Freedom
The problem of pain, of war and the horror of war, of poverty and disease is always confronting us. But a God who allows no pain, no grief, also allows no choice. There is little unfairness in a colony of ants, but also there is little freedom.
—Madeleine L’Engle Newbery-Award-winning author
Most successful football players are free to perform at their best only when they know what the expectations are, where the limits stand. I see this as a biblical principle that also applies to life, a principle our society as a whole has forgotten; you can’t enjoy true freedom without limits.
—Tom Landry former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys
Hope
God’s plan made a hopeful beginning,
But man spoiled his chances by sinning.
We trust that the story
Will end with God’s glory,
But at present, the other side’s winning.
—Robert Bork judge and former nominee for the Supreme Court
Racial reconciliation
Racism isn’t a bad habit; it’s not a
mistake; it’s a sin. The answer is not
sociology; it’s theology.
—Anthony Evans pastor and author
One sign and wonder, biblically speaking, that alone can prove the power of the gospel is that of reconciliation. … Hindus can produce as many miracles as any Christian miracle worker. Islamic saints in India can produce and duplicate every miracle that has been produced by Christians. But they cannot duplicate the miracle of black and white together, of racial injustice being swept away by the power of the gospel.
—Vinay Samuel Christian leader and author
Suffering
We ask less of this life because we know full well that more is coming in the next. The art of living with suffering is just the art of readjusting our expectations in the here and the now.
—Joni Eareckson Tada
When you can go through contemporary life fudging and evading, indulging and slacking, never really hungry nor frightened nor passionately stirred—your first real contact with primary and elemental necessities will be the sweat of your deathbed.
—H. G. Wells science-fiction author
Television
I wish there was a knob on the tv so you could turn up the intelligence. They have one marked brightness, but it doesn’t work, does it?
—Gallagher comedian
Television: Chewing gum for the eyes.
—Frank Lloyd Wright
Wisdom
The turning point in our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is.
—Patrick Morley in The Seasons of a Man’s Life
Yogi Berra, former New York Yankees baseball player, demonstrated the linguistic gymnastics that earned him eight entries in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations when he addressed graduates at Montclair State University: First, never give up, because it ain’t over ’til it’s over. Second, when you come to a fork in the road, take it. Third, don’t always follow the crowd. Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded. Fourth, stay alert. You can observe a lot just by watching. Fifth, and last, remember that whatever you do in your life, 90 percent of it is half mental.
—Parade (12/26/96)
1997 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or contact us.
