“Run to the roar. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-given passions. Go after a dream . . . destined to fail without divine intervention.”- excerpt from “The Lion-Chaser’s Manifesto,” Mark Batterson Mark Batterson wrote Chase the Lion as a sequel to his firstborn book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. In Chapter 1 […]
“Live in God’s love like a fish lives in water.”- Ron Luce Ron Luce begins Chapter 9 (“God’s Dysfunctional Children”) of Resilient by emphasizing that we need a right understanding of our relationship with God in order to be resilient is all situations. God made us so that our greatest need is love- the very […]
“The remedy for the ‘theology of complacency’ is simple- fall in love with Jesus.”- Ron Luce In Chapter 4 (The “Theology of Complacency”) of Resilient, Ron Luce asserts that complacency dulls our spiritual senses. As a result, complacency causes us to misunderstand the faith. Most noteworthy, Ron explains, Christ then becomes more enabler than master: […]
“Feel- good Christianity — a faith in which we only follow the Lord, obey His commands, and read His Word when we feel like it.”- Ron Luce In Chapter 1 (“Feel- Good Faith”) of Resilience: Bounce Back Stronger- No Matter What Knocks You Down, Ron Luce states that, in order to build the type of […]
“Resilience . . . the grace to remain strong after going through something that almost breaks you.”- Ron Luce “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”- Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) Ron Luce, president and founder of Teen Mania Ministries, wrote Resilience in response to a plane crash that took the lives of four […]
“Intercessory prayer . . . acknowledges our inability and God’s ability. We come with empty hands but high hopes.”- Max Lucado Max Lucado begins Chapter 7 (“They Need Help”) of Before Amen with a three-part question. What can you do when: the challenge is greater than you are? the hurt is palpable? you feel helpless […]
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see that earnestness this godly grief has produced in you . . .”- 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 In Chapter 6 of Before Amen, Max Lucado observes that tattoo parlors need a sign over the entrance: Think before you […]
” ‘Some assembly required.’ Not the most welcome sentence, but an honest one.”- Max Lucado Max Lucado begins Chapter 4 (“I Need Help”) of Before Amen by observing that life comes as an unassembled gift. Therefore, rather than force the pieces of life to fit, take those pieces to Jesus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, took that […]
“God’s unrivaled goodness undergirds everything else we can say about prayer.”- Max Lucado “Before you face the world, face your Father.”- Max Lucado In Chapter 3 (“You Are Good”) of Before Amen, Max Lucado tells of a recent flight he took the encountered extreme turbulence. However, Max remained calm because he knew the pilot- a […]
“Forget greatness; seek littleness. Trust more, strut less.”- Max Lucado Max Lucado begins Chapter 2 (“Father . . . Daddy”) of Before Amen by telling of the time his eldest daughter, Jenna, flubbed her piano piece at a recital. Midway through her piece, she forgot the next part. When her mental block broke, she completed […]
“Oceans will part, nations come, at the whisper of Your call. Hope will rise, glory shown, in my life Your will be done.”- Hillsong United “When you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ “- Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) […]
“Prayer is the hand of faith on the door handle of your heart. The willing pull. The happy welcome to Jesus.”- Max Lucado In Chapter 1 (“The Pocket Prayer”) of Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer, Pastor Max Lucado states that “we all pray . . . some.” However, Max asks, wouldn’t we […]