Amanda Cox

“The truth is, sometimes the good plan he has for our lives is to make us look more like him, which more often than not takes pain.”
― Jefferson Bethke, Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough

“He actually does the opposite. He says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”1 If Jesus wanted to grow a church, didn’t he know telling people they need to daily pick up an instrument of torture, death, and shame wasn’t the way to do it? Jesus opposed the pharisaical legalism of his time, but he also opposed the watered-down, flimsy, cultural religion. He was essentially saying, “I know my miracles are awesome. I know I have immense power. But don’t follow me for the wrong reason. The cost is high. The road to follow me is tough, it’s painful, it hurts, and you might even face death, but I promise there is joy on the other side. Do you want in?”
― Jefferson Bethke, Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough

“here’s to whatever brings us to the point where we can no longer stay the same. Here’s to keeping the front door open. Here’s to doing the brave, hard thing. Here’s to being fiercehearted.”
― Holley Gerth, Fiercehearted: Live Fully, Love Bravely

“Sometimes I crack myself up; but laughter is biblical, so I feel almost holy laughing at my own jokes.”
― Judah Smith, Jesus Is ______: Find a New Way to Be Human