Quotes from James Bryan Smith

It seems that I always am and always have been an outsider. I've never really fit in. I was always too religious for my rowdy friends—they thought I was unbelievably hung up—and too rowdy for my religious friends—they were always praying for me.

False Narrative: The Kingdom of God is Future No serious biblical scholar would deny that Jesus' proclaimed the kingdom of God. However, many scholars conclude that Jesus was not talking about our present world but rather an epoch in history that has not yet begun.

Christ in me" means Christ bearing me along from within, Christ the motive power that carries me on, Christ giving my whole life a wonderful poise and lift, and turning every burden into wings... not as something you have to bear but as something by which you are borne.

The Beatitudes, far from being a new set of virtues that further divide the religious haves and have nots, are words of hope and healing to those who have been marginalized.

God loves us not because we are lovable, but because He is love.

But children do not need to be in control. They have very little authority or power, and live each day in dependence and trust, receiving everything as a gift. And this, I believe, is what Jesus is advocating.

That is why one of Rich's most powerful songs, and one he enjoyed singing in concert more than any other, is "Greed.

He had let go of the need to earn God's love

But surely it was not God's will to give us a child with handicaps. God didn't do this, right?" "It's a mystery, Daddy. You won't be able to understand it all till you get here and see all of the rooms and one-inch pictures. But this you can trust: God is always good.

Abba is best translated "Dear Father." It is a term of intimacy, but it also contains a sense of obedience.

Even though I have not mastered it, I now have a better sense of what makes us want others to think well of us, and how we can prevent that desire from ruling in our hearts. False Narrative: My Value Is Determined by Your Assessment

The spiritual disciplines are wisdom, not righteousness. But they are wise practices that train and transform our hearts.