We all want to feel spiritually vigorous, and we hurt when we don't. This pain is intensified for people who lead church ministries.

Skill at helping people grow spiritually, like skill at playing chess, depends on understanding and valuing differences.

Scratch the surface of any cynic, and you will find a wounded idealist underneath. Because of previous pain or disappointment, cynics make their conclusions about life before the questions have even been asked. This means that beyond just seeing what is wrong with the world, cynics lack the courage to do something about it. The dynamic beneath cynicism is a fear of accepting responsibility.

The church is in the hope business. We, of all people, ought to be known most for our hope because our hope is founded on something deeper than human ability or wishful thinking.

Women are the first witnesses to the resurrection and pillars of the early church.

I hate how hard spiritual transformation is and how long it takes. I hate thinking about how many people have gone to church for decades and remain joyless or judgmental or bitter or superior.