So a moral position is not a message. A moral position is a passionate caring inside you.

I have a lot of faith. But I am also afraid a lot, and have no real certainty about anything. I remembered something Father Tom had told me--that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.

I am a terrible and lazy Christian. I do not believe that the Bible is the literal word of God. I just skip about a third of it.

Here are the two best prayers I know: 'Help me, help me, help me' and 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm here to be me, which is taking a great deal longer than I had hoped.

The reason 'help' is such a great prayer is that God is the gift of desperation. When you're in despair, you're teachable.

Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Don't worry about appearing sentimental. Worry about being unavailable; worry about being absent or fraudulent.