Merida Quotes

If you gave me a name, who is to say it is not mine? If I had an ordinary name, I could have an ordinary story. I could swear I first saw you in Merida, standing in the middle of the street.

Prayer is a very hard thing to do because it seems like we aren’t doing anything. But it’s also hard because it’s a humble act. We must humble ourselves before God’s mighty hand regularly and cast our cares on Him.

There is no glory in ruin; it only matters because of what comes after.

You will heal," he said, and then he put his hand on her cheek. There was no feeling of dread, just the feeling of Feradach's hand on her. "You will always be impossible," he added, and he put his other hand on her other cheek. There was still no sense of doom; of what might be to come. "You will still be Merida of DunBroch," he said, and he kissed her. Neither the mortal nor the god had ever been in love before. It is not every day or every week or every month or every year that one person meets another who is their perfect foil, and it is not even every century that the pairing is a mortal and a god. It's more than simply love when it is a pair like this: it is balance, perfect balance, the push-pull of opposite forces that require each other. It is a sort of love that never grows old. Magic, magic, magic.

We must have God! Perhaps the greatest problem with the church today is the attempt to do the work of God apart from the presence and power of God. We can get so good at “doing church” that the ministry becomes mechanical and mundane. We must say, “Lord, we do not want to go another step without You!

Legends are lessons; they ring with truths.

We must kill this idea, “My home is my refuge.” I often hear people say that. It’s idolatry. Jesus is our refuge. We need to open our homes to people.

We need the Spirit’s help to grasp the greatness of God, the supremacy of Christ, and the rich benefits of the gospel.

The first step to becoming a student of the Bible is having a heart of humility—a heart that says, “Please, give me understanding.

When we fail to balance our decisions with emotion and reason, we prohibit our brains from calculating the good or harm of our choices. Robert in Flower Girl A Novel

Too often folks get caught up in a false dichotomy, an either this or that trap. There’s usually at least a third good option waiting to be found. -- Craig in Flower Girl A Novel

Don’t make snap decisions, good or bad, about someone. Before forming an opinion, figure out what makes a person tick. Sam in Blackhorse Road A Novel

Injustice exists because men either abuse the weak or fail to defend the weak

Maximus spoke in a clear, proud voice. "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridas, Commander of the Army of the North, gerneral of the Western Armies, loyal servant to the true Emperor, Marcus Aurelius." The Colosseum was completely silent. Then he turned to Commodus and spoke more quietly. " I am father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will punish their killer, in this life or the next." (S. 48)

Lying once makes it easier to do it the next time and the time after that. Deceit has a funny way of propagating until it finally destroys the thing it was attempting to protect. Sam in Blackhorse Road A Novel.

If you have experienced God’s sovereign grace, it should absolutely humble you and cause you to worship. When you display arrogance as a Christian, you have not worked God’s amazing grace down deep into your soul.

Most importantly, it's a message that assumes absolute and unrealistic able-bodiedness. No one with glasses. No crutches, no wheelchairs, no visible differences from girl to girl apart from the colour of their eyes and hair. Perfectly symmetrical faces abound. Some of the princesses – Mulan and Merida in particular – are athletes, with the kind of unrealistic body control and power that even able-bodied people often struggle to obtain. The message is that heroism isn't possible without physical 'perfection,' especially for girls.

Brave (2012) C-94m. 1⁄2 D: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman. Voices of Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Julie Walters, Craig Ferguson, John Ratzenberger. In ancient times, a Scottish princess named Merida resists her mother’s constant training to become a future queen, preferring a boisterous existence roaming the forest with her trusty bow and arrow. When it comes time for her to choose a suitor, she runs away and stumbles onto a witch who agrees to change her fate through a magical dark spell. Typically handsome Pixar animated feature has robust characters but a formulaic feel—until the story takes a very strange turn. A final burst of emotion almost redeems it. Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature. 3-D Digital Widescreen. [PG] Braveheart (1995) C-177m. 1⁄2 D: Mel Gibson. Mel

The holy well was before them. If it hadn't been marked as special, the place where the water came to the surface, fresh and clean and clear, would have been easily missed. But long ago, someone had built a stone border around it and added a vertical font with a woman's worn face on it. Water poured from her open mouth into the pool below. Little white moss flowers grew all around it. A few yards away was a craggy standing stone. The stone was twice as tall as Merida and covered all over with carved spirals. On the first day of spring solstice, the sun lit up a perfect trail of light along the stone as it rose; quite magical. Merida used to ride Angus to the stone when she was first learning all the wilds of DunBroch; it was so impressive that it had taken her several visits to realize that the holy well, not the stone, was the reason this path was kept clear.

