Lynne

“Old age didn’t take them by surprise; they knew that if God gave them a long life, then He still would be with them, and He would have a reason for keeping them here. For them, growing older was not something to be denied or dreaded; it was to be embraced as part of God’s plan for their lives. They were ordinary individuals—but men and women of extraordinary faith.”
― Billy Graham, Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well

“There’s a section in the Bible when Jesus returned to his hometown. He had become quite a sensation by then, and the whole world wanted to see, hear, and touch him. But his townies weren’t so impressed. They were like, “Hey, isn’t this the carpenter? Mary’s son? His whole family lives right down the street, right?” Jesus replied with something like, “You can never be a hero to the folks you grew up with.” He actually said it a little more formally: “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” It’s hard to see those closest to us as anything special. They’re just regular folks like us, right? The older I get, however, the more I realize that my friends were prophets in their own hometown. They were brilliant, amazing, and altogether remarkable. I just didn’t realize it then. In fact, I took them for granted back then, never realizing how awesome they were. As the years have passed and I’ve grown in my understanding of just about everything, I’ve come to see that in many ways, God walked with me through my friends.”
― Susan I. Spieth, Fall Out: Courage Always Stands its Ground

“You literally cannot breathe without saying His name. God is life. Yh. Wh.”
― Susan May Warren, Iris

“Worship is a verb. It should be active, engaging and it should ask me for something—an offering, an affirmation of faith, a response, my singing, my heart, my mind—anything that challenges me toward more faith, more love, more grace.”
― Susan I. Spieth, I Was a Stranger: Reflections From First-Time Visits to 50 Churches