It's so easy to become a grumbler, someone who condemns and carps at everything on principle and sees an ulterior motive behind it.

Belief in God is an act of faith. But so is believing our existence is simply the result of chance.

Do not try to make the Bible relevant. Its relevance is axiomatic. Do not defend God's word, but testify to it. Trust to the Word. It is a ship loaded to the very limits of its capacity. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Bonhoeffer knew that twisting the Truth to sell it more effectively was inexcusable. For Bonhoeffer the challenge was to present the Truth as purely as possible without attempting to help it along or dress it up.

He did not hope that God heard his prayers; he knew it.

The 'success' of the sermon is utterly dependent on the God who breaks through and 'grasps' us, or we cannot be 'grasped.

True faith is not a leap into the dark; it's a leap into the light