facts. We can gain plenty of knowledge, but unless we apply it, it is useless. Are you wise? Intentional about living out what you know to be true and right? What holds you back? ”Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” – Proverbs 1:7
January 30, 2012
To reject is to to refuse to have, take, recognize or refuse to accept someone or something. To reject is to discard as useless or unsatisfactory or to cast out. Rejection is painful and wounding. When we experience feelings of rejection, we are not feeling accepted or approved of. How do we stop allowing the “rejection” darts to penetrate our heart? “Human beings, like plants, grow in the soil of acceptance, not in the atmosphere of rejection.” – John Powell
January 29, 2012
Think about the people in your world. Is there someone who you could reach out to, connect with, encourage, stop by and see, or take the time to visit with? Make a conscious effort to bring a “bright spot” to someone TODAY; be a light! “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton
January 27, 2012
Timing. Do you ever feel that God is on a coffee break or something because He isn’t seeing the urgency in “your” situation? Don’t forget that we see only a fraction of any situation. Most often “our” timing reflects impatience and/or selfish motive. ”Patience with others is Love, Patience with self is Hope, Patience with God is Faith.” – Adel Bestavros
January 26, 2012
One of the most difficult things to do is to show love towards those who hurt us, who are mean to us, who are ‘unloveable’. The easy thing to do is make judgements, expose their faults to others {gossip}, get angry, become resentful. Here’s the reality; it is not the most lovable people who are more in need of love, but the most unlovable. “To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.” – G. K. Chesterton
January 25, 2012
Needs, we all have them, valid and authentic. It’s good to give of ourselves to others, but it is NOT bad or wrong to give to ourselves. We all need love, encouragement, AND enjoyment. What are your needs? Are you finding ways to meet them? Are you enjoying life? If not, what is preventing you from having fun, experiencing joy, and getting your needs met?
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