Elizabeth george quotes

There are no easy answers, there's only living through the questions.

Do you want to be safe from the influence, ways, and lusts of the world and the flesh (I John 2:16)? From the sins which so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1)? Then delight in yourself in the Lord, in His provision, in His Word. Faithfully feed on the things that possess true substance and real meaning. When you remember that "all Scripture is given by inspiration by God and is profitable" (2 Timothy 3:16) and partake of such divine substance, then you are fed, you are led and you are safe!

She thought about how it was so simple with animals. They gave their hearts without question or fear. They had no expectations. They were so easy to love. If people could only be like that, no one would ever be hurt, she thought. No one would ever need to learn how to forgive.

God is immutable—He never changes! His ministry to you is complete, on target, and constant!

Begin each day with God. It will change your priorities.

I want God to be first in my life, so I'm putting Him first in my life today.

The Pacific Northwest, and particularly Whidbey Island, is extremely suited to be a location in a novel.

God has plans for you and His plans are for good because God Himself is good. He can neither think nor do evil.

I myself have suffered periodically from hearing voices at night when I'm trying to sleep.

God's ways and His will come in His own perfect time.

The degree of our spiritual strength will be in direct proportion to the time we spend in God's Word.

When we don't understand and don't agree with the way life has gone, we are to bow before God and once again confess that we can't understand His wisdom. In faith, we are to accept His wisdom, His Word, and His workings, trusting in Him and obeying His commands.

I don't think anyone could write about another culture and get it 100 percent accurate.

Replace worry with prayer. Make the decision to pray whenever you catch yourself worrying.

When we acknowledge God's supreme role in our life and set our mind on Him, He enables us to be women of hope.

A godly woman is beyond average because she keeps her word. She honors her vows. She exhibits great faith. She overcomes great obstacles. And she affects her family, her community, even the world.

Each day is precious when we consider what we can do to serve God and His Kingdom.

What a blessing to be able to leave the cares of life for a brief period and spend time in the outstretched arms of your Shepherd, rubbing, as it were, your cheek against His face in intimate fellowship through prayer.

Dust off that Bible. It has the answers you are looking for, and its delights await you.

Essentially and most simply put, plot is what the characters do to deal with the situation they are in. It is a logical sequence of events that grow from an initial incident that alters the status quo of the characters.

Our actions, habits, character, and future are most definitely affected by our thoughts.

Model the qualities that you want your children to show to each other.

Creating the characters is the most creative part of the novel except for the language itself. There I am, sitting in front of my computer in right-brain mode, typing the things that come to mind - which become the seeds of plot. It's scary, though, because I always wonder: Is it going to be there this time?

Gather knowledge about the craft of writing. Immerse yourself in the art of it. Then write. Write yourself silly. Write yourself mad. Write yourself blind. Trust the excitement that builds within you when the idea is good and the writing is superb. You can do it, but that's the hell of it as well as the exultation of it. You have to do it.

We are to make a plan for the day, pray over that plan, and then proceed with that plan. When we are willing to regard the unexpected as God's intervention, we can flex with the new plan, recognizing it as God's plan.

The past can't be changed, can it? It can just be forgiven.

Material blessings fade and deteriorate, but your riches in Christ are everlasting.

Gentleness is strength under control. It is the ability to stay calm, no matter what happens.

When God is in sharp focus, then life is also undistorted.

It's hard to criticize someone if you are praying for them.

Everything in our lives," she said quietly, "leads to everything else in our lives. So a moment in the present has a reference point, both in the past and in the future. I want you to know that you--as you are right now and as you ever will be--are fully enough for this moment . . .

Your attitude toward others, work, and your daily life is a reflection of your attitude toward God.

Exchange the bad habit of worrying with the excellent habit of trusting God.

I attempt to write a good novel. Whether it is literature or not is something that will be decided by the ages, not by me and not by a pack of critics around the globe.

God begins molding a mother after His own heart on the inside-in the inner woman and her heart-and then works outward.

I knew from the age of seven that I was meant to be a writer.

When we promote the well-being of others God has placed in our lives our service glorifies God.

God will help you make the choices that guide you into His path for each stage and age of your life.

The most important thing you must decide to do every day is put the Lord first.

Work on what is real rather than worry about what is unreal.

I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can't be taught. Frankly, I don't understand this point of view

And now, dear Lord, I acknowledge afresh that You are the God of all peace, my Jehovah-Shalom. My job is to receive. you give me Your peace. My job is to take it. You lead me to Your still waters. My role is to follow. You extend Your hand. My role is to take hold. My I enjoy Your presence and the tranquility of the still waters where You pour out your promise of peace. Amen.

Asking in prayer helps you to see your problem in the light of God's power.

It's one thing to have a goal, but it's quite another thing to actually accept the challenge, develop a strategy to press for the goal, make the sacrifices, pay the price to move forward, and blessing of blessing, to realize some part of it.

One did not alter lives and simply walk away from the damage.

The soul of a child is the loveliest flower that grows in the garden of God.

I have to know the killer, the victim and the motive when I begin. Then I start to create the characters and see how the novel takes shape based on what these people are like.

Writing is no dying art form in America because most published writers here accept the wisdom and the necessity of encouraging the talent that follows in their footsteps.

If your home is a ministry, shouldn't that ministry become a passion? Shouldn't your feelings and emotions be involved when it comes to the people and place you love? And shouldn't your work be done passionately? Your labors should be labors of love!

But if you don't understand that story is character and not just idea, you will not be able to breathe life into even the most intriguing flash of inspiration.

As we come to know God better, we will also find it easier to know, follow, and accept His will for our life.

Perseverance is not a passive submission to circumstances-it is a strong and active response to the difficult events of life.

Apathy is a spiritual numbness that creeps in and corrupts the good that God intends for our life and the good that He wants us to accomplish for Him and His kingdom.

Your choices and decisions are a reflection of how well you’ve set and followed your priorities.

Lots of people want to have written; they don't want to write. In other words, they want to see their name on the front cover of a book and their grinning picture on the back. But this is what comes at the end of a job, not at the beginning.

It takes a lot of grace and maturity to simply forgive, but a lot of healing takes place when you do.

Just as stars shine brightest in the darkest night, your joy blazes brilliantly through life's problems when you count them as joy.

For being able to use language was a critical skill that could carry one far. One could use it professionally, as a crafter of everything from political speeches to modern novels. One could use it personally, as a tool of discovery or a means of staying connected to others. One could use it as an outlet that would feed the artistic spirit of the creator, which existed in everyone.

He had never thought of himself as much of a praying man, but as he sat in the car in the growing darkness and the minutes passed, he knew what it was to pray. It was to will goodness out of evil, hope out of despair, life out of death. It was to will dreams into existence and spectres into reality. It was to will an end to anguish and a beginning to joy.

The English tradition offers the great tapestry novel, where you have the emotional aspect of a detective's personal life, the circumstances of the crime and, most important, the atmosphere of the English countryside that functions as another character.

With the help of the Lord, you can handle life's challenges and heartaches, even the valley of the shadow of death. What comfort your fainting heart has, knowing that in those stumbling times of discouragement and despair, of depletion and seeming defeat, the Shepherd will find you...restore and "fix" you...and follow you...until you are well on your way.

Prayer enables you to tap into God's wisdom anywhere, anytime, no matter what's going on.

By prolonged and continued fellowship, the sheep who follow nearby enjoy the shepherd's presence and become his familiar companions. To those closest to him, he shares the choicest portions of the food he's gathered. These happy and content sheep are never in danger. Why? Because they are near the shepherd!

Oh, yes, I taught 13 and a half years. I taught English, first at a Catholic school and then at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif.

No matter what you do each day...or in life...doing things God's way is a matter of the heart.

Don't give away to others what you have not first given away at home.

Little choices determine habit; Habit carves and molds character. Which makes the big decisions.

Expectations destroy our peace of mind. They are future disappointments, planned out in advance.

A powerful truth is that if we love the Lord, love His Word, love His people, and love one another, we won't want to gossip.

What is a godly mother? A godly mother is one who loves the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength and then passionately, consistently, and unrelentingly teaches her child to do the same.

God uses the flawed, the failures, and the imperfect to accomplish His perfect will.

I'm interested in the dark side of man. I'm interested in taboos, and murder is the greatest taboo. Characters are fascinating in their extremity, not in their happiness.

One of the greatest advantages of singleness is the potential for greater focus on Christ and accomplishing work for Him.

Be critical of but not brutal with your writing. If something isn't essential, get rid of it. Remember that good dialogue can serve a whole passel of purposes in your novel, and to overlook one of them is to overlook one of the tools of the craft. Like hitting a nail with a screwdriver, if you know what I mean.

When we hold our thoughts up against God's standards of what is true and what is real, we can recognize and, with His help, learn to release many of our negative emotions, damaging thoughts, and destructive attitudes.

Of all my children, you were always the hardest on yourself. You were always looking for the right way to behave, so concerned you might make a mistake. But, darling, there are no mistakes. There are only our wishes, our actions, and the consequences that follow both. There are only events, how we cope with them, and what we learn from the coping." "That's too easy," he said. "On the contrary. It's monumentally difficult.

Each new day is another chapter in the unfolding promise of deliverance and life.

Remember to say what you mean, but don't say it meanly.

When you delight yourself in the Lord, His Word and His ways become the focus and foundation of your life.

Obedience is a foundational stepping-stone on the path of God’s will.

It is the job of the novelist to touch the reader.

Let every hindrance to joy become the soil out of which joy blossoms.

It's easy to talk about how much you love God, but loving others reveals how much you truly do.

Plotting is difficult for me, and always has been. I do that before I actually start writing, but I always do characters, and the arc of the story, first... You can't do anything without a story arc. Where is it going to begin, where will it end.

Joy is a sure sign of the presence of God in your life.