Nick Brandt

Find a church where you leave thinking most about JESUS, not the preacher, worship, donuts, coffee, lights, fog machine...or even yourself.

“The only condition under which people change from the inside out is if they're getting their teaching from somebody they know loves them. Truth without love is a power play." - Tim Keller

“The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.” - Ernest Hemingway

“If my critics saw me walking over the Thames they would say it was because I couldn't swim.” - Margaret Thatcher

We live in a noisy, busy world that does violence to the soul. If you want to experience life like Jesus — simply put: you must do what Jesus did. Simple? Yes. Easy? No. You must practice eliminating good things for greater spiritual reward. You must make holy exchanges.

Do you know how many beautiful things can be seen in a single second?

“There is a common worldly kind of Christianity in this day which many have and they think they have enough. It is a cheap Christianity which offends nobody, requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, and is actually worth nothing.” - JC Ryle

Dang..this hits. After many hurts, it is difficult to love and let others in. Do it anyway…do not deprive yourself of the joy of deep friendship.

The three greatest lies of identity: 1. I am what I have. 2. I am what I do. 3. I am what other people say or think of me.

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. [Hebrews 2:10]

My job is not to solve people’s problems or make them happy, but to help them see the grace operating in their lives. [Eugene Peterson]

What have you won, but nothing, if you win an argument yet lose the person?

A person wrapped up in himself makes a very small package. [Malcom Muggeridge]

In the end, you will be remembered not for the empire and platform that you built, but for the people that you loved.

The best definition of sin I have ever heard:

The easiest work in the world is to find fault. [Charles Spurgeon]

You know one of the most freeing things you can do in your life? Unfollow accounts on social media. Don’t make it about “them,” but rather about your mental and spiritual health. Who (the voices) you allow to fill your mind and heart with either clog it or free it. You choose!

Followers of Jesus: do not confuse Jesus with His followers. The most effective way to steer clear of cynicism in this current Christian climate is to stay Jesus-focused instead of Jesus-follower focused. His followers will fail you often. Jesus, however, never will.