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"I want the Lord to renew all of this, and his answer for me is himself, His presence. The renewal I want only comes from Jesus. And I must repent of my own sin in this- my sin of anger, bitterness, harsh words behind a back, etc. Only in my repentance, in recognizing my weakness and inadequacy to fix this or change it, do I receive God’s unlimited mercy. And that mercy doesn’t come from my own ability to forgive, but because of the merits of Jesus."

"I’m a culprit of looking for renewal from God without recognition of the right mood or posture, without praise offered because of the previous mercies extended by my renewing God, or without attempting to sacrifice my pride and reach the end of myself with full recognition that renewal is not at all from my own works. I like to look at my life in the dark places as a boat run aground in the low tide like Justin described about the shores of Alaska. But my perspective of sitting in my darkness, claiming that the tide has passed, and complaining of the dry and sticky ground doesn’t typically move me to a reaching posture, asking God to lift me."

"As I have considered this inevitability of balance in the Star Wars universe, I have been reflecting upon how much better the Christian story is. Where the Star Wars universe is left with either adhering to the rules of the universe and leaving off a story in a “balanced” state of good and evil or breaking the rules and allowing good to triumph, we live in a story where goodness does triumph! Justice does prevail! Balance is stupid!"

"I look to traveling to get away from the work that I have to do at the house and in this city. All of these things are good and can have a positive impact on my life. However, without Christ, I will be met with the same stresses and frustration that existed before. We live in a broken world that is going to continually bring us down. The sin, sickness, tragedies, hurt, guilt, and shame will not become easier because of a vacation. They become manageable because of Jesus. He is the only one that can forgive, comfort and revive us in a way that truly transforms our lives."