Charles R. Swindoll:
I let people see the cracks in my life. We can’t be phony. We’ve got to keep it real.
Charles R. Swindoll
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Alleged ‘impossibilities’ are opportunities for our capacities to be stretched.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
When you are giving people the gospel, you are giving them something to believe, and you have to set the stage for that. You don’t just drive up and dump the truck and drive off.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Not every Christian finds it easy to believe.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
We need discernment in what we see and what we hear and what we believe.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Prejudice is a learned trait. You’re not born prejudiced; you’re taught it.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
‘We really shouldn’t look like a church.’ I’ve heard that so much I want to vomit. ‘Why?’ I ask. ‘Do you want your bank to look like a bank? Do you want your doctor’s office to look like a doctor’s office, or would you prefer your doctor to dress like a clown?’
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
There is plenty of television. There are plenty of talk shows. There are plenty of comedians. But there is not plenty of worship of the true and living God.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
When a church is spending more of its budget on media than shepherding, something is out of whack. We have gotten things twisted around.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
If I ever wrote a book on preaching, it would contain three words: Preach the Word. Get rid of all the other stuff that gets you sidetracked; preach the Word.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
I want to preach till the last breath in my lungs runs out.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Nothing is more bothersome to me than retiring. Weird things happen when you disengage; first you get negative, then you start telling people about your latest surgeries, and eventually you lose touch. I want to stay in touch.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
I am a preacher. I’m involved in many other things, but, mainly, I preach. And I love it!
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
While I was raised around churches and had gotten to know a few preachers fairly well, the thought never entered my head that I would one day stand and deliver. Not only was I not interested, I lived with a major struggle: I stuttered.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
I know of nothing more valuable, when it comes to the all-important virtue of authenticity, than simply being who you are.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Because God gave you your makeup and superintended every moment of your past, including all the hardship, pain, and struggles, He wants to use your words in a unique manner. No one else can speak through your vocal cords, and, equally important, no one else has your story.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
As far back as I can remember, my mother would have me down by the bed at night with her, praying. I can still hear her voice calling my name to God and telling him that she wanted me to follow him in whatever he called me to do.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
It is easy for Christians to have the false impression that once we have established a relationship with Christ, which we believe sets us right with God, the problems of life will somehow scoot away or they will slowly be removed from our lives.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
The wonderful thing about God is he knows what we need to persuade us.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
It’s the most exciting thing to watch God work when I’ve asked him about something, to listen to him and watch him work. It’s like this friendship, and it just grows and grows and grows and grows.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
When you have a sense of calling, whether it’s to be a musician, soloist, artist, in one of the technical fields, or a plumber, there is something deep and enriching when you realize it isn’t just a casual choice, it’s a divine calling. It’s not limited to vocational Christian service by any means.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
One of my great goals in life is to live long enough to where I am in the pulpit, preaching my heart out, and I die on the spot, my chin hits the pulpit – boom! – and I’m down and out. What a way to die!
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL