“When we sin and mess up our lives, we find that God doesn’t go off and leave us- he enters into our trouble and saves us.”

“Wisdom is the art of living skillfully in whatever actual conditions we find ourselves.”

“All the persons of faith I know are sinners, doubters, uneven performers. We are secure not because we are sure of ourselves but because we trust that God is sure of us.”

“The Bible makes it clear that every time that there is a story of faith, it is completely original. God’s creative genius is endless.”

“No text can be understood out of its entire context. The most “entire” context is Jesus. Every biblical text must be read in the living presence of Jesus. Every word of the scriptural text is a window or door leading us out of the tarpaper shacks of self into this great outdoors of God’s revelation.”

“My job is not to solve people’s problems or make them happy, but to help them see the grace operating in their lives.”

“It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words.”

“Christians don’t simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism, and justice in Jesus’ name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son.”

“[Jesus] said “Follow me” and ended up with a lot of losers. And these losers ended up, through no virtue or talent of their own, becoming saints. Jesus wasn’t after the best but the worst.”

“We underestimate God and we overestimate evil. We don’t see what God is doing and conclude that he is doing nothing. We see everything that evil is doing and think it is in control of everyone.”

“Prayer is a subversive activity. It involves a more or less open act of defiance against any claim by the current regime…. [As we pray,] slowly but surely, not culture, not family, not the government, not a job, not even the tyrannous self can stand against the quiet power and creative influence of God’s sovereignty.”

“Every congregation is a congregation of sinners. As if that weren’t bad enough, they all have sinners for pastors.”

“America leads the world at present in golden-calf production.”

“Love? Yes, God loves us. But his love is passionate and seeks faithful, committed love in return. God does not want tame pets to fondle and feed; he wants mature, free people who will respond to him in authentic individuality. For that to happen there must be honesty and truth. The self must be toppled from its pedestal. There must be pure hearts and clear intelligence, confession of sin, and commitment in faith.”

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”