For many in our high-paced world, despair is not a moment; it is a way of life.

God put enough into the world to make faith in Him a reasonable thing. But He left enough out to make it impossible to live by reason alone.

When God is our Holy Father, sovereignty, holiness, omniscience, and immutability do not terrify us; they leave us full of awe and gratitude. Sovereignty is only tyrannical if it is unbounded by goodness; holiness is only terrifying if it is untempered by grace; omniscience is only taunting if it is unaccompanied by mercy; and immutability is only torturous if there is no guarantee of goodwill.

Success is more difficult to handle than failure.

One often sees a call only in retrospect. This too is God's design. God often reinforces our faith after we trust him, not before.

The assurance of Heaven is never given to the person. And that's why at the core of the Christian faith is the grace of God. If there's one word I would grab from all of that, it's forgiveness - that you can be forgiven. I can be forgiven, and it is of the grace of God. But once you understand that, I think the ramifications are worldwide.

It was not the volume of sin that sent Christ to the cross; it was the fact of sin.