John Townsend Trowbridge Quotes

For me the diamond dawns are set
In rings of beauty,
And all my ways are dewy wet
With pleasant duty.

I keep some portion of my early gleam;
Brokenly bright, like moonbeams on a river,
It lights my life, a far illusive dream,
Moves as I move, and leads me on forever.

…faith in God creates the possibility that even if our situations do not change, life can be good.

God wants to help us and will bear our burdens.

Though your experience may indicate that God has forgotten you or has left you alone, He is on your side. He is the God of grace, and He is actively working on your behalf.

I have noticed in this economic downturn that more of my friends talk about God…

I can’t keep count of the times when I have seen how hard times make people much more relationally accessible than they were before their difficulty.

Darius was clearly of the opinion
That the air is also man’s dominion,
And that, with paddle or fin or pinion,
We soon or late
Shall navigate
The azure, as now we sail the sea.

Of nothing comes nothing: springs rise not above
Their source in the far-hidden heart of the mountains:
Whence then have descended the Wisdom and Love
That in man leap to light in intelligent fountains?

Connecting with others during difficult times makes the trials more bearable.

The birds can fly,
An' why can't I?

The message of Scripture is that God wants us to connect both with Him and also with each other.

Faith grows when we assume the position of one who can’t do it all by himself. That means we go to God, follow Him, and ask Him for help.

We want to know that life is good. Not perfect but good. Not problem free, but good. Good in some way that we did not anticipate. Good in some way that connects us to God, others, and our purposes in life.

It is a comfort to us that Jesus didn’t suffer in silence or with a smile.