Kingdom Journeys

God teaches through experience, (Location 146)

It took a physical journey to complete a spiritual one. (Location 206)

We sometimes get lost in this modern world, far from Jesus and ourselves. God gave us this concept of sacred, intentional travel as a means of finding our way back. (Location 228)

kingdom journey removes the scales from our eyes and allows us to see God all around and even within. (Location 238)

We see different societies around the world introducing their young people to spiritual reality through the process of a journey. (Location 239)

Journeys open up our spirit to the possibility of a reality it hasn’t yet grasped. Away from the familiar, our hearts become a place where God can work, a place where only faith will sustain us. (Location 246)

A journey is an act of leaving — a process of physical abandon that teaches us how to do the same spiritually. Perhaps, to find your true identity you need to abandon everything else. (Location 260)

let’s agree on what not to do. We don’t need to educate them further. (Location 390)

Behavioral changes result from deep inner change. What people see on the outside is the result of what’s happening on the inside. (Location 410)

“I wouldn’t have preached so much,” Dr. Lord said with a sigh. “No one remembers what you say, anyway.” He said he wouldn’t have had a church larger than twelve people. He explained, “Once you get bigger than that, the weak people don’t speak up.” He paused, looked at me intently, and said, “Church is for the weak.” Though it was years ago, the stunning simplicity of that truth refreshes me even today. (Location 474)

God doesn’t ask us to innovate, but to imitate. Creativity and spontaneity are prized, but what we really need are people bold enough to follow in the footsteps of our spiritual predecessors. (Location 484)

Would-be saints are mentored — one-on-one or, better yet, one-on-small group (three to twelve was Jesus’ model). Mature Christians are made one-by-one through the influence of other Christians already mature.”11 (Location 488)

attempts at discipleship — as with nurturing a houseplant or a goldfish — die from lack of consistent attention. (Location 506)

there’s no replacing relational connection to help people grow spiritually. If we are to awaken a generation, discipleship is key. (Location 507)

while technology is valuable, it is a poor substitute for actual human contact. To go deep with people, you need to physically be with them. (Location 525)

When we follow our instincts to travel, we search for something deeply spiritual. (Location 559)

Restlessness is an itch that, if left unscratched, is a curse. The Curse of Restlessness is everywhere. (Location 572)

You sense that the sacred life — something you’ve only experienced in scattered moments — is somewhere out there. You must go find it. (Location 574)

Restlessness is commonly manifested in hobbies or addictions. (Location 589)

For most of human history, men and women have used physical rites to guide them into spiritual realms, but our culture seems to have forgotten how to do this. We’ve swapped holy journeys for one-week vacations that fail to satisfy our souls. (Location 602)

The contemporary church seems to concentrate on teaching as the focal point for spiritual formation. (Location 604)

We can’t be fully transformed in our own backyard. We need to journey. (Location 619)

They all involve a commitment to go. The difference is why you go, what you do when you get there, and how your life changes because of the journey. (Location 705)

A kingdom journey is first and foremost about expanding God’s reign in the world and increasing it inside our hearts. (Location 713)

They leave their homes, motivated by the prospect of finding something bigger than them — something that will help them make sense of their existence. (Location 723)

Wherever Jesus’ disciples walked, they were looking for the kingdom. Whoever they talked to, they were looking for a sign of the kingdom. Much to their amazement, the kingdom did come. But it didn’t come through a place or an event; it came through a people. (Location 725)

You need to go not for the destination or for the mileage on your odometer, but for what God shows you along the way. I personally had to go to Peru to understand the importance of depending on God. (Location 732)

Routine is normal, even healthy, but if the ruts go too deep, our spirits begin to whither. If we never get out of our comfort zones, we can’t grow into the places God has prepared for us. (Location 745)

To combat this comfort-seeking tendency in his disciples, Jesus routinely destabilized them. Jesus asked his followers to leave everything for a season so they might learn to see with spiritual eyes for their entire lives. (Location 747)

A kingdom journey smashes the boxes we try to put God in. We tend to think that God only acts in certain ways because that’s all we’ve experienced. (Location 787)

Questions about the length or extent of a journey can miss the point. (Location 791)

Sometimes our questions about structure result from our need for control or our desire to take the mystery out of the mysterious. (Location 792)

