Jeff Chu Quotes

Lovelessness is a huge sin in the church. The four primary personalities in the New Testament- Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John- all four of them say that love is the most important thing. But the only time love really counts is when something unlovely happens.

Words are bricks, which, depending on how you use them, can pave pathways or build walls.

It’s as if we have all Hinduized our Christianity—is your god more a god of bellicosity and war, or does he look more like the god of prosperity, or perhaps the god of social justice? At least the Hindus aim for clarity by calling them by different names, yet we insist on using the same word—God—and identifying our priorities as his. We have taken a God of many names and hand-selected our favorite few. A vast and mysterious yet intimate and personal God has been reduced into something small and manageable and comprehensible. Whereas the Scripture says that we were created in God’s image, we have remade him in ours.

That is the power of language...words are bricks, which, depending on how you use them, can pave pathways or build walls.

My mom's example reminds me that I believe in a difficult love. This kind of love doesn't shy away from discomfort, and it doesn't mistake discomfort for danger. It subordinates our theological disagreements to the clear call to feed the hungry and clothe the needy. It shows up, as courageously as it can, even in the midst of confusion.

The wider world is not much different from the farm. It carries so many wounds and scars. It offers so much beauty. Its resilience is remarkable. Grief is inevitable and real. So is the invitation to participate in healing and proclaim grace, to believe again in goodness and live a life of hope.

A story can be told, but it's only complete when someone receives it. I'm so grateful that you have spent time with these words. May they bless you. May you plant your own seeds, and may your gardens flourish. May you draw hope from the picture of renewal that has been etched into creation. May you rest assured that you matter, and may you never doubt that you belong. May you never forget that you are so deeply loved.

because grief is love that has no place else to go.