hell...

C.S. Lewis understood hell not as a place where God locks people out of heaven, but as a dungeon that we lock ourselves into.

gates are not offensive weapons.
gates are defensive - walls and fences we build to keep people out.
the more walls and gates and fences we have, the closer we are to hell.

may we become familiar with the suffering of the poor outside our gates, know their names and taste the salt in their tears.

[Jesus for President, pgs. 292-93]