Through selfless work, love of God grows in the heart. Then through his grace one realize him in course of time. God can be seen. One can talk to him as I am talking to you.
We must teach compassion and tolerance and encourage kindness, selflessness, and loving acceptance of all who are created in the image of God.
One day we will finally see that when we reject any person or group of people, we reject a part of our very selves. All are one. All are in. All are God's beloved children with a place at the table.
I was in college that first semester, and I was like, 'Wow, this isn't who I am. This isn't what I want to do.' I was like, 'Oh God, I'm going to have to go out and make something of myself, and I have no clue what that is.'
The seminary of the future must relate itself to flesh-and-blood men, or it provides a framework that only talks about the people of God but never really shares life with them.
God sent me on earth. He send me to do something, and nobody can stop me. If God want to stop me, then I stop. Man never can.
In this world you've just got to hope for the best and prepare for the worst and take whatever God sends.
As an 18-year-old, I really sensed the call of God. What was interesting about that time was, I come from a very conservative part of the body of Christ, so there was really nothing for a woman to do.
It's completely through prayer that I came to believe in God. I just sensed a presence south of my neck.
I think that's what art is about: to provoke you. It helps me make sense of a senseless universe because I become the god of the story. I create it, and I see it in all its lineaments in my own way and can control it - in a world in which everything else is out of control.
'God' - as revealed in his book of edicts and narratives is practically an idiot. He has nothing to say that any sensible person should want to listen to.
I swear to God, like, every day, the majority of my day is sentimental.
We are separated from God on two sides; the Fall separates us from Him, the Tree of Life separates Him from us.
Nothing separates a woman or a family from God's love. Not death, and certainly not divorce.
Man in harmony with his Creator is sublime, and his action is creative; equally, once he separates himself from God and acts alone, he does not cease to be powerful, since this is the privilege of his nature, but his acts are negative and lead only to destruction.
One of the things I do take some pride in is that if you had never read an article about my life, if you knew nothing about me, except that my books were being set in front of you to read, and if you were to read those books in sequence, I don't think you would say to yourself, 'Oh my God, something terrible happened to this writer in 1989.'
The serenity prayer, 'God grant me the strength to accept...' That's a prayer that's actually in my car. I say it every day.
Most sermons sound to me like commercials - but I can't make out whether God is the Sponsor or the Product.
Listen to 100 of my sermons, and 80 or 90 of them will be about overcoming our struggles and the lessons God teaches us in valleys he allows us to enter.
One thing that helps to stretch me is to listen to other preacher's sermons. Every year, I will listen to at least ten other preachers, both to hear God speak to me, and also to evaluate their preaching to see what I can learn and how I can improve my own preaching.
