“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“We did not come here to fear the future. We came here to shape it.”

“Conventional wisdom would say that the less you give, the more you have. The converse is true. The more you give, the more you have.”

“God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go wrong or right. Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free but had no possibility of going wrong, but I can't. If a thing is free to be good it's also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. A world of automata -of creatures that worked like machines- would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water. And for that they've got to be free. Of course God knew what would happen if they used their freedom the wrong way: apparently, He thought it worth the risk. (...) If God thinks this state of war in the universe a price worth paying for free will -that is, for making a real world in which creatures can do real good or harm and something of real importance can happen, instead of a toy world which only moves when He pulls the strings- then we may take it it is worth paying.”

“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.”

“who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape? The words compelle intrare, compel them to come in, have been so abused by wicked men that we shudder at them; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of man, and His compulsion is our liberation.”

“In some ways, Christians are homeless. Our true home is waiting for us, prepared by the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“MAY 10 Light Shines Through Cracked Pots Let not those who wait and hope and look for You, O Lord of hosts, be put to shame through me; let not those who seek and inquire for and require You [as their vital necessity] be brought to confusion and dishonor through me, O God of Israel. PSALM 69:6 Everyone is like a pot that carries life. But not everyone carries a presence that blesses others. Religion tries to force people to follow laws to make them perfect, like pots without cracks. But if a light is put within a flawless pot and then covered, no one is able to see the light inside the pot. Perfect pots are not able to reveal internal light to illumine the way for others. God chooses to shine through imperfect, cracked pots. People are blessed when our cracked pots let the light of Jesus shine through. Choose to be a glory-filled, cracked pot rather than an empty, pretty vessel.”

“Let your courage rise with danger.”

“Pierre was one of those people who are strong only when they feel themselves perfectly pure.”

“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

“But despite the fact that the doctors treated him, bled him, and gave him medicines to drink -- he recovered.”

“Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.”

“Major barriers to successful planning are fear of change, ignorance, uncertainty about the future, and lack of imagination.”

“People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results.”