When you suffer and lose, that does not mean you are being disobedient to God. In fact, it might mean you're right in the center of His will. The path of obedience is often marked by times of suffering and loss.

Courage is not limited to the battlefield or the Indianapolis 500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody's looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you're misunderstood.

As far back as I can remember, my mother would have me down by the bed at night with her, praying. I can still hear her voice calling my name to God and telling him that she wanted me to follow him in whatever he called me to do.

Rejoicing is clearly a spiritual command. To ignore it, I need to remind you, is disobedience.

It is often just as sacred to laugh as it is to pray.

Humility - the discipline of putting others ahead of self, the choice to value others above self - is, at its core, a matter of faith.

It's not enough merely to believe there is a God. You must believe in the God who is there.