Annie

“the kingdom of God. I learned that Jesus was inviting us not primarily into correct beliefs, an eternal destination, or behavior modification but rather into participation in a living, eternally present reality. Through Christ, we get to join the redemption and restoration of all things. God has not given up on the world. Instead, God invites every one of us—in the way of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit—into the divine conspiracy of overcoming evil with good.”
― Aaron Niequist, The Eternal Current: How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us from Drowning

“The question of what happens to me after death is not the major, central, framing question that centuries of theological tradition have supposed. The New Testament, true to its Old Testament roots, regularly insists that the major, central, framing question is that of God’s purpose of rescue and re-creation for the whole world, the entire cosmos. The destiny of individual human beings must be understood within that context.1 If the goal is getting our souls into heaven, then every part of the Christian life (except evangelism) is secondary. Discipleship becomes optional. Mission and community become mere add-ons. But the story of God that Jesus embodied goes far beyond a onetime salvation transaction. Wright added this: The whole point of what Jesus was up to was that he was doing, close up, in the present, what he was promising long-term, in the future. And what he was promising for that future, and doing in that present, was not saving souls for a disembodied eternity but rescuing people from the corruption and decay of the way the world presently is so they could enjoy, already in the present, that renewal of creation which is God’s ultimate purpose—and so they could thus become colleagues and partners in that larger project.2 Can I get an “Amen”? We’ve been invited to become colleagues and partners with God in the larger project of healing and restoring all things for the sake of the world.”
― Aaron Niequist, The Eternal Current: How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us from Drowning

“The curse is cosmic in scope, bringing decay, brokenness, and death to every speck of the universe. But as King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus is making all things new! This is the good news of the gospel.”
― Steve Corbett, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself

“Calling isn’t something you choose, like who you marry or what house you buy or what car you buy; it’s something you unearth. You excavate. You dig out. And you discover.”
― John Mark Comer, Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human.