750 Best Andy Stanley Quotes On Leadership (2023)
1. “The Church is a family expecting guests.”
2. “What is the one thing I want my audience to know? • What do I want them to do about it?”
3. “Without courage we will simply accumulate a collection of good ideas and regrets.”
4. “As my wife’s mother told her growing up, “If you go to the right places, chances are you will meet the right people.”
5. “If you want your church to stand the test of time, then you have to be replaced.”
6. “If we all got kicked off the staff and the board, and an outside group (a group of leaders who were fearlessly committed to the mission of this church) took our place, what changes would they introduce?68 What’s the first thing they would do? Who would they replace? What would they refuse to fund?”
7. When people are convinced you want something for them rather than something from them, they are less likely to be offended when you challenge them.
8. “The presentation is what makes information interesting…Presentation determines something else as well: attention span.”
9. Too many church leaders have bought into the myth that to clarify the win means establishing attendance goals and raising a lot of money. - Author: Andy Stanley
10. “You earn loyalty by having the fruit of the Spirit and finding your place in the Body.”
11. “How would you feel on the other side of doing what a great leader would do?”
12. “Vision always precedes preparation. Initially, your vision will exceed your competency.”
13. Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say. – Andy Stanley
14. “We rob ourselves when we make decisions in the moment with no thought of how those decisions will impact our futures.”
15. “The value of a life is always measured by how much of it was given away.”
16. “The thing that concerns me most is the ‘honor the senior pastor’ culture.”
17. “I hate conflict but what would a great leader do? They would step into the conflict.”
18. “God sees your sin as a debt you can't pay. There is no point in asking you to. To think that being good will somehow makes you square with God would be like Allie promising to clean up her room after being confronted with the damage she did to my car. Cleaning up her room doesn't pay me back. It's a nice gesture, but it doesn't fix my car.”
19. When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near. - Author: Andy Stanley
20. “This goes right to the heart of leadership. Leaders instill courage in the hearts of those who follow. This rarely happens through words alone. It generally requires action. It goes back to what we said earlier: Somebody has to go first. By going first, the leader furnishes confidence to those who follow. In this way, leaders give permission.”
21. Uncertainty is not an indication of poor leadership; it underscores the need for leadership. - Author: Andy Stanley
22. “Es absurdo pensar que nuestras ideas pueden pasar de una generación a otra. Es igualmente absurdo asumir que nosotros vamos a ser capaces de descubrir intuitivamente la necesidad de cambio en nuestras propias organizaciones.”
23. “For this reason it is the dark that provides the leader with his greatest opportunities. It is your response to the dark that determines in large part whether or not you will be called on to lead. For the darkness is what keeps the average person from stepping outside the security of what has always been.”
24. “Show me an angry person and I’ll show you a hurt person.”
25. “As leaders, we are never responsible for filling anyone else’s cup. Our responsibility is to empty ours. So”
26. “Leaders worth following are always careful. They are careful because they genuinely care for those who have chosen to follow. A leader who is careless will eventually be considered thoughtless by those who have entrusted their future to him.”
27. “If your desires be endless, your cares and fears will be so too. Thomas Fuller”
28. If you wait until you’re sure, you may never do anything.
29. “So let me take some pressure off. Your problem is not discipline. Your problem is not organization. Your problem is not that you have yet to stumble onto the perfect schedule. And your problem is not that the folks at home demand too much of your time. The problem is this: there’s not enough time to get everything done that you’re convinced—or others have convinced you—needs to get done.”
30. Every arena of life intersects with what's going on in our hearts. Everything passes through on its way to wherever it's going. Everything.
31. “Jesus did not come to strike a balance between grace and truth. He brought the full measure of both.”
32. “Participants in the new covenant are not required to obey most of the commandments found in the first half of their Bibles. Participants in the new covenant are expected to obey the single command Jesus issued as part of his new covenant. Namely: As I have loved you, so you must love one another.7”
33. “Here's a scary thought: What if God called you to give beyond your comfort level? Would you be afraid? Would you try to explain it away or dismiss it as impractical? And in the process, would you miss out on a harvest opportunity for which God had explicitly prospered you in the first place?”
34. The values a person embraces determines the direction of their life.
35. “Author has developed a routine of daily emotional debriefing with his kids as he tucks them in at night. To encourage the habit of keeping uncluttered, open heart, he starts with basic questions asking whether anyone has hurt them or made them angry to help them process at an age-appropriate depth. As they mature, he will add questions.”
36. We are stewards. We are not owners.
37. “Progress requires change.”
38. “What kind of vision are you casting for the people around you? Dad, what kind of vision are you casting for your children? Mom, what kind of vision are you casting for your husband? Grandparent, what about those grandkids? Leader, what kind of personal visions are you casting for the people who have invested their time and talents in your vision?”
39. “As followers of Jesus, we should be known as people who like people who are nothing like us.”
40. “There is no necessary correlation between how busy you are and how productive you are. Being busy isn’t the same as being productive.”
41. “If you decide that what God is asking you to do with your life is just too much on you and is just a little too inconvenient, then you will never see the miracles he has for you.”
42. “What gets our attention determines our direction and, ultimately, our destination. Or if you would prefer the short version: attention determines direction.”
43. “I want people to help me reanchor the church to undeniable, mind-boggling, culture-shifting demonstration of compassion and generosity. Because, generosity was the hallmark of the early church.”
44. “But I’m not sitting around praying for revival either. I grew up in the “pray for revival” culture.”
45. How you live your life on this side of the grave determines what happens next. - Author: Andy Stanley
46. “What God originates, God orchestrates.”
47. “Every decision you make as a leader there is emotion involved. With emotion, there is a fog. This question removes the fog.”
48. “An unwillingness to accept risk has swamped more leaders than anything I can think of.”
49. “This question unmasks motives. Eventually, corporate mission will conflict with personal ambition.”
50. I will prioritize what I value most over what I want now.
51. “In addition to a job description designed around your current employment, develop what you would consider to be the ultimate job description. This is for your eyes only. The goal of this exercise is to help you identify the niche in which you would feel most productive and consequently most successful. Dream a little.”
52. “We should give a reserved parking spot to the children’s director. They’re doing all the work.”
53. You have participated in every bad decision you have ever made.
54. “Authority does not equal competency. Pass decisions down to those who can best handle them.”
55. “What breaks your heart is part of a divine design to bring change!”
56. “SECTION SUMMARY TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEADER … Recognize that you have limited strengths. Do whatever it takes to discover what they are. Once you know, find a work environment that allows you to focus your energies on the few things you were created to do well. Don’t allow your time to get eaten up with responsibilities and projects that call for skills that fall outside your core competencies. That is a recipe for mediocrity. Embrace this truth: The less you do, the more you will accomplish. Narrow your focus to increase your productivity and expand your influence within your organization. Empower the leaders around you by delegating those responsibilities that fall outside your zone. Somebody is dying to pick up the ball you drop. Your weakness is his opportunity. Remember: Great leaders know when to follow. THE NEXT GENERATION CHALLENGE What defines success for you in your current employment situation? Is there alignment between your core competencies and those competencies necessary to succeed in your job? What would change about your current job description if you were given the freedom to focus on the two or three things you do best? What would need to change in your current employment situation in order for you to focus on the things that add the most value to your organization? Take some time to complete the exercises described on this page through this page.”
57. “I tell the girls in our student ministry, “You don’t really want sex. What you want is intimacy. You want to meet a guy, fall in love, and know you can trust him completely. You want somebody with whom you can share everything there is to know about you without fear of betrayal or rejection. You want to be fully known and to know him fully. Purity now paves the way to intimacy later.”
58. “Loyalty publicly results in leverage privately.”
59. “Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be.”
60. “I’m here to facilitate your success regardless of where our names appear on an org chart.”
61. I don’t have to have everything figured out before I lead out.
62. Comparison leads you to the of ER. Bigger Better. Knowner.
63. “The courage to dream always precedes the capital needed to finance the dream.”
64. “Ask it whether you plan to follow through or not.”
65. “If we’re going to reach the unchurched, underchurched, dechurched, and postchurched with the gospel in a culture that’s trending post-Christian, we must rethink our approach.”
66. “The truth is that church by its nature is a very general concept and most people are not looking for a church; otherwise, churches would be full of visitors every week. What people are looking for is something that works for them as individuals. And that is something specific, not general.”
67. “Tim Keller writes, “When the church as a whole is no longer seen as speaking to questions that transcend politics, and when it is no longer united by a common faith that transcends politics, then the world sees strong evidence that Nietzsche, Freud, and Marx were right, that religion is really just a cover for people wanting to get their way in the world.”13”
68. “At the end of the day, God’s love for me, for you, and for the world is settled at the cross.”
69. “When our faith is down for the count, we need people who will speak truth to us, friends who will remind us of God’s past faithfulness. We need people who will draw our attention outside of the realm of our immediate circumstances, people to put our circumstances in their proper context.”
70. “Striving for balance forces a leader to invest time and energy in aspects of leadership where he will never succeed. It is not realistic to strive for balance within the sphere of our personal leadership abilities.
71. “If you feed an appetite, it grows. Satisfying an appetite does not diminish it. It expands it. To diminish an appetite, you have to starve it.”
72. “The most significant visions are not cast by great orators from a stage. They are cast at the bedsides of our children. The greatest “vision-casting” opportunities happen between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 PM Monday through Sunday. In these closing hours of the day we have a unique opportunity to plant the seeds of what could be and what should be. Take every opportunity you get.”
73. The most important thing in the world, is your personal relationship with Jesus Christ (From Andy Stanley’s dad, Charles Stanley).
74. If you’re carrying anger, it can be justified. It doesn’t make a good shepherd, though.
75. “As Paul Naeger reminds us in his excellent article Red Flag Decision Making, Emotions serve a purpose, informing us what to do. If our brain comes across something and categorizes it as a “red flag,” we will be notified through thoughts and feelings created by emotion. This “red flag” alerts us to pay attention. Our emotions act as a cueing system notifying us to pay attention and take action.”
76. People without clear vision are easily distracted, have a tendency to drift from one idea to another, and often make foolish decisions that rob them of their dreams.
77. “Direction—not intention—determines our destination.”
78. “Make a list of your key people and write down what you perceive as their primary value to the organization. Having done that, evaluate their job descriptions, asking yourself this question: “How can I free up more of their time to do the things that add the most value to this organization?” Encourage your staff to rewrite their current job descriptions with the goal of refocusing their time on the things they do best. Lead your key people through a discussion of the principles discussed in these three chapters. Create opportunities for your staff to discuss ways to better leverage their abilities.”
79. “How we treat, talk about, respond to, and care for one another is the identifying mark of a genuine Jesus follower. Not what we believe.”
80. “Because of the pressure to fit in and to please, we can find ourselves making decisions that don’t align with our highest good. When we make decisions from the fear of being judged and/or rejected, we doom ourselves to this people-pleasing brand of decision-making.”
81. “Often the reason we won’t say no is that we are afraid. We fear disappointing people. We fear being passed by. We fear missing out on a good opportunity. But at some point every leader must come to grips with the fact that there will always be more opportunities than there is time to pursue them. If we don’t choose our opportunities carefully, we will dilute our efforts in every endeavor. Refusing to say no eventually robs a leader of his ultimate opportunity—the opportunity to play to his strengths. Choose your opportunities carefully. Many opportunities are worth missing. Just say no.”
82. “Jesus is the hope of the world and the local church is the vehicle of expressing that hope to the world.”
83. The next-generation church will be birthed by the next generation.
84. “Whatever the case, Paul could not stand by while church leaders became self-righteous reflections of a priesthood that was disappearing. He refused to do nothing as the dual covenant model laid the groundwork for the very hypocrisy his encounter with Jesus liberated him from.”
85. “If the source were simply a few behavioral habits, you would have conquered them already.”
86. “Leaders understand the unique roles of confidence and caution. Courage requires both. David’s caution did not keep him from the battle, but neither did he allow his confidence to blind him to the need to select his stones with care.”
87. “Every leader has authority over arenas in which he has little or no competence. When we exert our authority in an area where we lack competence, we can derail projects and demotivate those who have the skills we lack.”
