I want to preach till the last breath in my lungs runs out.
We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.
I am often the brunt of my own humor.
When a church is spending more of its budget on media than shepherding, something is out of whack. We have gotten things twisted around.
When you have a sense of calling, whether it's to be a musician, soloist, artist, in one of the technical fields, or a plumber, there is something deep and enriching when you realize it isn't just a casual choice, it's a divine calling. It's not limited to vocational Christian service by any means.
We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
The world has changed and it's going to keep changing, but God never changes; so we are safe when we cling to Him.
It is easy for Christians to have the false impression that once we have established a relationship with Christ, which we believe sets us right with God, the problems of life will somehow scoot away or they will slowly be removed from our lives.
While I was raised around churches and had gotten to know a few preachers fairly well, the thought never entered my head that I would one day stand and deliver. Not only was I not interested, I lived with a major struggle: I stuttered.
There is plenty of television. There are plenty of talk shows. There are plenty of comedians. But there is not plenty of worship of the true and living God.
The swift wind of compromise is a lot more devastating than the sudden jolt of misfortune.
If I ever wrote a book on preaching, it would contain three words: Preach the Word. Get rid of all the other stuff that gets you sidetracked; preach the Word.
Because God gave you your makeup and superintended every moment of your past, including all the hardship, pain, and struggles, He wants to use your words in a unique manner. No one else can speak through your vocal cords, and, equally important, no one else has your story.
You and I are, by birth, by nature, and by choice, inwardly depraved, which is to say that we are entirely corrupt. That's not to say that we have no good in us; we do. However, anything good in us has been tainted with evil. It touches everything. Without the redeeming power of Christ we cannot halt our own moral slide.
I let people see the cracks in my life. We can't be phony. We've got to keep it real.
I have no interest in returning to yesteryear. I love the conveniences and delights of today's time. I wouldn't go back if I could.
The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.
We need discernment in what we see and what we hear and what we believe.
When you are giving people the gospel, you are giving them something to believe, and you have to set the stage for that. You don't just drive up and dump the truck and drive off.
The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
