As I read the Bible, it seems clear that God satisfies his "eternal appetite" by loving individual human beings. I imagine He views each halting step forward in my spiritual "walk" with the eagerness of a parent watching a child take the very first step.

When I am tempted to complain about God's lack of presence, I remind myself that God has much more reason to complain about my lack of presence.

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

Jesus reserved his hardest words for the hidden sins of hypocrisy, pride, greed and legalism.

True faith does not so much attempt to manipulate God to do our will as it does to position us to do his will.

When he lived on earth, [Jesus] surrounded himself with ordinary people who misunderstood him, failed to exercise much spiritual power, and sometimes behaved like churlish schoolchildren.

When I pray for another person, I am praying for God to open my eyes so that I can see that person as God does, and then enter into the stream of love that God already directs toward that person.