Greetings blog-world.
I’m not sure about you, but I’m having a hard time paying attention today. With the long weekend ahead, I am getting a bit jittery. Not to mention, Atlanta has been, for the most part, absolutely fabulous this week. Low 70’s. Warm sunshine. A nice cool breeze. Hardly a cloud in the brilliant blue sky. The smell of fresh jasmine permeating the air. With this distractingly beautiful weather and Memorial Day weekend ahead, I’ve been needing a little extra motivation to keep me sitting still in my office throughout the work day.
I came across this quote, printed it out, and it has been really inspiring to me this week. So naturally, I thought I would pass it along in case you were a little bit distracted today like I am. The quote is apparently by Mark Batterson, who I am not personally familiar with so you will have to correct me if I am in the wrong.
“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion.”
– Mark Batterson
Have you recently come across a quote that you loved? It doesn’t have to be your favorite quote ever. I don’t think I could even narrow down what my all-time favorite quote is. I have a working list of quotes that I add to regularly and I like them all for different reasons and seasons.
Here is one of my Mom’s:
“Faith is not clinging to a shrine, but an endless pilgrimage of the heart, audacious longing, burning songs, daring thoughts, an impulse overwhelming the heart, usurping the mind- these are all a drive toward serving Him who rings our hearts like a bell.”
– Abraham Joshua Heschel
And finally, here is Amanda’s:
“What’s that smell? Is that a snuck?”
-Jackson Jones
We hope you have a fantastic Holiday weekend. Take life in. You are loved.
The Moore-Jones-Fitzpatrick women.
When speaking of material possessions…”what the eye doth not see, the heart doth not long for” my granny
My favorite quote this year: “We can not blame the darkness for being dark but we must blame the light for not shining into the darkness” Craig Gross. This really sturck me this year because I think I have been blaming the darkness for being dark when maybe I being in the light should be working more on shining into that darkness…
“Kindness is just love with it’s work boots on.”
How true is that?
Buffy
I don’t know where I heard this, but I love it and it changed the way I think about myself in a big way:
“You may as well be yourself; everyone else is already taken!”
Isn’t that wonderful! God knew what He was doing when He made you and me, so love it!
Fran
Gulf Shores, AL
My favorite quote right now is from the same author, Mark Batterson, from his book, “The Wild Goose Chase” – – –
“When did we start to believe God wanted us to go safe places to do easy things?”
indeed…
Blessings,
Johanna
“Love Him totally who gave Himself totally for your love.”
St. Francis of Assisi (I think :/)
“There is no pit so deep, God’s not deeper still…” Corrie Ten Boom
“Boy, do I love ‘chlocate’ cake”
James, age 3
I love quotes by D.L. Moody, G.K. Chesterton and Mother Teresa. Here are a few of my other favorites, though.
“When we don’t have the guts to step out in faith and chase lions, then God is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to him.” Mark Batterson
(I’m not really familiar with him either, but a relative shared that quote with me a while back and I love it).
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Coach John Wooden
And I have seen several versions of the following E.B. White quote–not sure which one(s) to list as correct, but I’m listing my favorite version.
“I wake up in the morning torn between the desire to save the world and to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
–J.
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” Charles Swindoll
I personally like Amanda’s quote. It’s amazing what things come out of children’s mouths that inspire us! Okay, okay, I like the other 2 as well, even if Beth’s is hard to understand.
This is a quote by CH Spurgeon that has been on my refrigerator for at least a month now as a barometer for me daily:
“Whatever God has made prominent in His word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives!”
Chew that cud for a while, hunny!
When the black breath blows
and death’s shadow grows
and all lights pass
come athelas! come athelas!
Life to the dying
In the king’s hand lying!
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
In Middle Earth, athelas (or kingsfoil)is a plant that has miraculous healing powers, but only in the hands of the king. Otherwise it is just a fragrant plant with little use. It is my prayer to be as kingsfoil in the hands of my King; without Him I am not able to do much, but in His hands I can set people free from darkness and despair.
Lissie
I collect quotes — yours was indeed very inspiring. Here’s one that I like.
A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulties that he can realize his potentialities. — Charles De Gualle
I collect quotes — yours was indeed very inspiring. Here’s one that I like.
A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulties that he can realize his potentialities. — Charles De Gualle
Grace dies when it becomes us versus them.
– philip yancey – in “What’s so Amazing about Grace”
This book has been blessing me so much!
Sister Lynn
“Brightly colored sunsets and starry heavens, majestic mountains and shining seas, and fragrant fields and fresh-cut flowers are not even half as beautiful as a soul who is serving Jesus out of love, through the wear and tear of an ordinary, unpoetic life.” ~ Frederick William Faber, Anglican preacher and composer of “Faith of Our Fathers”
Melissa, I’m all over this post. I love quotes and collect them over the year in “Word” and then print off and tuck them in my journal from year to year. 😉
Bless all of you and tons of love. Counting down for HOUSTON!
Lovingly,
Yolanda
The quote is actually a conversation with my son (now 8) when he was about 3. I was telling him all the cute stuff he did when he was a baby, and he was giggling and laughing. Then his total expression changed to a completely serious look. He looked me in the eyes and said, “When I was in your belly, I talked to Jesus.” I have clung to that as gospel truth.
Peace,
Kim Feth
Apex, NC
Me again…
Just wanted to say that I can’t get the Mark Batterson quote out of my head. I had to copy it out for four other sisters.
Thanks for sharing it!!!
Sister Lynn
This may already be posted, but I haven’t had time to read all of the quotes posted:
“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” C.S. Lewis
“Defending the Bible is like defending a lion – you don’t defend the Lion, you just let him loose He’ll defend himself!”
C. Spurgeon.
I love this quote b/c it makes me remember that our King is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!!!
Thanks to all those military families out there reading, you are sacrificing more than i’ll ever know. And for those who have served – THANK YOU!!!!
And a very happy blessed holiday weekend to all of you!
Forgot to put a quote earlier. Watch out cause this one is really deep….
If “ifs” and “buts” were candy and nuts we would all have a Merry Christmas.
My husband handed down to him by his father. :o)
Two of my recent favs…..
“People are hungry for God. What a terrible meeting it would be with our neighbor if we give them only ourselves.” Mother Teresa
“Truly to believe is a terrible agony, very hard for weak and slothful humanity….Not to pray, not to be a true Christian, is to declare a reluctance to live life to the full. It is the choice of a small, warm, selfish life….The great life that is possible in God has infinitely more to offer. It would be like Rembrandt refusing to paint because he could live on his wife’s money” Wendy Beckett
"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots, and the other is wings."
Hodding Carter
My daughter used this quote as part of her high school graduation speech. When she spoke about her dad and me and used this quote I was about to bawl. It meant so much to hear her say that we not only taught her, but lived it. (sigh)
As so many are graduating and taking the next step in life, I thought this was a good quote to share. As parents we've hopefully given our children unconditional love & taught them like the Bible says to in Deuteronomy 6:6-9… they'll have roots. Then we must give them our blessings and tell them to go and dream big and we let them know we have faith and believe in them. Letting go and watching them fly away isn't easy, but necessary.
First..our pastor just did a sermon series based on Mark Batterson’s book “In the pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day”. Rocked our church’s world big time. Seriously.
Second…my quote comes from a little book called “The Red Sea Rules” by Robert J. Morgan. In fact, I just posted about this quote this morning.
“So take a deep breath and recall this deep secrect of the Christian life: when you are in a difficult place, realize that the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to be there, for reasons perhaps known for now only to Himself. The same God who led you in will lead you out.”
“I am concerned with a certain way of looking at life, which was created in me by the fairy tales, but has since been ratified by mere facts.” – G.K. Chesterton
The book “Waking the Dead: the Glory of a Heart Fully Alive” by John Eldredge is full of wonderful, inspiring quotes. That book really helped me to see more clearly, the strategy of our Enemy – and that we do have to be on guard – daily, hourly… every moment. That’s where walking in the Spirit comes in…
This one never fails to crack me up:
“The less people know about how sausages and laws are made, the better they’ll sleep at night.”
– Otto von Bismarck
Sad, but true. 😉
Oh, there are just too many!
“Don’t ask, ‘Is this right or is this wrong?” I instead ask, ‘Does this glorify God?” John Piper
“You think life goes on forever? You think behind every chance is another chance and another one and another one? It’s the worst kind of extravegance the way you spend your chances, Birdie.” the mother from Hope Floats
“It’s a good thing I ain’t scairt to be lazy” Augustus Mcrae from Lonesome Dove
Mrs. Melissa, I sure do love these quotes! Your quote makes me want to be braver and more courageous. Spiritual Mom Beth’s quote makes me think of perseverance, and Little Momma’s quote makes me think of my nephews-funny!
My recent fav quote is something my sister AND my husband said to me in moments of pitifully sad anxiety and complaining (not good!):
“Set your mind on things above!!”
Love it when the Lord gives the same message to different loved ones for me! HE IS GOOD:)
Love ya’ll:)IN HIM,
katiegfromtennessee
My favorite comes from when my little guy was just a teeny thing. He’d gone to my mom’s house for the day, and played in her pantry (a favorite pastime which he has not outgrown yet). He was about 2 or 3, and came out of the pantry with a bag of coconut flakes. Looking perplexed, he looked up at my mom and said:
“Fingernails, gramma?”
🙂
Funny, my favorite quote as of late is something I got from one of your blog posts. I have it on a sticky note right here.
“The scriptures are too profound just to read in isolation of the real world. They must be read and lived.” by Melissa Fitzpatrick
Marcy, Redmond, OR
Faith is not believing God can it is knowing He will.
