NEW BEGINNINGS

NEW BEGINNINGS

“Quality of Life Series”

1/6/05

LEADER: Looking back…

Is there anything you’d like to have changed this last year?

Can we change our history?

Can we change our future?

LEADER: “A Precedent for the New Year” By J. Hampton Keathley, III, Th.M.

http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=822 EXERPT

We stand on the threshold of a new year. Most people generally look at the new year as a fresh beginning, as an opportunity to kind of start over, to overcome a habit, or do a better job of something they see as important and that needs improvement. It may be parenting, being a better spouse, losing weight (which, by the way, is the number one resolution according to polls taken). It may be developing different priorities, using our time better, or a whole host of things that people would like to change.

The new year is a time to reflect and think about what the past year has brought and what the new year could bring. It is a time to stop and analyze, to take stock of our priorities, values, pursuits, and goals. We need to ask questions like "Who am I, what am I doing with my life? What should I be doing as a Christian with my life and the stewardship God has given me?" After all, according to the Word of God, all of life is a stewardship--a stewardship of our time, talents, treasures, and God's truth. In other words, since God's plan and our stewardships revolve around and through the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, we need to each ask "How well am I responding to the Savior and the spiritual life that He has given me?"

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #1

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"With every rising of the sun, Think of your life as just begun. The past has shriveled and buried deep All yesterdays; there let them sleep. Concern yourself with but today, Woo it, and teach it to obey Your will and wish. Since time began Today has been the friend of man; But in his blindness and his sorrow, He looks to yesterday and tomorrow. You, and today! a soul sublime, And the great pregnant hour of time, With God himself to bind the twain! Go forth, I say—attain, attain! With God himself to bind the twain!"

Ella Wilcox 1850-1919 American poet & journalist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #2

http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/quotes.pl?cat=Beginning

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

Carl Bard – Deputy Railway Commissioner

LEADER: How hard is it get started?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #3

Texas Monthly, quoted in Reader's Digest, June 1981.

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/beginning.htm

Kim Linehan holds the world record in the Women's 1500-meter freestyle. According to her coach, Paul Bergen, the 18-year-old is the leading amateur woman distance swimmer in the world. Kim does endless exercises and swims 7 to 12 miles a day. The hardest part of her regimen? "Getting in the water," she says.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #4

http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/quotes.pl?cat=Beginning

“In every phenomenon the beginning remains always the most notable moment.”

Thomas Carlyle 1795-1881, Scottish Philosopher, Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #5

http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/quotes.pl?cat=Beginning

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Chinese Proverb

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #6

http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/quotes.pl?cat=Beginning

“The beginning is the half of every action.”

Greek Proverb

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #7

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Well begun is half done."

Aristotle 384-322 BC
Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #8

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"A whole is that which has beginning, middle and end."

Aristotle 384-322 BC
Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #9

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Begin; to have begun is half of the work. Let the half still remain; again begin this and thou wilt have finished."

Ausonius 310-395 Latin poet, tutor to the emperor Gratian

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #10

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"We must drop the idea that change comes slowly. It does ordinarily — in part because we think it does. Today changes must come fast; and we must adjust our mental habits, so that we can accept comfortably the idea of stopping one thing and beginning another overnight. We must discard the idea that past routine, past ways of doing things, are probably the best ways. On the contrary, we must assume that there is probably a better way to do almost everything. We must stop assuming that a thing which has never been done before probably cannot be done at all."

Donald M. Nelson 1947-

President of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #11

http://www.quoteworld.org/browse.php?thetext=beginning,new+start,fresh+start

“Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do. “
Liz Smith, Columnist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #12

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."

Anne Lamott, author, teacher, speaker

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #13

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"The great things you intend to do some time must have a beginning if they are ever to be done, so begin something worthwhile today."

Grenville Kleiser 1868-1953 American writer
From The Forbes Book of Business Quotations

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #14

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning."

Igor Stravinsky 1882-197) Russian, French, American composer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #15

http://www.quoteworld.org/browse.php?thetext=beginning,new+start,fresh+start

"He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end."
Harry Emerson Fosdick 1878-1969 American religious leader

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #16

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome."

William James 1842-1910 American philosopher & psychologist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #17

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably thought and act."

Orison Swett Marden 1850-1924 Journalist, founded Success magazine

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #18

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly."

Homas Huxley 1825-1895 English biologist, writer & lecturer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #19

http://www.quoteworld.org/browse.php?thetext=beginning,new+start,fresh+start

"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning."
Mohandas Gandhi 1869-1948 called Mahatma (“great soul”)

LEADER: Do you think perhaps because you’ve failed at something…you just can’t go on?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #20

http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/quotes.pl?cat=Beginning

“Every exit is an entry somewhere else.”

Tom Stoppard 1937-, Czech Playwright

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #21

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I shall have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning."

Gandhi 1869-1948 Indian leader, called Mahatma "great soul"

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Have Faith My Child” POEM By Dorothy E. Scott

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon3a/have_faith_my_child.htm

A young lady prayed, kneeling to the Lord.
“Father, I have met many obstacles, my life a discord.
My body is so weary the pain so unbearable.
A sad life has become a continuous parable.

“The roads of my mind is scalloped with past despair.
All the lashes of deceit have taken my care.
My journey onward is scarred with anguish, health now shorn.
Many trials occur, heartache continually borne.

Tears trickled from her eyes in sorrow, weeping the cold.
Suddenly appearing before her, his soothing voice echoed.
Her compassionate eyes gazed upon his many wounds deep.
Around each one a drop of blood clung, a sacrificial seep.

A soft gentle voice whispered, “Have Faith My Child.”
His soft eyes were so warm manner serene and mild.
Taking her hand, he led to a meadow with withering flowers, barely alive.
“Winter will soon freeze this beauty, next year again thrive.

“Like these blooms, you must have faith from it much will be grown,
With a new meadow in your life it will be sewn.”
Again He whispered, “Have faith my child, all is not lost.”
The wind carried his whisper, on it forever his words were embossed.

In awe the young lady thanked the Lord for his loving visit that day,
Hearing the wind, whispering the words, “Have Faith My Child,“ showing her way.
Again she knelt to pray, giving her gratitude for her new life to be.
Knowing though the road may become difficult, it was carried by eternity.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #22

http://www.quoteworld.org/browse.php?thetext=beginning,new+start,fresh+start

"If you have made mistakes... there is always another chance for you... you may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."
Mary Pickford 1893-1979 Actress, founder United Artists Corporation

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #23

http://www.quoteworld.org/browse.php?thetext=beginning,new+start,fresh+start

"Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over gain, and you will grow stronger until have accomplished a purpose--not the one you began with perhaps, but one you'll be glad to remember."
Annie Sullivan 1866-1936 Helen Keller’s teacher

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #24

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"A man may fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else."

John Burroughs 1837-1921 American naturalist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #25

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"When I was a Boy Scout, we played a game when new Scouts joined the troop. We lined up chairs in a pattern, creating an obstacle course through which the new Scouts, blindfolded, were supposed to maneuver. The Scoutmaster gave them a few moments to study the pattern before our adventure began. But as soon as the victims were blindfolded, the rest of us quietly removed the chairs. I think life is like this game. Perhaps we spend our lives avoiding obstacles we have created for ourselves and in reality exist only in our minds. We're afraid to apply for that job, take violin lessons, learn a foreign language, call an old friend, write our Congressman — whatever it is that we would really like to do but don't because of perceived obstacles. Don't avoid any chairs until you run smack into one. And if you do, at least you'll have a place to sit down."

Pierce Vincent Eckhart Performer/Vocalist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “It Takes Time” Our Daily Bread 8/5/97

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-08-05-97.shtml

Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. --Romans 8:29

The story is told of an accomplished artist who was applying the finishing touches to a bronze sculpture. He kept filing, scraping, and polishing every little surface of his masterpiece. "When will it be done?" asked an observer. "Never," came the reply. "I just keep working and working until they come and take it away."

