Quotes by Bill Hybels

“Visionary people face the same problems everyone else faces; but rather than get paralyzed by their problems, visionaries immediately commit themselves to finding a solution.”

“The freedom of authentic masculinity is an amazing thing to see. It produces a divine elasticity in men. Finally they can lead with firmness, then submit with humility. They can challenge with a cutting edge, then encourage with enthusiasm. They can fight aggressively for just causes, then moments later weep over suffering.”

“Dignity does not float down from heaven it cannot be purchased nor manufactured. It is a reward reserved for those who labor with diligence.”

“If youre a dad, what kind of mark are you leaving on your children, especially your sons? Do you realize that your little boys are watching you like hawks? Theyre trying to figure out what maleness is all about, and youre their model.”

“Truly, spiritual courage is on the endangered character-quality list.”

“The workaholic maintains a frantic schedule. He is consistently preoccupied with performance. He finds it difficult to refuse additional responsibilities. He is unable to relax. If someone you know exhibits these characteristics, he or she is probably a workaholic.”

“God wants to father all of us until were dead sure of his approval, his guiding power and his promise of heaven.”

“Does your problem seem bigger than life, bigger than God himself? It isnt. God is infinitely bigger than any problem you ever had or will have, and every time you call a problem unsolvable, you mock God.”

“These guys get it when it comes to talking about pornography in a way people can relate to,”

Every life will be better if God is at the center of it

Pray when youre alone. Pray when youre with a lot of people. Pray when youre in small groups. Pray on your way in; pray on your way out. Pray in your closet, in your car, at your desk. Pray morning prayers, pray mealtime prayers, pray in between mealtimes. Pray fervently, expectantly, and unself-consciously. Pray when youre burdened, worried, sick, or brokenhearted. Pray when youre soaring, setting records, or dancing on a mountaintop. Pray when youre up, and pray when youre down. Pray when youre healthy, when youre sick, when you feel like it, and when you dont. (Especially when you dont.)

Religion is spelled D-O, because it consists of the things people do try to somehow gain Gods forgiveness and favor. But the problem is that you never know when youve done enough. But thankfully, Christianity is spelled differently. Its spelled D-O-N-E, which means that what we could never for ourselves, Christ has already done for us. To become a real Christian is to humbly receive Gods gift of forgiveness and to commit to following His leadership.

The more varied the environments in which you exercise your leadership gift, the stronger that gift will become. You will become a far more effective leader.

I would never want to reach out someday with a soft, uncallused hand-a hand never dirtied by serving-and shake the nail-pierced hand of Jesus.

Wise leaders understand that the single greatest determinant of whether followers will ever own a vision deeply is the extent to which whose followers believe the leader will own it.

If you’re a serious minded leader, you will read. You will read all you can. You will read when you feel like it, and you will read when you don’t. You will do whatever you have to do to increase your leadership input, because you know as well as I do that it will make you better.

It’s the great temptation for small groups of people to slide into a state where they’re not quite telling each other the truth and they’re not quite celebrating each other. Instead, they tolerate each other, they accommodate each other, and they settle for sitting on the unspoken matters that separate them.