The Quotable Dr. Vance Havner

"You can't tell it like it is, if you don't believe it like it was."

"Most church members live so far below the standard, you would have to backslide to be in fellowship with them."

"Sometimes you hear congregations say concerning a preacher's message, ' I didn't get it.' It's not our place that they get it, it's our place to see that they hear it."

"Some preachers ought to put more fire into their sermons or more sermons into the fire."

"If you want to be popular, preach happiness. If you want to be unpopular, preach holiness."

"When the Lord's sheep are a dirty gray, all black sheep are more comfortable...You've become a thermometer registering to prevailing temperature instead of a thermostat to change the temperature. And when the salt loses its savor, we become "neither nor" in a world that's "either or". Experts at the art of almost saying something. You could go along way in ministry today if you learn that. A lot of folks won't know the difference anyhow. Come right up to it, and then execute a neat detour when you get up to it. And they go on and say "it was a lovely sermon".