When I am divided within myself, when I am so preoccupied with my own sins, egocentricity, and moral failures that I cannot hear the anguished cry of others, then I have subtly reestablished self as the center of my focus and concern.

the institutional church, which exists to serve the people of God, is never to be confused with the church as mystery - the Christ-centered, biblically faithful, tender, and compassionate cloud of witnesses who walk the talk.

We can only sense ourselves and our world valued and cherished by God when we feel valued and cherished by others '.

Your friendship has been like the refreshing shade of a vast tree in the noonday heat.

Humility and fraternal love are spiritual bedfellows. When we befriend our own brokenness and minister to our wounds with tenderness and compassion, the "other" is no longer an intruder but a fellow sufferer.

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."-Helen Keller Quote Read: 6/22/18

In our own woundedness, we can become sources of life for others.

Our greatest fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others.

Much violence is based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not to be shared.

The main question is "Do you own your pain?" As long as you do not own your pain—that is, integrate your pain into your way of being in the world—the danger exists that you will use the other to seek healing for yourself. When you speak to others about your pain without fully owning it, you expect something from them that they cannot give. As a result, you will feel frustrated, and those you wanted to help will feel confused, disappointed, or even further burdened.

Real care means the willingness to help each other in making our brokenness into the gateway to joy.

When two people have become present to each other, the waiting of one must be able to cross the narrow line between the living or dying of the other.