Jim Branch

The Blue Book is finally available on Amazon! Tell your friends.

“The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” ~Psalm 33:10-11

Until we make solitude, silence, and prayer a priority, we can never hope to be the people and the ministers that God made us to be.

Less pride, more humility. Less arrogance, more lowliness. Less striving, more serving. Less chaos and noise, more stillness and quiet. Less neediness, more contentment. Less of self, more of God. #Psalm131

“Show me the way to be poor, so that your richness can become visible, and the way to be weak, so that your strength can become manifest.” ~Henri Nouwen

shed your leaves let them fall stand bare stripped of cover be who you are for all to see with only the glory I have given you

Those of low estate are but a breath;     those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up;     they are together lighter than a breath. ~Psalm 62:9

“The soul should realize how powerless it is alone; therefore, let it fall down in humility before God, and in its own heart recognize itself to be nothing. Then grace—which is all powerful—will, out of this nothing, create in it everything.” ~The Art of Prayer

Empty yourself. Make yourself nothing. Take the lowest place. It’s the Jesus way. #Philippians2

“It’s not about who you are; it’s about who I am!” (Exodus 3:14-15)

“The way of Christ is a self-emptying way.” ~Henri Nouwen

Do not be high, but be low. Do not try to be great, but serve. Do not try to be somebody, but become nobody. Do not be busy and loud, but be still and quiet. Do not be big and strong, but become like a weaned child. Do not hope in yourself, but hope in the Lord. #Psalm131

“Surrender to God is the source of true peace; if we aren’t at peace, it is because our surrender is not complete.” ~François Fénelon

“The more one advances along this path, the farther one seems from the goal, and now I am resigned always to be imperfect, and I even find joy in that.” ~St. Thérèse of Lisieux

“You want to climb the mountain, whereas God wishes you to descend it. He is awaiting you in the fruitful valley of humility.” ~St. Thérèse of Lisieux

“Let us in all humility take our place among the imperfect and look upon ourselves as little souls who, at every instant, need to be upheld by the goodness of God.” ~Thérèse of Lisieux

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. (Ps. 62:5) O Lord, help my hope to truly be in you and not in myself. I say it’s all up to you, but I live as if it’s up to me. Forgive me.

“You want to climb the mountain, whereas God wishes you to descend it. He is awaiting you in the fruitful Valley of humility.” ~St. Thérèse of Lisieux

“Why count the days, when even one day is enough for a man to know all happiness. My dears, why do we quarrel, boast before each other, remember each other’s offenses? Let us go into the garden, let us walk and play and love and praise and kiss each other and bless our life.”

Help me not to hide my weaknesses, O Lord, for those are the places where your power is most visibly revealed. @2Corinthians12

“Prayer helps us to discern which of our ministerial activities are indeed for the glory of God and which are primarily for the glory of our unconverted ego.” ~Henri Nouwen