"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." —Charles Thomas Studd
Charles Thomas Studd was born in Great Britain in 1860, and as he grew, he became a star cricket player in a game that was the premier sport in England. They called him C.T. and he was not only famous, he became in that era, a kind of a sports rock star, like Manning, Mantle, or Brady...
"Ruin is the road to transformation." —Elizabeth Gilbert
Do we park at the point of our pain? Or do we try again? When Larry Bird's father committed suicide, he was lost. He tried college but couldn't deal with it, so he went back home and became a garbage collector. When Oprah Winfrey was sexually assaulted at age 10 and pregnant at 14, losing the child shortly after birth, the pain and hopelessness were overwhelming...
"There's a difference between remorse and repentance. Remorse is being sorry for being caught. Repentance is being sorry enough to stop." —Greg Laurie, Author, The Jesus Revolution
Who among us could not apply this statement to our own lives? Greg Laurie, who wrote about his life in the book and new movie, The Jesus Revolution, is pastor of one of the largest churches in the U.S. It was a small production effort that became a blockbuster at the box office. Laurie was raised by an alcoholic mother who married seven times...
"I got 16 years to life." —Pastor Jeff Osborne
Jeff Osborn is a pastor who talks candidly about surviving prison and turning his life around. He was a kid, an army brat in a loving family who went to church, believed in God, and was brought up to come under authority. But one day, when he was about 11, "Some men came to our house and told us we had two hours to get out...
"There was a time in my life when I thought I had everything – millions of dollars, mansions, cars, nice clothes, beautiful women, and every other materialistic thing... Now I struggle for peace." —Comedian Richard Pryor
I was in college when I became aware of Richard Pryor. He was raw, funny and hugely popular. As one of the most influential and controversial comedians ever, he seemed to have it all. Even then, I knew that comedians are not usually the jovial cut-ups in private that they are on stage, but none of his fans knew how much of his comedy was based on his dark youth...
"Hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will toward men." —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In 1861 Fanny Longfellow, died after her dress was set ablaze by a falling candle. Her adoring husband, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, rushed to smother the flames, covering her with his body, but was too late to save...
"You oughta be thankful, a whole heaping lot, for the places and people you're lucky you're not." —Dr. Seuss
Cute. It rhymes. But the truth is—it's the truth. Most of us are the lucky products of the grace and blessings we were handed in this world. We are the "lucky ones." For the most part, lucky ones had a loving mom and dad who raised their children in a safe home, with enough food, an emphasis on education, and an understanding of their Maker...
"I don't want to do this." —Brittany, Jobs for Life Graduate
Three days ago we celebrated the graduation of women who have completed a 16-week Jobs for Life course to prepare them for work and help them secure a job. All of them have recently been released from incarceration. Some wore ankle monitors under the classic graduation black gowns and caps...
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace"—Jimi HendrixWho doesn't know the name Jimi Hendrix? He was an insanely talented guitarist, the world's highest paid musician in 1969, the headliner at Woodstock and so many other famous concerts all over the U.S. and Europe. But those who knew him, saw him as the shy and sensitive boy who was deeply affected by parental abandonment, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, and disillusionment.He was a by-product of the crazy, mixed up '60s, when "flower children" were dancing in the streets, singing songs of peace, while the war in Vietnam continued to rage, killing our sons by the thousands. A decade that saw our president assassinated, while our school children were still being taught to 'duck and cover,' to avoid injury from Russian bombs, and on the nightly news were films of civil rights marches and riots.An entire generation had become disillusioned. They stopp...
The Lord sometimes has to short-circuit even our best plans for our benefit."—Tony DungyTony Dungy knows about success, but also bitter disappointment. After a stellar football performance in high school and college, he signed on as a free agent with the Pittsburg Steelers, winning a Super Bowl ring in 1978. Before long he started up the ranks of NFL defensive coaching.Meanwhile in 1996, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had one of the worst records in the NFL. Desperate for fresh leadership, they hired Tony Dungy as head coach. This job was the realization of his dreams. He re-designed Tampa's defense, famously instituting what is now called Tampa 2, and developed work-arounds for the team's problem areas, and built the Bucs into real contenders.Then came a devastating one-two-three punch. The Bucs lost in the playoffs, Tony's mother died, and a few days later he was fired from his job as head coach. I actually remember a video some news team t...
