surprise them with restraint and generosity

What Nelson Mandela’s character said about South African whites in the movie “Invictus”:
“We have to surprise them with restraint and generosity.”

It Was Perfect

“A man who was completely innocent,
offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others,
including his enemies,
and became the ransom of the world.
It was a perfect act.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi
(Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest influenced by Jesus Christ, 1869-1948)

"We want revenge, and we want blood."

"We want revenge, and we want blood."

ABU MOHAMED, a protester in Azra, Syria, a southern town that witnessed the highest death toll Friday.
New York Times, 4/23/11
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/world/middleeast/
23syria.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha3

the truth of the thing signified is surely present there

The Lord's Supper
John Calvin "can be regarded as occupying a position roughly midway between" (McGrath) the doctrines developed by Martin Luther on the one hand and Huldrych Zwingli, on the other:
"Believers ought always to live by this rule: whenever they see symbols appointed by the Lord, to think and be convinced that the truth of the thing signified is surely present there. For why should the Lord put in your hand the symbol of his body, unless it was to assure you that you really participate in it? And if it is true that a visible sign is given to us to seal the gift of an invisible thing, when we have received the symbol of the body, let us rest assured that the body itself is also given to us." (Calvin); that is, "the thing that is signified is effected by its sign" (McGrath).[65]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation

65.^ McGrath, A. 1998. Historical Theology, An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought. Blackwell Publishers: Oxford, p.199.

Love Rules Without Rules

Love Rules Without Rules

~ Italian proverb

Relax!

quotes from Martha Beck:
March 2008 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Life-Coach-Martha-Becks-5-New-Best-Pieces-of-Advice/

One day—a day that has lingered in my memory despite countless attempts to repress it—I went skiing with a group of expert athletes in blizzard conditions. My friends wanted to ski runs with names like Panic Attack and Months in Traction, while I preferred Pokey Li'l Pony and Easy Does It. At first, my friends ribbed me good-naturedly. Then they realized I was serious, and became silently ashamed for me. Of course, I tensed up. After my third face-plant, the best skier in the group told me gently, "Martha, every scary obstacle is just an invitation to relax."

One of my favorite fictional characters is a parrot from Tom Robbins's Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates. The parrot speaks words only once in a great while, and he says just one thing: "People of the world: Relax!"

"You could hit a hole in one and still lose a golf tournament, and you could win without ever hitting a hole in one. A great golfer is someone who usually gets the ball somewhat closer to the hole than most other people. Almost everything in life functions this way. No break is big enough to end all your problems, but consistently getting reasonably close to your objective, task after task, will put you far ahead of most other people. So dream of the hole in one, but know you can be a champion just by getting it on the green."

~ Martha Beck

Resentment

A poison one swallows with the expectation the other person will die,
welling up from lack of forgiveness.

Religious Conviction and Evil

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."

Pascal

Will God get what he wants?

from a review of Rob Bell, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, HarperOne, 2011

He points out the many New Testament passages that point in this direction, like "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Cor. 5:19), and Jesus' statement, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32). He adds to that verses about God's omnipotence and God's desire that all should be saved.
And then he asks the arresting question, "Will God get what he wants?"

Jesus: "do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28, ESV)

John Wayne as a protective paternal figure

From: Emanuel Levy, John Wayne: Prophet of the American Way of Life, The Scarecrow Press, Inc.: Metuchen, N.J. and London (1988), page 1:

John Wayne was born as Marion Michael Morrison on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, a small town in Iowa. His father, Clyde L. Morrison, was a druggist of Scottish descent, and his mother, Mary Margaret Brown, of pure Irish stock... When he was six, the family moved to Lancaster in Southern California, where his father settled on a ranch...

Levy, page 161:

Wayne's sexuality [in his movie roles] is also monogamous; he neither betrays his screen wives nor flirts with married women. But his domesticity tends to be more familial than marital, family and children are at the center of his pictures. "The longer Wayne kept his promise, kept providing, stayed true, kept being there despite cancer and illnesses and age itself," Michael Malone observed, "the more valued the strength of his fidelity and the integrity of his identity came to be." Women's attraction to the values he stood for was so strong that in the 1970s even the feminists came to admire him as a protective paternal figure.

three stringent rules for living

From: George Carpozi Jr., The John Wayne Story, Arlington House: New Rochelle, NY (1972), page 17:

Clyde Morrison [John Wayne's father] was of Scottish descent... [John] Wayne describes his father as the "kindest, most patient man [he] ever met," saying that the elder Morrison never had an unkind thought in his mind and rarely spoke harshly to his son or anyone else. Nor did he ever lecture young Marion [John Wayne]. But he did teach him three stringent rules for living which have the ring of orders tumbling from the lips of Davy Crockett in the nineteenth century:
1. Always keep your word.
2. A gentleman never insults anybody intentionally.
3. Don't go around looking for trouble. But if you ever get in a fight, make sure you win it.

Our limitation is God's opportunity

quotes from same kind of different as me: a modern-day slave, and international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together, by Ron Hall & Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2006.

There's somethin I learned when I was homeless: Our limitation is God's opportunity. When you get all the way to the end of your rope and there ain't nothin you can do, that's when God takes over.
I remember one time I was hunkered down in the hobo jungle with some folks. We was talkin 'bout life, and this fella was talkin, said, "People think they're in control, but they ain't. The truth is, that which must befall thee must befall thee. And that which must pass thee by must past thee by."
You'd be surprised what you can learn talkin to homeless people. I learned to accept life for what it is. ...
Sometimes to touch us, God touches someone that's close to us. This is what opens our eyes to the fact there is a higher power than ourselves, whether we call it God or not. ...
And I can tell you something else--I don't care what no doctors say, Miss Debbie ain't goin nowhere till she finished the work here on earth that God gave her to do.
Denver Moore, p. 169-170

When we let Miss Debbie down into the ground, I knowed it wadn't nothin but her earthly body. But I still felt my heart sinkin right down into that hole. ...
And I told Him I didn't like it. That's the good think 'bout God. Since He can see right through your heart anyway, you can go on and tell Him what you really think. ...
I cried and cried out loud and told Miss Debbie that was the most important thing she taught me: "ever man should have the courage to stand up and face the enemy," I said, "cause ever person that looks like a enemy on the outside ain't necessarily one on the inside. We all has more in common that we think. You stood up with courage and faced me when I was dangerous, and it changed my life. You loved me for who I was on the inside, the person God meant for me to be, the one that had just gotten lost for a while on some ugly roads in life."
Denver Moore, p. 192-193

Why Avoiding Rejection Is a Major Mistake

"At 40 I now believe rejection is God's way of kicking you to higher ground."

~ Suzanne Finnamore

The Promises of God Are True

Tom Long, a former preaching professor at Princeton, says that while he was at Princeton, he went to a nearby Presbyterian church that prides itself on being an academic, intellectual church. Early on, he said, he went to a family night supper and sat down next to a man, introduced himself, told him he was new, and said, “Have you been here long?”

“Oh yes,” the man said. “In fact I was here before this became such a scholarly church. Why I’m probably the only non-intellectual left. I haven’t understood a sermon in over 25 years.”

“Then why do you keep coming,” Tom asked?

“Because every Monday night a group of us get in the church van and drive over to the youth correctional center. Sometimes we play basketball, or play games. Usually we share a Bible story. But mostly we just get to know these kids and listen to them.

“I started going because Christians are supposed to do those kind of things. But now I could never stop. Sharing the love of God at that youth center has changed my life.”