Does God want me to go on a kingdom journey? Where does he want me to go? How long does he want me to commit to the journey? Who will go with me? Who will coach me through it? (Location 795)

Abandonment. (Location 803)

Claud abandoned the lifestyle that had defined him before. He learned the lifestyle of ministry rather than compartmentalizing ministry into an already-packed schedule. (Location 805)

Brokenness, the second stage of kingdom journey takes you to your broken places and enables you to embrace them. (Location 807)

Their hearts were broken for the poor and it made them less selfish. (Location 810)

This kind of honest soul-searching is something you see in the brokenness stage. When you are truly broken, authenticity is all you have left. (Location 819)

The third stage, Claud and Jessi learned, is Dependence. (Location 822)

When your life no longer works, all you have left is God. (Location 823)

You can’t be remade until you first allow yourself to be unmade. Nothing forces that upon you quite like a kingdom journey, where God is all you have left and your reliance on him is absolute. You see that you were never really self-sufficient, no matter how much you prized independence. (Location 833)

Recognize that the first three steps down the path of changing the world will be costly: Abandon your comfort zone Embrace your brokenness Depend on God (Location 837)

Just the physical act of leaving brings about spiritual fruit. We learn to depend on his Spirit by breaking unhealthy habits and addictive comforts. Learning to leave is how we find our true selves. (Location 864)

Jesus intended for his disciples to actually have less than they needed to survive. He told them to take nothing but the Kingdom with them, “Do not take a purse or bag or sandals” (Location 881)

The process of abandoning is exhausting and exciting. (Location 902)

Abandonment causes our eyes to open wide. (Location 913)

journeys are usually better in the company of others. We need community and we do better if we find people to journey with us. (Location 925)

The kingdom journeys Jesus sent his disciples on in Luke 9 and 10 are examples of initiation rites. They challenged disciples to look for something deeper than their own personal advancement — a larger purpose than the American Dream. (Location 933)

In order to experience life as it was meant to be lived, we must leave. There is no other way. It’s a form of fasting. Just as when we fast from food we grow spiritually, so we grow in our spiritual lives when we abandon other creature comforts in our physical lives. (Location 952)

For a long time, I looked at the pain that attended this stripping away as a misstep on the journey — or perhaps a punishment. Instead of appreciating what God was doing in my life, I recited the script of a victim and focused blame on the people he’d used as tools to do his work in me. (Location 976)

They were more interested in learning from elders and willing to take care of them. These rites of passage were the glue of the community. Turner called this phenomenon communitas, and defined it as “an intense communal spirit that forms as a result of these rites of passage ceremonies.”26 (Location 997)

people shouldn’t go out on a kingdom journey alone. (Location 1005)

Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. Our ministry sends people out in groups of six. The community formed in these groups is amazing. (Location 1005)

“Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”27 (Location 1013)

Abandonment is the process of taking our hands off of what we have been holding onto. It involves turning away from lesser things and renouncing our “rights” to them. It is an emptying that clears away emotional space for new attachments. (Location 1039)

People need pain to grow. So much of spiritual maturity has to do with how we process pain. Discipline entails embracing the painful or unpleasant in the short term in order to realize long-term gains. Though well intentioned, parents have deprived their children of this essential resource. (Location 1077)

Travel, especially in foreign places, helps us see with new eyes. When we abandon our habits, culture, and “needs,” we are able to better see to the core of ourselves — seeing our true self. (Location 1086)

A kingdom journey is most effective when we abandon what we think we cannot abandon. With less, we discover the core of who we are. Our true self emerges from the rubble of the false self. (Location 1087)

What does a man need — really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter; six feet to lie down in — and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all — in the material sense, and we know it.”31 (Location 1097)

Less is more on a kingdom journey. Less gets you to brokenness and dependence faster. Less allows God to reveal himself in weakness. Take less than you think you need. (Location 1104)

Death to self sometimes requires us to abandon safety, to leave comfort, to forsake wealth, status, and even relationship. But it also makes possible joy, peace, and love. This death allows us to become fully alive. (Location 1143)

