discipleship

Make us, Lord, in Chesterton's distinction, travelers instead of tourists. Where the tourist defines his day by the expectation of seeing certain things, give us the traveler's openness to seeing what You will reveal.

Everything in Scripture is either preparation for the Gospel, presentation of the Gospel, or participation in the Gospel.

Most people in America, when they are exposed to the Christian faith, are not being transformed. They take one step into the door, and the journey ends. They are not being allowed, encouraged, or equipped to love or to think like Christ. Yet in many ways a focus on spiritual formation fits what a new generation is really seeking. Transformation is a process, a journey, not a one-time decision.

According to Aquinas, effort may not be the best measure of our virtue.

You will know as much of God, and only as much of God, as you are willing to put into practice.

anything that changes you forever, split my life into halves: Before and After.

He was the perfect soldier: he went where you sent him, and stayed where you put him, and had no idea of his own to keep him from doing exactly what you told him.

The best measure of a spiritual life is not its ecstasies but its obedience.

One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime. Nor is surrender to the will of God (per se) adequate to fullness of power in Christ. Maturity is the accomplishment of years, and I can only surrender to the will of God as I know what that will is.

Beginning to sense his call to preach boldly in dangerous situations even though he was young and slight, the author agreed to go only if God would give him a particular sense of His presence. The next morning, the author says it was as if God took out his human eyes and replaced them with God's own because he saw other people so much more vividly.

I had rather have God for my banker than all the Rothschilds.

Advice to young Samuel Gompers that might apply in many other areas: "Learn from socialism, but don't join it.

We need heroes who'll inspire us so that maybe next time we'll dig a little deeper and find our best self.

God is the I AM that I AM not the I AM that we wish.

God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet. The trouble with so many of us is that we have hard hearts and soft feet.

When in situations of stress, we wonder if there is any more in us to give, we can be comforted to know that God, who knows our capabilities perfectly, placed us here to succeed. No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked. When we have been weighed and found wanting, let us remember that we were measured before and were found equal to our tasks; and therefore, let us continue but with a more determined discipleship." (Ensign, Feb. 1979, 73.)

Just do the right thing for the next 15 minutes." And Dugger's guideline for dealing with infidelity and transition one step at a time.

God in His sovereign goodness often uses the painful and at times debilitating injury of a spear thrower to make us readier for His service. ... One thing you discover about spear throwers is that though it__ not necessary for them to be good, it__ essential for them to appear good.