Much the same could be said of the children of God. We are saved by grace and declared righteous in Christ. Yet when it comes to the matter of Christlikeness in our everyday living, we must keep working at it until Jesus comes and takes us away.

Someone has observed, "The acorn does not become an oak in a day . . . . It is not one touch of the artist's brush that produces a finished painting. There are always months between seedtime and harvest."

Whether you are a new believer or have known the Lord for many years, "Grow up in all things into Him" (Eph. 4:15). Don't let setbacks and failures discourage you. Stay in touch with God through prayer. Then, as you feed on the Word of God and obey His commands, you too will become more like Christ through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Remember, it takes time! --RWD

O to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear. --Chisholm

Salvation is the miracle of a moment;

growth is the labor of a lifetime.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #26

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN: If you think you are beaten, you are, If you think that you dare not, you don't, If you'd like to win, but you think you can't, It's almost certain you won't. If you think you'll lose, you've lost, For out in the world you'll find, Success begins with a fellow's will, It's all in the state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are, You've got to think high to rise, You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize. Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man, But soon or late the man who wins Is the man who thinks he can. NOTE: A copy of this inspirational poem hangs on the wall in Arnold Palmer's office. Arnie has made it a practice to read the poem at the start of each day. It serves him as a source of inspiration, courage and motivation that enables him to attack whatever problems and challenges that day might bring. It works for Arnie. It will work for you. Try it."

Arnold Palmer Champion professional golfer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #27

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882American poet

LEADER: Then we must keep on keepin’ on:

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #28

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if, at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle, he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things."

William Golding 1911-1993 England, Nobel Prize-Literature 1983

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #29

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"He who is silent is forgotten; he who does not advance falls back; he who stops is overwhelmed; out distanced, crushed; he who ceases to grow becomes smaller; he who leaves off, gives up; the condition of standing still is the beginning of the end."

Henri Frederic Amiel 1821-1881 Swiss philosopher & poet

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #30

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Religion is the first thing and the last thing, and until a man has found god and been found by God, he begins at no beginning, he works to no end."

H.G. Wells 1866-1946 English writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Beginning Without Finishing”

By Mrs. Charles E. Cowman Streams In The Desert

http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/classics/streams.htm/127

"He spoke a parable unto them…that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).

No temptation in the life of intercession is more common than this of failure to persevere. We begin to pray for a certain thing; we put up our petitions for a day, a week, a month; and then, receiving as yet no definite answer, straightway we faint, and cease altogether from prayer concerning it.

This is a deadly fault. It is simply the snare of many beginnings with no completions. It is ruinous in all spheres of life.

The man who forms the habit of beginning without finishing has simply formed the habit of failure. The man who begins to pray about a thing and does not pray it through to a successful issue of answer has formed the same habit in prayer.

To faint is to fail; then defeat begets disheartenment, and unfaith in the reality of prayer, which is fatal to all success.

But someone says, "How long shall we pray? Do we not come to a place where we may cease from our petitions and rest the matter in God's hands?"

There is but one answer. Pray until the thing you pray for has actually been granted, or until you have the assurance in your heart that it will be.

Only at one of these two places dare we stay our importunity, for prayer is not only a calling upon God, but also a conflict with Satan. And inasmuch as God is using our intercession as a mighty factor of victory in that conflict, He alone, and not we, must decide when we dare cease from our petitioning. So we dare not stay our prayer until the answer itself has come, or until we receive the assurance that it will come.

In the first case we stop because we see. In the other, we stop because we believe, and the faith of our heart is just as sure as the sight of our eyes; for it is faith from, yes, the faith of God, within us.

