The ministry of mercy, then, is the best advertising a church can have. It convinces a community that this church provides people with actions for their problems, not only talk. It shows the community that this church is compassionate.

The essence of Christian obedience is not do’s and don’ts but personal allegiance to Jesus.

What you treasure will ultimately require you die for it, Jesus is the only treasure that died for you.

In short, the enlightenment privatized marriage, taking it out of the public sphere, and redefined its purpose as individual gratification, not any 'broader good' such as reflecting God's nature, producing character, or raising children. Slowly but surely, this newer understanding of the meaning of marriage has displaced the older ones in Western culture.

It takes pride to be anxious – I am not wise enough to know how my life should go.

Our prayers should arise out of immersion in the Scripture. [We] speak only to the degree we are spoken to.

While marriage is many things, it is anything but sentimental. Marriage is glorious but hard. It's a burning joy and strength, and yet it is also blood, sweat, and tears; humbling defeats and exhausting victories.