T. D. Jakes

When you make a decision to forgive it's a decision that you have to make intellectually.

I actually grew up playing the piano in the church and was deeply involved in music ministry.

My father was a Methodist and my mother was a Baptist.

We develop our propensity to forgive or not to forgive by what we see illustrated at the early ages of our development.

Children are not unforgiving. You can punish them and they will hug you in a few minutes.

I'm for people bettering themselves, no matter who they are and where they are, doing all they can to be all they can be.

I think most people who get into their 50s reassess what made sense and what didn't make sense.

And another thing is that I think as a church whenever we become politically driven, we alienate at least 50 percent of the people that God called us to reach with our political orientations.

I think the amazing thing about gospel music is that not only does it lift up the death and resurrection of our Lord, which is consistent with the Gospel, but it is uniquely communicated depending upon the generation.

When my father died, I had a real experience with Christ, a real conversion with Christ and I had it in a Oneness church.

There is nothing I'm any more passionate than empowering the next generation.

So though there are many things I would have done differently, I submit to God's sovereignty and His purpose in my life and I thank Him that He brought me the way He brought me and gave me what He gave me when He thought I could handle it.

I think that my preaching style and many of my ideas and ideals about faith are based in both Pentecostal and Baptist background.

The first time I walked on a stage I knew that was what I was created to do. I knew that there was a calling and a sense of purpose in my life that gave me fulfillment and a sense of destiny.

As a Christian, Christ died so that we will have eternal life in Him in Heaven. What it looks like doesn't matter, what it smells like doesn't matter, as long as Christ is there it will be Heaven to me.

I don't dislike anybody. I love everybody.

I was raised in the Baptist church... but I didn't really have a real committed experience with Christ until my father died.

One of the things about my ministry is that I have never branded myself as being above the people or superior to people.

I chose to present myself as one who comes from among the people, and I can be touched by their pain because I have my own.

I don't think that you can let the storms of life overwhelm you. When you do that, you are no better than the craziness that caused you to be under attack.