88. “Leadership is all about taking people on a journey. The challenge is that most of the time, we are asking people to follow us to places we ourselves have never been.”
89. “Why does every relationship end the same way?" In most cases the answer is, "Because every relationship started the same way.”
90. “I'm not a philanthropist. While I care about the poor, the issue of local or global poverty doesn't keep me up at night.”
91. “To get from where we don’t want to be to where we do want to be requires two things: time and a change of direction.”
92. You don't sit around looking for reasons to do the right thing; it's the bad decisions that require creative reasoning. - Author: Andy Stanley
93. “Do you think God can be trusted? Or do yo think you need to take things into your own hands?”
94. I'm not a philanthropist. While I care about the poor, the issue of local or global poverty doesn't keep me up at night. - Author: Andy Stanley
95. “As a next generation leader you already possess the talent and intuition necessary to lead. But chances are it is your courage that will establish you as a leader in the minds of others. To put it in perspective, try to identify a leader worth following who didn’t pop up on the public radar screen as a result of a decision or action that required courage.”
96. “The direction you are currently traveling—relationally, financially, spiritually, and the list goes on and on—will determine where you end up in each of those respective arenas.”
97. Lying to yourself puts insecurity in the driver’s seat.
98. “The person with the most resources has the most opportunities to do things for the most people.”
99. “But, then, that’s the point. In leadership, success is succession.”
100. In a volunteer organization there has to be time for community. - Author: Andy Stanley
101. There is only one person who can determine where you end up on purpose – the person in the mirror.
102. “If a teenage guy tends to overreact when he fails, there is a pretty good chance he thinks his significance is based on success.”
103. “The most shameful and embarrassing chapters in church history were not the result of anything Jesus or the apostle Paul taught. Our most embarrassing, indefensible moments resulted from Christians leveraging the old covenant concepts.”
104. “Where a weekend experience consistently begins will ultimately determine who consistently shows up to take the journey.”
105. “A great leader doesn’t avoid conflict and a great leader doesn’t doesn’t leave a body of emotionally destroyed people behind. A great leader solves problems.”
106. Whenever we have more than we need, our natural assumption will be that it's for our own consumption. - Author: Andy Stanley
107. “The teaching philosophy of most companies today is similar to that of the schools I went to – lots of people sitting in a classroom, with an expert up front telling you things. I’ve always thought that if that was the natural way for people to learn, we ought to see four-year-olds spontaneously forming themselves into rows.”
108. “We hurt most who we love the most.”
109. “I WILL NOT TRUST IN RICHES Wealth has some pretty powerful side effects. If wealth were an over-the-counter medicine, there would be bold warnings printed on the packaging. Warning: May cause arrogance. While taking this medicine, extra precaution should be taken not to offend people. If taken for prolonged periods, may impair perception, causing hope to migrate. If you saw a commercial for wealth on TV, it would show pictures of happy people holding hands in the park. Meanwhile, the announcer would be listing all the ways it can ruin your kidneys, rot your stomach, cause sudden heart failure, and destroy your life.”
110. “right standing with God comes through faith in the promises of God.”
111. “It’s deceiving but true that we rarely see any immediate consequences for neglecting a single installment of time in any arena of life. But if neglect becomes your pattern, you will eventually bump up against our third principle: 3. Neglect has a cumulative effect. You”
112. “You have no idea what hangs in the balance of your decision on what to do with the burden God put in your heart.”
113. “Purpose should determine approach. At the end of the day, it’s what we do, not what we purposed to do, that defines our lives and reputations.”
114. “Identify the areas in which you are most likely to add unique value to your organization—something no one else can match—then leverage your skills to their absolute max. That’s what your employer expected when he put you on the payroll! More importantly, leveraging yourself generates the greatest and most satisfying return on your God-given abilities.”
115. “patience is simply a way of putting the other person first. Patience is an expression of submission. Your”
116. The easiest person for me to deceive is the person in the mirror. You are a sucker for you.
117. “Success is remaining faithful to the process God has laid out for you.”
118. Envy is fueled by comparison.
119. You protect that staff, it’ll steal, kill, and destroy.
120. “If it suddenly became impossible for us to cover up all the junk we normally hide from the rest of humanity, I have a feeling we would all get real motivated to deal with the source of what ails us.”
121. People pray in one direction but they walk in a different direction, and direction always determines where we end up. - Author: Andy Stanley
122. “The law was given to reveal what real sin looked like. When God gave the 10 commandments to Moses, his purpose wasn't to show us how we can be perfect and make it into heaven. God knew we could never live up to it. He did it so we can could see how bad we really can be.”
123. “The first thing that sometimes keeps next generation leaders from playing to their strengths is that the idea of being a balanced or well-rounded leader looks good on paper and sounds compelling coming from behind a lectern, but in reality, it is an unworthy endeavor. Read the biographies of the achievers in any arena of life. You will find over and over that these were not “well-rounded” leaders. They were men and women of focus.”
124. Certainty is not my shepherd.
125. Our friends determine the direction and quality of our life.
126. “Leadership is stewardship, it's temporary and you're accountable!”
127. Your devotion to God is illustrated, demonstrated, and authenticated by your love for others.
128. “Your environments determine what comes to mind when people think about your church.”
129. Authority does not equal competency. Pass decisions down to those who can best handle them.
130. “Resources follow vision.”
131. There is no cramming for a test of character. It always comes as a pop quiz. - Author: Andy Stanley
132. “This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
133. “...often, stepping outside your comfort zone is not careless irresponsibility, but a necessary act of obedience.”
134. “Preachers’ kids who gravitate toward ministry are commodities. I hire all I can. We see church differently than everybody else.”
135. “The 80/20 Principle asserts that a minority of causes, inputs, or effort usually lead to a majority of the results, outputs, or rewards. Taken literally, this means that, for example, 80 percent of what you achieve in your job comes from 20 percent of the time spent. Thus for all practical purposes, four-fifths of the effort—a dominant part of it—is largely irrelevant.”
136. The leader who refuses to move until the fear is gone will never move. Consequently, he will never lead. - Author: Andy Stanley
137. “Victims don’t want to be proactive about changing—they want to be proactive about making sure that the person who hurt them pays. And so we spend our energy telling our sad stories rather than taking responsibility for our behavior. Thus we open the door of our hearts and welcome in the Trojan horse of bitterness. And it stands there, a monument, a constant reminder of a debt someone has yet to pay. Somebody owes us.”
138. If you feed an appetite, it grows. Satisfying an appetite does not diminish it. It expands it. To diminish an appetite, you have to starve it. - Author: Andy Stanley
139. Exceptional self-leadership is the key to sustained influence.
140. “The key to this approach is refusing to stand up and speak until you know the answer to two questions: • What is the one thing I want my audience to know? • What do I want them to do about it?”
141. ...Often, stepping outside your comfort zone is not careless irresponsibility, but a necessary act of obedience.
142. “So what do you do when you are stuck?
143. “Just as Jesus predicted, what originates in the secret place won't always remain a secret. ... How do we guard -- or maybe it would be more appropriate to say, guard against -- our hearts? How do we monitor what's going on in that secret place that has the potential to go public at any moment?”
144. “Here’s a question every angry man and woman needs to consider: How long are you going to allow people you don’t even like — people who are no longer in your life, maybe even people who aren’t even alive anymore — to control your life? How long?”
145. “We have a tendency to measure ourselves against the people around us. They become our point of reference. A good coach will evaluate your performance against your potential.
146. “Leaders are not always the first to see an opportunity. They are simply the first to seize an opportunity. It is the person who seizes the opportunity who emerges as the leader. But fear has kept many would-be leaders on the sidelines, while good opportunities paraded by. They didn’t lack insight. They lacked courage.”
147. “One of our pastors, John Hambrick, has a saying that we’ve adopted organization-wide. He says, “We walk toward the messes.” In other words, we don’t feel compelled to sort everything or everyone out ahead of time. We are not going to spend countless hours creating policies for every eventuality.”
148. “A good coach always coaches to a leader’s potential, not his current level of performance. A good leadership coach will see the potential in you and inspire you accordingly.”
149. “If we want to reach the people that no one else is reaching, we’ve got to do things that no one else is doing.”
150. “Everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose.”
151. “So you see, that’s why we ask the question: In light of my past experience, in light of my current circumstances, in light of my future hopes and dreams—regardless of where that leads—if I was wise, what would I do? If”
152. “The people closest to you routinely catch the flak thrown off by the explosive stuff you normally work so hard to keep hidden.”
153. “Giving up something now for something better later is not a sacrifice. It is an investment.”
154. “When you think of great leaders, you don’t think about what they accomplished. You think about what they accomplished for you.”
155. “Nobody matures past his or her need for prayer and meditation.”
156. “It’s unfortunate that someone can grow up hearing sermons and Sunday school lessons, yet never be captivated by the Scriptures.”
157. “To grow our congregants’ faith, we must preach and teach for life change.”
158. What people pray for will tell you more than anything else whether they are locked into the vision and priorities of the church. - Author: Andy Stanley
159. “Jealous leaders measure their success by the failure of others.”
160. “There is an appropriate way to use your story, not as an excuse but as a testimony to God's ability to free you from the past.”
161. Leaders who refuse to listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing helpful to say.
162. “Stories and questions are the two best ways to reinforce organizational values.”
163. At the end of the day, God's love for me, for you, and for the world is settled at the cross. - Author: Andy Stanley
164. “What questions if asked repeatedly would point people in the direction of what I wanted them to do?”
165. “We’re not on a mission to build something big. We’re on a mission to build something significant.”
166. “Leaders instill courage in the hearts of those who follow. This rarely happens through words alone. It generally requires action. It goes back to what we said earlier: Somebody has to go first. By going first, the leader furnishes confidence to those who follow.
167. I have not been called to be certain. I have been called to love.
168. “Leadership is not always about getting things done “right.” Leadership is about getting things done through other people…When a leader can’t find someone to hand things off to, it is time for him to look in the mirror. We must never forget that the people who follow us are exactly where we have led them.”
169. None of us open ourselves to leaders we don’t respect.
170. “Whenever we have more than we need, our natural assumption will be that it’s for our own consumption.”
171. Your insecurity, if it becomes your shepherd, will suck the life out of your leadership.
172. “The more conscious I am of the work God has yet to do in me, the less critical I am about what he has yet to do in you.”
173. “God will always nudge us in the direction of kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.16 When in doubt, max those out.”
174. “Greed is the assumption that it is all for my consumption.”
175. “I cannot replace what God has put in place.”
176. Leadership isn't making all the decisions. It is making sure the right decisions are made. - Author: Andy Stanley
177. The primary reason we do too much is that we have never taken the time to discover that portion of what we do that makes the biggest difference. - Author: Andy Stanley
178. “Nothing hinders morale more than when team members with separate agendas are pulling against one another.”
179. “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (EPHESIANS 5:21)”
180. You have to lead with an open mind.
181. “The primary reason we do too much is that we have never taken the time to discover that portion of what we do that makes the biggest difference.”
182. “Suppose you had seven credit cards in your purse or wallet and you lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the six and go search for the missing one until you found it? I lost a credit card recently and never once pulled out the one I hadn’t lost to obsess over it. I felt no urgency about my un-lost credit card. I didn’t call a single person to say that I still had my American Express Card. But I did start calling around to see if anyone had seen my lost MasterCard. When you lose something important, you obsess over it; you get preoccupied with it. It’s pretty much all you think about. Remember the last time you couldn’t find your phone?”
183. “If you don’t clarify the win for a team, they will do it themselves.”
184. “Your greatest accomplishment may not be something you do but someone you raise.”
185. “We believe circles are better than rows.”
186. “One of the reasons we ignore the tension when we are making decisions . . . one reason we push through and ignore the advice of other people or the voice of our conscience is: We believe we can predict outcomes. Don’t we? We think we know. But we don’t know. You don’t always predict outcomes accurately, do you? Does anybody? If you’ve ever been disappointed, you know this to be the case.”
187. “That is an irritatingly clarifying question.”
