Solitude

Who sits in solitude and is quiet has escaped from three wars: hearing, speaking, seeing; yet against one thing shall he continually battle: that is, his own heart.

     -- St. Antony

Longing

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a resultof our lack of holy desire.

      -- A. W. Tozer

Having An Ally

There are no words to express the abyss between isolation and having one ally. It may be conceded to the mathematician that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one.

      -- G. K. Chesterton

Would You?

If you knew that only a few would care that you came, would you still come? If you knew that those you loved would laugh in your face, would you still care? If you knew that the tongues you made would mock you, the mouths you made would spit at you, the hands you made would crucify you, would you still make them? Christ did.

-- Max Lucado

God-shaped vaccuum

There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.

-- Blaise Pascal

Our Spiritual Parents

Joy and sorrow are never separated. When our hearts rejoice at a spectacular view, we may miss our friends who cannot see it, and when we are overwhelmed with grief, we may discover what true friendship is all about. Joy is hidden in sorrow and sorrow in joy. If we try to avoid sorrow at all costs, we may never taste joy, and if we are suspicious of ecstasy, agony can never reach us either. Joy and sorrow are the parents of our spiritual growth.

Fathers

All effective fathers learn the importance of a wise and flexible response to their children's calls for attention. No busy signals here. No "hold" button.

-- Gordon McDonald

Fasting

[When] Jesus Himself fasted, He was not fasting to repent or to bring His desires under control, of course, but to demonstrate His absolute dependence upon His Father.

      -- Peter C. Moore

Legalism

The real danger of legalism is that it produces a sense of attainment that short-circuits our call to live the life of Yes through Christ. Self-achievement brings a false sense of assurance that somehow we can live a pure life in our own ability. This attitude ultimately leads us to cut ourselves off from the heart of God and, in turn, to deny our true identity in Christ.
-- David Edwards

Giving

The world says, The more you take, the more you have. Christ says, the more you give, the more you are.
      -- Frederick Buechner

God's Imagination

So much of our energy, time, and money goes into maintaining distance from one another. Many if not most of the resources of the world are used to defend ourselves against each other, to maintain or increase our power, and to safeguard our own privileged position.

Imagine all that effort being put in the service of peace and reconciliation! Would there be any poverty? Would there be crimes and wars? Just imagine that there was no longer fear among people, no longer any rivalry, hostility, bitterness, or revenge. Just imagine all the people on this planet holding hands and forming one large circle of love. We say, "I can't imagine." But God says, "That's what I imagine, a whole world not only created but also living in my image."

Unutterable Trust

Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us.
      -- Oswald Chambers

Leaving the Carpentry Shop

[Jesus] left because of you. He laid his security down with his hammer. ... Since he could bear your sins more easily than he could bear the thought of your hopelessness, he chose to leave. It wasn't easy. Leaving the carpentry shop never has been.

      -- Max Lucado

Facts

The historical facts around Christ's life are both outward and clear. Certainly the theological truths that define Jesus are sure. Yet the realities of faith are always a matter of the heart. The fullness of his great love defies definition, and yet the open glory of his salvation spills over the edges of our most private selves.

      -- Calvin Miller

Forgiveness

The ultimate proof of total forgiveness takes place when we sincerely petition the Father to let those who have hurt us off the hook -- even if they have hurt not only us, but also those close to us.
-- R. T. Kendall