Tony Villatoro > Recent Status Updates

“In the meanwhile, dowse your quill in honey, for the truth’s a bitter brew.” -80

We are temples of the Holy Spirit individually, but not in isolation; the church (locally and universally) is also a temple of the Holy Spirit, not bound to one location. Through Jesus’ sacrificial death upon the cross, He has renewed our mandate to spread the presence of God in the world. -145

It is important to understand that many, who are disillusioned with, or even repelled by, Christianity are in reality only disillusioned with or repelled by dead orthodoxy, worldly Christianity, or cultural Christianity. -118

In writing the demonstration of the apostolic, preaching, Irenaeus, who more than any earlier writer identified scripture as we now know it, and established it in its rightful, foundational, place, has given us an unparalleled example of how to approach and understand the truth revealed by scripture. In this lies the immense significance of this otherwise modest and unassuming work. -26

[God] has inserted a Babel-like kill switch inside of human endeavors without him. Nothing and no one can truly advance a program of renewal without his presence. -53

She made this surrender before knowing what Jesus was going to do for her. May accepted that she was going down in the world — but think of how far the Son of God came down, from heaven to earth. -98

For such a long time, God seemed far away. But now, he has heard what we hoped, and we prayed, “God is coming to earth… to stay!” -87

In the mystery of the incarnation the only-begotten of the Father increased what was ours, but diminished not what was his. (Gregory the Great) -201

An Army colonel stationed in Mississippi told Schurz that white people refused to”to sell or lease lands to black men,” believing that if freedmen were held propertyless and could not raise their own crops, they would be forced to resume plantation labor at barely subsistence wages, and that “this kind of slavery will be better than none at all.” 132

Assigning black children to lengthy unpaid “apprenticeships” with planters who taught no marketable skills beyond “field hand” seemed like slavery renamed. -74

Most of the women in Jesus' resume were Gentiles (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth). They were Canaanites and a Moabitess. To the ancient Jews, these nations were unclean; they weren't allowed in the tabernacle or temple to worship. We could call them "racial outsiders," and yet they are in Jesus' genealogy. -30

"If you don't slow down, you'll meet yourself coming back, Eileen." -30

But outside of the Garden, God seemed far away. So Adam and Eve began to hope and to pray, “God will you bring us back one day? God will you come back… to stay?” -15

A plurality is not an egalitarian enterprise that denies individual gifting, removes roles, or demands equality in function or outcomes. Even among equals, there must be leadership. -55

In our own day, when an assault on the US Capitol by a mob of thousands is portrayed as an innocent meander of tourists by partisan news outlets, despite exhaustive photographic evidence to the contrary, the complaints of Southern Republicans about 1870s press coverage might be easier to credit. -9

In order to remain in the sweet darkness of pure Faith, let me become nothing to the pale, weak light of sense. -5

God over mind, mind over passions. -32

Fear works in such a way that the object of the fear is almost irrelevant… Fear takes on its own life. -41

Tim Keller may have received a C in his preaching class at Gordon-Conwell. But what pried him away from Hopewell and brought him to Philadelphia was the invitation to replace his only mentor as a preaching professor. -128

The perceived danger posed by Latino immigrants has grown so much in the U.S. imagination that the border has begun to move inland. There are now Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices deep in the “heartland of America,” in places like Salt Lake City, Atlanta, and Omaha. In the modern United States, the border is everywhere. -33

I was as much scared as angry, but where does a slave put anger? We could be angry with one another; we were human. But the real source of our rage had to go without address, swallowed, repressed. -35

Meanwhile, everyone was still expected to speak in tongues, or at least make a stab at it. For some, this worked splendidly. But for others, it was grossly humiliating, and the sensation of power or anointing never did arrive. -95

It was a triumph in a way, but one which he always remained amusedly contemptuous, as if it were a victory won by boredom and indifference. -228

The windows were all opened to let the day in. -94

Reorder. Revive. Rejuvenate. Recreate. Reconnect. Refinance. Rethink.

For the next day or two, Tim and another student engaged anyone who approached the sign which read, “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is intellectually credible and existentially satisfying.” -20

One look at her own lovely face and she seemed to grow colder and more composed than ever. -49

These three shifts - narrowing your focus, mastering the art of saying no, and making categorical decision - are the first past of the strategy to stop the hijacking of your priorities. -129

Off to a good start!