Devotion Leader Guide
The Devotion Leader has the following responsibilities:
- Check with the President to determine how much time is allowed on the program for the devotion.
- Select a devotion before the meeting starts that can be completed in the time allotted.
- Read the devotion clearly to the members.
Resources for Devotions
- 4-H Materials
- Check with the local library for possible “thoughts for the day”
- “Thought for the Day” calendars
- Magazines (for example, Reader’s Digest, “Quotable Quotes”, “Real People”)
- Books (for example, Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein)
- Conduct a search on the Internet.
- Encourage the club to purchase one or more of the following resources
- “Chicken Soup” books
- “Quotes & Quips” books
- Motivational books
Sample Devotions
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Don’t walk behind me;
I may not lead.
Don’t walk in front of me;
I may not follow.
Walk beside me
And just be my friend.
My Life
This is my mind
Let me use it.
This is my heart
Let me feel with it.
This is my life
Let me live it.
I’ll make mistakes
Have a few heartbreaks,
But this is my dream
Let me have it.
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Children Learn What They Live
If a child lives with criticism,
He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns to confide.
If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
He learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find love in the world.
Touch of Love
Love begins with you. A tiny spark will do. Gently, gently, blow and blow with bits of peace and true.
And fan it with your patience, and shield it from the night. And tender it with gentleness, and very soon, your light…
Will be a raging fire. The spark will be a flame, and you’ll become a torch of love. You’ll never be the same.
Dolores Dahl
Persistence
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press on” has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race.
The Statue of Liberty
I am the Statue of Liberty and as I look out across the great country of the United States of America, I can see the snow-capped mountains, the rolling prairies, the waving fields of grain, the beautiful rivers and streams, and the faces of the many different “Americans” above all the red, white, and blue of your flag against the horizon. But from my look out I see other things, too. As I stand here thinking about how great America is and how luck any person is to be an American, it seems that the letters in the word America must spell something more.
First, let’s take the “A” with which the word starts. This can stand for the abundance of good things that you have in America, for the armies which daily your freedoms defend, or for the artists who with brush or pen have recorded your great heritage.
Now let’s take the “M”. This may stand for the might with which free men fight, or it may stand for the Mayflower that brought settlers to your shore, or it might stand for the majestic snow-covered mountains.
The “E” comes next in line and may be for the Eagle, the symbol of your great country, for your present government of true equality, or for the wealth of educational opportunities that are available in America.
The “R” may stand for the many rights which all of you in America have and enjoy, or it may stand for the many refugees who are welcomed with open arms into America each year.
The “I” may be for industry or July 4, our Independence Day, or for individual of which each of us has a right to be.
The “C” comes next in line and this may be for crops, or cities, or children at play. It may be for the CapitolBuilding, or Congress or the colonists who helped to make the very first law, or it may be for the churches, across the length and breadth of your great country, at which you can exercise one of your many wonderful freedoms, the right to worship where and when you please.
The last “A” stands for all these priceless things that should bring you to your knees in thanksgiving that you are living in the United States of America where you can work, speak and workshop as you please. This should keep you strong in war and peace because you understand that faith, hope and love made AMERICA YOUR LAND.
Kathleen Ness
WhitleyCounty Rural Youth
Recipe for Success
To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to learn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded.
What Leaders Do
Being the boss isn’t always the same as being a good leader. You can spot truly successful leaders, because they:
- Are kind, and refrain from saying negative things about other people. They especially steer clear of gossip or “trashing” someone else.
- Are patient with others.
- Distinguish between the person and the performance.
- Keep promises.
- Place their energies in areas where they have control, and don’t worry as much about things outside of their control.
- Assume the best from others – and they get it.
- Seek first to understand others, rather than to be understood.
- Take the initiative.
- Reward open communication and questions from others.
- Admit their mistakes and apologize.
- Don’t hold grudges.
- Prepare their thoughts carefully before talking.
- Work through differences.
- Recognize “teaching moments” and seize the opportunity to teach in a way appropriate to the situation.
- Involve others in meaningful projects.
- Delegate effectively.
- Win because of the leadership skills of those who lead.
What if you…?
Could change one thing in the world right now, what would you alter?
Were to be recognized by posterity for one thing, what would you like to be known for?
Had to choose the color that describes you most accurately, which color would it be?
Had to choose the single most valuable thing you have learned so far, what would it be?
Could have been any person from history, who would you want to have been?
Could “uninvent” one thing in the world so that it would no longer exist, what would you choose?
Could “unknow” one thing you know, what would it be?
Could invent something that currently does not exist, what would it be?
Could wake up tomorrow to learn that the major newspaper headlines were about you, what would you want them to say?
Had to name your single worst fear, what would it be?
Were to select a food that best describes your character, what food would it be?
Could do any job in the world for one day, what would it be?
Could add one sentence to the U.S. Constitution, what would it say?
Had to pick the worst meal you’ve ever eaten, what would it be?
Were to be renamed after someone from history, whose name would you want?
Could have the hair of someone you know, whose would you take?
Could referee or judge one sport as a permanent job, which would you choose?
Were given a racehorse. What would you name it?
Could pick one famous person to be your neighbor, whom would you have next door to you?
Could break one world’s record for anything other than sports, what would it be?
Could leave a time capsule the size of a microwave oven to be found centuries from now, what would you put inside it?
Had to pick the most important quality for a leader of your country, what would it be?
Had to choose the single biggest mistake you have made in life so far, what would it be?
Could program the perfect evening of television shows, which ones would you select, and in what order?
Could reverse the ongoing extinction of any animal now endangered, which animal would you choose to save?
Could have the answer to any question, what would you ask?
Miscellaneous Motivational Thoughts
It is the set of the sail that determines the direction of the boat.
The great tragedy in America today is not the waste of our natural resources. The real tragedy is the waste of our human resources. – Oliver Wendell Holmes
The most excited people on this earth are those who are growing.
If you go out looking for friends, you’re going to find they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.
He climbs highest who helps another up. – Zig Ziglar
At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a spouse, a child, a friend, or a parent. – Barbara Bush
No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else. – Charles Dickens
I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. – Oliver Wendell Holmes
It’s the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can do only a little. Do what you can.
Always walk on the sunny side of the street to allow the warmth and power of the sun to enter your system. Its rays give your face a glow and you reflect sunshine to others. – William Danforth
Focus on the contribution that you can make. – Peter Drucker
A goal is a dream with a deadline.
Friendship is like pure gold. It won’t wear out just because it’s old.
As important as your past is, it is not as important as the way you see your future. – Tony Campolo
Worry is a misuse of the imagination. – Mary Crowley
Real optimism sees the negatives but accentuates the positives. – William Arthur Ward
If you really want to be up in life, look for the good in other people and tell them about it.
A narrow mind and a fat head invariably come on the same person.
When you take charge and break a destructive habit, it does some wonderful things for your self-image.
A key in winning relationships is to let the other person feel important.
Children make up a hundred percent of our future.
Slow down and take the time to really see. Take a moment to see what is going on around you right now, right where you are. You may be missing something wonderful.
There are high spots in all our lives, and most of them come about through encouragement from someone else.
Life is a challenge: meet it. Life is a gift: accept it. Life is a song: sing it. Life is a game: play it. Life is a struggle: fight it. Life is a puzzle: solve it. Life is a goal: achieve it.
Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the best light at all times, in all circumstances.
I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, Iwill not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Three things in the human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.
New 3/06
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