Jesus will press his thumb against the cheek of humanity and wipe away all tears.

For all its peculiarities and unevenness, the Bible has a simple story. God made man. Man rejected God. God won't give up until he wins him back. God will whisper. He will shout. He will touch and tug. He will take away our burdens; he'll even take away our blessings. If there are a thousand steps between us and him, he will take all but one. But he will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours. Please understand. His goal is not to make you happy. His goal is to make you His. His goal is not to get you what you want; it is to get you what you need.

You know people just assume, 'Well, all my life I'll be a worrier.' That doesn't have to be true. There's a way to drink from God's presence so much that worry begins to dissipate.

Does God notice when I'm afraid? Note the resolve in the eyes of Jesus as he marches through the storm to rescue his friends.

A story does that: it will reach out and hook somebody and hold them for just a few moments while you unpack this story in their presence.

When God is all you have, then all you have, is all you need.

When no one is watching, live as if someone is.