Forgiveness is the only way to break the cycle of blame-and pain-in a relationship...It does not settle all questions of blame and justice and fairness...But it does allow relationships to start over. In that way, said Solzhenitsyn, we differ from all animals. It is not our capacity to think that makes us different, but our capacity to repent, and to forgive.

What would a church look like that created space for quietness, that bucked the celebrity trend and unplugged from noisy media, that actively resisted our consumer culture? What would worship look like if we directed it more toward God than toward our own amusement?

If your church conveys that spirit of condescension or judgment, it's likely not a place where grace is on tap.

If we comprehend what Christ has done for us, then surely out of gratitude we will strive to live 'worthy' of such great love. We will strive for holiness not to make God love us but because He already does.

Any discussion of how pain and suffering fit into God's scheme ultimately leads back to the cross.

When we ignore the world outside the walls we suffer-as does it.

Goodness cannot be imposed externally, from the top down; it must grow internally, from the bottom up.