All will be well in the end —
if all is not well, then it's not the end!
~ Megan McKenna
a Catholic writer, and a peace and justice activist
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/features.php?id=15978
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Punishments for Laziness
Failure is not the only punishment for laziness;
there is also the success of others.
~ Jules Renard
there is also the success of others.
~ Jules Renard
Friday, September 01, 2006
The Deepest Yearning of Our Hearts
“Speak to us about the deepest yearning of our hearts, about our many wishes, about hope; not about the many strategies for (mere) survival, but about trust; not about new methods of satisfying our emotional needs, but about love.
Speak to us about a vision larger than our changing perspectives and about a voice deeper than the clamorings of our mass media. Yes, speak to us about something or someone greater than ourselves. Speak to us about.....God.”
~ Excerpt from Life of the Beloved,
by Henri J.M. Nouwen (page 22).
Speak to us about a vision larger than our changing perspectives and about a voice deeper than the clamorings of our mass media. Yes, speak to us about something or someone greater than ourselves. Speak to us about.....God.”
~ Excerpt from Life of the Beloved,
by Henri J.M. Nouwen (page 22).
Truth-Telling, Kindness, Forgiveness, and Anger
“Contrary to popular opinion, Christians are not nice polite people who never get angry with one another. Those are not the virtues of God’s people. Our virtues are truth-telling, kindness, forgiveness and yes, even anger—as long as it is the anger that is part of true love—through which we move closer to one another and to the God who has shown us how it is done.”
~ Barbara Brown Taylor
~ Barbara Brown Taylor
Seeing the Creature Made in the Divine Image
“God can look right through whatever evil we have done in our lives and get to the creature made in the divine image. I suspect that only God and well-loved infants can see this way. Peter denied Jesus, and Saul persecuted the early Christians, but God could see the apostles they would become. Maybe that’s why we worship—to respond to this grace. We praise God not to celebrate our own faith but to give thanks for the faith that God has in us and in others.”
~ Kathleen Norris
~ Kathleen Norris
To be a Christian is to live dangerously
“To be a Christian is to live dangerously, honestly, freely,—to step out in the name of love as if you may land on nothing, and to keep on stepping because the something that sustains you no empire can give you and no empire can take away. This is the kind of vision and courage required to enable the renewal of prophetic, democratic, Christian idenity in the age of American Empire.”
~ Cornel West
Democracy Matters
~ Cornel West
Democracy Matters
The Organized/Economic Church
Organized Christianity seems, in general, to have made peace with “the economy” by divorcing itself from economic issues, and this, I think, has proved to be a disaster, both religious and economic. The reason for this, on the side of religion, is suggested by the adjective “organized.” It is clearly possible that, in the condition of the world as the world now is, organization can force upon an institution a character that is alien or even antithetical to it.
The organized church comes immediately under a compulsion to think of itself, and identify itself to the world, not as an institution synonymous with its truth and its membership, but as a hodgepodge of funds, properties, projects, and offices, all urgently requiring economic support. The organized church makes peace with a destructive economy and divorces itself from economic issues because it is economically compelled to do so.
Like any other public institution so organized, the organized church is dependent on “the economy”; it cannot survive apart from those economic practices that its truth forbids and that its vocation is to correct. If it comes to a choice between the extermination of the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field and the extermination of the building fund, the organized church will elect—indeed, has already elected—to save the building fund.
The irony is compounded and made harder to bear by the fact that the building fund can be preserved by crude applications of money, but the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field can be preserved only by true religion, by the practice of a proper love and respect for them as the creatures of God. No wonder so many sermons are devoted exclusively to “spiritual” subjects. If one is living by the tithes of history’s most destructive economy, then the disembodiment of the soul becomes the chief of worldly conveniences.
~ Wendell Berry, “God and Country” in What are People For?
The organized church comes immediately under a compulsion to think of itself, and identify itself to the world, not as an institution synonymous with its truth and its membership, but as a hodgepodge of funds, properties, projects, and offices, all urgently requiring economic support. The organized church makes peace with a destructive economy and divorces itself from economic issues because it is economically compelled to do so.
Like any other public institution so organized, the organized church is dependent on “the economy”; it cannot survive apart from those economic practices that its truth forbids and that its vocation is to correct. If it comes to a choice between the extermination of the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field and the extermination of the building fund, the organized church will elect—indeed, has already elected—to save the building fund.
The irony is compounded and made harder to bear by the fact that the building fund can be preserved by crude applications of money, but the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field can be preserved only by true religion, by the practice of a proper love and respect for them as the creatures of God. No wonder so many sermons are devoted exclusively to “spiritual” subjects. If one is living by the tithes of history’s most destructive economy, then the disembodiment of the soul becomes the chief of worldly conveniences.
~ Wendell Berry, “God and Country” in What are People For?
The Theology Already There
“We are at the beginning of a period in which many things will have to be tried. A few will work; many will not. But the place where the courage to attempt something different—something by way of participation in the worldly suffering of God—begins is thinking critically about the theology that has accompanied Christendom and asking for another theology. Not just a new strategy, or greater commitment to social programs, or more exciting liturgies, or more sincere spirituality—no, for a different theology.
And I am comforted by the thought that we do not have to invent such a theology….The theology that we need is already there—from the Old Testament onwards! It is really just a matter of letting go of some of our conditioned beliefs and assumptions and allowing what is there to speak to us as we are, where we are, and when we are.”
~ Douglas John Hall, The Cross in our Context
And I am comforted by the thought that we do not have to invent such a theology….The theology that we need is already there—from the Old Testament onwards! It is really just a matter of letting go of some of our conditioned beliefs and assumptions and allowing what is there to speak to us as we are, where we are, and when we are.”
~ Douglas John Hall, The Cross in our Context
The Human Soul
“If we want to support each other’s inner lives, we must remember a simple truth: the human soul does not want to be fixed, it wants simply to be seen and heard.
If we want to see and hear a person’s soul, there is another truth we must remember: the soul is like a wild animal—-tough, resilient, and yet shy. When we go crashing through the woods shouting for it to come out so we can help it, the soul will stay in hiding. But if we are willing to sit quietly and wait for a while, the soul may show itself.”
~Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach
If we want to see and hear a person’s soul, there is another truth we must remember: the soul is like a wild animal—-tough, resilient, and yet shy. When we go crashing through the woods shouting for it to come out so we can help it, the soul will stay in hiding. But if we are willing to sit quietly and wait for a while, the soul may show itself.”
~Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach
Belonging and Election
Belonging is that complex, entangling, and freeing experience of simultaneous choosing and being chosen that lovers, committed members of marginalized groups, members of religious communities, and others know. Belonging is the way human beings find a home for themselves in a universe not centered in or on them…. [B]elonging brings with it not greater privilege, but wider and deeper joy, obligations to others, and suffering…. the acknowledgement that one is a participant rather than a ruler.
Finally, the teaching of election reconstructed as belonging could help to counter the tendency toward spiritualism (the devaluing of the embodied life); for each of us belongs only in and through the stubbornly concrete and particular experience that is ours.
“Election” by Mary Potter Engel in The New Handbook of Christian Theology.
Finally, the teaching of election reconstructed as belonging could help to counter the tendency toward spiritualism (the devaluing of the embodied life); for each of us belongs only in and through the stubbornly concrete and particular experience that is ours.
“Election” by Mary Potter Engel in The New Handbook of Christian Theology.
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
© Mary Oliver. Online Source
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
© Mary Oliver. Online Source
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Einstein's Religion
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.
~ Albert Einstein
~ Albert Einstein
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Success is Simple
Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time.
A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.
All some folks want is their fair share and yours.
An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.
Expecting something for nothing is the most popular form of hope.
Fear is the lengthened shadow of ignorance.
Improvement begins with I.
Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.
Live so that your friends can defend you but never have to.
One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.
Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.
Telling a teenager the facts of life is like giving a fish a bath.
The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion.
The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
What the country needs are a few labor-making inventions.
~ Arnold H. Glasow
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors
/a/arnold_h_glasow.html
A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.
All some folks want is their fair share and yours.
An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.
Expecting something for nothing is the most popular form of hope.
Fear is the lengthened shadow of ignorance.
Improvement begins with I.
Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.
Live so that your friends can defend you but never have to.
One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.
Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.
Telling a teenager the facts of life is like giving a fish a bath.
The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion.
The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
What the country needs are a few labor-making inventions.
~ Arnold H. Glasow
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors
/a/arnold_h_glasow.html
Monday, August 28, 2006
God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved
Isaiah 45:22-23 NRS 22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."
Ephesians 2:11-22 NRS 14 For [Jesus] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. … 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.)
1 Timothy 2:1-6 NRS 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all-- this was attested at the right time.
Ephesians 2:11-22 NRS 14 For [Jesus] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. … 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.)
1 Timothy 2:1-6 NRS 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all-- this was attested at the right time.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
The Alien and the Stranger
NRS Exodus 12:48 If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the LORD, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it;
NRS Exodus 12:49 there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.
NRS Exodus 22:21 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
NRS Exodus 23:9 You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
NRS Exodus 23:12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.
NRS Leviticus 16:29 This shall be a statute to you forever: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall deny yourselves, and shall do no work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you.
NRS Leviticus 18:26 But you shall keep my statutes and my ordinances and commit none of these abominations, either the citizen or the alien who resides among you
NRS Leviticus 19:10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.
NRS Leviticus 19:33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.
NRS Leviticus 19:34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
NRS Leviticus 23:22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the LORD your God.
NRS Leviticus 24:22 You shall have one law for the alien and for the citizen: for I am the LORD your God.
NRS Leviticus 25:47 If resident aliens among you prosper, and if any of your kin fall into difficulty with one of them and sell themselves to an alien, or to a branch of the alien’s family,
NRS Leviticus 25:48 after they have sold themselves they shall have the right of redemption; one of their brothers may redeem them,
NRS Leviticus 25:50 They shall compute with the purchaser the total from the year when they sold themselves to the alien until the jubilee year; the price of the sale shall be applied to the number of years: the time they were with the owner shall be rated as the time of a hired laborer.
NRS Numbers 9:14 Any alien residing among you who wishes to keep the passover to the LORD shall do so according to the statute of the passover and according to its regulation; you shall have one statute for both the resident alien and the native.
NRS Numbers 15:14 An alien who lives with you, or who takes up permanent residence among you, and wishes to offer an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD, shall do as you do.
NRS Numbers 15:15 As for the assembly, there shall be for both you and the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the LORD.
NRS Numbers 15:16 You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and the same ordinance.
NRS Numbers 15:29 For both the native among the Israelites and the alien residing among them-- you shall have the same law for anyone who acts in error.
NRS Numbers 15:30 But whoever acts high-handedly, whether a native or an alien, affronts the LORD, and shall be cut off from among the people.
NRS Numbers 19:10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This shall be a perpetual statute for the Israelites and for the alien residing among them.
NRS Numbers 35:15 These six cities shall serve as refuge for the Israelites, for the resident or transient alien among them, so that anyone who kills a person without intent may flee there.
NRS Deuteronomy 1:16 I charged your judges at that time: "Give the members of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and another, whether citizen or resident alien.
NIV Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do.
NRS Deuteronomy 10:19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
NRS Deuteronomy 23:7 You shall not abhor any of the Edomites, for they are your kin. You shall not abhor any of the Egyptians, because you were an alien residing in their land.
NRS Deuteronomy 24:17 You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge.
NRS Deuteronomy 24:19 When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings.
NRS Deuteronomy 24:20 When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
NRS Deuteronomy 24:21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
NRS Deuteronomy 25:5 When brothers reside together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her, taking her in marriage, and performing the duty of a husband's brother to her,
NRS Deuteronomy 26:1 When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it,
NRS Deuteronomy 26:2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.
. . .
NRS Deuteronomy 26:5 you shall make this response before the LORD your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.
NRS Deuteronomy 27:19 "Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice." All the people shall say, "Amen!"
NRS Joshua 8:33 All Israel, alien as well as citizen, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.
NRS Joshua 8:34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, blessings and curses, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
NRS Job 29:14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.
NRS Job 29:15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.
NRS Job 29:16 I was a father to the needy, and I championed the cause of the stranger.
NRS Job 29:17 I broke the fangs of the unrighteous, and made them drop their prey from their teeth.
NRS Job 31:32 the stranger has not lodged in the street; I have opened my doors to the traveler—
NRS Jeremiah 7:5-7 5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.
NRS Jeremiah 22:3 3 Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.
NRS Ezekiel 22:6-7 6 The princes of Israel in you, everyone according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. 7 Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the alien residing within you suffers extortion; the orphan and the widow are wronged in you.
NRS Ezekiel 22:29 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress.
NRS Zechariah 7:9-10 9 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; 10 do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.
NRS Malachi 3:5 5 Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
NRS Matthew 25:31 - 26:1 31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Egypt, Assyria and Israel
Isaiah 19:17-25 - "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage."
17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the plan that the LORD of hosts is planning against them. 18 On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of the Sun. 19 On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; when they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior, and will defend and deliver them. 21 The LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians; and the Egyptians will know the LORD on that day, and will worship with sacrifice and burnt offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing; they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their supplications and heal them.
23 On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage."
NRS Exodus 12:49 there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.
NRS Exodus 22:21 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
NRS Exodus 23:9 You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
NRS Exodus 23:12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.
NRS Leviticus 16:29 This shall be a statute to you forever: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall deny yourselves, and shall do no work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you.
NRS Leviticus 18:26 But you shall keep my statutes and my ordinances and commit none of these abominations, either the citizen or the alien who resides among you
NRS Leviticus 19:10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.
NRS Leviticus 19:33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.
NRS Leviticus 19:34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
NRS Leviticus 23:22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the LORD your God.
NRS Leviticus 24:22 You shall have one law for the alien and for the citizen: for I am the LORD your God.
NRS Leviticus 25:47 If resident aliens among you prosper, and if any of your kin fall into difficulty with one of them and sell themselves to an alien, or to a branch of the alien’s family,
NRS Leviticus 25:48 after they have sold themselves they shall have the right of redemption; one of their brothers may redeem them,
NRS Leviticus 25:50 They shall compute with the purchaser the total from the year when they sold themselves to the alien until the jubilee year; the price of the sale shall be applied to the number of years: the time they were with the owner shall be rated as the time of a hired laborer.
NRS Numbers 9:14 Any alien residing among you who wishes to keep the passover to the LORD shall do so according to the statute of the passover and according to its regulation; you shall have one statute for both the resident alien and the native.
NRS Numbers 15:14 An alien who lives with you, or who takes up permanent residence among you, and wishes to offer an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD, shall do as you do.
NRS Numbers 15:15 As for the assembly, there shall be for both you and the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the LORD.
NRS Numbers 15:16 You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and the same ordinance.
NRS Numbers 15:29 For both the native among the Israelites and the alien residing among them-- you shall have the same law for anyone who acts in error.
NRS Numbers 15:30 But whoever acts high-handedly, whether a native or an alien, affronts the LORD, and shall be cut off from among the people.
NRS Numbers 19:10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This shall be a perpetual statute for the Israelites and for the alien residing among them.
NRS Numbers 35:15 These six cities shall serve as refuge for the Israelites, for the resident or transient alien among them, so that anyone who kills a person without intent may flee there.
NRS Deuteronomy 1:16 I charged your judges at that time: "Give the members of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and another, whether citizen or resident alien.
NIV Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do.
NRS Deuteronomy 10:19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
NRS Deuteronomy 23:7 You shall not abhor any of the Edomites, for they are your kin. You shall not abhor any of the Egyptians, because you were an alien residing in their land.
NRS Deuteronomy 24:17 You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge.
NRS Deuteronomy 24:19 When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings.
NRS Deuteronomy 24:20 When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
NRS Deuteronomy 24:21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
NRS Deuteronomy 25:5 When brothers reside together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her, taking her in marriage, and performing the duty of a husband's brother to her,
NRS Deuteronomy 26:1 When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it,
NRS Deuteronomy 26:2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.
. . .
NRS Deuteronomy 26:5 you shall make this response before the LORD your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.
NRS Deuteronomy 27:19 "Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice." All the people shall say, "Amen!"
NRS Joshua 8:33 All Israel, alien as well as citizen, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.
NRS Joshua 8:34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, blessings and curses, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
NRS Job 29:14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.
NRS Job 29:15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.
NRS Job 29:16 I was a father to the needy, and I championed the cause of the stranger.
NRS Job 29:17 I broke the fangs of the unrighteous, and made them drop their prey from their teeth.
NRS Job 31:32 the stranger has not lodged in the street; I have opened my doors to the traveler—
NRS Jeremiah 7:5-7 5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.
NRS Jeremiah 22:3 3 Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.
NRS Ezekiel 22:6-7 6 The princes of Israel in you, everyone according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. 7 Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the alien residing within you suffers extortion; the orphan and the widow are wronged in you.
NRS Ezekiel 22:29 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress.
NRS Zechariah 7:9-10 9 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; 10 do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.
NRS Malachi 3:5 5 Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
NRS Matthew 25:31 - 26:1 31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Egypt, Assyria and Israel
Isaiah 19:17-25 - "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage."
17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the plan that the LORD of hosts is planning against them. 18 On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of the Sun. 19 On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; when they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior, and will defend and deliver them. 21 The LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians; and the Egyptians will know the LORD on that day, and will worship with sacrifice and burnt offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing; they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their supplications and heal them.
23 On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage."
A Heavy Heart
Like vinegar on a wound is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood,
sorrow gnaws at the human heart.
~ Proverbs 25:20 NRSV
NRS Notes (Pro 25:20)
(1) Gk: Heb Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, like vinegar on lye
(2) Gk Syr Tg: Heb lacks Like a moth . . . human heart
Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood,
sorrow gnaws at the human heart.
~ Proverbs 25:20 NRSV
NRS Notes (Pro 25:20)
(1) Gk: Heb Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, like vinegar on lye
(2) Gk Syr Tg: Heb lacks Like a moth . . . human heart
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Sickness and Healing
Sometimes God takes the sickness away from us.
Sometimes God takes us away from the sickness.
~ Ann, August 2006
Sometimes God takes us away from the sickness.
~ Ann, August 2006
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Charles Barkley quotes
Barkley quotes from Phil Sheridan:
Phil Sheridan, Inquirer Columnist
"Note to Barkley: Go for the White House"
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sun, Jul. 30, 2006
www.philly.com
He once famously said that the guys who pumped gas when he was growing up all voted Democratic, and they were still pumping gas.
Recently, in explaining his decision to switch to the Dem side, he said: "I was a Republican until they lost their minds."
...
Barkley makes Harry Truman look gun-shy about speaking his mind, because Barkley figured out what neither party seems to grasp: "Only half the people are going to like you anyway; the half that don't like you need a life."
Some other gems, culled from clintcam.com/barkley and then checked against other sources:
"You get two rich guys arguing over who's conservative and who's liberal - and you go: Now they just argued for an hour, and nothing got solved."
"You're voting for who'll do the best for you, and I don't like that system. You should vote to help everybody."
"Hey, we can't even get black coaches in the NFL. You think we gonna have a black president?"
"You know how you can tell politics is corrupt? President Bush is going to raise $250 million for a job that pays $400,000. Now tell me there isn't something wrong there."
"I don't have time to put up with... politics. Who's a Democrat? Who's a Republican? Who's liberal? Who's conservative? Man, can my daughter just go to a school and not get killed?"
...
"I've got a technique," Barkley once said of his prodigious rebounding skills. "It's called just go get the damn ball."
Phil Sheridan, Inquirer Columnist
"Note to Barkley: Go for the White House"
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sun, Jul. 30, 2006
www.philly.com
Good God!
~a shawl maker’s prayer~
By Janet Bristow
6-2005
Good God!
Guide me through the
knots,
kinks,
dropped stitches,
split yarn,
shredded fringe,
dye lot mismatches,
pattern mistakes,
errors,
and the myriad other “issues” that get in the way of my centeredness!
Help me to see that these annoyances:
knotted emotions,
kinked plans,
dropped dreams,
split relationships,
shredded hopes,
mismatched friendships,
mistaken assumptions,
errant goals
are actually metaphors of life!
As I knit through the creation of the shawl,
I gratefully acknowledge and accept the imperfections,
weaving them into my prayers and intentions for the one who will be
wrapped in and
blessed by it all!
By Janet Bristow
6-2005
Good God!
Guide me through the
knots,
kinks,
dropped stitches,
split yarn,
shredded fringe,
dye lot mismatches,
pattern mistakes,
errors,
and the myriad other “issues” that get in the way of my centeredness!
Help me to see that these annoyances:
knotted emotions,
kinked plans,
dropped dreams,
split relationships,
shredded hopes,
mismatched friendships,
mistaken assumptions,
errant goals
are actually metaphors of life!
As I knit through the creation of the shawl,
I gratefully acknowledge and accept the imperfections,
weaving them into my prayers and intentions for the one who will be
wrapped in and
blessed by it all!
A Communion Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
I stand before the gates of thy Temple,
and yet I refrain not from my evil thoughts.
But do thou, O Christ my God,
who justified the publican,
and had mercy on the Canaanite woman,
and opened the gates of Paradise to the thief;
open unto me the compassion of thy love toward mankind,
and receive me as I approach and touch thee,
like the sinful woman and the woman with the issue of blood;
for the one,
by embracing thy feet received the forgiveness of her sins,
and the other
by but touching the hem of thy garment was healed.
And I, most sinful, dare to partake of thy whole Body.
Let me not be consumed but receive me as thou did receive them,
and enlighten the perceptions of my soul,
consuming the accusations of my sins:
through the intercessions of Her that, without stain,
gave Thee birth,
and of the heavenly Powers;
for thou art blessed unto ages of ages.
Amen
and yet I refrain not from my evil thoughts.
But do thou, O Christ my God,
who justified the publican,
and had mercy on the Canaanite woman,
and opened the gates of Paradise to the thief;
open unto me the compassion of thy love toward mankind,
and receive me as I approach and touch thee,
like the sinful woman and the woman with the issue of blood;
for the one,
by embracing thy feet received the forgiveness of her sins,
and the other
by but touching the hem of thy garment was healed.
And I, most sinful, dare to partake of thy whole Body.
Let me not be consumed but receive me as thou did receive them,
and enlighten the perceptions of my soul,
consuming the accusations of my sins:
through the intercessions of Her that, without stain,
gave Thee birth,
and of the heavenly Powers;
for thou art blessed unto ages of ages.
Amen
23rd Psalm for Recovering Alcoholics
The Lord is my sponsor, I shall not want.
He makes me to go to many meetings.
He leads me to sit back, relax, and listen with an open mind,
He restores my soul, my sanity, and my health.
He leads me in the path of sobriety, serenity, and fellowship for my own sake.
He teaches me to think, to take it easy, to live and let live, and do first things first.
He makes me more humble and grateful.
He teaches me to accept the things I cannot change,
to change the things I can,
and gives me the wisdom to know the difference.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of despair, frustration, guilt, and remorse,
I will fear no evil.
For Thou are with me; your program, your way of life, your twelve steps, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies:
rationalization, fear, anxiety, self-pity, resentment.
You anoint my confused mind and jangled nerves with knowledge, understanding, and hope.
No longer am I alone; neither am I afraid, nor sickened, nor helpless, nor hopeless.
My cups runs over.
Surely sobriety and serenity shall follow me every day of my life,
one day at a time, twenty-four hours at a time.
As I surrender my will to You and carry Your message to others,
I will dwell in the house of Higher Power, as I understand him,
one day at a time, forever and ever.
Amen
~ Author Unknown
He makes me to go to many meetings.
He leads me to sit back, relax, and listen with an open mind,
He restores my soul, my sanity, and my health.
He leads me in the path of sobriety, serenity, and fellowship for my own sake.
He teaches me to think, to take it easy, to live and let live, and do first things first.
He makes me more humble and grateful.
He teaches me to accept the things I cannot change,
to change the things I can,
and gives me the wisdom to know the difference.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of despair, frustration, guilt, and remorse,
I will fear no evil.
For Thou are with me; your program, your way of life, your twelve steps, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies:
rationalization, fear, anxiety, self-pity, resentment.
You anoint my confused mind and jangled nerves with knowledge, understanding, and hope.
No longer am I alone; neither am I afraid, nor sickened, nor helpless, nor hopeless.
My cups runs over.
