Stephen Altrogge > Quotes

“Hypocrisy is saying we believe something, then living as if we didn’t. Hypocrisy is preaching and not practicing. It says do as I say not as I do. It’s insincerity wearing a mask of sincerity.”
― Stephen Altrogge

“When someone says "just saying" what they really mean is, "You would be a colossal idiot to not take my advice." (on Facebook)”
― Stephen Altrogge

“We always have reason to rejoice and never have reason to complain.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“We need God to give us a holy obsession with bringing him glory and increasing his reputation. I can't manufacture love for God on my own. I love my life too much. I count my life as too precious. I need God to help me love his honor above everything else.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“The people who say, “Preach the gospel, and use words if necessary,” seem to forget that the very essence of the gospel is words. They might as well say, “Feed the poor, and use food if necessary,” or, “Pay the bills, and use money if necessary.” The gospel is primarily a message which must be communicated with words. It is good news which must be believed. The good news is that God sent Jesus to live and die in the place of sinners. People cannot embrace the good news if they don’t first hear the good news. Feeding the poor is a good thing, but it isn’t the same thing as proclaiming the message of the gospel. Caring for the homeless is a noble thing to do, but it isn’t preaching the gospel. Preach the gospel, and use words, always.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Thoughts On Following Jesus, Amish Romance, the Daniel Plan, the Tebow Effect, and the Odds of Finding Your Soul Mate

“It’s not like we’re at a community college and God is at an Ivy League school. It’s like we’re at a community college and God comprehends all the mysteries and mechanics of the entire universe. We don’t even operate in the same stratosphere as God.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Untamable God: Encountering the One Who Is Bigger, Better, and More Dangerous Than You Could Possibly Imagine

“Our hearts are raging idol factories.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“The carpet was so thick I could have made carpet angels.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Last Superhero

“To settle for anything less than a true, glorious, exalted vision of God is utterly stupid and utterly sinful.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Untamable God: Encountering the One Who Is Bigger, Better, and More Dangerous Than You Could Possibly Imagine

“God didn't save his son one stroke of misery. He won't withhold any good thing from you.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“This book is not the memoir of a contented man. It's not the poignant reflections of a white-haired guru who has finally figured out the secret to contentment. It's more like sweaty, bloody, hastily scribbled notes from a battlefield. I'm still struggling to escape the sinister fingers on this conspiracy. I'm still waging war against the discontentment that rages in my life. I can see contentment in the distance, like a hazy oasis, but I have to pick my way through a minefield to get there. I'm not the contented man God wants me to be, but I'm fighting to get there. I'm writing this book the hope that you'll join me in the fight.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“was a hardcore homeschooler, K-12, baby. I was homeschooled before it was cool to be homeschooled. And you know what? I hardly remember anything from high school. I did all the Advanced Placement classes and SAT prep classes. I was a good student in high school, but I don’t remember much. I also hardly remember anything from college, and I graduated at the top of my class. But I do remember my parents’ devotion to the Lord.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Thoughts On Following Jesus, Amish Romance, the Daniel Plan, the Tebow Effect, and the Odds of Finding Your Soul Mate

“Does God love me? Yes, absolutely. But he doesn't exist for me.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“Our goal isn't contentment in and of itself. We're not after a mystical state of Zen. Our goal is to be content for the glory and honor of God.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“I don't know the end from the beginning, but I know the One who has already written the end and the beginning, and I know he is trustworthy.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Untamable God: Encountering the One Who Is Bigger, Better, and More Dangerous Than You Could Possibly Imagine

“Mom was getting really worked up, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. As I’m sure you know, it’s a really, really bad sign when your mom starts crying. It can’t get much worse than that. Mom tears are one of the most powerful forces in the universe.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Last Superhero

“In church, we like to talk about coming to Jesus “just as we are”. That phrase sounds so nice and comforting and old-fashioned. We’ll gather together for a hymn sing, and we’ll come to Jesus just as we are. Then we’ll have some cornbread and grits like grandma used to make.   But coming to Jesus just as I am isn't optional. He came to save sinners. I can come to Jesus as a desperate sinner or not at all. There is no middle ground.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Untamable God: Encountering the One Who Is Bigger, Better, and More Dangerous Than You Could Possibly Imagine

