Quotes from Jen Hatmaker

I've discovered reduced consumption doesn't equal reduced community or reduced contentment. There is something liberating about unplugging the machine to discover the heartbeat of life still thumping.

Mostly good is enough. Mostly good produces healthy kids who know they are valued and either forget the other parts or turn them into funny stories.

God seemed to be saying, "Don't obsess about tomorrow. Live in this day, without worrying about what you'll do or need later. What is nourishment today will be spoiled by tomorrow. Enjoy it today, or enjoy it never.

Constant prayer interrupts our ego trips and disrupts our toxic trajectories.

Send kindness out in big, generous waves, send it near and far, send it through texts and e-mails and calls and words and hugs, send it by showing up, send it by proximity, send it in casseroles, send it with a well-timed "me too," send it with abandon.

Do we emphasize behavior over character? Because good behavior won't guarantee anything. If they don't love Jesus and people, it matters zero if they remain virgins and don't say the F-word. We must shepherd their hearts, not just their hemlines.

What makes you feel strong and fully alive? What lights you up and gives you energy just thinking about it? Who would you be to your village if you had one? BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF SOMETHING. Whether it's a knitting group, dance troupe, church, kayaking club, or homeschool collective, commit to growing community around one area of your life that enlivens you or fills a need.

Lastly, physical freedom includes being comfortable with our physical desires, appetites, and changes that come with age. This means we don't beat ourselves up for feeling hungry, or how our skin or movements change with age, but embrace them as part of the story of our self and body in the world," wrote McBride.12

The very comforts the American dream and American Christianity hold out to us are the same ones we must abandon without looking back, daring to trust that a Savior who had no place to lay His head might have the slightest idea what He was talking about. We must trust that He would never lead us astray,

May I legitimize your gifts? Just because you don't get a pay stub doesn't mean you shrink back or play small or give it all up. Do your thing. Play your note. We are all watching and learning, moved. You are making the world kinder, more beautiful, wiser, funnier, richer, better. Give your gifts the same attention you would if it paid. (Or paid well! Some do our best, most meaningful work

Would you consider that the folks you admire most, the ones thriving in the career you want or living in a vibrant way that makes your heart swell are there because they asked for a lot of help along the way? And do still? They are not too proud to ask for assistance, admit when they are stumped, learn from other people, reinforce their weaknesses. Nor do they hesitate to share credit, pass the microphone, celebrate the victories of others, consider it a group win.

Don't bury that talent, because the only thing fear yields is one dormant gift in a shallow grave.

But the earth is jam-packed with amazing, extraordinary people who color outside the narrow lines society deems noteworthy, and they deserve applause too.

occurs, it means we can see through your pants. It's too

What is not to love about a guy who pulled children onto His lap and saved a failing party and touched the untouchables and told off the religious elite?

Just drop some onion and garlic in olive oil, and your day improves exponentially.

Theology very naturally follows belief, but belief very rarely follows judgment.

When church is less like a family and more like an enterprise, its leaders act less like pastors and more like commanders. This puts everyone in danger—the leaders and the people. Spiritual abuse thrives where pastors are untouchable and people are commodities. No one intends this, but absolute power corrupts in every human environment.

Jesus was tender toward brokenness but impatient toward egotism.

This is why we live and breathe: for the love of Jesus, for the love of our own souls, for the love of our families and people, for the love of our neighbors and this world. This is all that will last.

I suspect the wilderness is a permanent home for me, which is both happy and hard.

It's about creating a place to belong before people are expected to behave or even believe.

What is good for the Kingdom is good for us all.

The only relief is being genuine at all times with all people, and if you think that is also hard, you are correct, ma'am. But at least it is honest. At least it is whole and true. At least you don't have to adjust the station according to the passengers.