Spiritual Blueprint Quotes

“Learn from the puppies: Don't clutter where you live.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint: How We Live, Work, Love, Play, and Pray

“Remember to incorporate rhythms that give you time to stop and think and live intentionally. The work week already has a regular rhythm built into it. It is called the weekend. Make sure you have a weekend. Not all jobs are Monday through Friday, but make sure that you have some time off of work each week to spend time with friends and family. You may think you’re getting ahead by working extra hours, but you’re not gaining anything—you are only trading your life now for something later—something that may not materialize. If you have to work two jobs or extra hours to pay for education or just to put food on the table, you still need to make some time for rest or you will burn out. Fun is not a luxury—it clears your head so you can do better at your job when you go back to work. Therefore, make sure you schedule time for relaxation, fun, worship, and prayer.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint

“To realize our potential, we have to be willing to change and grow. In order to do this, we have to recognize our unchangeable identity as children of God, made in the image of God, so that we will feel free to change some behaviors and mature in character without feeling like we have to become someone else. Then we can allow our relationship with God to help us mature into the likeness of Christ. So change is not loss; it’s gain.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint

“Suffering is like an echo - reflecting it only prolongs it.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint: How We Live, Work, Love, Play, and Pray

“look for a church that affirms both the real humanity and the full divinity of Jesus Christ. Any church or group that denies or de-emphasizes one or the other is living on the fringe. Remember, the truth is in the middle.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint

“Time management doesn’t mean being hyper-organized so that you can cram everything into your life with no space between commitments, ultimately sacrificing sleep to get it all done. That is just being a slave to the hamster wheel. Time management means learning how to say no to some people and some opportunities so that you can say yes to God, to your loved ones and friends, and to yourself. Only you can make those choices, but if you can work toward incorporating rhythms that allow you to stop and breathe and make clear-headed decisions (rather than just going along with your circumstances), you will live intentionally by making conscious, self-aware choices. The more you can order your life toward rhythm and not routine, the more you will feel that your lifestyle brings you peace and happiness.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint

“regular rhythm of prayer and contemplation will allow you to stop and count your blessings and then make more intentional choices in life.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint

“Jesus said: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34). We have to take things one day at a time.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint

“Be patient, and live each day intentionally. Trying to rush through to get to an end will only shortchange the process of living intentionally.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint

“the ultimate source of love is God, and also that we as humans have a responsibility to reflect the love of God to others. As people created in the image of God, we have a capacity for love that goes way beyond instinct, protection of family members, or even loyalty. We have the ability to love unselfishly, and even to have a compassion that would motivate us to make personal sacrifices for the sake of strangers. Unfortunately we don’t always live up to our potential, but the potential is there nevertheless.”
― James L. Papandrea, Spiritual Blueprint