Quotes

But just because the garden grows weeds, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plant fresh flowers, instead paving the whole thing over with concrete. — N.T. Wright

Anas ibn Malik reported: A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I untie her and trust in Allah?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Tie her and trust in Allah.” — Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2517

In Lincoln’s initial debate with Stephen A. Douglas (Ottawa, Illinois in August 1858), he said: “In this and like communities, public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. Consequently he moulds public sentiment, goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions.” — Roy P. Basler

To say I love God but I do not pray much is like saying I love life but I do not breathe much. The only way I have found to survive my shame is to come at the problem from both sides, exploring two distinct possibilities: 1) that prayer is more than my idea of prayer and 2) that some of what I actually do in my life may constitute genuine prayer — Barbara Brown Taylor

Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering. — Leonard Cohen

The Christian mysteries are an indivisible whole. If we become immersed in one, we are led to all the others. Thus the way from Bethlehem leads inevitably to Golgotha, from the crib to the cross. When the blessed virgin brought the child to the temple, Simeon prophesied that her soul would be pierced by a sword, that this child was set for the fall and the resurrection of many, for a sign that would be contradicted. His prophecy announced the passion, the fight between light and darkness that already showed itself before the crib. — Edith Stein

The Talmud tells the story of an old man who was planting a carob tree when a king rode by. “Old man,” the king called out, “how old are you?” “Seventy years, your majesty,” the man replied. “How many years will it take before that tree will bear fruit?” the king asked. “Perhaps seventy years,” the man answered. Mockingly, the king went on, “Do you really expect to eat of the fruit of that tree?” “Of course not,” the man said, “but just as I found fruit trees when I was born, so do I plant trees that future generations may eat from them." — The Talmud

The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains, no matter where you are. The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, and songs he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admires, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires. Not so for the follower. No, no. The follower aspires with all his strength, with all his will to be what he admires. And then, remarkably enough, even though he is living amongst a “Christian people,” the same danger results for him as was once the case when it was dangerous to openly confess Christ. And because of the follower’s life, it will become evident who the admirers are, for the admirers will become agitated with him. Even that these words are presented as they are here will disturb many – but then they must likewise belong to the admirers. — Søren Kierkegaard

There are tormenting times in creation, even as the earth heaves fire to produce its richest soil. — Abigail Hastings

By globalization we totally lose contact with the poor that we know personally. We work in the abstract toward the liberation of a social category that we never meet. We know the political leaders of this class, who are no longer poor themselves. And this globalization, this de-personalization of the poor, surely means that a person who is poor simply because he is sick or is mourning the loss of a loved one or has been humiliated by a failure in life arouses no interest. — Jacques Ellul