You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true.

It's essential for us to develop an imagination that is participatory. Art is the primary way in which this happens. It's the primary way in which we become what we see or hear.

God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves.

The life of faith is a daily exploration of the constant and countless ways in which Gods grace and love are expereinced

Worship is an act that develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God that is expressed in an act of worship.

The most important thing a pastor does is stand in a pulpit every Sunday and say, 'Let us worship God.' If that ceases to be the primary thing I do in terms of my energy, my imagination, and the way I structure my life, then I no longer function as a pastor.

That's the whole spiritual life. It's learning how to die. And as you learn how to die, you start losing all your illusions, and you start being capable now of true intimacy and love.