“I have a lot of faith. But I am also afraid a lot, and have no real certainty about anything.” ~Anne Lamott

As Jackie Gleason used to say (yes, I am dating myself!), how true it is. This quote made me chuckle and also acknowledge its truth. Another thing Anne Lamott has said is that the opposite of faith is certainty. She has written about her uneasiness with anyone who says they are certain about what the Bible says, what God says, or anything else about Christianity. I think of that often.

In Christian circles we talk about “Desert Fathers” and “Desert Mothers,” heroes of faith, venerated saints. I count Anne Lamott among these, also Nadia Bolz-Weber, Barbara Brown Taylor, and Kate Bowler. I know I am forgetting many others. What rough exteriors some of my Faith Heroes have—like Anne Lamott and Nadia Bolz-Weber. Sometimes they express their wisdom with crude language. Sometimes I think they say things that stray from what I think fits within my Christian ideals. But most of the time, like other great writers, I am grateful they say what I feel so much better than I ever could.