“Given the right set of circumstances, people could be happy everywhere and all the time. And these people actually do exist. In beer commercials.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“What sort of God do we serve? Certainly not one who can be tamed or boxed or fully understood. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for precise theology and sound doctrine. Squishy, undefined theology is a breeding ground for heresy. But if we're not careful, the regular handling of sacred truths can slowly diminish our capacity for awe and make us think we've got our minds around God.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Untamable God: Encountering the One Who Is Bigger, Better, and More Dangerous Than You Could Possibly Imagine

“God doesn't promise you health, wealth and an attractive spouse... but he does promise to satisfy you and there's a massive difference.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“I would even go so far as to say that the idea of a soul mate is harmful. If you go into marriage expecting your spouse to satisfy your every need and complement you perfectly, you will be sorely disappointed. If you expect your spouse to satisfy the deepest longings of your soul, you are in for a massive let down. Marriage is a covenant between two, imperfect, very flawed, sinful people. You’re not perfect and your spouse isn’t perfect, so don’t expect your marriage to be perfect.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Thoughts On Following Jesus, Amish Romance, the Daniel Plan, the Tebow Effect, and the Odds of Finding Your Soul Mate

“But, if we want our churches to thrive and our devotional lives to flourish, we absolutely must let God be God. We cannot settle for warm, fuzzy, "feel good movie of the year" versions of God. We cannot settle for a God who exists only to meet our needs and make us happy. We cannot settle for a God who is boring and irrelevant. We cannot settle for a God of our own imagination. We must know the ferocious, untamable God. We must let God out of the boxes we have created. We must come face to face with God as he really is, with all his sharp edges and blazing glory and heart-rending beauty. We must encounter the God who makes mountains melt like wax and the angels cover their eyes and the rivers leap for joy. If we are going to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we must truly know God. We must know him as he truly is, not as we imagine him to be. We must come to grips with the God who has revealed himself in scripture.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Untamable God: Encountering the One Who Is Bigger, Better, and More Dangerous Than You Could Possibly Imagine

“To gain new ideas we must constantly be exposing ourselves to the treasures of the world. We need to keep our eyes and our minds open. Remember, the creativity of God is everywhere. We simply need to see it, and then let that spark new ideas.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Create: Stop Making Excuses and Start Making Stuff

“My parents were absolutely fantastic, and they faithfully taught me the word of God, but it was God and only God who caused me to trust in Christ. If the responsibility for my salvation lay with my parents, I never would have trusted Christ at all (my parents would wholeheartedly agree).”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Thoughts On Following Jesus, Amish Romance, the Daniel Plan, the Tebow Effect, and the Odds of Finding Your Soul Mate

“Endure because when you gaze upon Jesus’ soul-ravishing beauty you will say it was worth it. You’ll say I would have endured a thousand lifetimes of suffering for this kind of joy and glory.”
― Stephen Altrogge

“If the fig tree didn’t blossom and there was no fruit on the vine, there would be no food to eat. If the olives failed, the fields were granite, the flocks were decimated, and there wasn’t a single ox in the barn, he and his family would die a slow, hungry death. But even the prospect of these bleak circumstances couldn’t break Habakkuk’s joy. Why? Because his joy wasn’t anchored in prosperity but in the God of his salvation.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“Paul, the great apostle, author of much of the New Testament, and church planter extraordinaire, knew God had assigned him a particular area and amount of influence. He would not strain and strive and stress to go beyond those limits. He would humbly do the work God called him to do.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Untamable God: Encountering the One Who Is Bigger, Better, and More Dangerous Than You Could Possibly Imagine

“Let me be absolutely clear: Tumnus was an idiot. He was absolutely NOT a spy for the White Witch. That dude couldn’t have spied on a blind unicorn. He was a deadbeat who spent most of his time sitting on street corners, playing his pan flute, and panhandling for change. He was on the Narnia version of welfare, and he told the White Witch about Lucy in the hopes of getting some kind of handout.”
― Stephen Altrogge, Twists and Turns: Short Stories About Strange Situations

“The great Puritan Matthew Henry was once robbed of his wallet. After pondering the incident, he wrote the following words in his diary:   I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed.  ”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence

“To those of you who are battling illness, “Courage.” To those of you who are in the gloom of depression, “Courage.” To those of you who are wondering if you’ll make it though another day, “Courage.” To those of you who sob yourself to sleep at night, “Courage.” To those of you who are suffering, the Lord would say, “Courage, dear heart.”
― Stephen Altrogge, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence