Father, your gospel is a soft bed for my weary soul. A solace for my disharmonious heart.

"The truly wide taste in humanity will similarly find something to appreciate in the cross-section of humanity whom one has to meet every day. In my experience it is Affection that creates this taste, teaching us first to notice, then to endure, then to smile at, then to enjoy, and finally to appreciate, the people who "happen to be there." Made for us? Thank God, no. They are themselves, odder than you could have believed and worth far more than we guessed."

Gift of pain

Hosea 6
“Come, let us return to the LORD;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Pain is given to wake us up that we may press on to know the Lord, finding he was always pressing into us.

"I remember very clearly saying to the Lord "Lord I need to be more obedient so I can receive more of your power. and the Lord said 'wroooong'…I love it when he corrects me like that…'wroooong'. I said 'Really? Well what is it?'. He said 'You need more of my power so you can be more obedient'. That's what it is...It's grace, isn't it." -Mike Breen

Oh Lord, say to my soul "I am your salvation!"

-Psalm 35

"After years of studying the bible, then you can study systematic theology. Don't start picking a team until you know your bible."

"In Acts 29 our church planting network, maybe half are formally theologically educated, maybe half are not. A good percentage have masters degrees, a good percentage went to bible college, and a good percentage went to the school of hard knocks. They don't have a formal degree, but they study a lot. A degree can be very helpful, but I think the best way to study theology is IN ministry."

-Mark Driscoll

www.marshillchurch.org/media/special/redeem-cities-2010-mark-driscoll-q-a

"And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."

His word "must" is why I am his.

-James