Unlike mere action, prayer is not subject to immediate evaluation or verification. If we are addicted to "results" we will quickly lose interest in prayer.

Parables release the adrenaline of urgency into our bloodstream.

I had escaped the snare of certitude that I welcomed so avidly at first and entered, via the name of Jesus, the wide and comprehensive company of Jesus.

We learn the language of prayer by immersing ourselves in the language that God uses to reveal Himself to us.

Apart from childhood and crisis, prayers have a way of being abstracted from the homely and distinctive details that are part and parcel of our ordinary and daily life.

God uses language to create and command us.

Language consists in equal parts of speaking and silence.

Self-justification is a verbal defense for restoring the appearance of righteousness without doing anything about the substance.

The temptations that use the raw material of good for evil can continue unrecognized for a long time without awareness.

When it comes to doing something about what is wrong in the world, Jesus is best known for his fondness for the minute, the invisible, the quiet, the slow – yeast, salt, seeds, light. And manure.

Money and machines anesthetize neediness. They put us in charge, in control. As long as the money holds out and the machines are in good repair, we don't need to pray.

If you want to conquer fear then you have to put fear on your fears.

If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission.

Do you love me enough that I am allowed to be damaged? Do you love me enough that I am allowed to be weak in some places?

You must also give mental and physical fitness priority.

I've learned over the years that the writing is smarter and far larger than the writer and his or her own desires for it.

All I know for sure is that issues like race, like class, are always best approached with compassion and open-mindedness.

If I could dance like the ladies can, it would have been my arse on your screens.

Spiritual force is like any other force at the service of man.

You must distinguish sharply between being pro free enterprise and being pro business.

Where passion leads or prudence points the way.