Stephen W. Smith > Quotes

“When practiced, Sabbath-keeping is an active protest against a culture that is always on, always available and always looking for something else to do.”
― Stephen W. Smith, Inside Job: Doing the Work Within the Work

“When God became flesh, every ordinary human life was validated as sacred. The fact that God became human and spent most of His life in obscurity as a carpenter in a small village called Nazareth gives us perspective. Through the incarnation, we learn that every life has dignity and significance; every ordinary life matters.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity

“We create ourselves by our choices. —Søren Kierkegaard”
― Stephen W. Smith, Soul Custody: Choosing to Care for the One and Only You

“We have dumbed down what it means to be part of the church so much that it means almost nothing, even to people who already say they are part of the church.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity

“Famed novelist Victor Hugo has reminded us: “It is nothing to die; it is dreadful not to live.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People

“Let me clarify this even further: The abundant life comes down to a daily life, not just a quality of life that awaits us in heaven.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage” (Psalm 84:5 NIV”
― Stephen W. Smith, Inside Job: Doing the Work Within the Work

“Jesus will upset every apple cart, every temple table, every surface response, every false motivation and every private longing we ignore in our hearts. The ways of Jesus will make us examine every area of our lives.”
― Stephen W. Smith, Inside Job: Doing the Work Within the Work

“Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)”
― Stephen W. Smith, Inside Job: Doing the Work Within the Work

“Is there a way to choose a few things and do them well rather than do a lot of things halfway or not at all? Can we accept the fact that we may be in a season when we need to say no with the understanding that the season will not last forever?”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People

“To walk in the way is more than managing sins or bad habits. To walk in the way is to walk toward transformation—toward change at the DNA level of our souls.”
― Stephen W. Smith, Inside Job: Doing the Work Within the Work

“His soul was shaped by the cadence of Sabbath keeping and seasonal festivals that were intended to help Him and all people to remember God's faithfulness, protection, and provision.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity

“Listening to God requires a commitment to turn down the volume of outer noise and to be quiet, to become centered and focused.”
― Stephen W. Smith, Inside Job: Doing the Work Within the Work

“Transformation involves working through our disappointments and disillusionments in life.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People

“Every time we choose to live in a daily rhythm, we are consciously allowing the larger story of God’s work in the world, instead of culture, to shape our lives.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity

“Regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it” (Colossians 3:14).”
― Stephen W. Smith, Inside Job: Doing the Work Within the Work

“Listen. Do you hear that? It is the Voice of Love calling: “Come forth, I love you. I know, it’s not easy, but I’ll be with you. Friends will help too. I know you don’t think you can, but trust Me. Yes, it will hurt, but I love you. The life I promised you is waiting. Keep stumbling forward. I love you. I always have.” God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into radical life-change. (Rom. 2:4 MSG)”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People

“We have hope in our transformation when we realize that we see today, and God sees eternity.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People

“There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation” (2 Tim. 3:16 MSG”
― Stephen W. Smith, Soul Custody: Choosing to Care for the One and Only You

“Breathless living is anything but the abundant life. The pace at which we live is not sustainable.”
― Stephen W. Smith

“Author Max De Pree has written, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.”1”
― Stephen W. Smith, Inside Job: Doing the Work Within the Work

“Looking for Family When I first became a follower of Jesus, I had high hopes for finding brothers and sisters, even fathers and mothers, who could help me grow as a new believer. The Christian language of family deeply appealed to me. It sounded like a place of belonging. I imagined times when the fatted calf would be roasted for the next few prodigals who arrived home. I looked for small groups, church meetings, and the fellowship of the “one anothers”1 to offer me what I thought was the norm for the Christian experience of life. I have found that I am not alone in my quest. Many of us are looking for the same thing. Yet our search for a place to belong and for a people to “do” life with often leaves us disappointed and disillusioned. No matter how hard we try, no matter how many places we look, friendship and community can be a superficial experience that never satisfies the soul. We long for the deep friendships of David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi, but with the busyness of life, who has time to foster such friendships? What was meant to be community often turns into “catch up” times over coffee where we share safe stories of vacations and children. What God has reminded me is that in every group, every family, and every church, people are wearing their own graveclothes. So am I. But I forget this so often, hoping that this group could be the place where I can finally deal with something important in my life, and all my needs will be met—finally.”
― Stephen W. Smith, The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People