“[Jesus] is the Man in the middle of all our interpersonal pain in the faith family. And every loss of an illusion and every gain of a reality is actually an opportunity to fellowship with Him, our Savior and First Love. . . . Our true hope is not the family of God; it is […]
“We want to be like Jesus, but our understanding of what Jesus is like may be in need of repair. Instead of ‘truly God and truly man,’ perhaps our definition of the Incarnation is more often mostly God with a dash of man. . . . A skewed view of Jesus can actually contribute to […]
“Don’t hold on to the miracle; hold on to the miracle worker.”- Sheila Walsh “Then Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, ‘Unwrap him and let him go!’ Many of the people who were with […]
“And you? Are you somewhere between the two fires? Have your fumbles and stumbles left you questioning your place in God’s plan? If so, let this story (Jesus reinstates Peter – John 21:15-19) remind you that Christ is not finished with you either. . . . Jesus went on a search and rescue mission for […]
“Jesus was ultimately a suffering servant, but He lived out this truth from a place of choice — not because He was shamed into it. Read that again. He invites us to live from this place of freedom too. . . . Certainly, the Bible shows us that God absolutely hardwired us for connection. But […]
“Building your heart capacity with Jesu and letting Him take more real estate inside is the most important thing you can do while breathing on the planet.”-Christa Black Gifford “If the enemy can’t penetrate your peace, he doesn’t know what to do with you.”- Graham Cooke As Christa Black Gifford concludes Chapter 8 of Heart […]
“If the Living Word is a person named Jesus, who forever connected us to the Father and released the Spirit of Truth to live within our hearts, then it makes much more sense to stop, wait, and listen to Him before we listen to fear.”- Christa Black Gifford “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing […]
“Sometimes people say, ‘It’s not about you; it’s about others.’ That’s not wrong, but it does’t go far enough. I don’t think it’s even about others; it’s about Jesus. It’s all about Him (emphasis author’s).”- Banning Liebscher “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have […]
“People would rather debate doctrine or beliefs or tradition or interpretation rather than actually do what Jesus said.”- John Ortberg “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.”- James 1:22 (NRSV) John Ortberg concludes Chapter 8 of The Me I Want to Be as he discusses the importance of memorizing Scripture. Rather than making […]
“Keeping heaven on our minds is healthy for our souls.”- Pastor Judah Smith “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”- Colossians 3:2-3 In Chapter 10 (“Heaven”) of How’s Your Soul?, Judah Smith states that […]
“In almost an instant our souls can go from being buoyant to being four inches from capsizing.”- Judah Smith “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.”- Hebrews 6:19-20 (NIV) In […]
“So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.”- Hebrews 12:13 Today John Ortberg looks at the second reason we’re tempted to give up searching for the door when the wall seems insurmountable. 2. God is not good enough. Pastor Ortberg states we become afraid God will […]