"Teach him what has been said in the past, then he will set a good example to the children.... Speak to him, for there is none born wise." Ptahhotpe, Maxims (24th century B.C.).

PERSPECTIVES ON PASSION

“Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.” Georg Wilhelm Hegel (1770-1831), Philosophy of History.

"How came the spirit of slumber over the church? Was it not from the pulpit?" John Angell James (1785-1859), An Earnest Ministry, 1847.

“Man finds nothing so intolerable as to be in a state of complete rest, without passions, without occupation, without diversion, without effort. Then he feels his nullity, loneliness, inadequacy, dependence, helplessness, emptiness.” Blaise Pascal (1623–62), Pensées.

"We are weak in the pulpit, because we are weak in the closet."
John Angell James (1785-1859), An Earnest Ministry, 1847.

“If we had not been taught how to interpret the story of the Passion, would we have been able to say from their actions alone whether it was the jealous Judas or the cowardly Peter who loved Christ?”
Graham Greene, The End of the Affair (1951).

“We should employ our passions in the service of life, not spend life in the service of our passions.” Richard Steele (1672-1729).

“The happiness of man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.” Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892).

"An earnest man is the last to be satisfied with mere formality, routine, or prescription. He will often survey his object, his means, and his instruments: will look back upon the past to review his course, to examine his failure and success, with the causes of each; to learn what to do, and what to avoid, for the future. His inquiries will often be, 'What next? What more? What better?'" John Angell James (1785-1859), An Earnest Ministry, 1847.

“Because of the increase in wickedness the love of most will grow cold.” Jesus Christ, Matthew 24:12.

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears...”   A testimony to Jesus' passion for prayer from Hebrews 5:7.

CHALLENGING THE CHURCH

“Not for yourself, O church, do you exist, any more than Christ existed for himself.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892).

“The Christian church is a society of sinners. It is the only society in the world membership in which is based upon the single qualification that the candidate shall be unworthy of membership.” Charles Clayton Morrison, “What is Christianity?”

"America was once a 'Which church?' culture. Today we are a 'Why church?' culture." Anonymous

“The church with no great anguish on its heart has no great music on its lips.” Karl Barth (1886-1968).

“The Church that compromises Truth today will compromise Morals tomorrow.” H. D. Bruce.

“The church should be an army on the march; instead, it is a hospital full of wounded soldiers.” Steven Barabas.

“The church should be the society of the forgiven and forgiving.”
William George Spencer.

“God pity the nation whose factory chimneys ruse higher than her church spires.” John Kelman.

“The difference between listening to a radio sermon and going to church, someone has said, is almost like the difference between calling your girl on the telephone and spending an evening with her.” Moody Monthly.

"The poor worry about the quantity of the food -- will there be enough? People of the middle class worry about the quality of the food -- is it good enough? The wealthy worry about the presentation of the food -- does it have the right look? Spiritually, we are acting like the rich... Maybe that is why in eight years in Tanzania I never heard one complaint, critique, or suggestion of how we needed to do something better or with more excellence when we came together to worship God. In American Christianity our 'worship wars' are a luxury afforded to those who have so much we can actually fuss about presentation.” Greg Newton, Minister.

"Spiritual consumers are not interested in what the church stands for but in the fulfillment it can deliver." Charles Colson.