Flexibility vs Resistance

This is WEEK 19 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by!

Let no one think that flexibility and a predisposition to compromise is a sign of weakness or a sell-out.  –Paul Kagame

The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers. –Brian Greene

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. – Tony Robbins

Flexibility means:
1. Capable of being bent or flexed; pliable
2. Responsive to change; adaptable

Synonyms for Flexibility: adjustability, pliability, adaptability
Antonyms for Flexibility: constraint, inflexibility, resistance, rigidity

Faith vs Presumption & A Give-Away!

This is WEEK 18 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by!

This month also marks the 1st Year Anniversary of Grace & Grit.  To celebrate, I want to give away a book by Max Lucado, one of my favorite authors.  His book, In the Grip of Grace goes hand in hand with our topic of Faith vs Presumption and it also talks about what is so very dear to my heart, God’s unmerited GRACE!.  To enter for a chance to win a hard copy of this book, just leave a comment sharing about something that increased your faith.  For extra entries, tweet or share about this give away on FB and let me know you did that.  This offer ends Wednesday, May 23.

Faith means:
1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.

Enthusiasm vs Apathy

This is WEEK 17 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by.

ENTHUSIASM!!!!!!  This is my daughter’s Baptism Day.  The enthusiasm that radiates from her face expresses the enthusiasm that the Christian should carry in their heart always…for we have known the love and unmerited grace of God and have been given NEW LIFE!!!!

Endurance versus Giving Up

This is WEEK 16 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by. 

“Heroism is endurance for one moment more.” -George F. Kennan

“We are judged by what we finish, not by what we start” – Anonymous

“Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love still stands when all else has fallen.” 

“If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” –

Endurance means:
1. the act or power of withstanding hardship or stress
2. the state or fact of persevering
3. continuing existence; duration

Discretion versus Simple-mindedness

This is WEEK 15 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by.
When I was a little girl, my grandmother had a statue of the 3 “No evil” monkeys, and it always fascinated me to look at it.  Ironically, it is the power of discretion that should most differentiate us from monkeys, and especially differentiate the ungodly from those who live a Christian life.
♪♫ Oh be careful little eyes what you see…
♪♫ Oh be careful little ears what you hear…
♪♫ Oh be careful little tongue what you say…

Discretion means:
1.  The quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence or revealing private information.
2.  The freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation.

Discernment versus Judgement

This is WEEK 14 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by.
“Examine the contents, not the bottle “- Talmud

“You can see deeply into a tangled forest if you peer closely” – Mike Kershnar

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” –Reinhold Niebuhr

Discernment means:
1.keen insight
2.wise perception

Diligence versus Slothfulness

This is WEEK 13 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by.
I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time. – Charles Dickens    
Patience and Diligence, like faith, remove mountains. – William Penn
What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence. – Samuel Johnson
“It’s not what you do, it’s how you do what you do!” –Jordan D Ulmer

Diligence means :
1. quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness
2. characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks
3.  conscientious; hardworking

Determination versus Faintheartedness

This is WEEK 12 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by. 
Thomas Edison: In his early years, teachers told Edison he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Work was no better, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough. Even as an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Of course, all those unsuccessful attempts finally resulted in the design that worked.
We should strive to have determination and not be fainthearted. 

Dependable versus Inconsistent

This is WEEK 11 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by.  
Dependability means:  1.worthy of trust and belief  2. being a good investment  3. consistent and reliable

When a Man’s Word Was As Good as A Gilt-Edged Note  (from the University of Texas Press – Trail Drivers of Texas)
Taking the advice of Jake Ellison, in 1867 I decided to go into the cattle business. I had no money, but the people let me take their cattle on credit…When we reached Gainesville my money was all gone… I was a perfect stranger there, and did not know a man in the town. I went into George Howell’s store, told Mr. Howell my circumstances, and asked if he could credit me for what I needed. He looked me straight in the eye for a few seconds and said he would do so. And he didn’t ask for a mortgage or a note or anything to hold me bound except my word to pay.   —By George N. Steen, Bryan, Texas

Synonyms for Dependability: certain, constant, faithful, loyal, secure, stable, trustworthy
Antonyms for Dependability:   dishonest, irresponsible, uncertain, unreliable

Deference versus Rudeness

This is WEEK 10 of the Character Development Series I am doing for 2012.  So glad you stopped by.  
Deference means:  Polite respect, especially putting the interests of another person first

A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.
Joseph Joubert

A good character is the best tombstone.  Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered.  Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.  ~Charles H. Spurgeon

Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.  ~Author Unknown

Synonyms for Deference: respect, esteem, regard, reverence, admiration, awe, submissiveness
Antonyms for Deference: disrespect, rudeness, noncompliance