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.
When he was still an atheist, Lewis had an awful time accepting the central nature of God in the Bible. He called God's demands for praise the soundings of an old woman seeking compliments for herself. That's how the Psalms sounded to him, when he read repeatedly, "Praise the Lord." Such continual repetition for praise seemed remarkably vain. Yet, as Lewis had a change in heart toward God, he realized that he had made a simple but profound error on the nature of praise. Said Lewis: The most obvious fact about praise--whether of God or anything--strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. . . The world rings with praise--lovers praising their [loved one], readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside. . .My whole, more general difficulty about the praise of God depended on my. . . denying. . . what we delight to do, what indeed we can't help doing, about everything else we value. . . .I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; [praise] is [enjoyment�s] appointed consummation. . . . The delight is incomplete till it is expressed.
My success so far has only been won by absolute indifference to my future career.
Fortune does not change men; it unmasks them. – Suzanne Necker, 1739-1794
One sword keeps another in the sheath. – George Herbert, 1651
Has anybody here seen “The Last Samurai?” That’s a great movie. I love samurais. I love ninja, too. But I really love samurai. There’s something cool about them—they’re these fierce warriors who live by a strict code of honor and assiduously cultivate their artistic sides. They do calligraphy and painting and poetry and all sorts of cool stuff. I think that’s one of the reasons that King David of Israel is one of my favorite heroes. He’s like a Jewish samurai. I mean think about it—this is a guy who leads the way in warfare no matter what the odds, who is passionately devoted to virtue and values, and who is one of the most famous poets in all of history. He’s totally a samurai. Now here’s the amazing thing. In Acts 13:22 we read God’s opinion of David, the warrior king of Israel: “‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; ” That’s cool—God likes samurais, too.