Jesus represents a point of common ground an esteemed rabbi to the Jew, a god to the Hindu, an enlightened one to the Buddhist, a great prophet to the Muslim. Even to the New Age guru, Jesus is the pinnacle of God-consciousness. At the same time, Jesus is the divider. None but Christians see Him as a member of the Godhead on an exclusive mission to repair the broken world.

The problem of pain meets its match in the scandal of grace.

The Bible never belittles human disappointment ... but it does add one key word: temporary.

Homeless people bear God's image too.

We are all trophies of God's grace, some more dramatically than others; Jesus came for the sick and not the well, for the sinner and not the righteous. He came to redeem and transform, to make all things new. May you go forth more committed than ever to nourish the souls who you touch, those tender lives who have sustained the enormous assaults of the universe. (pp.88)

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

The presence of another caring person doubles the amount of pain a person can endure.