from The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which,if you say it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

from The Life You've Always Wanted, by John Ortberg

Jesus' announcement of the gospel is simply the announcement of the existence and availability of another dimension of existence, another world. 'The kingdom of God has come near,' he said. 'Repent, and believe int he good news.' The Good News -- the word we translate "gospel" -- is that this fallen world as we know it is not the whole story. There is another realm. It is as real as the chair I sit in and the book you read.

from On Fairy Stories, by J.R.R. Tolkein

It is the mark of the good fairy-story, of the higher or more complete kind, that however wild its events, however fantastic or terrible the adventures, it an give to the child or man that hears it, when the "turn" comes, a catch of the breath, a beat and lifting of the heart, near to (or indeed accompanied by) tears, as keen as that given by any form of literary art.

by Soren Kierkegaard

Now, with God's help, I shall become myself.

from Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life, by Shauna Niequist

Everything is interim. Everything is a path or a preparation for the next thing, and we never know what the next thing is. Life is like that, of course, twisty and surprising. But life with God is like that exponentially. We can dig in, make plans, write in stone, pretend we're not listening, but the voice of God has a way of being heard. It seeps in like smoke or vapor even when we've barred the door against any last-minute changes, and it moves us to different countries and different emotional territories and different ways of living. It keeps us moving and dancing and watching, and never lets us drop down into a life set on cruise control or a life ruled by remote control. Life with God is a dancing dream, full of flashes and last-minute exits and generally all the things we've said we'll never do. And with the surprises comes great hope.

from Abba's Child, by Brennan Manning

Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion. 

from The Threat of Gospel Amnesia, by Luma Simms

At the end of hope, feeling and believing myself to be on the receiving end of the hot displeasure and disappointment of a holy God, I crashed. And then, when there was nothing left of me, there was Jesus. Savior, Redeemer, Friend. No displeasure, no disappointment, just the blazing fire of unmerited grace.

from The Four Loves, by CS Lewis

We shall draw nearer to God, not by trying to avoid the sufferings inherent in all loves, but by accepting them and offering them to Him; throwing away all defensive armour. If our hearts need to be broken, and if He chooses this as a way in which they should break, so be it.

Hymn, by Brooke Frasier

If to distant lands I scatterIf I sail to farthest seasWould You find and firm and gather‘Til I only dwell in Thee?
If I flee from greenest pasturesWould You leave to look for me?Forfeit glory to come after‘Til I only dwell in Thee
If my heart has one ambitionIf my soul one goal to seekThis my solitary vision‘Til I only dwell in TheeThat I only dwell in Thee‘Til I only dwell in Thee

from Shadowfeet, by Brooke Frasier

There's distraction buzzing in my head

saying in the shadows it's easier to stay

but I've heard rumours of true reality

whispers of a well-lit way