Quotes from John Ortberg

C. S. Lewis wrote that in prayer we must "lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.

The boat is safe, secure, and comfortable. On the other hand, the water is rough. The waves are high. The wind is strong. There's a storm out there. And if you get out of the boat—whatever your boat might happen to be—there's a good chance you might sink.

The kind of assignments God gives in the Bible are always God-sized. They are always beyond what people can do, because he wants to demonstrate his nature, his strength, his provision, and his kindness to his people and to a watching world. This is the only way the world will come to know him.

Earth's crammed with Heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes — The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Consider the sense of fulfillment in the leaders of a company that is expanding, achieving its mission, giving vocational opportunities to men and women who yesterday didn't have any. They are watching the miracle

But a philosopher named William James responded that sometimes Clifford's advice is bad strategy. He said doubt is the wrong alternative when three conditions are met: when we have live options, when the stakes are momentous, and when we must make a choice.3

can be "sitting at Jesus feet" when I'm kneeling in prayer or negotiating a contract or fixing my kids lunch or watching a movie. All it requires is my asking him to be my teacher and companion in this moment.

hope and dreams, but has now plateaued, where affections have cooled and intimacy has faded. Rather than name the problem, face their pain, and ask for help, the couple resign themselves to a life of mediocrity, living together as intimate strangers.

Watch a marriage that was begun with hope and dreams, but has now plateaued, where affections have cooled and intimacy has faded. Rather than name the problem, face their pain, and ask for help, the couple resign themselves to a life of mediocrity, living together as intimate strangers. See a middle-aged man who spends

Theologian Lesslie Newbigin writes that we live in an age that favors doubt over faith.4 We often speak of "blind faith" and "honest doubt.

It's better to have the faith to embrace reality with all its pain than to cling to the false comfort of a painless fantasy.

The goal is not for us to get through the Scriptures. The goal is to get the Scriptures through us.