“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 […]
“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 […]
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”- Romans 8:28 Max Lucado begins Chapter 9 (“All Things Work for Good”) of More to Your Story by observing that we’ve all asked questions about how adversity plays a part in […]
“During a season of blocked doors, we can grow frustrated.”- Max Lucado In Chapter 8 (“The Right Doors Open”) of More to Your Story, Pastor Max Lucado tells of a problem with Molly, the Lucado’s nine-year- old golden retriever. When Molly wants out of the house, she scratches the door. As a result, marks decorate […]
“The Holy Spirit is a year-round resident in the hearts of his children. As God’s story becomes our story, his power becomes our power.”- Max Lucado In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”- Ephesians 1:13 Max […]
“Welcome to the vest system. Hard to hide it. Harder still to discard it. But we work at doing so. Emphasis on the word work.”- Max Lucado “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removes our transgressions from us.”- Psalm 103:12 In Chapter 5 of More to Your Story, […]