Surely sobriety and serenity shall follow me every day of my life,
one day at a time, twenty-four hours at a time.
As I surrender my will to You and carry Your message to others,
I will dwell in the house of Higher Power, as I understand him,
one day at a time, forever and ever.
Amen
~ Author Unknown
17th Century Nun's Prayer
Lord Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and every occasion.
Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs.
Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all,
but Thou knowest Lord that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains. They are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others' pains,
but help me to endure them with patience.
I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.
Keep me reasonably sweet.
I do not want to be a Saint - some of them are so hard to live with - but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people.
And, give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.
~ Amen
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and every occasion.
Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs.
Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all,
but Thou knowest Lord that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains. They are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others' pains,
but help me to endure them with patience.
I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.
Keep me reasonably sweet.
I do not want to be a Saint - some of them are so hard to live with - but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people.
And, give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.
~ Amen
One Day At A Time
One day at a time,
with its failures and fears,
With its hurts and mistakes,
with its weakness and tears,
With its portion of pain
and its burden of care;
One day at a time
we must meet and must bear.
One day at a time
to be patient and strong;
To be calm under trial
and sweet under wrong;
Then its toiling shall pass
and its sorrow shall cease;
It shall darken and die,
and the night shall bring peace.
One day at a time—
but the day is so long,
And the heart is not brave,
and the soul is not strong,
O Thou merciful Christ,
be Thou near all the way;
Give me courage and patience
and strength for the day.
~ Author Unknown
with its failures and fears,
With its hurts and mistakes,
with its weakness and tears,
With its portion of pain
and its burden of care;
One day at a time
we must meet and must bear.
One day at a time
to be patient and strong;
To be calm under trial
and sweet under wrong;
Then its toiling shall pass
and its sorrow shall cease;
It shall darken and die,
and the night shall bring peace.
One day at a time—
but the day is so long,
And the heart is not brave,
and the soul is not strong,
O Thou merciful Christ,
be Thou near all the way;
Give me courage and patience
and strength for the day.
~ Author Unknown
Words For It
I wish I could take language
and fold it like cool, moist rags.
I would lay words on your forehead.
I would wrap words on your wrists.
“There, there,” my words would say—
or something better.
I would ask them to murmur,
“Hush” and “Shh, shhh, it’s all right.”
I would ask them to hold you all night.
I wish I could take language
and daub and soothe and cool
where fever blisters and burns,
where fever turns yourself against you.
I wish I could take language
and heal the words that were the wounds
you have no names for.
~ Julia Cameron
The Artist’s Way
and fold it like cool, moist rags.
I would lay words on your forehead.
I would wrap words on your wrists.
“There, there,” my words would say—
or something better.
I would ask them to murmur,
“Hush” and “Shh, shhh, it’s all right.”
I would ask them to hold you all night.
I wish I could take language
and daub and soothe and cool
where fever blisters and burns,
where fever turns yourself against you.
I wish I could take language
and heal the words that were the wounds
you have no names for.
~ Julia Cameron
The Artist’s Way
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Jesus Christ Delivers Us From Death
Jesus, for us and for our salvation, was crucified, dead, and laid in a new tomb. He descended into hell.
At the sight of Jesus, the bolts of hell were broken, the gates shattered, graves opened up, and the dead were raised. Jesus defeated the power of death to redeem us and transform us and restore us to the relationship with God that we were meant to have at creation. He extended His hands and brought together all that had been divided. He showed His power by His actions when He unbound those who had been held captive.
The prophet Isaiah witnessed to your Glory, saying “The dead shall rise, and those in the graves shall awake, and all earthly creatures shall rejoice.”
Blessed are You, Jesus Christ our deliverer. Through you, Adam was recalled to life, the curse was annulled, Eve was set free, death was put to death, and we were made alive. Therefore we proclaim, “Blessed are You, Christ our God, for You have willed it so; glory to You!”
~ Author Unknown
At the sight of Jesus, the bolts of hell were broken, the gates shattered, graves opened up, and the dead were raised. Jesus defeated the power of death to redeem us and transform us and restore us to the relationship with God that we were meant to have at creation. He extended His hands and brought together all that had been divided. He showed His power by His actions when He unbound those who had been held captive.
The prophet Isaiah witnessed to your Glory, saying “The dead shall rise, and those in the graves shall awake, and all earthly creatures shall rejoice.”
Blessed are You, Jesus Christ our deliverer. Through you, Adam was recalled to life, the curse was annulled, Eve was set free, death was put to death, and we were made alive. Therefore we proclaim, “Blessed are You, Christ our God, for You have willed it so; glory to You!”
~ Author Unknown
Praying for Healing
Sometimes God takes the disease away from us.
Sometimes God takes us away from the disease.
~ Ann
Sometimes God takes us away from the disease.
~ Ann
Love Heals
A woman went with her husband to the doctor's surgery. After the husband's check up the doctor called the wife into the consulting room.
He said, "Your husband is suffering from a very serious disease, combined with considerable stress. If you don't do the following your husband will die. Each morning you need to be pleasant to him, encourage him and get out of bed early enough to sit down to breakfast with him. Chat with him and don't go on about YOUR stress; this will make him feel worse. When he gets home at night don't burden him with chores but instead give time to him to join him in a hobby he really enjoys. Let him see how much you love him by giving him and his needs the priority in your life. If you can do this for at least ten months, I think your husband will regain his health completely."
On the way home, the husband asked his wife, "What did the doctor say to you?"
"You're going to die." she said.
He said, "Your husband is suffering from a very serious disease, combined with considerable stress. If you don't do the following your husband will die. Each morning you need to be pleasant to him, encourage him and get out of bed early enough to sit down to breakfast with him. Chat with him and don't go on about YOUR stress; this will make him feel worse. When he gets home at night don't burden him with chores but instead give time to him to join him in a hobby he really enjoys. Let him see how much you love him by giving him and his needs the priority in your life. If you can do this for at least ten months, I think your husband will regain his health completely."
On the way home, the husband asked his wife, "What did the doctor say to you?"
"You're going to die." she said.
Mother Teresa: Forgetting What Is Human Love
From her Third World perspective caring for the poor of India for sixty years, this is what Mother Teresa wrote about the West:
"People today are hungry for love, for understanding love, which is ... the only answer to loneliness and great poverty. That is why [our sisters] are able to go to the needy west, countries like England and American and Australia, where there is no hunger for bread. But there people are suffering from terrible loneliness, terrible despair, terrible hatred, feeling unwanted, feeling helpless, feeling hopeless. They have forgotten how to smile, they have forgotten the beauty of the human touch. They are forgetting what is human love."
Desmond Doig
Mother Teresa, Her People and Her Work
London: Collins, 1976, p. 159
"People today are hungry for love, for understanding love, which is ... the only answer to loneliness and great poverty. That is why [our sisters] are able to go to the needy west, countries like England and American and Australia, where there is no hunger for bread. But there people are suffering from terrible loneliness, terrible despair, terrible hatred, feeling unwanted, feeling helpless, feeling hopeless. They have forgotten how to smile, they have forgotten the beauty of the human touch. They are forgetting what is human love."
Desmond Doig
Mother Teresa, Her People and Her Work
London: Collins, 1976, p. 159
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Jack Benny humor
I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.
~ Jack Benny
A scout troop consists of twelve little kids dressed like schmucks following a big schmuck dressed like a kid.
~ Jack Benny
Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.
~ Jack Benny
My wife Mary and I have been married for forty-seven years and not once have we had an argument serious enough to consider divorce; murder, yes, but divorce, never.
~ Jack Benny
~ Jack Benny
A scout troop consists of twelve little kids dressed like schmucks following a big schmuck dressed like a kid.
~ Jack Benny
Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.
~ Jack Benny
My wife Mary and I have been married for forty-seven years and not once have we had an argument serious enough to consider divorce; murder, yes, but divorce, never.
~ Jack Benny
Monday, July 24, 2006
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Managing Conflict
Real peace is not the absence of conflict.
Rather, it is that state where conflict is managed effectively, efficiently and respectfully.
~ Author Unknown
Rather, it is that state where conflict is managed effectively, efficiently and respectfully.
~ Author Unknown
Beatitudes of Reconciliation
Blessed are those who are willing to enter into the process of being healed,
for they will become healers.
Blessed are those who recognize their own inner violence,
for they will come to know non-violence.
Blessed are those who can forgive self,
for they will become forgivers.
Blessed are those who are willing to let go of selfishness and self-centeredness,
for they will become a healing presence.
Blessed are those who will listen with compassion,
for they will become compassionate.
Blessed are those who are willing to enter into conflict,
for they will find transformation.
Blessed are those who know their interdependence with all creation,
for they will become unifiers.
Blessed are those who live a contemplative life stance,
for they will find God in all things.
Blessed are those who strive to live these beatitudes,
for they will become reconcilers.
Sisters of St. Joseph, Concordia, Kansas
- as printed on the back of a Queen’s University,
Queen’s Theological College Resource
for they will become healers.
Blessed are those who recognize their own inner violence,
for they will come to know non-violence.
Blessed are those who can forgive self,
for they will become forgivers.
Blessed are those who are willing to let go of selfishness and self-centeredness,
for they will become a healing presence.
Blessed are those who will listen with compassion,
for they will become compassionate.
Blessed are those who are willing to enter into conflict,
for they will find transformation.
Blessed are those who know their interdependence with all creation,
for they will become unifiers.
Blessed are those who live a contemplative life stance,
for they will find God in all things.
Blessed are those who strive to live these beatitudes,
for they will become reconcilers.
Sisters of St. Joseph, Concordia, Kansas
- as printed on the back of a Queen’s University,
Queen’s Theological College Resource
Friday, July 14, 2006
Christian One-Liners
Don't let your worries get the best of you;
remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited
until you try to sit in their pews.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose,
but mosquitoes come close.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
When you get to your wit's end
you'll find God lives there.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
People are funny;
they want the front of the bus,
the middle of the road,
and the back of the church.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Opportunity may knock once,
but temptation bangs on your front door forever.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Quit griping about your church;
if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
If the church wants a better pastor,
it only needs to pray for the one it has.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead.
So why should you?
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Some minds are like concrete —
thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Peace starts with a smile.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
I don't know why some people change churches;
what difference does it make which one you stay home from?!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises"
are just sitting on the premises.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Be ye fishers of men.
You catch them — He'll clean them.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Forbidden fruits create many jams.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God grades on the cross, not the curve.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God loves everyone,
but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
He who angers you, controls you!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
If God is your Co-pilot — swap seats!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Prayer:
Don't give God instructions — just report for duty!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The task ahead of us
is never as great as the Power behind us.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The Will of God never takes you
to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
We don't change the message,
the message changes us.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
You can tell how big a person is
by what it takes to discourage him.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
~ Author Unknown
remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited
until you try to sit in their pews.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose,
but mosquitoes come close.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
When you get to your wit's end
you'll find God lives there.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
People are funny;
they want the front of the bus,
the middle of the road,
and the back of the church.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Opportunity may knock once,
but temptation bangs on your front door forever.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Quit griping about your church;
if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
If the church wants a better pastor,
it only needs to pray for the one it has.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead.
So why should you?
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Some minds are like concrete —
thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Peace starts with a smile.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
I don't know why some people change churches;
what difference does it make which one you stay home from?!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises"
are just sitting on the premises.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Be ye fishers of men.
You catch them — He'll clean them.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Forbidden fruits create many jams.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God grades on the cross, not the curve.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God loves everyone,
but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
He who angers you, controls you!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
If God is your Co-pilot — swap seats!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Prayer:
Don't give God instructions — just report for duty!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The task ahead of us
is never as great as the Power behind us.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The Will of God never takes you
to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
We don't change the message,
the message changes us.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
You can tell how big a person is
by what it takes to discourage him.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
~ Author Unknown
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The Difference
I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day.
I had so much to accomplish
that I didn't have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me
and heavier came each task.
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on gray and bleak.
I wondered why God didn't show me.
He said, "But you didn't seek."
I tried to come into God's presence.
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
"My child you didn't knock."
I woke up early this morning
and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I had to take the time to pray.
~ Author Unknown
and rushed right into the day.
I had so much to accomplish
that I didn't have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me
and heavier came each task.
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on gray and bleak.
I wondered why God didn't show me.
He said, "But you didn't seek."
