Quotes from James Bryan Smith

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.

Earth's crammed with heaven; And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries. — Elizabeth Baccett Browning

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

One of the blunders religious people are particularly fond of making is the attempt to be more spiritual than God. — Frederick Buechner

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

As long as we are worrying, we can't seek first the kingdom of God. As long as we are seeking first the kingdom of God, we can't worry.

As such, we should pray, as Macrina Weiderkehr prayed so eloquently, "O God, help me to believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful.

When we pray for the Spirit, we are not praying for an answer; we are praying for God to enter us, to fill us with his presence, his thoughts, and his words.

God is more eager to forgive us than we are to be forgiven.

What we think about God-what we think God is like-will determine the relationship we have with God.