Simply Follow Jesus

All Who are Thirsty... Come and Drink ~ Jesus - John 4:37-38

Whoever is thirsty may come to me and drink.  If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from their heart. That is what the Scriptures say.

Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ ~ Madame Jeanne Guyon

We have all been called to the depths of Christ just as surely as we have been called to salvation. When I speak of this ‘deep, inward relationship to Jesus Christ,’ what do I mean? Actually, it is very simple. It is only the turning and yielding of your heart to the Lord. It is the expression of love within your heart for Him.

I give you an invitation: If you are thirsty, come to the living waters. Do not waste your precious time digging wells that have no water in them. If you are starving and can find nothing to satisfy your hunger, then come. Come, and you will be filled

Testament of Devotion ~ Thomas R. Kelly

Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return… The basic response of the soul to the Light is internal adoration and joy, thanksgiving and worship, self-surrender and listening. The secret places of the heart cease to be our noisy workshop. They become a holy sanctuary of adoration and of self-oblation, where we are kept in perfect peace, if our minds be stayed on Him who has found us in the inner springs of our life.

Why Millennials are leaving the Church  ~ Rachel Held Evans, Belief Blog

What millennials really want from the church is not a change in style but a change in substance.

We want an end to the culture wars. We want a truce between science and faith. We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.

We want to ask questions that don’t have predetermined answers.

We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation.

We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers.

You can’t hand us a latte and then go about business as usual and expect us to stick around.

We’re not leaving the church because we don’t find the cool factor there; we’re leaving the church because we don’t find Jesus there.

Like every generation before ours and every generation after, deep down, we long for Jesus.

The Surrendered Life ~ Anna Mow

Surrendering our lives “to missions, service, even Brethren service, to temperance, to peace… even to prayer” is not what God requires.  “The surrender must be to God as revealed in Jesus Christ, our Lord.  It is not a commitment to a cause or an institution; it is a commitment to a Person, the divine Person, first of all.”

I Believe in Justice ~ Myron Augsburger

I believe in justice: but I am not a preacher of the gospel of justice, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to justice.

I believe in love, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of love, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to love.

I am committed to peace, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of peace, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to peace.

I believe in the value of the simple life, but I am not the preacher of  the simple life, but of the Gospel of Christ who calls us to the simple life.

Let us beware of the ultimate plagiarism of borrowing some great concepts from Jesus then running off proclaiming these concepts and not sharing the Christ who embodies and empowers these concepts.”

Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus ~ Jeff Bethke's