More and more, as we live the prayer life, shall we come to experience and recognize this God-given assurance, and know when to rest quietly in it, or when to continue our petitioning until we receive it. --The Practice of Prayer

Tarry at the promise till God meets you there. He always returns by way of His promises. --Selected

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Advance” By Paula Friedrichsen

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon4/advance.htm

One of my favorite family photographs was taken last year at an amusement park while we were on our summer vacation. We are at the top of a ride called "Splash Mountain" and the picture is taken just as we are starting our harrowing decent. Disneyland cleverly designed an automatic camera, positioned at the scariest part of the ride to take a photo of the unsuspecting riders just as they have crested a huge hill and are about to plummet straight down. These hilarious pictures are then displayed at the exit of Splash Mountain and are available to purchase, which we obviously did.
I love this photograph because it is so real and unrehearsed. Usually, when you know someone is going to take your picture you put on a pretty smile and fix your hair, wanting to look your best. This picture is completely spontaneous, showing a perfect blend of joy and terror upon our faces. It's my husband, eyes bulging, mouth open, screaming, smiling and hanging on to me. It's me laughing so hard I can't catch my breath and hanging on to my husband's arms with a death grip. It's my son with his baseball cap on backwards (so it didn't fly off) smiling, squinting, screaming and hanging on to his little sister. It's my daughter, mouth open, eyes closed, digging her little hands into her brother's strong arms. And before you start feeling sorry for our youngest, this ride was her idea. I normally don't like being terrified, but she begged me to go so our whole family could experience the terror together!
I look at that photograph often and I consider it a reminder from God that I really do enjoy new and exciting experiences. I sense the Lord speaking to me through that picture saying "Let your life be an adventure, have courage and embrace new experiences all the time."
There is exhilaration in trying something new. Studies show that the mental stimulation experienced when a person, young or old tries something new, can actually improve the health of the brain. So often, we get stuck in the rut of doing the same exact thing, the same exact way, at the same exact time, everyday. And while having a routine can be a good thing, there are those of us (I'm talking about myself here) who can become bound to our routine as if it were the law.
I have seen the Lord move in great ways in my life when I was willing to take few risks. And just as Jesus beckoned Peter to step out of the boat, walk on water and come to him, I believe Jesus beckons each one of us to step out of our comfort zone, walk on water and come to him. We can count on God to supply many opportunities for us to get out of the boat and walk on water. He has provided such an adventurous life for us if we just open our eyes to the possibilities. But make no mistake, fear will always rear its ugly head, screaming "get back in the boat and stay safe!!"
Fear is that horrible, sick, sinking feeling that's meant to stop us in our tracks, making sure that we never experience the abundant life that Christ came to give us. Every one of us will face the temptation to turn back, tuck tail and run at some point in our lives. The failure is not in being tempted to run, but in the running. I am inspired by what Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his first inaugural address:
"So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
So, when life is feeling like you're at the top of a roller coaster with a huge scary drop right before your eyes - that's not the time to retreat! That's the time to advance. That's the time to put a big smile on your face, scream if you need to, hug those you love and advance! Advance and enjoy!!

LEADER: What are you waiting for?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #31

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"The gardening season officially begins on January 1st and ends on December 31."

Marie Huston Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #32

From Kalendarium Hortense, 1706

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"The gardener's work is never at end; it begins with the year, and continues to the next: he prepares the ground, and then he sows it; after that he plants, and then he gathers the fruits. . . ."

John Evelyn 1620-1706 English government official, author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Copy The Master” Our Daily Bread 11/10/03

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-11-10-03.shtml

Be imitators of God as dear children. —Ephesians 5:1

The Louvre in Paris is perhaps the most famous art museum in the world. It displays originals by such masters as Delacroix, Michelangelo, Rubens, da Vinci, Ingres, Vermeer, and many others.

Since 1793, the Louvre has encouraged aspiring artists to come and copy the masters. Some of our most famous modern artists have done that and have become better painters by copying the best the world has ever known.

An article in Smithsonian magazine tells about Amal Dagher, a 63-year-old man who has been duplicating art at the Louvre for 30 years. Dagher remains in awe of the masters and continues to learn from them. He said, "If you're too satisfied with yourself, you can't improve."

Paul instructed us to be "imitators of God" (Ephesians 5:1). In his first letter to the Thessalonians, he commended the believers because they were becoming like the Lord and setting an example for others.

