"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you." Mother Teresa

Some more great quotes -
"Grace is not about being first or last,
  it's about not counting."
"Nothing is too great for God's power.
   Nothing is too small for God's love."
"A little faith and a great God is enough."
"Learn to win by losing."
(sources unknown)

Here's an activity which I did with students aged  10-12 but could be used with teens or adults.  After reading Psalm 23 from the Bible and underlining and or coloring in key words or phrases, the students were asked to write their own version of the psalm using the template below.
.
 FILL THE GAPS WITH YOUR VERSION OF THE PSALM  
PSALM 23  
 THE LORD THE ………………………….. 
         
A song of  …………………...

​23 The Lord is my ………………….
    I have everything I need.
2. He gives me rest ………………………..
    He leads me to …………………….
3. He gives me new strength.
For the good of his name,
    he leads me on ……………………….
4. Even if I walk
    through a very ……………………….,
I will not be afraid
    because you are with me.
Your ………………..    and your ………………..     comfort me.
5. You prepare a meal for me
    in front of …………………….
You …………………………………...
    You give me more than …………………….
 
6. Surely your ………………………….. will be with me
    all my life.
And I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

FURTHER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What part of this Psalm-poem do you like? Please explain why.

2) Have you ever lain down on green grass or in a field?
​What do you think it would feel like?

3) Is there a part of the Psalm that scares you? Why?
 
4) Is there a part that you find comforting? Why?

5) What do you think David thought God was like?

6) What do you think God is like?

7) Why do you think it is sometimes hard to describe who God is?

8) Why do you think people have different ideas about who God is and what he does?

" Don't ask God to guide your footsteps, if you're not willing to move your feet."
( unknown source)
" Turn the despair of being alone into the wonder of being alone with God."
( unknown source)

Aim towards ...
1. I don't need to tear down others in order to build myself up.
2. I consider inner convictions more the mark of a man than outer toughness.
3. I find talented people an inspiration, not a threat.
4. Seek to know how to take the garbage I am dealt with in life and recycle it into energy.
5. Forgive people who may never have the courage to apologize.
6. Live my private life as if it were public.
7.Consider people more important than plans and projects

(original source unkown)

​In today’s world we seem to be running faster than ever, trying to do it all and have it all, or at least avoiding being run down from behind. According to TIME magazine, we’re smack in the middle of a “time famine” and no one has any idea of when it will end. Who knows? Time may end first. Meanwhile, life seems set on “fast lane “and we don’t dare slow down. 
We dash through life, and our daily routines seem to allow little or no time for God in our busy lives. I think actually that God is never left behind. In fact, He is far ahead of us. The only way we may ever catch up is to learn to slow down, live in the moment, and focus on the “one thing” that is truly necessary. That “one thing” is a quietness of our souls which Henri Nouwen calls “moving to the center, where all other things fall into place.”