The enemy of a writer is not controversy but obscurity.

I'm trying to get far away from [picturing God as] Gandalf or Santa Claus.

I think good creative writing opens up space for people to come into. Let God reach out and touch the human soul. That's not my job. I get to be present and create as much space as I can ... That frees me up just to be creative in the way I want to be.

Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is about letting go of another person's throat.

It grants you the power to judge others and feel superior to them. You believe you are living to a higher standard than those you judge. Enforcing rules, especially in more subtle expressions like responsibility and expectation, is a vain attempt to create certainly out of uncertainty. And contrary to what you might think, I have a great fondness for uncertainty. Rules cannot bring freedom; they only have the power to accuse.

The ability to choose is at the essential core of our grandeur. Even evil exists because God respects our ability to choose.

True love never forces.