This story belongs to the Princess Merida. Merida was less like the mannered royal you're imagining and more like a struck match, although matches did not yet exist. Red hair, keen eyes, quick brain, built to start fires but not to put them out. She was an absolute wizard with a bow and arrow. For over a decade, before the wee devil triplet princes arrived, she'd been the only child, and where other children might have had friends, Merida had her bow. She practiced her archery breathlessly, automatically, in every moment her mother hadn't scheduled her for lessons in embroidery, music, and reading. There was a stillness to archery she couldn't get anywhere else. Whenever she had a problem she couldn't solve, she went out to practice. Whenever she had a feeling she didn't understand, she went out to practice. Hour upon hour, she collected calluses on fingertips and bruises on forearms. At night, when she dreamt, she still sighted between trees and adjusted for strong highland winds.

The entire pre-Columbian literature of Mexico, a vast library of tens of thousands of codices, was carefully and systematically destroyed by the priests and friars who followed in the wake of the conquistadors. In November 1530, for example, Bishop Juan de Zumárraga, who had shortly before been apointed 'Protector of the Indians' by the Spanish crown, proceeded to 'protect' his flock by burning at the stake a Mexican aristocrat, the lord of the city of Texcoco, whom he accused of having worshipped the rain god. In the city's marketplace Zumárraga 'had a pyramid formed of the documents of Aztec history, knowledge and literature, their paintings, manuscripts, and hieroglyphic writings, all of which he committed to the flames while the natives cried and prayed.' More than 30 years later, the holocaust of documents was still under way. In July 1562, in the main square of Mani (just south of modern Merida in the Yucatan), Bishop Diego de Landa burned thousands of Maya codices, story paintings, and hieroglyphs inscribed on rolled-up deer skins. He boasted of destroying countless 'idols' and 'altars,' all of which he described as 'works of the devil, designed by the evil one to delude the Indians and to prevent them from accepting Christianity.' Noting that the Maya 'used certain characters or letters, which they wrote in their books about the antiquities and their sciences' he informs us: 'We found a great number of books in these letters, and since they contained nothing but superstitions and falsehoods of the devil we burned them all, which they took most grievously and which gave them great pain.

Does the prince play?" asked the lute player. "Hamish is a wee beast with all stringed things," Fergus said. "Pity those wolves didn't have strings." Immediately, the woman passed the lute to Hamish. He didn't move his arms in time to take it, so she simply plopped it down in his lap. "I'll trade you a tune for your dish of pears." Hamish sat there, a frozen little creature with big eyes. Pinned to the bench by fear and by the lute. How badly Merida wanted him to be able to play fearlessly for this group. Not for their benefit, but for his. How was it that his sense of fun had been replaced by a sense of fear? She whispered to him, "You could play 'Crosses and Squares.'" Still he was frozen. Maldouen said, "Don't you think you owe Ol' Flower a tune for saving your life?" Maldouen was being playful, but he had, without realizing, hit upon the only way Hamish perform: obligation. Hamish let fear rule him, but not at the expense of other people. Hamish whispered, "All right," and then added, to the dog, "Ma'am," which made the entire table laugh uproariously. Hamish began to play. The villagers began to clap in time with him. Hamish played faster. They clapped faster. Hamish played little riffs and twirls, and the villagers got up and danced along with the well-known tune. With the lute in his hand and the tune ringing out strongly, it was almost possible to believe Hamish wasn't afraid, but Merida knew better. This was how it always went. When Hamish played for other people, he always looked like a different person. Straighter, surer. More like Hubert or Harris. This was part of a good show, after all, and he felt obligated to give Ol' Flower a good show.

Who’s our audience? The nations. We have a global God. We have a global gospel. We have a global audience. What do people need to hear in New York? They need to hear the gospel of Christ. What do they need in China? The gospel of Christ.

Morality can keep my kids out of jail, but only Jesus can keep them out of hell.

Knowledge asks the question, “What is right?” Discernment asks the question, “What is best?

Later, as the snow began to fall on the shortest night of the year, as Merida went to the kitchen to get some fresh bread, as she stood there, looking in the fire and remembering, she heard a knock.

This year, Merida saw rashers, poached eggs in a fragrant sauce, canceled wedding buns spread with a bit of dripping butter, boar meat made into warm, onion-scented drinking broth. Tarts golden and fragrant with cheese and scraps of pastry, mushrooms simmered in broth and browned with leeks in goose fat. Preserved pears in bowls, figs soaked in whisky, even little biscuits with rabbits stamped on them. Their private feast was always all the bits and bobs and failed experiments left over from preparing the public one. If this was the odd-ends, Merida could only imagine what the proper feast would be like later. Cranky Aileen was a wonder.

Sorry for the scare," Elinor gently told mothers as she handed out cakes and meat from the baskets. "Thank you for your service," Fergus roared at fathers, handing out oats and salt and candles. "These are my favorite," Merida added, giving the children some of Aileen's ginger biscuits. "They bite you back." Through it all, the triplets kept singing lustily as they threw candies at other boys, and eventually the villagers joined in, too, with the familiar old songs. As the stars shone hard and cold above, Gille Peter and the others put out wood and set the big Christmas bonfire alight at the end of the main street. They'd brought enough timber to burn a bonfire straight through to the late winter dawn, and soon, dozens of people were gathered around it, singing and laughing, voices raised high and joyful, all of it a bulwark against the dark and cold and loneliness and violence. Magic, magic, magic. A very different type of magic than the Cailleach's or Ferdach's. A magic that Merida liked an awful lot. The mundane, generous magic of her family. She liked them an awful lot.

She had to admit that her mother was right; the pheasant, peas, stewed kale, and oatcakes were best enjoyed hot. She shoveled the food into her mouth, suddenly realizing how ravenous she was after an afternoon of archery.

Perhaps you have heard the phrase in corporate worship, “The blood of Christ, shed for you.” What a powerful statement and reminder of the work of the Lord Jesus. Do you dwell on this truth? Do you cherish the fact that Christ poured out His blood for you? He ushered in a new covenant, sealed with His own blood. This gives us reason to celebrate with joy inexpressible, for our King has paid our ransom.

Spiritual maturity isn’t merely something you do with your mind. It’s not about the books you read. It’s not about the conferences you attend or speak at. It’s about the life you live. It’s possible to listen to ten podcasts weekly, and to sing with the hottest bands, and be in four Beth Moore Bible studies, but miss the call to care for the least of these—and all the while live in a deceived state of thinking you’re mature.

The Colombian from Caramanta sees Jorge Negrete with his guitar, his big sombrero, his pistols, and reacts to the hero in the same way as the little Indian from Tlaxcala, the cholo from Cuzco, the Juan Bimba from Merida. He too longs to have a girlfriend with bottomless eyes and black braids, a spirited horse, a noble guitar full of songs, and a wonderful manly voice to sing them. Jorge Negrete was, in the movies as in life, what millions of American men, poor and sad, alone, without a woman, a horse or songs wished to be.

I love how Paul says to the Thessalonians, “We were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves.”135 For some, evangelism is gospel with no life—megaphone preaching, handing out tracts, or street evangelism. For others, evangelism is life with no gospel. They equate doing lunch with doing mission. But Paul gives us a nice pattern here: Live life among others, as we speak the gospel to them.

Augustine hung a sign on his dining room wall: “Whoever speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table

Our faith lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it.

Remember: There’s an empty tomb in the Middle East, and an occupied throne in heaven. Remember,

When you replace stewardship for ownership you won’t practice hospitality.

If we really love people, we will tell them the gospel while we care for their physical needs.

Kings speaks to everyone, every church, and every nation that might be going through turmoil. In the midst of turmoil, chaos, and confusion Jesus said the people were “weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36). He came to save a rebellious people. And eventually the God over history will “bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph 1:10).

She detested all this marriage talk. She would never understand why so many lasses wished to tie themselves down before they had a chance to live.

