Quotes from Bill Hybels

Pride is corrosive, and it rubs off. You're going to have a tough time developing Christlike humility and thinking of yourself with sober judgment if your close friends are arrogant, full of pride, and looking down their noses at everyone else.

To love as Jesus loves we have to put truth telling ahead of peace keeping. We also have to put the other person's well-being ahead of the comfort level of our relationship.

Every life will be better if God is at the center of it

While it's a prerequisite to live a salty Christian life — to be highly potent and in relationship with others — that alone is not enough. God forbid that we stop there, because people end up in hell on that plan. It's imperative that we also put the message into clear language our friends can understand and act upon.

It is impossible for any one church to do it all.

If God has given you a kingdom vision, if you see it clearly and feel it deeply, you had better take responsibility for it. You had better give your life to it. That's why God made you a leader.

In moments when things don't go your way or something isn't said just the way you wish it had been said, the condition of your heart is revealed for all to see.

Most leaders assume that everybody who comes to church knows God's mind on financial matters. But the truth is that many people are absolutely clueless regarding the basic principles of Christian financial management. Leaders and teachers need to educate their congregations before they can expect them to honor God with their money and eventually get excited about resourcing the church.

accomplishing a vision requires a lot more than pep talks, slogans, emotional stories, and heart-tugging video clips.

Don't allow the other demands of your day to overshadow your intimate time with God.

forgiveness in God's time is the only door to healing.

Almost seventy-five percent of our leaders have come right out of Willow. These are people who have proven their character, competence, and chemistry fit while serving in volunteer positions within our ministry.

three billion—one half of humanity—live on less than two dollars a day.

A church which bottlenecks its specialists to do its witnessing is living in violation of both [Jesus Christ] and the consistent pattern of the early Christians. Evangelism was the task of the whole church, not just the 'name characters' " (emphasis

The longer a person attends church, the fewer evangelistic discussions they engage in with family members and friends. Fewer presentations of the life-changing plan of salvation are given, and fewer invitations to events that attractively present the message of Christ are offered, mostly because Christ-followers have fewer friends outside the faith to whom to offer them.

The question isn't, "What do I want to get done in the next thirty days?" but, "Who do I want to become in this next season of my life?" Once we answer that key question, calendars and schedules are terrific tools for helping us accomplish our life goals, both interpersonal and practical. Many

It has demanded more of me than I thought I had in me to give. But pursuing my passion and using my spiritual gifts in my sweet spot is tremendously simplifying. I have clarity. There's no confusion, no "what if" questions that haunt me.

To love as God loves, in other words, you may have to part with whatever is most precious to you for the sake of someone else.

The world writes books with titles like Think and Grow Rich, but if Jesus were writing for today's market, he'd title his book Love and Give Everything Away.

If you're a serious-minded leader, you will read.

Jesus' mission is most affirmed when wanderers come home.

When Christ- followers act from a place of godly character—when they keep the big picture in mind, when they put others' needs ahead of their own, when they order lives according to kingdom priorities—things change. Big things change.

A runaway calendar will keep you from simplifying your life. It holds you hostage to tangible things—meetings, appointments, and projects—without giving proper priority to the intangibles: who you are becoming, your relationships with family and friends, your connectedness to God. Without conscious intervention, this pattern of chronically overscheduling ensures that the priorities you care about most will take a backseat to the urgent priorities of others every time. GRABBING

Cowards don't last long on their spiritual pilgrimages before they shrivel up and disappear. It takes enormous courage to repent and become a Christian, and then another strong dose of courage to follow God's leadings throughout your life.