pastor jeff's neighborhood

I love great quotes. Here are some of my favorites. Some are serious. Some are funny. Some make you think. Others cause you to wonder, “what were they thinking?” In any case, here are my favorite quotes on subjects beginning with the letter “A”.

ADVENTURE (of Christian Living)

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” –Helen Keller–

“How many people are radically and permanently, repelled from The Way by Christians who are unfeeling, stiff, unapproachable, boringly lifeless, obsessive, and dissatisfied? Yet such Christians are everywhere, and what they are missing is the wholesome liveliness springing from a balanced vitality with the freedom of God’s loving rule.” –Dallas Willard The Spirit of the Disciplines, 80.–

“The word ‘Christian’ means different things to different people. To one person it means a stiff, upright, inflexible way of life, colorless and unbending. To another it means a risky, surprised-filled adventure, lived tiptoe at the edge of expectation…If we get our information from the biblical material, there is no doubt that the Christian life is a dancing, leaping, daring life.” –Eugene Peterson–

“Bearing the imprint of Christ as we do and knowing the security that he alone can give, I am surprised that Christians aren’t the greatest adventurers on the face of the earth.” –Tim Hansel–

“From the cradle we understand our need for adventure, even though it is easily lost as we grow older…I am surprised though, that Christians who claim the wild message of Jesus Christ aren’t out on the edge of adventure more often. I have seen all too frequently young and old alike withdraw beneath the shields of niceness, apathy, and boredom in order to avoid the high cost of loving and serving Christ. The pew has gotten too comfortable, and we are suffering immensely from a paucity of real adventure.” –Tim Hansel–

“Faith is the heroic effort of your life. You fling yourself in reckless confidence on God. God has ventured all in Jesus Christ to save us. Now he wants us to venture our all in a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering….Again and again, you will get up to what Jesus Christ wants, and every time, you turn back when it comes to that point until you abandon resolutely….Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold by common sense–and leap into what He says….Christ demands of the man who trust Him the same reckless spirit….that is daring enough to step out of the crowd and bank his faith on the character of God.” –Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest–

“The great tragedy in life is that most people spend their entire lives indefinitely preparing to live.”–Paul Tournier–

“Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” –Will Rogers–

“Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting” –Karl Wallenda–

“You can’t steal second base and keep one foot on first.” –Anon.–

Adversity

“Adversity shoves you down to your core values and beliefs, to the things that matter most. Back on bedrock, you find the reasons and strength to carry on and carry through.” — Pat Riley,
The Winner Within, 82. —

“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” — Seneca —

“Sweet are the uses of adversity” — William Shakespeare —

“The things which hurt, instruct.” — Benjamin Franklin —

“Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records.” — William Ward —

Advertising

“Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.” — Stephen Leacock —

Aging

“You’re never too old to do goofy stuff.” — Ward Cleaver, Leave it to Beaver —

Anger

“Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything.” — Billy Graham —

“Anyone who angers you conquers you.” — Sister Kenny —

“Unholy tempers are always unhappy tempers.” — John Wesley —

Answers

“In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering.” — Howard Hendricks —

Anxiety

“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
— George Mueller —

Apostasy

“Apostasy begins in the closet. No man ever backslid from the life and power of Christianity who continued constant and fervent in private prayer. he who prays without ceasing is likely to rejoice evermore.” –Adam Clarke–

Attitude

“The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it.”
— Chuck Swindoll —

Authenticity

“O how serious is this matter of authenticity in the Christian life! A decision for Christ is not nearly so crucial as a life for Christ. Only reality counts with God.” — John Piper, A Godward Life, 257 —

Autobiography

“I don’t think anybody should write his autobiography until after he’s dead.” — Sam Goldwyn —

So, there are a few of my favorite quotes… what would you add?