Category: Quotation of the Week

This is the main reason why I abhor that phrase, “the race card” — even more than I hate the d-word. I wish that being Black was something I could just conveniently pull out when it suited me. Because then I wouldn’t have to sweat as much if I get pulled over by deputies in… Continue reading Quotation of the Week

Spirituality is never a subject that we can attend to as a thing-in-itself. It is always an operation of God in which our human lives are pulled into and made participants in the life of God, whether as lovers or rebels. Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places 

In short, we do not believe in God, become humble, and then learn to pray, but in learning to pray we humbly discover we cannot do other than believe in God. Stanley Hauerwas, After Christendom

Faith is not a reasonable act which fits into the normal scheme of life and perception. The promise of the gospel is not a conventional piece of wisdom that is easily accommodated to everything else. Embrace of this gospel requires shattering and discontinuity. From Genesis, by Walter Brueggemann

“The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” In Matthew’s context, it is clear that Jesus is warning about the division that can come in a home when one person becomes a… Continue reading Quotation of the Week

Whatever God knew, Abraham at any rate did not know that his obedience could endure such a command until the event taught him: and the obedience which he did not know that he would choose, he cannot be said to have chosen. The reality of Abraham’s obedience was the act itself; and what God knew… Continue reading Quotation of the Week

Why pay a stranger to meddle in your family affairs? Most simply want support and validation. Some are lured by the miracle cures on “Nanny 911.” Many live far from close family and friends and feel unsure of where to turn for reliable advice…Other parents found that coaches help them filter out conflicting advice they… Continue reading Quotation of the Week

“Who is the focus of the Church? Who is the person we are concerned about? The person we exist to serve? For Jesus there was no question. In the Kingdom, the humble are lifted high and the most vulnerable have pride of place. That is why you cannot ask Jesus into your heart alone. He… Continue reading Quotation of the Week

Multi-ethnic isn’t the end-all of ministry, but it was one of the most visible (and hard-fought) characteristics of the early church. We lose something when we relegate racial reconciliation to a nice side effect of Christianity that “works for some people.” From a comment on a recent Out of Ur post on Multi-Ethnic churches

According to Loriene Roy, president of the American Library Association, it’s a matter of principle versus reality—”the philosophy of serving all people,” she says, “and the reality of what happens when we do.” From a Newsweek article titled Too at Home in the Stacks reporting on the rising trend of homeless individuals spending their days… Continue reading Quotation of the Week