Without stories we end up with stereotypes -- a flat earth with flat cardboard figures that have no texture or depth, no INTERIOR.

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.

It is a fool's prerogative to utter truths that no one else will speak.

Greatness is not a term of success, but of endurance.

All the so-called "secrets of success" will not work unless you do.

Diet is really important, and I think vitamins are really important, also.

If I were asked ... to what the singular prosperity and growing strength of Americans ought mainly to be attributed, I should reply: To the superiority of their women.

The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.

Creativity goes beyond what you already know. What you know is just knowledge.

I'm gonna tie you up, blind fold you, and we gonna play which hole feel the best.

I just would use any instrument known to man in any combination as long as it describes an emotion.

Fans aren't just fans... they're part of my family.