Like the Louvre copyists, we'll never reach perfection before we get to heaven. Even so, we must resist the temptation to be satisfied with our present imitation of Jesus. We need to keep looking to Him, learning from Him, and asking for His help. Let's copy the Master. —Dave Egner

More like the Master I would live and grow,
More of His love to others I would show;
More self-denial, like His in Galilee,
More like the Master I long to ever be. —Gabriel

To become like Christ, we must learn from the Master.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #33

http://www.quoteworld.org/browse.php?thetext=beginning,new+start,fresh+start

"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."
Marcus Aelius Aurelius 121-180 AD Roman emperor, philosopher

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE # 34

From The Power of Purpose, p. 47.

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"We should begin it today. Today is the only real day of life for us. Today is the tomb of yesterday, the cradle of tomorrow. All our past ends in today. All our future begins in today."

William Jordan Philosopher & writer

LEADER: Some of us are facing new resolve in many areas of our life as we start a new year. Here’s a couple of tips that’ll keep you focused:

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #35

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"The joy of feeling fit physically is reflected in a clearer and more useful mind. You may read and study forever, but you come to no more important truthful conclusions than these two: 1. Take care of your body (eat and exercise properly), and your mind will improve. 2. Work hard, and be polite and fair, and your condition in the world will improve. No pills, tablets, lotions, philosophies, will do as much for you as this simple formula I have outlined. The formula is not of my invention. Every intelligent man of experience since time began has taught it as a natural fact."

Ed Howe 1853-1937 American journalist, writer & editor

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #36

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"A great lesson, which people should learn, is to do their work at the beginning of the day when they have the time before them, instead of at the end of the day when most of the time is gone beyond recall. If we wait, our opportunities may be gone; the present is the hour for improving privileges which, once gone, will return no more."

unknown

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #37

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again."

Og Mandino Author ”The Greatest Salesman in the World”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #38

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Yes, take a little time to play And look at life the other way. God rested when the world was made: Rest now, old friend; be not afraid. But think not that your work is over, That you are now a foot-free rover, A rambler upon idle ways, Whittling away the golden days. For in the road climb to the goal There's no long furlough for a soul. There's no long pause: on every height Another summit swims in sight. The long road rises, scene by scene, With little restings in between. And so I say that every end Is only an unexpected bend In eternal road we go To peaks above from peaks below. The yesterdays are shells we shed: The best is always on ahead. There's always some new world for winning; And every end is a new beginning!"

Edwin Markham 1852-1940 American educational leader, poet & writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #39

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"If you make a habit of sincere prayer, your life will be very noticeably and profoundly altered. Prayer stamps with its indelible mark our actions and demeanor. A tranquility of bearing, a facial and bodily repose, are observed in those whose inner lives are thus enriched. Within the depths of consciousness a flame kindles. And man sees himself. He discovers his selfishness, his silly pride, his fears, his greeds, his blunders. He develops a sense of moral obligation, intellectual humility. Thus begins a journey of the soul toward the realm of grace. . . .”

Dr. Alexis Carrel 1873-1944 French surgeon & biologist

Developed methods for transplantation of organs

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #40

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"The Essence of a New Day This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind . . . let it be something good. "

unknown

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #41

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"The Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful to not overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations, but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope!"

M. Russell Ballard 1928- Religious leader & businessman

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #42

http://www.quoteworld.org/browse.php?thetext=beginning,new+start,fresh+start

"Every morning is a fresh beginning. Every day is the world made new. Today is a new day. Today is my world made new. I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day. This moment--this day--is as good as any moment in all eternity. I shall make of this day--each moment of this day--a heaven on earth. This is my day of opportunity."
Dan Custer, Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “I Am The New Year” Anonymous

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org

I am the New Year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn't find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn't achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn't dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “New Year” By Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/classics/streams/0

"The land whither ye go to possess it is a land of hills and valleys and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: a land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year" Deuteronomy 11:11-12

Today dear friends, we stand upon the verge of the unknown. There lies before us the new year and we are going forth to possess it. Who can tell what we shall find? What new experiences, what changes shall come, what new needs shall arise? But here is the cheering, comforting, gladdening message from our Heavenly Father, "The Lord thy God careth for it." "His eyes are upon it away to the ending of the year."

