My Capacity

"It is a harsh reality to realize my capacity to do harm (to myself or others) exceeds my capacity to make it right. But, God's capacity to redeem far exceeds my capacity to do harm." ~ John Iobst

Greatness...

“Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved.” ~ Marvin J. Ashton

Real Nobility

“The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self.” ~ Whitney Young

No Matter Your Past

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, no matter your past." ~ Kerry Willis

Inside Out

He comes into us and puts his life into us and turns us inside out. He enables us to give ourselves away, to choose to lay down our lives for other people." - Dennis F. Kinlaw

Superficial Peace

“It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn't call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace.” ~ Francis Chan (Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit)

Lay Up Treasure

"To lay up treasure on Earth is a thing as expressly and clearly forbidden by our Master as either adultery or murder." ~ John Wesley

You Are Not Alone

"As a follower of Jesus—whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances—you are not alone. He is with you in the midst of your service, in the face of uncertainty, or in the moment of crisis." ~ Jesse C. Middendorf

Unlimited Supply of Love

"Only God can supply that love that we must have for our fellowman. We will never build brotherhood of man upon earth until we are believers in Christ Jesus. The only true cohesive power in the world is Christ. He alone can bind human hearts together in genuine love." ~ Billy Graham

God's Provision

"If God calls on you today to share your resources with another, you must not say, “I can’t, Lord, because I don’t know where my own provisions are coming from.” Yes, you do know where they’re coming from. They’re coming from God. You may not know the form this provision will take, but you do know the Source. Like the poor widow who had no cash reserves, you know that God will take care of you, even if there are no visible resources." ~ Randy Alcorn

Spirit Led Cultures

"...when pastors and church leaders develop Spirit-led cultures that connect people to Christ, community and their calling, pastor and church staff burnout becomes obsolete as vibrant members of the body of Christ actively pray, grow, serve and give." ~ Jason Pankau and Michael Lee Stallard

Live Out HIS Teaching

“Jesus clearly instructed his followers that a crucial part of their Christian life was living out his teachings in everyday life and sharing the good news of faith with others. Not being willing to talk to my faith would mean disregarding his specific teaching.” ~ Ben Carson (Take the Risk, p. 132)

Choosing a Life...

"Following Jesus means choosing a life of self-sacrifice, self-denial, and service." ~ Kerry Willis

Because You Were There

"The mark of effective church is not how many people come, but how many people who live differently as a result of having been there!" ~ Priscilla Shirer

Potential for Good or Evil

"Water is a gift of God. Used properly, it gives life. Out of control, it floods, drowns, and destroys. Fire is a gift of God. Out of control, it brings horrible destruction and death. The greater a thing's potential for good when used rightly, the greater its potential for evil when used wrongly. So it is with money—it has vast potential to be used for either good or evil." ~ Randy Alcorn, (Money, Possessions and Eternity)

When Real Life Begins...

“For a long time it had 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 to still be served a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” ~ Alfred Souza

Definition of Church

"Jesus’ definition of church is “the called out ones who are sent.” That’s what church means." ~ David Busic

Performance Vs. Worship

"Performance has replaced worship. We no longer have worshipers but rather observers and spectators who sit in awe of the performance.....Just because you tack the word 'worship' onto a phrase does not mean that it is worship acceptable to God." ~ A.W. Tozer

Don't Delay

"There may be some issue where God is calling you to surrender. I don’t know what you may be struggling with, but whatever it is, let me just encourage you: Don’t delay obedience." ~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Where, O Death Is Your Victory?

"Remember that the state has only one power it can use against human beings: death. The state can persecute you, prosecute you, imprison you, exile you and execute you. All of these mean the same thing. The state can consign you to death. The grace of Jesus Christ in this life is that death fails. There is nothing the state can do to you, or to me, which we need fear." ~ William Stringfellow

53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 (NIV)

Christ in Us

We don't have a clear sense of ourselves until we define ourselves based on Christ in us, the hope of glory. ~ Kerry Willis 

The Attitude Factor

“Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.” ~ William James 

Role of Worship

"The other role of worship is to keep the community so God-centered that the euphoria of being used by God doesn’t replace intimacy with God Himself." ~ Will Mancini (Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement) 

Our Security...

