I like a cook who smiles out loud when he tastes his own work. Let God worry about your modesty; I want to see your enthusiasm.
Do you seriously envision St. Paul or Calvin or Luther opening bottles of Welch's Grape Juice in the sacristy before the service? Luther at least would turn over in his grave.
Man was made to lead with his chin; he is worth knowing only with his guard down, his head up and his heart rampant on his sleeve.
Every real thing is a joy, if only you have eyes and ears to relish it, a nose and tongue to taste it.
Only miracle is plain; it is in the ordinary that groans with the weight of glory.
What is good is difficult, and what is difficult is rare.
 who persuaded American Protestantism to abandon what the Lord obviously thought rather kindly of. )
Unless I am mistaken, it was Mr. Welch himself (an adamant total abstainer) who persuaded American Protestantism to abandon what the Lord obviously thought rather kindly of.
IMITATION CITRUS FLAVORED DIETARY ARTIFICIALLY SWEETENED CARBONATED BEVERAGE. That, I submit, is not a label; it is an incantation. Someday, it should be set to a suitable plainsong tune or Anglican chant.
In the Bible, the opposite of Sin, with a capital 'S,' is not virtue - it's faith: faith in a God who draws all to himself in his resurrection.
A good time occurs precisely when we lose track of what time it is.
A world in which no sparrow falls unknown, but-so much for the neatness of our diagrams-it is the Father's will that sparrows fall.
It turns out that what makes history come out in triumph is some dumb sheep that couldn't find its way home.
Grace doesn't sell; you can hardly even give it away, because it works only for losers and no one wants to stand in their line.
There is only one unpardonable sin, and that is to withhold pardon from others.
The Christian religion is not about the soul; it is about man, body and all, and about the world of things -with- which he was created, and -in- which he is redeemed. Don't knock materiality. God invented it.
It cannot be said too often that in the New Testament, the opposite of sin is not virtue, it is faith.
If you take all your meals seriously, none of them gets a chance to matter.
Both heaven and hell are populated entirely and only by forgiven sinners. Hell is just a courtesy for those who insist they want no part of forgiveness.
Jesus not only revealed himself, he hid himself at the same time.
Grace perennially waits for us to accept our destruction and, in that acceptance, to discover the power of the Resurrection and the Life.
Jesus obviously does not answer many questions from you or me. Which is why apologetics is always such a questionable enterprise. Jesus just doesn’t argue.
Everybody, even the worst stinker on earth, is somebody for whom Christ died.
To make belief the touchstone of the kingdom's operation is simply to turn faith into just one more cold work. Of course we must believe; but only because there is nothing left for us to do but believe.
The only reason that judgment comes into it at all is the sad fact that there will always be dummies who refuse to trust a good thing when it's handed to them on a platter.
The reason for not going out and sinning all you like is the same as the reason for not going out and putting your nose in a slicing machine: it's dumb, stupid, and no fun.
Jesus didn't shy away from sinners, so why should the church? And don't tell me the church welcomes sinners. I know better. It welcomes only sinners who repent and then never seriously need forgiveness again.
People converted by fear-mongering are people converted from evil, not to the truth.
All salt and no finesse makes Jack a dull cook.
One real thing is closer to God than all the diagrams in the world.
The wickedness of the church can be one thing and one only: turning the Good News ofJesus into the bad news ofreligion.
It's just misery to try to keep count of what God is no longer counting.
 )
Prepackaged slices or the Supermarket swiss (which has the texture but no where near the flavor, of rubber gloves)
Perhaps you see, therefore, why I think taste must come before nutrition? Our infatuation for the quasi-scientific has left us easy marks for con men and tin fiddle manufacturers.
Your stew, so long deferred, stands finally extra causas. Greet it as your fellow creature. It is as deliciously unnecessary as you are.
What role have I left for religion? None. And I have left none because the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ leaves none. Christianity is not a religion; it is the announcement of the end of religion.
Only when you are finally able, with the publican, to admit that you are dead will you be able to stop balking at grace.
Goodness itself, in other words, if it is sufficiently committed to plausible, right-handed, strong-arm methods, will in the very name of goodness do all and more than all that evil ever had in mind.
