To follow Jesus implies that we enter into a way of life that is given character and shape and direction by the one who calls us. To follow Jesus means picking up rhythms and ways of doing things that are often unsaid but always derivative from Jesus, formed by the influence of Jesus. To follow Jesus means that we can't separate what Jesus is saying from what Jesus is doing and the way that he is doing it. To follow Jesus is as much, or maybe even more, about feet as it is about ears and eyes" (The Way of Jesus, Eugene H. Peterson, 22).
Eugene H. PetersonPity can be nearsighted and condescending; shared suffering can be dignifying and life-changing.
Eugene H. PetersonOne of the reasons that Christians read Scripture repeatedly and carefully is to find out just how God works in Jesus Christ so that we can work in the name of Jesus Christ.
Eugene H. PetersonThe hard work of sowing seed in what looks like perfectly empty earth has a time of harvest. All suffering, pain, emptiness, disappointment is seed: sow it in God and He will, finally, bring a crop of joy from it.
Eugene H. PetersonIt is not easy to convey a sense of wonder, let alone resurrection wonder, to another. Itโs the very nature of wonder to catch us off guard, to circumvent expectations and assumptions. Wonder canโt be packaged, and it canโt be worked up. It requires some sense of being there and some sense of engagement.
Eugene H. Peterson