Rory Noland > Quotes

“We too need to scour the Bible to learn how God wants to be worshiped. For it doesn’t matter how you and I want to praise God. It’s not ultimately important whether worship makes us feel good or if the music is to our liking. True worship must always be offered on God’s terms, not ours. So we need to learn how God wants to be worshiped.”
― Rory Noland, Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven: Exploring Worship as a Spiritual Discipline

“Frederick Buechner said, “The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”7”
― Rory Noland, The Heart of the Artist: A Character-Building Guide for You and Your Ministry Team

“We think it’s okay to talk to others about the problem we’re having with so-and-so, but we never go straight to the source. We’re guilty of slander or gossip. Even if what we say is true, it’s still gossip.”
― Rory Noland, The Heart of the Artist: A Character-Building Guide for You and Your Ministry Team

“Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”1”
― Rory Noland, The Heart of the Artist: A Character-Building Guide for You and Your Ministry Team

“We should not, therefore, be too taken aback when unexpected and upsetting and discouraging things happen to us now. What do they mean? Why, simply that God in His wisdom means to make something of us which we have not attained yet, and is dealing with us accordingly. Perhaps He means to strengthen us in patience, good humour, compassion, humility, or meekness, by giving us some extra practice in exercising these graces under specially difficult conditions. Perhaps He has new lessons in self-denial and self-distrust to teach us. Perhaps He wishes to break us of complacency, or unreality, or undetected forms of pride and conceit. Perhaps His purpose is simply to draw us closer to Himself in conscious communion with Him; for it is often the case, as all the saints know, that fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid and sweet, and Christian joy is greatest, when the cross is heaviest…. Or perhaps God is preparing us for forms of service of which at present we have no inkling.”
― Rory Noland, The Worshiping Artist: Equipping You and Your Ministry Team to Lead Others in Worship

“They are trying to be significant in their universe—trying to mean something more than a random collision of molecules. Though modern philosophy tells them they are nothing, their hearts tell them something else. Because their minds cannot fathom what their hearts know, they feel the weight of the God-placed burden. Art often seems irrational, because the heart is reaching beyond the mind.”
― Rory Noland, The Heart of the Artist: A Character-Building Guide for You and Your Ministry Team

“But then, no artist is normal; if he were, he wouldn’t be an artist.”
― Rory Noland, The Heart of the Artist: A Character-Building Guide for You and Your Ministry Team

“Zephaniah 3:17 states that the Lord “will quiet you with his love.” So whenever those negative voices whisper that you’re a worthless failure, let the Lord “quiet you with his love.” Let God’s love silence those hurtful voices from your past.”
― Rory Noland, The Worshiping Artist: Equipping You and Your Ministry Team to Lead Others in Worship

“Why does the Bible keep nagging us to give thanks? It’s because we quickly forget all that God has done for us; we take him for granted. According to Romans 1:21, when we fail to honor God and give him thanks, our hearts become darkened. Indeed, if left unchecked, ingratitude leads to negativity, bitterness, cynicism, and despair.”
― Rory Noland, Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven: Exploring Worship as a Spiritual Discipline

“It’s not always easy to spot idolatry in ourselves. Until the Holy Spirit brings it to light, we may be unaware how tight a grip something has on us. For that reason, we should pay close attention to anything we’re convinced we can’t live without.”
― Rory Noland, The Worshiping Artist: Equipping You and Your Ministry Team to Lead Others in Worship