Betsy Duffey > Betsy's Quotes

“I have a handful of prayers that I pray all the time... One is that God will put my books into the right hands at the right times. I've prayed this prayer thousands of times, and God has answered it in dramatic fashion countless times. The right book in the right hands at the right time can save a marriage, avert a mistake, demand a decision, plant a seed, conceive a dream, solve a problem, and prompt a prayer. That is why I write. And that's why, for me, a book sold is not a book sold; a book sold is a prayer answered. I don't know the name and situation of every reader, but God does, and that's all that matters.”
― Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge

“Nolan Bushnell, the creator of the Atari video game system, once stated, ‘Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has had an idea, It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it who makes a difference.”
― Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge

“Prayer is the difference between seeing with our physical eyes and seeing with our spiritual eyes.”
― Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge

“Disciplined runners consistently clear their heads and focus fully on the journey ahead.. .because their passion and zeal for the goal supersedes the strain. The goal beckons them onward. Passion doesn't negate weariness; it just resolves to press beyond it.”
― Priscilla Shirer, Gideon - DVD Leader Kit: Your Weakness. God's Strength.

“Each prayer is like a seed that gets planted in the ground. It disappears for a season, but it eventually bears fruit that blesses future generations. In fact, our prayers bear fruit forever.”
― Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge

“Prayer adds an element of surprise to your life that is more fun than a surprise party or surprise gift or surprise romance. In fact, prayer turns life into a party, into a gift, into a romance.”
― Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge

“So what do you do when you are stuck?

The first thing I do when I am stuck is pray. But I’m not talking about a quick, Help me Lord, Sunday’s a comin’ prayer. When I get stuck I get up from my desk to head for my closet. Literally. If I‘m at the office I go over to a corner that I have deemed my closet away from home. I get on my knees and remind God that this was not my idea, it was His…

None of this is new information to God…

Then I ask God to show me if there is something He wants to say to prepare me for what He wants me to communicate to our congregation. I surrender my ideas, my outline and my topic. Then I just stay in that quiet place until God quiets my heart…

Many times I will have a breakthrough thought or idea that brings clarity to my message. . .

Like you, I am simply a mouthpiece. Getting stuck is one way God keeps me ever conscious of that fact.”
― Andy Stanley, Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication

“Whether we write lyrics or craft legislation, sell homes or teach classes, design spaces or open franchises, prayer is a critical part of the creative process. Don’t just brainstorm; praystorm.”
― Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge

“The library was magical because every time I walked through the door, there were literally thousands of voices ready and willing to have a conversation with me. I walked through the door, stared at all those stacks and bindings, and whispered, "Tell me a story.”
― Charles Martin, Unwritten

“Our vision of the heavenly realm...can sustain us through the most difficult of days and circumstances. It births hope amidst hardship and nurtures faith amidst opposition.”
― David Timms, Living the Lord's Prayer

“God has prepared for Himself one great song of praise throughout eternity, and those who enter the community of God join in this song. It is the song that the “morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” at the creation of the world. (Job 38:7). It is the victory song of the children of Israel after passing through the Red Sea, the Magnificat of Mary after the annunciation, the song of Paul and Silas in the night of prison, the song of the singers on the sea of glass after their rescue, the “song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev. 15:3) It is the song of the heavenly fellowship.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community

“When we share those stories we've been scared to share, voicelessness loses it's wicked grasp.”
― Jo Ann Fore

“Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.”
― Madeleine L'Engle

“What does it mean to be inconsiderate? It is most simply a failure to think carefully, to reflect, and to pay attention. It may be living life in the dark, blindly and selfishly following a course without pausing to consider the options. It may be allowing faith to fall into a rut from lack of attention and thoughtlessness. Either way, being inconsiderate prevents growth, quells joy, and leads to a fail use to leave a legacy of eternal consequence.”
― Camilla Camp Williams, Inconsiderate

“When I type a title page, I hold it and I look at it and I think, I just need four thousand sentences to go with this and I’ll have a book.”
― Betsy Byars, The Moon and I

“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa

“Without trust, I cannot let myself be found. Trust is that deep inner conviction that the Father wants me home. As long as I doubt that I am worth finding and put myself down as less loved than my younger brothers and sisters, I cannot be found. I have to keep saying to myself, “God is looking for you. He will go anywhere to find you. He loves you, he wants you home, he cannot rest unless he has you with him.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming