
We make destiny with every turn, every choice.
Know what you want, work to get it, then value it once you have it.

We make destiny with every turn, every choice.
Know what you want, work to get it, then value it once you have it.

When confronted with a challenge, the committed heart will search for a solution. The undecided heart searches for an escape.
Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest–well, that is a choice.

You will recognize your own path when you come upon it because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.
Make sure you visualize what you really want, not what someone else wants for you.

Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.
From 2 Timothy 1:6-7: “For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”

Words used every day
Little or much to say
Used in positive ways
Conveying life’s essays
Mindful, powerful voices
Daily, humble choices
Impacting other lives
Celebrate with high fives
Disciplined purpose speaks
Positivity seeks
Sharing tender kindness
Truthful, without blindness
Careful to help and heal
Offering a square deal
Words paying it forward
True and straightforward
Thoughtful expressions said
Weaving with tender thread
Replace evil with good
Words plain and understood
Honest lyrics in song
Carried through all day long
Life unfolds from our text
Watchful where words go next

This poem was written several days before January 6, 2021. Its intention was to praise and encourage the positive power of words. The events taking place in Washington, DC on January 6 showed the negative power of words. How will our future words speak?

Faith is not a feeling; it is action. It is a willed choice.
From Hebrews 11:1-3: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.”
Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) was a Christian author and speaker. She and her husband, Jim, spent time as missionaries in Ecuador.

We are either the masters or the victims of our attitudes. It is a matter of personal choice. Who we are today is the result of choices we made yesterday. Tomorrow, we will become what we choose today.
From James 3:17-18: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”

Running a quick errand for mother
Feeling twenty-five cents in my hand
Heading to the nearby little store
Milk, bread—let’s see what candy looks grand
Years ago, two bits meant feeling rich
A few coins equal twenty-five cents
Today, this sweet tooth will be in luck
Let this candy shopping now commence
Below the front counter, treasures wait
Friendly woman cashier stands and smiles
A few pennies for Sweet Tarts and more
Licorice, Smarties add to the pile
Looking to spend one final nickel
Picking through endless, tempting choices
Spying at last, a sweet Hershey bar
Overcome by sugar-filled voices
Arriving back home without delay
Pockets filled with sweetest treasure
Mother asks about the milk and bread
Two bucks unspent, plus her displeasure

Growing up in my childhood neighborhood, there was a little store just a few blocks away. My brothers and I made many a journey to the store for milk, bread, and other quick-to-find essentials for our mother. I cannot recall forgetting the milk and bread, but having a few coins in my pocket was treasure waiting to be spent on the candy found there.
The poem lists a few of the types of candy found back in the 1960s. Do you have a favorite candy from your childhood?

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com
Life is a series of choices between the bad, the good, and the best. Everything depends on how we choose.
From 2 Corinthians 5:6-9: “So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.”
From the words of American pastor and Christian evangelist, Vance Havner: “Life is a series of choices between the bad, the good, and the best. Everything depends on how we choose.”

Photo by Martin on Pexels.com
Our daily walk encounters many tests
Life’s decisions shall never be easy
Facing a series of heartfelt choices
Sometimes feeling so alone and uneasy
Quality decisions lead life forward
God’s Word and righteousness always shining
Making choices, pleasing to our Father
Our Lord’s love, His sacred silver lining
God chooses our Savior—His Holy Son
Jesus becomes our faithful source of life
Bringing lasting redemption to ourselves
Hope-filled Cross saving the foolish from strife
Our Father calls many, few are chosen
His chosen, precious cornerstone—Jesus
Believing in Him, never put to shame
Living by faith through our Lord, who frees us
Jesus chooses us in His Father’s name
Days ahead offer bounties of treasures
Following His love and wealth of teachings
Therefore, bear lasting fruit through His measures

Photo by Marius Venter on Pexels.com
From 2 Corinthians 5:6-7: “So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord–for we walk by faith, not by sight.”