But it is a dangerous error, surely very widespread among Christians, to think that the heart can pray by itself. For then we confuse wishes, hopes, sighs, laments, rejoicing--all of which the heart can do by itself--with prayer. And we confuse heaven and earth, human...
If we Christians don’t acknowledge our damaged reputation in our culture, we won’t be able to lament the brokenness it has caused. If we Christians don’t lament the brokenness it has caused, we won’t be able to confess the sins that led to such brokenness. If we...
[On finding depth of meaning and experiencing transformation in Scripture: literal or *literary* truth…] If literalism is your bridge to Jesus, if it is the only way you access Jesus, then I promise you: I am not trying to take it away from you. I just hope that you...
Forgiveness is not a matter of exonerating people who have hurt you. They may not deserve exoneration. Forgiveness means cleansing your soul of the bitterness of ‘what might have been,’ ‘what should have been,’ and ‘what didn’t have to happen.’ Someone has defined...
People who know God well—mystics, hermits, those who risk everything to find God—always meet a lover, not a dictator. God is never found as an abusive father or a tyrannical mother; God is always a lover greater than we dared hope for. How different from the “account...
For what it's worth: It's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit; stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same; there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make...
Don't forget to love the way you want to be loved, listen the way you want to be heard, give the way you hope others give, care the way you want others to care, because change doesn't start with them, it starts right here.
It's okay to grieve and hope at the same time.It's okay to exhale all of your loss and sadness and pain and feel an aching emptiness words cannot express.And it's okay, in the very next breath, to inhale joy and expectation and assurance with all the strength you...
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
Dear ones, the world in which we live is challenging and complicated enough without intentionally adding to our burdens. There is no spiritual discipline commended to our embrace that is designed just to make us feel badly. There is no labor suggested in our tradition...