It had been a simpler time, when she could run carefree around the bailey, pretending to slay dragons and capture magical wisps. A time when she did not have to worry about betrothals, peace alliances, or any of the other duties she was now being forced to contend with as princess. But she would not have to worry about these duties for long. After Merida taught her how to survive the journey to Northumbria, she would have the freedom to study the region's fascinating artwork and listen to the poets who recited sonnets day in and day out. The freedom to spend her mornings tending to lost or injured animals, and her evenings singing folk songs with all the like-minded new friends she would meet.

My dad thinks a young lass should be taught the same skills as a lad." "Your dad sounds like a fine gentleman. I think I would like him." "I am counting on it," she said.

All who have repented of sin and placed faith in Christ for salvation now work from righteousness, not for righteousness.

I will not be forced to marry!" Merida yelled. She drew a claymore from the display stand, not because she thought she needed the long sword for protection, but because she felt more at peace with its heavy weight in her hand. Her mother had never understood her. She wanted Merida to be like her, a prim and proper royal lady. But Merida had never felt drawn to that life. She wanted to be free. She relished the feel of the wind in her hair as she raced her horse across the glen. Delighted in the exhilaration of hitting a target from fifty paces away with her bow and arrow, or tumbling in the dirt with her three brothers. She was her father's lass, not her mother's proper princess.

I will not be forced to marry!" Merida yelled. She drew a claymore from the display stand, not because she thought she needed the long sword for protection, but because she felt more at peace with its heavy weight in her hand. Her mother had never understood her. She wanted Merida to be like her, a prim and proper royal lady. But Merida had never felt drawn to that life. She wanted to be free. She relished the feel of the wind in her hair as she raced her horse across the glen. Delighted in the exhilaration of hitting a target from fifty paces away with her bow and arrow, or tumbling in the dirt with her three brothers. She was her father's fierce lass, not her mother's proper princess.

It is as if you are the legend of the black bear come to life." Merida's breath caught in her throat. Then Elinor laughed. "Maybe that is what we should tell those who do not believe in our legends. It may scare some into changing their ways. Make them see things from another person's perspective, as the legend proclaims." Merida's heart swelled at the familiar words. She realized just how much she had changed since she had eaten that cake. And not just on the outside. She was not the same girl who thought only about what she wanted, without considering her duty to protect and support her kingdom. After witnessing the way Elinor had been willing to put aside her plans to uncover the threat to MacCameron Kingdom, Merida understood how important this role was. She no longer saw her responsibilities as a burden; they were an honor.

She had changed. When she first came to Freya, she wanted nothing more than to escape her fate. But after observing her mother as a young woman and witnessing how Elinor had put aside personal wants for the betterment of MacCameron Kingdom, Merida became more open to doing the same. She was ready to embrace her duties as a member of Clan DunBroch's royal family in her own way.

When you have a headstrong agenda for some thing or cause, and if your desires are unmet, it can lead to conflict. So the battle is in the heart.

In short, troubled people trouble people. Their internal unrest comes out on others, and creates unrest in their relationships. In the end, your relationships are usually in turmoil because you are in turmoil.

Merida wondered at how splendid the castle looked in this light, old DunBroch, a castle made new. The rising sun caught each of the panes of glass and lit them like spring fire. The ivy was green and lush. The berries in the Christmas boughs were bright as battle. It was a grand and welcoming and beautiful sight, vibrant and alive. Yes, there was smoking fire in the background and walls had newly been knocked down, but it was impossible not to see that beneath that, the castle had a live and beating heart. It had changed. It had earned its freedom from Feradach's destruction. It had become something new. Or rather, it was still DunBroch, but it was DunBroch, grown, changing, moving onward, and Merida was fiercely proud.

She had been a storm that didn't move roofs, but she'd spent a year watching storms that did. Instead of striking off on her own, as she'd always done, she decided to learn to listen. In spring, she went to Eilean Glan, and she listened to the old queen teach girls to heal. In summer, she went to Ardbarrach, and as the bells rang, she listened to the value of order. In fall, she returned home long enough for her mother to prepare for the journey, and then, as they rode around a new and fragile Scotland, she listened to her mother talk about peace. In winter, she returned to DunBroch to think about all she had learned over the long, dark season.