And then he said this profound statement. “You cannot prove the promises of God in advance, but if you live them, they’re true, every one.”

intense anger over injured dignity

The Wall Street Journal
THE SATURDAY ESSAY
MARCH 12, 2011
Is China Next?
By FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
Will the protests that have swept the Middle East inspire a similar movement in China, or is that country's middle class more interested in the material than the political?

quote:
"Over the course of three short months, popular uprisings have toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, sparked a civil war in Libya and created unrest in other parts of the Middle East. They also have raised a question in many people's minds: Are all authoritarian regimes now threatened by this new democratic wave? In particular, is China, a rising superpower, vulnerable to these forces?"
...
"Perhaps the most relevant thinker for understanding the Middle East today and China tomorrow is the late Samuel Huntington—not the Huntington of "The Clash of Civilizations," who argued that there were fundamental incompatibilities between Islam and democracy, but the Huntington whose classic book "Political Order in Changing Societies," first published in 1968, laid out his theory of the development "gap."
Observing the high levels of political instability plaguing countries in the developing world during the 1950s and '60s, Mr. Huntington noted that increasing levels of economic and social development often led to coups, revolutions and military takeovers. This could be explained, he argued, by a gap between the newly mobilized, educated and economically empowered people and their existing political system—that is, between their hopes for political participation and institutions that gave them little or no voice. Attacks against the existing political order, he noted, are seldom driven by the poorest of the poor in such a society; they tend to be led, instead, by rising middle classes who are frustrated by the lack of political and economic opportunity."
...
"It is certainly true that the dry tinder of social discontent is just as present in China as in the Middle East. The incident that triggered the Tunisian uprising was the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, who had his vegetable cart repeatedly confiscated by the authorities and who was slapped and insulted by the police when he went to complain. This issue dogs all regimes that have neither the rule of law nor public accountability: The authorities routinely fail to respect the dignity of ordinary citizens and run roughshod over their rights. There is no culture in which this sort of behavior is not strongly resented."
...
"All social revolutions are driven by intense anger over injured dignity, an anger that is sometimes crystallized by a single incident or image that mobilizes previously disorganized individuals and binds them into a community."

—Mr. Fukuyama is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. His new book, "The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution," will be published next month.

http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB10001424052748703560404576188981829658442
.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read

Don't be so humble

"Don't be so humble;
you're not that great."

~ Golda Meir

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

SOS - Stuck on Stupid

~ Iyanla Vanzant

Handling a Temper Tantrum

Michael Potegal, Ph.D., a pediatric neuropsychologist at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis:
"When you comfort a child in the middle of a tantrum, you reinforce the behavior. Instead, say 'I'm sorry you're upset. When you calm down, I'll give you a hug and we can talk about what happened.'"
This way, you offer support and sympathy while still showing your tot how to regulate his emotions.
"Since that meltdown, I've learned to say 'I'm not talking to you while you're behaving like this,'" [My friend Mana Heydarpour of New York City] says.

"Why toddlers throw temper tantrums"
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/21/
toddlers.temper.tantrums.parenting/
index.html?hpt=Sbin

a great deal of religion and no love

"Too many people have a great deal of religion and no love."

~ Billy Sunday

those parts of the Bible I do understand

Mark Twain once said this about the Bible:
"I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits."

I Walked a Mile with Pleasure

I Walked a Mile with Pleasure

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me!

~ Robert Browning Hamilton

we go from church to tell

"The Gospel is not something we come to church to hear; it is something we go from church to tell."

~ Vance Havner

I am to be concerned

"As a Christian I am to be concerned for the best person, the worst person, the first person, the last person, the least person and the lost person on earth that they might be saved."

~ Robert Aubuchon

God Wants Us To Be H. U. M. B. L. E. !

God Wants Us To Be H. U. M. B. L. E. !

"H" is for the HUMILITY to acknowledge we are sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ is his name!

"U" is for UNITY. He wants us to be united as brothers and sisters in love. He wants us to "bear with one another lovingly" (Eph 4:1). We must "bear with one another" because we are sinners with the strengths and weaknesses that come with being human.

"M" is for MISSION. We must understand His mission for us as a Church community and as individuals in the Body of Christ. We must continuously seek God's will in our lives and then DO IT! ("When all is said and done, more is said than done!")

"B" is for BOLDNESS. We must be bold in sharing God's love with others. We must be willing to take the risk of being rejected. Rejection will happen to us just as it happened to Jesus. We never know how the Holy Spirit may be using us to plant seeds in another person's life even though we may initially experience rejection. Be BOLD for Jesus!

"L" is for LOVE. Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself. P.S. - Don't forget to love yourself. God made you in his image.

"E" is for EVANGELIZE! It is the mission of the Church and everyone in it. Tell the world and those around you that God loves them, that Jesus loves them so much that he died on the cross for them and that he sent the Holy Spirit to purify us, to make us holy and to empower us to carry out his mission for us with charisma!

Remember, God wants us to be H. U. M. B. L. E.
Humility, Unity, Mission, Boldness, Love, Evangelize

~ Joe Boroden

Don't say it

"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it."

~ Sam Levenson

Those who matter don't mind

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

~ Dr. Seuss

You must begin with God

"The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born BY his purpose and FOR his purpose."

~ Rick Warren from "The Purpose Driven Life"

Anger is one letter short of danger!

"Anger is one letter short of danger!"

~ Denis Waitley

God will intervene on our behalf

"How do you react when you're snubbed or mistreated? It's best not to lash out but instead leave the matter in God's hands. Someone once wrote: 'When you are quick to fight your own battles, Jesus steps aside and gives you the job.' But if we refuse to retaliate, God will intervene on our behalf."

~ Author Unknown

Godlike Justice & Compassion

"We evaluate others with a godlike justice, but we want them to evaluate us with a godlike compassion."

~ Sydney J. Harris

Gender Gap: College women more emotionally stressed

New York Times
January 26, 2011
Record Level of Stress Found in College Freshmen
By TAMAR LEWIN

quote:
"Linda Sax, a professor of education at U.C.L.A. and former director of the freshman study who uses the data in research about college gender gaps, said the gap between men and women on emotional well-being was one of the largest in the survey.
“One aspect of it is how women and men spent their leisure time,” she said. “Men tend to find more time for leisure and activities that relieve stress, like exercise and sports, while women tend to take on more responsibilities, like volunteer work and helping out with their family, that don’t relieve stress.”

In addition, Professor Sax has explored the role of the faculty in college students’ emotional health, and found that interactions with faculty members were particularly salient for women. Negative interactions had a greater impact on their mental health.
“Women’s sense of emotional well-being was more closely tied to how they felt the faculty treated them,” she said. “It wasn’t so much the level of contact as whether they felt they were being taken seriously by the professor. If not, it was more detrimental to women than to men.”
She added: “And while men who challenged their professor’s ideas in class had a decline in stress, for women it was associated with a decline in well-being.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/education/27colleges.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Grace always trumps Karma

"Grace always trumps Karma."
"Take baby steps toward the better not the worse."

~ Rev. Dr. Paul MacMurray, 1/30/11

Let me be in your healing presence

Sometimes I lie awake with negative, fearful thoughts churning me down into a whirlpool of hopelessness. The prayer that God gave me for these times is "Let me be in your healing presence." This is the simplest basic need I have, deeper than words. I need God to hold me on his lap, with his arms around me, and to let me be in his healing presence.
I pray for you that you will be in God's healing presence.

to stand by one’s child and watch his back

Taiwanese author Lung Ying-tai wrote in her book “Seeing Off” that the role of a parent is merely to stand by one’s child and watch his back as he gradually ventures afar.

http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/
helen-he-dont-demonize-chinese-mothers-545975

don't know why you needed to insult me

Bryant says, "I reply all the time by saying, 'Thank you for writing, I appreciate your opinion though I don't know why you needed to insult me.'"

