Quotes by John Ortberg

“At the heart of Christian faith is the story of Jesus' death and resurrection.”

“Jesus is why women have traveled continents, spent decades learning a strange language so they could translate the Gospel, planting churches, caring for the sick, educating the illiterate, and marc...”

“Love of learning led to monasteries, which became the cradle of academic guilds.”

“This much I have learned: human beings come with very different sets of wiring, different interests, different temperaments, different learning styles, different gifts, different temptations. These...”

“'Amusement' is appealing because we don't have to think it spares us the fear and anxiety that might otherwise prey on our thoughts. ”

“Churches need to figure out how they will address the spiritual lives of their staffs and leadership teams.”

“I have given up the idea that there is an opposition-free church out there. But I have gained something else - an appreciation for the gift of opposition. When it comes, I learn something about my ...”

“God has entrusted us with his most precious treasure - people. He asks us to shepherd and mold them into strong disciples, with brave faith and good character.”

“For most of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. We will...”

“Politics, after all, is largely about power. And power goes to the core of our issues of control and narcissism and need to be right and tendency to divide the human race into 'us' vs. 'them.'”

“Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can stand.”

“We must minister out of weakness. The reason we help others is not because we are strong and they need us; it is because if we don't help them, we will end up a hopeless relic.”

“The greatest moment of your life is now. Not because it's pleasant or happy or easy, but because this moment is the only moment you've got. Every past moment is irretrievably gone. It's never comin...”

“People nowadays take time far more seriously than eternity. Thomas Kelly”

“We are not the passive victim of others' opinions. Their opinions are powerless until we validate them.”

“Being deeply contented with God in my everyday life is a focused attitude. It is always available. It means practicing letting go of my obsession with how I'm doing. It means training myself to lea...”

“The most important criterion is this: hire someone whose character and humility and attitude you would like to have reproduced in your church and in yourself.”

“When I teach the formal curriculum, I have the chance to think about it ahead of time. I can rehearse it. I can illustrate it with self-deprecating humor and humble-sounding personal disclosure. I ...”

“Even you can’t tell yourself how to change, because you didn’t create you. To love someone is to desire and work toward their becoming the best version of themselves. The one person in all the univ...”

“God says, 'I will measure my people by the one standard that counts. It’s very simple. Are people hungry? Feed them. Are people sick? Help them. Are people oppressed? Stick up for them. Are the wid...”