188. “The most significant visions are not cast by great orators from a stage. They are cast at the bedsides of our children. The greatest visioncasting opportunities happen between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 PM Monday through Sunday. In these closing hours of the day we have a unique opportunity to plant the seeds of what could be and what should be. Take every opportunity you get.”
189. “Next generation leaders are those who would rather challenge what needs to change and pay the price than remain silent and die on the inside”
190. “our approach to communicating should be shaped by our goal in communicating.”
191. “After all, it takes a lot of planning to marry the wrong person.”
192. “What would a great leader do?” – Bill Hybels
193. “Pitchers don’t need to hit well; they need to pitch well. Every step you create needs to do what it does best and nothing more. Focus allows you to pursue excellence, to zero in on the target. You can ruin a great pitcher by trying to make a hitter out of him, and you can ruin a great church…”
194. “Loyalty publicly results in leverage privately.” Andy Stanley
195. “Jesus didn’t command his followers to feel something. He commanded them to do some things.”
196. “There are some rich people who, no matter how much God sends their way, never seem to put their hope in their riches.”
197. “When you try to exercise authority within a department that is outside your core competencies, you will hinder everything and everyone under your watch. If you fail to distinguish between authority and competence, you will exert your influence in ways that damage projects and people. To put it bluntly, there are things you are responsible for that you should keep your nose out of.”
198. “Direction, not intention determines your destination.”
199. “Greed is supported by an endless cast of what-ifs. Greedy people can never have enough to satisfy the need they feel in light of every conceivable eventuality.”
200. “Intuition is not enough. Leaders need objective ways to measure effectiveness.”
201. “Mockers are cynical, critical, condescending, and controlling. You always feel off balance around them. You never know where you stand. They always try to come across as the smartest person in the room, and they use that supposed knowledge to try to dominate and manipulate their world and their relationships. Look,”
202. It takes a habit to break a habit. You can pray every day for a generous heart, but until you start acting in that direction, nothing's going to change. - Author: Andy Stanley
203. “How should Jesus-following Republicans and Democrats treat, speak about, and respond to one another? Publicly and privately? The way Jesus treated, spoke to, and responded to those who disagreed with him.”
204. Jesus doesn't take sides; He takes over. - Author: Andy Stanley
205. “Too many church leaders have bought into the myth that to clarify the win means establishing attendance goals and raising a lot of money.”
206. “Practical teaching that moves people to action is one of the primary things God uses to grow our faith.”
207. “Very few of us have ever seen this done well. It’s not like we’re following some lead.”
208. I can't make people fall in love with Jesus, but I can arrange dates. - Author: Andy Stanley
209. “If the sharp people catch you doing something better for you than the organization, they will leave. Then you will be left with people who aren’t sharp.”
210. “Leaders who don't listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.”
211. “Any fear associated with giving to God's kingdom is irrational. It's on par with a farmer who, out of fear of losing his seed, refuses to plant his fields.”
212. “We can’t create a providential relationship. But we can certainly create some content points.”
213. “I allowed you to be known and you never forgot it.” – God
214. Actions don't only speak louder than words; actions should be used to interpret words. - Author: Andy Stanley
215. “Think about this for a moment. What would happen if you were to begin speaking to people’s potential rather than their performance? What if you made it a habit to dispense the same type of grace to others as has been poured out on you? What would happen if you intentionally laced your conversations with notions of what could be true of the people around you?”
216. Our greatest moral regrets are always preceded by a series of unwise choices. - Author: Andy Stanley
217. “Your friends will determine the quality and direction of your life.”
218. Forgiveness is simply a decision to cancel a debt. - Author: Andy Stanley
219. “If you can present something in any way other than someone standing on a stage and talking, do so!”
220. Greed is not a financial issue. It’s a heart issue.” –Andy Stanley
221. “Our tendency is to pray for miracles. But in most situations, it is more appropriate to pray for opportunities.”
222. “The moment our love or concern for country takes precedence over our love for the people in our country, we are off mission. When saving America diverts energy, focus, and reputation away from saving Americans, we no longer qualify as the ekklesia of Jesus. We’re merely political tools. A manipulated voting demographic. A photo op. Again, we lose our elevated position as the conscience of the nation. We give up the moral and ethical high ground.”
223. “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:6)”
224. “Where there is no uncertainty, there is no longer the need for leadership. The greater the uncertainty, the greater the need for leadership. Your capacity as a leader will be determined by how well you learn to deal with uncertainty.”
225. “Leadership isn't making all the decisions. It is making sure the right decisions are made.”
226. “Courage in a strategic moment can change the playing field dramatically.”
227. If a leader goes with their gut, it should be after listening first to people they trust. - Author: Andy Stanley
228. It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God - Author: Andy Stanley
229. “Un misterio que encontró respuesta en Cristo. El misterio era que los gentiles se convertirían en herederos de la promesa de Dios junto con Israel. Juntos, se convertirían en miembros de un solo cuerpo, un nuevo cuerpo, la ekklesía de Jesús. Juntos compartirían el cumplimiento de la promesa de Dios a Abraham.”
230. If the Old and New Testament teach us anything, they teach us that nothing is too difficult for God. What he originates, he orchestrates. - Author: Andy Stanley
231. I will not lie to myself even when the truth makes me feel bad about myself.
232. “The primary reason we do too much is that we have never taken the time to discover the portion of what we do that makes the biggest difference.”
233. “The tendency in business, or in church work for that matter, is to mistake activity for progress. We think that just because people are busy and doing a lot of stuff that we are being successful. The fact of the matter is, if all that activity isn’t taking you where you want to go, then it’s just wasted time.”
234. “You have no idea the numbers of people that God may want to influence through you”
235. The easiest person for me to deceive is the person in the mirror.
236. “THE COURAGE TO SAY NO Early in our development as leaders we assume that when opportunity knocks, we must answer the door and embrace whoever or whatever is standing there. But Mike Nappa was right when he wrote, “Opportunity does not equal obligation.”15 The ability to identify and focus on the few necessary things is a hallmark of great leadership. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins encourages business leaders to develop a “stop doing” list: Most of us lead busy but undisciplined lives. We have ever expanding “to do” lists, trying to build momentum by doing, doing, doing—and doing more. And it rarely works. Those who built the good-to-great companies, however, made as much use of “stop doing” lists as the “to do” lists. They displayed a remarkable discipline to unplug all sorts of extraneous junk.… They displayed remarkable courage to channel their resources into only one or a few arenas.16”
237. “When the point person in an organization strives for balance, he potentially robs other leaders of an opportunity to perform at the top of their game.”
238. “It is safer and potentially more financially profitable for you if you don’t. Becoming a hero-maker will cost you.”
239. To be the best next-generation leader you can be, you must enlist the help of others. Self-evaluation is helpful, but evaluation from someone else is essential. You need a leadership coach. Coaching enables a leader to go further faster. - Author: Andy Stanley
240. “..the best strategy for giving is a two-fold approach: a basic plan combined with a willingness to consider spontaneous giving when unique opportunities arise.”
241. “I once heard John Maxwell say, “You are most valuable where you add the most value.” It is vital to the health and success of our organizations that we as leaders discover that task, that narrow arena of responsibility where we add the most value. And once we find it, it’s even more vital that we stay there.”
242. The person in the mirror is counting on you. There are also smaller faces in smaller mirrors counting on you.
243. “The leader is the one who has the courage to act on what he sees.”
244. “To be the best next-generation leader you can be, you must enlist the help of others. Self-evaluation is helpful, but evaluation from someone else is essential. You need a leadership coach. Coaching enables a leader to go further faster.”
245. “If you don’t like the fruit that keeps cluttering up your backyard, the only real solution is to dig up the tree by the roots and eliminate the issue once and for all. If you deal with the source, you’ve dealt with the problem.”
246. “If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for ten years, plant trees If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people. CHINESE PROVERB”
247. “make today’s decisions in light of tomorrow’s hopes and dreams. The future is what brings today’s choices into proper focus. Making choices with the end in mind goes a long way toward ensuring a happy ending. Today”
248. “We begin selling ourselves on what we want to do rather than what we ought to do. We listen to ourselves until we believe our own lies, and the we opt for happiness.”
249. “Dreamers dream about things being different. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference.”
250. My hope is not in riches but in him who richly provides. - Author: Andy Stanley
251. “Love fills the gaps. Love reduces the friction created by our limited insight, knowledge, and judgment-inhibiting experiences. There is much I don’t know. There are things I’ll never understand. But my ignorance does not impede my capacity to put others first.”
252. “It is next to impossible to hear the voice of wisdom if we are not really listening for it to begin with. The best counsel in the world is wasted counsel if our minds are already made up.”
253. “Next time you think you’re a big shot, just wash more feet.”
254. “But in the areas that matter most, a burst of energy and activity cannot reverse the consequences that accompany a season of neglect.”
255. Direction, not intention, determines destination.
256. “Don’t strive to be a well-rounded leader. Instead, discover your zone and stay there. Then delegate everything else.
257. “The most important thing in your life is your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
258. When happiness points in one direction while wisdom, truth, integrity, and common sense point in another, that's when really smart people start doing really stupid things. - Author: Andy Stanley
259. “The physical environment does more than leave an impression; it sends a message.”
260. What percentage should you give? I tell people to start with 10 percent because the Bible writers have a lot to say about the tithe, which means, "tenth." For some people, that's extremely uncomfortable. But so is a colonoscopy, and those save countless lives. - Author: Andy Stanley
261. You will squeeze the life out of you if you lead close-handed.
262. “If you introduce your topic with a gut-wrenching emotionally charged song, you’d better have something of equal significance to say.”
263. “Preaching is not talking to people about the Bible; it is talking to people about themselves from the Bible.”
264. “Your past experience must be a grid through which you evaluate every decision. Chances are, there are places you have no business visiting because of your history—places that would have no impact on the average person, but the average person doesn’t share your experience with those environments.”
265. “I will not trust in riches but in him who richly provides.”
266. “Just because there isn't a "Thou shalt not" attached to a situation does not necessarily mean it is a "Thou shalt.”
267. How do you recruit and keep volunteers? Part of the answer is that we clarify the win. Countless individuals quit working in churches every year - Author: Andy Stanley
268. “There’s an old wooden sign in the church my dad grew up in. It still hangs on the left wall behind the pulpit. Maybe you’ve seen one like it. The sign has slats that display numbers announcing the church’s critical statistics. There is a column for “Last Week” and a column for “This Week.” Every Sunday you can check out how things are progressing in three areas: attendance, the number of visitors, and total offerings. I can remember, as a kid, looking up at the numbers and thinking, Things are getting better. Or during some weeks, Things are getting worse. That sign has been hanging there for at least thirty years, but I’m not sure it truly communicates whether or not the church is actually winning. Most churches do not have a reliable system for defining and measuring what success looks like at every level of the organization. Instead they post some general statistics that give them a vague sense of progress or failure as a church, and they go through the motions of continuing to do ministry the way they always have, productive or not. Thus it is possible for a church to become very efficient at doing ministry ineffectively.”
269. “Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage assumes fear. If we had waited for our fear to subside before we took that first plunge off of the high-dive, we would all still be standing there waiting. We just jumped anyway. Courage is the willingness to strap on your fear and move ahead.”
270. You will only remain fully alive as a leader if you ignore the imposter shepherds.
271. Intervention giving is emotional and the results are measurable. - Author: Andy Stanley
272. Your heart didn't arrive at its present condition overnight. You can't overcome in an instant the effects of years of blockage caused by guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy. Adopting new habits of the heart is a process, but it's a process that will yield some immediate results.
273. “When people are convinced you want something FOR them rather than something FROM them, they are less likely to be offended when you challenge them.”
274. “Relationships are built on small, consistent deposits of time. You can't cram for what's most important. If you want to connect with your kids, you've got to be available consistently, not randomly.”
275. “Putting unbelievers or different kinds of believers in situations where they feel forced to worship is incredibly unfair. It’s offensive. It’s bait and switch. It’s insulting.”
276. Being a sinner does not disqualify you from following Jesus. It's a prerequisite. - Author: Andy Stanley
277. If you capture someone's heart, you will eventually get his hands and feet as well.
278. “You were not, are not, and should be glad you’re not included in that covenant.”
279. “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.”
280. “Leaders must challenge the process precisely because any system will unconsciously conspire to maintain the status quo and prevent change.”9 Organizations seek an equilibrium.”
281. “Whenever there is fear, there is opportunity. When there is great fear, there is great opportunity.”
282. “Preaching for life change requires far less information and more application. Less explanation and more inspiration. Less first century and more twenty-first century.”
283. “Practical Teaching Private Disciplines Personal Ministry Providential Relationships Pivotal Circumstances”
284. “Your regrets are only part of your story. They don’t have to be the story. Your past should remind you. It doesn’t have to define you.”
285. “Good excuses rarely collect dust. We use them, and use them, and use them.”
286. “Giving up something now for something better later is not a sacrifice. Â It is an investment.”
287. “It is not intuitive away to give your life, your leadership, and your opportunities away.”
288. “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
289. “If you offend someone before a service, it’s going to be next to impossible to engage him in the service.”
290. “Questions reinforce behaviors.”
291. Your talent and giftedness as a leader have the potential to take you farther than your character can sustain you. That ought to scare you. - Author: Andy Stanley
292. “Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, not the byproduct of accumulated wealth.”
293. “But what’s perfectly obvious in the realm of geography is not so obvious in those other arenas. And, as we are about to discover, what’s true geographically is equally true relationally, financially, physically, and academically. There is a parallel principle that affects parenting, dating, marriage, our emotions, our health, and a host of other areas as well. Just as there are physical paths that lead to predictable physical locations, there are other kinds of paths that are equally predictable.”
294. “As counterintuitive as it seems, generosity begins wherever you are. It is important to make generosity a priority.”
295. “most of us want to be proven right more than we want to know what’s true. We aren’t on truth quests. We’re on confirmation quests.”
296. “Beginning empty handed and alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how sure they are that God is with them.” – Gene Edwards in his book The Tale of Three Kings
297. “Knowledge alone makes Christians haughty. Application makes us holy.”
298. “All strange people hang around together. That’s why they don’t know they’re strange.”
299. “This question is clarifying and terrifying.”
300. “The problem was that somewhere along the way I had bought into the myth that a good leader has to be good at everything. So I operated under the assumption that I had to upgrade my weaknesses into strengths. After all, who would follow a leader who wasn’t well-rounded?”
301. “This question reveals weakness. It creates tension. If you are a leader, at some point you have to quit avoiding conflict.”
302. Your greatest regrets were with friends. You were with people who supported your decisions.
303. For reasons known only to him, God has chosen to work through men and women who are willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the "thing" he has placed in their hearts to do. If God bas birthed a vision in you, it is only a matter of time until you will come upon the precipice of sacrifice. - Author: Andy Stanley
304. “Don’t be so concerned about keeping the folks you’ve got, that you neglect the folks you’re trying to reach.”
305. “Engaging presentations are central to the success of the church’s mission.”
306. “Churches for churched people obsess over the most frivolous, inconsequential things. It’s why you dread your board meetings, your elder meetings, and your committee meetings. You rarely talk about anything important. You’re managing found people. I know you care about un-found people in your heart. But do you care in your schedule, your programming, your preaching style, or your budget?”
307. “What would a great father do? What would a great mother do? What would a great husband do? What does a great wife do?”
308. Who are you and what breaks your heart? - Author: Andy Stanley
309. “We only get one shot at every season of life. Whether or not we learned anything becomes evident in the seasons that follow.”
310. “I've talked to many individuals who want to discuss their problems. But they don't really have problems. They have chosen to live in the wrong direction. They don't need a solution. They need a new direction.”
311. “become the person the person you’re looking for is looking for”
312. “Every arena of life intersects with what's going on in our hearts. Everything passes through on its way to wherever it's going. Everything.”
313. “you want me to follow you on a journey, you have to come get me. The journey must begin where I am, not where you are or where you think I should be.”
314. “Grace is the offer of exactly what we do not deserve. Thus, it cannot be recognized or received until we are aware of precisely how undeserving we really are. It is the knowledge of what we do not deserve that allows us to receive grace for what it is. Unmerited. Unearned. Undeserved. For that reason, grace can only be experienced by those who acknowledge they are undeserving.”
315. “As leaders, we are never responsible for filling anyone else’s cup. Our responsibility is to empty ours.”
316. You may be good. You may even be better than everyone esle. But without a coach you will never be as good as you could be. - Author: Andy Stanley
317. “As leaders, we are never responsible for filling anyone else's cup. Our responsibility is to empty ours.”
318. “If you were better than the lead pastor they just called you rebellious.”
319. “Are you willing to follow Jesus regardless of where he leads you politically?”
320. “I don’t require our staff to attend our church. If our church sucks, they shouldn’t want to attend our church.”
321. “A pastor has no greater privilege than to baptize his own children.” – Dr. Charles Stanley
322. “We must never forget that the people who follow us are exactly where we have led them. If there is no one to whom we can delegate, it is our own fault. Many examples in history underscore the centrality of this catalytic leadership principle. Each illustrates the fact that you never know what hangs in the balance of a decision to play to your strengths. Oddly enough, it was the prudent application of this principle that enabled the fledgling first-century church to consolidate its gains and capitalize on its explosive growth, without losing focus or momentum.”
323. Be who you are. But be the very best communicator you can possibly be. To do that you must be willing to sacrifice what's comfortable-what has become part of your style-for the sake of what is effective. - Author: Andy Stanley
324. You make PEACE with your past by owning your PIECE of the past. - Author: Andy Stanley
325. “Churches that draw your tithe from you, shame of you! How can you be a cheerful giver if you don’t have a choice?”
326. “Fire in the fireplace is a wonderful thing. Fire on the carpet has the potential to burn down your house. Sex is like fire. In the right context, it is an awesome thing. But once it is outside the context it was designed for, sex can burn your life and relationships to the ground.”
327. “But David felt something else as well. A tension. A hesitation. Something wasn’t exactly right about all of this. But that inner hesitation made no sense in light of the circumstances in which he and his loyal men found themselves.”
328. “God had called and equipped David to lead. But it took an act of courage for that call to be recognized by the public.”
329. Initially, your vision will exceed your competency. - Author: Andy Stanley
330. “The reason more people aren’t engaged with the local church is…we aren’t all that engaging!”
331. “Jesus is the hope of the world and the local church is the vehicle of expressing that hope to the world.” -Andy Stanley
332. “The approach a church chooses trumps its purpose every time.”
333. “Unfortunately, fear often disguises itself behind the mask of care. Fearful people often excuse their fear as caution. “I’m not afraid. I’m just being cautious.” “You can’t rush these things, you know.”
334. Giving up something now for something better later is not a sacrifice. It is an investment.
335. What have we fallen in love with that's not as effective as it used to be? What do we love doing that's not really working? What's off limits for discussion? Do we have any "old couches" that need to be thrown out? - Author: Andy Stanley
336. “You don't sit around looking for reasons to do the right thing; it's the bad decisions that require creative reasoning.”
337. “Knowledge alone makes Christians haughty. Application makes us holy.”
338. Don't be fair, be engaged. - Author: Andy Stanley
339. “Prayer keeps the burden fresh. It keeps our eyes and hearts in an expectant mode.”
340. They have adjusted their style in order to worship with their kids. Shouldn't we be willing to adjust ours to reach their kids? - Author: Andy Stanley
341. “Love is un-natural. Do any of these traits come naturally? Granted, we know how to turn them all on when we’re winning and wooing. But love does not sustain itself naturally. What come naturally are passion, lust, chemistry, and that “can’t wait to get you alone” feeling. But over time, all of that is eventually squashed by our unbridled, selfish, self-preserving natures. The brand of love Paul describes is a nonnegotiable for those desiring to sustain the chemistry and romance that make the early days of a relationship so exhilarating. Romance is sustained by patience, kindness, humility, and a short memory. While none of those things come naturally, every one of them is necessary. Otherwise our wounds, insecurities, and parental implants will become the driving forces and send the relationship in a bad direction. When that happens, good-bye, chemistry. Good-bye, romance. Hello, I guess I just haven’t met the right person. It’s that kind of thinking that creates the myth. It’s a myth to think that once you meet the right person, you will become a different person. The love of your life should bring out the best in you. But only you can prevent forest fires. Sorry. Only you can prevent your impatience, unkindness, pride, anger, and record keeping from undermining your relationship.”
342. “• There is a cumulative value to investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period. • There are rarely any immediate consequences for neglecting single installments of time in any arena of life. • Neglect has a cumulative effect. • There is no cumulative value to the urgent things we allow to interfere with the important things. If all of this is true, and time equals life, what is the wise thing to do as it relates to your time? My”
343. “You can’t give yourself fully to someone else as long as you are mastered by something else.”
344. “When a leader attempts to become well-rounded, he brings down the average of the organization’s leadership quotient—which brings down the level of the leaders around him. Don’t strive to be a well-rounded leader. Instead, discover your zone and stay there. Then delegate everything else.”
345. “If there’s an area in your life where you tell yourself, “I know this is wrong, but I’m going to do it anyway, and probably repeat it,” Solomon would answer, “In that area of your life, you’re a fool.” And”
346. “While Paul was a man of great faith, he was not a man of great patience or tolerance for those who opposed the gospel. But that was okay. God didn’t choose him for his manners.”
347. The good shepherd will lead you to lead open-handed.
348. “I begin every meeting with this question on purpose because this is what is most important to our organization, “What happened this weekend?”
349. “Worse, the more successful an individual is, the less likely it is that anyone will bring this unpleasant fact to his attention. Consequently, a leader considered an expert in one area is often treated as an expert in others as well. Leaders who are not in touch with their own weaknesses feel that they are as good as anybody else in their organization at anything that pertains to leadership. Many have even bought into the false notion that great leaders have no weaknesses. In their minds, to admit weakness is to diminish their effectiveness. Such leaders tend to hide their weaknesses, assuming they ever discover them.”
350. “Actions don’t only speak louder than words; actions should be used to interpret words.”
351. “Preachers prepare with this fear: 'Am I going to be able to fill the time?' The audience never worries about that.”
352. Nothing has killed more ministries than what was going on in the heart of the leader.
353. “Are you the person the person you’re looking for is looking for?”
354. “When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.”
355. “In our minds, rich is always the other person, the other family. Rich is having more than you currently have. If that is the case, you can be rich and not feel it. You can be rich and not know it.”
356. “There is a direct correlation between a person’s private devotional life and his or her personal faith. And regardless of how long you’ve been in ministry, this is something you can’t afford to lose sight of. When God speaks to us personally through his Word or answers a specific prayer, our faith is strengthened.”
357. “Jesus did not come to strike a balance between grace and truth. He brought the full measure of both... It's easy to create an all-truth church model. It may be even easier to create an all-grace model, but Jesus didn't leave either option on the table.”
358. “Great leaders are great learners. God, in His wisdom, has placed men and women around us with the experience and discernment we often lack.”
359. Whenever there is fear, there is opportunity. When there is great fear, there is great opportunity. - Author: Andy Stanley
360. “Uncertainty exposes a lack of knowledge. Pretending exposes a lack of character. Express your uncertainty with confidence.”
361. “Nothing has stolen more dreams, dashed more hopes, broken up more families, and messed up more people psychologically than our propensity to disregard God's commands regarding sexual purity.”
362. 80% of your problems are not people problems ... they are system problems because systems create the behaviors of people.
363. There is nothing to be gained from closed-handed leadership.
364. “The sharp people already know who you are in this for.”
365. “Loyalty did not make it as a fruit of the Spirit.”
366. We blind ourselves to our own sense of envy.
367. “Do you know why people are prone to make such foolish moral decisions? Because something always whispers to us that our situations are unique: Nobody has ever felt this way before.”
368. You can’t lead yourself well as long as you’re lying to yourself. You can’t lead a liar. Fire the liar.
369. “You can’t lead without taking risk. You won’t take risk without courage. Courage is essential to leadership.”
370. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (EPHESIANS 5:21) - Author: Andy Stanley
371. “Our faith is anchored to a miscarriage of justice. The worst possible thing happened to the best possible person.”
372. “Five years from now, our “everybody needs to know” opinions will be all but irrelevant and forgotten. But the damage to the body will be done. And you will have contributed.”
373. Envy will leave you in a lane you were never meant to run in.
374. “I’m not trying to produce Bible scholars. And by the way, teaching through the entire Bible doesn’t create Bible scholars anyway. It creates people who think they are Bible scholars. And those are some of the meanest, most uncompassionate human beings on the planet.”
375. “HEARING AND DOING A third goal, and the one I subscribe to, is to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles, and truths of the Bible. In short, my goal is change. I want them to do something different instead of just think about it. When I’m finished preaching, I want people in the audience to know what to do with what they have heard.”
376. “Will I allow my fear to bind me to mediocrity?”
377. “Everything somehow works out. Every decision has an outcome, and every path has a destination.”
378. “Present the gospel in uncompromising terms, preach hard against sin, and tackle the most emotionally charged topics in culture, while providing an environment where unchurched people feel comfortable.”
379. “Outsiders aren’t about to take our faith seriously as long as they wonder if we do.”
380. “You're worse than you thought, but God loves you more than you imagined.”
381. “I don’t care how good the preaching is at your church, if parents get the impression that you are germ-tolerant, don’t ask about registering their babies.”
382. “Simply recognizing the need for change does not define leadership. The leader is the one who has the courage to act on what he sees…A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately. It is not his insight that sets the leader apart from the crowd. It is his courage to act on what he sees, to speak up when everyone else is silent.”
383. “En su búsqueda para encontrar una forma de describir la relación entre lo antiguo y lo nuevo, Pablo se aferró al término misterio —el misterio del evangelio— que, aunque fue proclamado, ilustrado y presagiado por la ley y los profetas, no fue revelado sino hasta la llegada de Jesús.”
384. “The Church must stop expecting outsiders to act like insiders while insiders act like outsiders.”
385. “While generosity may be the antidote for the dizzying effects of wealth, your appetite for more may function as an antidote against God-honoring generosity. Your appetite for more stuff, status, and security has the potential to quash your efforts to be generous. And that's a problem.”
386. “There’s never any cumulative value to all the things we do instead of the things we know are truly important. What”
387. “Our tendency is to pray for miracles. But in most situations, it is more appropriate to pray for opportunities. More than likely you need an opportunity rather than something”
388. “Before I draw people’s attention to a solution, I want to make sure they are emotionally engaged with the problem. If the text answers a question, I dare not go there until everyone in the audience really wants to know the answer.”
389. “What is the wise thing for you to do? You are a unique blend of past experiences, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams. Wisdom allows you to customize the decision-making process to your specific professional, financial, and relational dimensions. Don’t miss this opportunity. Think”
390. “When you make giving a priority, something happens inside of you. Especially when it's financially challenging to do so. It's like you loosen your grip on a value system whose motto says, "Money is the key to life and happiness and safety."”
391. “Nothing hinders morale more than when team members with separate agendas are pulling against one another. When this happens, it’s usually because those in charge have not taken the time necessary to clarify the win for their team.”
392. Sometimes you have to lead without all the information.
393. It's ok for people to feel bad about the wrong things they've done. - Author: Andy Stanley
394. “Likewise, most of the world goes to bed at night under the assumption that if they were to die in their sleep, they would find themselves standing at the pearly gates. After all, good people go to heaven. And just about everybody thinks they are good.”
395. “People lose faith when life gets too easy, but people lose faith in the face of tragedy as well.’
396. “Upgrade your performance by playing to your strengths and delegating your weaknesses. This one decision will do more to enhance your productivity than anything else you do as a leader.”
397. “Loyalty publicly results in leverage privately. ” – Andy Stanley
398. “I don’t know about you, but there have been plenty of times when I have driven home from a hospital visit wondering why they let me be the pastor.”
399. “Churches are notorious for creating competing systems, wherein unclear direction and conflicting information threaten to cause a breakdown and paralyze the ministry. Instead of replacing old systems, we tend to just download and add whatever is new to what already exists. Soon our capacity becomes fragmented and we find ourselves confronted with the signs of ineffectiveness: some ministries seem routine and irrelevant; the teaching feels too academic; calendars are saturated with mediocre programs; staff members pull in opposite directions; volunteers lack motivation; departments viciously compete for resources; and it becomes harder and harder to figure out if we are really being successful. Too many churches desperately need an upgrade. They need to reformat their hard drives and install a clean system. They need to rewrite their code so everyone is clear about what is important and how they should function.”
400. The health of your marriage tomorrow will be determined by the decisions you make today. - Author: Andy Stanley
401. “It takes a habit to break a habit. You can pray every day for a generous heart, but until you start acting in that direction, nothing's going to change.” (Enemies of the Heart: Breaking Free from the Four Emotions That Control You)
402. “Does that mean we tailor the content to a non-Christians? Nope. We tailor the experience to non-Christians. There’s a big difference.”
403. “Questions reveal values.”
404. Knowledge alone makes Christians haughty. Application makes us holy. - Author: Andy Stanley
405. “A third project you can do to help you surface your real strengths is to develop two job descriptions for yourself. Your first one should reflect current reality. The second one, your ideal job description.”
406. “Entitlement for senior pastors always begins with a reserved parking spot.”
407. “Your talent and giftedness as a leader have the potential to take you farther than your character can sustain you. That ought to scare you.”
408. “the minute you decide to get back in the business the church was commissioned for in the first place, you will pray for boldness.”
409. What could be and should be can't be until God is ready for it to be. - Author: Andy Stanley
410. I will not attempt to lead myself by myself.
411. “A sixty-hour workweek will not compensate for a poorly delivered sermon. People don’t show up on Sunday morning because I am a good pastor (leader, shepherd, counselor). Ironically, my pastoring skills have almost nothing to do with my success as a pastor! In my world, it is my communication skills that make the difference. So that is where I focus my time.”
412. “Personal Vision is often the catalyst for wise decisions.”
413. If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for ten years, plant trees If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people. CHINESE PROVERB - Author: Andy Stanley
414. “Ministry makes people’s faith bigger. If you want to increase someone’s confidence in God, put him in a ministry position before he feels fully equipped.”
415. “People are smart. If your church is disorganized in the places they can see, they will assume it is even worse behind the scenes.”
416. “It is amazing what can be accomplished when we wait on God to lead us out. It is equally amazing the mess we can make of things when we charge out on our own.”
417. We don't drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there. - Author: Andy Stanley
418. “With this approach, every message should have one central idea, application, insight, or principle that serves as the glue to hold the other parts together.”
419. “This is premier question leaders should ask. It provides instant clarity.”
420. “In 1522, William Tyndale began translating the Greek New Testament into English. Tyndale had the audacity to actually translate the term ekklesia rather than superimpose the widely accepted German term kirche. Instead of church, he used the term congregation. If that wasn’t offensive enough, the Greek text led him to use elder instead of priest and repent instead of do penance.11”
421. Great leaders last because they lead themselves first.
422. “It is when our hearts are stirred that we become most aware of what they contain.”
423. We hurt most who we love the most. Bad grammar, painful truth.
424. Preacher's kids need another consistent voice in their lives over the years. - Author: Andy Stanley
425. “If anything has kept me on track all these years, it’s being skewered to this principle of central focus. There are many things I can do, but I have to narrow it down to the one thing I must do. The secret of concentration is elimination. (emphasis added) As you evaluate your current leadership environment and responsibilities, what do you see that needs to be eliminated? What needs to be delegated? What would it “not be right” for you to continue doing?”
426. Where there's no progress, there's no growth. If there's no growth, there's no life. Environments void of change is eventually void of life.
427. “What are the two or three things that you and only you are responsible for? What, specifically, have you been hired to do? What is “success” for the person in your position? Now let’s slice it even thinner. Of the two or three things that define success for you, which of those are in line with your giftedness? Of the tasks you have been assigned to do, which of them are you specifically gifted to do?”
428. “Success is remaining faithful to the process God has laid out for you. Certainly there are significant and enjoyable mile markers along the way. But success is not the mile marker. Success is not the raise, promotion, recognition, Christian home, or wonderful children. Those are simply enjoyable mile markers along the way. Success is staying faithful to the process that contributed to those things becoming a reality. Unfortunately, we often don’t consider ourselves successful until we experience the rewards.”
429. “It's a shame that so many churches are married to a designed-by-Christians-for-Christians-only culture. A culture in which they talk about the Great Commission, sing about the Great Commission, but refuse to reorganize their churches around the Great Commission.”
430. “What percentage should you give? I tell people to start with 10 percent because the Bible writers have a lot to say about the tithe, which means, "tenth." For some people, that's extremely uncomfortable. But so is a colonoscopy, and those save countless lives.”
431. Guilt rarely results in positive behavior. But gratitude? Great things flow from a heart of gratitude.
432. “Content this is perceived as helpful always addresses a need.”
433. After all, it takes a lot of planning to marry the wrong person. - Author: Andy Stanley
434. “Priority determines capacity.”
435. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, not the byproduct of accumulated wealth. - Author: Andy Stanley
436. “Careful is cerebral; fearful is emotional. Careful is fueled by information; fearful is fueled by imagination. Careful calculates risk; fearful avoids risk. Careful wants to achieve success; fearful wants to avoid failure. Careful is concerned about progress; fearful is concerned about protection.”
437. “In our world, it is a major win if we can get everyone in the audience to smile or laugh within the first three minutes of the service.”
438. One never accomplishes the will of God by breaking the law of God, violating the principles of God, or ignoring the wisdom of God.
439. “As you evaluate your response to the risks involved in leadership, are you careful or fearful? Every next generation leader must wrestle this question to the ground. What you don’t know can hurt you. As a leader, what you don’t know can paralyze you. Are you consumed by thoughts such as these: What if it doesn’t work? What if I’m wrong? What will others think of me?”
440. “Questions are instructive.”
441. “They ask what I often refer to as the best question ever: “In light of my past experience, and my future hopes and dreams, what’s the wise thing to do?”
442. “Christ paid a debt he didn’t owe and one we couldn’t pay. That kind of love should motivate us to pay those debts we can pay to those we do owe.”
443. “Five Questions 1. The Integrity Question Am I being honest with myself, really? Decision #1: I will not lie to myself even the truth makes me feel bad about myself. 2. The Legacy Question What story do I want to tell? Decision #2: I will write a story I’m proud to tell one decision at a time. 3. The Conscience Question Is there a tension that needs my attention? Decision #3: I will explore rather than ignore my conscience. 4. The Maturity Question What is the wise thing to do? Decision #4: I will take the past, present, and future into consideration 5. The Relationship Question What does love require of me? Decision #5: I will decide with the interests of others in mind.”
444. Insecurity will eventually lead you to dishonesty.
445. “Your pain isn’t a trophy to show off. It’s not a story to tell. It’s potentially poison to your soul. To refuse to forgive is to choose to self-destruct.”
446. “If you start thinking you’re a big shot, wash more feet.”
447. The health of your marriage tomorrow will be determined by the decisions you make today.
448. It is amazing what can be accomplished when we wait on God to lead us out. It is equally amazing the mess we can make of things when we charge out on our own. - Author: Andy Stanley
449. “Greed is not a financial issue. It’s a heart issue.”
450. “The best way to become a great leader is to do what a great leader would do. Once you know, you become accountable.”
451. “The roots of envy always run deeper and wider than the relationship in which it surfaces. In”
452. “If you are “seeking first” his kingdom where you are, then where you are is where he has positioned you.”
453. “Political and ideological alignment is not a prerequisite for carrying one another’s burdens. I can love you the way Jesus loved me regardless of who you voted for.”
454. “If you require honesty from those you work with, then honesty must be a trait that characterizes you in all your roles.”
455. “Guilt rarely results in positive behavior. But gratitude? Great things flow from a heart of gratitude.”
456. “Several years ago I concluded that 80 percent of my professional productivity flowed from three activities: Corporate visioncasting Corporate communication Leadership development”
457. “We know when we are misemployed. We know when our talents and efforts are being misappropriated. What we don’t know is how open our supervisors are to hearing about it. As a result of this assignment we made some significant changes that brought about better alignment for the entire staff. Furthermore, we stumbled upon a new tool by which to uncover what our people were thinking and feeling.”
458. Doing something about the problem is so much harder than simply complaining about it.
459. Kindness is love's response to weakness - Author: Andy Stanley
460. “Don’t good things come to good people?”
461. Jesus did not come to strike a balance between grace and truth. He brought the full measure of both ... It's easy to create an all-truth church model. It may be even easier to create an all-grace model, but Jesus didn't leave either option on the table. - Author: Andy Stanley
462. “As you consider your options, as you consider moving down a particular path, as you consider what to do next, if there’s any hesitation around a particular alternative, pause and allow . . . and I don’t know any other way to say this . . . allow that emotion, that tension, to rise up and get as big as it can possibly get before you decide. Don’t start selling yourself. As we’ve discussed, we have the ability to sell ourselves right past that pesky tension that deserves our attention.”
463. Nothing is more honoring to your heavenly Father than making life decisions based upon what he has claimed about himself. - Author: Andy Stanley
464. “You can lead people through the questions you ask if you become strategic with the questions you ask.”
465. None of us plan
466. The Church is a family expecting guests.
467. When people are convinced you want something FOR them rather than something FROM them, they are less likely to be offended when you challenge them. - Author: Andy Stanley
468. I have participated in every bad decision I’ve ever made.
469. God often showcases his power on the stage of human weakness. - Author: Andy Stanley
470. “Geographically speaking, you can't get to where you want to be unless you know where you are the begin with. You need a reference point. Similarly, you can't get to where you want to be in life until you are willing to admit where you are to begin with. Self-deception makes that next to impossible.”
471. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.3”
472. “We only offer information that is appropriate for guests.”
473. “Theology isn't what drove them to their...theology." author writes on dealing with the embittering experience of those who protect a wounded place with abstract arguments.”
474. …if we are wise enough to listen, they will help us go further, faster.”
475. “If you want your environments to be great, you’ve got to define great.”
476. Vision is a mental picture of what could be, fueled by a passion that it should be. - Author: Andy Stanley
477. Many years from now, what would you like people to line up and thank you for? - Author: Andy Stanley
478. “They have adjusted their style in order to worship with their kids. Shouldn’t we be willing to adjust ours to reach their kids?”
479. “If you don’t, your impact will be no bigger than you.”
480. “Sometimes it is the destinations out of reach that create the circumstances God uses to remind that we are never out of his reach.” (The Principal Of The Path)
481. “Whenever pastors assume people in their congregation know certain things, they miss opportunities to teach. If a pastor makes assumptions year after year, then a whole generation has never heard [that truth] for the first time. If we assume too much, we communicate too little.”
482. “Our greatest moral regrets are always preceded by a series of unwise choices.”
483. “Leaders are good with camouflaging personal ambition with the language of mission and vision.”
484. “If you see your brother in need, it doesn't matter if you already gave somewhere else. You should be open to the idea of God using you to meet your brother's unexpected need.”
485. “I always end up where the road I’ve chosen takes me.”
486. Devoting a little of yourself to everything means committing a great deal of yourself to nothing. - Author: Andy Stanley
487. “[God] wants you to go home, look at your bucket of seed, and determine in your heart how much you'd like to sow. He wants you to consider thoughtfully your current circumstances, your life, your potential, and your finances. He wants you to involve your family. He wants you to pray about it. And then He wants you to come up with a plan.” (Fields Of Gold)
488. “I'm concerned about the plight of children. But I'm not on a mission to get all the available orphans in the world adopted into Christian homes.”
489. “As a leader it is your job to protect the missional integrity of the Jesus gathering to which you have been called. It is your responsibility to see to it that the church under your care continues as a gathering of people in process; a place where the curious,the unconvinced, the sceptical, the used-to-believe and the broken, as well as the committed, informed and sold-out come together around Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
490. There are meals to fix, calls to return, interviews to prepare for, and bills to pay. If at the end of the day you're all caught up with these things, and someone asks, How are things?" you can smile and sigh and say, "Fine."
491. “Past boldness is no assurance of future boldness. Boldness demands continual reliance on God's spirit.”
492. “I have the privilege of knowing Ron Blue. Besides being a highly accomplished writer and speaker, Ron founded a financial estate and investment counseling firm to serve clients throughout the United States and Europe. Ron began this firm with a unique vision. In his commitment to mentor clients in principles of good stewardship as well as sound financial planning, Ron envisioned a day when those clients could collectively give a billion dollars a year to kingdom work. Now that’s a vision clearly tied in with what God is up to in history! His”
493. “Only do what only you can do.”
494. “In the shadow of my hurt, forgiveness feels like a decision to reward my enemy. But in the shadow of the cross, forgiveness is merely a gift from one undeserving soul to another.” (It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart)
495. “Kindness is love’s response to weakness”
496. “To ensure that we are leading with our feet firmly planted on the soil of what is, we must live by the seven commandments of current reality:
497. “As believers, we all have the responsibility to leverage our wealth for kingdom purposes.”
498. “Generally speaking, it is God’s will that everyone be honest with themselves . . . really. It’s God’s will that we all pay attention to anything that dings our consciences. It’s God’s will for each of us to take into account our past experiences, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams. It’s God’s will that we understand what love requires of us. So each of our five questions points us in the direction of God’s general will for our lives. His general will is directional. In most instances, it’s all the direction we need.”
499. “Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. (vv. 24–25)”
500. “If we do it for one, we will have to do it for everyone.” To which I can hear Jesus shouting, “No you don’t! I didn’t!”…The better approach is to do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.
501. “Time in erodes awareness of. The longer you serve in a particular ministry environment, the less aware of it you become.”
502. “It’s been my experience that great leaders, in spite of a multitude of distractions, know how to keep things focused. They know how to inspire and motivate their followers to keep pushing “the main chance.” They don’t let side issues overwhelm them.17”
503. Rich people have the potential to reach a point where they see money as the source of their safety and security. - Author: Andy Stanley
504. When Nehemiah's heart was broken he paid attention to his broken heart. - Author: Andy Stanley
505. “Let’s not do what a previous generation did and assume that what’s appealing today will be appealing tomorrow.”
506. “Make it better. What am I doing personally to help us improve organizationally?”
507. “What does God’s love for me require of me? Remember”
508. “If you live for yourself, lead for yourself, in the end, you will have nothing to show for yourself but yourself.”
509. “Seasoned leaders rarely regret having taken risks. Even the risks that didn’t pay off directly are viewed as a necessary part of the journey. A leader’s regrets generally revolve around missed opportunities, not risks taken. Many of those missed opportunities would not have been missed had they been willing to push through their fear and embrace what could be. Fear, not a lack of good ideas, is usually what keeps a man or woman standing on the sidelines.”
510. “The questions that you ask over and over and over reveal what’s most important to you.”
511. You can't influence people you refuse to associate with. - Author: Andy Stanley
512. Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds.
513. “Beginning empty-handed and alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how confident they are that God is with them.”
514. “We almost always involve unbelievers in our small groups. And we give them opportunities to lead the discussion.”
515. “So what’s the deal with the desert? I don’t know. But I do know the time between catching a glimpse of what God wants to do through us and the time when we are led to move out often feels like a desert experience. The desert always feels like a complete waste of time. It is only when we are able to look back that our desert experiences make sense.”
516. “None of us plan--or intend--to get into trouble. The problem is, we don't plan not to.”
517. “Ask the people in your organization this question, ‘What can I do to help?’”
518. “We don’t drift into good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there.”
519. “As I listen to leaders tell their stories, I hear very little about strategic planning and goal setting. I hear a lot about identifying and acting on opportunities. Strategies and goals have their place. But they don’t define leadership. Leaders see and seize opportunity. And in most cases, the opportunities take them by surprise.”
520. “This question gives you a glimpse of what could be and should be for you as a leader.”
521. Telling someone they're wrong is not the same as leading or inspiring them to do what's right. - Author: Andy Stanley
522. “Generous giving will break the grip of greed on your life. So whether or not you think you have extra, give and give generously. You’ve got to give to the point that it forces you to adjust your lifestyle. If you’re not willing to give to the point that it impacts your lifestyle, then according to Jesus you’re greedy. If you’re consuming to the point of having little or nothing left to give, you’re greedy. If you’re consuming and saving to the point that there’s little or nothing to give, you’re greedy. I know, that’s strong. Actually, it’s harsh. But it’s true.”
523. “As a leader it is your job to protect the missional integrity of the Jesus gathering to which you have been called. It is your responsibility to see to it that the church under your care continues as a gathering of people in process; a place where the curious, the unconvinced, the skeptical, the used-to-believe and the broken, as well as the committed, informed and sold-out come together around Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend)
524. You start open-handed because you ain’t got nothing.
525. It is uncertainty that gives leaders job security.
526. Greed is NOT a financial issue. It’s a heart issue.” – Andy Stanley
527. “At the end of the day, God's love for me, for you, and for the world is settled at the cross.”
528. “Men generally want to know how long things will last, what time they will be home. We go out of our way to address these issues as early as possible.”
529. “There’s hardly anything uglier than a detached body part.”
530. A leader should never risk their ability to make a difference by making an unnecessary point. - Author: Andy Stanley
531. Saying a prayer won't make you a Christian. Placing your faith in Christ as your savior makes you a Christian. - Author: Andy Stanley
532. Get rid of all
533. “No matter how rich or poor you might feel, right now is the time to be generous.”
534. Closed-minded leaders close minds.
535. Opt for ultimate over immediate.
536. “Giving is the way God chooses to change our hearts. As your heart changes, your attitude and feelings will follow suit. God loves a cheerful giver, but he’ll put your money to good use whether you’re cheerful or not. My advice: Give until you get cheerful. As I’ve said, our giving must impact our”
537. “Lord, help us to see trouble coming long before it gets here. And give us the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to do it.”
538. “That would hurt the one I love the most”
539. “Past boldness is no assurance of future boldness. Boldness demands continual reliance on God’s spirit.”
540. “There are people and activities that have the potential to lure us away from the things to which we should be paying attention. And if we are honest, the cost of disentangling ourselves from unhealthy relationships and activities seems too high a price to pay. And at the same time, the benefits associated with paying attention to the right things seem so distant that they don’t whet our appetite for change. And so we continue to live our lives captive to the things that have captured our attention.”
541. …discover your zone and stay there. Then delegate everything else.”
542. As leaders, we are never responsible for filling anyone else's cup. Our responsibility is to empty ours. - Author: Andy Stanley
543. “Wherever there is fear, there is opportunity. Wherever there is great fear, there is great opportunity.”
544. Blame is a change-avoidance strategy. - Author: Andy Stanley
545. “Pride is what keeps us from celebrating what others have accomplished. Pride is what causes us to keep our mouths shut when we should be pouring on the praise.”
546. “Leaders who refuse to listen, will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing helpful to say.”
547. “People who were nothing like him liked him. And Jesus liked people who were nothing like him.”
548. “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. (Proverbs 1:5, NIV) The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. (Proverbs 12:15, NIV) Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22, NIV) Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. (Proverbs 19:20, NIV)”
549. “A vision we give to others of who and what they could become has power when it echoes what the spirit has already spoken into their souls. LARRY CRABB Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming. GOETHE”
550. “Grace is inviting to the unrighteous and threatening to the self-righteous”
551. “Vision is a mental picture of what could be, fueled by a passion that it should be.”
552. “We don’t drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there.”
553. “The Truth" Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
554. “prudent people look as far down the road as possible when making decisions.”
555. “Pay the price. Embrace the vision. After all, everybody ends up somewhere in life. You have the opportunity to end up somewhere on purpose.”
556. Exceptional self-leaders lead themselves to what they value most, not what they want now.
557. Leadership is all about taking people on a journey. The challenge is that most of the time, we are asking people to follow us to places we ourselves have never been. - Author: Andy Stanley
558. People are not on a truth quest; they are on a happiness quest. They will continue to attend your church - even if they don't share your beliefs - as long as they find the content engaging and helpful. - Author: Andy Stanley
559. “One of the primary reasons we don’t seek counsel from the wise people around us is that we already know what we are going to hear—and we just don’t want to hear it.”
560. “Doing it anyway” is really the only way to ensure that fear doesn’t rob you of an opportunity. “Doing it anyway” is the essence of courage. Courage is the willingness to move in a direction in spite of the emotions and thoughts that bid you to do otherwise.”
561. You were the mastermind behind your greatest regret.
562. “If a man can predict his own death and resurrection, and pull it off, I just go with whatever that man says.”
563. “In the critical arenas of life, you cannot make up for lost time. As”
564. “Creating breathing room financially may lower your standard of living but raise your quality of life.”
565. “Any admonition that declares that we must rule should be checked with the immediate reminder that Christ did not. It is the cross—not the boardroom, not the Oval Office, and not the box office—that is the absolute center of the Kingdom of God.”
566. “Keep in mind that everything you loathe about your current environment or organization was originally somebody’s good idea. At the time it might have even been considered revolutionary. To suggest change is to suggest that your predecessors lacked insight. Or worse, that your current supervisor doesn’t get it! Consequently, it is easier to leave things as they are, to accept the status quo and learn to live with it. While that may be easier, it is not an option for a leader. Accepting the status quo is the equivalent of accepting a death sentence. Where there’s no progress, there’s no growth. If there’s no growth, there’s no life. Environments void of change are eventually void of life. So leaders find themselves in the precarious and often career-jeopardizing position of being the one to draw attention to the need for change. Consequently, courage is a nonnegotiable quality for the next generation leader.”
567. You can’t lead yourself well as long as you’re lying yourself. You can’t lead a liar. We fire a liar.
568. Vision evokes emotion. There is no such thing as an emotionless vision.
569. Vision evokes emotion. There is no such thing as an emotionless vision. - Author: Andy Stanley
570. In leadership there are always problems to be solved and tensions to be managed. When you try to solve a tension, you create a problem. - Author: Andy Stanley
571. “Patience is the decision to move at someone else’s pace rather than pressure him or her to match yours. Patience”
572. If you're not looking forward to church this morning perhaps it's time to look for a church. - Author: Andy Stanley
573. “So be encouraged. The agony you are experiencing is normal. The loneliness you feel is to be expected. The sleepless nights when you stare up at the ceiling and think, “What have I gotten myself into?” are part of the process. All of those experiences will ultimately lead you to the conclusion, “God, if you don’t come through, I’m sunk!” And that is exactly where he wants you to be—and stay. For this reason, men and women of vision are men and women of faith. And through their faith, God is honored.”
574. “If you see your brother in need, it doesn't matter if you already gave somewhere else. You should be open to the idea of God using you to meet your brother's unexpected need.” (Fields of Gold)
575. Every time I stand to communicate, I want to take one simple truth and lodge it in the heart of the listener. I want them to know that one thing and know what to do with it.
576. “Appetites have only one word in their vocabulary - MORE. Appetites are never fully and finally satisfied. Even after the most satisfying meal imaginable, we eventually find ourselves rummaging through the pantry for a snack.”
577. “As you develop your list, a little voice inside you will whisper, “It will take more than courage to pursue these ideas; it will take capital.” At that point you may be tempted to put down your pen and retreat to the safety and comfort of how things have always been done. But before you retreat to your tent, let me remind you of two things: Capital follows courage, and what always precedes how.”
578. “personal shortcomings is often rooted in some sort of insecurity. This can be easy to see in others but next to impossible to see in ourselves. It takes a certain amount of personal security to admit weakness.”
579. “VISIONEERING = INSPIRATION + CONVICTION + ACTION + DETERMINATION + COMPLETION”
580. “As you give to fund God's needs, are you forced to trust Him to provide for yours? That's what a growing faith is about. And over the long haul, it's not enough just to commit to a percentage. Growth means reviewing your giving goals and occasionally increasing the percentage you give.”
581. “Rich people have the potential to reach a point where they see money as the source of their safety and security.”
582. “When you decide to shine the spotlight on other people you lose control.”
583. “The Old Testament does not tell us everything God was doing everywhere in the world. It’s not a biography of God’s early years. The Jewish Scriptures describe God’s activity in connection to one particular people group.”
584. A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately.
585. Leaders who are worth following are people who have mastered self-leadership.
586. “What you fear most will determine whether you merely save for the future or give for the future.”
587. Your friends will determine the quality and direction of your life. - Author: Andy Stanley
588. “prayer takes us well beyond human possibilities.”
589. “Fear defies logic. Information only goes so far. Even when armed with all the reasons why we should not be afraid, the fear remains.”
590. “If you want to know what people mean by what they say, watch what they do. Actions don’t only speak louder than words; actions should be used to interpret words.”
591. “What do you want to do? How can I help you find greater satisfaction within this organization? Where are your skills not being put to good use? How can I help you focus more of your time and energy on the thing(s) that tap your core competencies as well as add value to this organization?”
592. “Your approach to spiritual formation must be flexible and dynamic enough to support you through every season of life.”
593. We should be the most curious people in the world.
594. You don’t simply need friends with common interest. You need friends who share common values. Self-leadership is value-driven.
595. “The reason our evangelistic endeavors result in more recycling than actual conversion is that our methods and approaches assume non-Christian rather than post-Christian.”
596. Past boldness is no assurance of future boldness. Boldness demands continual reliance on God's spirit. - Author: Andy Stanley
597. “Anorexia is among a class of diseases that attacks the body despite the fact that it exists only in the hidden recesses of the brain — an invisible invader wreaking all-too-visible havoc. It’s not a foreign agent like a virus or a bacteria or a cancerous cell. It is a sinister deception that hijacks the mind and programs it to destroy its own host organism.”
598. “Leaders are not always the first to see the need for change, but they are the first to act. And once they move away from the pack, they are positioned to lead.”
599. You have to embrace the uncertainty that comes with leadership.
600. You are a sucker for you.
601. “But leadership is not always about getting things done “right.” Leadership is about getting things done through other people. Leaders miss opportunities to play to their strengths because they haven’t figured out that great leaders work through other leaders, who work through others. Leadership is about multiplying your efforts, which automatically multiplies your results.”
602. “simply a lesson in things not to repeat. Leaders can much more easily live with the prospects of having tried and failed than not having tried at all. Leaders fear missed opportunity more than they fear an unsuccessful enterprise.”
603. “An uncomfortable setting makes people uncomfortable.”
604. “One of the primary reasons we don't seek counsel from the wise people around us is that we already know what we are going to hear--and we just don't want to hear it.”
605. “The desert always feels like a complete waste of time. It is only when we are able to look back that our desert experiences make sense.”
606. “One gets to the place one wants to be the same way one got to the place one didn’t want to be—by putting one foot in front of the other and moving in a specific direction.”
607. “Christians start talking about forgiveness as if somehow forgiveness serves as an escape hatch from the outcome of bad decisions.”
608. What’s worse than feeling bad about yourself is not doing something about what’s bad about yourself.
609. “God’s extravagant generosity toward us compels us to be extravagantly generous toward others.”
610. “In the shadow of my hurt, forgiveness feel like a decision to reward my enemy. But in the shadow of the cross, forgiveness is merely a gift from one undeserving soul to another.”
611. “According to Sports Illustrated, an amazing 78 percent of NFL players find themselves bankrupt or financially stressed within two years of retirement. And 60 percent of NBA players are broke within five years of walking off the court.”
612. We're so absorbed in the effort to get rich, we no longer recognize when we are rich. - Author: Andy Stanley
613. “¿Ortopraxia? Ortopraxia es un término compuesto que simplemente significa práctica correcta. En contextos teológicos, la ortopraxia es la forma en la que la ortodoxia (la creencia correcta) se ve en el mundo real. Es el comportamiento tanto ético como moral asociado con una fe o sistema de creencias.”
614. “one of the primary reasons that you have to listen to outsiders: If you don’t, you will be driven by the complaints and demands of the insiders.”
615. “Our responsibility every week is to engage our entire audience. Not just church people. In my experience, this is where most churches miss the mark completely.”
616. “It’s spiritually deforming because fear entices us to place our faith in the person, party, or platform that promises to protect us from whatever they’ve convinced us we should fear.”
617. “Questions reinforce values. This is the goal.”
618. No matter how much money we have or make, we will probably never consider ourselves rich. The biggest challenge facing rich people is that they've lost they're ability to recognize that they're rich. - Author: Andy Stanley
619. “While nobody plans to mess up his life, the problem is that few of us plan not to.”
620. “So, leveraging Jesus’ teaching on love, Paul gives us the grown-up version of what love really is. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 CORINTHIANS 13:4 – 8)”
621. “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—”
622. “I went to church my entire childhood, and do you know what I learned?” “What?” “Not a thing. I know I heard a lot of things about God, but I don’t remember one of them.” “Maybe you didn’t have good teachers.” “How good do you have to be to teach a child one thing? No, the problem wasn’t that they couldn’t teach me one thing. The problem was they tried to teach me everything. Every week was a different story and a different lesson with a different picture. All I knew is that if I sat there quietly, I’d get a cookie at the end.”
623. “Nothing has stolen more dreams, dashed more hopes, broken up more families, and messed up more people psychologically than our propensity to disregard God’s commands regarding sexual purity. Most of the major social ills in America are caused by, or fueled by, the misuse of our sexuality.”
624. If you don't clarify your goal, you'll never identify the best approach. - Author: Andy Stanley
625. “Lord, give me the wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right-even when it’s hard.”
626. People do not plan to mess up their lives. They just don't plan not to. - Author: Andy Stanley
627. “My Savior got very, very, very small when He got under my sin.”
628. VISIONEERING = INSPIRATION + CONVICTION + ACTION + DETERMINATION + COMPLETION - Author: Andy Stanley
629. The imposter always wants something from those they lead.
630. “According to Stephen Covey, delegating to others is perhaps the single most powerful high-leveraging activity there is.8 There are people who love what you hate. Strengthen your team by setting them free to do what only they can do. In that way you will ensure that your organization reflects your strengths as well as the strengths of those around you.”
631. “One of the most difficult tasks of visioneering is distinguishing between good ideas and God ideas.”
632. “I’ve never heard a faith story without a relational component.”
633. What breaks your heart is part of a divine design to bring change!
634. “Our immediate win is when a regular attendee brings an unchurched friend who enjoys the service so much that he or she returns the following week.”
635. “La manera en que tú hables acerca de la Biblia en el fin de semana es la que determinará el interés que sientan por ella durante la semana siguiente. Tienes que hacerla accesible. Tienes que darles permiso para leerla antes que la crean.”
636. “Great leaders know they’re not the judge.”
637. The moment I close my mind, I have decided when it comes along I will be a critic and not a student.
638. “Your devotion to God is illustrated, demonstrated, and authenticated by your love for others.”
639. “There is no cramming for a test of character. It always comes as a pop quiz.”
640. “Embracing an agreed-upon standard of excellence si how you create a culture. More specifically, it is how you create a culture of excellence.”
641. Jesus didn't command his followers to feel something. He commanded them to do some things. - Author: Andy Stanley
642. “No son los aros religiosos por los cuales saltamos, las oraciones que oramos, los pecados que confesamos, o incluso el pan de la Santa Cena que nos comemos, lo que demuestra nuestro amor por el Padre.”
643. “Leadership is stewardship, it’s temporary and you’re accountable!”
644. The quest for certainty is draining.
645. Why am I doing this really?
646. There are times you’re going to have to step out when you don’t have all of the information.
647. Your greatest accomplishment may not be something you do but someone you raise.
648. “Once you've confessed to him that your root problem is that you're not getting your way and once you've completely thoroughly dumped your desires and anxiety on him you'll find it much easier to deal with the people in your life, regardless of whether they ever give you the recognition, love or credit you deserve, you'll find peace because you're no longer looking at these people to meet a need that only God can meet.”
649. “Do you really want to put the generation coming behind of you ahead of you?”
650. “We market Starting Point as a conversation rather than a class…Whereas the content is very valuable, the relationships formed in that intimate setting are of equal or greater value.”
651. “Next generation leaders are those who would rather challenge what needs to change and pay the price than remain silent and die on the inside.”
652. Narrow the Focus. By that I mean you shouldn't try to do everything; you should do a few things well. - Author: Andy Stanley
653. “Not so with you.”
654. “Initially, your vision will exceed your competency.”
655. “Dreamers dream about things being different. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference. Dreamers think about how nice it would be for something to be done. Visionaries look for an opportunity to do something.”
656. “But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)”
657. The value of a life is determined by what we give away. - Author: Andy Stanley
658. “People with greed lodged in their heart fear that God either can’t or won’t take care of them. More to the point, they’re afraid that God won’t take care of them in the fashion or style in which they want to be cared for. And the gap between what they suspect God might be willing to do and what they want becomes a major source of anxiety. So greedy people shoulder the burden to acquire and maintain everything they need to provide the sense of security they desire.”
659. “Don’t allow the many good opportunities to divert your attention from the one opportunity that has the greatest potential. Learn to say no. There will always be more opportunities than there is time to pursue them.”
660. “What have we fallen in love with that’s not as effective as it used to be? What do we love doing that’s not really working? What’s off limits for discussion? Do we have any “old couches” that need to be thrown out?”
661. Try to do for the next generation of church leaders what the previous generation of church leaders has not done for you. - Author: Andy Stanley
662. “Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.”
663. “Every Sunday people walk onto your campus and determine whether or not they will return the following week before your preacher opens his mouth. And that’s not fair. But it’s true.”
664. “Everyone, from skeptic to saint, knows what it is to hurt, what it is to doubt, and what it is to hope.”
665. Insecurity does not disqualify you.
666. Pencil in your plans but write your visions in ink - Author: Andy Stanley
667. “in the dark. The darkness is the uncertainty that always accompanies change. The mystery of whether or not a new enterprise will pan out. The reservation everyone initially feels when a new idea is introduced. The risk of being wrong. When my children”
668. There’s something worse than feeling bad about yourself. That’s lying to yourself.
669. Environments are the messages before the message. - Author: Andy Stanley
670. The issue is: how do you engage the audience? And one of the things I talk to our communicators about is: The outline is great; the stories are great. But how do you engage them? How do you make it feel like we are on a journey, not you are just up there giving me information. - Author: Andy Stanley
671. “Here’s a question every angry man and woman needs to consider: How long are you going to allow people you don’t even like — people who are no longer in your life, maybe even people who aren’t even alive anymore — to control your life? How long?” (Enemies of the Heart: Breaking Free from the Four Emotions That Control You)
672. I think there’s room for another church.
673. “The greatest motivator of change is a crystal-clear vision of what the future should look like.”
674. “The church is not here to win. Just the opposite. By every human measure, our Savior lost. On purpose. With a purpose.”
675. “our nation’s challenges do not stem from the church’s inability to convince unbelievers to behave like believers. Our challenges stem from the church’s inability to inspire believers to behave like believers.”
676. How is what kills vision and dreams. Don't ask "How" until we figure out the "What". The "How" can kill the "What". - Author: Andy Stanley
677. “The way I read it, spiritual maturity is gauged by application not contemplation.”
678. “Why? Why did God provide me with more than I need?”
679. “Stop looking for solutions to problems and start looking for the right path.”
680. “Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” Andy Stanley
681. Before I draw people's attention to a solution, I want to make sure they are emotionally engaged with the problem. If the text answers a question, I dare not go there until everyone in the audience really wants to know the answer. - Author: Andy Stanley
682. “A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately.”
683. What God originates, God orchestrates. - Author: Andy Stanley
684. What’s really going on inside of me?
685. Most of us wake up every day and make decision that will make us happy, and generally decisions that will make us happy right then in the moment or that day. We are not really on a truth quest. - Author: Andy Stanley
686. You will not be a leader worth following if you don’t lead yourself well.
687. “The health of your marriage tomorrow will be determined by the decisions you make today.”
688. “Where there’s no progress, there’s no growth. If there’s no growth, there’s no life. Environments void of change are eventually void of life.”
689. Nothing has stolen more dreams, dashed more hopes, broken up more families, and messed up more people psychologically than our propensity to disregard God's commands regarding sexual purity. - Author: Andy Stanley
690. “Experience is often a brutal teacher. Experience eats up you most valuable commodity:time. Learning from experience can eat up years. It can steal an entire stage of life.”
691. “If you're a preacher's kid, you see the church differently.”
692. “I know God can cut it (popularity) off in a minute.” – Charles Stanley
693. “How do you recruit and keep volunteers?” Part of the answer is that we clarify the win. Countless individuals quit working in churches every year”
694. “The leader who refuses to move until the fear is gone will never move. Consequently, he will never lead. There is always uncertainty associated with the future. Uncertainty presupposes risk. Leadership is about moving boldly into the future in spite of uncertainty and risk. Without courage we will simply accumulate a collection of good ideas and regrets. What could be and should be will not be … at least not under our watch. Eventually somebody else will come along and seize the opportunity we passed up.”
695. “If you replace yourself you will always have a place.”
696. “Whenever a leader tries to build job security by making himself indispensable to the organization, he in fact does the organization a disservice. Job security is too often based on someone’s insecurity.”
697. “Narrow the Focus. By that I mean you shouldn’t try to do everything; you should do a few things well.”
698. “Great leaders always ask great questions. Great leaders are not afraid to surround themselves with people who ask great questions.”
699. “We decided not to leverage adult groups as a growth engine.”
700. “God often showcases his power on the stage of human weakness.”
701. I want to cheer it on (the next-generation church).
702. “Circumcision was invisible to the public. A once and done. All male. Decided by parents. The mark of the new covenant is visible and public. It involves daily decisions. It’s not gender-specific. It’s an all-skate. And while it doesn’t require surgery, it’s painful. Love requires sacrifice, and sacrifice is always a bit painful.”
703. “If you’re not a hero-making, you may not pay professionally. You may pay personally… Your children will become confronted with your fear. And your children will know you are strange.”
704. “If you are going to create a church unchurched people love to attend, then unchurched people need to love the weekend message.”
705. “Helpful content is content presented in a way that is age- and stage-of-life specific.”
706. “You may be good. You may even be better than everyone esle. But without a coach you will never be as good as you could be.”
707. God only uses insecure leaders.
708. “When you think about the strange pastors, you know they are not multipliers. If you are not multiplying, you are like a blockage in your bowel system.”
709. We face our greatest challenge every day when we look in the mirror.
710. “Your beliefs shape your attitudes!”
711. You cannot allow insecurity to lead you out.
712. “You make PEACE with your past by owning your PIECE of the past.”
713. When you make giving a priority, something happens inside of you. Especially when it's financially challenging to do so. It's like you loosen your grip on a value system whose motto says, "Money is the key to life and happiness and safety." - Author: Andy Stanley
714. There are some rich people who, no matter how much God sends their way, never seem to put their hope in their riches. - Author: Andy Stanley
715. “The root of anger is the perception that something has been taken. Something is owed you, and now a debt to debtor relationship has been established.”
716. “It takes a habit to break a habit. You can pray every day for a generous heart, but until you start acting in that direction, nothing's going to change.”
717. “We are committed to involving as many people as possible, as young as possible, as soon as possible. Sometimes too young and too soon! But we intentionally err on the side of too fast rather than too slow. We don’t wait until people feel “prepared” or “fully equipped.” Seriously, when is anyone ever completely prepared for ministry?
718. “The generosity and compassion of Christians changed the world once. What would happen if the church became known for such behavior again?”
719. Leadership requires the courage to walk in the dark. The darkness is the uncertainty that always accompanies change. The mystery of whether or not a new enterprise will pan out. The reservation everyone initially feels when a new idea is introduced. The risk of being wrong. Andy Stanley
720. “The sermon begins in the parking lot.”
721. There is something insincere about a man or woman who repeatedly tells God how much he or she loves Him while refusing to obey Him.
722. “The God of Christianity never claims to be fair. He goes beyond fair. The Bible teaches that he decided not to give us what we deserve--that's mercy. In addition, God decided to give us what we don't deserve--we call that grace.”
723. “If it suddenly became impossible for us to cover up all the junk we normally hide from the rest of humanity, I have a feeling we would all get real motivated to deal with the source of what ails us.” (It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart)
724. You may need to disconnect from a friend or two. Ultimate can be threatening to people who opt for immediate.
725. I have participated in every bad decision I have ever made.
726. “If everybody’s essential, everybody’s essential.”
727. You have no idea what hangs in the balance of your decision on what to do with the burden God put in your heart. - Author: Andy Stanley
728. “The best way to know if someone is prepared to commit is to examine his or her prior commitments. If you want to know how someone will behave tomorrow, take a look at what he or she did yesterday.”
729. Envy will lead you to do what everybody else is already doing. The problem is… You will be late.
730. “We should discipline with the goal of teaching our children the critical life skill of making things right with the people they’ve wronged.”
731. “This question will inspire you to reach beyond the limits of your personality and style. Every once in a while in leadership, you have to do things that are not you.”
732. “The value of a life is always measured by how much of it is given away.”
733. “God anointed me but I appointed me. Is that the story you want to tell?”
734. “If you’ve never been married or are under thirty, even if you’ve lived with someone, you underestimate the complexity of your sexuality and the long-term ramifications of your sexual conduct.”
735. “delegation—either to time or to other people.… Transferring responsibility to other skilled and trained people enables you to give your energies to other high-leverage activities. Delegation means growth, both for individuals and for organizations.”
736. “Keep in mind that everything you loathe about your current environment or organization was originally somebody’s good idea.”
737. “individual does. Here’s the difference: Eventually a leader’s lust for progress overwhelms his reluctance to take risks. In other words, failure to move things forward is the type of failure most feared by the leader. For the leader, failure is defined in terms of missed opportunities rather than failed enterprises.”
738. What breaks your heart is part of a divine design to bring change! - Author: Andy Stanley
739. Leaders make things better and that requires change. - Author: Andy Stanley
740. “Loyalty publicly results in leverage privately.” – Andy Stanley
741. “[God] wants you to go home, look at your bucket of seed, and determine in your heart how much you'd like to sow. He wants you to consider thoughtfully your current circumstances, your life, your potential, and your finances. He wants you to involve your family. He wants you to pray about it. And then He wants you to come up with a plan.”
742. There is no win in comparison.
743. Christianity teaches that when man sinned, God opted for forgiveness rather than fairness. He opted for grace and mercy rather than justice. - Author: Andy Stanley
744. “It could be argued that the very first thing God did in time was to create an appealing environment tailored for His prize creation.”
745. Next-generation leaders are those who would rather challenge what needs to change and pay the price than remain silent and die on the inside.
746. “In this way, courage establishes leadership.”
747. “The most significant was our decision to keep group leaders with their small groups as long as possible.”
748. “Pursuing a vision requires faith. Pursuing a great vision requires great faith. Pursuing a vision will test, stretch, and at times exhaust your faith. And while you are pulling your hair out down here, God revels in the glory he receives.”
749. “Intimate relationships are not built on obedience. They are built on trust. Walking by faith, again, is simply living as if God is who he says he is and that he will do everything he has promised to do. As a person’s confidence in God grows, he or she matures.”
750. “sheep. But David was a leader-in-waiting. God had gifted him with the skills necessary to lead a nation. Furthermore, God had chosen him to be the next king. But how do you work your way up from shepherd to king? Besides, everybody knows that the king’s son is next in line. Not some filthy shepherd boy. The thing that makes David’s story so relevant to our discussion is the role his courage played in distinguishing him as a leader. David’s leadership was established through his courage—not his talent or even his calling by God. David’s talent would never have been discovered apart from his courage. One courageous act thrust him onto the stage of national significance in Israel. His courage to act on what he saw was the catalyst that set in motion a long series of providential events.”
751. Leadership is all about taking people on a journey. The challenge is that most of the time, we are asking people to follow us to places we ourselves have never been.
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