I’m so weary of the kind of Christianity that is so convinced it is going extinct that it is willing to abandon all the teachings of Jesus in order to “win” by “any means necessary.” This is not only a belief deeply rooted in fear, it is also a belief that deeply...
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.---------------------------------------------------Gender-neutral version: I count one braver who overcomes one's desires than one who conquers one's...
Raising children who are hopeful and who have the courage to be vulnerable means stepping back and letting them experience disappointment, deal with conflict, learn how to assert themselves, and have the opportunity to fail. If we’re always following our children into...
The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.
It is not the critic who counts. ... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly ... who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall...
Who can stay awake in this night of God? Who will not be as if paralyzed by it? Jesus' friends were protected from its terrors by a profound sleep. Luke, the doctor, and other witnesses speak of a "bloody sweat" which fell on the ground from the wakeful, imploring...
To our most bitter opponents we say: "We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you. We cannot in all good conscience...
Why should we find fault that God wants to extend the redemptive processes? Should that not be a cause of great rejoicing to us? If it's such a joy to win a soul on earth, why would it be any less of a joy to win it in the life hereafter? Would it really not be...
Worship celebrates God’s saving deed in Jesus Christ. This kind of worship is not a goal-driven worship, but a Christ-driven worship. And when Christ is the center of worship, all the goals of worship are achieved: Christ-centered worship educates, evangelizes, heals,...
Worship dare not be glib or superficial, ought not to dispense false assurances or manipulate emotions. Instead, genuine worship always offers the true hope of the Gospel—neither entertainment nor escapism, neither diversion nor another sort of consumerism, but the...