Quotes About Faith

I determined to learn to pray so that my experience conforms to the words of Jesus rather than try to make his words conform to my impoverished experience.

Let us not pretend to doubt in philosophy what we do not doubt in our hearts. (Peirce 1992, pp. 28–9)

Look at our Lords disciples. One denied Him one doubted Him one betrayed Him. If our Lord couldn't have perfection, how are you going to have it in city government?

True godliness does not turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it. — William Penn

Freedom in the Gospel does not mean license. It means opportunity.

Begin now to obey Him in every way you can. Start right where you are, in the midst of all the tasks that press in upon you. Do not wait for some future time when you will have more time or be more perfect in knowledge.

We are not trying to manipulate God and tell Him what to do. Rather, we are asking Him to tell us what to do.

obedience has a way of strengthening rather than depleting our resources. If we obey in one small corner, we will have power to obey elsewhere. Obedience begets obedience.

And so the test of whether or not we have really gotten the point of the Bible would then be the quality of love that we show.

rejoice and make a fool of yourself for God the way lovers have always made fools of themselves for the one they love." —Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words

The purpose of the Disciplines is freedom. Our aim is the freedom, not the Discipline. The moment we make the Discipline our central focus we will turn it into law and lose the corresponding freedom....Let us forever center on Christ and view the Spiritual Disciplines as a way of drawing us closer to His heart.

frequently we hold on so tightly to the good that we do know that we cannot receive the greater good that we do not know.

If we are to progress in the spiritual walk so that the Disciplines are a blessing and not a curse, we must come to the place in our lives where we can lay down the everlasting burden of always needing to manage others.

Real prayer comes not from gritting our teeth but from falling in love.

Just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. If worship does not propel us into greater obedience, it has not been worship.

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

Our problem is that we assume prayer is something to master the way we master algebra or auto mechanics. That puts us in the "on-top" position, where we are competent and in control. But when praying, we come "underneath," where we calmly and deliberately surrender control and become incompetent.

God's ownership of everything also changes the kind of question we ask in giving. Rather than, "How much of my money should I give to God?" we learn to ask, "How much of God's money should I keep for myself?" The difference between these two questions is of monumental proportions.

Willpower will never succeed in dealing with the deeply ingrained habits of sin. Emmet

But what I have come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture. We do not have to be bright, or pure, or filled with faith, or anything. That is what grace means, and not only are we saved by grace, we live by it as well. And we pray by it.

One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent, who will take control? God will take control, but we will never let him take control until we trust him. Silence is intimately related to trust. The

Make me a captive, Lord, And then I shall be free; Force me to render up my sword, And I shall conqueror be. I sink in life's alarms When by myself I stand; Imprison me within Thine arms, And strong shall be my hand.2

It is important to recognize this fact and be easy with yourself. This time will pass—sooner than you think. Rather than trying to pray in some fanciful isolation that you will never find, discover God in your times with your baby. God will become real to you through your baby.

all authentic prayer is a scraping of the heart whereby the dregs of the soul are offered up to God.