The essence of forgiveness is absorbing pain instead of giving it.

Cities have more “image of God” per square inch than anywhere else, and so we must not idealize the country as somehow a more spiritual place than the city.

To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything.

It takes more than a great church to reach a city, it takes a great movement of churches.

Jesus does not divide the world into the moral "good guys" and the immoral "bad guys". He shows us that everyone is dedicated to a project of self-salvation, to using God and others in order to get power and control for themselves. We are just going about it in different ways. Even though both sons are wrong, however, the father cares for them and invites them both back into his love and feast.

We were designed to know, serve, and love God supremely - and when we are faithful to that design, we flourish.

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.