Our confused society badly needs a community of contrast, a counterculture of ordinary pilgrims who insist living a different way. Unlike popular culture, we will lavish attention on the least "deserving" in direct opposition to our celebrity culture's emphasis on success, wealth, and beauty.

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

We should do whatever we can to cut through the scum that has grown on our understanding and rediscover freshness.

One who has been touched by grace will no longer look on those who stray as "those evil people" or "those poor people who need our help." Nor must we search for signs of "loveworthiness." Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.

Rather, God has commissioned us as agents of intervention in the midst of a hostile and broken world.

We do well to remember that the Bible has far more to say about how to live during the journey than about the ultimate destination.

We're concerned with how things turn out; God seems more concerned with how we turn out.