Feeling Quotatious

In the past few minutes I've come across two quotes on other blogs that reinforce each other nicely. The first is from Wayne Jacobsen (the whole post is well-worth your time), but I found this excerpt at Wanderer of the North (who is new to my blogroll, btw).

I spoke with a friend recently with whom I’d shared home group life until I moved away some years ago. They used to have lots of friends and how they’ve lost touch with everyone. We talked about how much work time he’d invested in friendships in the last few years and he admitted it was little. Work, commuting and home responsibilities crowded out the time they used to devote to building friendships. Having Jesus-centered friendship is an investment. If we don’t take time to build relationships we’ll find ourselves alone. That’s no way to live. We serve a relational God and I am convinced that almost everything Jesus does he does through relationships, not programs, models or works.

The second comes by way of the inimitable Jollyblogger, who is quoting the excellent D. A. Carson:

Ever so subtly, we start to think that success more critically depends on thoughtful sociological analysis than on the gospel; Barna becomes more important than the Bible. We depend on plans, programs, vision statements - but somewhere along the way we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning.

Excellent. I want to second these two statements with all my heart. And by the way, while I'm linking to other bloggers, you might want to check out another newby on my blogroll, Another Man's Meat. More good reading there!