“What you easily forget is that joy is not found outside you. It is not something to grasp or hold. Something to acquire. It isn't even something merely to experience. It is something to be, to inhabit, to know. For you have it. Within you now. You have always had it. It just might need to be discovered and appreciated. Joy is your inheritance. It is me. Which makes it, also, who you are…”

“The experience of being tempted is a trial you face over and over again. The deceiver comes to show you—entice you to imagine—a world where I am not, a world rich with discord, empty of harmony and hope. The deceiver invites you to consider believing things that have no substance, no weight, no truth—alluring you with information so you feel unloved. Soon, this feeling changes to belief—and you believe that you are unloved: unworthy, broken, unnecessary, replaceable, forgotten, unwanted, unneeded, unchosen, unvalued, uncared for, messed up, a disgrace, an embarrassment, a failure, a mistake…”

“Don't forget me. Don't forget what I have done. Don't forget the places where I've been. The stories of old are in the room with you, part of your story, too. They are not far away, distant and unrelated to your life. How Abraham looked into the sky, at my voice, and saw the promise of hope, of generations knowing my name. And Moses trusting me with his words was just the beginning, wasn't it? For there was another step—and another—and much persecution and questions he had to endure. And yet he clung to me. And Joshua, I loved how he held onto me with all his might! Will you hold me so closely, child? Will you wrestle with me in the darkness? Will you trust that I am good, and I will bless you if you only do not let me go?…”

“You are magnificent to me. I am so proud of you. I made you pure and good, a product of my heart. As you search for me, look deep within you. I have written myself in your mind, in your body, in your spirit. My breath is in you. Do not fear, for I give you wisdom. Do not fear, for love covers you. Do not fear, for you can ask me for what you need. I am here, listening. Let’s have a conversation about your ideas, your dreams, your questions—what captivates your heart and mind. And then let me tell you what captivates mine…”