"I have found in this last year that the main strings on my metaphorical banjo are: abundance and abundant life, the generosity of God, surrendering to him in discipline and obedience, the awe-inspiring glory of the holy God, the beauty of the treasure of friendship, the incredible testimony of creation, God’s faithfulness through trials and difficulty, God as light, and the all-sufficiency of the Lord’s mind-boggling, gracious, merciful love."

"What were you expecting? Giving up as in an admission of defeat? No, no. I’m a soldier in the Lord’s army, and haven’t you heard the good news, the gospel? Christ, my king, has already won the victory over the foe...I want my life to brightly shine God’s light, to showcase his glory. I want to submit to him and treasure him supremely. So, I give up sin."

"Scientists know that our world likes entropy – chaos. That’s what it tends toward. Energy must be expended to reverse the chaos, to decrease entropy. I’m not sure if the one who created energy – or perhaps is energy – must expend energy to check the chaos, but I know that it’s only by the deliberate exertion of his will that the chaos is checked, that order exists. And he does it by words."

"Hopefully you like learning because there is ample opportunity here to do so. Of course, learning about holistic health uses and benefits is what got me started on licorice, but that shouldn’t stop us from also delving into why licorice, anise, and fennel have similar flavor profiles, how we got from the classic black licorice to strawberry-flavored twists of sugar, and the differences between Twizzlers® and old-fashioned licorice treats."

"If there is but a thin veil that separates this world from the one which is to come, every now and then I see it flutter back and behold wonders beyond it. There are times I grasp more fully the truth about God. Sometimes my heart, mind, and soul all together believe and know and feel and have deep assurance of God’s love...This was one of those times."

"...because God’s bag of blessings is more bottomless than Tim Allen’s in The Santa Clause or Mary Poppins’ carpet bag, he had room for so many lovely friends...I don’t have any biological sisters, but I have a generous helping of sisters in Christ who I am blessed enough to call my friends. Can I help it if I’m driven to skip on my way?"

"I was edified recently by my pastor saying that part of God being I AM is that all that he is, he is all at once. We, humanly, are not good at being just and merciful at once. We struggle even with hating sin while loving sinners. We are unable to hold love and wrath side-by-side without either one giving way. But God doesn’t have these struggles. He perfectly exhibits all aspects of his character consistently throughout eternity."

"This armor is effective. It is a gift from God. It fits each of us perfectly when we invite our maker to clothe us with it. I think the armor of God is exciting and encouraging. It’s edifying. It’s practical. Don’t go out without it."