God formed an alliance based on the world as it is, full of flaws, whereas prayer calls God to account for the world as it should be.

Prayer is the act of seeing reality from God's point of view.

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.

Misunderstanding must be nakedly exposed before true understanding can begin to flourish.

The deadening part of Bible study is when you think you've already got it all figured out.

I would far rather convey grace than explain it.

I have more appreciation for why the Bible avoids fuzzy psychologisms and says simply to the stealer, "Steal no more," and to the tempted, "Flee temptation." The Bible challenges us to look upward, not inward, for counsel at moments of crisis.