Mimi, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is my favorite poet, and I had memorized that whole poem years ago but had not thought about it forever. I am going to look it up. 🙂
My quote:
“Laugther is the lifeboat you tumble into just before the waters close over your head.”
(not sure where I found this, it is in my old notebook of quotes I have collected, so of course I am loving this post.)
and:
“God.” -Beth Moore-
Blessings, karen :):)
Loved your quote, Melissa. That one spoke to me quite loudly this morning. Thank you! I have two that are coming to mind this morning:
First, ironically enough is by your mother:
“If I am going to err, let me err on the side of belief.”
Second..I am not entirely sure who said it first. I see it attributed to Maya Angelou, Max Lucado and others…but it is:
“A woman’s hearty should be so hidden in God, that man should have to seek Him to find her.”
Thanks for the post this morning!
Comparison is the thief of all Joy!
(not sure who said it?)
“Don’t question in the darkness what God revealed in the light.” – my dad
This is a quote from my spiritual dad. It is one of my favorites. But reading all the quotes has been encouraging!
“People may forget the things you did. People may forget the things you said. But people will never forget the way you made them feel.”
Gail
I needed that quote! I always think of myself as such a non-risk-taker at heart… but I suspect that’s not who God truly created me to be!
My favorite quote today:
“Satan smiles when we make plans and he laughs when we get too busy. But he trembles when we pray!”
~Corrie Ten Boom
“In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets.” ~ CS Lewis
This one is my recent favorite. Directly contradicts a woman’s tendency to limit her circle of friends. The more, the merrier I say! 🙂
Pastor Charles Stanley frequently says this, and it encourages me greatly:
“Obey God and leave the circumstances to Him.”
Denise/GA
Love this post AND quotes, Melissa!
Heard this at revival in church but can’t recall speaker.
“A need seen is an assignment given.”
and don’t know who said this either:
“Go the extra mile — it’s never crowded.”
I have several….from a recent sermon.
In the places of great bounty and great provision without God is death, and in the places of death and desert with God, there is provision.
God’s abundant blessings always flow out of the hard places. The meaning of the desert is that you will never be able to taste the sweetness of God’s fountain until all of the other brooks in your life dry up.
As long as you keep drinking from other wells, you will never see that God is all you have.
What the desert teaches us is that God is all that we have, therefore, He is all that we need. You will never know that God is all that you need until you know that He is all that you have.
These are all from my favorite pastor! 🙂
Susan in OKC
Wish I could remember who said this first, was it Beth?
“You are eternally valued, unconditionally accepted and gifted to fulfill His purpose”
Praying always for Beth, Keith and the ministry.
Erin
I’ve already posted, but several years ago, I heard your precious Mamma (BethMoore) say this on her radio program. It stuck with me that day and is still written in my checkbook:
“Victory always begins with a cry for help.”
Denise/GA
God calls you holy. With His presence inside of you, HE will produce the impossible through you. Why settle for anything less?
“Never let us be guilty of sacrificing any portion of truth on the altar of peace.” A 19th century Anglican leader
(I just recently came across this quote and it’s my current new favorite).
I’m so glad you love quotes! I’ve been accumulating a bunch of fave quotes and plan to wall paper my laundry room with them (the one room in the house where I could use good food for thought and inspiration!)
Warm in Alaska.
I just heard this one last night:
“God allows in His wisdom that which He could easily prevent by His power.” Author Unknown
Ouch! Sometimes it’s hard to grow.
I have to follow Amanda’s train of thought as a mother so my favorite quote/prayer is that of my 2 yr son’s.
I was leading him in prayer at breakfast. I would say a prayer phrase and then he would repeat me. It went like this….(me) “Thank you God for pancakes” (2 yo) “thank you Gawd for panquakes” ….(Me) “Thank you God for bananas” (2yo) “Thank you Gawd for nanas” …(me) “Thank you God for juice” (2 yo) “thank you gawd for juice”…(Me) Amen…..(2yo Looking up to me with confusion!) “Thank you Gawd for Syrup!!)
God is so good! Thank you God for our children!!
Love Blair
Pensacola, FL
So many good ones! I chose this one today. Blessings! Cheryl H., Huntington, WV
To speak to God on behalf of man is probably the highest service any of us can render. The next is to speak to men in the name of Jesus. Either is possible through His grace. Corrie ten Boom
“Our hearts are all the same color”
Heard that one this week in a movie of several different fables then discussed it with my fourth graders at school. We all quoted it together. 🙂
“If you’re coming to see us, come without warning. If you’re coming to see the house, call ahead.”
Julie Perkins Cantrell
My most favorite: “Mommy, do we have time to just love on each other for a while?”
My daugther Faith, 5
Love you Moore-Jones-Fitzpatrick girls!!!