“There is an even bigger mountain that the tiniest bit of faith can move — the mountain of a human heart. It is the mountain of Jesus-as-last-resort, the hem of whose robe never crosses our minds until we have exhausted every other option. . . . The greatest mountain to be moved is a needy, […]
“On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea of what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? . . . It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and […]
“The world, as it is, is not our final home. No matter how hard we try to make it so, this present world refuses to be our paradise. We cannot make heaven happen for ourselves because heaven can only be given and received. When we accept and receive this truth, the revival of our hearts […]
“God assigns purpose and meaning to the hurt we feel, even when we can’t see his hand clearly. His approach is never punitive and always instructive, even surgical. . . . our Lord never stabs his children with a sword. Instead, he only cuts us, ever so carefully, as with a scalpel. He wounds us […]
“The interplay between guilt and toxic shame becomes, for some of us, a distinction without a difference. Whenever toxic shame gains a foothold, things like grace, forgiveness, and new mercies leak out of us like water passing through a drain hole.”- Scott Sauls “Heaven have mercy on us all — Presbyterians and Pagans alike — […]
“There are moments in all our lives when our romantic notions of being able to call our own shots are quickly dashed against the jagged rocks of real life. Thankfully, the ancient witness of Scripture knows what to do with the dynamism of real life. The biblical writers aren’t shocked about anything, even an unexpected […]
“The church is not like the posh Delta Sky Club lounge at the airport, feeding your spiritual hunger and giving you a place to put your feet up before another long week. . . . The church is the crucible that makes us disciples if we will let it. And sometimes the only way we […]
“A true life of prayer is about gazing. . . . Prayer finds its perfected from when sons and daughters stop and stare at the glorious grace to be found in the Father’s eyes. So prayer is communion, and communion arises from friendship. and — now hear this startling claim from Christian theology — God […]
“Having friends means we never have to walk this weary planet alone. And the treasure of friendship is an inheritance God has provided for all of us. But many of us are living lives bereft of deep friendship. . . . One of the greatest gifts the church can give to the world is her […]
“Anywhere — and, it follows, nowhere — can be a place. As long as we are there, to think and talk, to listen and respond. The world . . . is a vast concert hall. What sound there is . . . the sound of one human after another issuing the daily plea: to be […]
“To be faithful Christians, we have to be like Christ Jesus. And to be like Christ Jesus we have to run into, not away from, the small and insignificant places like Nazareth.”- Daniel Grothe “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”- John 1:14 (MSG) “Beauty and grace are performed whether or […]
“One of the things that drives Americans to move is our constant quest for more . . . that calls us from distant places. . . . And the irony should not be lost on us: our constant quest for more frequently leads to less fulfillment.”- Daniel Grothe “Do you want to stand out? Then […]