I tried to come into God's presence.
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
"My child you didn't knock."
I woke up early this morning
and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I had to take the time to pray.
~ Author Unknown
Saturday, June 24, 2006
The Loose Cannon in Ninety-Three by Victor Hugo
from illustrations@clergy.net for Mark 4:35-41 – Calming of the Tempest
from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A223048
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo
Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called "Ninety-Three." It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the ship's cargo, that had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that it could cause the ship to sink, two brave sailors volunteered to make the dangerous attempt to retie the loose cannon. They knew the danger of a shipwreck from the cannon was greater than the fury of the storm.
That is like human life. Storms of life may blow about us, but it is not these exterior storms that pose the gravest danger. It is the terrible corruption that can exist within us which can overwhelm us. The furious storm outside may be overwhelming but what is going on inside can pose the greater threat to our lives. Our only hope lies in conquering that wild enemy.
Unfortunately storms that rage within us cannot be cured by ourselves. It takes the power of God's love, as revealed in Jesus Christ. He is our only hope of stilling the tempest that can harm our souls and cripple our lives.
from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A223048
While the modern English-speaking world is perhaps most aware of the first two through several movies and musicals based on the works, several critics[2] believe his final novel, Ninety-Three, to be his best.
During the years 1872 and 1873, Hugo wrote his final novel using a routine some might consider slightly eccentric. Every morning, on the roof of his house on Guernsey in the Channel Islands, Hugo would stand ... and pour a bucket of cold water over his head. He would then enter a glass cage he referred to as his 'lookout' and write while standing at a lectern.
The greatness of Ninety-Three perhaps lies in Hugo's family upbringing. His father was an important general in Napoleon's army in Spain. His mother was a member of a conspiracy to depose Napoleon. Hugo was able, through his upbringing, to write a novel on perhaps the most crucial event in French history at that time - the French Revolution - from as close to an unbiased point of view as possible. Different readers have come away from the novel identifying with and siding with different characters. Even one of the primary villains of the novel, Cimourdain, a nightmarish ex-priest, has had at least one defender.[3].
[2] Eg Robert Louis Stevenson and André Maurois.
[3] Admittedly, this defender was Dzhugashvili, who later changed his name to Stalin.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo
His last novel, Quatrevingt-treize (Ninety-Three), published in 1874, dealt with a subject that Hugo had previously avoided: the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution. Though Hugo’s popularity was on the decline at the time of its publication, many now consider Ninety-Three to be a powerful work on par with Hugo’s more well known novels.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Patiently Doing Good
"For [God] will repay according to each one’s deeds:
to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.
There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew
first and also the Greek,
but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
For God shows no partiality.
~Romans 1:6-11, NRSV
to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.
There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew
first and also the Greek,
but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
For God shows no partiality.
~Romans 1:6-11, NRSV
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Refreshed by current reference to the actual content of scripture
"In Israel one must also take into account that the land is tenanted by a number of 'ancient' Christian churches ... that are highly oriented to religious tradition that is not necessarily refreshed by current reference to the actual content of scripture." ...
"The ancient Christian bodies in Israel enjoy God's grace with everyone else, and can be expected to show their true colors as the time of Messiah's appearing draws near."
http://www.templemount.org/TMXNS.html
"The ancient Christian bodies in Israel enjoy God's grace with everyone else, and can be expected to show their true colors as the time of Messiah's appearing draws near."
http://www.templemount.org/TMXNS.html
The Laws of the Public Policy Process
The Laws of the Public Policy Process
by Morton C. Blackwell
1. Never give a bureaucrat a chance to say no.
2. Don't fire all your ammunition at once.
3. Don't get mad except on purpose.
4. Effort is admirable. Achievement is valuable.
5. Make the steal more expensive than it's worth.
6. Give 'em a title and get 'em involved.
7. Expand the leadership.
8. You can't beat a plan with no plan.
9. Political technology determines political success.
10. Sound doctrine is sound politics.
11. In politics, you have your word and your friends; go back on either and you're dead.
12. Keep your eye on the main chance and don't stop to kick every barking dog.
13. Don't make the perfect the enemy of the good.
14. Remember the other side has troubles too.
15. Don't treat good guys like you treat bad guys.
16. A well-run movement takes care of its own.
17. Hire at least as many to the right o f you as to the left of you.
18. You can't save the world if you can't pay the rent.
19. All gains are incremental; some increments aren't gains.
20. A stable movement requires a healthy, reciprocal I.O.U. flow among its participants. Don't keep a careful tally.
21. An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.
22. Never miss a political meeting if you think there's the slightest chance you'll wish you'd been there.
23. In volunteer politics, a builder can build faster than a destroyer can destroy.
24. Actions have consequences.
25. The mind can absorb no more than the seat can endure.
26. Personnel is policy.
27. Remember it's a long ball game.
28. The test of moral ideas is moral results.
29. You can't beat somebody with nobody.
30. Better a snake in the grass than a viper in your bosom.
31. Don't fully trust anyone until he has stuck with a good cause which he saw was losing.
32. A prompt, generous letter of thanks can seal a commitment which otherwise might disappear when the going gets rough.
33. Governing is campaigning by different means.
34. You cannot make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends.
35. Choose your enemies as carefully as you choose your friends.
36. Keep a secure home base.
37. Don't rely on being given anything you don't ask for.
38. In politics, nothing moves unless pushed.
39. Winners aren't perfect. They made fewer mistakes than their rivals.
40. One big reason is better than many little reasons.
41. In moments of crisis, the initiative passes to those who are best prepared.
42. Politics is of the heart as well as of the mind. Many people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
43. Promptly report your action to the one who requested it.
44. Moral outrage is the most powerful motivating force in politics.
45. Pray as if it all depended on God; work as if it all depended on you.
Morton C. Blackwell, President
Leadership Institute
http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/resources/resourcesmain.cfm?section=speeches&s=11
by Morton C. Blackwell
1. Never give a bureaucrat a chance to say no.
2. Don't fire all your ammunition at once.
3. Don't get mad except on purpose.
4. Effort is admirable. Achievement is valuable.
5. Make the steal more expensive than it's worth.
6. Give 'em a title and get 'em involved.
7. Expand the leadership.
8. You can't beat a plan with no plan.
9. Political technology determines political success.
10. Sound doctrine is sound politics.
11. In politics, you have your word and your friends; go back on either and you're dead.
12. Keep your eye on the main chance and don't stop to kick every barking dog.
13. Don't make the perfect the enemy of the good.
14. Remember the other side has troubles too.
15. Don't treat good guys like you treat bad guys.
16. A well-run movement takes care of its own.
17. Hire at least as many to the right o f you as to the left of you.
18. You can't save the world if you can't pay the rent.
19. All gains are incremental; some increments aren't gains.
20. A stable movement requires a healthy, reciprocal I.O.U. flow among its participants. Don't keep a careful tally.
21. An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.
22. Never miss a political meeting if you think there's the slightest chance you'll wish you'd been there.
23. In volunteer politics, a builder can build faster than a destroyer can destroy.
24. Actions have consequences.
25. The mind can absorb no more than the seat can endure.
26. Personnel is policy.
27. Remember it's a long ball game.
28. The test of moral ideas is moral results.
29. You can't beat somebody with nobody.
30. Better a snake in the grass than a viper in your bosom.
31. Don't fully trust anyone until he has stuck with a good cause which he saw was losing.
32. A prompt, generous letter of thanks can seal a commitment which otherwise might disappear when the going gets rough.
33. Governing is campaigning by different means.
34. You cannot make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends.
35. Choose your enemies as carefully as you choose your friends.
36. Keep a secure home base.
37. Don't rely on being given anything you don't ask for.
38. In politics, nothing moves unless pushed.
39. Winners aren't perfect. They made fewer mistakes than their rivals.
40. One big reason is better than many little reasons.
41. In moments of crisis, the initiative passes to those who are best prepared.
42. Politics is of the heart as well as of the mind. Many people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
43. Promptly report your action to the one who requested it.
44. Moral outrage is the most powerful motivating force in politics.
45. Pray as if it all depended on God; work as if it all depended on you.
Morton C. Blackwell, President
Leadership Institute
http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/resources/resourcesmain.cfm?section=speeches&s=11
Saturday, June 10, 2006
The Joy of Their Hearts
This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and
drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot.
Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom
he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil--this is the gift of God.
For they will scarcely brood over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts.
~ Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot.
Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom
he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil--this is the gift of God.
For they will scarcely brood over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts.
~ Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
Can I Lead a Good Life Without Christ?
quote from C.S. Lewis:
~ C.S. Lewis
The question before each of us is not 'Can someone lead a good life without Christianity?' The question is, 'Can I?' We all know there have been good men who were not Christians; men like Socrates and Confucius who had never heard of it, or men like J.S. Mill who quite honestly couldn't believe it. Supposing Christianity to be true, these men were in a state of honest ignorance or honest error...
But the man who asks me, 'Can't I lead a good life without believing in Christianity?' is clearly not in the same position. If he hadn't heard of Christianity he would not be asking this question. If, having heard of it, and having seriously considered it, he had decided that it was untrue, then once more he would not be asking this question.
The man who asks this question has heard of Christianity and is by no means certain that it may not be true. He is really asking, 'Need I bother about it?' May not I just evade the issue, just let sleeping dogs lie, and get on with being 'good?' Aren't good intentions enough to keep me safe and blameless without knocking at that dreadful door and making sure whether there is, or isn't someone inside?' ...
He is deliberately trying not to know whether Christianity is true or false, because he foresees endless trouble if it should turn out to be true. He is like the man who deliberately 'forgets' to look at the notice board because, if he did, he might find his name down for some unpleasant duty. He is like the man who won't look at this bank account because he's afraid of what he might find there. He is like the man who won't go to the doctor when he first feels a mysterious pain, because he is afraid of what the doctor may tell him.
The man who remains an unbeliever for such reasons is not in a state of honest error. He is in a state of dishonest error, and that dishonesty will spread through all his thoughts and actions: a certain shiftiness, a vague worry in the background, a blunting of his whole mental edge, will result. He has lost his intellectual virginity.
Honest rejection of Christ, however mistaken, will be forgiven and healed - 'Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him' [Luke - chapter 12 verse 10]. But to evade the Son of Man, to look the other way, to pretend you haven't noticed, to become suddenly absorbed in something on the other side of the street, to leave the receiver off the telephone because it might be He who was ringing up, to leave unopened certain letters in a strange handwriting because they might be from Him - this is a different matter. You may not be certain yet whether you ought to be a Christian; but you do know you ought to be a Man, not an ostrich, hiding its head in the sand.
~ C.S. Lewis
Saturday, June 03, 2006
A Holy Priesthood of All Believers
Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner," and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
~ 1 Peter 2:4-10
For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner," and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
~ 1 Peter 2:4-10
Thursday, June 01, 2006
You Still Stand With Me
A wife stayed attentive to her husband's every need as he slipped in and out of consciousness. During one of those last "aware" moments, the man motioned for her to lean down: "You know, you've been with me through thick and thin. When I was fired, you were there. When the business flopped, you were there. When I was in the car accident and bills piled up for months, you were there. When the mortgage company foreclosed on our house, you were there. And now, as my health fails, you still stand with me. You know what?"
"What, dear?"
"I think you bring me bad luck."
~ author unknown
"What, dear?"
"I think you bring me bad luck."
~ author unknown
Be Kind to One Another
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
~ Ephesians 4:31-32
forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
~ Ephesians 4:31-32
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
The Four Ages of Man - Yeats
The Four Ages of Man
He with body waged a fight,
But body won; it walks upright.
Then he struggled with the heart;
Innocence and peace depart.
Then he struggled with the mind;
His proud heart he left behind.
Now his wars on God begin;
At stroke of midnight God shall win.
~ W. B. Yeats
He with body waged a fight,
But body won; it walks upright.
Then he struggled with the heart;
Innocence and peace depart.
Then he struggled with the mind;
His proud heart he left behind.
Now his wars on God begin;
At stroke of midnight God shall win.
~ W. B. Yeats
The Secret of a Good Sermon
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible.
