"Only when the Spirit of God is permitted to transform pride into humility, will we have any hope for unity in the church of Jesus Christ."

Originally preached on October 12, 2002 at Faith United Methodist Church in Downers Grove, IL.

"As we come under temptation we should expect to find both that we will attempt to justify the means by the ends, and that we will deeply want what we’ve been tempted with."

Originally preached on June 8, 2002 at Faith United Methodist Church in Downers Grove, IL.

"Are we willing to change for God?"

"This is not a world of beings. This is a world of becomings."

"Forgiveness is ultimately a consequence of faith or trust in God in the collection of debts."

"The laws of God are for our good, not for the sake of obedience or submission simply."

"Our transformation, our freedom, is sourced in the future God has for us, but our faith is sourced in what lies behind us."

"The question is less, "How are we raising our children?" and more, "Where are we raising our children?"

"For Jude, those who would keep themselves in God’s love continue to immerse themselves in the teachings of God’s prophets and apostles; they continue to pray in the Spirit—confessing the truth about God, confessing the truth about themselves, and seeking the Spirit to intercede to God on their behalves; and they actively await the coming of the Lord Jesus by busying themselves with Jesus’ work."

"The false teachers in Jude’s context seem to have professed to be experiencing God’s transformation, and it would appear they claimed that they were praying in the Spirit.  However, their rejection of the teachings of the prophets and apostles as they were contextualized in Israel proved otherwise."