Quotes III

"As teachers or leaders, an important question to ask ourselves is, "When someone comes to me with a problem or difficult question, do I try to answer it myself, or do I refer them to God and trust that He will answer it for them?" Leaders often have a hard time sending people to God for things, and instead see themselves as the one who must have all the answers."


"A prophetic word is from God if it happens to come from Him and not from some other source. Discerning the source is more a matter of knowing His heart, His ways and His voice than anything else."



“What nobody tells people who are beginners - and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.
But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It’s gonna take a while. It’s normal to take a while. You've just gotta fight your way through.” ~ Ira Glass


"Does God hate sinners? If you looked in the bible, you might think He does. But if you followed me around and saw Him heal and touch and love on them, you might think He rather likes them. Something must have happened to make Him see them differently. Perhaps it has something to do with that carpenter fellow."



"John's ministry seemed to be one that took place in an obscure location. Even Luke's description of how the word of the Lord first came to John is a testimony to his obscurity:
'Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John in the wilderness.'
"You have a landscape littered with important political and religious leaders, but God chose to work through an obscure nobody who hung out in the wilderness eating locusts and honey. I guess my point there is - where one is found, geographically and who one is connected to relationally, has little bearing on how that person might be used by God."


"If we don't have the faith to see a particular person healed from cancer, or raised from the dead, we may still have the faith to support those who DO have faith to see them raised. Even if we don't have faith for miracles, or if we think this person can't be healed or raised, we still know how to pray encouragement, faith, passion, boldness into those who are still contending for that which we are not ready or able to contend for. 
Those people are ALWAYS more important than what I do or do not believe or understand. Jesus did not die for doctrine or understanding; he died for people. We must support people, even when we cannot support all that the people are believing or doing." ~ Northwest Prophetic


"Love is patient....so if you're struggling with patience, you're really struggling with love. The answer isn't to try being more patient. The answer is to become more loving. - Dan Mohler


"Think twice about living from revelation someone else received from God. One day you may be asked to die for it. If you didn't receive it from God, you may question it. And if it's not worth dying for, it's not worth living for. There's no confidence as great as that which we have when we live from what we know God has told us personally."



"I used to fellowship with my own kind, but now I have an 'eclectic' group that I fellowship with. In gifting & doctrine, we agree on nothing, except who is King. The more I'm accepted by them, the more I see Jesus at work. Unconditional love is like that. The eye in a box with its own kind knows familiarity. But that's not its place. The eye must find an ear and ask what he's heard, a nose and ask what he smells, a tongue and ask what he tastes, a finger and ask what he feels and tell them all what marvelous things he's seen."


"The idea that I must live for Christ puts the focus on me. The idea that He is living in me puts the focus on Him and what He can do through me."



"An all-powerful, omniscient, insomniac with ADHD?
And somehow, He has a frightful case of dementia regarding to our blunders. Can't remember a single one, no matter how well we remember them. I'm very fond of Him; perhaps more than anything else, because of his forgetfulness."


"Kindness is not random. Beauty is not senseless. An exquisite design from a loving heart lies behind both. There are no blind watchmakers."


"The removal of a demonic influence for some people is only temporary. When children of the kingdom show up, we reveal a different reality than they're used to. Our kingdom is one of light and truth. All we can do is reveal it and offer them a taste. We can't make them enter God's kingdom against their will. Some choose to enter, some do not. If they choose the kingdom of God and seek repentance and are filled with the Spirit, they begin their new life of truth. But if they choose not to, yes, the demons will return - but only because they chose that path."


"We have evangelistic strategies because we have failed to love." ~ Dan Mohler


“There are two ways of being a prophet. One is to tell the enslaved that they can be free. It is the difficult path of Moses. The second is to tell those who think they are free that they are in fact enslaved. This is the even more difficult path of Jesus.” ~ Richard Rohr


"There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or influence. Those who lead inspire us. Whether individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead not for them, but for ourselves." ~ Simon Sinek


"If you see things others can't and you're from the right side of the bell curve, they call you insane. If you see things others can't and you're from the left side, they call you a visionary. If you march to the beat of your own drum from the right side, they call you an outcast. If you march to the beat of your own drum from the left side, they call you unique or authentic." ~ Simon Sinek


"Accountability, if it has to be forced on people, will never set them free or create mature believers. Quite the opposite. It will prevent people from understanding the true nature of God. To be wholly accountable to others we need to set people free to use their will properly." ~ Graham Cooke

