These are quotes which stood out to me, possibly for use in a sermon someday. Their presence here does not mean I agree with them, it merely shows that I might want to reference them later. The default view is five random selections. Use the tag list on the right to view all quotes relevant to that theme.
Don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water.
When we talk of a man doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what that is really like. It is like a small child going to his father and saying, "Daddy, give ME a sixpence to buy YOU a birthday present." Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child's present. It is all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction. -C.S. Lewis this is where Sixpence None The Richer got their name
I was looking up a baseball stat recently and in the "lifetime achievements" section I came across a list with some rather impressive names on it. At the top of the list was Reggie Jackson. His name was followed by Willie Stargell. Also on the list, near the top, were Jose Canseco, Tony Perez, Mickey Mantle, Sammy Sosa, and Willie Mays. Do you know what lifetime achievement this list represented? The most strikeouts. Can you believe it? Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays. These three men combined struck out almost 6,000 times. And yet, that's not the legacy they left to the game; each left a legacy of greatness. A key to that legacy can be found in the fact that they kept stepping up to the plate. Even when the number of strikeouts were piling up, even when the slumps extended game after game, even when their failure caused their team to lose games, even when disgruntled fans called them "overpaid bums"—they kept stepping up to the plate. The wisest man who ever lived wrote these words... Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. (Proverbs 24:16) You may have a string of strikeouts behind you, and you may feel as though you're on the verge of setting the world's record for failure. Keep stepping up to the plate. No matter how many times you miss, if you keep swinging you'll eventually make contact.
It has been said that there are three kinds of lies: white lies, black lies, and sermon illustrations.
When we see a crane or heron standing motionless on the shore of a lake or pond, we might think it is meditating on the beauty of the water. But this is not so! The bird stands there for hours without moving, but as soon as it sees a frog or small fish, it darts forward and greedily snatches it. Many people have the same approach to prayer and meditation. Seated on the shore of the boundless ocean of God's love, they actually give no thought to his majesty or to the divine grace that cleanses us from sin and satisfies the hungry soul. Instead, they are consumed by the thought of receiving something for themselves, some morsel to gratify their self-indulgence. Having visited the very source of true peace and bliss, they fail to appreciate it and instead give themselves to fleeting pleasures. The essence of prayer does not consist in asking for things, but in opening one's heart to God.