Jeff Ragan > Recent Status Updates

"Learning to handle critics requires relational skill and emotional dexterity. Some critics must be confronted; some ignored. Some are right and you need to change at the point of criticism. All must be endured" (61).

"So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world. Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever." - Hebrews 9:11-12

"Such epochs of glittering refinement tend to be brief, for they rest insecurely upon concentrated wealth that may at any moment be destroyed by the fluctuations of trade, the impatience of the exploited, or the fortunes of war. The extravagance of the court finally ruined the solvency of the state; the exaltation of culture above ability filled administrative posts with incompetent poetasters..." (836).

"As attorney general, Abbott's strategy in battling federal overreach could be condensed to 'Tweet, Sue, Lose, Repeat.' As attorney general, he scuttled talks between then-Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, representatives from the TNM, and his office because his primary concern was his impending campaign for governor and his fear of how it would look" (171).

"Long ago God spoke many times & in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, & through the Son he made the universe & everything in it. The Son reflects God's own glory, & everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command." - Heb 1:1-3

"Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are defiled. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are despicable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good." - Titus 1:15-16

"Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they give you the confidence to fight well in the Lord's battles. Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clean. For some have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked." - 1 Timothy 1:18-19

"But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. He died for us so that we can live with him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return." - 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10

"No job in my life has ever been accomplished without help..." (3)

"There's no way I could have become fully human without some veiling of my omniscience. Otherwise it would have been impossible to be tempted. For example, if I would have known at 2:30 pm Thursday that at precisely 1:47 pm Friday I would be tempted by a beautiful woman, I could have avoided her and it would have been no temptation" (62).

"Having drifted past the South Stack we were accosted by a launch and told pretty shortly to clear out five miles to seaward as we were in a guided missile range. The day, though hazy, was altogether too lovely to be marred by motoring. We pointed to our idle sails, asked them to send us a wind, and left it at that" (454).

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all & is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven & earth. He made the things we can see & the things we can't see...Everything has been created through him & for him. He existed before everything else began, & he holds all creation together."-Col 1:15-17

"Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross." - Philippians 2:5-8

"When a leader communicates that his or her practices create rather than reveal personal holiness, legalism results. Rather than demonstrating pure devotion to God, these external practices substitute religious activity for genuine commitment" (52).

"That only a remnant is saved points up the severity and extent of the judgment executed. That a remnant is saved is the evidence of the Lord's favour and the guarantee that his covenant promise has not failed" (41).

"Ce pauvre piano, qui lui avait causé tant de vaniteuses satisfactions, le voir s'en aller, c'était pour Bovary comme l'indefinissable suicide d'une partie d'elle-même!" (296)

"...you Gentiles are no longer strangers & foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people...We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles & the prophets...and the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together...Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as pat of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit." - Eph 2:19-22

"So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians-you are one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you." - Gal 3:26-29

"We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and methods. We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

"One clear lesson is taught for everyone by every single independence movement in recent history. This is especially true for Texas. The fate of any people lies solely in their own hands. Independence and self-government are never given to a passive people. It is never enough to wish for it or dream of it. It requires work, effort, and sacrifice" (153).

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down-when we die and leave these bodies-we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies." - 2 Co 5:1-3

"I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me - that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive..." - 1 Cor. 15:3-6

"Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, 'I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,' that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, 'I am not part of the boy because I am only an ear and not an eye,' would that make it any less a part of the body?" - 1 Corinthians 12:14-16

"For no one can lay any other foundation than the one we already have - Jesus Christ. Now anyone who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value." - 1 Co 3:11-13

"I met my wife, Ann, at Baylor, and for our first date...I'd invited her to come up to my dorm room to listen to my records of frog calls. She turned that initial invitation down, saying that her mother had warned her about people like me, but her roommate accepted my invitation...she was surprised to learn that I had actually played records of frog calls for her..." (4).

"And so, dear brothers...I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior..of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know...how good & pleasing & perfect his will really is." - Romans 12:1-2

"I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, & life can't. The angels can't, & the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, & even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus..." - Rom 8:38-39

"To be successful, insurgency needs the support of the people. By being seen to protect the community, upholding the rule of law and demonstrating that the authorities are dealing with the problem, the soldier is depriving the guerrillas of that support. He is fighting the war against the insurgents in the hearts and minds of the people, which is the only place it can be won" (187).

"'The real problem, therefore, may be restated thus: How can we best assimilate modern civilization in such a manner as to make it congenial and congruous and continuous with the civilization of our own making?' All the surface conditions of China today tempt the observer to conclude that China will not solve the problem" (822).

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." - Romans 5:6-8