I think Jesus is saying, Look, you guys are running around like monkeys trying to get people to clap, but people are fallen, they are separated from God, so they have no idea what is good or bad, worthy to be judged or set free, beautiful or ugly to begin with. Why not get your glory from God? Why not accept your feelings of redemption because of His pleasure in you, not the fickle and empty favor of man? And only then will you know who you are, and only then will you have true, uninhibited relationships with others.

Nothing is going to change in congo until you and i figure out what is wrong with the person inside the mirror

Instead of asking what it feels like to follow God or be used by God, we should be asking who God is, and whether we really know Him. Everything else will take care of itself.

I have sometimes wondered if the greatest desire of man is to be known and loved anyway.

I want to start replacing my “fix” response with an “enjoy” response and just let people be themselves.

It's possible to do both as a writer - to engage and have a family and all that good stuff - and I chose not to for the sake of the career.

We don't think of our flaws as the glue that binds us to the people we love, but they are. Grace only sticks to your imperfections.