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/21/
pearlman.online.civility/index.html?hpt=C2

a good heart shines bright and keeps his course truly

William Shakespeare
Henry V
Act 5, Scene 2, Page 6
King Henry V:
"A good leg will fall, a straight back will stoop, a black beard will turn white, a curled pate will grow bald, a fair face will wither, a full eye will wax hollow, but a good heart ... shines bright and never changes, but keeps his course truly. If thou would have such a one, take me."

The Imagination

"True change takes place in the imagination."

~ Thomas Moore

Making Life Choices

1. Is this task absolutely necessary to keep my life afloat?

2. Does this task buoy me up emotionally?

~ Martha Beck

Forgiveness

following quotes on forgiveness are from Rev. Ed Bacon:

In studying the great spiritual teachers over the years, it has been clear to me that forgiveness is essential to a healthy life. Jesus harps on forgiveness repeatedly. The great psychotherapist Dr. Carl Simonton claimed that the first characteristic in people who are especially vulnerable to disease is a strong tendency to hold resentment and marked inability to forgive.

"It is time now for you to be an agent of the power of forgiveness."
~ Rev. Ed Bacon

Last year, I interviewed author Connie Domino about her book The Law of Forgiveness on Oprah's Soul Series radio show. ... After reading and following the advice of The Law of Forgiveness, a friend said he made a list of those who had offended him over the years and then forgave them. He wrote me, "I woke up the next morning feeling 100 pounds lighter!"
...
Connie Domino's central argument is that you do not have to meet with the person you are forgiving. You don't have to begin to like them. Forgiveness doesn't mean you have to forget what they did to you. You don't even have to let down your boundaries protecting yourself from being hurt again by that person.
But something very deep within you changes. You will feel a removal of impediments that the state of unforgiveness builds up within you— "boulders" as it were within your personal flow of energy. Unforgiveness blocks your attempts to achieve your goals and dreams. However, once you forgive those who have hurt you in the past, you are freer to attain your life's goals and dreams.

One of the most dramatic examples in history is the role that forgiveness played in the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. President Mandela truly believes forgiveness is one of the most powerful instruments in the world. Immediately after winning the election in South Africa, he invited his former wardens from Robben Island where he was imprisoned for almost 28 years to be his honored guests at his inauguration. He believes that his forgiveness of his enemies helped his nation begin to recover from the bleak days of Apartheid.

Mandela appointed Archbishop Desmond Tutu to lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. Archbishop Tutu wrote a groundbreaking book about his philosophy of forgiveness in which he argued that for everyone there is no future without forgiveness.

The Rev. Ed Bacon is the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California.
Oprah.com on Wednesday, December 29, 2010 ©
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Forgive-Rev-Ed-Bacon/

"Prisoners of Hope"

quotes on hope from Rev. Ed Bacon:

"The world of tomorrow belongs to those who give it the greatest hope."
~ Teilhard de Chardin

"It is not the way we deal with our human situation that is the basis for hope...hope is the basis for how we deal with our human situation."
~ Arden K. Barden

In his last Christmas Eve sermon, Martin Luther King Jr. preached about his dream having been turned into a nightmare in the church bombing in Birmingham, the increase in poverty during his lifetime and the war in Vietnam, which was then escalating.
Then he said: "Yes, I am personally the victim of deferred dreams, of blasted hopes, but in spite of that I close tonight by saying I still have a dream, because you know, you cannot give up on life. If you lose hope, somehow you lose that vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you to go on in spite of all. And so today I still have a dream."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr., "A Christmas Sermon on Peace," The Trumpet of Conscience, p.76

"There are no hopeless situations. There are only people who think hopelessly."
~ Windred Newman

"Everything that is done in this world is done by hope."
~ Martin Luther

Cornel West in his wonderful book on the moral obligations of living in a democratic society, wrote: "To be part of the democratic tradition is to be a prisoner of hope. And you cannot be a prisoner of hope without engaging in a form of struggle in the present moment that keeps the best of the past alive. [Whether that struggle is a personal struggle with yourself, an interpersonal struggle with your friends, colleagues, or family members, or a struggle at the office, or a struggle on the political level.] To engage in that struggle means that one is always willing to acknowledge that there is no triumph just around the corner, but that you persist because you believe it is right and just and moral to persist. As T.S. Eliot said, 'Ours is in the trying. The rest is not our business.'"
~ Cornel West, "The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic Society," The Good Citizen, p. 12

In his autobiography, Nelson Mandela wrote: "I never lost hope that this great transformation would occur. ...I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there was mercy and generosity. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. Even in the grimmest times in prison, when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure me and keep me going. Human goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished."
~ Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, p. 615

The second thing I have learned about people who give others hope is this: there is this sense in them that "the good" will prevail in time, no matter what. Desmond Tutu calls it his belief that the universe is moral; he reminds us of all the bloody tyrants whose regimes inevitably bit the dust. Dr. King spoke about the arc of the universe bending toward justice. The good will always win in time.
~ Rev. Ed Bacon

Rebecca Solnit says that hope is not "like a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. ... Hope is an ax you break down doors with in an emergency; because hope shoves you out the door. ... Action is impossible without hope."
~ Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark

What is the hope for which God created you to bring to your world, to your family, to your business, to your friendships? Is it to teach a child in the hospital his or her nouns and adverbs, or is it to do your part to bring global peace? Whatever it is, be a bringer of hope. You will thereby be your true self—-the person God made you to be.
~ Rev. Ed Bacon

The Rev. Ed Bacon is a guest host for the Oprah's Soul Series radio show. He is also the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California.
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/The-Power-of-Hope-Saves-Lives-Rev-Ed-Bacon/

Teacher in the Burn Unit

When I think of hope, I think of this story about a retired schoolteacher who volunteered to visit and teach young children at a large hospital.

One day, the phone rang and she received her first assignment as a new volunteer. On the other end of the line was the classroom teacher of a young boy who had been hospitalized and needed tutoring during his stay in the hospital. The volunteer teacher took down the name of the boy and his hospital room number and was told by his classroom teacher that this boy had been studying nouns and adverbs in his class before he was hospitalized.

It was not until the visiting teacher got just outside the boy's hospital room that she realized he was a patient in the hospital's burn unit. She was prepared to teach English grammar, but she was not prepared to witness the horrible look and smell of badly burned human flesh. She was not prepared to see a young boy in great pain either. Everything around her made her want to hold her nose, to turn around and to leave faster than she came.

But something inside her kept her from walking away, so she clumsily stammered over to his bedside and said simply: "I'm the hospital teacher. Your schoolteacher asked me to help you with your nouns and adverbs," and she began to teach.

The next morning when she came to work with the boy, a nurse from the burn unit rushed up to her and asked her, "What did you do to that boy?"

The teacher began to apologize profusely, but before she could finish, the nurse interrupted her. "You don't understand. We've been really worried about him and his condition has been deteriorating over the past few days, because he had completely given up hope. But ever since you were here with him yesterday, his whole attitude has changed and he's fighting back and responding to treatment. It's as though he decided to live! What did you do?"

When the nurse later questioned the little boy, he said, "I figured I was doomed—that I was gonna die—until I saw that teacher." And as a tear began to run down his little face, he finished: "But when I saw that teacher, I realized that they wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy...would they?"

