Kind of the bottom line for me, I don't think people come to the church where I preach to hear my view on politics.

You're special-not because of what you have. You're special because of who you are.

I've found great virtue in two-thirds of the way into the message; right before I'm really want to nail home a point, pausing to tell a joke or to tell a light-hearted story, because I know my audience has been working with me now for 20 or 25 minutes. And if I can get them to laugh, get oxygen into their system, it wakes up those who might be sleeping, so there's something about using a story to draw people back in right before you drive home your final point. In that case I think it's real legitimate just to use a story for story's sake.

Nature is God's workshop. The sky is his resume. The universe is his calling card. You want to know who God is? See what he has done.

Truth can arrive within the story and ride latent - a bit incognito - within a story, and people are more prone to receive it.

The Bible is God's Word given in man's language

After a hard day scrambling to find your way around in the world, it's assuring to come home to a place you know. God can be equally familiar to you. With time you can learn where to go for nourishment, where to hide for protection , where to turn for guidance. Just as your earthly house is a place of refuge, so God's house is a place of peace.