We have to be careful not to elevate our preferences to moral standards and judge others by them. We only do so to feel superior.

A genuinely persuasive argument does not merely tell you that you are wrong about everything. It doesn't just beat on you from the outside. It comes inside your belief system, as it were, and affirms something you believe strongly. And then it says - well if you believe this (A) then why in the world can't you see that B is true?

How could a good, all-powerful God allow suffering?

When we try and use fear or pride to stop from sinning, we are forgetting that we sin because of either fear or pride.

Pride is the carbon-monoxide of Sin. It silently and slowly kills you without you even knowing.

We think that idols are bad things, but that is almost never the case. The greater the good, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life.

[Spiritual friendship] is eagerly helping one another know, serve, love, and resemble God in deeper and deeper ways.