Ben Palm > Recent Status Updates

“The prophet learns to be FOR and WITH, and not against.” Page 162

“The prophets want us to love God above all else, and be loved by God above all other partners. Which will, and must, lead to a universal love. The kind that sets out to rescue those we’d much rather condemn. That is the prophets’ hard-won conclusion, their tear-filled victory. Is there any other kind of winning?” Page 159

“Somehow, the loving people I have met all across the world seem to know that if it is love at all, it has to be love for everybody. As soon as you even begin to parcel it out, you are not in the great field of love.” Page 159

“Our small, myopic agendas have nullified the triumphant work of grace for too long.” Page 158

"One group will see fruit, and another will see poison in the same event. This easily becomes another strong argument for not taking your judgments too seriously until you have studied and heard from other wise and loving people - including those who disagree with you." page 153

"We humans do not see things as they are; we see things as we are, and we have an unfortunate tendency to create God in our own image." page 149

"It is wise, then, not to waste too much time looking for miraculous leaps forward in your own development, or waiting for the perfectly stated criticism that haas no sting at all. Most people, ourselves included, are very defensive in the presence of criticism." page 148

“Grace is one of those realities that is everywhere once you stop weighing, counting, and deserving.” Page 133

“Salvation (infinite love) is all God‘s work, and we must stop trying to renegotiate the terms to make ourselves more deserving. We never will be.” Page 129

“Don’t believe those who tell you that you can grow while staying in full control. It is a lie. In all of our lives, deeper love has to do with giving up some measure of control.” Pp. 109-110

“The story of Jonah breaks all the expectations of who is right, and then remakes those expectations in favor of grace.” Page 86

“A true profit leaves the success of the message in God’s hands. Their job is to speak the truth and let go of the consequences or any need for an ideal response. Even if no one listens, they do not lose heart. That is a major indicator of the purity of their message.” Page 85

“Even apparent miracles must be discerned by their fruits.” Page 85

“… just because a person is passionate, and skilled at gathering crowds does not mean that he or she knows how or where to lead people beyond that.” Page 84

“God forgives undeservedly, even after direct disobedience! This is a love that waits and hopes and desires, working toward surrender and trust. It gifts us a new covenant that we can actually fulfill, not just perfectly or by ourselves. Only God can fill in all the gaps. Henceforth, there is no such thing as deserving or earning anything. All is grace.” Page 77

"...when you ask why the healing was needed, you have a whole new way of seeing what needs to change, which is invariably the bigger power structure..." page 22

“The plea for mercy at the beginning of many Christian worship services is a statement and a warning that we are moving onto holy ground. We most likely do not know what we are talking about when we speak of God, so we’d best start with humility.” page xix