We are too safe and too comfortable in America. This is why we need to abandon. For the heroes of our faith, it wasn’t suffering they were worried might derail them from their destiny, it was safety. Suffering was expected; something they embraced. Our safety keeps us from moving to a place of intimacy. It impoverishes (Location 1148)

the greatest risk we face these days is that of an unlived life. If we don’t question the model of life society gives us, we may one day find ourselves entombed beneath a pyramid of time-payments, mortgages, gadgetry, and playthings. We may wake up one day and see the years have slipped by. (Location 1152)

Brokenness is what happens when something amiss is exposed and requires change. The change was needed all along; you just didn’t realize it. (Location 1261)

In my life, God has taken away my job, my ability to provide for my family, and my identity. He removed ego props that formed pieces of a false self. Each time, I entered into a time of greater dependence upon him. I was richer for it. Now, I’m grateful. (Location 1267)

Brokenness precedes intimacy. People relate to others at their place of greatest brokenness. (Location 1269)

biblical brokenness is meant to happen before someone becomes “born again.”35 (Location 1297)

The irony of our culture is that we do everything in our power to avoid it — brokenness. (Location 1299)

the importance of pressing into pain. If you feel uncomfortable, then probably something good is happening. When we lose focus and run from pain, we miss our chance to grow. (Location 1320)

He uses brokenness to teach us thankfulness for small blessings and to teach us humility that makes us more accessible to others. As a result, we become more approachable, even more loveable. (Location 1369)

At that point in my life, I had ego props that allowed me to coast along pretty well in self-sufficient mode. (Location 1419)

On the other side of the pain, I found what I had been looking for the whole time: a real relationship with my Creator. Yes, it about killed me to get there. (Location 1423)

You might ask, “Is all that pain and suffering necessary? Can’t we just surrender early in the process?” I’ve got to say, if you can do it, early surrender is the best strategy. (Location 1427)

Often, the journey has to take you to a point where surrender feels like the only option. (Location 1430)

Even on a kingdom journey, you can find ways to escape pain instead of pressing into it. The stronger your will, the more difficult it may be to accept the lessons brokenness can teach you. How do we willingly surrender to brokenness? (Location 1435)

The bad habits and self-sufficient ways we adopt become so natural — they become invisible chains that restrict our spiritual movement. We don’t even see the bondage we’re in. Prying our chains loose will usually hurt. It may feel like suffering. (Location 1452)

Instead of looking for suffering, we search for the kingdom. (Location 1457)

Pain compels us to change — it’s hard to stay broken. God’s plan has always been to lead us first into brokenness and then to dependence as we surrender to him. When you get to brokenness you have two options: 1) become a victim and effectively numb your soul, or 2) surrender, allowing God to transform you. It’s a crossroads. “Die or be killed,” as my friend Andrew Shearman says. (Location 1461)

Brokenness is a critical stage on the journey, but it’s not the end. The question is will you allow the brokenness to transform your faith or will you run? (Location 1490)

Surrender is, in a way, optional. You can drag out the miserable process for years or you can choose to end it today. Many people try to avoid surrender. They develop mechanisms to delay their personal day of reckoning. (Location 1512)

The point of kingdom journey is to learn to live a free life, one where you partner with God to achieve his dream for planet earth. (Location 1544)

Surrender is never fun. Usually, it’s humiliating. (Location 1553)

General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army said, “The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.”42 (Location 1568)

Even from a distance, you can tell the people who haven’t surrendered. You’ll see a number of telltale signs: Chaos follows their personal lives They play the victim card They struggle to maintain control They get their feelings hurt and hurt other people’s feelings They tend to make the same mistakes repeatedly Life tends to revolve around their needs (Location 1572)

We treasure independence and democracy, but fail to appreciate the importance of submission. (Location 1582)

“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.” — Soren Kierkegaard43 (Location 1600)

As you look at the parts of your life that feel hopelessly broken, it’s easy to conclude, “I’m a mess. I’m useless to anybody. I should just give (Location 1606)

Getting to brokenness involves coming to a greater awareness of what others can plainly see. (Location 1608)

He always prefers our honest doubts, fears, and frustrations to hypocritical piety. (Location 1636)

Christie desperately needed to exhaust her personal resources and declare bankruptcy. Like Christie, the rest of us need to get to the end of ourselves, too. (Location 1645)

The cross is your weakness. There are aspects of your life that just don’t work, and parts of yourself that you would prefer no one would ever see. Jesus calls us to pick up our brokenness and carry it. He calls us to embrace it. (Location 1686)

Shame is one of the primary obstacles of our processing brokenness. (Location 1695)

Shame causes us to withdraw both from God and other people — it throws up roadblocks to deep meaningful relationships. (Location 1697)

Starved for connection, some people will even use their false self to get negative attention. They create a false persona that is more rebellious, angrier, more insulting, and more violent than true. The false self is more — it’s more than you, but in the end, it’s not you at all. (Location 1702)

Shame shuts down connection with others. Not only can you not receive love when you are in shame, you can’t give it either. (Location 1708)

God was calling Shawn to stand on the watchtower and wait, to look expectantly for God to move. Standing on the watchtower; is actively passive. It is active in the sense that the watchman must show up, but passive in that he isn’t supposed to do anything other than watch. (Location 1774)

God will not waste the pain of your brokenness. He often will use it to help someone else. (Location 1791)

You don’t have to go on a kingdom journey to experience brokenness, but it helps. God sent every major hero in the Bible on a journey so they could be broken. (Location 1807)

For those of us who live in America, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, this concept of dependence can be a struggle. It is for me. The reality is I don’t have to trust him. I have everything I need — enough money, enough food, and adequate shelter. (Location 1889)

too easily default to a position of self-sufficiency. (Location 1892)

he wants to be involved in our decision-making. Not only does he want us to ask him about the big things — like who to marry, what job offer to accept, or where we should go to college. He also wants us to consult him on the little things. Yes, he wants us to ask where we should park our car, what to eat for dinner, and whether to work an extra five minutes on a project. (Location 1907)

Jesus told his disciples to pray for their daily bread. When you need God to this degree, it gives you the opportunity to see his goodness as he provides. (Location 1928)

This is not the kind of dependence you can learn in a classroom or church pew. This kind of dependence can only be learned in the real world, walking with Christ. (Location 1930)

Jesus always modeled a discipline for his disciples and then tested them in it. (Location 1932)

On the first go-around, they had their master as backup, but eventually, they had to do it on their own. (Location 1933)

“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear,” he says in John 5:30. (Location 1990)

Dependence is the plug connecting us to divine power — it’s that place in our kingdom journey where we experience another level of grace. (Location 1999)

Our self-sufficiency is at odds with a God who wants to display his power through us. The Lord tends to use us in ways that make it clear he’s working, not us. (Location 2021)

I try to be transparent about my brokenness. By allowing people to see my flaws, I find God uses them to set people free — free from comparison, free from needing to be perfect, and free from self-condemnation. (Location 2024)

Kingdom journey is a process of emptying, so that we can be filled with the fullness of God’s Spirit. Dependence begins the filling part. The first two stages show us that our own resources are inadequate. Only God can do what needs to be done. (Location 2046)

God cares about orphans and widows precisely because they have no one else to depend on. As we reach out to them, we become God’s representatives. (Location 2050)

Risk is crucial to kingdom journey. The disciples had nothing on their journey — no acoustic guitars, no video projectors to show the Jesus Film, not even a backpack. All they had was a message and a blessing. (Location 2090)

He tells us in Malachi, “Test me.” Why? Because he wants to prove himself trustworthy and he wants us to trust him. (Location 2096)

When we avoid risk or compromise, God doesn’t live through us to the extent that he’d like. He wants us to depend on him and his resources. To accomplish God-sized dreams, we must jump into situations where we have to depend on him. (Location 2101)

I was raised to believe self-reliance was a positive trait. Maybe you were, too. However, we would do well to ask ourselves the question, “Am I moving toward isolation and self-reliance or toward greater dependence on God and others?” (Location 2146)

The irony, according to Bridges, is that the more God-given abilities we have, the more we’re prone to rely on them — rather than on God. (Location 2151)

Jesus is in the business of establishing his kingdom on earth and using us to do it. (Location 2162)

As we allow God to use us, he multiplies our efforts, which flow from one person to another. (Location 2165)

Jesus’ discipleship program didn’t allow for self-reliance. He gave his followers assignments to accomplish. Lest there be any confusion about whose power they were depending on, he gave them no resources. (Location 2167)