~ George Burns
~ George Burns
Monday, May 29, 2006
Christianity outside the Church
Christianity outside the Church
D.L. Moody once called on a leading citizen in Chicago to persuade him to accept Christ. They were seated in the man’s parlor. It was winter and coal was burning in the fireplace. The man objected that he could be just as good a Christian outside the church as in it. Moody said nothing, but stepped to the fireplace, took the tongs, picked a blazing coal from the fire and set it off by itself. In silence the two watched it smolder and go out. “I see,” said the man.
~ The Interpreter’s Bible
D.L. Moody once called on a leading citizen in Chicago to persuade him to accept Christ. They were seated in the man’s parlor. It was winter and coal was burning in the fireplace. The man objected that he could be just as good a Christian outside the church as in it. Moody said nothing, but stepped to the fireplace, took the tongs, picked a blazing coal from the fire and set it off by itself. In silence the two watched it smolder and go out. “I see,” said the man.
~ The Interpreter’s Bible
The Irresistible Influence of the Holy Spirit
The Irresistible Influence of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit warms us and melts our cold, cold hearts. Recently I ran across a parable that makes the point: Once upon a time there was a piece of iron, which was very strong and very hard. Many attempts had been made to break it, but all had failed.
“I’ll master it,” said the axe… and his blows fell heavily upon the piece of iron, but every blow only made the axe’s edge more blunt, until it finally ceased to strike and gave up in frustration.
“Leave it to me,” said the saw… and it worked back and forth on the iron’s surface until its jagged teeth were all worn and broken. Then in despair, the saw quit trying and fell to the side.
“Ah!” said the hammer, “I knew you two wouldn’t succeed. I’ll show you how to do this!” But at the first fierce blow, off flew its head and the piece of iron remained just as before, proud and hard and unchanged.
“Shall I try?” asked the small soft flame. “Forget it,” everyone else said. “What can you do? You’re too small and you have no strength.” But the small soft flame curled around the piece of iron, embraced it… and never left it until it melted under its warm irresistible influence.
There’s a sermon there somewhere. Perhaps it means that God’s way is not the way of force but love. God’s way is not to break hearts but to melt them. Perhaps it means that that is our calling – to melt hearts… under the irresistible warmth of God’s gracious love.
~ James W. Moore, What Do You Do With Such A Gift?
The Holy Spirit warms us and melts our cold, cold hearts. Recently I ran across a parable that makes the point: Once upon a time there was a piece of iron, which was very strong and very hard. Many attempts had been made to break it, but all had failed.
“I’ll master it,” said the axe… and his blows fell heavily upon the piece of iron, but every blow only made the axe’s edge more blunt, until it finally ceased to strike and gave up in frustration.
“Leave it to me,” said the saw… and it worked back and forth on the iron’s surface until its jagged teeth were all worn and broken. Then in despair, the saw quit trying and fell to the side.
“Ah!” said the hammer, “I knew you two wouldn’t succeed. I’ll show you how to do this!” But at the first fierce blow, off flew its head and the piece of iron remained just as before, proud and hard and unchanged.
“Shall I try?” asked the small soft flame. “Forget it,” everyone else said. “What can you do? You’re too small and you have no strength.” But the small soft flame curled around the piece of iron, embraced it… and never left it until it melted under its warm irresistible influence.
There’s a sermon there somewhere. Perhaps it means that God’s way is not the way of force but love. God’s way is not to break hearts but to melt them. Perhaps it means that that is our calling – to melt hearts… under the irresistible warmth of God’s gracious love.
~ James W. Moore, What Do You Do With Such A Gift?
Shaken from Our Sanctuaries
Shaken from Our Sanctuaries
A few years ago, AT&T had a major snafu in New York City. They had an agreement with the city that, when electrical demand peaked, AT&T would switch to their backup generators. One day they did that, and something went wrong. When they switched over, the resulting power surge blew a number of rectifiers. Not only did that knock out phone service in the area, it also disrupted communications for air controllers at Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark airports. Over a thousand flights were affected.
Usually, technicians would fix that kind of blackout quickly. However, they didn't respond quickly on that particular occasion. While alarm bells rang unheard, the technicians were--believe it or not--attending a training session on how to handle an emergency.
I worry that something like that often happens in the church. Christ has called us to serve the world for which he died. Worship is that time when we strengthen our spirits for service to the world. When worship becomes an end in itself, we are not being what Christ has called us to be. We need to be shaken from our sanctuaries and into the streets.
~ King Duncan, Collected Works, www.Sermons.com, 2006
A few years ago, AT&T had a major snafu in New York City. They had an agreement with the city that, when electrical demand peaked, AT&T would switch to their backup generators. One day they did that, and something went wrong. When they switched over, the resulting power surge blew a number of rectifiers. Not only did that knock out phone service in the area, it also disrupted communications for air controllers at Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark airports. Over a thousand flights were affected.
Usually, technicians would fix that kind of blackout quickly. However, they didn't respond quickly on that particular occasion. While alarm bells rang unheard, the technicians were--believe it or not--attending a training session on how to handle an emergency.
I worry that something like that often happens in the church. Christ has called us to serve the world for which he died. Worship is that time when we strengthen our spirits for service to the world. When worship becomes an end in itself, we are not being what Christ has called us to be. We need to be shaken from our sanctuaries and into the streets.
~ King Duncan, Collected Works, www.Sermons.com, 2006
What Is Your Other Plan?
What Is Your Other Plan?
Erasmus, the famous Renaissance scholar, once told a classic story which was designed to emphasize how important it is that we take up the torch of Christ’s ministry with great commitment. In the story, Jesus returns to heaven after His time on earth. The angels gather around Him to learn what all happened during His days on earth. Jesus tells them of the miracles, His teachings, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.
When He finishes his story, Michael the Archangel asks Jesus, “But what happens now?”
Jesus answers, “I have left behind eleven faithful disciples and a handful of men and women who have faithfully followed me. They will declare My message and express My love. These faithful people will build My church.”
“But,” responds Michael, “What if these people fail? What then is Your other plan?”
And Jesus answers, “I have no other plan!”
Jesus is counting on you and you and you and me. But the good news is, we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is here to melt us, mold us, fill us, and use us.
~ James W. Moore, Sermon: What Do You Do With Such A Gift?
Erasmus, the famous Renaissance scholar, once told a classic story which was designed to emphasize how important it is that we take up the torch of Christ’s ministry with great commitment. In the story, Jesus returns to heaven after His time on earth. The angels gather around Him to learn what all happened during His days on earth. Jesus tells them of the miracles, His teachings, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.
When He finishes his story, Michael the Archangel asks Jesus, “But what happens now?”
Jesus answers, “I have left behind eleven faithful disciples and a handful of men and women who have faithfully followed me. They will declare My message and express My love. These faithful people will build My church.”
“But,” responds Michael, “What if these people fail? What then is Your other plan?”
And Jesus answers, “I have no other plan!”
Jesus is counting on you and you and you and me. But the good news is, we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is here to melt us, mold us, fill us, and use us.
~ James W. Moore, Sermon: What Do You Do With Such A Gift?
Sunday, May 28, 2006
The Train of Life
TRAIN OF LIFE
Some folks ride the train of life
Looking out the rear,
Watching miles of life roll by,
And marking every year.
They sit in sad remembrance,
Of wasted days gone by,
And curse their life for what it was,
And hang their head and cry.
But I don't concern myself with that,
I took a different vent,
I look forward to what life holds,
And not what has been spent.
So strap me to the engine,
As securely as I can be,
I want to be out on the front,
To see what I can see.
I want to feel the winds of change,
Blowing in my face,
I want to see what life unfolds,
As I move from place to place.
I want to see what's coming up,
Not looking at the past,
Life's too short for yesterdays,
It moves along too fast.
So if the ride gets bumpy,
While you are looking back,
Go up front, and you may find,
Your life has jumped the track.
It's all right to remember,
That's part of history,
But up front's where it's happening,
There's so much mystery.
The enjoyment of living,
Is not where we have been,
It's looking ever forward,
To another year and ten.
It's searching all the byways,
Never should you refrain,
For if you want to live your life,
You gotta drive the train!
~ Author Unknown
Some folks ride the train of life
Looking out the rear,
Watching miles of life roll by,
And marking every year.
They sit in sad remembrance,
Of wasted days gone by,
And curse their life for what it was,
And hang their head and cry.
But I don't concern myself with that,
I took a different vent,
I look forward to what life holds,
And not what has been spent.
So strap me to the engine,
As securely as I can be,
I want to be out on the front,
To see what I can see.
I want to feel the winds of change,
Blowing in my face,
I want to see what life unfolds,
As I move from place to place.
I want to see what's coming up,
Not looking at the past,
Life's too short for yesterdays,
It moves along too fast.
So if the ride gets bumpy,
While you are looking back,
Go up front, and you may find,
Your life has jumped the track.
It's all right to remember,
That's part of history,
But up front's where it's happening,
There's so much mystery.
The enjoyment of living,
Is not where we have been,
It's looking ever forward,
To another year and ten.
It's searching all the byways,
Never should you refrain,
For if you want to live your life,
You gotta drive the train!
~ Author Unknown
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Importance of the Father's Faith
If your kids see you putting other things ahead of God, they will become discouraged and disillusioned, like a young Jewish boy who once lived in Germany.
His father was a successful merchant, and the family practiced their Jewish faith. But then they moved to another German city, and the boy's father announced that they would no longer attend synagogue. They were going to join the Lutheran church.
The boy was very surprised and asked his father why the family was joining the Lutheran church. His father's answer was something like, "For business reasons. There are so many Lutherans in this town that I can make good business contacts at the Lutheran church. It will be good for business."
That boy, who had a deep interest in religion, became so disillusioned with his father that something died within him. He said to himself, 'My father has no real convictions." The incident helped to turn him against religion with a vengeance.
That young boy later moved to England and began to write. His name was Karl Marx. As the father of communism he wrote the "Communist Manifesto," in which he called religion "the opiate of the masses."
His father was a successful merchant, and the family practiced their Jewish faith. But then they moved to another German city, and the boy's father announced that they would no longer attend synagogue. They were going to join the Lutheran church.
The boy was very surprised and asked his father why the family was joining the Lutheran church. His father's answer was something like, "For business reasons. There are so many Lutherans in this town that I can make good business contacts at the Lutheran church. It will be good for business."
That boy, who had a deep interest in religion, became so disillusioned with his father that something died within him. He said to himself, 'My father has no real convictions." The incident helped to turn him against religion with a vengeance.
That young boy later moved to England and began to write. His name was Karl Marx. As the father of communism he wrote the "Communist Manifesto," in which he called religion "the opiate of the masses."
Futility - Mark Twain
A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;...they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow;
... those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief.
It (the release) comes at last--the only unpoisoned gift earth ever had for them--and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence, ... a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.
~ Mark Twain shortly before his death
(Jesus: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." ~ John 10:10)
... those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief.
It (the release) comes at last--the only unpoisoned gift earth ever had for them--and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence, ... a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.
~ Mark Twain shortly before his death
(Jesus: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." ~ John 10:10)
Larger, Stronger, Quieter Life
The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.
~ C.S. Lewis
~ C.S. Lewis
True Friendship
"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity."
~ George Washington
~ George Washington
Intellectual vs. Moral Ability
The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.
~ Mark Twain
Google quote of the day
~ Mark Twain
Google quote of the day
Sunday, May 21, 2006
The Martyrdom of the Heart and the Will
God does not require of us the martyrdom of the body; he requires only the martyrdom of the heart and the will.
~ St. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney
~ St. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney
Humility, Purity, Honesty, and Simplicity
"If I were to say that God sent me, I shall be condemned, but God really did send me."
~ Joan of Arc
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/
special/131christians/joanofarc.html
~ Joan of Arc
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/
special/131christians/joanofarc.html
The dauphin Charles turned her over to churchmen from the University of Poitiers. Weeks of doubt and indecision followed while she was questioned, but finally her examiners found "only humility, purity, honesty, and simplicity." Soon she was helping 4,000 troops to relieve the besieged city of Orleans. ...
In a few months, the town of Reims was recaptured, and the dauphin was officially crowned king of France (Reims was the traditional city for coronation). ... On a sortie the next year, the 18-year-old soldier was captured by the English, who put her on ecclesiastical trial in Rouen.
Joan was imprisoned for nearly five months, repeatedly questioned about her views, and finally charged on 70 counts of heresy. ...
