“We are not the passive victim of others' opinions. Their opinions are powerless until we validate them.”

“Politics, after all, is largely about power. And power goes to the core of our issues of control and narcissism and need to be right and tendency to divide the human race into 'us' vs. 'them.'”

“For most of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. We will just skim our lives instead of actually living them.”

“God has entrusted us with his most precious treasure - people. He asks us to shepherd and mold them into strong disciples, with brave faith and good character.”

“I have given up the idea that there is an opposition-free church out there. But I have gained something else - an appreciation for the gift of opposition. When it comes, I learn something about my motives. When it comes, I get to test my courage.”

“Churches need to figure out how they will address the spiritual lives of their staffs and leadership teams.”

“'Amusement' is appealing because we don't have to think it spares us the fear and anxiety that might otherwise prey on our thoughts. ”

“Jesus is why women have traveled continents, spent decades learning a strange language so they could translate the Gospel, planting churches, caring for the sick, educating the illiterate, and marching for the oppressed.”

“This much I have learned: human beings come with very different sets of wiring, different interests, different temperaments, different learning styles, different gifts, different temptations. These differences are tremendously important in the spiritual formation of human beings.”

“Love of learning led to monasteries, which became the cradle of academic guilds.”

“Death is the prerequisite to resurrection, the new life God intends.”