The problem with most American churches is that they teach too much and don't do enough.

We are not saved by good works; we are saved for good works. The Christian lifestyle is to be a lifestyle of goodness.

How does God teach me love? By putting me around unlovely people. How does God teach me joy in the middle of grief? Not happiness, which is based on happenings. How does God teach me peace? Not when I am out fishing and everything is going my way and it doesn't get better than this. But in the middle of chaos. How does God teach me patience? By putting me in His waiting room.

Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it.

Willpower can produce short-term change, but it creates constant internal stress because you haven't dealt with the root cause.

The first purpose of your life is to be loved by God! Yes, it is important to serve him, obey, and trust him, but your first purpose is to love him.

Every time you make a bad choice, it becomes harder to make a good one.