Jesus constantly pointed out when he saw faith in people. This was his method to build faith in his disciples. (Location 2171)

God’s kingdom shines most brightly through the undesirables. (Location 2183)

This is what we learn when we have to depend completely upon God. We come to the end of ourselves and come to rely on the God who is so far beyond ourselves. (Location 2189)

We begin our journey focused on ourselves, but it is not for us. We are on a pilgrimage, yes, but ultimately it is a pilgrimage to identify with the world’s brokenness. (Location 2215)

The Bible specifically commands us to take care of the foreigners and wanderers amongst us. (Location 2255)

God has always used kingdom journey as a spiritual discipline — a resource to build compassion, a means of changing hearts toward the marginalized in our society, a way to direct our minds toward his kingdom. (Location 2266)

They hosted the Seder in Levinsky Park, the area where Nic first saw the refugees hanging around, aimless and poor. The Passover meal was served with a thousand people attending; a mix of refugees, curious Israelis, and volunteers. A choir from a refugee church came and sang traditional Passover songs. (Location 2273)

The most remarkable experience of those who work with the poor is that, in the end, the poor give more than they receive. (Location 2289)

Community and vulnerability are essential for the church of the broken. We must authentically share both our pain and joy. (Location 2293)

When we peel back the layers of our own poverty, we expose mixed motives. (Location 2309)

We labor under the guilt of our abundance. In that moment, paralyzed by ambiguity, uncomfortable that people are grabbing for my wallet, I do nothing. (Location 2319)

Getting involved is messy. (Location 2322)

God uses physical poverty to reveal our own spiritual poverty and to help us join him in healing the whole world. (Location 2346)

If we’re ever going to learn to hear God, we have to give him the benefit of the doubt. (Location 2408)

our posture should be one of leaning forward, (Location 2409)

At the same time, we should seek confirmation from other believers who hear the voice of God, that’s always wise. (Location 2410)

If you see restlessness for the gift it is, then I recommend you lean forward. Yes, there are obligations and responsibilities — debt, and commitments and duties you need to honor. But don’t allow yourself to be locked down by other people’s expectations of you. (Location 2419)

Far from being a flaky shirking of responsibility, a kingdom journey is often exactly the right step. (Location 2423)

The real question we need to ask is, “Am I called? Do I feel God pulling me to a kingdom journey?” If the answer is yes, then begin moving forward. (Location 2424)

If God is not in it, he will stop you. You will feel it. It will be hard to ignore. (Location 2426)

Discovering your calling is like riding a bicycle. You have to get it moving to steer it. If the bike isn’t moving, when you turn the handles and lean your weight into a turn, you won’t change directions, you’ll just fall over. In fact, you can only turn a bike when it is moving. (Location 2429)

If you feel like Joe, I recommend you do two things. First, pray. Then, get in motion. What God asks you to do may seem risky, but you can start small. For example, think about going on a practice kingdom journey over the weekend. Anyone can do that. (Location 2433)

In Isaiah 58:10, God says, “If you’ll spend yourself on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then the Lord will guide you always.” If we reach out to those whose needs outweigh our own, he will lead us. (Location 2438)

Many of us want provision and connection without sacrifice. (Location 2443)

By focusing on our own needs, we are dead in the water. We become self-absorbed and cut off from any divine direction. (Location 2444)

choose the “foolhardy” path of dependence upon God. (Location 2453)

This is the point of a kingdom journey: to learn that life, itself, can be filled with such radical dependence on God that you will never want to return to a “normal” life ever again. You will be wrecked for the ordinary. (Location 2487)

One area that can be difficult to navigate is how to respond when an authority figure tells you, “Don’t go.” An authority — sometimes a concerned parent — may even say your call is not from God. During times like this, it is especially important to discern what to do. (Location 2504)

The goal of kingdom journey is to get to a place where you’re so out of your own control that you can experience brokenness and wrestle with fundamental issues of identity and purpose. (Location 2572)

A kingdom journey is usually more about your own internal growth than the outward good you do. (Location 2578)

Community is another tool God uses to help us grow. Like ministry, it forces us to consider the needs of others before our own needs. Having a travel partner or a team will bring conflict, but it will also help you get over yourself and teach you to serve. (Location 2582)

