"My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life for many years, and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; write them on the tablet of your heart, then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."

Proverbs 3:1-4

I was first introduced to John Ortberg, former pastor at Willow Creek, some years ago at a Global Leadership Conference. The theme of his talk was about 'shadow mission'-- that is, that so often, we think that what we're doing for God is from God, but in fact many of the things we do for God are motivated by our own desire for self-fulfillment. That resonated with me and from then on, I have read many of John's books, and the following are some his quotes. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I have.



'Here is a deep truth about water-walking: The fear will never go away. Why? Because each time i want to grow, it will involve going into new territory, taking on new challenges. And each time I do that, I will experience fear again. The fear will never go away, as long as i continue to grow.'

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'Character comes as a byproduct of a pursuit of God and the Kingdom of God.'

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'The journey to integrity requires the cultivation of a desire: I must want to be good more than I want to do well. It requires a decision: I will choose to play with integrity and lose rather than cheat and win. It requires a belief: I cannot succeed in what I do and fail in who I am.'

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'Surrender means giving up ultimate mastery of my life. However, I am not called to do this grudgingly. A person may yield to a stronger person, or an army to a stronger army. One may yield to God because he is almighty. None of this is full surrender. Only if one experiences that God is good is it possible to surrender to him unconditionally one's whole heart, soul, and being.'

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'To be a follower of Jesus, you must renounce comfort as the ultimate value of your life.'

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'Failure does not shape you; the way you respond to failure shapes you.'

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'Look at most sin, yours and mine-- and underneath it you will find fear.'

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'This is a story of an unopened gift, the story about the sin of unrealised potential. This is why one of the greatest temptations most of us face, that could block us from getting out of the boat, is comfort. Comfort will often keep us from growth.'

'If John the Baptist lived today he would be medicated and diagnosed bipolar. He would be one more certified lunatic. And that's just what would happen if the church were in charge of his diagnosis. Confronted by John, we have to stop and ask ourselves: "If this is what the person looked like who prepare the way for Jesus, then what should the disciple of Jesus Christ look like who comes after Jesus." '

-Erwin McManus

In 2003 I was visiting a church in a town called Marion, South Dakota-- and while waiting out in the foyer, i came across a little book with messages of inspiration. The following caught my attention, so I recorded them in my journal at the time. I'd like to share them with you now...

Letter to the editor: "I have been attending services quite regularly for the past 30 years and during that time I have listened to no less than 3000 sermons. But to my consternation, I discovered I cannot remember a single one of them. I wonder if a minister's time might be more profitable spent on something else."

Response: "I have been married for 30 years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals, mostly of my wife's cooking. Suddenly I have discovered that I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. Yet I received nourishment from every one of them. I have a distinct impression that without them I would have starved to death a long time ago."

-Author unknown

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A weatherman boasted, "I'm 90% right 10% of the time."
Some people resort to this kind of double-talk to cover up a poor record. The Bible's prophetic record, though, truly is accurate. Look at a few examples. The Lord Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) at a time specified (Daniel 9:25). Infants in Bethlehem were massacred as prophesied (Jeremiah 31:15). Jesus went down into Egypt and returned (11:1). Isaiah foretold Christ's ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2). Zachariah predicted His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt (Zachariah 9:9) and His betrayal for thirty pieces of silver (Zachariah 11:12-13). King David had never seen a Roman crucifixion, yet in Psalm 22, under divine inspiration, he penned a graphic portrayal of Jesus' death. Isaiah 53 gives a detailed picture of our Lord's rejection, mistreatment, death, and burial. We have a book of prophecy that's right all of the time."

- Author unknown

"It is a sin to bore people with God's word."

- Joe Aldrich, Lifestyle Evangelism USA