Quotes from Gary Thomas

The world is full of religions and religious people who don't know God. Religion can serve faith, but it doesn't substitute for faith, and it can never replace faith. Meaningful expressions of the heart, mind, and will become lifeless if they're not mixed with a deep and abiding faith.

How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince's daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of an artist's hands. Your navel is a rounded goblet that never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies.

The Bible views us as recipients of God's perfect love, already charged with an important life mission (seeking first the kingdom of God), and thus the decision to marry, though crucial, won't define us. Nor will who we marry define us.

We must not enter marriage to be fulfilled, emotionally satisfied, or romantically charged, but rather to become more like Jesus Christ.

We don't always need a change. Sometimes, we just need a rest, and there is no better place to rest our bodies and our souls than outside.

Trying to find contentment in this world without addressing the inner person is no more drastic a change than simply changing cubicles while continuing to work for the same company. Your location may change, but the overall environment is exactly the same.

Learn how to grieve fractured relationships, and then learn how to let them go. Don't let disappointment morph into self-doubt and self-flagellation. Just because you wish something wasn't a certain way doesn't mean it's your fault that it's not.

I'd get bored with myself if I was married to me, so it only makes sense that Lisa might occasionally be bored—or at least grow weary—of living with me. But God delights in both of us. God appreciates our quirks and understands our hearts' good intentions even when they might be masked by incredibly stupid behavior.

It is in these dark, intense, and lonely times that ascetics' souls awaken. I think that anyone who has been stretched in ministry knows that the real battle was fought at Gethsemane, not Calvary. To be sure, only Calvary provided payment for our sins and thus was absolutely necessary, but Gethsemane was the real spiritual battleground where Jesus made the final decision to be obedient. In a wrenching, courageous act of self-denial, Jesus proved the mettle of his faith.

Rejecting the notion that God creates one person just for us doesn't discount the reality that God can lead us toward someone and help us make a wise choice when we seek Him in prayer.

I would not consider any spirituality worthwhile that wants to walk in sweetness and ease and run from the imitation of Christ.

The desire for ease, comfort, and stress-free living is an indirect desire to remain an "unseasoned," immature Christian. Struggle makes us stronger; it builds us up and deepens our faith.