Soul Food: Week of April 26, 2026

 

Sunday: You blows who you is. Louis Armstrong

 

Monday: It don’t mean a thing if you don’t have that swing. Duke Ellington

 

Tuesday: Man, there’s no boundary to art. Charlie Parker

 

Wednesday: Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there. Miles Davis

 

Thursday: Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity. Charles Mingus

 

Friday: As far as playing jazz, no other art form, other than conversation, can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction. Stan Getz

 

Saturday: Jazz is like wine. When it is new, it is only for the experts, but when it gets older, everybody wants it. Steve Lacy

 

Soul Food: Week of April 19, 2026

 

Sunday: Now war arose in heaven. Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. Revelation

 

Monday: The farther back you can look the farther forward you are likely to see. Winston Churchill

 

Tuesday: When you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss may also gaze into you. Nietzsche

 

Wednesday: The battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man. Alexandr Solzhenityn

 

Thursday: The battle between good and evil is circular. Good wins, evil wins, good again. David Gemmell

 

Friday: The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces. Philip Zimbardo

 

Saturday: Archangel Michael, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness & snares of the devil.

 

Soul Food: Week of April 12, 2026

 

Sunday: A lot of unexceptional liberals don’t believe in American Exceptionalism, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

 

Monday: We don’t have to apologize for American exceptionalism or western values. Rick Perry

 

Tuesday: I sought for the key of America’s greatness and genius in her harbors … in her boundless fertile fields & forests; in her rich mines & vast world commerce; in her public school system & institutions … Alexis de Tocqueville

 

Wednesday: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men. Thomas Jefferson

 

Thursday: The price of liberty is responsibility and eternal vigilance. Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr.

 

 

Friday: Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people. John Adams

 

Saturday: The ruin of oligarchy is the ruin of democracy; the same disease [greed, unchecked power] magnifies & intensifies liberty over masters of democracy – the truth being that the excessive increase in anything often causes a reaction in the opposite direction. Plato

 

Soul Food: Week of April 5, 2026

 

Sunday: The “ultimate” sacrifice may be relative but it can be divine. Our Union soldiers sacrificed their last full measure of devotion to end the country’s sinful slavery. Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross to forgive mankind for its slavery to sin.

 

Monday: To sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying. Joan of Arc

 

Tuesday: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service to others. Mahatma Gandhi

 

Wednesday: When bad men combine, the good must associate. Edmund Burke

 

Thursday: Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. Thomas Merton

 

Friday: Nothing changes without sacrifice. Various

 

Saturday: To love is to sacrifice so as to grow beyond oneself.

 

Soul Food: March 29, 2026

 

Sunday: The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am third. Paraphrase of Uncle Bill Lance philosophy at Kanakuk Kamps and embodied in Kansas track coach Bill Easton’s career, then, stated by Gayle Sayers in his autobiography “I Am Third.”

 

Monday: Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. Mother Teresa 

 

Tuesday: When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. C.S. Lewis

 

Wednesday: You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. St. Augustine

 

Thursday: If we want to get ahead, we first need to get behind others. Coach Bob Mahr

 

Friday: If you help enough people get what they want, you can have everything you want. Zig Ziglar

 

Saturday: JOY is aka Jesus, Others, Yourself. Mother Teresa

 

Soul Food: Week of March 22, 2026

 

Sunday: You want God to talk to you? Pray to Him as you would to your soul mate, which He is and more.

 

Monday: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7-8

 

Tuesday: If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer … Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt … you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” Matthew 21:21-22

 

Wednesday: Rising verry early before dawn, He left and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed. Mark 1:35

 

Thursday: Pray that you may not enter into temptation. Luke 22:40

 

Friday: Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done. Luke 22:42

 

Saturday: This is how you should pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be down on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4

 

Soul Food: Week of March 15, 2026

 

Sunday: He is a man of sorrows & acquainted with grief. Isaiah 53:3

 

Monday: He was born in Bethlehem of a virgin, a descendant of David. Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22; Samuel 7:12; Matthew 1:6

 

Miracles – He would make the blind see & the lame leap. Isaiah 35:5; Matthew 11:4

 

Tuesday: He would speak in Parables. Psalm 78:2; Matthew 13:34

 

Wednesday: Yet, He was rejected & despised. Isaiah 53:3; John 1:1 He was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14 Yet He would be silent before his accusers. Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12 Soldiers even cast lots for his clothes. Psalm 22:18; John 19:23

 

Thursday: He would be crucified with criminals. Isaiah 53:12; Mark 15:27 They pierced [His] hands & feet Psalm 22:16; John 20:25 Yet, not a bone would be broken.  Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20; John 19:33 Only vinegar was given Him to drink. Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34 

 

Friday: You would not let your Holy One see decay. Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:31

 

Saturday: You have ascended on high. You have led captives away. Psalm 68:18; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9

 

Soul Food: Week of March 8, 2026

 

Sunday: Today everybody wants to talk about their rights & their privileges. 50 years ago, people talked about their obligation & responsibility. Lou Holtz

 

Monday: If you want to fail, you have the right to fail. You do not have the right to cause other people to fail because you do not do everything to the very best of your ability.

