Quotes from John Eldredge

far and above the most revealing aspect of anyone's character is how one handles people. How is Jesus with people? He welcomes intrusion. He stops what he's doing and gives undivided attention. He's such an immensely gracious person.

Life is a desperate quest through dangerous country to a destination that is, beyond all your wildest hopes, indescribably good.

And as I do, even as I say it out loud—I give everyone and everything to you—my soul cooperates a good bit. I'm settling down.

Then I ask for more of God: Jesus—I need more of you; fill me with more of you, God. Restore our union; fill me with your life.

Words are important. Words shaper our perceptions. When they define, they can also distort. There is a far better way to describe this man whose face is the most human face of all. Jesus is beautiful.

The amount of risk you're willing to take in your life is a direct reflection of what you believe about God.

man's heart reflects the man . . . Proverbs 27:19 However, the spiritual world cannot be made suburban. It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed. Howard Macey

want to ride to the ridge where the west commences I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences Don't fence me in. Cole Porter

Standing in the way of the path to life—the way of the heart—is a monstrous barrier. It has stopped far too many pilgrims dead in their tracks, for far too long. There is a widespread belief among Christians today that the heart is desperately wicked—even after a person comes to Christ. It is a crippling belief. And it is untrue.

The wilderness trial of Christ is, at its core, a test of his identity. "If you are who you think you are . . ." If a man is ever to find out who he is and what he's here for, he has got to take that journey for himself. He has got to get his heart back.

The business world—where the majority of American men live and die—requires a man to be efficient and punctual. Corporate policies and procedures are designed with one aim: to harness a man to the plow and make him produce.

How can a man know he is one when his highest aim is minding his manners?

We have grown dull toward this world in which we live; we have forgotten that it is not normal or scientific in any sense of the word. It is fantastic. It is fairy tale through and through. Really now. Elephants? Caterpillars? Snow? At what point did you lose your wonder at it all?

This is why, if you want to get to know someone, you need to know their story. Their life is a story. It, too, has a past and a future. It, too, unfolds in a series of scenes over the course of time.

They may be misplaced, forgotten, or misdirected, but in the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to love.

Effective prayer is often like the felling of a great tree—it takes repeated blows.

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. (HEBREWS 4:15)

You must understand: the unholy trinity Scripture names as the world, our flesh, and the evil one conspire to undermine your character.

I am careful how I bring my emotion, or my experience, to the need at hand. I don't ignore them; but neither do I let them dictate what I am praying. Our testimonies of previous results are valuable, and they may come into play. But this is a very dynamic story we find ourselves in, and as we mature in prayer, let us be careful not to assume this situation is exactly the same as the one before. You will want to ask God what needs to be prayed.

many relationships fail for the insistence of treating others as problems to be solved, rather than as hearts to be known and loved.

you must cling to is that you have died with Christ in the cross; sin no longer has to rule over you. You have a choice!

Now, if I am having a hard time hearing God's voice, or being certain that I have heard, I will sometimes try on one answer, then the other. Still in a posture of quiet listening, I will add to my prayers, Are you saying yes, Jesus? Are you saying you want us to go? Pause. Listen. Or are you saying no—you don't want us to go? Often as we try on one answer or another, our spirit can feel the guidance of the Holy Spirit through a confirmation, or a strong sense of reservation.

When we begin to offer not merely our gifts but our true selves, that is when we become powerful.

Your loyalty is not to a church or a movement, but to Jesus Christ.