Jesus said, "My Father is the gardener...He trims and cleans every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit".

Apple trees bear apples, wheat stalks produce wheat, and forgiven people forgive people.

God is kind, but he is not soft. He takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life change.

Engage with the Bible. Meditate on it day and night. Think and rethink about God's Word. Let it be your guide. Make it your go-to book for questions. Let it be the ultimate authority in your life.

Praise is the highest occupation of any being

I really enjoyed reading the writings of Fredrick Buechner, I havent read anything by him in probably a decade but about 20 years ago I read four or five books of his and it helped me.

Nature is God's first missionary. Where there is no Bible there are sparkling stars. Where there are not preachers there are spring times... If a person has nothing but nature, then nature is enough to reveal something about God.