It's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty.

If Jesus gives us a task or assigns us to a difficult season, every ounce of our experience is meant for our instruction and completion if only we'll let Him finish the work. I fear, however, that we are so attention-deficit that we settle for bearable when beauty is just around the corner.

The purpose exceeds the pain.

Only you can decide how your fires will affect you. Will you be sanctified or scarred.

Good things do come out of deep sorrow and great loss...at least in time.

The tarter the apple, the tastier the cider.

I'm learning that it's not what comes our way that matters so much as it is how we react.

If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.

Whatever your quitting point, I challenge you to test God's truth and faithfulness by saying, "God, I'm going to proceed, trusting you to empower me to crash through this quitting point and come out in one piece on the other side.

Faith doesn't deny a problem's existence. It denies a problem a place of influence.

He said that God has closed up the realm of the miraculous to me, not as punishment, but to draw me into the desperation needed to maintain it as a lifestyle once I received my breakthrough.

This generation is a generation of risk takers. And not all the risks taken will be seen as real faith. Some will come to light as steps of foolishness and presumption. But they must be taken just the same. How else can we learn? Make room for risk takers in your life that don't bat a thousand. They will inspire you to the greatness available in serving a great God.