“Mostly, I want to be kind. And nobody, of course, is kind, or mean, for a simple reason.” —Mary Oliver (Dream Work)

“What is the value of great theological erudition or great pastoral adeptness or intense but fleeting mystical experience or social activism when there is not a well-formed heart to guide a well-formed life?” ~Henri Nouwen

"Change is part of the gospel. The Christian life is not something we are handed already complete." —Eugene Peterson (Lights a Lovely Mile)

One thing my favorite spiritual writers have in common is a genuine lack of pretense. That's why I appreciated this note from chuck degroat in the foreword to Abandon the Orderly House. If this is the kind of writing you enjoy, I'd love for you to check out the link in my bio.

"No matter what others say about us, we are not so bad that we cannot experience love, and no matter how awful we feel about ourselves, God doesn't share that low opinion." —Eugene Peterson (Lights a Lovely Mile)

“Prayer does not lead us to shame, guilt, or despair, but rather to the joyful discovery that we are only human and that God is truly God.” —Henri Nouwen (With Open Hands)

“None of us can dialogue with others until we can calmly and confidently hold our own identity.” —Richard Rohr (Falling Upward) So many leaders operate from a deep insecurity (hidden by false confidence, antagonism & pseudo-intellectualism). Is it any wonder we’re divided?

“There is nothing that I may decently hope for that I cannot reach by patience as well as by anxiety.” —Wendell Berry (The World-Ending Fire)

“None of us is yet whole in Christ. All of us are in the process of becoming. We are not finished products. He has pruning and shaping to do in us. And he has promised that he will continue what he has begun.” —Eugene Peterson (Lights a Lovely Mile)

Abandon the Orderly House is on a Kindle Countdown Deal through the end of the week! The ebook is only $0.99 instead of the usual $9.99.

"May I be the tiniest nail in the house of the universe, tiny but useful." —Mary Oliver (Upstream)

Grateful to everyone who took the time to read this book. I poured myself into it, and from the kind comments and reviews to the occasional best seller tag I was blown away by the response. Sharing anything with the world is scary, but I’m glad I was pushed to see it through.