Pastorally Quotes & Sayings

One retired pastor, who felt that he was being called to write a book about homosexuality, interviewed me. He said he wanted his book to be pastorally compassionate toward gay people while exhorting the church to remain firm in holding to a traditional, biblical sexual ethic. He said, "You have to be careful to not love people too much. Loving people changes you." Indeed, loving people does change you. Loving people who are different than you changes you. But it seems to me that such change is consistent with the call of Christ. Allowing your heart to enter the beauty and brokenness of another's life (which really isn't so different from your own), to hear hopes and dreams and disappointments, fears and hurts and joys does change you. One ought not be afraid of that. — Wendy Vanderwal-Gritter

Marketers use big data profiling to predict who is about to get pregnant, who is likely to buy a new car, and who is about to change sexual orientations. That's how they know what ads to send to whom. The NSA, meanwhile, wants to know who is likely to commit an act of terrorism - and for this, they need us. — Douglas Rushkoff

I came here looking to finish school quietly. Stay out of trouble. Maybe write some new songs. I never expected you. — Anonymous

One would like to believe that people who think of themselves as devout Christians would also behave in a manner that is in according with Christian ethics. But pastorally and existentially, I know that this is not the case, and never has been. — Richard John Neuhaus

When one was reinventing oneself, anywhere could be home. — Manju Kapur

He told her, I don't remember any other lover but you.
I don't believe you.
I don't. I know the facts of other lovers, but all the real, visceral memory, or any emotion has burned away. Those lovers happened to someone else, the man I was before I met you. — Thea Harrison

There are many things which are pastorally helpful in the short or medium term which are not in fact grounded on the deepest possible reading of Scripture. That is simply a testimony to the grace of God: we don't have to get everything right before anything can work! But if the church is to be built up and nurtured in Scripture it must be semper reformanda, submitting all its traditions to the Word of God. — N. T. Wright

Once, modestly enough, Doremus had assumed that he had a decent knowledge of finance, taxation, the gold standard, agricultural exports, and he had smilingly pontificated everywhere that Liberal Capitalism would pastorally lead into State Socialism, with governmental ownership of mines and railroads and water-power so settling all inequalities of income that every lion of a structural steel worker would be willing to lie down with any lamb of a contractor, and all the jails and tuberculosis sanatoria would be clean empty. — Sinclair Lewis

I've always wanted to write energetic, atypical sentences, i.e., sentences that were not normal or bland. — George Saunders

Life has its ups and downs, but you can only look forward. — Frank Lowy

We are pastorally-focused, not politically driven. We are relationally-focused, not program driven. We are discipleship-focused, not change driven. We are partnership-focused, not empire driven. — Wendy Vanderwal-Gritter

I'm a total people pleaser. — Zoe Sugg

Technology is fascinating. — Thomas Bangalter

Intentions must mature into commitments if we are to become persons with definition, with character, with substance. — Eugene H. Peterson