many of us prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, instead of going on to create and build our soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us.

We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character.

You can never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

Making peace with my past was the first step; being grateful for it was the second. Now, at last, I can appreciate the woman those experiences created: me.

First, a disciple is called to walk with Christ; they profess faith in Jesus Christ. Second, a disciple is equipped to live like Christ; they are engaged in a process of spiritual growth and transformation. Third, a disciple is sent to work for Christ; they serve the Lord.

I no longer need to carry the burden of the past on my shoulders, so I am free to fully give myself to what God has called me to in the here and now.

True restoration takes patience, subtlety, skill, and grace.

Change is about learning what is right, acknowledging that it is right, confessing that you have been wrong, committing to a new way of living, and seeking the help you need to do it. (66)

Midlife doesn't introduce you to a new you; it forces you to admit who you have been all along.

The same grace that forgives your past empowers you to live in a new way in the future.

You see, culture isn't the problem, people are.

All their commitments to change have been subverted by the one thing they seem unwilling to do: take the focus off the other and put it on themselves. Here is the point: no change takes place in a marriage that does not begin with confession.