Eugene Peterson for the Weekend

Quotes from Peterson's latest The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way:

"The introduction of 'faith' into our language produces a radical and total reorientation from a flat-earth existence, plotted along the monotonous lines of a suburban subdivision [and they are monotonous, aren't they?], to a multidimensioned 'on earth as it is in heaven,' in which God's presence is the dominant and defining reality with whom we have to do" (p45).

"...the way of faith requires repeated testing so that we can discern whether we are dealing with the living God or some fantasy or illusion we have cooked up in a mulligan stew of lust and anger, envy and sloth, pride and greed" (p49).

"The world, the flesh, and the devil are all working full-time to fill our minds and emotions with pictures and longings for a so-called 'more' life that is ignorant of The Holy, for abundant life that has nothing to do with God. This godless trinity not only controls the public media and mass advertising as it propagates and glamorizes its lies; it has also infiltrated large parts of the church, interpreting the Christian life for us in such ways that we are trained to avoid or be contemptuous of anything that doesn't promise us gratification" (p145-46).

And particularly for you pastors:

"Preaching that is primarily about us is not gospel preaching; in fact, it is not preaching at all. That would be bad news, not good news" (p163).