Eternal Purpose

"Every moment of our journey was for an eternal purpose. Compared to what we have now, yesterday's woes are so insignificant!" ~ Joy McClain, From Waiting for His Heart

Revival Changes Everything

“Heaven-sent revival changes everything. It is like a wildfire of God’s work raging through your life, your family, your church, and then, through all of culture.” ~ Dan Jarvis (One Cry)

Role Models

"Spiritually strong fathers are role models in the home and in the community." ~ J.K. Warrick

Chalk Circle

“With a piece of chalk, draw a circle round yourself. There, on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival within that chalk circle.” ~ Rodney “Gypsy” Smith (1860–1947)

Work of God

“God works this unspeakable mystery of entire sanctification in your life and mine. People try to seek the experience of entire sanctification in ways other than God’s way; but the wonderful Spirit of God will remove confusion and enable us to see that the only means to obtain the experience of entire sanctification by faith is the grace of God.” ~ Oswald Chambers

Revival Is...

"Revival is the moving of God's Spirit, through the power of His Word, to the hearts of His children, that resurrects to new life those areas which have been lying stagnant, dormant, or out of balance, and that results in new love and obedience to Jesus Christ." ~ Del Fehsenfeld Jr.

The High Road

"A heart fully surrendered to Christ has no room for selfish behavior. It takes the high road, even if the going gets rough." ~ Jesse Middendorf

A Prayer...

"Oh my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are worthy of all my love. I forgive all who have injured me, and I ask pardon for all whom I may have injured. Amen." ~ A prayer from John Wesley, as quoted in Ashes To Fire, Year C

Solitary is Cummunal

‎"But anyone trying to live a spiritual life will soon discover that the most personal is the most universal, the most hidden is the most public, and the most solitary is the most communal. What we live in the most intimate places of our beings is not just for us but for all people. That is why our inner lives are lives for others. That is why our solitude is a gift to our community, and that is why our most secret thoughts affect our common life." ~ Henri Nouwen

Praise Transforms

"...So praise, My children, and never cease in your praising, for in the midst of it I will manifest Myself, and you will understand that when I demand of you your praises it is for your highest good.

Out of praises come courage, faith, strength, optimism, clarity and peace.

Out of praises come health and happiness and the soul satisfaction men seek in the world and do not find.

Praise will transform the humblest dwelling to a hallowed haven. It will light the countenance and make the plainest face beautiful.

It is impossible for the man who has learned unceasing praise to be a failure. God's blessings attends his path, and God's Spirit rules his heart.

~ Francis J. Roberts (On the Highroad of Surrender)

What God Requires

"It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment." ~ Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest)

What Do You Believe?

‎"If we believe things about God that aren't true, we are laying a faulty foundation for our lives that will sooner or later crack.

What we believe about God ultimately determines the way that we live."

~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Actions Speak Louder

"With Jesus, actions always speak louder than words—look no further than the cross." ~ J. Dickerson

Love & Respect

‎"Did you know that even if we are married to an unresponsive spouse we can still show love and respect to him or her as, 'unto Christ'? Believers in Christ need this reminder: at the end of life, we will stand before Christ and He will evaluate how we treated Him based on how we treated our spouse. In principle, we are to apply in our marriage the principle Jesus taught in Matthew 25:40 - 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' " ~ Emerson Eggerichs (Love and Respect)

Prayer of George Washington

"I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept of me for the merits of thy son Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple, and compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense; and as thou wouldst hear me calling upon thee in my prayers, so give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God & guide this day and for ever for his sake, who ay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen." ~ George Washington's prayer (President from 1789-1797)

Transformed Into God's Likeness

"I want to go deeper before I go farther, and as I go farther, I must become more and more transformed into the likeness of God by worshiping Him more fully and more constantly." ~ J. B. Chapman

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Romans 12:2 (NIV 1984)

Be a Pilgrim

"To be a pilgrim means
to be on the move, slowly
to notice your luggage becoming lighter
to be seeking for treasures that do not rust
to be comfortable with your heart's questions
to be moving toward the holy ground of home
with empty hands and bare feet."

~ Macrina Wiederkehr

Without Pride or Despair

"Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair." 
~ Blaise Pascal

Worship ... Don't Sink

‎"Worship and fellowship with God in the morning actually make it difficult to walk right out in the world and commit some transgressions.Knowing that we've just been in the presence of the Lord of creation, and that we're carrying Him with us, makes it very difficult to sink to our lowest levels. *The best escape Jesus provides is His own embrace.* " ~ David Jeremiah (Slaying the Giants in Your Life)

Drifting...

“People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance …We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation…we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.” ~ D.A. Carson

Sloth

“Sloth is the burial of a living man.” ~ Seneca

Every Year You Live, My Daughter

‎"Let us strive, every year we live, to become more deeply acquainted with Scripture." ~ J.C. Ryle

You Matter and Have a Purpose!

