Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

"You must bring [a Christian] to a condition in which he can practice self-examination for an hour without discovering any of those facts about himself which are perfectly clear to anyone who has ever lived in the same house with him or worked in the same office."

- Uncle Screwtape in a letter to Wormwood, the apprentice demon Screwtape is helping in the task of working against God and His people.

Screwtape Letters

"In every department of life [disappointment or anticlimax] marks the transition from dreaming aspiration to laborious doing." - C.S. Lewis

So true. Dream big but then you've got to work hard.

What The Bible Is All About

"If you take missions out of the Bible, you won't have anything left but the covers" — Nina Gunter

An Honor to Sacrifice

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" — David Livingstone

You Can Make A Difference

"The opening chapters of Job, however, reveal that God staked a lot on one man's wickedness or righteousness. Somehow, in a way the book only suggests and does not explain, one person's faith made a difference. That, to me, is the most powerful and enduring lesson from the book of Job." - Philip Yancy in "The Bible Jesus Read" page 65.

Someone's Help

I'm a like a turtle on a fence post. I didn't get here by myself.

Perspective

"If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither." - C.S. Lewis in "Mere Christianity", page 116-117

For the Whole World

"The themes of Jesus' teaching are important, but of course he was more than a teacher. All the gospels put the end of his life at the dramatic center of his story. Here all the hopes of Israel come together - he is the king of the Jews, the greatest of the suffering prophets. Yet Jesus transformed those expectations. He did not lead Israel to victory over Rome. Indeed, one of the remarkable features of the narratives of his last days is that his increasing isolation makes it impossible to identify him with any one 'side' or cause. The Roman governor sentenced him as a Jewish rebel, but the leaders of Judaism also turned against him. He attacked the powerful on behalf of the poor, but in the end the mob too called for his blood. His own disciples ran away; Peter denied him. He did not go to his death agony as a representative of Jews, or of the poor, or of Christians, but alone, and thus, according to Christian faith, as a representative of all." - William C. Placher in "A History of Christian Theology: an introduction", page 30.

Part Mystery

"If you find God with great ease, perhaps it is not God that you have found." - Thomas Merton

Sin Enslaves

The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him;
the cords of his sin hold him fast.

He will die for lack of discipline,
led astray by his own great folly.

Proverbs 5:22,23

Think Before You Leap

"There is time for daring, there is a time for caution, and a wise man knows which is called for." - John Keating (teacher in Dead Poet's Society)

Upward and Onward

"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." - Roy (inmate I met in a prison ministry day yesterday. He has been a Christian now 32 days and was really excited about what God was doing in his life. What a great blessing to meet him.)

Look For The Good In People

"If you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will." - Abraham Lincoln (quoted in the movie 'Pollyanna')

Eric Liddell #2

"Jenni, I believe God made me for a purpose - for China - but He also made me fast; and when I run, I feel His pleasure. You were right; it's not just fun. To win is to honor Him. To give it up would be to hold Him in contempt."

Motivation

"If you wish to build a ship teach men to yearn for the sea." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery