Rick Warren: When the Bible speaks of God's love for us and the kind o...

Living to create an earthly legacy is a short-sighted goal.

Rick Warren

short-sighted legacy goal

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Rick Warren

be-careful life-is thinking

The ground we have in common with unbelievers is not the Bible, but our common needs, hurts, and interests as human beings. You cannot start with a text expecting the unchurched to be fascinated by it. You must first capture their attention, and then move them to the truth of God's Word. By starting with a topic that interests the unchurched and then showing what the Bible says about it, you can grab their attention, disarm prejudices, and create an interest in the Bible that wasn't there before.

Rick Warren

topics hurt moving

You must match your music to the kind of people God wants your church to reach.... The music you use 'positions' your church in your community. It defines who you are.... It will determine the kind of people you attract, the kind of people you keep, and the kind of people you lose.

Rick Warren

community church people

America was built on rugged individualism, and today that has evolved into a culture of narcissism. But God didn't create you to live for you. If you want to follow Jesus, you have to put aside your selfish ambition.

Rick Warren

selfish life jesus

Faith is choosing and believing God's dream for your life. Nothing starts happening in your life until you start dreaming. God gave you the ability to dream, to create, to imagine.

Rick Warren

christian faith dream

Patience is a form of faith. It says, "I trust God. I believe that God is bigger than this problem."

Rick Warren

christian faith believe

Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation. They enjoy helping people, meeting needs, and doing ministry.

Rick Warren

christian opportunity thinking

Many believe one can be a "good Christian" without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God would strongly disagree.

Rick Warren

church christian believe

We receive from God, then we give to others.

Rick Warren

giving

You'll never do anything creative, innovative or world changing if you fear criticism. Pioneers are easy targets for arrows!

Rick Warren

arrows creative criticism

In 35 yrs of leading I've been afraid at every major step but I DID IT ANYWAY since I REFUSE let fear run my life.

Rick Warren

refuse steps running

In 30 years of travel and training leaders -164 nations - I've never met anyone who didn't need massive doses of love.

Rick Warren

training leader years

We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives.

Rick Warren

purpose-driven-life our-lives purpose

The most common way Jesus comes into our lives is through a broken heart.

Rick Warren

broken heart jesus

I'm looking for a second reformation. The first reformation of the church 500 years ago was about beliefs. This one is going to be about behavior. The first one was about creeds. This one is going to be about deeds. It is not going to be about what does the church believe, but about what is the church doing.

Rick Warren

church believe years

I was trying to point out I'm not opposed to gays having their partnership. I'm opposed to gays using the term marriage for their relationship.

Rick Warren

partnership gay trying

God knows what it's like to lose a son.

Rick Warren

god-knows knows son

I'd rather have all my questions unanswered and walk with God than not walk with God and have all my questions answered.

Rick Warren

unanswered walking-with-god walks

We're not in control but we do have a greater hope and we do have a source of joy that isn't based on our circumstances.

Rick Warren

source circumstances joy

When the Bible speaks of God's love for us and the kind of love we are to have for him and for other people, the word is always apage, signifying a commitment to act.