To the degree you have experienced intimacy with God, you won’t be afraid of death because you’re experiencing the first tastes and promises of heaven in this world.

Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity; Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God

Who is telling us about the false self today? Who is even equipped tell us? Many clergy have not figured this out for themselves, since even ministry can be a career decision or an attraction to "religion" more than the result of an encounter with God or themselves. Formal religious status can maintain the false self rather effectively, especially if there are a lot of social payoffs like special respect, titles, salaries, a good self image, or nice costumes. It is no accident that the religious "Pharisees" became the symbolic bad guys in the Jesus story.

People who know how to creatively break the rules also know why the rules were there in the first place.

Your heart has to be prepared ahead of time through faith and prayer and grace and mercy and love and forgiveness so you can keep your heart open in hell, when hell happens.

There is nothing to prove and nothing to protect. I am who I am and it's enough.

The morning glories and the sunflowers turn naturally toward the light, but we have to be taught, it seems.