spirituality

“ God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be. ”

“ In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others. ”

“ He has a single relentless stance toward us: He loves us. He is the only God man has ever heard of who loves sinners. ”

“ Self rejection is the greatest enemy of spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the ”

“ Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion. ”

“ The kingdom is not an exclusive, well-trimmed suburb with snobbish rules about who can live there. No, it is for a far larger, homelier, less self-conscious caste of people who understand they are sinners because they have experienced the yaw and pitch of moral struggle. ”

“ By and large, the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed, understood, nor lived. ”

“ I have a word for you. I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I know every moment of sin, shame, dishonesty and degraded love that has darkened your past. Right now I know your shallow faith, your feeble prayer life, your inconsistent discipleship. And my word is this: I dare you to trust that I love you just as you are, and not as you should be. Because youre never going to be as you should be. ”

“ To lend each other a hand when we're falling, perhaps that's the only work that matters in the end. ”

“ All that is good is ours not by right but by the sheer bounty of a gracious God. ”