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.

... the issue is not whether I agree with someone but rather how I treat someone with whom I profoundly disagree. We Christians are called to use the "weapons of grace," which means treating even our opponents with love and respect.

Grace, like water, flows to the lowest part.

Only in prayer can we learn to love God with all our heart, mind and soul.

The more we love, and the more unlikely people we love, the more we resemble God - who, after all, loves ornery creatures like us.

The people of God are not merely to mark time, waiting for God to step in and set right all that is wrong. Rather, they are to model the new heaven and new earth, and by so doing awaken longings for what God will someday bring to pass.

Most observers understand the difference between a committed Christian who accepts Jesus as a model for living and a 'cultural Christian' who happens to live in a nation with a Christian heritage. Most Muslims do not.