John > John's Quotes

“The call to love our enemies is, without a doubt, the most difficult thing Jesus invited us to do. . . For gang members, the decision to not retaliate can be a life and death decision. It is a ridiculous call, and yet, as the cycle of violence is broken and Love spreads, the ripples of Love change the world.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“If we desire to make the world a better place, we will experience the suffering of those in need.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“I think if we are going to err (and we are going to err), then erring on the side of Love is where I want to be.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“I decided people are more important than tasks.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“I suppose we all change over our lifetime. Some changes come naturally; pain forces some changes in us. Still others come as we intentionally set our minds to think differently, to be differently.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“In our fight for justice, it is all too easy to mirror the hatred we encounter. Sometimes we must take a stand for the ones who are being oppressed, but when we do it out of a motive of Love, maybe the world moves one step closer to looking like heaven.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“Love is vulnerable. Love is family. Love is Life. We hurt one another. We just do. But we also need one another. We all know hurt people hurt people. Wounded people lash out in anger and in fear. I like to call them porcupines. These are people who desperately want a hug, but if you dare hug them, you will probably be stabbed.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“The idea of loving and helping “broken” people seems romantic. I’m going to rescue girls from the sex trade. I’m going to see addicts freed from drugs. I’m going to protect abused women. Then you get hurt.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“Children love. It isn’t hard for them. They don’t see race or economic class, ex-con or homeless person. They only see people they love. It is a risk to take our children into the mess, and we think we are teaching them how to minister there, but in reality they are the ones who teach us to love because they are Love. And perfect Love casts out fear.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“When people are suffering from mental illness, they have symptoms not character flaws.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district

“Sometimes the hole of despair is just too deep. Hope cannot reach that low, or maybe a person cannot hold on to the edge of Hope from inside the crater of despair.”
― jamie west zumwalt, Beloved Chaos: moving from religion to Love in a red light district