Favorite Quotes from Books I Am Reading

Here are some of my favorite quotes from books I have read over the last few weeks:

Words can draw us together or they can divide. What we say and how we say it makes a difference...Discussions based on respect for reach person demonstrates the relationship is valued more than the issue being discussed...We accept and love people; we agree or disagree on principles. (The Messy Life of Parenting by Lori Wildenberg)

We were born of Adam. There is no hope for us in trying harder or getting some divine leniency. Our only hope is to be taken out of Adam's old humanity, to be born again into a new humanity, to be a new creation. How, then, on that dark day of the fall, must Adam and Eve have thrilled to hear of the Seed, the offspring, the child who would bruise the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15)! Nothing else would suffice. (Rejoicing in Christ by Michael Reeves)

The virgin birth is an almighty No! to all our silly attempts at earning salvation. It means that before Jesus is ever an example to us, a model of love and goodness, he is something we cannot be. In his birth of a virgin he was not giving us an example; he was coming as a Savior...The chief article and foundation of the gospel, Martin Luther wrote, "is that before you take Christ as an example, you accept and recognize him as a gift." (Rejoicing in Christ by Michael Reeves)

What if disciple-making is not just talking about God, but inviting others to talk to God, to confess, repent, and then, with boldness, to petition him? What if disciple-making is about giving people the freedom to ask, no matter how big or impossible the request?...But healing isn't one size fits all; it's not a silver bullet or a magic pill. It is mysterious and elusive, captivating and enthralling, believable and unbelievable...We aren't responsible for the healing; we're only responsible for the asking. (You Are Free by Rebekah Lyons)

life itself is a short-term mission trip for the redeemed...you are a missionary...We have been set free from the here and now, but desire to bless it with eternity. (What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him by Byron Yawn)