Quotes from Dennis Rainey

Pulling weeds and planting seeds. That's the story of life. We are individual lots on which either weeds of selfishness or fruit of the Holy Spirit grows and flourishes.

Your marriage moves toward a state of isolation. Unless you lovingly and energetically nurture your marriage, you will begin to drift away from your mate.

The core of a man's life should be his relationship with God. The man who walks humbly with God is motivated and empowered to step up and assume the difficult responsibilitie s that come his way.

Initiative is the essence of manhood. Noting comes to the man who is passive, except failure.

The man who claims he's never done anything courageous doesn't understand what courage really is.

Courage is doing your duty in the face of fear.

Male passivity is a disease that robs a man of his purpose while it destroys marriages, ruins families, and spoils legacies. A passive man doesn't engage; he retreats. He neglects personal responsibility. At its core, passivity is cowardice.

Like a young eaglet that gets pushed out of the nest at the appropriate time, a young man must learn to fly on his own. If the nest is too cushy, if all of his creature comforts are there for his enjoyment, then he may set up his high-definition television and perch for a while.

A husband's leadership in marriage is not based on superior abilities but on divine placement. Leadership means assuming responsibility for the relationship, being accountable to God and putting your wife's needs above your own. It means making her load lighter, not heavier. It means helping her develop and utilize her gifts and abilities. It means loving her sacrificially.

I spent a long time trying to come to grips with my doubts, when suddenly I realized that I had better come to grips with what I believe. I have since moved from the agony of questions that I cannot answer to the reality of answers that I cannot escape . . . and it's a great relief!

We cannot, Lord, Thy purpose see But all is well that's done by Thee.

The goal is to tirelessly teach, train, and pray that God will change their hearts.

It is your commitment to God—to know Him, to grow in your relationship with Him, to obey Him and follow His leading in your life—that will enable you to see your spouse as His perfect complement to your life.

When God calls you to marry, He gives you a spouse who, by divine design, will complete you. Together you will be stronger and more effective than when you were apart.

Sin would have fewer takers if the consequences occurred immediately.

Resolving conflict also requires forgiveness—giving up the right to punish the one who has wronged you. This is the miracle of the Christian life—that we can heal our relationships with others in the same way Christ healed our relationship with Him—through forgiveness.

the most important thing we did in our first year of marriage was to give God the gift of our lives at Christmas.

Every day we need to decide what kind of legacy we want to leave. What kind of children do we want to raise? And what kind of relationship do we need to build with them?

Every dad is the family role model, whether he wants the job or not.