There is a canyon of difference between doing your best to glorify God and doing whatever it takes to glorify yourself. The quest for excellence is a mark of maturity. The quest for power is childish.

I've never been one to say I know exactly that we're in the last days, but there's some things happening these days, both good and bad, that make me wonder if we may be heading into the final generation. One of the good things that's happening is that little by little we're taking the gospel to the whole world. But at the same time there is this resistance.

People are watching the way we act, more than they are listening to what we say.

I was praying about what I needed to teach. I felt it wasn't time to move out of the theme of Romans, which is salvation by grace through faith.

It's one thing to be discouraged. It's another thing to have despair. Despair is when you think there's just no end to this [suffering]. There's no solution for this. Despair is when you think that your suffering has no purpose, and your suffering has no end.

I believe a personal relationship with God is healthy, but organized religion has potential for danger, in whatever faith.

I don't know how to answer the problem of deep pain without a deep hope in eternity.