Through humility, soul-searching, and prayerful contemplation we have gained a new understanding of certain dogmas. The church no longer believes in a literal hell where people suffer. This doctrine is incompatible with the infinite love of God. God is not a judge but a friend and a lover of humanity. God seeks not to condemn but only to embrace. Like the fable of Adam and Eve, we see hell as a literary device. Hell is merely a metaphor for the isolated soul, which like all souls ultimately will be united in love with God.

Side by side or miles apart, real friends are always close to the heart.

Perfect happiness is a beautiful sunset, the giggle of a grandchild, the first snowfall. It's the little things that make happy moments, not the grand events. Joy comes in sips, not gulps.

The imaginary friends I had as a kid dropped me because their friends thought I didn't exist.

The perfect guy is not the one who has the most money or the most handsome one you'll meet. He is the one who knows how to make you smile and will take care of you each and everyday until the end of time.

People get caught up in asking whether Americans should be going here or there. What it boils down to is the call of the Lord. If the Lord has called you to a specific area, that's where you are going to see the fruit.

When it came right down to it, the reindeer would eat you.