"All the things we cling to for security are the things that God wants to disrupt. We must learn to let go of those things, lay down our life, pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Christianity works best in the tension of letting go so we can receive--of seeking to lose our life so we can find it" ~ Ralph Moore

Meaning to Life

"Unfulfilled desire is a good condition, for it gives meaning to life and drives us to live." ~ Elmer Towns

Are You Too Busy?

“One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.” ~ Elizabeth Elliot

Do You Really Know the Savior?

"Modern Christians are so committed to their own personal peace and affluence that they never get to really know God." ~ Francis Schaeffer

He Came to...

"We need to dispense with the idea that Jesus came to affirm everyone and take hold of the idea that He came to radically reorient people, kingdoms, and cultures." ~ Chris Tiegreen

Leave It

"To truly be with Jesus, we must leave something behind. But it's something we will never miss." ~ Kerry Willis

Pardon...

"Pardon divorces the past from the future, and pours the light of God upon a human soul. The same hand puts away the night and opens heaven with a new dawn." ~ Phineas F. Bresee

Don't Dig Up in Doubt...

“Don’t dig up in doubt what you have planted in faith.”

“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” ~ Elizabeth Elliot

A Seer of Truth...

"...and now she truly was-a seer of truth, of love, of worthy; a beautiful daughter who saw her own intrinsic value. She felt like she held a secret that everyone needed to hear." ~ Rachelle Dekker (The Choosing)

My Redeemer

"God is not the cause of everything, but the redeemer of anything." ~ Harnish

In His Steps

"It is assumed of Jesus' followers that they will follow Him wherever He goes. And He goes to places like the cross." ~ Chris Tiegreen

How to Enjoy Life

"If they could understand that they have a strong identity apart from anything they do or possess. . .that they are powerful people, and then if they could understand their identity in Christ, and bring their identity under the lordship of Jesus Christ, that's an unbeatable combination to be able to stay out of the victim's chair and live life not as a victim of life, but enjoy life." ~ Larry Fine

It's Not Over Yet...

"The Scripture says that God will show up. Sometimes it doesn't feel like He will and sometimes it doesn't look like He will, but Hosea 6 promises that 'as sure as the sun rises, He will appear.' Hang in there. Your story isn't over yet. The sun rose today, and though you may not feel or see it, God is on the move as well." ~ Lee Younger

Actions Speak Loudest

“Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them, day after day.” ~ Arthur Gordon

Go and Tell

"Jesus has called us to go and tell, not go and sell the gospel." ~ Don Wellman

Be Holy

"The first thing I need to understand about Jesus is His holiness. Our God is holy; our Lord Jesus Christ is holy; and we call the Spirit the Holy Spirit. Holiness also needs to be one of our qualities as Christians. As God is holy, so are we to be holy." ~ A.W. Tozer

Who to Love...What to Hate...

You know that thing we like to say - "Love the sinner; hate the sin." I've decided I don't like it.   It's the specificity of it. That "the" in each phrase. Why just that sinner and that sin?

It should be "Love sinners; hate sin." But even then, since every person has sinned at least once, qualifying all of us as sinners, I think it should say, "Love people; hate sin."

And the sin I should be most concerned about -- the sin I should hate the most -- is the sin in my own self. That's where my focus should lie first. The Bible says so when it says to see to the log in my eye first. And when I've finally got all the sin in my own life well in hand (ha!), I can start concerning myself about the sin in you. 

That brings it down to "Love people; hate my sin." That's what I'm choosing.

~ Kay Day

Spiritual Beings

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin