“There’s a joy that comes when you practice the Word of God. Whether it all turns out right, that joy is from a Father who is pleased with authentic attempts to respond to his words. . . . Even imperfect practice creates a relationship with God. It shows him your belief in his presence, his […] The post Authentic attempts to respond appeared first on Crown of Compassion .

“The final rhythm of a well-built life is practice. Practicing isn’t simply about action; it’s about obedience. . . . A house that lasts isn’t just built by hard work; it’s built on actions of obedience to a lord. Without the practice of acting on what you hear, your house will be a house of […] The post Practice = action + obedience appeared first on Crown of Compassion .

“To turn up the volume on the Word of God, you need a plan. You’re not going to accidentally hear more of the Bible in your everyday life. Everything important to you has some sort of plan that goes with it. . . . If there was one thing my [marathon] training taught me, it’s […] The post Turn up the volume — Bible appeared first on Crown of Compassion .

“Come first. Hear second. The second rhythm on the way to a well-built life is ‘Hear my words.’ It is the instruction sandwiched between the other two rhythms: it is the hinge. We come to Jesus in order to hear his words of life, and we must hear something from him to practice following him.”- […] The post Hear second — the hinge appeared first on Crown of Compassion .

“The wise builder kneels at the cross for grace because it is the unbreakable rock you can stand back up on. Coming to Jesus means you can build a life stronger and better than any you could create on your own. . . . Kneeling also happens to put you in the perfect position to […] The post The unbreakable rock — grace appeared first on Crown of Compassion .

“To give up your own plan is to kneel before Jesus. It might be your plan for today . . . or for the big picture directions you thought your life was going in. Big or small, your plan is your plan. Coming to Jesus means giving up the way you’d do it if you […] The post Kneel before Jesus — cede control appeared first on Crown of Compassion .

“Coming to Jesus in curiosity means having a willingness to suspend what you previously thought you knew and to consider what might be possible with God. . . . Coming to God through open curiosity is considering whether Jesus could be the key to explaining or experiencing something you didn’t even think possible.”- Alli Patterson […] The post Open curiosity — coming to Jesus appeared first on Crown of Compassion .

“Come to me means seeing and being honest about what’s going on in our hearts. . . . We get straight into the crumbling places with our shovels, hoping there’s a way to firmer ground. It starts with being willing to look at the places we’d rather not see.”- Alli Patterson “I will give you […] The post Crumbling places — digging past appeared first on Crown of Compassion .

“The essence of coming to [Jesus] goes to the core of your being. A strong foundation means you’ve got to go all the way in and all the way down. The wise builder digs as deep as he needs in order to get to the rock. So when you show up, be ready to deal […] The post The wise builder digs deep appeared first on Crown of Compassion .