Zach

“There's a subdivision near us called Mill Run. By a stroke of good luck, the planners decided to line the streets with silver maples instead of those trees from the pit of Gehenna known as Bradford pears. (Bradford pears, by the way, are an abomination. I'm not using that word flippantly. They were engineered in the 1960s and because they cross-pollinate with every other kind of pear tree, their prolific offspring is destroying forests faster than kudzu. I think of them as a tree version of the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. They're preferred by developers because they're cheap, they grow fast, and they produce malodorous but pretty white flowers in the spring, which happens to be when most home sales happen. But after the developers leave, the trees require regular pruning, a gust of wind can split them in half, and they're producing an inhospitable forest of non-native offspring that's riddled with thorns. Left unchecked, they'll soon overtake all the lovely oaks, maples, sycamores, and ashes that are native to our part of the world. Take my word for it: they're awful.

If you have one in your yard, for goodness sake, cut it down and spend $25 on a maple at Lowe’s.”
― Jeffrey W. Barbeau, God and Wonder: Theology, Imagination, and the Arts

“Work matters. Quality work matters. It matters to God. Luther famously said that the angels smile when a father changes a dirty diaper. God wants clean rear ends! Of course he does.

Why does God care about such small details? Because he loves, that's why. He wants children taught, and he uses principals, teachers, and parents to do it. Not to mention all the staff it takes to run a school. God wants people protected, and he uses firefighters, police officers, and a host of government officials to get the job done. God wants diseases controlled, and he uses doctors, nurses, and researchers to take on this monumental task. He cares deeply about the janitor's work, too, for the very same reason. God wants it all, and he wants it done well. He uses people to do it. He frees Christians from working for him so that they can work for their neighbors.”
― Michael Berg, Vocation: The Setting of Human Flourishing

“A sweeping aerial view of the Bible’s topography focused on Christ therefore would look something like this: Old Testament Anticipation, Gospels Manifestation, Acts Proclamation, Epistles Explanation, Revelation Consummation. From beginning to end the Bible is an epic story about Jesus.”
― Matt Smethurst, Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel

“The Gospel of Jesus Christ contains incomparable power to dignify those the world ignores. The last thing the disadvantaged need is a press release that reads "Behold, I bring you great news of great joy that will be for all the peoples. God helps those who help themselves." The Gospel is infinitely better news. Give the self-help thing to the poor and you are going to destroy them. Give the Gospel to the poor and you are doing to transform them.”
― Matt Smethurst, Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel