Compromise

The word “compromise” is seen as such a dirty word by many in our society, but virtually every relationship, if it is to continue and grow, must embody compromise in some shape or form. Giving way, for the right reasons, can be a form of saying, “I love you.” It’s proof that we’re willing to give ground for no other reason than that we value the ongoing relationship more than we do asserting our rights, preferences, or wishes. Compromise is the cement of fellowship. ~ Gary Thomas (from Sacred Marriage)

Yearning for and Fear of Love

"Each person with his or her history of being accepted or rejected, with his or her past history of inner pain and difficulties in relationships, is different. But in each one there is a yearning for communion and belonging, but at the same time a fear of it. Love is what we most want, yet it is what we fear the most." ~ Jean Vanier

To Really Belong

"To really belong to one another and to depend on one another–to really share a common destiny–is difficult for a community that wants to be diverse. It is also the community’s only hope of survival. Whether or not we will be honest with each other, whether or not we will let ourselves be truly known, determines everything." ~ N. Gordon Cosby

...through suffering

"To be a Christian, one must take up his cross, with all of its difficulties and agonizing and tension-packed content, and carry it until that very cross leaves its mark upon us, and redeems us to that more excellent way which comes through suffering." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

At Risk

"Welcoming the stranger puts oneself and one’s community at risk. At best, the stranger is disruptive, bringing strange ideas and new, even wrong, ways of doing things. At worst, the stranger is dangerous, bringing disease, dishonor or violence. Welcoming the stranger is risky: everyone will be changed, host and guest alike…. And we cannot know ahead of time what the changes will be." ~ Amy Oden

Giving that Transforms

"Scripture (Matthew 6:19-20) calls us to break the pattern of laying up treasures for ourselves. Could we accept a challenge of putting a cap on how much of our income we use for ourselves and give every dollar we earn above that cap to Kingdom purposes? In his book The Great Omission, Steve Saint, says some of the "heaviest crowns in heaven" will be worn by hardworking men and women who deny themselves what society says they "deserve" to help finance Great Commission Work. ~ Howard Culbertson (Giving that Transforms)

Where Is Your Treasure?

"It's far too common today for believers to acquire the biggest home and the most expensive car they can borrow money for. Those believers' finances get tied up in mortgage payments, car payments, and every other kind of payment, resulting in them not seeing how they can give much for world evangelism." ~ Howard Culberton (Giving that Transforms)

In the Face of Suffering...

"Believers in God find strength from their faith in the face of suffering . . . they have the hope that comes from knowing that, with God by their side, the tragedy they are facing is never the final word." ~ Hamilton

Find Contentment

"...finding contentment could be far more rewarding than searching for happiness." ~ Christian Rath (as quoted by Howard Culbertson in Giving that Transforms)

Embrace Quietness

"Embracing quietness is a skill many of us have to learn. But when we do, a peace like none other washes over us. Often it is during those quiet times that we hear the promptings of God in our hearts. Learning to be quiet is a necessary part of living simply." ~ Aimee Curtis (Live Simply)

Rest of the Mind

"True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment." ~ William Penn

Community Can Be Terrible

"Community can be a terrible place because it is a place of relationship; it is the revelation of our wounded emotions and of how painful it can be to live with others, especially with ‘some people.’ It is so much easier to live with books and objects, television, or dogs and cats! It is so much easier to live alone and just do things for others, when one feels like it…. While we are alone, we could believe we loved everyone." ~ Jean Vanier

Evangelize

"Woe to you if you do not evangelize." ~ C. S. Lewis

Are You Willing to Be Interrupted?

"If we are too focused on nonessentials - as is so easy to do - how can we be the conduits of grace we are called to be? Let's be willing to be interrupted, so to speak, so that Christ can make himself known through us to a hurting world." ~ Aimee Curtis (Living Simply)

Final Settlement

"Entire sanctification is primarily the final settlement of the sin question." ~ P. F. Bresee

Bless Others

"Another way we can make sure our priorities are in order is to share with others. When we acknowledge that what we have is not our own, God can bless others through the blessings He gives us." ~ Aimee Curtis (Live Simply)

Praise Transforms

"...So praise, My children, and never cease in your praising, for in the midst of it I will manifest Myself, and you will understand that when I demand of you your praises it is for your highest good.

Out of praises come courage, faith, strength, optimism, clarity and peace.

