“perhaps true beauty is something that draws our attention at second glance, once the judgement of a first glance has realised it’s mistake”
We are not yet what we should be, but we are growing toward it.
The process is not yet finished but it is going on.
This is not the end, but this is the road.
Everything does not yet gleam in glory,
but everything is in process of being purified.
Amen. – Martin Luther -
“We separated the babies and unfortunately, after separation of the babies, Hope’s lungs were too small to support her breathing and circulation.
“So eventually she died because of a lung condition and in reality what happened before is that the lungs of Faith were somehow supporting Hope,” he said.
The following was said to me recently after I finished leading our Brigade service:
I’m just not sure about you being called to your home Church. I think you should be seeking somewhere with a much larger Youth Ministry. You’re good; too good for us. – {withheld}
Interesting theology wrapped up in that I think.
Jesus was only ever able to seize the moment because He spent so much time in prayer and in the presence of His Father. Jesus spent hours every day in personal spiritual preparation. Then, when He had a relational encounter, He was spiritually aware enough to see straight into the heart of the situation and maximise that moment. The same is true for all of us involved in Youth Ministry. The hard work is not taken up in face-to-face contact with young people. The hard work of Youth Ministry is taken up in the small, quiet hours of daily prayer and Bible study. – Steve Griffiths – A Christlike Ministry: YTC Press
“God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him.”
- Hudson Taylor -
“It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbour.”
- Martin Luther -
“It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability, that counts.”
- Corrie Ten Boom -
“It seems that what is required of us is not new ideas, but obedience to those God has given us already.”
- John V Taylor -
A few quotes from Barack Obama as he declares victory in the US Election:
“to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day”
“Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House”
“And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure”
“[this campaign] grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy”
“This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you”
“So let us summon a new spirit of [...] service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other”
“And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too”
A reformulation of the ‘Footprints in the Sand‘ poem as a limerick:
There was a man who, at low tide
Would walk with the Lord by his side
Jesus said “Now look back;
You’ll see one set of tracks.
That’s when you got a piggy-back ride.”{source}
Great to see it distilled down but still retaining its meaning. Reminded me of this Savage Chickens cartoon about brevity.
In our Home Group we’ve been exploring the Kingdom of God and trying to re-establish our vision of what ‘the Kingdom of God’ means. Just after our second session in which we looked at Matthew 7:21 (“not everyone who says ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom…”) I found the following ‘parable’ by Pete Rollins which really backed-up what we’d been saying:
In a world where following Christ is decreed to be a subversive and illegal activity you have been accused of being a believer, arrested and dragged before a court.
You have been under clandestine surveillance for some time now and so the prosecution has been able to build up quite a case against you. They begin the trial by offering the judge dozens of photographs which show you attending church meetings, speaking at religious events, and participating in various prayer and worship services. After this they present a selection of items that have been confiscated from your home: religious books that you own, worship CDs and other Christian artefacts. Then they step up the pace by displaying many of the poems, pieces of prose, and journal entries that you had lovingly written concerning your faith. Finally, in closing, the prosecution offers your Bible to the judge. This is a well-worn book with scribbles, notes, drawings, and underlings throughout, evidence, if it were needed, that you had read and re-read this sacred text many times.
Throughout the case you have been sitting silently in fear and trembling. You know deep in your heart that with the large body of evidence that has been amassed by the prosecution you face the possibility of a long imprisonment or even execution. At various times throughout the proceedings you have lost all confidence and have been on the verge of standing up and denying Christ. But while this thought has plagued your mind throughout the trial, you resist the temptation and remain focused.
Once the prosecution has finished presenting their case the judge proceeds to ask if you have anything to add, but you remain silent and resolute, terrified that if you open your mouth, even for a moment, you might deny the charges made against you. Like Christ, you remain silent before your accusers. In response you are led outside to wait as the judge ponders your case.
The hours pass slowly as you sit under guard in the foyer waiting to be summoned back. Eventually a young man in uniform appears and leads you into the courtroom so that you may hear the verdict and receive word of your punishment. Once seated in the dock the judge, a harsh and unyielding man, enters the room, stands before you, looks deep into your eyes and begins to speak,
“Of the charges that have been brought forward I find the accused not guilty.”
“Not guilty?” your heart freezes. Then, in a split second, the fear and terror that had moments before threatened to strip your resolve are swallowed up by confusion and rage.
Despite the surroundings, you stand defiantly before the judge and demand that he give an account concerning why you are innocent of the charges in light of the evidence.
“What evidence?” he replies in shock.
“What about the poems and prose that I wrote?” you reply.
“They simply show that you think of yourself as a poet, nothing more.”
“But what about the services I spoke at, the times I wept in church and the long, sleepless nights of prayer?”
“Evidence that you are a good speaker and actor, nothing more.” replied the judge, “It is obvious that you deluded those around you, and perhaps at times you even deluded yourself, but this foolishness is not enough to convict you in a court of law.”
“But this is madness!” you shout. “It would seem that no evidence would convince you!”
“Not so,” replies the judge as if informing you of a great, long forgotten secret.
“The court is indifferent toward your Bible reading and church attendance; it has no concern for worship with words and a pen. Continue to develop your theology, and use it to paint pictures of love. We have no interest in such armchair artists who spend their time creating images of a better world. We exist only for those who would lay down that brush, and their life, in a Christ-like endeavor to create it. So, until you live as Christ and his followers, until you challenge this system and become a thorn in our side, until you die to yourself and offer your body to the flames, until then my friend, you are no enemy of ours.” – Pete Rollins