Do you hear the angels singing?

quote from www.saintjameswestminster.ca/sermons/070610.pdf

Diane Komp is a pediatric oncologist, that is, she treats children who have cancer. A highly trained physician, she used to be an agnostic. That was before Anna died.
Anna was a little girl who had leukemia, in the days when recovery was rare. As death came close, her parents, the hospital chaplain, and Dr. Komp gathered at her bedside.
“Before she died,” Dr. Komp writes, “Anna mustered the final energy to sit up in her hospital bed and say, ‘The angels, they’re so beautiful, Mommy; can you see them? Do you hear them singing? They’re so beautiful, Mommy.’ And then she lay back on her pillow and died.”
The chaplain, who was uncomfortable with all this, left quickly, leaving the agnostic Dr. Komp to help these grieving parents.
What she remembers is that Anna’s parents were deeply comforted by what had happened, “as if they had been given the most precious gift in the world”.
Together, she says, we contemplated a spiritual mystery that transcended our understanding and experience.”
Diane Komp was an agnostic no more.

a mourning hut at the outskirts

quote from www.stpetersrwc.org/sermons/Sermon_6_10_07.pdf

It was once a custom in Russian villages, at a time when many children did not survive infancy, to have a mourning hut at the outskirts of every town. All women who lost children were sent to live in that hut for a month of solitude and grief.

At the end of the month, the hut was set on fire. The woman inside had to decide whether to live or die. If she came out of the burning hut, she was prepared to live, and she then rebuilt the hut for the next mourner.

As harsh as the practice may sound to us, it provided a graphic picture of the necessity we confront to decide to move out of the despair we find ourselves in when we are dealing with grief. That’s what those who have gone on must want for us who are left behind. They must want us to pick up our lives and move on with the conviction that the God who loves us also loves them.

God is not the God of the dead, Jesus once noted, but of the living. That means that those we love are still living with God. If we believe that, we have no choice. We must move on toward God-filled living again.

“I ain’t never seen anything like that before"

You may know the story of a young minister who was asked by a funeral director to hold a graveside service for a homeless man who had died while traveling through the area. The service was to be held at a new cemetery way back in the country. This man would be the first person laid to rest there.
As he was not familiar with the back woods area, the young minister soon became quite lost and finally arrived over an hour late. He saw the backhoe by the grave and noticed that the crew was eating lunch under a nearby tree, but the hearse was nowhere in sight.
He apologized to the workers for his tardiness, and stepped to the side of the open grave, where he saw the vault lid already in place. The young preacher assured the vault crew he would not hold them long, but this was the proper thing to do. The workers gathered around still eating their lunch. The young preacher poured out his heart and soul.
As he preached the workers began to say “Amen,” “Praise the Lord,” and “Glory Hallelujah.” The young preacher preached and preached like he’d never preached before, from Genesis all the way through Revelation.
He closed the lengthy service at last with a prayer and began to walk toward the car. He felt he had done his duty for the homeless man, and that the crew would leave with a renewed sense of purpose and dedication, in spite of his tardiness.
As he was opening the door and taking off his coat, the minister overheard one of the workers saying to another, “I ain’t never seen anything like that before . . . and I been putting in septic tanks for over twenty years.”

the future waiting to be born in you

"You must give birth to your images. They are the future waiting to be born.
Fear not the strangeness you feel. The future must enter you long before it happens.
Just wait for the birth, for the the hour of the new clarity."

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Only Jesus

quote from David E. Leininger, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

An anonymous author made this striking comparison: "Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ's 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men, who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity.

Jesus painted no pictures yet some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from him. Jesus wrote no poetry but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world's greatest poets were inspired by him. Jesus composed no music still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratorios they composed in his praise. Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble Carpenter of Nazareth.

His unique contribution to humanity is the salvation of the soul! Philosophy could not accomplish that. Nor art. Nor literature. Nor music. Only Jesus Christ can break the enslaving chains of sin. He alone can speak peace to the human heart, strengthen the weak, and give life to those who are spiritually dead."

Did Adam and Eve Have Children?

On one late night talk show, a panel of three university students were asked questions to test their intelligence. The questions ranged from naming famous politicians to pieces of art. Then the question was raised, "What were the names of Adam and Eve's children?" All of the students were silent. One girl finally responded, "Um, well, I didn't even know they had children."

~ Jennifer Scott, Carol Stream, Illinois

Prayer - like the anchor of a ship

Taizé - Dorotheus of Gaza (Sixth Century) Humility and Communion
quoted from http://www.taize.fr/en_article5234.html, underlining added

Barsanuphius: “Like the anchor of a ship, so will the prayer of those who are here with you be for you.”

The Letter from Calcutta quotes this text from Dorotheus of Gaza on page 4:

“Imagine that the world is a circle, that God is the center, and that the radii are the different ways human beings live. When those who wish to come closer to God walk towards the center of the circle, they come closer to one another at the same time as to God. The closer they come to God, the closer they come to one another. And the closer they come to one another, the closer they come to God.” (Instructions VI.)

Son of a wealthy family, very cultivated, so enamored of reading that he brought his library to the monastery, as a young man Dorotheus entered the community of Abba Serid near Gaza in Palestine. He became the spiritual son of Barsanuphius and John, two contemplatives known for the depth of their correspondence. These “great old men,” as they are called in the monastic tradition, moderated his absolute desire for contemplation and for this purpose suggested that he build a hospital for ill or elderly monks. The experience led him gradually to leave behind his properties, his books, his rich garments. He became the head nurse of the hospital built and paid for by his family.

His correspondence with Barsanuphius is famous for the “contract” which the two concluded: Barsanuphius would take Dorotheus’ sins upon himself (he suffered from an emotional life he had trouble controlling) on the condition that Dorotheus keep from pride, malicious gossip and needless words. In a moment of doubt, when he was thinking of leaving the monastery, he received these words of Barsanuphius which enlightened him: “Like the anchor of a ship, so will the prayer of those who are here with you be for you.” From these difficulties a strong attraction for the common life would be born, and the assurance that the prayer of others can support a vocation for one’s entire lifetime.

He would remember how sensitively these two “old men” accompanied him when, after their death, he founded his own community a few miles from his first monastery. For those who joined him there, he wrote down the “Instructions” that have come down to us. Characterized by a realistic outlook that does not ask for the impossible, he proposed a life made up of peaceful self-renunciation, with no excesses and resolutely communal.

For him, the community forms a true body where each member exercises a particular function. A monk’s solitude does not imply isolation. He wrote: “We should do what is said of Abba Anthony: he gathered and kept the good he saw in each of those he went to visit—from one, gentleness, from another, humility, from still another, the love of solitude. In this way he had all the qualities of each person in himself. That is what we should do, too, and visit one another for this purpose.” (Letter 1, 181.)

Dorotheus inserted into the wisdom of the desert a significant contribution of pagan wisdom. He insisted in particular on the role of personal conscience, a divine spark in every person, and defined virtue in the fashion of Aristotle as “the middle-ground between excess and lack”.

Dorotheus emphasized “keeping the commandments”, the only thing able to bring the grace received in baptism to the roots of evil in us, and on “openness of heart” to the man or woman who accompanies us. He especially condemned monastic pride, ascetical competition among monks, and placed humility at the summit of the spiritual life.

The advice he gave his monks to resist temptations without rigidity, but instead with calm and gentleness, still remains fully relevant today. At a time when many feel paralyzed by the fear of failure or doubt, these encouraging words of Dorotheus need to be heard again: “At the time of trial, remain patient, pray and do not try to conquer the thoughts that come from the tempter by human reasoning. Abba Peomen knew this, and stated that the advice ‘do not worry about tomorrow’ (Matthew 6:34) was meant for someone being tempted. Convinced that this is true, abandon your own thoughts, however good they may be, and keep a firm hope in God ‘who can do infinitely more than what we ask or think’ (Ephesians 3:20).” (Letter 8, 193.)

Last updated: 4 October 2007

Joy in Life

from The Bucket List movie:
Carter Chambers: [to Edward, of the two questions asked of the dead by the Egyptian gods at the entrance to heaven]:
"Have you found joy in your life?"
"Has your life brought joy to others?"

Proper apologies have three parts

from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Be willing to apologize. Proper apologies have three parts:

1 ) What I did was wrong.

2 ) I’m sorry that I hurt you.

3 ) How do I make it better?

It’s the third part that people tend to forget…. Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself.

~ Randy Pausch ( 1960-2008 )

Dr Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture - quotes

following is copied from http://teamrich.wordpress.com/2007/10/20/pausch-last-lecture/

Quotable Quotes from Dr Randy Pausch’s Last Public Lecture for those who want a quick review of the lecture:

■ “Don’t Complain, Just Work Harder.”
■ “It is not about Achieving your Dreams but Living your Life. If you lead your Life the right way, the Karma will take care of itself, the Dreams will come to you. “
■ “Never underestimate the importance of having Fun. I’m dying and I’m having Fun. And I’m going to keep having fun every day, because there’s no other way to play it.”
■ “We can’t change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. If I’m not as depressed as you think I should be, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
■ “Brick walls are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop people who don’t want it badly enough.”
■ “No one is pure evil. Find the Best in everybody…. Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you. It might even take years, but people will show you their Good side. Just keep waiting.”
■ “Experience is what you get when you Didn’t get what you Wanted.”
■ “Never lose the child-like Wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what Drives us. Help others.”
■ “How do you get people to help you? You can’t get there alone. People have to help you and I do believe in karma. I believe in paybacks. You get people to help you by telling the Truth. Being earnest. I’ll take an earnest person over a hip person any day, because hip is short term. Earnest is long term.”
■ “Show gratitude. Gratitude is a simple and powerful thing.”
■ “Having Fun for me is like a fish talking about the importance of water. I don’t know how it is like not to have Fun… I will keep having Fun everyday I have left.”
■ “It is Important to have Specific Childhood Dreams.”
He wanted to play football in the NFL; he wanted to write an article for the √World Book Encyclopedia; he wanted to be Captain Kirk from “Star Trek”; and he wanted to work for the √Disney Co. He also wanted to experience the √Weightlessness of Zero Gravity;
However, Randy, as a kid, knew that he did not have the necessary physical prerequisites to be an astronaut. So he focussed on the dream of being able to float in zero gravity. He got his wish when he and his students earned the privilege to use the KC-135 (also known as the “vomit comet”) – a modified Boeing 707 four-engine turbojet that NASA uses to simulate conditions of weightlessness.

■ “Be Good at Something; it makes you Valuable.”
■ “I’m sorry I won’t be around to raise my kids. It makes me very sad but I can’t change that fact, so I did everything I could with the time I have and the time I had to help other people.”
Pausch recently took his 5-year-old son to Walt Disney World to swim with the dolphins. As his oldest child, the boy will be the only one who may have clear memories of his father.

■ “I’ve never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion. We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived.”
■ “If someone rides on you for 2 hours, you know they care for you” (on his experiences in baseball training)
■ “To be cliché, death is a part of life and it’s going to happen to all of us. I have the blessing of getting a little bit of advance notice and I am able to optimize my use of time down the home stretch.”
■ If you want to achieve your dreams, you better learn to work and play well with others. Tell the Truth. That means you got to live with integrity.
■ A good apology has three parts:
1. “I’m sorry”;
2. “It was my fault” and
3. “How do I make it right”. The last part tells about your sincerity.
■ On Education: “Mark Twain says, “Don’t let your schooling get in the way of your education.” I always tell my students that they should spend their time in whatever way helps them learn. I’m perfectly happy if they cut my class because they were doing something that was a better use of their time” – Time, 10 April 2008.

Dr Pausch is a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction and Design at the Carnegie Melon University (CMU). He has done consulting work for Disney and Google, written over 70 books and is the creator of the Alice Interactive Computing Program – which allows students to easily create 3-D animations. It had one million downloads in the past year, and usage is expected to soar.

Without justice, there can be no peace

“Without justice, there can be no peace. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II
FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE
WORLD DAY OF PEACE
1 JANUARY 2002

NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE
NO JUSTICE WITHOUT FORGIVENESS

The World Day of Peace this year is being celebrated in the shadow of the dramatic events of 11 September last. On that day, a terrible crime was committed: in a few brief hours thousands of innocent people of many ethnic backgrounds were slaughtered. Since then, people throughout the world have felt a profound personal vulnerability and a new fear for the future. Addressing this state of mind, the Church testifies to her hope, based on the conviction that evil, the mysterium iniquitatis, does not have the final word in human affairs. The history of salvation, narrated in Sacred Scripture, sheds clear light on the entire history of the world and shows us that human events are always accompanied by the merciful Providence of God, who knows how to touch even the most hardened of hearts and bring good fruits even from what seems utterly barren soil.
...
The enormous suffering of peoples and individuals, even among my own friends and acquaintances, caused by Nazi and Communist totalitarianism, has never been far from my thoughts and prayers. I have often paused to reflect on the persistent question: how do we restore the moral and social order subjected to such horrific violence? My reasoned conviction, confirmed in turn by biblical revelation, is that the shattered order cannot be fully restored except by a response that combines justice with forgiveness. The pillars of true peace are justice and that form of love which is forgiveness.
...
But in the present circumstances, how can we speak of justice and forgiveness as the source and condition of peace? We can and we must, no matter how difficult this may be; a difficulty which often comes from thinking that justice and forgiveness are irreconcilable. But forgiveness is the opposite of resentment and revenge, not of justice. In fact, true peace is “the work of justice” (Is 32:17).
...
For more than fifteen hundred years, the Catholic Church has repeated the teaching of Saint Augustine of Hippo on this point. He reminds us that the peace which can and must be built in this world is the peace of right order—tranquillitas ordinis, the tranquillity of order (cf. De Civitate Dei, 19,13).

True peace therefore is the fruit of justice, that moral virtue and legal guarantee which ensures full respect for rights and responsibilities, and the just distribution of benefits and burdens. But because human justice is always fragile and imperfect, subject as it is to the limitations and egoism of individuals and groups, it must include and, as it were, be completed by the forgiveness which heals and rebuilds troubled human relations from their foundations. This is true in circumstances great and small, at the personal level or on a wider, even international scale. Forgiveness is in no way opposed to justice, as if to forgive meant to overlook the need to right the wrong done. It is rather the fullness of justice, leading to that tranquillity of order which is much more than a fragile and temporary cessation of hostilities, involving as it does the deepest healing of the wounds which fester in human hearts. Justice and forgiveness are both essential to such healing.
...
Forgiveness is above all a personal choice, a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil. The measure of such a decision is the love of God who draws us to himself in spite of our sin. It has its perfect exemplar in the forgiveness of Christ, who on the Cross prayed: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34).
...
No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: this is what in this Message I wish to say to believers and non-believers alike, to all men and women of good will who are concerned for the good of the human family and for its future.

No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: this is what I wish to say to those responsible for the future of the human community, entreating them to be guided in their weighty and difficult decisions by the light of man's true good, always with a view to the common good.

No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: I shall not tire of repeating this warning to those who, for one reason or another, nourish feelings of hatred, a desire for revenge or the will to destroy.

