Core values by which to guide our

lives.

Inspiration, encouragement, and

challenges to remind us.

A moral code,

a system of values and thinking

that guides choices and action.

“I have come to the conclusion that stories are a

great part of what makes up my family’s DNA.”

-Walt Grayson, foreword to Lines in the Gravel.

is unending

1 Corinthians 13:8

Learning from one’s mistakes is a great source

of wisdom. But who has enough time to make

them all? A wise person learns from others.

When your word is good

enough to set gears in

motion.

Commitment

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the

voice of his servant? Let him who walks in

darkness and has no light trust in the name of the

Lord and rely on his God.

Isaiah 50:10 (ESV)

Empathy

To walk a mile in someone’s shoes…uphill.

Its object matters more

than its sincerity.

“Yes, just as you can identify a

tree by its fruit, so you can

identify people by their

actions.”

Matthew 7:20 (NLT)

HumilityCan you do this?

Wonder

Pay attention to the strange and surprising part

of today that waits to give you a feeling of

surprise or puzzled interest.

A virtue often needed

but seldom prayed for more than once.

Guardrails keep you from going over the

edge. Self-control keeps you inside the

guardrails and the damage caused from

running into them.

This is an olive

branch.

To whom do you

need

to extend it today?

Where are you,

how did you get

there,

and

what changes

do you need to

make?

ALWAYS IMPROVED

BY A LITTLE STRETCHING

Generosity“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,

will be put into your lap. For with the measure you

use it will be measured back to you.”

--Jesus Christ, Luke 6:38

Leadershipfor the next generation

“What stories are you passing along as treasure

to the next generation? Think about where you

live, where you work, where you play. There are

those behind you in many spheres of life who

would benefit from your stories and, more than

that, from the values they contain.”

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you

can, in all the ways you can, in all the places

you can, at all the times you can, to all the

people you can, as long as ever you can.”

Ambition

You must leave the ground to discover the stunning world above the clouds.

Optimism

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than

pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to

those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11 (ESV)

Have you reserved feelings of profound respect for the sacred today?

Outer evidence of inner virtue.

In the midst

of flapping your wings today,

pause long enough to smile and

say hello.

The power of creative imagination.

“He was a million miles from a million

dollars

But you could never spend his wealth.”--”Preacher,” OneRepublic

“Let every man be respected as an

individual and no man idolized.”--Albert Einstein

When justice is done,

it is a joy to the righteous

but terror to evildoers.—Proverbs 21:15 (ESV)

“Treat everyone with politeness, even those who

are rude to you—not because they are nice, but

because you are.”

—Unknown

“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”

—Benjamin Franklin

Friendliness

Try this little experiment:

1. Think of the friendliest person you know.

2. Focus on his or her smiling face for 30 seconds.

Close your eyes if that will help.

Smiling yet?

Now, go and be the friendliest person someone encounters today!

Resolvethe eye of the tiger,

that “it” inside you

that causes you

to finish.

Values Storying with Al Ainsworth

I hope you found great value in

my slideshow.

Thanks for taking the time to view it.

Discover more about values storying here.

• Lines in the Gravel (and 52 Other Re-Told Childhood Tales)

• Stories from the Roller Coaster (of a Faith Life)