That was it! It wasn't that I needed the security of a certain amount of money, it was that I needed the security of a relationship.... If I were going to give my life as a servant of the King, I had to know that King. What was He like? In what way could I trust Him? In the same way I trusted a set of impersonal laws? Or could I trust Him as a living leader, as a very present commander in battle? The question was central. Because if He were a King in name only, I would rather go back to the chocolate factory. I would remain a Christian, but I would know that my religion was only a set of principles, excellent and to be followed, but hardly demanding devotion.
Suppose on the other hand that I were to discover God to be a person, the sense that He communicated and cared and loved and led. That was something quite different. That was the kind of King I would follow into any battle.
~ p.65 God Smuggler
And still I had not reached a point where I knew I had found God's plan for my life.
"What is it, Lord? What am I holding back? What am I using as an excuse for not serving You in whatever You want me to do?"
And then, there by the canal, I finally had my answer. My "yes" to God had always been a "yes, but." Yes, but I'm not educated. Yes, but I'm lame.
~ p.55 God Smuggler
"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination..."
~ Alfred Souza
"The prayer of the heart is the prayer of truth. It unmasks the many illusions about ourselves and about God and leads us into the true relationship of the sinner to the merciful God."
~ Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart, 1981
No nation and few individuals are really brought into [God's] camp by the historical study of the biography of Jesus, simply as biography. Indeed, materials for a full biography have been withheld from men. The earliest converts were converted by a single historical fact (the Resurrection) and a single theological doctrine (the Redemption) operating on a sense of win which they already had... the "gospels" came later and were written not to make Christians, but to edify Christians already made.
~ C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
"The vantage point is that [missioners] see, live and love the truth that they belong to neither culture. All missioners feel that the culture shock upon returning to their home culture is often more painful that that of going to the host culture for the first time."
~Misfit p14
We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God.
~ Dwight Lyman Moody
One Minute Sermon
He Loves.
He made.
We sinned.
He came.
He died.
He lives.
He paid.
We're forgiven.
It's free.
No strings.
Spread the word so they can choose, death or Jesus.
Do it to say thank you, not to get points.
He's coming back to pick us up.
Until He does, talk to Him and stick together.
Be nice.
Don't fight.
Laugh together.
Cry together.
Help each other.
Try not to hurt each other.
When you do hurt each other, be sorry.
When you do get hurt, forgive.
Keep getting better at both.
Look for stuff that's good.
It'll help pass the time 'til He gets here.
Meantime...
try to be more like Him- ask him he'll help you.
Wait.
And while you're waiting...
Love.
"Terms don't define our lives; our lives define our terms."
~ Boy Meets Girl Joshua Harris p32
"Learn to move man, through God, by prayer alone."
~ Hudson Taylor
Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents for a minute and look around.
Suppose on the other hand that I were to discover God to be a person, the sense that He communicated and cared and loved and led. That was something quite different. That was the kind of King I would follow into any battle.
~ p.65 God Smuggler
And still I had not reached a point where I knew I had found God's plan for my life.
"What is it, Lord? What am I holding back? What am I using as an excuse for not serving You in whatever You want me to do?"
And then, there by the canal, I finally had my answer. My "yes" to God had always been a "yes, but." Yes, but I'm not educated. Yes, but I'm lame.
~ p.55 God Smuggler
"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination..."
~ Alfred Souza
"The prayer of the heart is the prayer of truth. It unmasks the many illusions about ourselves and about God and leads us into the true relationship of the sinner to the merciful God."
~ Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart, 1981
No nation and few individuals are really brought into [God's] camp by the historical study of the biography of Jesus, simply as biography. Indeed, materials for a full biography have been withheld from men. The earliest converts were converted by a single historical fact (the Resurrection) and a single theological doctrine (the Redemption) operating on a sense of win which they already had... the "gospels" came later and were written not to make Christians, but to edify Christians already made.
~ C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters
"The vantage point is that [missioners] see, live and love the truth that they belong to neither culture. All missioners feel that the culture shock upon returning to their home culture is often more painful that that of going to the host culture for the first time."
~Misfit p14
We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God.
~ Dwight Lyman Moody
One Minute Sermon
He Loves.
He made.
We sinned.
He came.
He died.
He lives.
He paid.
We're forgiven.
It's free.
No strings.
Spread the word so they can choose, death or Jesus.
Do it to say thank you, not to get points.
He's coming back to pick us up.
Until He does, talk to Him and stick together.
Be nice.
Don't fight.
Laugh together.
Cry together.
Help each other.
Try not to hurt each other.
When you do hurt each other, be sorry.
When you do get hurt, forgive.
Keep getting better at both.
Look for stuff that's good.
It'll help pass the time 'til He gets here.
Meantime...
try to be more like Him- ask him he'll help you.
Wait.
And while you're waiting...
Love.
"Terms don't define our lives; our lives define our terms."
~ Boy Meets Girl Joshua Harris p32
"Learn to move man, through God, by prayer alone."
~ Hudson Taylor
Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents for a minute and look around.