Jesus did not give the parables to teach us how to live. He gave them, I believe, to correct our notions about who God is and who God loves.

[Jesus] invoked a different kind of power: love, not coercion.

Henri Nouwen says, "When we come to realize that ... only God saves, then we are free to serve, then we can live truly humble lives." Nouwen changed his approach from "selling pearls," or peddling the good news, to "hunting for the treasure" already present in those he was called to love - a shift from dispensing religion to dispensing grace. It makes all the difference in the world whether I view my neighbor as a potential convert or as someone whom God already loves.

Prayer is a declaration of dependence upon God.

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

As the books of Job, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk clearly show, God has a high threshold of tolerance for what appropriate to say in a prayer. God can "handle" my unsuppressed rage. I may well find that my vindictive feelings need God's correction - but only by taking those feelings to God will I have the opportunity for correction and healing.

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