In the Life of a Busy Woman: Quotable Quotes

Showing posts with label Quotable Quotes. Show all posts

As creatures, we have no right or reason to expect that at every point we shall be able to comprehend the wisdom of our Creator.

—J.I. Packer

journaling - the authentic me...

"...as a spiritual practice, journaling is really about authenticity...finding our unique self and personal call is at the heart of understanding our identity and purpose as Christians. Like the treasure hidden in a field, or the pearl of great price, journaling is the discovery born not out of what we know or have but out of our awareness of who we are and whose we are...God comes to the place where we are and says our name. Where are you? he asks."

Surely, God knows where we are, even when we are lost.

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?

to be out of your sight?

If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!

If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon,

You'd find me in a minute— you're already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!

At night I'm immersed in the light!"

It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

Psalm 139:8-12

Can I answer the question he asks of me today?

Luther Wishard

"I am willing to go anywhere, at anytime, and do anything for Jesus."

'I now know for sure that there is a long, hard journey ahead of me. It is the journey of leaving everything behind for Jesus' sake. I now know that there is a way of living, praying, being with people, caring, eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, and writing in which Jesus is truly the center.

How do I find it?

George gave me the answer, 'Be faithful in your adoration.' He did not say 'prayer' or 'meditation' or 'contemplation.' He kept using the word 'adoration.' This word makes it clear that all the attention must be on Jesus and not on me. To adore is to be drawn away from my own preoccupations into the presense of Jesus. It means letting go of what I want, desire, and have planned and fully trusting Jesus and his love.'

-Henri Nouwen

Rainer Maria Rilke

Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and books written in a foreign language. Do not look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live with them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.

from Letters to a Young Poet

Claude Hickman

"God clarifies in the midst of obedience - not beforehand."

"The Christian is not an unconcerned stroller along the byways of life.

He is not a tourist,
who returns each night to the place from which he starts;

he is a pilgrim who is forever on the way.

The goal is nothing less than the likeness of Christ."

-Williams Barclay, Letters to the Hebrews

I took comfort from these words today...

"Laughter and tears, love and loss, work and play - such words sum up the rhythm of life. Most of us will pass through each of these seasons at one point or another, perhaps repeatedly, because they are God's ordering for the human race in every single age and time. But as we pass through some of these purposes, we do not feel much like singing about it... We fight against the weeping, the mourning, the casting away, and the losing while striving to keep our lives entrenched in the laughter, the dancing, the embracing, and the peace.

The fight is quite natural, of course. We all prefer the mountaintops to the valleys. But the God who has ordered life to flow in and out of such seasons is the same God who has provided for our contentment in every season.

Contentment in the valleys comes when we stop fighting so hard to climb out. God is the one who leads us into the valleys, and he will lead us back out in his time... Trusting God in our hard times is the way to contentment - not just trusting him to get us out, but trusting his goodness while we are still in them."

-Lydia Brownback

The sweeping message of the Bible is not a promise that those who believe
and do good will not suffer. Instead the Bible is largely a book
about people who refused to let go of their faith in the face of suffering.

-Adam Hamilton

Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship

Here is an excerpt from Gail Caldwell's new book on friendship.

"It's an old, old story: I had a friend and we shared everything, and then she died and so we shared that, too.

"What am I supposed to do here?" I asked her aloud, by now accustomed to conversations with a dead best friend. "Am I just supposed to keep going?"

My life had made so much sense alongside hers: For years we had played the easy, daily game of catch that intimate connection implies. One ball, two gloves, equal joy in the throw and the return. Now I was in the field without her: one glove, no game.

Grief is what tells you who you are alone..."

Words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Christian constantly lives in a series of tensions between one reality and another. There is the tension between the reality of things that are and the things of faith. There is also the tension between being worldly wise and spiritually true; between being relevant and faithful; and between longing for heaven, yet working actively for change on earth.

These tensions will probably be permanent with us. But Christ's incarnation does point the way for us. There God embraced both the world and sought to redeem it.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Three reasons why you need to GUARD your heart...

Your heart is the most important leadership tool you have. It is not your experience, knowledge, or skills. It is your heart that matters most of all.

This is why as leaders we must be diligent to guard our hearts. King Solomon said it best: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

This is necessary for at least three reasons:

1. Because our hearts are extremely valuable. We don’t guard worthless things. I take my garbage to the street every Wednesday night. It is picked up on Thursday morning. It sits on the sidewalk all night, completely unguarded. Why? Because it is worthless.

Not so with your heart. It is the essence of who you are. It is your authentic self—the core of your being. It is where all your dreams, your desires, and your passions live. It is that part of you that connects with God and other people.

Just like your physical body, if your heart—your spiritual heart—dies, your leadership dies. This is why Solomon says, “Above all else.” He doesn’t say, “If you get around to it” or “It would be nice if.” No, he says, make it your top priority.

2. Because your heart is the source of everything you do. King Solomon says it is the “wellspring of life.” In other words, it is the source of everything else in your life. Your heart overflows into thoughts, words, and actions.

