Jesus' death wasn't to free us from dying, but to free us from the fear of death. Jesus came to liberate us so that we could die up front and then live. Jesus Christ wants to take us to places where only dead men and women can go.

It is amazing how much we can endure when we are convinced there is a purpose to our struggle.

The more isolated and disconnected we are, the more shattered and distorted our self-identity. We are not healthy when we are alone. We find ourselves when we connect to others. Without community we don't know who we are... When we live outside of healthy community, we not only lose others. We lose ourselves...Who we understand ourselves to be is dramatically affected for better or worse by those we hold closest to us.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the absence of self.

A person God himself deems as wise is one who not only hears His voice, but immediately begins to act upon His instruction.

The church does not exist for us. We are the church, and we exist for the world.

Behind real freedom, there lies discipline.