Quotes II

"The greatest criticism of healing during the first century came from religious leaders. They had loyal followers who admired their shallow, powerless spirituality. The healing miracles of Jesus drew people away from them and turned their hearts back to God. The kingdoms these men had built crumbled. Their response was to criticize the new thing God was doing. The greatest opposition to the present work of God often comes from those used in the previous work of God. Little has changed today. Most of the criticism of healing today comes from religious leaders building their own kingdoms." ~ From my soon to be published book


"One day it will be part of a normal Christian life to be at least as spiritual as a New-Ager and not need to apologize for it. - Matt Evans

"Renewing our mind is a greater task than we know. It doesn't just mean agreeing with God in areas we intend to operate in, but agreeing with God at every point, regardless of what we believe to be true. Some of God's truths when revealed, are terribly inconvenient."


"Whether or not a Christian group is a personality cult has little to do with doctrine. It's a matter of how the leader is perceived by the group. If the leader's teaching is accepted by all and questioned by none, the possibility of a cult exists. Such accusations deserve thoughtful consideration, not quick denial."



"Why should we raise the dead?
Ask yourself why Jesus raised the dead and why the Father raised him. "If Christ was not raised, you are dead in your sins." The gospel hinges on the resurrection. The resurrection as a sign, is unique to our faith. The rest of Christianity can be argued and explained away, but when the dead are raised, the unbeliever if he is honest, must admit there is a God in heaven who does such things. There is no other explanation." ~ From my soon to be published book


"Jesus didn't come in the manner we expected. He surprised, offended and challenged our ideas about a messiah and God. In my encounters with him, I find him still challenging my notions, ideas and religious beliefs. Never changing, yet never exactly the same. The subjects - foreign. His thoughts - perplexing. His objective - puzzling. His ways - a mystery wrapped in an enigma surrounded by a riddle. Oh, Son of man, how I love the way you wreck my religion."


"Even as a boy, his apostolic mind was evident; "I must be about my Father's business." The young apostle knew who sent him and why he was sent. It was for him as it is for us, to see the kingdom of heaven and bring it's eternal realities to earth."


"Barbecuing sacred cows can be fun. But if in the process of destroying the traditions of men, we establish a different set of traditions - we have accomplished nothing. Sacred cows come from rigid minds controlled by a spirit of pride that prevents us from considering the ideas of others and weighing them by the spirit. Sacred cows involve subjects about which scripture may support multiple views. But pride blinds us and prevents us from considering other interpretations."


"Faith that heals the sick consistently and predictably is the belief that when you are presented with an opportunity to heal someone who is willing to be healed, that God will in fact heal that person of the condition they desire to be healed of through you. Faith that heals is not general. It is specific to the individual in need, the problem at hand and the one praying." ~ From my soon to be published book 

"There is only one thing that can turn the world upside down; a handful of surrendered people operating in the power of God through transformed lives."


"Theology is elitist if it exists for its own sake, or for the sake of a very few. If all theology does is attempt to prevent God from speaking into the lives of people today, then it has set itself up in place of God. If understanding God doesn’t transform our lives, bringing the hope of God to earth as it is in heaven, then theology is just an artifact or a clanging gong, useless for the communion of the church." ~ Julie Clawson



"Skepticism is not bad in itself. It is only when faced with one miracle after another and one hardens their heart against the evidence that skepticism is bad, for then it destroys one’s ability to reason." ~ From my soon to be published  book

"Choose your teachers carefully, we tend to become like them. However funny, brilliant or bold they are, if they carry a chip on their shoulder, so will we. Their bitter, disillusioned heart sows seeds of bitterness and disillusionment in ours. When those seeds bear fruit, they bring forth death."


"And where the slain are, there it is” reminds me that a prophetic life is one of spiritual warfare. Prophets are sent to speak life where death holds sway, to be vessels of water in the desert, to build amidst the ruins, to bringing blessing to widows and orphans, to encourage the weak and defeated, to warn the proud and indifferent. ~ Michael Sawh


"There is coming a day, which in my opinion has already arrived for some, when the truth will be stated plainly without the need to disguise it just enough for only the hungry to discover it, and will be received widely, despite theological predisposition, denomination, or experience. The hearts of men are tired of hearing what He is not, ready to see God as He is, even if that contradicts what we have been taught for thousands of years. THIS is the reformation at hand, working even at this present moment, and this reformation will revolve around one key issue: The True Knowledge Of God." ~ Tyler Johnson


"You know the kingdom of God is flowing from you, when others expect the impossible from you."


"Fear is always a choice. For every situation we face, there is a standing, eternal promise from God that addresses it. Faith believes the promise and agrees with it. Fear is our decision not to believe the promise."