All our supply is to come from the Lord. Here are springs that shall never dry; here are fountains and streams that shall never be cut off. Here, anxious one, is the gracious pledge of the Heavenly Father. If He be the Source of our mercies they can never fail us. No heat, no drought can parch that river, "the streams whereof make glad the city of God."

The land is a land of hills and valleys. It is not all smooth nor all down hill. If life were all one dead level the dull sameness would oppress us; we want the hills and the valleys. The hills collect the rain for a hundred fruitful valleys. Ah, so it is with us! It is the hill difficulty that drives us to the throne of grace and brings down the shower of blessing; the hills, the bleak hills of life that we wonder at and perhaps grumble at, bring down the showers. How many have perished in the wilderness, buried under its golden sands, who would have lived and thriven in the hill-country; how many would have been killed by the frost, blighted with winds, swept desolate of tree and fruit but for the hill-stern, hard, rugged, so steep to climb. God's hills are a gracious protection for His people against their foes!

We cannot tell what loss and sorrow and trial are doing. Trust only. The Father comes near to take our hand and lead us on our way today. It shall be a good, a blessed new year!

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “He Leads Us” POEM By N.L. Zinzendorf

http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/classics/streams/0

He leads us on by paths we did not know;
Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow,
Though oft we faint and falter on the way,
Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;
Yet when the clouds are gone,
We know He leads us on.

He leads us on through all the unquiet years;
Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears,
He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze
Of losses, sorrows, and o'erclouded days;
We know His will is done;
And still He leads us on.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Isaiah 43:18-19

¹⁸"Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.
¹⁹"Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth. Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: 2 Corinthians 5:17

¹⁷Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Lamentations 3:22-23

²²The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Philippians 3:12-14

¹²Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in ^(I)Christ Jesus.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #43

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/beginning/

"Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes, And a brain to use if you would be wise. With this equipment they all began, So start for the top and say, "I can." You are the handicap you must face, You are the one who must choose your place, You must say where you want to go, How much you will study the truth to know. God has equipped you for life, but He Lets you decide what you want to be... Courage must come from the soul within, The man must furnish the will to win. So figure it out for yourself, my lad, You were born with all that the great have had, With your equipment they all began. Get hold of yourself, and say: "I can"."

Edgar Albert Guest 1881-1959 English -born American writer of verse, widely syndicated, extremely popular

LEADER: “New Beginnings” By Jan

http://www.cfdevotionals.org/devpg00/de000102.htm EXCERPT

God has often been called the "God of a second chance," and with good reason. As soon as we confess and repent from our sins, God gives us another new beginning. At this beginning of our year, he not only gives us a new year; He gives us a new heart when we are saved, and each day -- even each minute -- is a fresh slate from Him.

What did you see when you looked in the mirror this morning? The mistakes you have made in the past year? The hurts of the last year? That is not what God sees when He looks at us. He sees us as a "new creation," clothed in Jesus' righteousness, and He sees the potential we have to be our best for Him in the next year. He envisions all the gifts He has prepared for us in the coming year, and the opportunities we have to serve Him and our fellow man. Let's look at some passages about God's gifts of new beginnings.

LEADER: QUOTE #44

http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/quotes.pl?cat=Beginning

“Remember tonight… for it is the beginning of always.”

Unknown

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QUOTE #1

Ella Wilcox 1850-1919 American poet & journalist

QUOTE #2

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

Carl Bard – Deputy Railway Commissioner

QUOTE #3

QUOTE #4

“In every phenomenon the beginning remains always the most notable moment.”

Thomas Carlyle 1795-1881, Scottish Philosopher, Author

QUOTE #5

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Chinese Proverb

QUOTE #6

“The beginning is the half of every action.”

