Quotes by Criss Jami

To the loyal and to the blood-lovers, in the good families and in the fiery dynasties, life is family and family is life. It is the same people who give advice and their vices to live well who turn out to be the ones who give resource and reason to live long.

Every category has its snobs: music, books, movies. There are so many things a man is only pressured into liking or disliking.

Mans delight in the Lord is the absolute peak of human triumph. He praises God when full of joy, and when not, he praises God to become full of joy. For to know and to live as though God is worthy of all praise, in all ones circumstances, whether seemingly good or seemingly bad, is the primary definition of joy and the richest triumph for man under God.

There are 2 kinds of artists, essentially: those who want to make something popular, and those who want to make something dignified. But then there is still that rare hybrid case, and perhaps by that unintentional stroke of genius, in which ones work uncontrollably becomes both popular and dignified yet beyond its time.

Controversy is a last resort for the talentless.

When theres music in your soul, theres soul in your music.

In the fashion industry, everything goes retro except the prices.

The Bible does not say money is the root of all evil; it says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. A poor man who, in his heart, worships the idea of being rich is more vulnerable to its evils than a rich man who has a heart to use it all for the Lord.

You can perhaps, in a number of circumstances, tell yourself that you cant have more than you have until you do better than youre doing, but by all means steer clear of its reverse, the creed of defeat, in saying that you cant do better than youre doing until you can have more than you have.

Be willing to give, but only when you arent expecting anything in return.

When enemies, the intellect and the heart only see one another as the hater and the fool.

A pure heart does not demean the spirit of an individual, it, instead, compels the individual to examine his spirit.

In their minds, it seems as though people dont often have the same answers, but in their hearts, they do very frequently have the same questions.

The legions who attempt to love without Christ, without a new heart, are indeed able to love amongst themselves; however this love is made possible by restraining any anger or hatred deep within the old heart, only to release it all on whichever village idiot(s) they collectively feel a crucifixion would be justified.

Even the devils are theists. I am of all people one of the least qualified to judge, but I do believe that some atheists are closer to God than are some theists. With Him, it is better to be distant in the mind but near in the heart than it is to be distant in the heart but near in the mind.

When it comes to moral dilemmas and matters of discerning right justice, my natural sympathy so often happens to land on the opposite end of that of most of my peers. I sometimes wonder if this is nothing more than the misguidedness and the wickedness of my own heart. I wonder other times if God wires some of us in such a way so that fair discourse might then be provided, so that honest and unbiased, due process is ultimately more likely to be carried out. Perhaps it is all necessary for variance of perception, for mindful debate: that the heart is meant to create a bit of bias on certain issues; as between one another, they weigh and balance. For not all hearts are the same.

I wouldnt think that God is quite as much concerned with whether or not one actually sins as He is with whether or not in ones heart one genuinely wants to turn from sin; and therefore, continues working passionately with Him in doing so. It is not some pleasure of Gods, as some might imagine, to stand around critiquing, arms crossed, holding a whip. I suppose that when someone weeps over their sins, He extends His hands; He wants them to lift their head and embrace Him and the mercy Hes willing to show. But when someone is proud of their sins, He delivers His justice swiftly and righteously. Sin does not intimidate God - although He takes it very seriously - it does no real harm to Him whatsoever, only to the sinner and to other people: and He loves people.

We often use the Bible as a source for personal validation and defense, a sidekick and a shield, but these will prove ineffective without first the other part. We must also allow ourselves to be wounded by it. We tend to forget its authority - that it is a double-edged sword. Our decrepit, depraved hearts must be completely ripped out in order to welcome that of God.

The funny thing about the heart is a soft heart is a strong heart, and a hard heart is a weak heart.

A fruitless year, take a fearless heartOne that blooms late will flourish in the dark