At 9 a.m. on May 30, 1431, 19-year-old Joan walked toward the market square. She knelt and prayed for her enemies, then mounted the prepared pyre. As the flames leapt upward, Joan asked for a cross to be held before her. Gazing upon it, her final word was "Jesus."
It would be 25 years before a church commission overturned the charges against her and declared her innocent. In 1920 Joan-—remembered for her heroism and devotion far more than her military and political conquests—-was canonized a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
Friday, May 19, 2006
He knew far more than she realized
Right after World War II, a U.S. Army officer and his wife were stationed in Japan. That country had been devastated by the war. The post-war economy was in shambles. Unemployment approached 60%. People came to the Army wife's door daily looking for work.
One man said that he could do wonders for her garden if she would only give him a chance. So, for the first time in her life, this young Army wife hired a gardener. He spoke no English, but the wife, through sign language and pencil and paper gave him instructions about where to plant, prune, and pamper her garden. He listened politely and followed her instructions exactly. The garden emerged as the finest in the neighborhood.
When she finally realized that her new gardener knew far more about the matter than she, the wife stopped giving him directions and let him freely care for the garden. It was magnificent.
Then one day the gardener came with an interpreter who expressed the appreciation but the regrets of the gardener. "He will no longer be able to care for your garden. He must leave."
The wife expressed her regrets and thanked him through the interpreter for making hers such a fine garden. Out of politeness, she asked the interpreter, "Where is he going?"
The interpreter replied that the gardener was returning to his old job as the Professor of Horticulture at the University of Tokyo.
illustrations@clergy.net
for Ascension Sunday
Acts 1:1-11 or Lk 24:44-53 - Why Do You Standing Looking Into the Sky?
One man said that he could do wonders for her garden if she would only give him a chance. So, for the first time in her life, this young Army wife hired a gardener. He spoke no English, but the wife, through sign language and pencil and paper gave him instructions about where to plant, prune, and pamper her garden. He listened politely and followed her instructions exactly. The garden emerged as the finest in the neighborhood.
When she finally realized that her new gardener knew far more about the matter than she, the wife stopped giving him directions and let him freely care for the garden. It was magnificent.
Then one day the gardener came with an interpreter who expressed the appreciation but the regrets of the gardener. "He will no longer be able to care for your garden. He must leave."
The wife expressed her regrets and thanked him through the interpreter for making hers such a fine garden. Out of politeness, she asked the interpreter, "Where is he going?"
The interpreter replied that the gardener was returning to his old job as the Professor of Horticulture at the University of Tokyo.
illustrations@clergy.net
for Ascension Sunday
Acts 1:1-11 or Lk 24:44-53 - Why Do You Standing Looking Into the Sky?
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
I Am the One Who Jesus Loves
I Am the One Who Jesus Loves
Author and speaker Brennan Manning came up with a slogan. The slogan is, "I am the one Jesus loves." It sounds a little arrogant doesn't it? But he is actually quoting Scripture. Jesus' closest friend on earth, the disciple named John, is identified in the Gospels as "the one Jesus loved." Manning said, "If John were to be asked, 'What is your primary identity in life?' he would not reply, 'I am a disciple, an apostle, an evangelist, an author of one of the four Gospels,' but rather, 'I am the one Jesus loves.'"
What would it mean, I ask myself, if I too came to the place where I saw my primary identity in life as "the one Jesus loves"? How differently would I view myself at the end of a day? Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?
Brennan Manning tells the story of an Irish priest who, on a walking tour of a rural parish, sees an old peasant kneeling by the side of the road, praying. Impressed, the priest says to the man, "You must be very close to God." The peasant looks up from his prayers, thinks a moment, and then smiles, "Yes, he's very fond of me."
Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Adapted from Phillip Yancey, What's So Amazing about Grace? [pp. 68-69]
___________________________
Love: Greater Than Faith or Hope
In a beautiful sermon entitled "The Power of Love," Paul Tillich, one of the great theological minds of the twentieth century, writes of a Swedish woman who aided prisoners and orphans during the first World War. She ended up in a concentration camp herself because she gave aid and comfort. Tillich writes, "It is a rare gift to meet a human being in whom love—this means God–is so overwhelmingly manifest. It undercuts theological arrogance as well as pious isolation. It is more than justice and greater than faith or hope. It is the very presence of God in the form of a human being. For God is love. In every moment of genuine love we are dwelling in God and God in us."
Rev. Patricia de Jong, "Partners and Friends"
__________________________
Author and speaker Brennan Manning came up with a slogan. The slogan is, "I am the one Jesus loves." It sounds a little arrogant doesn't it? But he is actually quoting Scripture. Jesus' closest friend on earth, the disciple named John, is identified in the Gospels as "the one Jesus loved." Manning said, "If John were to be asked, 'What is your primary identity in life?' he would not reply, 'I am a disciple, an apostle, an evangelist, an author of one of the four Gospels,' but rather, 'I am the one Jesus loves.'"
What would it mean, I ask myself, if I too came to the place where I saw my primary identity in life as "the one Jesus loves"? How differently would I view myself at the end of a day? Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?
Brennan Manning tells the story of an Irish priest who, on a walking tour of a rural parish, sees an old peasant kneeling by the side of the road, praying. Impressed, the priest says to the man, "You must be very close to God." The peasant looks up from his prayers, thinks a moment, and then smiles, "Yes, he's very fond of me."
Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Adapted from Phillip Yancey, What's So Amazing about Grace? [pp. 68-69]
___________________________
Love: Greater Than Faith or Hope
In a beautiful sermon entitled "The Power of Love," Paul Tillich, one of the great theological minds of the twentieth century, writes of a Swedish woman who aided prisoners and orphans during the first World War. She ended up in a concentration camp herself because she gave aid and comfort. Tillich writes, "It is a rare gift to meet a human being in whom love—this means God–is so overwhelmingly manifest. It undercuts theological arrogance as well as pious isolation. It is more than justice and greater than faith or hope. It is the very presence of God in the form of a human being. For God is love. In every moment of genuine love we are dwelling in God and God in us."
Rev. Patricia de Jong, "Partners and Friends"
__________________________
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Three Stages of Truth
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Google Quote of the Day
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Google Quote of the Day
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Original Ideas
"Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats."
~ Howard Aiken
Google Quote of the Day
~ Howard Aiken
Google Quote of the Day
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Fear is Nothing but a Barrier
"If you want to do something, do it. Fear is nothing but a barrier."
~ Tina Hammer
~ Tina Hammer
Dancing at the Party
"Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!"
~ author unknown
~ author unknown
How SJ Leaders Give Appreciation
quote from Please Understand Me II
by David Keirsey
by David Keirsey
Given that appreciation of their subordinates' contributions is a powerful tool for any leader, how do Guardian [SJ] leaders show their appreciation? How do they give strokes? ...
Since SJs must always earn their keep, including the earning of appreciation, only those employees who have been most hard-working should be appreciated. Otherwise (the unconscious belief dictates) employees might become less industrious. Giving credit where credit isn't most deserved would be bad for morale; therefore, only the winner can receive the grand prize. Those in second and third place may receive a blue and green ribbon, but no other player gets anything.
Traditionalist leaders would do well to examine their implicit belief that only the truly deserving may be shown appreciation, and that these can be only the outstanding few. To be most effective, SJ leaders must train themselves to pay attention to the least achievement and deliberately reward those achievements just because they were achieved. They need to experiment with finding something, no matter how trifling, the least productive employee has contributed, and to express appreciation for that.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Why Follow Jesus?
"I know I would live a worse life without him, and I would always be lonely."
~ Rev. Dr. Gilbert W. Bowen
~ Rev. Dr. Gilbert W. Bowen
Monday, May 01, 2006
Abraham Lincoln Quotes
The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.
Abraham Lincoln
"A drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall." So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey which catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the highroad to his reason.
Abraham Lincoln
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Abraham Lincoln
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln
He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.
Abraham Lincoln
I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.
Abraham Lincoln
If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg.
Abraham Lincoln
If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.
Abraham Lincoln
I will prepare and some day my chance will come.
Abraham Lincoln
I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.
Abraham Lincoln
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.
Abraham Lincoln
Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.
Abraham Lincoln
It is the eternal struggle between these two principles - right and wrong. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time and will ever continue to struggle. It is the same spirit that says, "You work and toil and earn bread, and I'll eat it."
Abraham Lincoln
Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
Abraham Lincoln
Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.
Abraham Lincoln
The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person.
Abraham Lincoln
The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.
Abraham Lincoln
The time comes upon every public man when it is best for him to keep his lips closed.
Abraham Lincoln
Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.
Abraham Lincoln
To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.
Abraham Lincoln
To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary.
Abraham Lincoln
Towering genius disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.
Abraham Lincoln
We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.
Abraham Lincoln
What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.
Abraham Lincoln
When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say.
Abraham Lincoln
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.
Abraham Lincoln
With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.
Abraham Lincoln
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Abraham Lincoln
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
Abraham Lincoln
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
Abraham Lincoln
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
Abraham Lincoln
You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
"A drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall." So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey which catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the highroad to his reason.
Abraham Lincoln
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Abraham Lincoln
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln
He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.
Abraham Lincoln
I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.
Abraham Lincoln
If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg.
Abraham Lincoln
If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.
Abraham Lincoln
I will prepare and some day my chance will come.
Abraham Lincoln
I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.
Abraham Lincoln
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.
Abraham Lincoln
Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.
Abraham Lincoln
It is the eternal struggle between these two principles - right and wrong. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time and will ever continue to struggle. It is the same spirit that says, "You work and toil and earn bread, and I'll eat it."
Abraham Lincoln
Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
Abraham Lincoln
Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.
Abraham Lincoln
The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person.
Abraham Lincoln
The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.
Abraham Lincoln
The time comes upon every public man when it is best for him to keep his lips closed.
Abraham Lincoln
Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.
Abraham Lincoln
To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.
Abraham Lincoln
To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary.
Abraham Lincoln
Towering genius disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.
Abraham Lincoln
We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.
Abraham Lincoln
What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.
Abraham Lincoln
When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say.
Abraham Lincoln
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.
Abraham Lincoln
With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.
Abraham Lincoln
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Abraham Lincoln
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
Abraham Lincoln
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
Abraham Lincoln
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
Abraham Lincoln
You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.
Abraham Lincoln
Friday, April 28, 2006
Another Beatitude
Another Beatitude
by Elizabeth Clark
Blessed are they who understand
my faltering step and shaking hand.
Blessed, who know my ears today
must strain to catch the things they say.
Blessed are they who seem to know
my eyes are dim and my mind is slow.
Blessed are they who looked away;
I spilled my tea on the cloth that day!
Blessed are they who, with cheery smile,
stopped to chat for a little while.
Blessed are they who know the way
to bring back memories of yesterday.
Blessed are they who never say,
"You told that story twice today!"
Blessed are they who make it known
that I am loved, respected and not alone.
And blessed are they who will ease the days
of my journey home, in loving ways.
by Elizabeth Clark
Blessed are they who understand
my faltering step and shaking hand.
Blessed, who know my ears today
must strain to catch the things they say.
Blessed are they who seem to know
my eyes are dim and my mind is slow.
Blessed are they who looked away;
I spilled my tea on the cloth that day!
Blessed are they who, with cheery smile,
stopped to chat for a little while.
Blessed are they who know the way
to bring back memories of yesterday.
Blessed are they who never say,
"You told that story twice today!"
Blessed are they who make it known
that I am loved, respected and not alone.
And blessed are they who will ease the days
of my journey home, in loving ways.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Science Quotes From Kids
When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.
~ Rainbows
Rainbows are just to look at, not to really understand.
~ Sun Clocks
Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.
~ The Sun
Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a sun in the daytime.
The tides are a fight between the Earth and Moon. All water tends towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.
While the earth seems to be knowingly keeping its distance from the sun, it is really only centrificating.
~ Thunder and Lightning
You can listen to thunder after lightning and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don't hear it you got hit, so never mind.
~ Water
In looking at a drop of water under a microscope, we find there are twice as many H's as O's.
Water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. There are 180 degrees between freezing and boiling because there are 180 degrees between north and south.
Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin. Hydrogin is gin and water.
H20 is hot water, and CO2 is cold water.
~ Clouds and Rain
I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know how to do it, and that is the important thing.
Water vapor gets together in a cloud. When it is big enough to be called a drop, it does.
