Sign in with Facebook
The story of Christmas is this: the tree is not dead. A shoot will live and grow. And grow and grow and grow.
“Story is a trojan horse for truth. It can sneak truth past the gates of our defenses and prepare our hearts to hear things we might have resisted if they had come as mere declaration. Jesus relied on storytelling as his primary method of teaching for just this reason--to persuade Jews to empathize with Samaritans, wealthy people to care for the poor, and religious people to have compassion on society's fringe.”
― Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith
― Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith
“Not only are we drawn to beauty, we are the only creatures who engage in certain behaviors purely for the sake of encountering beauty. We use vacation days to drive to places where we can see the sun come up over the ocean. We visit art museums, theaters, and symphonies. We look at the moon and the stars. We climb to high mountain lakes to put our feet in the frigid water to feel the rush and see the reflection of the summit in the ripples we have made. No other creature stops to behold something beautiful for no other reason than that it has stirred something in their souls. When we do these things, are we not like Moses and David, hungering to see the glory of God?”
― Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith
― Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith
“There are some Statues that I love more than the rest. The Woman carrying a Beehive is one. Another - perhaps the Statue that I love above all others - stands at a Door between the Fifth and Fourth North-Western Halls. It is the Statue of a Faun, a creature half-man and half-goat, with a head of exuberant curls. He smiles slightly and presses his forefinger to his lips. I have always felt that he meant to tell me something or perhaps to warn me of something: Quiet! he seems to say. Be careful! But what danger there could possibly be I have never known. I dreamt of him once; he was standing in a snowy forest and speaking to a female child”
― Piranesi
― Piranesi
“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.”
― Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel
― Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel
“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.”
― Vocation: The Setting of Human Flourishing
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.”
― Vocation: The Setting of Human Flourishing
Zach’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Zach’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
442 books
|
1,077 friends
4,502 books
|
816 friends
5,647 books
|
229 friends
396 books
|
145 friends
214 books
|
30 friends
376 books
|
113 friends
792 books
|
142 friends
1,949 books
|
1,783 friends
More friends…
Polls voted on by Zach
Lists liked by Zach
