Joline Atkins

“Thus, discipline is the creation of boundaries that keep time and space open for God. Solitude requires discipline, worship requires discipline, caring for others requires discipline. They all ask us to set apart a time and a place where God’s gracious presence can be acknowledged and responded to.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith

“Our hearts and minds desire clarity. We like to have a clear picture of a situation, a clear view of how things fit together, and clear insight into our own and the world’s problems. But just as in nature colors and shapes mingle without clear-cut distinctions, human life doesn’t offer the clarity we are looking for. The borders between love and hate, evil and good, beauty and ugliness, heroism and cowardice, care and neglect, guilt and blamelessness are mostly vague, ambiguous, and hard to discern.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith

“Taking care of the environment has become so politicized that we have forgotten that caring for creation is truly synonymous with caring for our neighbors.”
― Matt Litton, The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story

“Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith