Mcknight Quotes & Sayings

I'm probably the furthest from being romantic that you've ever seen; I'm not even close to being romantic in any way until I have to be. — Brian McKnight

I hope you agree with me that the hope for the world is the local church, and that the heart of God's plan is found in creating a whole new society in a local church. If — Scot McKnight

As seminary students Jim and friends examined the Bible to find every reference to the poor - and they found more than two thousand. In fact, they concluded one of every sixteen verses was about the poor. Then a zealous friend decided to cut out every Bible verse about the poor to see what the Bible would look like. As he tells the story, that old Bible literally was in shreds. It wouldn't hold together. It was a Bible full of holes. — Scot McKnight

The mistakes that people will make are of much less importance than the mistake that management makes if it tells them exactly what to do. — William L. McKnight

When it's your chance to step up to the plate, just hit it out of the park, and everybody will forget about everything that came before. — Brian McKnight

On politics I strive as much as possible to let my passions be for God and for the Church and for others (the Jesus Creed). I place no confidence in redemption by way of politics. The political hope ebbs and flows every 8 years now; I don't get all riled up if a Republican or a Democrat wins; I don't think it matters that much to what we are called to do on a daily basis. — Scot McKnight

As John Howard Yoder has said, If in society we believe in the rights of employees, then the church should be the first employer to deal with workers fairly. If in the wider society we call for the overcoming of racism or sexism or materialism, then the church should be the place where that possibility first becomes real. — Scot McKnight

Music used to be essential and meaningful, but now it's disposable. — Brian McKnight

It's just exciting to be part of something that is brand-new. — Brian McKnight

Lord bless this land, and all who inhabit it. Bless the earth. 'Tis borrowed from you after all. Let the work be fit worship to You. Grant us safety as we work. Grant us favor against any untoward spirits. Jealousy. Greed. Bigotry." Chance paused. "Even such as shadows my own heart. Forgive my tresspasses as I forgive. — Michele McKnight Baker

They did it quite a lot after that first encounter" ... when Jill remembers first meeting the dashing Baron. — Lisa McKnight

First we are to seek peace in our local fellowship, to end strife and to seek reconciliation with God and with one another, and out of this peace-shaped, kingdom-shaped church we spill over peace into the world. — Scot McKnight

People don't like when you point out to them and remind them that they're not very smart. — Brian McKnight

I'm not like a legend that - so I'm sort of in the middle in this sort of gray area where, you know, I'm creating music, and I'm not saying there isn't an audience, because there is; because all of those people go out and spend $80 to $150 on a concert ticket. — Brian McKnight

Writing is like riding a bike. Once you gain momentum, the hills are easier. Editing, however, requires a motor and some horsepower. — Gina McKnight

The consistency of the Old Testament warnings for the covenant community formed a natural bridge to the New Testament warnings. — Scot McKnight

As I've gotten older, now I've really got to back that up with record sales. Anytime showed me that I could still have some of those elements I wanted, but you still have to come with hit after hit after hit. — Brian McKnight

Are you willing to care enough to get hurt? — Michele McKnight Baker

In his incarnate life, when he becomes one with us, Jesus recapitulates, or relives, Israel's (our) history. He becomes one of us. In fact, he becomes all of us in one divine-human being. Jesus is all Adam and Eve were designed to be, and more; he loves the Father absolutely and he loves himself absolutely and he loves others absolutely and he loves the world absolutely. He is the Oneness Story in one person. — Scot McKnight

Grace is more than being lucky to be on God's side. Grace is God's goodness showered on people who have failed. Grace is God's love on those who think they are unlovable. Grace is God knowing what we are designed to be. Grace is God believing in us when we have given up. Grace is someone at the end of their rope finding new strength. But there's more to grace. Grace is both a place and a power. Grace is God unleashing his transforming power. Grace realigns and reroutes a life and a community. Grace is when you turn your worst enemy into your best friend. Grace takes people as they are and makes them what they can be. Grace ennobles; grace empowers. Grace forgives; grace frees. Grace transcends, and grace transforms. — Scot McKnight

The hardest thing to do in this business is to still be around. When music changes, when labels' resources have dried up, it becomes harder and harder to continue to make a living at this. — Brian McKnight

She was just kind and genuine. Pure, even. I hated that her good heartedness and naivety were going to cost her so dearly because I was going to bust up her marriage and take her husband if it were the last thing I did. — Rhonda McKnight

Those who aren't following Jesus aren't his followers. It's that simple. Followers follow, and those who don't follow aren't followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it. — Scot McKnight

The assumption that the gospel can be reduced to a note card is already off on the wrong track. — Scot McKnight

There ought to be a law that allows eavesdroppers to sue. — Gill McKnight

There is no kingdom that is not about a just society, as there is no kingdom without redemption under Christ. Yet I'm convinced that both of these approaches to kingdom fall substantially short of what kingdom meant to Jesus, so we need once again to be patient enough to ponder what the Bible teaches. — Scot McKnight

Prayer was and is both a spontaneous act and a recitative — Scot McKnight

The gospel is capable and designed to strike home in every culture, in every age, and in every language. — Scot McKnight

To walk into the Jefferson memorial is to be in a temple of the pure idolatry of reason — Scot McKnight

Prayer is the way to die to our own wishes and surrender everything to God. — Scot McKnight

Simple acts are more valuable than extraordinary powers or spiritual gifts. For Jesus there is a categorical difference between charismatic giftedness and the ordinary fruit of love, compassion, and mercy. Perhaps we need to learn to ask ourselves, particularly if we are gifted leaders, if we value our gifts more than love, if we value the performance of a gift for the good of others or the gift of love for the good of others. When Jesus used "fruit" over against mighty charismatic gifts, he was getting at what mattered most. Do you show love to your neighbors, to your enemies, and to all those who happen to be on your path? Jesus is saying here that if you don't do the latter, he doesn't particularly care about your charismatic giftedness. — Scot McKnight

Peter's Jesus of Nazareth, the one who lived and died and who was raised and ascended and enthroned, is both Messiah of Israel and Lord of the whole world. Those are the terms of the early gospeling in the book of Acts, and if we want to be faithful to the Bible, those should be our terms as well. Those titles for Jesus tell the gospel Story of Jesus. — Scot McKnight

That's a lot of what the ghetto is, a reflection of poor self esteem — Michele McKnight Baker

Many think Jesus came to earth so you and I can have a special kind of spiritual experience and then go merrily along, as long as we pray and read our Bibles and develop intimacy with the unseen God but ignore the others-oriented life of justice and love and peace that Jesus embodied. — Scot McKnight

I do not wear my emotions on my sleeve; I write about them. — Brian McKnight

I wanted to put jazz on the record, all the loves of music that I had on the record, so I could show people I was ahead of my 19 years. It may have been over the heads of some people. — Brian McKnight

We don't ask what the Bible says, we ask what God says to us in that Bible. The difference is a difference between paper and person. — Scot McKnight

God did not give the Bible so we could master him or it; God gave the Bible so we could live it, so we could be mastered by it. The moment we think we've mastered it, we have failed to be readers of the Bible. — Scot McKnight

I write about moments, and I don't make blanket statements about anything because no one has all the answers; nobody's come up with a foolproof way to do anything when it comes to emotions. — Brian McKnight

Jesus is the gospel-shaped King. There is no other messianic story like the one Jesus told and lived. — Scot McKnight

Consumer society begins at the moment when what was once the province or function of the family and community migrates to the marketplace. — John McKnight

Every scene of heaven in the Bible shows us a vision of the Church praying together and singing together and praising together. — Scot McKnight

I'm the fifth generation of Seventh Day Adventists and the youngest of four brothers. When I was still very small, we formed a gospel quartet. — Brian McKnight

Sometimes in our zeal to "apply" a text, we fail to read the text in its context. And more often than we may all care to admit, our frustrations over how to apply a text can be completely resolved with a more accurate interpretation. — Scot McKnight

The guy comes up to the plate, there's always a chance where he can get a grand slam and everybody forgets about all the times he missed. — Brian McKnight

I just want people to take a step back, take a deep breath and actually look at something with a different perspective. But most people will never do that. — Brian McKnight

Too many people think repenting means feeling terrible about something someone has done. Feeling bad is fine, and it often accompanies repentance, but repentance is not so much about what we feel but the twofold prong of owning up to our own injustices and failures to love, and starting all over by living justly and lovingly. — Scot McKnight

My fans are the best in the world! They've grown up with me and stayed with me through this entire journey. — Brian McKnight

I'm not thinking about what needs to be on the radio. I'm not thinking about anything other than - I'm just going to let this music come out of me and not have any sort of preconceived notion of what I should do. I'm just going to do it. — Brian McKnight

I think I'd have to say my favorite IWC. They have been around for so long and the craftsmanship is top notch. A watch maker that has been in business over 100 years has to know what they are doing. — Brian McKnight

I'm constantly being courted by labels and their backing. Obviously the market is there when you talk about the economics and the numbers, but it's hard to give up the freedom of being able to do whatever you want. — Brian McKnight

Most of the stuff I learned to play, I learned in high school. I had a band in high school, a jazz-fusion thing, and I was the keyboard player. I was interested in how the instruments worked and the theory behind playing with them. — Brian McKnight

Back in college, when I got kicked out of school, I was still in school, I'd just written the song that got me my record deal. If I hadn't gotten kicked out of school I wouldn't be where I am now. Three months after that, I got my record deal and the rest is history. — Brian McKnight

Now ballads, I can mess around and get up on somebody on a ballad. People ain't seen it yet, but I can mess around and get up in there. I've had Ruben Studdard up in my house, Brian McKnight, Tank. Every once in a while I throw down with them. — Jamie Foxx

What must be emphasized in all of this is the difference between trusting Christ, the real person Jesus, with all that that naturally involves, versus trusting some arrangement for sin-remission set up through him - trusting only his role as guilt remover. — Scot McKnight

I was probably six years old when I first sang before an audience. — Brian McKnight

If you compare the written prayers from the psalms, the Lord's Prayer, or those we find in the prayer books of the church, one thing will immediately strike any reader: The prayers from those sources are theologically rich and aesthetically appropriate. I cannot always say this of the spontaneous prayers of many Christians - and I am not impugning their motives or questioning their hearts. — Scot McKnight

I just want to be as creative as I possibly can. — Brian McKnight

I just do what I do and hope it's accepted by the public at large. It's different from when Marvin Gaye and Stevie revolutionized what music was 25 years ago. Now there's all this technology that's available to everyone. It's tough to be ahead of anyone. — Brian McKnight

Jesus is infallible and we are not. — Scot McKnight

Knowing God's love, knowing God's goodness, and learning to embrace those attributes of God prompt us to pray. — Scot McKnight

You can't listen to what people who aren't musical have to say. When Anytime was released, I had bad reviews, and at first I was hurt. Your songs are like your children. You don't want to hear, 'Your kid is ugly.' But I knew the record was good and it would sell. — Brian McKnight

If you give me half a chance I will
Never leave you standing out in the rain — Brian McKnight

It is great to have your own label; you can cultivate your own artists ... I've worked with pretty much everyone I wanted to. — Brian McKnight

I'll walk away from you because I have to, but I won't walk away from my daughter. If I do, I'll never forgive myself. So if there's any part of you which still loves me, please don't ask me to. — Zoe McKnight

Every song that I've done is me in one way or another. — Brian McKnight

We can begin to focus on the eternal if we live to love God and others (the Jesus Creed), if we pursue justice as the way we are called to love others as God's creations, if we live out a life that drives for peace as how loving people treat one another, and if we strive for wisdom instead of just knowledge or bounty. — Scot McKnight

God was on the move; God is on the move; and God will always be on the move. Those who walk with God and listen to God are also on the move. Reading the Bible so we can live it out today means being on the move - always. Anyone who stops and wants to turn a particular moment into a monument, as the disciples did when Jesus was transfigured before them, will soon be wondering where God has gone. — Scot McKnight

I keep these songs in my head until I get behind the microphone. I never spend more than 30 or 40 minutes singing the vocal or it will sound mechanical. There are always mistakes, but it's about feeling more than being perfect. — Brian McKnight

I am a writer - that is what I am before being a performer or musician. I love waking up in the morning and then going to sleep that night with something that did not exist. — Brian McKnight

Stevie didn't use the technology to drive the song. He used it to enhance. I use the tools to further my work, I don't use my work to further the tools. — Brian McKnight

When the label came to me to say, 'would you like to do another record,' I said, 'Well I got these sixteen songs sitting here, so let's do it.' And that was pretty much it ... I never stopped writing, it's just the way that the business is now; you just try to find a different model. — Brian McKnight

The idea that relationships are not a strategy is potent; and the sad commentary proceeds to say that often relationships are seen as a strategy, a means to accomplish great things - except love and relationship are not what is really wanted. We want to appear relational so people will like what we have to offer. It's the difference between wanting a good marriage and loving the person you married. — Scot McKnight

This year I've really decided to get into the best shape of my life, and I've gotten there by changing not only what I eat but when I eat and how often, as well as my usual workout routine. The combination has made such a big difference, and I finally feel in the best shape of my life. — Brian McKnight

Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are made kills initiative. And it's essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow. — William L. McKnight

One reason why so many Christians today don't know the Old Testament is because their "gospel" doesn't even need it! — Scot McKnight

I started as a writer and when I sent my demos out everyone wanted to know who was singing and if that person wanted a record deal. — Brian McKnight

From nature one can learn the lessons of divine providence, and some of us need to be reminded of this because we can look and not see a world alive with God's presence. — Scot McKnight

I'm never satisfied with what I do. — Brian McKnight

Every little kid that steps on the court or the field has aspirations to go pro. I think being a pro basketball player is the best job. The thing I had to realize was that I can't do every dream that I have. — Brian McKnight

I think I've tried to stay true to my music since the beginning. It's kind of hard because of the access and technology but I just do what I do. — Brian McKnight

Lionel Richie told me forget about the critics. But if you come back with hit after hit, you don't have to worry about anything. — Brian McKnight

He knows I rip him off every day. He's the godfather for me. Nobody can say they aren't influenced by what Stevie Wonder has done. — Brian McKnight

Love one another strenuously because it's hard. — Scot McKnight

I kind of hate the fact that people are always trying to put you into a category. I hate walls, and I hate boundaries. I don't like that. I listen to everything. — Brian McKnight

We must not forget that it is not a thing that lends significance to a moment; it is the moment that lends significance to things. - ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL — Scot McKnight

The movement that has long called itself "evangelical" is in fact better labeled "soterian." That is, we have thought we were talking about "the gospel" when in fact we were concentrating on "salvation. — Scot McKnight

Jazz is all about improvisation and it's about the moment in time, doing it this way now, and you'll never do it this way twice. I've studied the masters. Why would I want to play ball after the guys who sit on a bench? I want to play like Michael Jordan. — Brian McKnight

Writing lets you be, say, and do anything. It's sugar for your ego and wings for your ideas. — A.M. McKnight

McKnight is gradually taking over the criminal end of the business. — Mary Roberts Rinehart

This otherness problem is what the gospel "fixes," and the story of the Bible is the story of God's people struggling with otherness and searching for oneness. — Scot McKnight

The way to inscribe the will of God on the hearts of people in this world is not by way of law or vote but by way of redemption through Jesus. Jesus' kingdom vision is for his redeemed people and for them alone. — Scot McKnight

I hope at some point in my career when my name is mentioned, someone will say "Oh yeah he has a good song!" I'd be happy with that. — Brian McKnight

I went back and listened to the first three albums I made and tried to figure out what was special about them, why people keep going back to them. I think it was because I didn't know what I was doing. I had no idea if they were going to play it on the radio or anything. All I did was write songs, so that's what I got back to. — Brian McKnight

The Jesus Creed teaches us that a disciple's responsibility is to love God by following Jesus. You only follow someone else when your own lights or sense of direction are not good enough. — Scot McKnight

A ray of light peeked through the casket of his heart and shone a ray on the decayed hope there.
- Holt McKnight — Jessica R. Patch

God's idea of redemption is community-shaped. — Scot McKnight

The top two lines on every prophet's job description look like this: Speak openly and clearly about what God is for. Speak openly and clearly about what God is against. The third and fourth lines look like this: I [God] am with you. Have courage. (But you may have to duck or die.) — Scot McKnight

The atonement is designed by God to restore cracked Eikons into glory-producing Eikons by participation in the perfect Eikon, Jesus Chirst, who redeems the cosmos. To be an Eikon, then, is to be charged with a theocentric and missional life. Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve did what they were supposed to do: they "eikoned." And cracked Eikons are being restored so that they can eikon now and so that they will eikon forever. — Scot McKnight

A fine timepiece is part of dressing like a gentleman. When I first made a little money, I bought my first watch which was a Rolex Daytona. It was just one of those things that said I was successful. — Brian McKnight