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2807 illustrations evoking love
"The Spirit enables what the Spirit commands. Power to overcome, love to reach out, self-discipline to persevere—these are gifts we receive and cultivate. We cooperate with the Spirit; we stir up the
"Create in me a clean heart—cleansed of hatred, cleansed of bitterness toward oppressors. The hardest cleansing is forgiving those who wound us. But hate corrodes the container; a heart full of vengea
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. The church shines brightest in society's darkest corners—confronting injustice, illuminating oppression, modeling beloved community. 'This
"WHILE we were sinners—not after we got our act together, not when we became religious, but WHILE we were MESSED UP! That's when Christ died! He didn't wait for you to be worthy—He made you worthy by
"Work 'as unto the Lord' means work that serves the community, not just individual gain. The church forms workers who value service over success, community over competition. Whatever you do, do it for
"John 3:16 is not just theology to be understood but love to be encountered. When the Holy Spirit makes this verse alive in your heart, you don't just know God loves the world—you KNOW God loves YOU.
"God so loved that He gave. And when you have really grasped that God so loved YOU, you will never be the same. His love is a consuming fire that fills you with power to live and witness." — Smith Wig
"Christ is the Way—but this way is open to all. He is the Truth—and this truth can be known by any seeking heart. He is the Life—offered freely to whosoever will. The exclusivity of Christ is the incl
"A holy nation—visible, distinct, alternative. Not individuals scattered but a people formed. The church IS the nation, the holy polis, the royal community. Our identity is communal: together we are p
"WHILE we were yet sinners—not after we cleaned up, not when we became worthy, but WHILE. This is love beyond comprehension: Christ died for the ungodly. We didn't earn it; we couldn't deserve it; we
"God requires not sacrifice but mercy—active love for the poor. Justice is mercy in action; mercy is justice from the heart; humility is the ground of both. The Liturgy after the Liturgy is Micah 6:8:
"God doesn't promise to exempt us from trouble; He promises to work within the trouble. And note: it says those who LOVE God. Our loving cooperation with God is part of how things work together. We ar
"Jesus doesn't say, 'I am the way, so everyone else is lost.' He says, 'I am the way'—focus on HIM, on following His path of love, justice, and reconciliation. The way of Jesus is a way of living, not
"True faith—the faith through which grace saves—bears fruit. It creates a community of transformed people living differently. We are saved by grace, not works; but saving grace always produces the wor
"True faith—the faith that is substance and evidence—is a living faith that works through love. It is not mere assent but active trust that transforms life. The faith defined in Hebrews 11 is the fait
"We delight in God together—worship, fellowship, shared practices shape our desires. The community that delights in the Lord together finds its desires transformed together. Individualist delights lea
"God's love is not a response to our goodness but its cause. 'While we were sinners'—this demonstrates that God's love is pure gift. In Christ's sacrifice, continued sacramentally in the Eucharist, we
"God DEMONSTRATED His love—showed it, proved it, DISPLAYED it! While we were sinners—at our WORST—Christ died! This love is AGGRESSIVE, PURSUING, LAVISH! It doesn't wait for us to get better; it INVAD
"To those told they are nothing: you are CHOSEN. To those called inferior: you are ROYAL. To those excluded from temples: you are PRIESTS. God's own possession—not property of oppressors. This identit
"We cast our cares on God—and often God catches them through community. The body of Christ bears burdens together. This isn't privatized piety but communal practice. We care for each other because God
"Fear has been the constant companion of Black folk in America—fear of violence, fear of deprivation, fear of tomorrow. But God has given a Spirit not of fear! Power to stand, love to persist, sound m
"God IS love—Deus Caritas Est. Perfect love is not our achievement but our participation in divine love through sacraments, prayer, community. Servile fear yields to filial love; we approach God not a
"The goal of Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit gives power for ascetic struggle, love for enemies, and sophrosyne—the sound, integrated mind. Fear indicates the Spirit'
"Note the balance: power (dynamis), love (agape), and self-discipline (sophronismos). The Spirit's gifts are not wild but wise; not weak but powerful; not cold but loving. This balanced trilogy equips