circumstances, whether fortunate or unfortunate, are morally neutral. They simply are what they are; what matters is how we respond to them. Good and evil, in the moral sense, do not reside in things, but always in persons.

Hold your own plans loosely and stay ready to submit to His. Consider them to be more important, more desirable than anything you could dream up on your own. He has come down to you with intentionality and purpose because He loves you and knows that you are never more secure than when you're in His will.

Theoden: I will not risk open war. Aragorn: Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

And I know without a doubt that God planned the chance for you and me to get together like this too—to unite through our passion for prayer. In fact, He whispered to me about you at that very first Bible study. I didn't know it then. But I see it clearly now. It's you. You're the one He had in mind.

Never think that the circumstances in your life have nothing to do with God's will. They have everything to do with it!

We humans are the culmination of God's efforts. The Torah is man centered under God centered. It's like TWIN pillars, TWIN centers. It's NOT JUST God centered.

I say luck is when an opportunoty comes along, and you're prepared for it.

The chances you take… the people you meet… the people you love… the faith that you have — that's what's going to define your life.

Somewhere deep inside us we seem to know that we are destined for something better than strife.

I used to dream of being other places, other people. It was an escape for me.

Suppose that we allot ourselves a generous eight hours a day for sleep (and few need more than that), three hours for meals and conversation, ten hours for work and travel. Still we have thirty-five hours each week to fill. What happens to them? How are they invested?

Those who have most powerfully and permanently influenced their generation have been "seers" -- people who have seen more and farther than others -- persons of faith, for faith is vision.