I have come to know a God who has a soft spot for rebels, who recruits people like the adulterer David, the whiner Jeremiah, the traitor Peter, and the human-rights abuser Saul of Tarsus. I have come to know a God whose Son made prodigals the heroes of his stories and the trophies of his ministry.

Human beings do not readily admit desperation. When they do, the kingdom of heaven draws near

Prayer is - keeping company with God.

Life with God is an individual matter, and general formulas do not easily apply.

Eugene Peterson points out that "the root meaning in Hebrew of salvation is to be broad, to become spacious, to enlarge. It carries the sense of deliverance from an existence that has become compressed, confined and cramped." God wants to set free, to make it possible for us to live open and loving lives with God and our neighbors. "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free," wrote the psalmist.

Grace is a free gift of God, but to receive a gift you must have open hands.

Christians get very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do.