The gift of darkness draws you to know God’s presence beyond what thought, imagination, or sensory feeling can comprehend.

Jesus is never upset at sinners; he is only upset with people who do not think they are sinners.

When you do the first half of life well, you have a good sense of yourself.

Contemplation is an alternative consciousness that refuses to identify with or feed what are only passing shows. It is the absolute opposite of addiction, consumerism or any egoic consciousness.

The most courageous thing we will ever do is to bear humbly the mystery of our own reality.

...religion either produces the very best people or the very worst.

If you're the head of the organization that has to pay salaries, bills and keep the money coming, you have to be concerned with pleasing the middle. I find it means you have to dumb down your message to something less radical than the gospel. It can't be the real gospel. It has to be "churchiness" that pleases everyone, so they come back next Sunday and keep putting money in the collection plate. I don't mean that in a cynical way. I just think it's what happens.