A Christian is one who stops working to be saved, not one who stops working!

When pain and suffering come upon us, we finally see not only that we are not in control of our lives but that we never were.

Jesus lost all his glory so that we could be clothed in it. He was shut out so we could get access. He was bound, nailed, so that we could be free. He was cast out so we could approach. And Jesus took away the only kind of suffering that can really destroy you: that is being cast away from God. He took so that now all suffering that comes into your life will only make you great. A lump of coal under pressure becomes a diamond. And the suffering of a person in Christ only turns you into somebody gorgeous.

The most liberating act of free, unconditional grace demands that the recipient give up control of his or her life.

God sees us as we are, loves us as we are, and accepts us as we are. But by His grace, He does not leave us as we are.

If you and your church were to disappear off the face of the earth tomorrow, would anyone in the community around you notice you were gone? And if the community did even notice would they say 'we are really glad they are gone', or 'we are really going to miss them'?

Christians don't believe that goodness gets you to heaven. Christians believe it's exhausting to rely on your own goodness to please God.