Greek Proverb

QUOTE #7

"Well begun is half done."

Aristotle 384-322 BC Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great

QUOTE #8

"A whole is that which has beginning, middle and end."

Aristotle 384-322 BC Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great

QUOTE #9

"Begin; to have begun is half of the work. Let the half still remain; again begin this and thou wilt have finished."

Ausonius 310-395 Latin poet, tutor to the emperor Gratian

QUOTE #10

Donald M. Nelson 1947-

President of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers

QUOTE #11

“Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do. “
Liz Smith, Columnist

QUOTE #12

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."

Anne Lamott, author, teacher, speaker

QUOTE #13

"The great things you intend to do some time must have a beginning if they are ever to be done, so begin something worthwhile today."

Grenville Kleiser 1868-1953 American writer

QUOTE #14

"Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning."

Igor Stravinsky 1882-197) Russian, French, American composer

QUOTE #15

"He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end."
Harry Emerson Fosdick 1878-1969 American religious leader

QUOTE #16

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome."

William James 1842-1910 American philosopher & psychologist

QUOTE #17

Orison Swett Marden 1850-1924 Journalist, founded Success magazine

QUOTE #18

Homas Huxley 1825-1895 English biologist, writer & lecturer

QUOTE #19

"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning."
Mohandas Gandhi 1869-1948 called Mahatma (“great soul”)

QUOTE #20

“Every exit is an entry somewhere else.”

Tom Stoppard 1937-, Czech Playwright

QUOTE #21

Gandhi 1869-1948 Indian leader, called Mahatma "great soul"

QUOTE #22

“Have Faith My Child” POEM By Dorothy E. Scott

A young lady prayed, kneeling to the Lord.
“Father, I have met many obstacles, my life a discord.
My body is so weary the pain so unbearable.
A sad life has become a continuous parable.
“The roads of my mind is scalloped with past despair.
All the lashes of deceit have taken my care.
My journey onward is scarred with anguish, health now shorn.
Many trials occur, heartache continually borne.
Tears trickled from her eyes in sorrow, weeping the cold.
Suddenly appearing before her, his soothing voice echoed.
Her compassionate eyes gazed upon his many wounds deep.
Around each one a drop of blood clung, a sacrificial seep.
A soft gentle voice whispered, “Have Faith My Child.”
His soft eyes were so warm manner serene and mild.
Taking her hand, he led to a meadow with withering flowers, barely alive.
“Winter will soon freeze this beauty, next year again thrive.
“Like these blooms, you must have faith from it much will be grown,
With a new meadow in your life it will be sewn.”
Again He whispered, “Have faith my child, all is not lost.”
The wind carried his whisper, on it forever his words were embossed.
In awe the young lady thanked the Lord for his loving visit that day,
Hearing the wind, whispering the words, “Have Faith My Child,“ showing her way.
Again she knelt to pray, giving her gratitude for her new life to be.
Knowing though the road may become difficult, it was carried by eternity.

QUOTE #23

QUOTE #24

"A man may fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else."

John Burroughs 1837-1921 American naturalist

QUOTE #25

Pierce Vincent Eckhart Performer/Vocalist

“It Takes Time”

Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. --Romans 8:29

O to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear. --Chisholm

Salvation is the miracle of a moment;

growth is the labor of a lifetime.

QUOTE #26

Arnold Palmer Champion professional golfer

QUOTE #27

"Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882American poet

QUOTE #28

William Golding 1911-1993 England, Nobel Prize-Literature 1983

QUOTE #29

Henri Frederic Amiel 1821-1881 Swiss philosopher & poet

QUOTE #30

"Religion is the first thing and the last thing, and until a man has found god and been found by God, he begins at no beginning, he works to no end."

H.G. Wells 1866-1946 English writer

“Beginning Without Finishing”

"He spoke a parable unto them…that men ought always to pray, and not to faint"

Luke 18:1

This is a deadly fault. It is simply the snare of many beginnings with no completions. It is ruinous in all spheres of life.