O the depth of the evil of sin! If ever you will see how

great and horrid an evil sin is, measure it in your thoughts,

either by the infinite holiness and excellency of God, who is

wrong'd by it; or by the infinite sufferings of Christ, who

died to satisfy for it; and then you will have deeper

apprehensions of the evil of sin.- John Flavel (1628-1691), The Whole Works of the Reverend Mr. John Flavel, v. I, Paisley: A. Weir and A. McLean, 1770, p. 199

Let us remember this in our private devotions. It must not satisfy us to say good words, if our heart and our lips do not go together. What does it profit us to be fluent and lengthy, if our imaginations are roving far away while we are upon our knees? It profits us nothing at all. God sees what we are really doing, and rejects our offering. Heart-prayers are the prayers He loves to hear. Heart-prayers are the only prayers that He will answer. Our petitions may be weak, and stammering, and poor in our eyes. They may be presented with no fine words, or well-chosen language, and might seem almost unintelligible, if they were written down. But if they come from a right heart, God understands them. Such prayers are His delight.~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1985], 137. {Mark 7:1-13}

Ill habits gather by unseen degrees,

As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas.- John Dryden, 1631 - 1700

The path of least resistance makes all rivers, and some men, crooked.- Napoleon Hill, 1883 - 1970

Courage can be a form of tenaciousness, a refusal to quit because you’re tired, hurt, humiliated or emotionally broken. Courage is the ability to face what life throws in your path on a daily basis.- Nina Lesowitz