one consistent and clear revelation in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, it is that the God of Israel is the one who turns death into life (see Deuteronomy 32:39, Romans 4:17, 2 Corinthians 1:9). When we can trust the transformative pattern, when we can trust that God is in the suffering, our wounds become sacred wounds and the actual and ordinary life journey becomes itself the godly journey, trusting God to be in all things, especially

only God's Spirit can raise the conscience with comfort above guilt, because he only is greater than the conscience.

Your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.

This is the paradox: victory comes through surrender. Surrender doesn't weaken you; it strengthens you. Surrendered to God, you don't have to fear or surrender to anything else.

Can I trust God? Trust is an essential ingredient to surrender. You won't surrender to God unless you trust him, but you can't trust him until you know him better. Fear keeps us from surrendering, but love casts out all fear. The more you realize how much God loves you, the easier surrender becomes.

Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be.

The first misconception is that we confuse fear with humility. We tend to say, "Oh, I could never do that," and we think we're being humble. But that is not humility. That is fear; that is a lack of faith. A truly humble person would say, "With God's help, I can do it. With God's blessing, I will do it. I may not be able to do it on my own, but with God's help I will do it." That's real humility.

When our dreams shatter and we feel helpless, that's when we have to believe in God's power and presence.

Behold at thy feet, O Mother of Perpetual Help, O Mother of mercy, my refuge and my hope.

Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days - when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you're out of options, when the pain is great - and you turn to God alone.

So don't be troubled by trouble. Circumstances cannot change the character of God. God's grace is still in full force; he is still for you, even when you don't feel it. In

Whatever you fear most has no power--it is your fear that has the power