Christianity is in no way a stoic faith. It fundamentally rejects the "stiff upper lip" school of thought.

Because Jesus was strong for us we are free to be weak.

Whatever we may mean by 'Christian growth,' it is ultimately this: less faith in me, more faith in God.

The gospel doesn't just free me from what people think of me, but also from what I think of me.

The gospel doesn't just ignite the Christian life but it keeps Christians growing and growing every day. There's no reason to move beyond the gospel. There's only movement more into it.

Thankfully, God's restraining grace keeps even the worst of us from being utterly depraved. The worst people who have ever lived could've been worse.

I was spending too much time thinking about how I was doing, if I was learning everything I was supposed to be learning during this difficult season, whether I was doing it right or not, taking my spiritual pulse, etc - my inner lawyer was working overtime.