The gym “was not anything like one of those techno-mart wall-to-wall muscle factories. He detested those. Mirrors everywhere, as though a gym was supposed to be some kind of a satanic and narcissistic fun house”
Ecochondriacs, p. 109
Solid, in Other Words
“Keith was built like a couple of fire hydrants, one of top of the other, and the top one was a little bit wider”
Ecochondriacs, p. 108
Whether You Feel Like It or Not
“And so the first business of the preacher is to conquer the tyranny of his moods, and to be always ready for his work”
Phillips Brooks, The Joy of Preaching, p. 63
As Many Affable Men Do
“He was an affable man, and he might even have become a good man eventually if only he had been allowed to do that without having to overcome many obstacles or any stiff resistance. He liked the idea of being good”
Ecochondriacs, p. 104
Always a Marvel
“A man’s first wonder when he begins to preach is that people do not come to hear him. After a while, if he is good for anything, he begins to wonder that they do”
Phillips Brooks, The Joy of Preaching, p. 60
Not a Normal Combination
“He had white hair that was thick and full, and which reached almost to his shoulders. He looked like a cross between an aging hippie running a tie dye shop and a Confederate general.”
Ecochondriacs, p. 103
Courage Most Needful
“Courage is good everywhere, but it is necessary here. If you are afraid of men and a slave to their opinion, go and do something else. Go and make shoes to fit them”
Phillips Brooks, The Joy of Preaching, p. 59
No Real Understanding Without Humor
“Humor involves the perception of the true proportions of life. It is one of the most helpful qualities that the preacher can possess . . . But humor is something very different from frivolity”
Phillips Brooks, The Joy of Preaching, p. 58
Bonds and Bond Levies
The school “still looked entirely serviceable, but Cody guessed that an ambitious superintendent had gotten a bond levy passed, and was now tormenting his prisoners at a swankier location”
Ecochondriacs, p. 98
Spreading It All Around
“‘Um,’ he said, trying to gather up his thoughts, which someone had grabbed and then kicked all over the parking lot. It was probably the devil, and he was doing a lot of kicking”
Ecochondriacs, p. 92