"It frustrates me when people reduce healing the sick to a theological argument. Think about this. It’s not even supposed to be a “stance” of scripture. Jesus didn't try to prove that healing was for His day. He didn't try to validate it through Scripture. He just did it. It wasn't an argument. It wasn't a formula. It was just a byproduct of who He was with His Father." ~ Brandon Lee


Theology speaks to that hope of God, a hope that is not limited to this world or confined to divine realms. For theology to convey that hope, it  has to be deeply reflective and properly intelligent while at the same time have feet so to speak. Theology cannot be dismissed or exist in a vacuum apart from the very embodied body of Christ it exists to guide. So when I hear preaching against the need for theology or hear embodied theologies dismissed as profane, I can’t help but cringe. God has blessed us with the gift of coming to know Godself, why would we either throw away that opportunity or alternately claim that the gift is meaningless for human existence? ~ Julie Clawson


"I'm not seeing a different Jesus. We're seeing the same Jesus differently."


"The Bible is the written word of God, and because it is written, it is confined and limited by the necessities of ink, paper and leather. The Voice of God, however, is alive and free as the sovereign God is free. 'The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.' The life is in the speaking words. God's word in the Bible can have power only because it corresponds to God's Word in the universe. It is the present Voice which makes the written word powerful. Otherwise it would lie locked in slumber within the covers of a book." ~A. W. Tozer - The Pursuit of God


"Living outside the box has no virtue in itself. A corn flake on the table is no better off than those in the box. Its just another flake. Living and thinking outside the box is a deliberate decision to investigate possibilities few have considered and entertain discussions on unconventional views. It's not just being another flake."

On my birthday, I thought I'd share some of my recent Twitter activity:‎

When God closes a door don't look for a window. Maybe just look for a couch and sit down for a few days. ~Jason Upton

Someday soon this entire painful epoch will be remembered as an insignificant dream as we settle into an eternity of laughter with Abba. ~ Greg Boyd

In God's eyes, no people group is insignificant.

Warned of false fire by fireless men, we too often settle for no fire at all. ~Leonard Ravenhill

You were born with the ability to change someone’s life for the better, don’t waste it.

What we see depends mainly on what we look for. ~ John Lubbock

I don’t know what’s going to happen to me tomorrow. That’s why I don’t save my best for last.

Only as high as I reach can I grow, Only as far as I seek can I go, Only as deep as I look can I see, Only as much as I dream can I be.

Tell the truth from the beginning to the end, so they fall in love with you, not who you're pretending to be. ~ Tommy Tenney ‏

We will not change the future by declaring how hopeless today is.

Experience is not what happens to you it's what you do with what happens to you. -A. Huxley

Don't waste time explaining yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you.

Don't search for a man that will solve all your problems, he won't. Find one that won't let you face them alone. ~ The Girl Dictionary ‏

Our deepest desires emerge from our souls, inspiring us to be transformed into what we are meant to be.

Make choices in life based on values and long-term objectives rather than on a need for approval.

That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well. ~ Abraham Lincoln

I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can’t be done. ~ Henry Ford

Help others get ahead. You will always stand taller with someone else on your shoulders. - Bob Moawad

Your life will mirror what you focus on. Focus on love. ~ Remy Tongol ‏

Everything we do, in one way or another, speaks of what we value.

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory. -Philip Yancey

The grace of God is a bit like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't be complete without you. ~ David Liprini

Faith does not consist in the belief that we are saved, it consists in the belief that we are loved.  ~ Alexandre Vinet

It takes an intelligent man to see the need for change, but a truly desperate one to sacrifice his comfort and happiness to see it happen. ~ David Liprini ‏

Fairy tales don't tell children dragons exist. Children know dragons exist. Fairytales tell children dragons can be beaten - GK Chesterton

Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission. ~ Zig Ziglar

You may not be able to help everyone in need, but that doesn't excuse you from saying "yes" to one who needs your help. ~ Frank Viola

Christians are the most easily offended people in the world. We should be the least. ~ Frank Viola

You will discover how real your relationship to Jesus Christ is when your feelings get hurt. ~ Frank Viola

The soul that never learns to love others lives a life of wasted opportunities.

Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around. ~Vanilla Sky

Some people are hurting so badly that you have to do more than preach a message to them. You have to be a message to them.

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. ~ Roger Lewin

A true encounter with God brings you to a new place from which you can never again return.You are at that moment and forever ''ruined'' for anyone but God. ~ Fawn Parish

Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are. ~ Bernice Johnson Reagon