The joy of life comes from taking advantage of the present and contributing to something bigger than ourselves. -- Suzanna in Flower Girl A Novel

How often do we miss the simple and sublime because we are too stressed looking back or too absorbed looking forward? -- Suzanna in Flower Girl A Novel

The road is as long and as thrilling as you make it. Go slow, and the ride is short and boring. But go fast, and the trip is expansive and enthralling. Some may say this is life in the fast lane—I think this is life in the best lane. -- Suzanna in Flower Girl A Novel

Get to know the feel of the yarn with your fingertips. Allow its fidelity to flow through you. Be at one with the animals and the earth that have given you this gift. A happy weaver makes a happy cloth. -- Eleanor in Flower Girl A Novel

Love and kindness are your strengths. The hard truth is you can’t give those gifts to others until you give them to yourself. -- Jack in Flower Girl A Novel

To find my way, my desire to change had to be greater than my desire to stay the same. -- Craig in Flower Girl A Novel

People don’t change because another wants or wills it—people change because they want to become better. -- Suzanna in Flower Girl A Novel

When we make grievance our traveling companion, it blocks out light, it distorts our perspective, it consumes our hearts until there is nothing left. -- Elliott in Flower Girl A Novel

Some get the wrong idea about election. It should not cast doubt on whether or not all are welcome to come to Jesus. All may come. That is the invitation. Russell Moore says, God is not some metaphysical airport security screener, waving through the secretly pre-approved and sending the rest into a holding tank for questioning. God is not treating us like puppets made of meat, forcing us along by his capricious whim. Instead the doctrine of election tells us that all of us who have come to know Christ are here on purpose. (Adopted for Life, 34)

It is not a mere intellectual appreciation of the love of Christ that Paul is after. Carson says, Paul is not asking that his readers might become more able to articulate the greatness of God’s love in Christ Jesus or to grasp with the intellect alone how significant God’s love is in the plan of redemption. He is asking God that they might have the power to grasp the dimensions of that love in their experience. (Spiritual Reformation, 191, emphasis added)

Let me point out two ditches to avoid regarding experience. First, watch out for experiential abuse. Some base too much on experience. They do not filter experience through God’s Word. This can lead to mysticism. This is dangerous, as it can lead to heresy and all kinds of problems. God’s revelation must be primary. We must understand our experience through the lens of Scripture, which alone is perfect.

heard of a little girl who was getting a swine flu shot, and the nurse asked, “Which arm do you want it in, Sweetie?” The little girl said, “In Momma’s arm.” Well, Momma cannot take your shot, and she cannot believe for you. Do you know Christ personally?

After saying that our works cannot save us, Paul notes the importance of works. He does not want us to think that works are unimportant. He states that works simply are not the root of our salvation. They are the fruit of salvation (cf. John 15:8; Titus 2:14). The Reformers used to say, “It is faith alone that justifies, but faith that justifies can never be alone.” We are not saved by faith plus works but by a faith that does work. We have a living faith, a functioning faith!

What is interesting about the church in Ephesus is that even though it had an amazing history, the final mention in Revelation 2:1-7 about this great church is that they “abandoned the love [they] had at first.” Think about it: Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Paul, Timothy, and later John ministered to this church. What a heritage! Yet about 40 years after the first generation of believers, they had lost their love.

To talk about the skills of conflict resolution but not focus on the heart will ultimately be a disappointing endeavor—especially in the long

Ephesus was also home to the Roman emperor cult. The worship of the emperor was a prominent feature of life at all levels in Asia at this time. Caesar Augustus was spoken of as the “Savior.” His birth was hailed as “the beginning of good tidings to the world,” and the calendar was adjusted in light of his birth (Thielman, Ephesians, 21). So there was a “gospel conflict.” Coins, statues, temples, and other items proclaimed the gospel of Augustus, but the church was proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. Today you can see the statue of the Roman emperor Trajan among the ruins in Ephesus. He ruled after Paul’s lifetime, but you can catch the spirit of Roman rulers at his time. The statue shows Trajan’s foot on top of the world, giving the idea that he was a god. Now compare this picture with 1:21-22. Only One has all things under His feet: the Lord Jesus. When Christians said, “Jesus is Lord,” they were saying that Caesar is not.