Out of praises come health and happiness and the soul satisfaction men seek in the world and do not find.

Praise will transform the humblest dwelling to a hallowed haven. It will light the countenance and make the plainest face beautiful.

It is impossible for the man who has learned unceasing praise to be a failure. God's blessings attends his path, and God's Spirit rules his heart.

~ Francis J. Roberts (On the Highroad of Surrender)

Does It Really Matter?

So much of what we fuss over is fleeting and of no eternal value. But when we invest in the life of a person, that will last forever. And as we learn to live with less "stuff,"the more time we will have to spend on people. It's a wonderful cycle. ~ Aimee Curtis (Live Simply)

True Strength

“True strength lies in submission which permits one to dedicate his life, through devotion, to something beyond himself.” ~ Henry Miller

How You Should Fight When Married

"We aren't meant to fight WITH each other; we are meant to fight FOR each other." ~ Justin Davis (Beyond Ordinary)

Unspeakable Memories

"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories." ~ George Eliot

What is YOUR Burning Desire?

"Without a deep and burning desire of our own, we will be ruled be the desires of others." ~ John Eldredge

What Can You Afford?

"A budget tells us what we can't afford, but it doesn't keep us from buying it." ~ William Feather

Time Stewardship

"Living simply can also involve things. Do I apply the same principles of stewardship to my time? Do I use my time as if it were God's and not my own? Do I share it generously, use it to minister to others, keep my priorities? In fact, just about everything you apply to living simply in an economic sense you can apply to how you s pend your time, energy, and talents." ~ Dr. Scott Dooley (as quoted by Aimee Curtis in "Living Simply")

Who Owns It?

"...it's not so much about what we have or what we don't have; it's about whose it is. In other words, stewardship is the key." ~ Aimee Curtis (Live Simply)

Give...

"Give what you have to somebody, it may be better than you think." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Prepared Mentally, Spiritually & Physically

"Our Lord valued community and camaraderie during a good meal. He emphasized prayer and worship in everyday life. He walked constantly; exercise was a way of life for Him. He knew His purpose on this earth and lived each moment with that focus in mind. Thus, He was composed and prepared mentally, spiritually, and physically during extreme opposition and physical strain." ~ Aimee Curtis (Live Simply)

Don't Modify HIM

"Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image." ~ A. W. Tozer

Importance of Community

"As we ponder the importance of community as a spiritual discipline, it is helpful to remember that the model of community of Acts was not effortless, but rather the unfolding of mutual experience tested in the light of serious challenges and supported in God’s strength. We must develop a way to understand genuine community as the product of conflict and testing. We must discover ways to be authentically present to and respectful of one another while we disagree strenuously. We must learn to discover and speak our own truths, without fear and without harm to others who also hold a piece of the truth in which we all live." ~ Norvene Vest

What Matters Most?

"When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want? Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame? Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your car? Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement? Of course not. What will matter then will be people. If relationships will matter most then, shouldn't they matter most now? ~ Max Lucado

The Sturdiest Trees

"At the timberline where the storms strike with the most fury, the sturdiest trees are found." ~ Hudson Taylor

What Will Last?

“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” ~ C.T. Studd

Prayer Comes...

“Prayer comes spontaneously from those who abide in Jesus. Prayer is a natural outgushing of a soul in communion with Jesus.”
~ Charles Spurgeon (The Power of Prayer in a Believer’s Life)

Reckless Giving

"It may well be a sign of the decadence of the Church and the failure of Christianity that gifts have to be coaxed out of people, and that often they will not give at all unless they get something for their money in the way of entertainment or of goods. Giving which is real giving has a certain recklessness in it." ~ William Barclay

What Keeps You From Giving?

"You give but little when you give
of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself
that you truly give.
For what are your possessions
but things you keep and guard
for fear you may need them tomorrow?"

~ Kahlil Gibran

We Are Debtors

"We are debtors to every man to give him the gospel in the same measure in which we have received it." ~ Phineas F. Bresee

Givers and Receivers

"Breaking down the barriers between the givers and the receivers of aid, between those who have and those who have not, is an essential expression of the solidarity that liberates the privileged from their blindness and the marginalized from their invisibility." ~ Theodore W. Jennings

Why Worship?

"God has given worship as a means for man's recovery, restoration, reviving, redemption, and refreshing." ~ Jack Hayford

To Worship

"To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God." ~ William Temple