Quotes from John Eldredge

we were made to be a part of a great adventure. An adventure that is shared. We do not want the adventure merely for adventure's sake but for what it requires of us for others. We don't want to be alone in it; we want to be in it with others.

But the way Jesus discipled each man proves his humility. To be a crowd-drawing teacher can be a rather heady experience, all eyes looking to you for the next bit of wisdom to drop from your lips. It's easy to be gracious when you're adored. But when your class keeps missing the point, challenging you, running down rabbit trails, changing the subject, misunderstanding, breaking out into a brawl—that's when your character is exposed.

Dear friend, this fear is a mighty powerful force.

We often speak of a man who's done this successfully as a "self-made man." The appellation is usually spoken with a sense of admiration, but really it should be said in the same tones we might use of the dearly departed, or of a man who recently lost an arm—with sadness and regret. What the term really means is "an orphaned man who figured how to master some part of life on his own.

Remember—the battle right now is for the narrative; who gets to frame the story for you? Either it will be God, or someone else. If you are "alarmed," something has drawn your attention away from the story of God. Let your fears, anxieties, anger, or rage alert you that you've been taken hostage; stop and get your bearings.

Sex can be such a stark barometer for a marriage.

The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him,he will be found by you. (2 Chronicles 15:2)

God can handle your anger, disappointment, even bitterness. But walking away from Jesus is forsaking your only hope out of the heartache.

Think of consecration as aligning and enforcing—aligning yourself with Jesus and all the laws of his kingdom, then enforcing his rule and those laws over the matter in question.

You might have heard the old saying "Give someone a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach someone to fish, and you feed him for the rest of his life." The same holds true for life itself. If you give someone an answer, a rule, a principle, you help him solve one problem. But if you teach him to walk with God, well then, you've helped him solve the rest of his life. You've helped him tap into an inexhaustible

We're all living in the shadow of that infamous icon, "The Proverbs 31 Woman," whose life is so busy I wonder, when does she have time for friendships, for taking walks, or reading good books? Her light never goes out at night? When does she have sex? Somehow she has sanctified the shame most women live under, biblical proof that yet again we don't measure up. Is that supposed to be godly—that sense that you are a failure as a woman?

In 'The Allure of Hope,' Jan says, Eve was convinced that God was withholding something from her. Not even the extravagance of Eden could convince her that God's heart is good.