 

Tuesday: Lou’s 3 core values: Do What is Right, Do Your Best & Show People You Care … by building trust, commitment & love in relationships.

 

Wednesday: Don’t ever promise more than you can deliver but always deliver more than you promise.

 

Thursday: You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.

 

Friday: Without self-discipline, success is impossible.

 

Saturday: I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary.

 

Soul Food: Week of March 1, 2026

 

Sunday: A wise parent gives his child roots and wings. Chinese Proverb

 

Monday: Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin

 

Tuesday: Parenting is not a perfect journey, but a perfect opportunity to love & guide your child. Peter Krause

 

Wednesday: It’s not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings. Ann Landers

 

Thursday: Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands. Anne Frank

 

Friday: Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. Robert Fulghum

 

Saturday: A baby is born with a need to be loved – and never outgrows it. Frank A. Clark

 

Soul Food: Week of February 15, 2026

 

Sunday: He who wishes to fight must count the cost. Jesus, paraphrased from Luke 14:28-31

 

Monday: Be wise as serpents & as innocent as doves. Jesus, Matt 10:16

 

Tuesday: Be forgiving. Be understanding. But do not be a fool. Various

 

Wednesday: Do not throw your pearls to pigs. Jesus, Matt 7:6

 

Thursday: Do not be wise in your own eyes. King Solomon, Proverbs 3:7

 

Friday: Oh! Why should the spirit of mortals be proud? Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, a flash of lightning, a break of the waves. He passes from life to his rest in the grave. William Knox.

 

Saturday: A secret of life: Know that none of this matters, and yet, live as if every single moment does. Kamal Ravikant

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Food: Week of February 8, 2026

 

Sunday: Don’t sweat the small stuff … and it’s all small stuff. Richard Carlson

 

Monday: Make peace with your imperfection.

 

Tuesday: Let go of the idea that gentle, relaxed people can’t be super achievers … and be aware of the snowfall effect of your [stinking] thinking.

 

Wednesday: Develop your compassion … Make service an integral part of your life.

 

Thursday: Remember that everything has God’s fingerprints on it.

 

Friday: Trust your intuitive heart [and the Holy Spirit’s messages]. 

 

Saturday: Live this day as if it were your last. It may be!

 

Soul Food: Week of February 1, 2026

 

Sunday: Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom & instruction. Proverb 1

 

Monday: The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else. Oswald Chambers

 

Tuesday: Face your fears. What you can’t confront, you can never conquer. The fears you don’t face today will become your limit tomorrow.  Mordy Quotes

 

Wednesday: Thinking will not overcome fear but action will. W. Clement Stone

 

Thursday: Fear doesn’t have to silence & paralyze you; let it wake you up to act.

 

Friday: Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out. Benjamin Franklin

 

Saturday: Keep your fears to yourself but share your courage with others. Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Soul Food: Week of January 25, 2026

 

Sunday: The act of creation is an act of love … gifted his free will, man did not learn hate from God but from one another.

 

Monday: God does not play favorites but prefers the better angels of our nature.

 

Tuesday: In great contests, each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, but one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. A. Lincoln

 

Wednesday: When defined then dictated by one party, “Diversity, Inclusion & Equality” often becomes “Conformity, Exclusion & Inequality.”

 

Thursday: Fairness and equality are not the same thing. Various

 

Friday: Winning & losing aren’t everything. Sometimes the journey is just as important as the outcome. Alex Jones

 

Saturday: The price of success is hard work, dedication … and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. Vince Lombardi

 

Soul Food: Week of January 18, 2026

 

Sunday: Art is a kind of food for the soul that amazes, inspires, energizes & sustains us; it not only reaffirms our belief & faith in God, but proves He is a caring & loving Creator Himself.

 

Monday: The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. Nietzsche

 

Tuesday: I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream. Van Gogh

 

Wednesday: Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it. Andy Worhol

 

Thursday: There is no healthier drug than creativity. Nayyirah Waheed

 

Friday: Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. Scott Adams

 

Saturday: Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. Pablo Picasso

 

Soul Food: Week of January 11, 2026

 

Sunday: Faith needs no proof, asks for no quarter, expects no favors, wants no gifts & accepts the Eternal’s will without question.

