If we are serious about loving God, we must begin with people, all people. And especially we must learn to love those that the world generally discards.

A calling is something you discover, not something you choose. The word vocation comes from the Latin word for voice. Discovering it involves very careful listening. People will sometimes speak about "choosing their calling," but a chosen calling is an oxymoron. The whole idea of a calling is taken from Scripture, where time after time God calls someone to do his work. The whole idea of calling is that there is a Call-er and a call-ee.

Scratch the surface of any cynic, and you will find a wounded idealist underneath. Because of previous pain or disappointment, cynics make their conclusions about life before the questions have even been asked. This means that beyond just seeing what is wrong with the world, cynics lack the courage to do something about it. The dynamic beneath cynicism is a fear of accepting responsibility.

Skeptics would rather, even at their own expense, appear to be right than take the risk of trusting.

God has decided, for his own good reasons, that people are not transformed outside of community.