"we are more inclined to think about Jesus inviting us to his house but Jesus wants to be invited...Jesus never forces himself on us. unless we invite him, he will always remain a stranger."
"even after he has taken much of our sadness away and shown us that our lives are not as petty and small as we had assumed, he can still remain the one we met on the road"

[Jesus has always been such a gentleman with me and he often has great impact in my life on the road- when i decide to take a walk with him but i don't think i have ever really invited him into the hospitality of my home. he has been over before but i am a terrible host and i don't think he has ever felt welcome]

"we have to be able to say more than 'this is interesting' we have to dare to say, 'i trust you; i entrust all my being, body, mind, and soul to you. i don't want to keep any secrets from you. you can see everything i do and hear everything i say. i don't want you to be a stranger any longer. i want you to become my most intimate friend. i want you to know me, not only as i walk on the raod and talk to my fellow travelers, but also as i find myself alone with my innermost feelings and thoughts. and most of all, i want to come to know you, not just as my companion on the journey, but as the companion of my soul"

"our fear of being completely open and vulnerable is equal to our desire to know and to be known"
"my deepest desire is to love and to be loved, and that is possible only if i am willing to know and be known"

-henri nouwen (with burning hearts)