On this World Day of Peace, may a more intense prayer rise from the hearts of all believers for the victims of terrorism, for their families so tragically stricken, for all the peoples who continue to be hurt and convulsed by terrorism and war. May the light of our prayer extend even to those who gravely offend God and man by these pitiless acts, that they may look into their hearts, see the evil of what they do, abandon all violent intentions, and seek forgiveness. In these troubled times, may the whole human family find true and lasting peace, born of the marriage of justice and mercy!

From the Vatican, 8 December 2001
JOHN

Time

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. And once you've lost it, you can never get it back."

~ author unknown

It only works if you are moving

From the book Impermanence – Embracing Change
by David Hodge and Hi-Jin Hodge
(Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, NY 2008)

“Almost everything in life is a little bit like skiing. It doesn’t really work if you are standing still. It only works if you are moving. One of the things about moving and skiing is that you are never really in control. I’m never in control. You have to be okay with being a little bit out of control and find a balance that you can keep up as long as you can and still be out of control enough so you keep going down the hill. Being aware that change is going to happen whether I like it or not, I can choose to go with it or I can try to not go with it, but it’s going to take me anyway.”

Questions

"There are some questions that can't be answered by Google."

~ church sign

Non-violence attracts violence

Non-violence attracts violence.
Suffering violence erodes the attacker's moral authority.
Unearned suffering is redemptive.

~ author unknown

Our Choices

"It is not our abilities that show us who we are. It is our choices."
Dumbledore, to Harry Potter

Thine enemies will give feigned obedience to Thee

Psalm 66 ^NASB
1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
² Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious.
³ Say to God, "How awesome are Thy works! Because of the greatness of Thy power Thine enemies will give feigned obedience to Thee.
⁴ "All the earth will worship Thee, And will sing praises to Thee; They will sing praises to Thy name."
⁵ Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.

Embodying Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is not so much a word spoken, an action performed, or a feeling felt as it is an embodied way of life in an ever-deepening friendship with the triune God and with others. As such, a Christian account of forgiveness ought not to simply or even primarily be focused on an absolution of guilt; rather, it ought to be focused on the reconciliation of brokenness, the restoration of communion—with God, with one another, and with the whole Creation. Indeed, because of the pervasiveness of sin and evil, Christian forgiveness must be at once an expression of commitment to a way of life, the cruciform life of holiness in which we seek to "unlearn" sin and learn the ways of God, and a means of seeking reconciliation in the midst of particular sins, specific instances of brokenness."

~ Gregory Jones, former dean of Duke Divinity School, Embodying Forgiveness

Listening

"The first service one owes to others in community involves listening to them. Just as our love for God begins with listening to God's Word, the beginning of love for other Christians is learning to listen to them …. Christians who can no longer listen to one another will soon no longer be listening to God either; they will always be talking even in the presence of God. The death of the spiritual life starts here, and in the end there is nothing left but empty spiritual chatter and clerical condescension which chokes on pious words."

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

Forgiving Love

"Forgiving love is a possibility only for those who know that they are not good, who feel themselves in need of divine mercy, who live in a dimension deeper and higher than that of moral idealism, feel themselves as well as their fellow men convicted of sin by a holy God and know that the differences between the good man and the bad man are insignificant in his sight."

~ Reinhold Niebuhr, An Interpretation of Christian Ethics

Peace

"Peace is both the absence of war and the creation of positive social conditions which minimize destructive conflicts and promote human well-being."

~ author unknown

Dostoyevsky Quotes

Dostoyevsky Quotes:

“Love a man, even in his sin, for that love is a likeness of the divine love, and is the summit of love on earth”

“If God does not exist, then everything is permitted”

“What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love”

“The soul is healed by being with children”

Joy and Hope

http://www.ptsem.edu/PUBLICATIONS/inspire/12.2/interactive3.php

Following is my experience seeing God’s presence in worship bringing joy in another culture—that of Alzheimer’s patients. Residents with Alzheimer’s can take great joy in singing their old favorite hymns and saying the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer. These beloved words bring reassurance, comfort, and hope. As chaplain at Spring Mill Presbyterian Village, I’ve learned that the earliest memories are among the last to be forgotten at the end of life. It is very important to teach children the Word of God that can sustain them during challenging times in their future.

Also, God’s presence in worship brings joy and hope to us. Although we come from diverse backgrounds, cities, and denominations, we are accepted and united by the one God who creates, redeems, and sustains us. Jesus invites all of us to the Lord’s Supper together.

B. Gail Simons (M.Div., 2005)
Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania

Vows and Convictions

George W. Bush, Decision Points, 2010
conclusion:

“Decades from now, I hope people will view me as a president who recognized the central challenge of our time and kept my vow to keep the country safe; who pursued my convictions without wavering but changed course when necessary; who trusted individuals to make choices in their lives; and who used America’s influence to advance freedom.”

two kinds of religion

Campaign Dogma 2010: Religion and Politics = God and Country
David Gibson
Religion Reporter
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/10/30/campaign-dogma-
2010-religion-and-politics-god-and-country/

One of Minnesota's many notable and quotable politicians, the late Sen. Eugene McCarthy, once said that in Washington only two kinds of religion are permitted: strong beliefs vaguely expressed, or vague beliefs strongly expressed.

The Best Treatment for Loneliness

Dr. Karl Menninger, the famous American psychiatrist, once gave a lecture on mental health & was answering questions from the audience.
One man asked, "What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?" Everyone there expected him to answer, "Consult a psychiatrist."
To their astonishment he replied: Leave your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone who is in need, and do something to help that person.

I am of the Divine Whole

Rumi, a Persian poet:

I am neither a Muslim nor a Hindu
I am not Christian, Zoroastrian, nor Jew
I am neither of the West nor the East
Not of the ocean, nor an earthly beast
I am neither a natural wonder
Nor from the stars yonder
My place is the no-place
My image is without face
Neither of body nor the soul
I am of the Divine Whole.
I eliminated duality with joyous laughter
Saw the unity of here and the hereafter
Unity is what I sing, unity is what I speak
Unity is what I know, unity is what I seek

smile 'cause it happened

"Don't cry 'cause it is over - smile 'cause it happened."

~ Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel

"I am a Christian by choice," Obama began ...

Obama questioned on abortion, why he is a Christian
From Suzanne Malveaux, CNN White House Correspondent
September 28, 2010 3:06 p.m. EDT
Albuquerque, New Mexico (CNN)
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/28/
obama.tough.question/index.html?hpt=T2

An event billed as a discussion on the economy turned personal Tuesday when a woman asked President Barack Obama about his Christian faith and views on abortion.

The question came at a town hall-style meeting in the yard of an Albuquerque home as part of Obama's public outreach to explain his policies and campaign for Democrats in the November congressional elections.

With a recent survey showing that only a third of Americans can correctly identify Obama as a Christian, the president gave a personal account of his conversion as an adult and how his public service is part of his faith.

"I am a Christian by choice," Obama began, standing beneath a blazing sun, when asked why he is a Christian.

"I came to my Christian faith later in life, and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead," Obama said. "Being my brothers' and sisters' keeper. Treating others as they would treat me. And I think also understanding that, you know, that Jesus Christ dying for my sins spoke to the humility that we all have to have as human beings."

Humans are "sinful" and "flawed" beings that make mistakes and "achieve salvation through the grace of God," the president continued, adding that we also can "see God in other people and do our best to help them find their, you know, their own grace."

"So that's what I strive to do," Obama said. "That's what I pray to do everyday. I think my public service is part of that effort to express my Christian faith."

At the same time, Obama emphasized his belief that freedom of religion is "part of the bedrock strength" of the United States.

"This is a country that is still predominantly Christian, but we have Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists" and others, he said, adding that "their own path to grace is one that we have to revere and respect as much as our own, and that is part of what makes this country what it is."

etc.

