God is not interested in what you think you should be or feel. He is not interested in the narrative you have construct for yourself, or that others have construct for you. He may even use suffering to deconstruct that narrative.

When we depend on anything smaller than God to provide us with the security, significance, meaning, and value that we long for, God will love us enough to take it away. Much of our anger and bitterness, therefore, is God prying open our hands and taking away something we've held onto more tightly than him.

My job is not to show my children that I'm the man, but to show them that Christ is the man.

The truth is, narratives of self-justification burble beneath more of our relationships and endeavors than we would care to admit.

Performancism is the mindset that equates our identity and value directly with our performance and accomplishments.

Christianity is not about good people getting better. If anything, it is good news for bad people coping with their failure to be good. The heart of the Christian faith is Good News, not good advice, good technique, or good behavior. Too many people have walked away from the church, not because they’re walking away from Jesus, but because the church has walked away from Jesus.

Christianity is not "Jesus is our example." Christianity is "Jesus is our substitute."