Dave Arnold > Quotes

“We live in a day of superheroes and superstars, in a world of the haves and the have-nots. In our culture being somebody really matters: being smart, good looking, educated, athletic or musical – the pressure is on to be somebody. This thinking has seeped into the church as well. The mindset that God only uses the “special” people, those who are ordained or have graduated from seminary, is pervasive. As a result, many are left feeling that they are simply not good enough to be used by God. The world pushes us to be “somebody” and get recognized for our achievements. But God’s Kingdom – a Kingdom made up of the weak, the broken, the pushed-aside, the ordinary – is opposed to the world’s obsession with the superstar.”
― Dave Arnold, Pilgrims of the Alley: Living Out Faith in Displacement

“God works at the edges of life, in the alleys, far away from the clout and the image and the prestige so esteemed by the world. God’s people have always been marginalized. The Bible makes this clear and normative: We are called to the edges, like Abraham – to trust in a God of the edges who moves us and leads us in ways we can’t comprehend, and in ways the world dismisses as crazy.”
― Dave Arnold, Pilgrims of the Alley: Living Out Faith in Displacement

“Then he”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Shroud of Secrecy

“Something’s”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Cloth of Contention

“As”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Shroud of Secrecy

“Bam!”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Cloth of Contention

“C-c-off-in!”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Shroud of Secrecy

“the”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Shroud of Secrecy

“Wilson”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Cloth of Contention

“Johnny”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Cloth of Contention

“But”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Shroud of Secrecy

“Then”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Shroud of Secrecy

“Stille!”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Cloth of Contention

“It”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Cloth of Contention

“Karl”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Cloth of Contention

“To”
― Dave Arnold, Young Whit and the Cloth of Contention

“Primarily, our action is to engage people and use the culture rather than to engage the culture and use the people. Christ lived in the culture. He did not isolate himself from sinners, regardless of how the religious leaders felt about it. He ate with a tax collector, touched a leper, forgave an adulterous woman, and spoke to a woman at a well. At the same time, Jesus did not allow the surrounding culture to change him. He used everyday objects to teach spiritual lessons, but on more than one occasion, he told sinners to sin no more. He was gracious and just—a combination that we should strive to achieve rather than settling for one swing of the pendulum or the other.”
― Dave Arnold, Vespas, Cafes, Singlespeed Bikes, and Urban Hipsters: Gentrification, Urban Mission, and Church Planting