"You are an integral part of God's plan for humanity, and the quality of your life is directly connected to fulfilling the purpose God has for you. When you stay true to God's course - even though you won't know how all the steps along the way fit together - you'll discover that purpose." ~ Marcia Ford (from her book ~ Essentials for Life for Women)

Our Genealogy

"...And many years from now, when most of us are a few generations removed from the land of the living, even our descendants probably won't know our vocation, ...For all practical purposes, the only thing we did that will matter to them is that we chose to have sons and daughters, with the result that they're alive and they walk the face of the earth." ~ Gary Thomas (Sacred Parenting)

Purpose of Getting Married and Having Babies

"Let's accept that both marriage and parenting provide many good moments while also challenging us to the very root of our being. Let's admit that family life tries us as perhaps nothing else does; but let's also accept that, for the most of us, this is God's call and part of his plan to perfect us. Once we realize that we are sinners, that the children God has given us are sinners, and that together, as a family, we are to grew toward God, then family life takes on an entirely new purpose and context. It becomes a sacred enterprise when we finally understand that God can baptize dirty diapers, toddler's tantrums, and teenager's' silence in order to transform m us into people who more closely resemble Jesus Christ." ~ Gary Thomas (Sacred Parenting)

Your Relationship with Jesus

"In the ultimate sense, your marriage has nothing to do with your spouse. It has everything to do with your relationship to Jesus Christ." ~ Emerson Eggerichs

Your Reaction Is Under Your Control

"No matter how difficult your spouse may be at the moment, your spouse does not have control over your reaction; you do. You may be experiencing disappointment, frustration, or anger, but you always have a choice." ~ Emerson Eggerichs,

Significance and Security are from God

"When you look to God and His Word as your ultimate source of significance and security, you don't demand that your spouse take that role in your life. And as you draw strength from the Lord individually, He draws you closer together as a couple." ~ Emerson Eggerichs

Called to...

“But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.”
― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Communicate Simply

"In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand. Communicate clearly. Communicate Simply. ~ John C. Maxwell 

Unique Ability

‎"A wife has the unique ability to help her husband feel the freedom to reach his fullest potential as the man God has created him to be." ~ Janel Breitenstein

Considering Marriage...

"When considering marriage, ask yourself: Will this person help me run the race God has laid out before me, or will they act like an anchor dragging at my feet?" ~ Gary Thomas (The Sacred Search)

Is Your Marriage Sacred?

"The key question is this: Will we approach marriage from a God-centered view or a man-centered view? In a man-centered view, we will maintain our marriage as long as our earthly comforts, desires, and expectations are met. In a God-centered view, we preserve our marriage because it brings glory to God and points a sinful world to a reconciling Creator." ~ Gary Thomas (Sacred Marriage)

I Wonder

I Wonder
Derek Tasker

I wonder what would happen if
I treated everyone like I was in love
with them, whether I like them or not
and whether they respond or not and no matter
what they say or do to me and even if I see
things in them which are ugly twisted petty
cruel vain deceitful indifferent, just accept
all that and turn my attention to some small
weak tender hidden part and keep my eyes on
that until it shines like a beam of light
like a bonfire I can warm my hands by and trust
it to burn away all the waste which is not
never was my business to meddle with.

Source: Pilgrimage, An Exploration Into God, by Ivor Smith-Cameron

Actions Speak Loudest

"As his earthly ambassadors, our words and actions are the very instruments he uses to minister to others." ~ Jesse C. Middendorf

The Future You

“The person who makes a vow, makes an appointment with himself at some distant time or place.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

It Is All About Me

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Called to Serve

"God has called us to a lifetime of servanthood. When we’re used to being served, and when we don’t go out of our way to serve others, we can’t be Christlike, because he’s a servant." ~ Randy Alcorn

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” ~ Mark 10:45 (ESV)

Do You Listen?

"The first service one owes to others in the community involves listening to them. Just as our love for God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for other Christians is learning to listen to them. … We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them. So often Christians, especially preachers, think that their only service is always to have to “offer” something when they are together with other people. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people seek a sympathetic ear and do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking even when they should be listening. But Christians who can no longer listen to one another will soon no longer be listening to God either; they will always be talking even in the presence of God." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer (40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007 Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.)

19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ~ James 1:19-20 (NIV 1984)

He Is the Purifier

"Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior, the Cleanser. He is the Purifier, the Healer. He is the Sight-giver and the Life-giver. He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life!" ~ A. W. Tozer

Tithes and Offerings

"Our tithes and offerings are a tangible sign of our desire to live wholly for God. They are an expression of gratitude, worship, and praise. They demonstrate that we put God first in our lives. They are an investment in God’s work through the church. And, without a doubt, they please God." ~ Hamilton

Celtic Prayer

Lord of my heart,
give me wisdom to direct me, that thinking or acting,
I may always discern right from wrong.
give me courage to strengthen me, that amongst friends or enemies,
I may always proclaim your justice.
give me trust to console me, that hungry or well-fed,
I may always rely on your mercy.
save me from empty praise, that I may always boast of you.
save me from worldly wealth, that I may always look to the riches of heaven.
save me from military prowess, that I may always seek your protection.
save me from vain knowledge, that I may always study your word.
save me from unnatural pleasures,
that I may always find joy in your wonderful creation.
Heart of my own heart,
whatever may befall me,
rule over my thoughts and feelings,
my words and action.

