Gary L.Thomas

And why should everybody be expected to love God the same way, anyway?

It is neither wise nor scriptural to pursue God apart from the community of faith.

In fact, by worshiping God according to the way he made us, we are affirming his work as Creator.

Instead of learning from others, Christians have often chosen to segregate themselves by starting a new church whenever worship preferences diverge.

Unless you happen to be born into just the right tradition, you’re brought up to feed on somebody else’s diet.

Instead of saying, “That’s not for me,” they proclaim, “That shouldn’t be for anybody.”

Put very simply, it describes the way we relate to God, how we draw near to him.

Love, to be true, has to hurt. This requires people giving until it hurts. Otherwise it is not true love

If you just can’t seem to leave that one particular sin, you may find that the answer is very simple: You don’t know how to be nourished according to the way God made you so you’re seeking spiritual “junk food,” in the form of sin or addictions, somewhere else.

It is essential that we love God with all our heart (adoration), soul (will), mind (belief), and strength (body). The intellectual is not excused from failing to adore. Neither is the contemplative excused from harboring wrong beliefs about God.