God is still in the business of coming down to earth: to this cubicle, this email, this room, this house, this job, this hospital room, this car, this bed, this vacation. Any place can become Bethel, the house of God. Cleveland, maybe. Or the chair you’re sitting in as you read these words.
Grace is the offer of God’s ceaseless presence and irrational love that cannot be stopped.
God wishes to be seen, wishes to be sought, wishes to be expected, and wishes to be trusted.
Low self-esteem causes me to believe that I have so little worth that my response does not matter. With repentance, however, I understand that being worth so much to God is why my response is so important. Repentance is remedial work to mend our minds and hearts, which get bent by sin.
For the soul to be well, it needs to be with God.
Every human being who has ever lived has suffered from a messiah complex-except one.
The test of love is that it gives even when there is no expectation of a return.
For many of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it.
If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.
Too often we argue about Christianity instead of marveling at Jesus.
To love someone is to desire and work toward their becoming the best version of themselves. The one person in all the universe who can do this perfectly for you is God.
The good news as Jesus preached it is not just about the minimal entrance requirements for getting into heaven when you die. It is about the glorious redemption of human life-your life.
Having faith does not mean never having doubts or questions. It does mean remaining obedient.
The ministry of bearing with one another is learning to hear God speak through difficult people.
Disciplined people can do the right thing at the right time in the right way for the right reason.
We are tempted to live under the illusion that somewhere out there are people who are normal.
Over and over in the Bible, it is fear that threatens to keep people from trusting and obeying God.
When preaching is done right, it can change lives. When it’s done badly, my failure goes beyond the merely human.
The church is in the hope business.
Skepticism can keep us from blessing, can keep us trapped in two minds.