~ Celtic Prayer

Holiness ~ Get Alone with God

‎"Nowhere can we get to know the holiness of God, and come under His influence and power, except in the inner chamber. It has been well said: 'No man can expect to make progress in holiness who is not often and long alone with God.'" ~ Andrew Murray

Holiness

‎"Nowhere can we get to know the holiness of God, and come under His influence and power, except in the inner chamber. It has been well said: 'No man can expect to make progress in holiness who is not often and long alone with God.'" ~ Andrew Murray

Decisions

"Some days the realities of life cause us to step back and make decisions we weren’t expecting to make. God walks with us through that process." ~ C. Hosher

Don't Major in the Trivial

"The sad reality is that when we get married for trivial reasons, we will seek divorce for trivial reasons. We need something much more lasting on which to base a lifelong commitment—one that even has eternal implications." ~ Gary Thomas (The Sacred Search)

Becoming One in Marriage

"The self-disclosure and selflessness of becoming one is what individuals fear most about marriage, but when achieved, it’s what spiritually mature couples enjoy most." ~ Gary Thomas

Who Are You?

"Some people ask who they are and expect their feelings to tell them. But feelings are flickering flames that face after every fitful stimulus. Some people ask who they are and expect their achievements to tell them. But the things we accomplish always leave a core of character unrevealed. Some people ask who they are and expect visions of their ideal self to tell them. But our visions can only tell us what we want to be, not what we are." ~ Lewis Smedes

Love Your Neighbor

"Whomever God places in your path today is your neighbor and he wants to love that person through you." ~ Jesse Middendorf

Hope for the Future

"Our most precious resources, our greatest hope for the future, are the minds and hearts of our people, especially our children." ~ President Ronald Reagan

Prayer

"Lay any burden on me,
only sustain me;
Send me anywhere,
only go with me;
Sever any tie but the
one that bids me to
Thy service and Thy heart."

~ Harmon Schmelzenbach

True Prayer

Every true prayer is a variation on the theme, "Your will be done." Our Master taught us to say this in the pattern prayer he gave us, and added the supreme example of it in Gethsemane. ~ John Stott

Divine Drama

"No matter how you've been defined by your race, class or culture, you and your story are incredibly valuable to God. The whole grand narrative of your life rings with meaning. Each moment is part of a divine drama." ~ Bayard Taylor

Perspective...

‎"Someday Mimi will know that the scary mommy-leap was by far the better option than hitting the floor. Someday we will see with an eternal perspective how God rescued us, and from what. I scared her because I love her. Not because I wanted to scare her, or took any delight in her fear. She simply didn’t have any other context for what I did. Her limited perspective of my love is a tiny glimpse of how limited my perspective is when it comes to God’s love for me." ~ Margaret Dell

Put Away Malice and Wickedness

"Almighty Father, who has given your only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." ~ John Wesley

Meaning of Christmas

Commercialization has obscured the meaning of Christmas. The commercial has become more important than the carol. What man has to sell more important than what God has given. ~
Anonymous

What Do You Believe?

"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life or death to you." ~ C. S. Lewis

Where Is God Found?

“If it is I who determine where God is to be found, then I shall always find a God who corresponds to me in some way…But if God determines where he is to be found, then it will be in a place which is not at all congenial to me…whoever would find him must go to the foot of the Cross...This is not according to our nature at all, it is entirely contrary to it. But this is the message of the Bible.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I Believe in ...

You've probably heard the expression “I believe in God, just not organized religion.” I don't think people would say that if the church truly lived like we are called to live. ~ Francis Chan

Confront Selfishness

"Any situation that calls me to confront my selfishness has enormous spiritual value." ~ Gary Thomas (Sacred Marriage)

Marriage to the Glory of God

"We can use the challenges, joys, struggles, and celebrations of marriage to draw closer to God and to grow in Christian character." ~ Gary Thomas (Sacred Marriage)

God's Call

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." ~ Frederick Buechner
(Wishful Thinking)

Handicapped People

‎"Maybe the really handicapped people are the ones who wake up in the morning, hit the alarm, take a quick shower, scarf down breakfast, give God a speedy tip of a hat of a quiet time, and then zoom out the door on automatic cruise control." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

God's Will

‎"To pray effectively, you must pray with submission to the will of God." ~ Charles Finney (How to Experience Revival)

Accountability

"Some time when the river is ice ask me
mistakes I have made. Ask me whether
what I have done is my life. Others
have come in their slow way
into my thought, and some have tried to help
or to hurt: ask me what difference
their strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say."

~ William Stafford (The Language of Life edited by Bill Moyers)

Routine Helps

"It’s easier to breathe life back into a lifeless routine than to get life where there’s no routine established at all." ~ Nancy Leigh Demoss, on having a devotional life

Help Someone...

No one can help everyone, but everyone can help someone.