The most attractive characteristic in a person is the story they are telling the world. We stop and stare at stories.

And so I have come to understand that strength, inner strength, comes from receiving love as much as it comes from giving it.

I am early in my story, but I believe I will stretch out into eternity, and in heaven I will reflect upon these early days, these days when it seemed God was down a dirt road, walking toward me. Years ago He was a swinging speck in the distance; now He is close enough I can hear His singing. Soon I will see the lines on His face.

I love to give to charity, but I don't want to be charity. This is why I have so much trouble with grace.

To be in a relationship with God is to be loved purely and furiously. And a person who thinks himself unlovable cannot be in a relationship with God because he can't accept who God is; a Being that is love. We learn that we are lovable or unlovable from other people. That is why God tells us so many times to love each other.

If you want to bond with your friends, do something very hard with them, something that you won't be able to do alone.

Moral #1: "If you work hard, stay focused, and never give up, you will eventually get what you want in life." Moral #2: Sometimes the things we want most in life are the things that will kill us.