In the stories of extravagant grace given to us by Jesus, there are no loopholes disqualifying us from God's love.

Parents learn the uses of power and its limits. They can insist on certain outward behavior but cannot change inner attitudes. They can require obedience but not goodness - and certainly not love.

A philosophy may explain difficult things, but has no power to change them. The gospel, the story of Jesus' life, promises change.

It's easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you've heard everything before and that you have nothing left to learn.

I never see God. I seldom run into visual clues that remind me of God unless I am looking. The act of looking, the pursuit itself, makes possible the encounter. For this reason, Christianity has always insisted that trust and obedience come first, and knowledge follows.

Be salt, and a little bit of salt keeps the whole society from going rancid.

I ask God most often that we would be an unbroken line of Christians until Christ shall return.