Grace is the most perplexing, powerful force in the universe, and, I believe, the only hope for our twisted, violent planet.

The world is not against you, but the world is a place where bad things happen. It's just true. Airlines crash, people do evil things. A lot of bad things happen and it causes pain.

Pleasure represents a great good but also a grave danger.

I have found that living with faith in an unseen world requires constant effort.

I go to church as an expression of my need for God and for God's family.

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

Jesus never tried to hide his loneliness and dependence on other people. He chose his disciples not as servants but as friends. He shared moments of joy and grief with them, and asked for them in times of need. They became his family, his substitute mother and brothers and sisters. They gave up everything for him, as he had given up everything for them. He loved them, plain and simple.