In Tennessee, where I live, we have thousands and thousands of natural springs, where water flows to the surface of the earth from deep under the ground. It then accumulates in pools or runs off into creeks and streams.

If you plug up the spring, you stop the flow of water. If you poison the water, the flow becomes toxic. In either situation, you threaten life downstream. Everything depends on the condition of the spring.

Likewise, if your heart is unhealthy, it has an impact on everything else. It threatens your family, your friends, your ministry, your career, and, indeed, your legacy. It is, therefore, imperative that you guard it.

3. Because your heart is under constant attack. When Solomon says to guard your heart, he implies that you are living in a combat zone—one in which there are casualties.

Many of us are oblivious to the reality of this war. We have an enemy who is bent on our destruction. He not only opposes God, but he opposes everything that is aligned with Him—including us.

I think that pastors are particularly vulnerable. An August 1, 2010 article in the New York Times reports that,

Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension, and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could.”

Satan uses all kinds of weapons to attack our heart. For me, these attacks often come in the form of some circumstance that leads to disappointment, discouragement, or even disillusionment. In these situations, I am tempted to quit—to walk off the field and surrender.

This is why if you and I are going to succeed as leaders—and survive as individuals—we must guard our hearts. They are more important than we can possibly imagine. If we lose heart, we have lost everything.

What was the last time your heart was attacked? How did you respond?

from Michael Hyatt - Intentional Leadership

There are times when God asks nothing of his children except silence, patience and tears.

—Charles Seymour Robinson

Mindfulness

The following passages are from Jeremy Langford, the director of communications for the Chicago and Detroit Provinces of the Jesuits. They appeared in Conversations Journal- a semi-annual publication dedicated to spiritual accompaniment and honest dialogue for those who long for radical transformation in Christ.

"Paradoxical as it may seem, spiritual transformation is about remembering and staying grounded rather than racing off to be someone else."

"Over the years I've learned a simple truth: God may be the same everywhere, but I am not. I'm busy and bothered, driven and distracted. From the moment I wake up until I go to sleep, I'm moving, thinking, directing, taking orders, assessing, and measuring progress..."

"Outward and communal disciplines such as friendship, spiritual direction, community, celebration, mercy, and service help us form a relationship with God that transforms what we do and how we live."

The 'sacrament of the present moment' by Jean-Pierre de Caussade,

"The Holy Spirit writes no more Gospels except in our hearts. All we do from moment to moment is live this new gospel of the Holy Spirit. We, if we are holy, are the paper; our sufferings and our actions are the ink. The workings of the Holy Spirit are his pen, and with it he writes a living gospel."

Praying for ... me.

I thought you’d be interested in reading several prayers Nancy Leigh DeMoss has prayed for herself over and over again through the years. Then, I’d love to hear what prayer(s) you regularly pray for yourself.

Nancy’s Personal Petitions:
•Guard my heart. Make and keep it pure. Protect me from the schemes and attacks of the Evil One.

•Fill me with Your love. Help me to love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Make me compassionate and sensitive to the needs of others around me.

•Fill me with Your Spirit. May I be emptied of myself and filled with Jesus. Anoint my life and ministry with supernatural power.

•Clothe me in humility. May I be poor in spirit. May I esteem all others as better than myself. May I not seek to impress others, but only to please You.

•Make me a servant. Help me to serve You with gladness; to render each act of service as unto Christ; to joyously accept even “menial” or “unfulfilling” responsibilities.

•Guard my tongue. May I speak only words that are true, words that help and heal, words that are wise and kind.

•Give me wisdom and discernment. Help me to see all of life from Your point of view. May my life be ruled by the wisdom of Your Word.

•Give me a grateful spirit. Help me to give thanks in everything. Help me to acknowledge and express the benefits and blessings that I have received from You and others. Protect me from a discontented heart and a murmuring tongue.

•Help me to walk by faith and not by sight. May my life show the world how great You are. May I be willing to step out in faith when I cannot see the outcome, and may my life not be explainable in human terms.

•Teach me the fear of the Lord. Help me to practice the conscious, constant awareness of Your presence. Help me to live my life in light of the final judgment and as one who will give account to You.

Desiring God

"YOU MIGHT THINK THAT your woundedness or your sinfulness is the truest thing about you. You might think that your giftedness or your personality type or your job title or your identity as husband or wife, mother or father, somehow defines you. But in reality, it is your desire for God and your capacity to reach for God that is the deepest essence of who you are."

-Ruth Haley Barton

Desiring God...

"The reason we do not see God is the faintness of our desire."

-Meister Eckhart

Watchman Nee

"To hold onto the plough while wiping our tears...

this is Christianity."

I can only keep trying

to be faithful,

even though I feel

faithless most of

the time.

What else can I do but

keep writing about you,

even though I feel numb,

to keep praying to you,

even though I feel dark,

to keep speaking in your name,

even when I feel alone.

Come, LORD Jesus, come.