Humidity is the experience of looking for air and finding water. We keep track of the humidity in the air so we won't drown when we breathe.
Rain is saved up in cloud banks.
Rain is often known as soft water, oppositely known as hail.
~ Weather
Isotherms and isobars are even more important than their names sound.
South America has cold summers and hot winters, but somehow they still manage.
A monsoon is a French gentleman.
The four seasons are salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
~ Living Things
When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire.
The body consists of three parts - the brainium, the borax and the abominable cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abominable cavity contains the bowels, of which there are five - a, e, i, o and u.
Artificial insemination is when the farmer does it to the cow instead of the bull.
Blood flows down one leg and up the other.
Liter: A nest of young puppies.
Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or negative.
There are 26 vitamins in all, but some of the letters are yet to be discovered. Finding them all means living forever.
The spinal column is a long bunch of bones. The head sits on the top and you sit on the bottom.
In spring, the salmon swim upstream to spoon.
The inhabitants of Moscow are called Mosquitoes.
A census taker is man who goes from house to house increasing the population.
We do not raise silk worms in the United States, because we get our silk from rayon. He is a larger worm and gives more silk.
One by-product of raising cattle is calves.
~ Plants
Dew is formed on leaves when the sun shines down on them and makes them perspire.
Mushrooms always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas.
Germinate: To become a naturalized German.
The pistol of a flower is its only protections against insects.
~ Physics
Vacuum: A large, empty space where the pope lives.
One horsepower is the amount of energy it takes to drag a horse 500 feet in one second.
When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.
Someday we may discover how to make magnets that can point in any direction.
The law of gravity says no fair jumping up without coming back down
~ Astronomy
When people run around and around in circles, we say they are crazy. When planets do it, we say they are orbiting.
The moon is a planet, just like the earth, only it is even deader.
Planet: A body of Earth surrounded by sky.
~ Fossils and Dinosaurs
Many dead animals of the past changed to fossils, others preferred to become oil.
In some rocks you can find the fossil footprints of fishes.
The Big Four:
Weight Length Height
Blue Whale 120 tons 25 m (80 ft) 5 m (17 ft)
Brachiosaurus 80 tons 23 m (77 ft) 12 m (40 ft)
Mammoth 9 tons 7 m (23 ft) 4.5 m (15 ft)
African Elephant 6 tons 6 m (20 ft) 3 m (10 feet)
~ Dogs
Cyanide is so poisonous that one drop of it on a dog's tongue will kill the strongest man.
For dog bite put the dog away for several days. If he has not recovered, then kill it.
~ Genetics
Genetics explains why you look like your father and if you don't why you should.
~ Rainbows
Rainbows are just to look at, not to really understand.
~ Sun Clocks
Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.
~ The Sun
Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a sun in the daytime.
The tides are a fight between the Earth and Moon. All water tends towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.
While the earth seems to be knowingly keeping its distance from the sun, it is really only centrificating.
~ Thunder and Lightning
You can listen to thunder after lightning and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don't hear it you got hit, so never mind.
~ Water
In looking at a drop of water under a microscope, we find there are twice as many H's as O's.
Water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. There are 180 degrees between freezing and boiling because there are 180 degrees between north and south.
Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin. Hydrogin is gin and water.
H20 is hot water, and CO2 is cold water.
~ Clouds and Rain
I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know how to do it, and that is the important thing.
Water vapor gets together in a cloud. When it is big enough to be called a drop, it does.
Humidity is the experience of looking for air and finding water. We keep track of the humidity in the air so we won't drown when we breathe.
Rain is saved up in cloud banks.
Rain is often known as soft water, oppositely known as hail.
~ Weather
Isotherms and isobars are even more important than their names sound.
South America has cold summers and hot winters, but somehow they still manage.
A monsoon is a French gentleman.
The four seasons are salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
~ Living Things
When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire.
The body consists of three parts - the brainium, the borax and the abominable cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abominable cavity contains the bowels, of which there are five - a, e, i, o and u.
Artificial insemination is when the farmer does it to the cow instead of the bull.
Blood flows down one leg and up the other.
Liter: A nest of young puppies.
Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or negative.
There are 26 vitamins in all, but some of the letters are yet to be discovered. Finding them all means living forever.
The spinal column is a long bunch of bones. The head sits on the top and you sit on the bottom.
In spring, the salmon swim upstream to spoon.
The inhabitants of Moscow are called Mosquitoes.
A census taker is man who goes from house to house increasing the population.
We do not raise silk worms in the United States, because we get our silk from rayon. He is a larger worm and gives more silk.
One by-product of raising cattle is calves.
~ Plants
Dew is formed on leaves when the sun shines down on them and makes them perspire.
Mushrooms always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas.
Germinate: To become a naturalized German.
The pistol of a flower is its only protections against insects.
~ Physics
Vacuum: A large, empty space where the pope lives.
One horsepower is the amount of energy it takes to drag a horse 500 feet in one second.
When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.
Someday we may discover how to make magnets that can point in any direction.
The law of gravity says no fair jumping up without coming back down
~ Astronomy
When people run around and around in circles, we say they are crazy. When planets do it, we say they are orbiting.
The moon is a planet, just like the earth, only it is even deader.
Planet: A body of Earth surrounded by sky.
~ Fossils and Dinosaurs
Many dead animals of the past changed to fossils, others preferred to become oil.
In some rocks you can find the fossil footprints of fishes.
The Big Four:
Weight Length Height
Blue Whale 120 tons 25 m (80 ft) 5 m (17 ft)
Brachiosaurus 80 tons 23 m (77 ft) 12 m (40 ft)
Mammoth 9 tons 7 m (23 ft) 4.5 m (15 ft)
African Elephant 6 tons 6 m (20 ft) 3 m (10 feet)
~ Dogs
Cyanide is so poisonous that one drop of it on a dog's tongue will kill the strongest man.
For dog bite put the dog away for several days. If he has not recovered, then kill it.
~ Genetics
Genetics explains why you look like your father and if you don't why you should.
Go to the Whole World
Go to the World
Jesus did not command the whole world to go to church. Jesus commanded his church to go to the whole world.
~ Traditional
Jesus did not command the whole world to go to church. Jesus commanded his church to go to the whole world.
~ Traditional
Some Other Cause for Prejudice
If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other cause for prejudice by noon.
~ George Aiken
~ George Aiken
Shuffling Around on the Edge of Heaven
Garrison Keillor once said, in one of his famous Prairie Home Companion
soliloquies,
"My people are not Paradise people. We've lived in Minnesota all of our lives and it has taken a lot out of us. My people aren't sure they'll even like paradise: not sure perfection is all its cracked up to be. My people will arrive in heaven and stand just inside the gate, shuffling around. It's a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, they might say. We'll say, "No thank you, we can't stay for eternity, we'll just sit and have a few minutes of bliss and then we have to get back!"
~ Garrison Keillor, Prairie Home Companion
soliloquies,
"My people are not Paradise people. We've lived in Minnesota all of our lives and it has taken a lot out of us. My people aren't sure they'll even like paradise: not sure perfection is all its cracked up to be. My people will arrive in heaven and stand just inside the gate, shuffling around. It's a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, they might say. We'll say, "No thank you, we can't stay for eternity, we'll just sit and have a few minutes of bliss and then we have to get back!"
~ Garrison Keillor, Prairie Home Companion
Saturday, April 15, 2006
"I made a mistake. My answer was wrong."
Ask Marilyn
Marilyn vos Savant
Published: November 27, 2005
Parade.com Magazine
Marilyn vos Savant
Published: November 27, 2005
Parade.com Magazine
Q. Not long ago, it was pointed out that one of your responses was wrong. You replied that you were "mistaken." Why didn't you just admit that you were wrong, or do you think "wrong" and "mistaken" are the same thing?
—Lewis Jones, Ruston, La.
A. I don't identify with my work, so I never say (or even think) that "I was right" or "I was wrong." Instead, I would say, "I made a mistake. My answer was wrong."
Remember
"When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.
For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost. When I'm feeling most ghost-like, it's your remembering me that helps remind me that I actually exist. When I'm feeling sad, it's my consolation. When I'm feeling happy, it's part of why I feel that way.
If you forget me, one of the ways I remember who I am will be gone. If you forget me, part of who I am will be gone.
'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,' the good thief said from his cross (Luke 23:42). There are perhaps no more human words in all of Scripture, no prayer we can pray so well."
Frederick Buechner
Whistling in the Dark, p. 100
For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost. When I'm feeling most ghost-like, it's your remembering me that helps remind me that I actually exist. When I'm feeling sad, it's my consolation. When I'm feeling happy, it's part of why I feel that way.
If you forget me, one of the ways I remember who I am will be gone. If you forget me, part of who I am will be gone.
'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,' the good thief said from his cross (Luke 23:42). There are perhaps no more human words in all of Scripture, no prayer we can pray so well."
Frederick Buechner
Whistling in the Dark, p. 100
Friday, April 14, 2006
Peace Quotes
"Go home and love someone."
Upon receiving the Nobel prize, Mother Teresa was asked:
"What can one ordinary person do to promote world peace?"
She replied: "Go home and love someone."
Love without measure, one day at a time, the one person who is before you at any one moment.
~ Mother Theresa
http://www.saintmarkpresby.org/pagepastmeditations.htm
St. Theresa's Prayer
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of you.
"Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways. Meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love She is also the patron Saint of flower growers and florists. She is represented by roses.”
http://www.cotwest.com/1/COTW/prayers.asp?NsID=2995
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.
~ Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)
Another possible source of guidance for teenagers is television, but television's message has always been that the need for truth, wisdom and world peace pales by comparison with the need for a toothpaste that offers whiter teeth *and* fresher breath.
~ Dave Barry (1947 - ), "Kids Today: They Don't Know Dum Diddly Do"
There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.
~ Moshe Dayan (1915 - 1981)
There is plenty of peace in any home where the family doesn't make the mistake of trying to get together.
~ Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
~ John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963), In a speech at the White House, 1962
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
~ Bible, Isaiah 32:17
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace!
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
~ Saint Francis of Assisi (1181 - 1226), "Prayer of St Francis" (attributed)
Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world always yields; or if it beats you sometimes, dare it again and it will succumb.
~ William Makepeace Thackeray (1811 - 1863)
He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees.
~ Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
I do not want the peace which passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace.
~ Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)
Mercy and truth are met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
~ Bible, Psalm 85:10.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
~ Bible, Proverbs 3:17.
All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.
~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968), "Strength to Love"
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds. . . to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.
~ Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.
~ H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"
If the Prince of Peace should come to earth, one of the first things he would do would be to put psychiatrists in their place.
~ Aldous Huxley (1894 - 1963)
We always prefer war on our terms to peace on someone else's.
~ Author Unknown
The true and solid peace of nations consists not in equality of arms, but in mutual trust alone.
~ Pope John XXIII
Every kind of peaceful cooperation among men is primarily based on mutual trust and only secondarily on institutions such as courts of justice and police.
~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
The motivation for all personal behavior is to produce a sense of "FEEL GOOD," a sense of inner peace and well being. To expect a person to go against his desire to feel good or as good as he can feel under any momentary condition is illogical and irrational. In the observation of human behavior, one will notice every human act is a response to a personal need. This is true whether one signs a million dollar contract, scratches one's nose, rolls over in bed, or just day dreams his life away. People will do things which seem contrary to this concept, but the bottom line is they perceive some kind of payoff which will make them feel good. And the payoff is almost always emotional.
When you ask people why they want to be financially independent, they might say that they could buy things without having to worry about where the money will come from. And when they worry, they don't FEEL GOOD. A drug addict, a compulsive eater, an alcoholic and anyone with a compulsive habit will continue with their habits because at the moment of action they believe and feel it will make them feel good. That is why breaking compulsive habits are so difficult.
~ Sidney Madwed
www.quotationspage.com
Upon receiving the Nobel prize, Mother Teresa was asked:
"What can one ordinary person do to promote world peace?"
She replied: "Go home and love someone."
Love without measure, one day at a time, the one person who is before you at any one moment.
~ Mother Theresa
http://www.saintmarkpresby.org/pagepastmeditations.htm
St. Theresa's Prayer
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of you.
"Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways. Meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love She is also the patron Saint of flower growers and florists. She is represented by roses.”
http://www.cotwest.com/1/COTW/prayers.asp?NsID=2995
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.
~ Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)
Another possible source of guidance for teenagers is television, but television's message has always been that the need for truth, wisdom and world peace pales by comparison with the need for a toothpaste that offers whiter teeth *and* fresher breath.
~ Dave Barry (1947 - ), "Kids Today: They Don't Know Dum Diddly Do"
There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.
~ Moshe Dayan (1915 - 1981)
There is plenty of peace in any home where the family doesn't make the mistake of trying to get together.
~ Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
~ John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963), In a speech at the White House, 1962
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
~ Bible, Isaiah 32:17
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace!
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
~ Saint Francis of Assisi (1181 - 1226), "Prayer of St Francis" (attributed)
Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world always yields; or if it beats you sometimes, dare it again and it will succumb.
~ William Makepeace Thackeray (1811 - 1863)
He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees.
~ Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
I do not want the peace which passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace.
~ Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)
Mercy and truth are met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
~ Bible, Psalm 85:10.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
~ Bible, Proverbs 3:17.
All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.
~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968), "Strength to Love"
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds. . . to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.
~ Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.
~ H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"
If the Prince of Peace should come to earth, one of the first things he would do would be to put psychiatrists in their place.
~ Aldous Huxley (1894 - 1963)
We always prefer war on our terms to peace on someone else's.
~ Author Unknown
The true and solid peace of nations consists not in equality of arms, but in mutual trust alone.
~ Pope John XXIII
Every kind of peaceful cooperation among men is primarily based on mutual trust and only secondarily on institutions such as courts of justice and police.
~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
The motivation for all personal behavior is to produce a sense of "FEEL GOOD," a sense of inner peace and well being. To expect a person to go against his desire to feel good or as good as he can feel under any momentary condition is illogical and irrational. In the observation of human behavior, one will notice every human act is a response to a personal need. This is true whether one signs a million dollar contract, scratches one's nose, rolls over in bed, or just day dreams his life away. People will do things which seem contrary to this concept, but the bottom line is they perceive some kind of payoff which will make them feel good. And the payoff is almost always emotional.
When you ask people why they want to be financially independent, they might say that they could buy things without having to worry about where the money will come from. And when they worry, they don't FEEL GOOD. A drug addict, a compulsive eater, an alcoholic and anyone with a compulsive habit will continue with their habits because at the moment of action they believe and feel it will make them feel good. That is why breaking compulsive habits are so difficult.
~ Sidney Madwed
www.quotationspage.com
Monday, April 10, 2006
Endless Follow-Up
"A onetime personal aide of President Truman once put the matter to me in this way: 'The most startling thing a new President discovers is that, in the world of the Presidency, giving an order does not end the matter. Nothing gets done except by endless follow-up, endless kissing and coaxing, endless threatening and compelling. ... And they're all testing you. How much can they get away with? How much authority can they take? How much authority do you want them to have?'"
The Making of the President: 1960
Theodore H. White
The Making of the President: 1960
Theodore H. White
Newly Married
Mr. Chips remembers his marriage to Katherine
quoted from Chapters 5 & 6:
"So clearly it lingered, that time of dizzy happiness, those evening strolls by the waterside, her cool voice and her gay laughter. She had been a very happy person, always.
They had both been so eager, planning a future together; but he had been rather serious about it, even a little awed. …
There had followed then a time of such happiness that Chips, remembering it long afterward, hardly believed it could ever have happened before or since in the world. For his marriage was a triumphant success. Katherine conquered Brookfield as she had conquered Chips; she was immensely popular with boys and masters alike. Even the wives of the masters, tempted at first to be jealous of one so young and lovely, could not long resist her charms.
But most remarkable of all was the change she made in Chips. Till his marriage he had been a dry and rather neutral sort of person; liked and thought well of by Brookfield in general, but not of the stuff that makes for great popularity or that stirs great affection. He had been at Brookfield for over a quarter of a century, long enough to have established himself as a decent fellow and a hard worker; but just too long for anyone to believe him capable of ever being much more. He had, in fact, already begun to sink into that creeping dry rot of pedagogy which is the worst and ultimate pitfall of the profession; giving the same lessons year after year had formed a groove into which the other affairs of his life adjusted themselves with insidious ease. He worked well; he was conscientious; he was a fixture that gave service, satisfaction, confidence, everything except inspiration.
And then came this astonishing girl-wife whom nobody had expected--least of all Chips himself. She made him, to all appearances, a new man; though most of the newness was really a warming to life of things that were old, imprisoned, and unguessed. His eyes gained sparkle; his mind, which was adequately if not brilliantly equipped, began to move more adventurously. The one thing he had always had, a sense of humor, blossomed into a sudden richness to which his years lent maturity. He began to feel a greater sureness; his discipline improved to a point at which it could become, in a sense, less rigid; he became more popular. … Obedience he had secured, and honor had been granted him; but only now came love, the sudden love of boys for a man who was kind without being soft, who understood them well enough, but not too much, and whose private happiness linked them with their own. He began to make little jokes, the sort that schoolboys like--mnemonics and puns that raised laughs and at the same time imprinted something in the mind. …
And Kathie broadened his views and opinions, also, giving him an outlook far beyond the roofs and turrets of Brookfield, so that he saw his country as something deep and gracious to which Brookfield was but one of many feeding streams. She had a cleverer brain than his, and he could not confuse her ideas even if and when he disagreed with them; he remained, for instance, a Conservative in politics, despite all her radical-socialist talk. But even where he did not accept, he absorbed; her young idealism worked upon his maturity to produce an amalgam very gentle and wise."
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
James Hilton
1934
quoted from Chapters 5 & 6:
"So clearly it lingered, that time of dizzy happiness, those evening strolls by the waterside, her cool voice and her gay laughter. She had been a very happy person, always.
They had both been so eager, planning a future together; but he had been rather serious about it, even a little awed. …
There had followed then a time of such happiness that Chips, remembering it long afterward, hardly believed it could ever have happened before or since in the world. For his marriage was a triumphant success. Katherine conquered Brookfield as she had conquered Chips; she was immensely popular with boys and masters alike. Even the wives of the masters, tempted at first to be jealous of one so young and lovely, could not long resist her charms.
But most remarkable of all was the change she made in Chips. Till his marriage he had been a dry and rather neutral sort of person; liked and thought well of by Brookfield in general, but not of the stuff that makes for great popularity or that stirs great affection. He had been at Brookfield for over a quarter of a century, long enough to have established himself as a decent fellow and a hard worker; but just too long for anyone to believe him capable of ever being much more. He had, in fact, already begun to sink into that creeping dry rot of pedagogy which is the worst and ultimate pitfall of the profession; giving the same lessons year after year had formed a groove into which the other affairs of his life adjusted themselves with insidious ease. He worked well; he was conscientious; he was a fixture that gave service, satisfaction, confidence, everything except inspiration.
And then came this astonishing girl-wife whom nobody had expected--least of all Chips himself. She made him, to all appearances, a new man; though most of the newness was really a warming to life of things that were old, imprisoned, and unguessed. His eyes gained sparkle; his mind, which was adequately if not brilliantly equipped, began to move more adventurously. The one thing he had always had, a sense of humor, blossomed into a sudden richness to which his years lent maturity. He began to feel a greater sureness; his discipline improved to a point at which it could become, in a sense, less rigid; he became more popular. … Obedience he had secured, and honor had been granted him; but only now came love, the sudden love of boys for a man who was kind without being soft, who understood them well enough, but not too much, and whose private happiness linked them with their own. He began to make little jokes, the sort that schoolboys like--mnemonics and puns that raised laughs and at the same time imprinted something in the mind. …
And Kathie broadened his views and opinions, also, giving him an outlook far beyond the roofs and turrets of Brookfield, so that he saw his country as something deep and gracious to which Brookfield was but one of many feeding streams. She had a cleverer brain than his, and he could not confuse her ideas even if and when he disagreed with them; he remained, for instance, a Conservative in politics, despite all her radical-socialist talk. But even where he did not accept, he absorbed; her young idealism worked upon his maturity to produce an amalgam very gentle and wise."
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
James Hilton
1934
Saturday, April 08, 2006
I Am His, and He Is Mine
Loved with everlasting love, led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above, Thou hast taught me it is so!
O this full and perfect peace! O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.
In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.
His forever, only His; Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav’n and earth may fade and flee, firstborn light in gloom decline;
But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine.
But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine.
Words: George W. Robinson, 1876.
Music: “Everlasting Love,” James Mountain, 1876, Hymns of Consecration and Faith.
Gracious Spirit from above, Thou hast taught me it is so!
O this full and perfect peace! O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.
In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.
His forever, only His; Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav’n and earth may fade and flee, firstborn light in gloom decline;
But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine.
But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine.
Words: George W. Robinson, 1876.
Music: “Everlasting Love,” James Mountain, 1876, Hymns of Consecration and Faith.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Find your place and your rhythm
"People do tend to flip out about [the swim portion of a triathlon] because it's the first leg, so everyone's all bunched together, and it's tough to see where you are in open water [many triathlons are held in lakes or in the ocean]. But I love it. Sure, it's chaotic--people kicking you, even swimming over you. But once you find your place and your rhythm ... it's all good. I don't mind it at all. In fact, I kinda like it."
singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin
winner of a Grammy for her song "Sunny Came Home"
diane, Spring 2006
singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin
winner of a Grammy for her song "Sunny Came Home"
diane, Spring 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
The donkey had to be untied before Jesus could use it.
About the Donkey
People often speak of donkeys in belittling terms. You may have heard the expression, "I'm just someone who has to do all the donkey work." Or "So-and-so is as stubborn as a mule" (a mule is part donkey).
These sayings overlook the contributions of a truly valuable animal. Donkeys have served the human race for thousands of years. They were once prized as symbols of humility, gentleness, and peace.
In Bible days, donkeys that had never been ridden were regarded as especially suitable for religious purposes. So it was most fitting that Jesus sent for a colt to perform the royal task of carrying Him into Jerusalem. How enviable was that donkey's mission! How like our mission as Jesus' followers!
A missionary in China calls herself "the Lord's donkey." She's a humble believer, "carrying" her Lord faithfully into town after town and training others to do likewise. The Lord has need of many such "donkeys" in today's world, humble people who will carry Him into their Jerusalem and make Him known.
The donkey had to be untied before Jesus could use it. We too must be released from worldly attachments if we are to serve Christ. Are we willing to be the Lord's donkey?
~ Our Daily Bread, March 24, 2001
People often speak of donkeys in belittling terms. You may have heard the expression, "I'm just someone who has to do all the donkey work." Or "So-and-so is as stubborn as a mule" (a mule is part donkey).
These sayings overlook the contributions of a truly valuable animal. Donkeys have served the human race for thousands of years. They were once prized as symbols of humility, gentleness, and peace.
In Bible days, donkeys that had never been ridden were regarded as especially suitable for religious purposes. So it was most fitting that Jesus sent for a colt to perform the royal task of carrying Him into Jerusalem. How enviable was that donkey's mission! How like our mission as Jesus' followers!
A missionary in China calls herself "the Lord's donkey." She's a humble believer, "carrying" her Lord faithfully into town after town and training others to do likewise. The Lord has need of many such "donkeys" in today's world, humble people who will carry Him into their Jerusalem and make Him known.
The donkey had to be untied before Jesus could use it. We too must be released from worldly attachments if we are to serve Christ. Are we willing to be the Lord's donkey?
~ Our Daily Bread, March 24, 2001
Tithe if you love Jesus
Bumper Stickers:
"Honk if you love Jesus."
"Tithe if you love Jesus. Anyone can honk."
"Honk if you love Jesus."
"Tithe if you love Jesus. Anyone can honk."
Sunday, April 02, 2006
grief, the open wound of the heart . . .
Honoré de Balzac - Beatrix
Chapter XVII - A Death: A Marriage
"Do you blame me, darling mother, for having wished to reconnoitre the extent of the grief, the open wound of the heart of which you warned me?"
http://pluckerbooks.com/works/balzachd/beatrix/chapter17.html
Chapter XVII - A Death: A Marriage
"Do you blame me, darling mother, for having wished to reconnoitre the extent of the grief, the open wound of the heart of which you warned me?"
http://pluckerbooks.com/works/balzachd/beatrix/chapter17.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)