"People are not impressed by facades or manipulation, but by authenticity and by those who are genuinely other-centered. Character is not a matter of outward technique but of inner reality. God is concerned with what you are really like when no one else is looking." ~ Kenneth Boa
"It would be nice if we could simply 'practice the presence of God' in all of life, without expending energy on particular exercises. But the capacity to remember and abide in God's presence comes through steady training." ~ Marjorie Thompson
"Character is like physical exercise or any form of learning; you cannot 'cram,' hoping to do in a day or week what can only be accomplished by months and years of consistent practice." ~Douglas Rumford
"Sometimes we don't need another chance to express how we feel or to ask someone to understand our situation. Sometimes we just need a firm kick in the pants. An unsmiling expectation that if we mean all these wonderful things we talk about and sing about, then let's see something to prove it."
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"The life of a Christian is an education for higher service." ~ Corrie Ten Boom
"The message is clear: He who dares to call himself God's ambassador is not afforded the luxury of idle words. Excuses such as "I didn't know you were here" or "I didn't realize this was so touchy" are shallow when they come from those who claim to be followers and imitators of the Great Physician. We have an added responsibility to guard our tongues." ~Max Lucado
"The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to to on to victories you never dreamed of." ~C.S. Lewis
"Bad will be the day, for every man when he becomes absolutely contented with the life he is living, with the thoughts that he is thinking, with the deeds that he is doing, when there is not forever beating at the doors of his soul some great desire to do something larger, which he knows that he was meant and made to do because he is still, in spite of it all, the child of God." ~Phillips Brooks
"I choose goodness...I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I accuse. I choose goodness." ~Max Lucado
"The knowledge of Christ's love for us should cause us to love Him in such a way that it is demonstrated in our attitude, conduct, and commitment to service God. Spiritual maturity is marked by spiritual knowledge being put into action." ~Edward Bedore
"When Christ reveals Himself there is satisfaction in the slenderest portion, and without Christ there is emptiness in the greatest fullness. ~Alexander Grosse
"All Jesus is saying is, 'pay attention." You know your weaknesses. You also know the situaitons in which your weaknesses are most vulnerable. Stay out of those situations. Back seats. Late hours. Nightclubs. Poker games. Bridge parties. Movie theaters. Whatever it is that gives Satan a foothold in your life, stay away from it. Watch out!" ~Max Lucado
"God's questions aren't intended to teach; they are intended to stun. They aren't intended to enlighten; they are intended to awaken. They aren't intended to stir the mind; they are intended to bend to knees." ~Max Lucado
"Character is always lost when a high ideal is sacrificed on the altar of conformity and popularity." ~Charles Spurgeon