While Paul often refers to “Jesus Christ” or “Christ Jesus” or “Lord Jesus” or “the Messiah, Jesus,” in 4:21 we find the only mention of just the name “Jesus” in Ephesians. It seems deliberate. Paul is talking about the historical person, Jesus. He lived, died, and rose from the dead in human history. Find Him and you find truth. Find Him and you find life.

The Christian life involves the constant encouragement of others. If your disposition is cynical and critical and there is no warmth and encouragement, you will not be a good leader—in your job, in your family, or in a church (small group or large). Sam Crabtree says, “We can sin in two ways: by idolatrous commendation (the praise of men), or by failing to commend the commendable.” He goes on to say, “Generally, it is easier to practice affirmation early in a relationship and it can get harder later” (Practicing Affirmation, 13). This is probably true in a marriage or in a church.

Some argue that election here is primarily corporate rather than individual. While I do want to emphasize the corporate purpose of our salvation, as Ephesians makes clear, I do not accept this argument. God did choose a corporate body, but that corporate body is comprised of individuals. In fact, the passage speaks about how individuals experience salvation. “Redemption,” “forgiveness,” “sealing,” and “belief” are all individual experiences, so it is not an “either/or” but a “both-and.” God chose a people for Himself, and that people is made up of believing, redeemed, forgiven members.

We aren’t what we ought to be or what we will be one day, but by God’s grace, we are not what we used to be! Let us now press on to obey “more and more” with great joy.

His [Paul] skin is chafed from being chained to a Roman guard, but his heart is filled with thanksgiving .

Know God, know people; love God, love people. Let’s stop and pray for these things: Father, please increase our love for one another. Help us to love one another based on our knowledge of Christ and His Word. Grant us discernment to know how best to express Christ-centered love to one another, as well as how to express love to the outside world. Fill our hearts with the love of Christ. May our love for Him, who took hold of us, cause us to love others more sacrificially and genuinely. Through Christ we pray. Amen.

Paul, in leading change in the Corinthian church, utilizes this very tactic. After careful teaching on the proper use (and laying down of) freedoms in Christ, Paul offers himself as the model: “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Our friend Tony Merida says it this way, “Let them see themselves in light of your struggle and show them the same grace that you have discovered. . . . You are not on display; the Living God is. And your goal is for others to love Him and be satisfied in Him.”10 The leader has more tools than just modeling to help solidify new cultural narratives. One of the most powerful tools for illustration is the use of heroes and villains. In the local church we do it through testimony and appreciation of faithful volunteers. We acknowledge when someone is embracing truth and obeying Christ, and we put them on display for others to imitate. There is a danger in any hero other than Jesus. We want to spend the sweeping majority of our time and energy making much of Jesus and pointing others to Him as the ultimate Hero for all righteous living. But a church can benefit from lesser heroes who show people what repentance looks like, how developing others can happen in the midst of a regular workweek, and how one can approach work with a holy sense of mission. If the local church is to become a force for developing new leaders, then our congregations will need to see the stories of these new leaders. If a church sees regular examples of people they know used by God as leaders, the Spirit will surely begin to stir many more to action. So many lies that lead to apathy can be struck down through the right use of story in the local church. God’s people are encouraged, strengthened, and stretched when the tide of God’s movement seems to be swelling around them. Far too many churches fail to tell the story of God’s great power, and in doing so, fail to use testimony for its intended purpose.

The Christ who sustains the cosmos is able to sustain you in your relational chaos. We don’t have a puny little Christ. No, our Christ is supreme and sufficient!

I’m grateful for the honesty of the Bible, as it tells me the real reason behind my misbehavior—my flesh. And this truth leads me to the Savior, and drives me to dependence upon the Spirit to be a faithful friend, husband, dad, pastor, and neighbor

What are your trials causing you to do: pray or pout? Praise or protest?

You will not pursue Christ-centered conflict resolution if your heart is not captivated by Christ. If Christ doesn’t reign supreme in your life, then your peacemaking efforts will fall short.

