In our culture of “seeker sensitivity” and radical inclusivity, the great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd. With the most sincere hearts, we do not want to see anyone walk away from Jesus because of the discomfort of his cross, so we clip the claws on the Lion a little, we clean up a bit the

The more vigorously we try to root out evil by force, the more evil will escalate. For every Muslim extremist killed, another is created. Keep in mind this was written many years before ISIS. Sadly, it seems to be even more true today than when I wrote it in 2006. When we fight fire with fire, we get more fire. Violence begets violence. Hatred

“We can live without sex, but we cannot live without love, and God is love.”

The United States consumes one-fifth of all the world’s coffee, making it the largest consumer in the world. But few Americans realize that agricultural workers in the coffee industry often toil in what can be described as “sweatshops in the fields.” Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of

“spiritual masturbation.” It feels good but never really gives birth to anything.

We set up a directory of communities: www.communityofcommunities.info.

Giving is a joy, not a burden. If we can’t give our possessions away, then they possess us. If we aren’t careful, the things we own begin to own us.

Patting Mother Teresa on the back, someone said to her, “I wouldn’t do what you do for a million dollars.” She said with a grin, “Me neither.”

late Catholic bishop Dom Helder Camara: “When I fed the hungry, they called me a saint. When I asked why people are hungry, they called me a communist.”