“If you are not anchored in the goodness of God, you will lower your theology to match your pain.” ~ Christa Black Gifford

That one is my all-time favorite. Here are more notes spilling out of my Bible from over 60 sermons and conversations:

~ “Stay within the boundaries of Scripture and the boundlessness of grace.” ~ T. Thornton

~ “Jesus healed people who didn’t know Him at all.” ~ R. Hughes

~ “Don’t try to live off of somebody else’s [relationship with] Jesus.” ~ M. Brewer

~ “What is there other than love? Only obstacles to it.” ~ Joe Jones

~ “Don’t try to understand why God allowed so many to pass away. Instead, seek out His purpose in allowing us to live.” ~ B. Pitman

~ “Lust always takes. Love gives.” ~ B.Pitman

~ “We can accomplish anything with the strength Jesus gives us to do what we’re called to do.” ~ G.Willis

~ “We are to high-light Christ’s character in each other.” ~ G.Willis

~ “See how powerful you can be through prayer.” ~ T. Thornton

~ “We have a fresh revelation through God every day through prayer.” ~ T. Thornton

~ “Christ has already overcome darkness. We plug in to that victory through prayer. He is the vine; we are the branches.” ~ T.Thornton

~ “Seek spiritual cleanness. Dirt and filth breed disease. Seek cleanness, not perfection.” ~ T.Thornton

~ “Never let numbers move you. Jesus spoke His most important message to one woman at a well.” ~ L. Randolf

~ “There is no such thing as ordinary moments.” ~ M. Beech

~ “Identify the areas you think your marriage is strongest. That’s the part you’ve left unguarded.” ~ J. Beech

~ “Confession is not the same as repentance. Repentance is not just apologizing. It’s turning away.” ~ J. Moore

~ “To defeat satan with “It is written,” we must know what is written.” ~ unknown

~ “Jesus cannot be Lord of one’s life if He is not Lord of one’s eyes.” ~ unknown

~ “Severe testing often launches revival.” ~ unknown

~ “A high temper is the calling card of an unsurrendered heart.” ~ unknown

~ “When I learn to pray, I learn to live.” ~ notes

~ “Sin will not rule over you (Rom.6:14)—Every sin can be overcome.” ~ unknown

~ “Grace always attracts. Judgment repels.” ~ unknown

~ “Sin pays wages (death). God pays with gifts—Gifts cannot be earned.” ~ notes

(The following are from Grace House. Forgot to note the speakers.)

~ “The dominant spirit in any room sets the atmosphere.”

~ “Every word we speak is a seed planted.”

~ “If we trade in what makes us special, we give up our uniqueness…our uniqueness and out-of-placeness terrifies the enemy.”

~ “The part of my story I reject is the part God will use to shut satan’s mouth.”

~ “Boundaries aren’t there to keep us in; they’re there to keep the enemy out.”

~ “Never dialogue with satan.”

~ “The word of truth you resist is usually the one you need most.”

~ “How easily I’m offended reveals how immature I am.”

~ “Isolation is what the enemy uses to attack us with shame.”

~ “The enemy will attack me when I am in pain.”

~ “If you’re running on empty, spend time with God. His power is made perfect in weakness.”

~ “God has a plan for your life. And so does satan.”

~ “The second strongest neuropathway in the brain is fear. The only thing stronger that will break the pathway of fear is gratitude.”

~ “God can speak to the storm for me, but He would rather speak to the storm through me.”

~ “What we need from God will often come from someone else.”

~ “Dangerous thought: ‘I don’t need God.’ Equally dangerous thought: ‘I have God; I don’t need anyone else.’”

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~ “The battle between David and Goliath prevented more bloodshed. Their battle made it unnecessary to bring together the armies. When we take our enemies to the Lord to defeat them, many lives are saved.” ~ C. Dyer

~ Worship is still possible in the wilderness. The sound of truth coming from our own mouths is evidence of life and hope still within us.” ~ J. Lansford

~ “When we’re suffering, if we move the focus of our prayers from ‘I’ to ‘You (God),’ strength fills us.” ~ J. Lansford

~ “Jesus comes to us. We don’t have to meet Him halfway.” ~ C. Hagle

~ “Shame is the intensely painful feeling that we are unworthy of love.” ~ Brene’ Brown

~ “Look around. All of creation speaks of transformation (tadpoles, butterflies, changing leaves, etc.).” ~ J. Rea

~ “Learn the vocabulary of silence when it comes to the plans of darkness, but become vocal about the Lord’s plans. We align with what we speak.” ~ K. Sambrook

~ “The most severe tests of life are not the events themselves, but the prolonged pain that follows.” ~ L. Hogan

~ “One of the most compelling evidences for the Gospel is that once cowardly disciples were suddenly willing to be murdered to tell the Gospel.” ~ E. Lawrence

~ “The Gospel came to you because it was headed toward someone else.” ~ C. Hagle

~ “If we focus on what our hands can do, our hearts grow hard.” ~ C. Hagle

~ “Fear has no fuse. It was long ago disarmed by Jesus.” ~ C. Hagle

~ “God judges us the way a farmer judges fruit, with love and compassion.” ~ R. Hughes

~ “Be faithful to the assignment you’ve been given by God, even if it seems small.” ~ E. Lawrence

~ “Seek God for His company and He’ll fill your cup. Then you can share from your cup.” ~ D. Shell

~ “At the Cross, Jesus completely, 100% reconciled us back to God.” ~ D. Shell

~ “There is no record in Heaven of confessed sin.” ~ D. Shell

~ “How to survive: look for God everywhere.” ~ notes

~ “A parent’s life is a child’s manual.” ~ T. Vafeas

~ “Christ dealt a deadly blow to pride—Humbleness is the mark of a true Christian.” ~ T. Vafeas

~ “Be a seed planter. You’re not the Savior.” ~ T. Vafeas

~ “See the significance of every soul.” ~ T. Vafeas

~ “Sin is a legitimate need being met in an illegitimate way.” ~ T. Vafeas

~ “Leave room for God to work in people’s lives. Don’t try to ‘fix’ them.” ~ T. Vafeas

~ “You are never more like Christ than when you serve others.”  ~ T. Vafeas

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*All of these notes are snippets from sermons and conversations, which means the context is missing.