“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”
“We are not our feelings. We are not our moods. We are not even our thoughts. The very fact that we can think about these things separates us from them and from the animal world. Self-awareness enables us to stand apart and examine even the way we “see” ourselves—our self-paradigm, the most fundamental paradigm of effectiveness. It affects not only our attitudes and behaviors, but also how we see other people.”
“Perhaps when we face our maker, we will not be asked, 'How many positions did you hold,' but rather, 'How many people did you help?”
“I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reasonBringing something we must learnAnd we are led to those who help us most to grow If we let them and we help them in return.”
“One of the ways we build intimate relationships with other people is by sharing our fears with them, telling them the things that still frighten us. ..."When we begin to appreciate the ways in which people have been frightened in their lives, we can be compassionate toward them, rather than angry [p. 97].”
“When our personal pursuit is forgiveness, restoration, and holiness, others will find it uncomfortable to sin around us. We should not be comfortable people to sin around; not due to our judgement, but because where the Holy Spirit is welcomed, He is welcome to convict.”