This weekend, when we were finishing up our work project, I went to start my car, and it would turn over but would not start. Needless to say, I was a bit frustrated and confused. Not wanting to get distracted by the obvious problem, we finished all other tasks first, then came back to it. It turns out that it was out of gas. I don’t even know when the last time was that I ran a car out of gas, but in this case, I had enough gas to get to my destination but no more. In the moment, I had two options for my mental perspective: Negative – no good deed goes unpunished, or Positive – at least I had enough gas to get here to help. I am not too big to admit that my first thought was negative, but immediately I knew that was wrong. There is an innate power in a positive mindset, and I believe that refocussing my mind toward the positive was a perspective change that helped the troubleshooting process. I don’t know how I had the exact right amount of gas to get to my destination, but I do know that I was able to get there on time and do my part to help. Was it Providence that got me there, or is there some great lesson to be learned? Perhaps. But one thing is certain: perspective, in all things we do, matters. Try to be positive today. How about Day 2 on the importance of community…
Day 2: Shared Life in the Early Church
Acts 2:42, 46-47 (ESV) – “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. …And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”
Typically, Lunch Box Quotes are notes I include in the kids’ lunches every day. Number 1 gets a text, and 2-4 get handwritten napkins, but for the Summer Edition, there has been no routine, so today, texts for all.
Visual credit to – Featured Image: Photo Credit:
Quotes: @readswithravi @WordsnWisdom26 @KnowsPascal @BearGrylls @fraveris
Quotes:
1. “Greatness does not come out of intelligence, it comes from character. Character is not formed out of smart people, it is formed out of people who have suffered.” – Jensen Huang
2. “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” – Sun Tzu
3. “Nothing is more precious than time, but nothing is regarded more cheaply.” – St. Bernard
4. “I’ve prayed some pretty ragged prayers over the years. God has never once needed them tidy.” – Bear Grylls
Bonus Quote: “There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.” – Alain de Botton
Sources:
Jensen Huang once said:
“Greatness does not come out of intelligence, it comes from character. Character is not formed out of smart people, it is formed out of people who have suffered.”
— Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) August 11, 2026
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
—Sun Tzu pic.twitter.com/iCm5aSwY1f
— Words & Wisdom (@WordsnWisdom26) August 10, 2026
Nothing is more precious than time, but nothing is regarded more cheaply.
-St. Bernard pic.twitter.com/SaP8VTI8uT
— Pascal (@KnowsPascal) August 8, 2026
I’ve prayed some pretty ragged prayers over the years. God has never once needed them tidy.
— Bear Grylls OBE (@BearGrylls) August 5, 2026
“There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.”
― Alain de Botton pic.twitter.com/kBzujyKTVa
— Francisco Ribeiro (@fraveris) August 10, 2026