When you have a headstrong agenda for some thing or cause, and if your desires are unmet, it can lead to conflict. So the battle is in the heart. But we too often think our problems are caused by external factors. To be sure, a change in circumstances may definitely help with relational spats, but the primary problem, as mentioned previously, is that our passions are at war within us.

Energy wasted on the past doesn't produce much for the future. Sam, Blackhorse Road A Novel

Acknowledge the goodness in life for there you will find happiness. Live in the present for there is the path to a worthwhile life. Seek out your options for there you will discover the best choice. - Lucinda, Blackhorse Road

Christian maturity isn’t merely about knowing Christian doctrine or being up on the latest movement in the Christian subculture. Maturity is about how we live; it’s about how we love; it’s about how we treat people—including the people that we may be at odds with.

If you're going to get what you want in life, you have to have a contingency plan in your back pocket--Barry in Blackhorse Road A Novel.

What defines a person are not one's financial or physical attributes or beliefs. Instead, it's the choices that one makes in surmounting life's challenges" . . . Lucinda, Chapter 1, Blackhorse Road.

Some think the cross is overemphasized. They think evangelicals are too “atonement centered.” Stephen Finlan says, “It is a mistake to identify the atonement as the Central doctrine, although it is central in Pauline tradition, to First Peter, Hebrews, First John, and Revelation. But these books in their entirety compose only 39 percent of the NT” (Problems, 120). I do not agree with his assessment, but even so, if it is central in 39 percent of the New Testament, then you cannot pretend it is not important!

While Paul was writing this letter, there was a literal wall standing in the temple that excluded the Gentiles. Josephus tells us that attached to this barrier at intervals were messages in Greek and Latin, warning that the Gentiles must not proceed further lest they die. The temple was destroyed physically in AD 70, but it was destroyed spiritually around AD 33 or so, when Jesus Christ died on the cross for sinners. “In His flesh” Jesus tore down the wall that separated these groups.

Self-awareness is the companion of good leadership

Before leaders can gain the confidence of others, they must have confidence in themselves.

Obstacles are challenges to overcome, not roadblocks to success.

Leaders see opportunities and possibilities by challenging existing assumptions.

Leadership is a commitment to excellence

Clarity of personal vision determines the leader you will become

The deepest and strongest foundation for adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. And this act is not part of his ordinary providence in the world; it is at the heart of the Gospel. John Piper, “Adoption: The Heart of the Gospel

When you replace stewardship for ownership, you won't practice hospitality.

We must kill pride and replace it with a heart of humility. We do this by working the gospel deeply into our hearts. When you realize that you were the poor, bringing nothing to the table when Jesus invited you, then it changes your view of the poor. When you were crippled, unable to come to God when He brought you in, then it changes your view of the weak. Pharisees don't understand grace

Jesus is not teaching "salvation by roadside assistance." He wants to crush this man's self-righteousness, to expose him of his need for a Savior

Entertaining is often impressive g others, hospitality is about serving others. Entertaining is often about the host, hospitality is about the guest. Entertaining is often shallow and superficial, hospitality is about depth and authenticity

Hospitality doesn’t mean entertaining people. “Entertaining” is often about impressing others; hospitality is about serving others. Entertaining is often about the host; hospitality is about the guests. Entertaining is often shallow and superficial; hospitality is about depth and authenticity.

Is that all the story?” he asked, and knew that it was not. She shook her head. “Something else happened in the same year. An American salvage ship, the Salvor, went out to search a wreck off Cape Charles. The Merida, which sank in 1911 and took the Emperor Maximilian’s crown jewels to the bottom with her—another million-pound cargo. They didn’t find anything. And fish don’t wear jewellery.” “I remember the Terschelling Island fireworks—the Lutine. But that’s a new one.” “It’s not the only one. Two years before that another salvage company went over the Turbantia with a fine comb. She was torpedoed near the Maars Lightship in 1916, and she had seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds’ worth of German bullion on her—then. The salvage company knew just where to look for it. But they didn’t find it…That was quite a small job. But in 1928 the Sorima Company made an official search for a collection of uncut diamonds and other stones worth more than a million and a quarter, which were on board the Elizabethville when another U-boat got her on her way back from South Africa during the war. Well, they found a lot of ammunition in the strong-room, and thirty shillings in the safe, which didn’t show a big dividend.