Quotes from Stephen W. Smith

When practiced, Sabbath-keeping is an active protest against a culture that is always on, always available and always looking for something else to do.

We create ourselves by our choices. —Søren Kierkegaard

When God became flesh, every ordinary human life was validated as sacred. The fact that God became human and spent most of His life in obscurity as a carpenter in a small village called Nazareth gives us perspective. Through the incarnation, we learn that every life has dignity and significance; every ordinary life matters.

Regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it" (Colossians 3:14).

We have dumbed down what it means to be part of the church so much that it means almost nothing, even to people who already say they are part of the church.

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

Breathless living is anything but the abundant life. The pace at which we live is not sustainable.

His soul was shaped by the cadence of Sabbath keeping and seasonal festivals that were intended to help Him and all people to remember God's faithfulness, protection, and provision.

Is there a way to choose a few things and do them well rather than do a lot of things halfway or not at all? Can we accept the fact that we may be in a season when we need to say no with the understanding that the season will not last forever?

Let me clarify this even further: The abundant life comes down to a daily life, not just a quality of life that awaits us in heaven.

Every time we choose to live in a daily rhythm, we are consciously allowing the larger story of God's work in the world, instead of culture, to shape our lives.

Famed novelist Victor Hugo has reminded us: "It is nothing to die; it is dreadful not to live.

Listen. Do you hear that? It is the Voice of Love calling: "Come forth, I love you. I know, it's not easy, but I'll be with you. Friends will help too. I know you don't think you can, but trust Me. Yes, it will hurt, but I love you. The life I promised you is waiting. Keep stumbling forward. I love you. I always have." God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into radical life-change. (Rom. 2:4 MSG)

There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation" (2 Tim. 3:16 MSG

Transformation involves working through our disappointments and disillusionments in life.

We have hope in our transformation when we realize that we see today, and God sees eternity.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage" (Psalm 84:5 NIV

Author Max De Pree has written, "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality."1

To walk in the way is more than managing sins or bad habits. To walk in the way is to walk toward transformation—toward change at the DNA level of our souls.

Jesus will upset every apple cart, every temple table, every surface response, every false motivation and every private longing we ignore in our hearts. The ways of Jesus will make us examine every area of our lives.

Listening to God requires a commitment to turn down the volume of outer noise and to be quiet, to become centered and focused.