Telling what you are not going to do

"I remember from [Wharton MBA] strategy class that the heart of strategy is being able to tell what you're not going to do. Telling what you're going to do is easy but telling what you are not going to do--like when you're going to say no to your customer--is much harder."

~ Denis Benchimol Minev, WG'03
Wharton Magazine, Summer 2010, p. 30

No Barriers

There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.

~ Ronald Reagan

The Christian Ideal

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting;
it has been found difficult and left untried!”

~ G. K. Chesterton

How to distinguish...

How to distinguish...

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts:
"Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man below says:
"Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees N. latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees W. longitude."

"You must be an engineer" says the balloonist.

"I am" replies the man. "How did you know?"

"Well" says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."

The man below says "You must be a manager."

"I am" replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well", says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."

~ Author Unknown

Laughing is healthy...

Laughing is healthy...

Question: What is the difference between an optimist and a pessimist?
Answer: The difference is that the optimist learns English while the pessimist learns Chinese.

"Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane, and the pessimist the parachute."
Gil Stern

"Always borrow money from a pessimist; he doesn't expect to be paid back"

"The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism is dead."
Robert Brault

Marriage Is When A Man And Woman Become As One; The Trouble Starts When They Try To Decide Which One.

A man died and went to heaven. St. Peter took him on a tour. He saw a high wall over in the distance and asked what it was for. St. Peter said, "We keep all the Christians over there. They think they're the only ones here.

"Debating with someone on the Internet is like mudwrestling with a pig. You get filthy and the pig loves it."

"Somewhere at the edge of the bell curve is the girl for me."

"I think, therefore I am single."
Liz Winston

"If I had any nerves, I'd have a nervous breakdown."
Eugene O'Neill

"It is not denial. I'm very selective about the reality I accept."

http://my.opera.com/Optimism/forums/topic.dml?id=289697

The Potter and the Clay

The Potter and the Clay

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in a beautiful antique store. This trip was to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups.
Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked, “May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful.”
As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke; this is the story the teacup told.

“You don't understand!” it said. “I have not always been a teacup.
There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me, and rolled me, pounded and patted me, over and over, and I yelled out, “Don't do that! I don't like it, let me alone!” But he only smiled and gently said, “Not yet!”
Then, WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. “Stop it! I'm getting so dizzy I'm going to be sick!” I screamed, but the master only nodded and said quietly, “Not yet.”
He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then... then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. “Help, get me out of here!” I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, “Not yet.”
When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good… “Ah, this is much better”, I thought.
But after I cooled, he picked me up and brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. “Oh, please! Stop it, Stop it!” I cried. He only shook his head and said: “Not yet!”
Then suddenly he put me back into the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up.
Just then the door opened, and he took me out, and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited… and waited… wondering what's he going to do to me next?
An hour later he handed me a mirror and said: “Look at yourself!” And I did. I said: “That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!”
Quietly he spoke. “I want you to remember.”
Then he said: “I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any colour in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.”

~ Author Unknown

Stress Management

Stress Management
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked: "How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.
The lecturer replied: "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.”
”If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.”
”In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued: “And that's the way it is with stress management.”
“If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.”
”As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”
”So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.”
”Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!”

~ Author Unknown

The Water Pot

The Water Pot

A water bearer had two large pots; each hung on each end of a pole that he carried across his shoulders. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years they went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what is perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself and I want to apologize to you”. “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able these past two years to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all this work and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot and asked it to notice the beautiful flowers along the path. Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot noticed the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it up some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but none on the other pots side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw and took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path and every day while we walked back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without being the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But if we allow it, our flaws can be used to grace other people’s lives.

~ Author Unknown

The Professor's Jar

The Professor's Jar
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him when the class began; he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar, and shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things... God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions... and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter... like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else... the small stuff.
"Now, if you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked." The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

~ Author Unknown

The Horse and the Donkey

The Horse and the Donkey
Once upon a time . . . an old carter kept a horse and a donkey in the same stable. He was equally fond of both his animals, but as he used the horse to pull his trap, he gave it better food and more attention than he did the donkey. However, the donkey, knowing he was not so precious as his stablemate, ate straw instead of corn and hay, without complaining. Even when both animals carried sacks to market, the donkey's was the heavier load, for the carter did not want to overwork his noble horse, though he had no such feelings about the donkey.
As time went by, the horse grew more handsome and robust, while the donkey became thin and weak. One day, on their way to market, the donkey was carrying his usual heavy load, while the horse had only two lightweight sacks tied to the saddle.
"I can't go much further!" moaned the donkey. "I'm much weaker today! I can hardly stand and unless I can get rid of some of this weight, I won't be able to go on. Couldn't you take some of my load?"
When the horse heard this, he looked the donkey up and down in disdain, for he considered himself much superior, and said: "Our master gave you the heavy load, because he knows that donkeys are beasts of burden. Their loads ought to be heavier than those of noble horses!"
So the wretched donkey stumbled on. But after a short distance, he stopped again, bleary-eyed, his tongue hanging out.
"Please, please listen! If you don't help me, I'll never reach market alive." But without even a glance, the horse haughtily replied: "Rubbish! Come on, you'll manage this time too!" But this time, after a few tottering steps, the donkey dropped dead to the ground.
The donkey's master, who had lingered to pick mushrooms, ran up when he saw the animal fall.
"Poor thing!" he said. "He served me well for so many years. His load must have been too heavy." Then he turned to the horse: "Come here! You'll have to carry your companion's load too now!" And he hoisted the donkey's sacks onto the horse's back.
"I'd have done better to help the donkey when he was alive," said the horse to himself. "A little more weight wouldn't have done me any harm. Now, I'm frightened of collapsing myself under a double load!" But feeling sorry too late did nothing to lighten his load.
~ Author Unknown

Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?

Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?
A farmer's horse ran away one day and all the villagers came to him saying, Oh what bad luck you've had! Your horse that you need to do your work is gone!
The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said: "Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?"
Several days later, the farmer's horse returned, followed by a herd of wild horses!
Oh what good luck you have, cried the same villagers! Not only has your horse returned, he has brought you many horses!
The farmer again shrugged his shoulders and said: "Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?"
One day not long after, the farmer's son was trying to break one of the wild horses. He was thrown off the horse and broke his leg.
Oh what bad luck you have! Cried the villagers. Now your son has a broken leg. Who will help you?
The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said: "Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?"
Not long after, as the son was recuperating, an army came through the village and took all the young males to fight in a war in another region. They did not take the farmer's son because of his broken leg.
Oh what good luck you have! The villagers cried once again. Your son has been spared being taken off to war because of his broken leg!
The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said: "Good luck, bad luck. Who knows?"
~ Author Unknown

We have to surprise them with restraint and generosity

Op-Ed Columnist
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: August 21, 2010
New York Times
quote:

I just saw the movie “Invictus” — the story of how Nelson Mandela, in his first term as president of South Africa, enlists the country’s famed rugby team, the Springboks, on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup and, through that, to start the healing of that apartheid-torn land. The almost all-white Springboks had been a symbol of white domination, and blacks routinely rooted against them. When the post-apartheid, black-led South African sports committee moved to change the team’s name and colors, President Mandela stopped them. He explained that part of making whites feel at home in a black-led South Africa was not uprooting all their cherished symbols. “That is selfish thinking,” Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman, says in the movie. “It does not serve the nation.” Then speaking of South Africa’s whites, Mandela adds, “We have to surprise them with restraint and generosity.”

