It's the centrality of the Word and not the person who preaches it that's important.
Knowing God is your single greatest privilege as a Christian
Secular humanism debases the human.
Jesus has a special, compassionate concern for those who are broken and needy.
To be free from the possibility of discouragements would be more ‘spiritual’ than Jesus-and therefore not truly spiritual at all.
Do I learn through dark providences, or simply seem relieved when they are over?