“Joe, when you really start trusting those other boys, you will feel a power at work within you that is far beyond anything you’ve ever imagined. Sometimes, you will feel as if you have rowed right of the planet and are rowing among the stars.” The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, p. 235
George Pocock, an emotionally intelligent boat maker, said this to Joe, a stoic young man who was strong and determined, but who had also been taught that trusting other people was dangerous. It was a turning point in the story.
“God’s curiosity is his most underexplored attribute.” The Rest of God: Restoring your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan, p. 190
What is God curious about? Why does he ask questions? I can’t imagine that God is curious about anything, but it is interesting to think about.
“Human love is directed to the other person for his own sake, spiritual love loves him for Christ’s sake…This is why human love becomes personal hatred when it encounters genuine spiritual love, which does not desire but serves. Human love makes itself an end in itself…Spiritual love, however, comes from Jesus Christ, it serves him alone; it knows that it has no immediate access to other persons.” Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, p. 34-35
“Human love becomes personal hatred when it encounters spiritual love…” That will have me pondering for a while.
“…if you do your work so well that by God’s grace it helps others who can never thank you, or it helps those who come after you to do it better, then you know you are “serving the work,” and truly loving your neighbor.” Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by Timothy Keller, p. 111
May it be so.
Any interesting/new thoughts from the books you are reading? I’d love to hear them.
Connecting Dots...to God 
I’m re-reading Anna Karenina, and I’m sure I’ll find some fabulous Tolstoyian quotes at some point. For right now, I’m fascinated with how Anna’s relationship with Vronsky progresses and how she initially resists the temptation to even be in the same city as he is, only to have both he and her husband push her further into temptation’s way (though the men do it in different ways.) Powerful.
Fascinating. Makes me want to read it again too! That was one of the most striking books I have ever read. I’m a very plot driven reader, so I miss a lot of subtleties in the writing the first time through. Thanks Laura!
“It’s grievous that the church today seems to be relying on the illusion that being born again and bringing others to Christ is the ultimate goal of preaching the gospel. It’s not! This is just the beginning. Working alongside Christ in the coming kingdom if the final and ultimate goal! Philippians 3:14 tells us that it’s the prize of the ‘high calling’ of God.’ (“The Kingdom, Power, & Glory: The Overcomer’s Handbook” by Chuck and Nancy Missler)
Interesting Larry. I’m not familiar with that book. I agree that bringing someone to Christ is not the ultimate end but just the beginning of the Gospel’s work. Unfortunately, too many churches do not emphasize the Bible’s instruction for discipleship and spiritual growth. I imagine that statement has gotten/will get some push back. Thanks Larry!