Perhaps the most radical thing we followers of Jesus can do in the information age is treat each other like humans-not heroes, not villains, not avatars, not statuses, not Republicans, not Democrats, not Calvinists, not Emergents-just humans. This wouldn't mean we would stop disagreeing, but I think it would mean we would disagree well.
Rachel Held EvansWhat makes our marriage holy, what makes it "set apart" and sacramental, isn't the marriage certificate filed away in the basement or the degree to which we follow a list of rules and roles, it's the way God shows up in those everyday moments - loading the dishwasher, sharing a joke, hosting a meal, enduring an illness, working through a disagreement - and gives us the chance to notice, to pay attention to the divine. It's the way the God of resurrection makes all things new.
Rachel Held EvansThe Proverbs 31 woman is a star not because of what she does but how she does itโwith valor. So do your thing. If itโs refurbishing old furnitureโdo it with valor. If itโs keeping up with your two-year-oldโdo it with valor. If itโs fighting against human trafficking . . . leading a company . . . or getting other people to do your work for youโdo it with valor. Take risks. Work hard. Make mistakes. Get up the next morning. And surround yourself with people who will cheer you on.
Rachel Held EvansThe woman described in Proverbs 31 is not some ideal that exists out there; she is present in each one of us when we do even the smallest things with valor
Rachel Held EvansDoubt is a difficult animal to master because it requires that we learn the difference between doubting God and doubting what we believe about God. The former has the potential to destroy faith; that latter has the power to enrich and refine it. The former is a vice; the latter a virtue.
Rachel Held EvansBut the gospel doesn't need a coalition devoted to keeping the wrong people out. It needs a family of sinners, saved by grace, committed to tearing down the walls, throwing open the doors, and shouting, "Welcome! There's bread and wine. Come eat with us and talk." This isn't a kingdom for the worthy; it's a kingdom for the hungry.
Rachel Held Evans