They learned how to walk in faith. They learned about freedom. They learned that the company you keep on a journey is more important than the destination. They came to know God’s character and asked him to show them their own character. (Location 2596)

Mission trips are a practice field. On a mission trip, we get to practice wielding God’s authority at a new level, in a new place, and in the company of strangers with only God as a resource. (Location 2645)

To expand your ability to exercise spiritual authority, rather than taking a wild leap into the unknown, it’s better to try a series of short trips — small-scale travels into another level. (Location 2646)

We need to take risks to challenge our faith, but if we’re to learn from them, they’re best taken in a limited timeframe with a chance for debriefing in community afterwards. (Location 2649)

There’s no escaping the time dimension of an effective kingdom journey. You have to stay away from home long enough for old habits to wither. (Location 2671)

My parents could have tried to stand in our way, but they were wise to let us keep driving. Young people need to experience freedom if they are to grow in wisdom. (Location 2788)

Many young people yearn to be set loose to experience life. They want to be trusted. (Location 2790)

Young people are going to have to live life for themselves at some point. We parents can help by sending them off with our blessings. The question parents have to answer is, “What will best prepare them to live their best lives?” (Location 2793)

When his disciples appealed to the reasonable requests of family to pull back from the crazy lifestyle, Jesus was brusque, saying, “Who are my mother and brothers?” Even the Son of God knew the importance of leaving home. (Location 2808)

on the upside, it forces me to depend on God instead of myself, and causes my faith to grow.” (Location 2824)

One problem is that we live in a risk-averse society and we’re sensitized to danger. (Location 2828)

“You guys used a ‘phased’ approach to launching,” Estie said. “You gave us doses of independence in stages. You encouraged us to save money. When I was thirteen, you made me buy my own clothes. You sent us on mission trips. You helped us to feel competent by giving us miniature experiences prior to launching us.” (Location 2866)

None of us wants to stand in the way of our children achieving greatness for the kingdom of God. If we do, we will have a lot to answer for. It’s our job to help our kids launch into the destiny God has for them — even if it means we don’t catch them every time they fall. (Location 2887)

When their time comes, we need to cheer them on, thrilled with the possibilities they will discover once they leave the nest. (Location 2899)

They have their own stories to write, adventures to live, and heroic deeds to perform. They are part of God’s plan to touch and heal the world’s pain. (Location 2900)

parents spend a great deal of their time doing little more than protecting their children from life. (Location 2909)

Although error and experimentation are the true mothers of success, parents are taking pains to remove failure from the equation. (Location 2912)

God often uses a child’s journey to set crooked things straight in the family. (Location 2927)

Almost everyone who comes back from a kingdom journey finds life incredibly uncomfortable at some point. (Location 2987)

If kingdom journey gets us to a place where we are free, we’ve got to be intentional about continuing to walk in freedom after returning home. (Location 2999)

We leave home knowing that it will change us, but not really knowing what that change will cost. (Location 3007)

words, we go on kingdom journey to die to ourselves. (Location 3009)

Praying, fasting, meditating, and all the other spiritual disciplines won’t transform you automatically, either. (Location 3035)

Kingdom journey won’t do the work for you; it just brings up the issues that stand between you and intimacy with God — issues that most of us are skilled at avoiding at home. (Location 3037)

If people go on a kingdom journey and do not continue to be discipled, they will be left stranded in the middle (Location 3065)

The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. (Location 3078)

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” (Location 3082)

In this world, we’ll encounter pain every day if we’ll just look for it. I’ve been blessed with a lot of friends, some of them tremendously successful, but not one of them is without pain. (Location 3089)

Jesus himself, however, touched relatively few people in his lifetime. His mission, instead, was to reach the world through the disciples he was training. (Location 3146)

Millions are trapped. They live in prisons of hopelessness and despair. Our mission, if we choose to accept it, is to liberate them: (Location 3153)

It’s legend that St. Francis’ last words were, “I have done what was mine to do, now you must do what is yours to do.” (Location 3169)

My friend and mentor Andrew Shearman loves to ask the question, “Can you die happy?” (Location 3170)

Dying happy has to do with more than knowing that you’re going to heaven; it has to do with fulfilling your purpose on earth. (Location 3174)