 

Monday: Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Tuesday: Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. Voltaire

 

Wednesday: Faith is not believing in my own unshakable belief. Faith is believing an unshakable God when everything in me trembles & quakes. Beth Moore

 

Thursday: Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you & help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

 

Friday: In faith, there is enough light for those who want to believe & enough shadows to blind those who don’t. Blaise Pascal

 

Saturday: [While] Faith is to believe what you do not see, the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. St. Augustine

 

Soul Food: Week of December 28, 2025

 

Sunday: My New Year’s resolution is to avoid cliches like breaking a leg unless it belongs to a burglar breaking into my home…yet smell the coffee without going to Starbucks…wait patiently for the cows to come home and leave it all on the field.

 

Monday: Be more thankful for having a free will but pray more fervently that it is used more wisely, more often.

 

Tuesday: Not to worry about tomorrow because I’ve come to understand tomorrow will always worry about itself. Matt 6:34

 

Wednesday: Nor worry about what you will eat or drink or wear…accept that your Father in Heaven knows what you need & consider He has always strived to provide for St. Nick’s helpers and slackers alike.

 

Thursday: Realize it’s ok to pity the pity partiers, just resist joining the club.

 

Friday: Tell your soulmate more often “You complete me.”

 

Saturday: Wake up each morning with a wink & a nod & the faith that Heaven awaits you.

 

Soul Food: Week of December 21, 2025

 

Sunday- Saturday: In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world … And everyone went to his own town to register.

 

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

 

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 

 

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. 

 

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.

 

Soul Food: Week of December 14, 2025

 

Sunday: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. Virgin Mary, Immaculate Conception

 

Monday: From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me.

 

Tuesday: Holy is His name, His mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation.

 

Wednesday: He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

 

Thursday: He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

 

Friday: He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

 

Saturday: He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever; even as He said to our fathers.

 

Soul Food: Week of December 7, 2025

 

Sunday: An honest politician is one who, when is bought stays bought. Simon Cameron

 

Monday: Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Acton

 

Tuesday: No bribes, no lies – let truth rise high. Integrity is key, corruption can’t be. Break the chain, end the pain. Honesty pays, corruption decays. Anonymous. Various

 

Wednesday: Communism has never come to power in a country that was not disrupted by war or corruption or both. John F. Kennedy

 

Thursday: Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence. Thomas Jefferson

 

Friday: Corruption, embezzlement, fraud, these are all characteristics which exist everywhere. It is regrettably the way human nature functions, whether we like it or not. What successful economies do is keep it to a minimum. Alan Greenspan

 

Saturday: It’s very important to talk about corruption. If you don’t … why would you give money to a country [or entity or person] you think is corrupt? Donald Trump

 

Soul Food: Week of November 30, 2025

 

Sunday: Advent to me is the beginning of the most joyful season of the year that heralds the prophesized birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, reminds us of God’s undying love for us, and promises the faithful a chance for an eternal life in Heaven with Him.

 

Monday: At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving & serving others with God’s own love & concern. Mother Teresa

 

Tuesday: Rejoice in the Lord always; Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:4-5

 

Wednesday: In Advent we await an event which occurs in history and at the same time transcends it. St. John Paul II

 

Thursday: Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. St. Augustine

 

Friday: It is by loving people that we learn to love God. Various

 

Saturday: The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize Him at any moment of your life … [for] … Life is Advent. St. John of the Cross

 

Soul Food: Week of November 23, 2025

 

Sunday: If You Lord, Blessed King of the Universe, had given us Free Will, but not come down from Heaven to forgive us our sins … It would have been enough.

 

Monday: If You Lord, Blessed King of the Universe, had come down from Heaven to forgive us our sins, but not rose from the dead after 3 days … It would have been enough.

 

Tuesday: If You Lord, Blessed King of the Universe, had risen from the dead after 3 days, but not sent us the Holy Spirit to continue to counsel us … It would have been enough.

 

Wednesday: If You Lord, Blessed King of the Universe, had sent us the Holy Spirit to continue to counsel us, but not inspired the Gospels to further teach us how to live as Your Father willed … It would have been enough.

 

Thursday: If You Lord, Blessed King of the Universe, had inspired the Gospels to tach us how to live as Your Father willed, but not spread Your Good News to the ends of the earth … It would have been enough.

 

Friday: If You Lord, Blessed King of the Universe, had spread Your Good News to the ends of the earth, but not inspired Michelangelo to capture the beauty of Your Creation and Salvation in divine works of art … It would have been enough.

 

Saturday: If You Lord, Blessed King of the Universe had inspired Michealangelo to capture the beauty of Your Creation and Salvation in divine works of art, but did not inspire Father Abraham to show us how the better angels in our nature can love one another better … It would have been enough …

 

Soul Food: Week of November 16, 2025

 

Sunday: There is an unyielding balance in God’s universe; likewise, there is a profound balance in Jesus Christ’s message to us grains of sand on how to help fulfill His plan. 

 

Monday: A grateful life likewise calls for finding a humble balance in how we carry out our assigned roles.

 

Tuesday: The prophesized Son of Man and Man of Sorrows would be “acquainted” with grief yet ascend His throne in the greatest glory. 

 

Wednesday: Must we forgive transgressors 3 times as stated in the Old Testament or 7 times 77 as Jesus once said? In the end, Jesus also often urged, what is most important to the Father is having “mercy from the heart.”

 

Thursday: Life is a balance between holding on and letting go. Rumi

 

Friday: Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. Albert Einstein

 

Saturday: Does our troubled world need a meteor that streaks across the sky & consumes himself to enlighten us OR a humble Messiah who sacrifices himself to show us how to follow the better angels in our nature? Or both?

 

Soul Food: Week of November 9, 2025

 

Sunday: There is a time for everything & a season for every activity under the heavens … [as] the sun rises & the sun sets & hurries back to where it rises. Ecclesiastes

 

Monday: He has made everything beautiful in its time … He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

 

Tuesday: [Since the future is unknown or beyond human comprehension,] What profit is there for one to do all that he has to do under the sun? What do people get for all their hard work?

 

Wednesday: God surely tests humans [through trials & tribulations] in order for them to see that [by themselves, without God] they are [only] animals [after all]. 

 

Thursday: The patient in spirit is better than the proud of spirit [as true wisdom comes from learning to accept the reality of death & sorrow as well as life & joy].

 

Friday: Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: [To wit,] the day of death is better than the day of birth. 

 

Saturday: [In conclusion]: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

 

Soul Food: Week of November 2, 2025

 

Sunday: It’s reassuring to know you have fought the good fight, but it’s pleasing to realize you still have the energy to finish the race. 

 

Monday: We all have had our sorrows and failings in our sinful lives, yet it’s important to never forget our joys and triumphs.

 

Tuesday: Is there a worse feeling than getting unfairly fired from a job or a better feeling than getting hired for a new one that’s better than the old?

 

Wednesday: Too much of a good thing can turn a good thing into a bad thing.

 

Thursday: We are told that without Faith, even Jesus couldn’t (or wouldn’t) perform His miracles for us.

 

Friday: Even Apostle Little James was not spared his infirmity so that he’d be a shining example of patience & endurance to generations until the End of Times.

 

Saturday: You know you are getting old when you can’t recall whether a celebrity from your childhood is dead or still alive.

 

Soul Food: Week of October 26, 2025

 

Sunday: Work is the best antidote to sorrow, my dear Watson. Sherlock Holmes aka Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Monday: Choose a job that you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius

 

Tuesday: Throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours. Dale Carnegie

 

Wednesday: Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. Rumi

 

Thursday: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Mahatma Gandhi

 

Friday: Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. William Arthur Ward

 

Saturday: The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it. Mother Teresa

 

Soul Food: Week of October 19, 2025

 

Sunday: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe … Who makes every day a special day, a chance to serve You, a chance to do Your will.

 

Monday: … Who gives us this day that “I’ve never seen before.” Maya Angelou

 

Tuesday: … Who invites us to count our blessings so as to “change our life around.” Willie Nelson

 

Wednesday: … Who often replaces a lost blessing with one “most unexpectedly” in its place.  Goodreads 

 

Thursday: … Who gives us families & friends to love & nurture as you do Yourself, if infinitely more humbly.

 

Friday: … Who gives us the merciful, the pure in heart & the peacemakers. Jesus; Matt 5:3-10

 

Saturday: … Who meets all our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

 

Soul Food: Week of October 12, 2025

 

Sunday: Loyalty will, by definition, exact a personal price that’s gladly paid by the loyalist no matter how often the bell doth toll.

 

Monday: Without trust, there can be no loyalty – and without loyalty, there can be no true growth. Fred Reicheld

 

Tuesday: Regard a friend as loyal & you will make him loyal. Seneca

 

Wednesday: Actions speak louder than words. 1 John 3:18, John Pym in Parliament speech

 

Thursday: He who is not with Me I against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters” is a quote of Jesus addressing spiritual loyalty found in Matthew 12:30 & Luke 11:23

 

Friday: Loyalty is a continuous phenomenon. You don’t score points for past action. Natasha Pulley

 

Saturday: In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

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