Scott Hayden

“Far too much traditional church has consisted of too much tradition and not enough church.”
― N.T. Wright, Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues

“Of all the science that a physician acquires, of all the skills mastered, listening is by far the most difficult. This seemingly simple act requires consummate artistry. Listening, like musical virtuosity, demands intense cultivation. To the ancient Sumerians the word for ear and wisdom was the same. Proper listening enables one to comprehend the unique narrative of another human being. Even at its scientific best, medicine is dependent on the intimate story. For doctors, listening is an exhilarating act of discovery; for patients, it identifies a healer.”
― Bernard Lown M. D

“In family conversation, much of the work is done as children learn they are in a place they can come back to, tomorrow and tomorrow. When digital media encourage us to edit ourselves until we have said the “right thing,” we can lose sight of the important thing: Relationships deepen not because we necessarily say anything in particular but because we are invested enough to show up for another conversation. In family conversations, children learn that what can matter most is not the information shared but the relationships sustained. It is hard to sustain those relationships if you are on your phone.”
― Sherry Turkle, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age

“The cross, we note, already had a symbolic meaning throughout the Roman world, long before it had a new one for the Christians. It meant: we Romans run this place, and if you get in our way we’ll obliterate you—and do it pretty nastily too. Crucifixion meant that the kingdom hadn’t come, not that it had. Crucifixion of a would-be Messiah meant that he wasn’t the Messiah, not that he was. When Jesus was crucified, every single disciple knew what it meant: we backed the wrong horse. The game is over. Whatever their expectations, and however Jesus had been trying to redefine those expectations, as far as they were concerned hope had crumbled into ashes. They knew they were lucky to escape with their own lives.”
― N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church