Locked in a Room With Open Doors

Theology Today - Vol. 31, No. 4 - January 1975
http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jan1975/
v31-4-bookreview9.htm

book review:

Locked in a Room With Open Doors
By Ernest T. Campbell
Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1974. 180 pp. $5.95.

The title of the book is one of the twenty sermons compiled by the distinguished minister of the Riverside Church in New York City who addresses one of the most cosmopolitan audiences in America. His theme indicates that people can still be prisoners within when all the doors without have been opened. No reduction of constraint on the outside of life can guarantee freedom within the individual. The volume will be inspirational to laypeople seeking to develop a confident Christian conviction. Professional leaders will enjoy analyzing what one of the best known preachers in the United States has to say in a turbulent period when preaching is discounted.

In the sweep of a year's messages, Campbell applies the gospel to the amplitude of crucial situations. The subjects range over fear, rejection, the paradoxes of conscience, the problem of evil that will not play dead, racial tension, God, the blight and plight of the churches, reconciliation, charismatics, and the cities' jungles. In the warp of abrasive social questions he weaves the hopes and promises of Christ's renewal and the prospect that we shall overcome. He says, "God has the means to win and God means to win. We are called to nothing less than participation in 'The Invincible Kingdom of God.' "

Campbell's sermons prod and probe. They draw blood. They drag the pew-sitter into the street fight. He has to take sides. These messages command a healthy response because they have depth. Their substance is involved with the feelings of people about issues they talk about every place but in the church. The preacher's common sense and Christian witness are sound. He opens his facts, reasons, and observations like a street-corner merchant so the reader can handle the merchandise and see if it is phony. All the time this dialogue is going on there are reliefs of tension by little whimsies and autobiographical materials that make these messages personal.

Those of us who have long admired Ernest Campbell know that he is skillful with words and sentences. He knows how to write a punch line. "Trying to help history along is about as futile as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!" "Some people never feel tall enough unless they have other people under them." "Our estrangement from each other is the clearest indication of our fallenness." "Woe to the man too ambitious for his resources!"

All the striking phrases are not from the preacher alone. His references and allusions are wide and responsible. He knows Jurgen Moltmann as well as Eric Hoffer and Karl Menninger besides Vonnegut, Novak, Marney, and Glasser. The Riverside preacher knows what is going on in the minds of thinkers and the readers, as well as in the Daily News. And the man in his pew knows what is going on in his preacher's heart.

Campbell's sermons would be hard to preach in some small church under the sway of main contributors. He tells what is good about the movements, and he points out the hollow soft spots in the old positions, without gloating over either. His messages pull back the curtains to show all the wires that hold truth together, and he shows some of the patching tapes where it has been torn.

No one could preach these sermons without the validity of his own participation in the struggle. When Campbell talks about prison reform, the words show his natural feelings after having talked with thirty men at Sing Sing. His messages reveal a personal conviction of faith in Jesus Christ and the courage of involvement in social action that suggests "follow me and see for yourself." His words are more daring as an evangelical man of social action than are those of some who stand only on one side or the other. But the price for holding the two together is obviously high as well as rewarding.

These messages suggested that one also peruse again a volume by Harry E. Fosdick and one by Robert J. McCracken, both of whom preceded Ernest Campbell. One is struck by the, fact that this generation of listeners is more media-oriented, fad-fashioned, slogan-centered, issue-oriented, and illiterate as to great Christian words and principles. No wonder the preacher has to earn the right to be heard and to work harder to have something lasting to say.

All three men speak to the needs of their generations with insight from the Scripture's universals. They preach to the moral and the social consciousness as well as to the center of each personality. Each of these great preachers senses the need to have a vision and a version of the Eternal which will appeal to the present but will outlast our governance by the latest opinion poll, especially when it can reverse itself while life's struggle remains as it was.

Bryant M. Kirkland
The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
New York, New York

The LORD loves the alien

Exodus 23:9:
"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt."

Leviticus 19:33-34:
"When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

Deuteronomy (10:19):
[The LORD] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

Yes, but I am

quote from Eboo Patel, "The Faith Divide," Washington Post
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/eboo_patel/
2010/08/my_evangelical_heroes.html#more

One of my favorite faith stories is about an American Christian minister stationed in Europe during World War II. His congregation sends him money so that he can come home for Christmas, and he uses that money to help a group of European Jews flee from Hitler's death camps to safety.
One of his congregants writes him an angry letter, scolds him for not using the money for its intended purpose, and ends with the exasperated line: "The people you saved weren't even Christian."
"Yes," wrote back the minister, "but I am."

A winner is always part of the solution

Coach Traub, performance consultant:
http://www.coachtraub.com/inspirational_stories.html

A winner is always part of the solution;
a loser is always part of the problem.
A winner always has a program or response;
a loser always has an excuse or explanation.
A winner always says “Let me help you,”
a loser always says “That is not my job.”
A winner sees an answer in every problem;
a loser sees a problem in every answer.
A winner exclaims “It may be difficult, but it is possible;”
a loser cries “It may be possible, but it’s much too difficult.”
A winner makes a commitment;
a loser makes promises.

1. What is the difference between negative competition and healthy competition? How could you promote healthy competition at your place of work?
   
2. In your next business negotiation, how might you create an environment where both you and the other party “win”?
   
3. Are you “winning battles but losing the war”? Where do your priorities fit in when it comes to winning?
   
4. What could you do to affirm the winning qualities in other people?

Olympic champion Jesse Owens once put it like this: ‘There is something that can happen to every athlete, every human being - it’s the instinct to slack off, to give in to the pain, to give less than your best . . . the instinct to hope to win through luck or your opponents not doing their best, instead of going to the limit and past your limit, where victory is always to be found. Defeating those negative instincts that are out to defeat us is the difference between winning and losing, and we face that battle every day of our lives.”

Who is a hero?

"Who is a hero? He who turns his enemy into a friend."

~ The Talmud

a little radical and exciting

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/
2010-08-11-teenchurch10_ST_N.htm?csp=34news

Chris Palmer, youth pastor at Ironbridge Baptist Church in Chester, Va., says its youth group enrollment slid from 125 teens in 2008 to 35 last winter.
He pulled participation back up to 70 this year by letting teens know "real church, centered on Jesus Christ, is hard work," Palmer says. "This involves the Marine Corps of Christianity. Once we communicate that, we see kids say, 'Hey, I want to be involved in something that's a little radical and exciting.' "

how to read troubling biblical passages

quote from The Reason for God
by Tim Keller,
founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City

a recommendation for how to approach sections of the Bible that seem confusing:d

Many people run from any consideration of the Bible once they find such a biblical passage. I counsel them instead to slow down and try out several different perspectives on the issues that trouble them. That way they can continue to read, learn, and profit from the Bible even as they continue to wrestle with some of its concepts. One possibility I urge them to consider is that the passage that bothers them might not teach what it appears to them to be teaching. Many of the texts people find offensive can be cleared up with a decent commentary that puts the issue into historical context.

equally loved, sinful, and redeemed

"We are all equal in the eyes of God: equally loved, sinful, and redeemed."

~ author unknown

Does God need a religion?

"I know that religion needs a God, but, does God need a religion?"

Posted by: nigelhawes999 | August 3, 2010 11:40 AM
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/
susan_k_smith/2010/08/in_the_name_of_christ.html

Confusing Vows and Vowels

My nine-year-old nephew, Phillip, was a ringbearer in my wedding. At the wedding rehearsal, the singer asked when she should begin singing.
The pastor answered, "After the vows."
She asked: "What are the vows? I'll need a cue."
Phillip compounded the confusion as he explained: "The vowels are A-E-I-O-U. There is no Q!"

~Amy Rosa, Flint, MI. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."

Founding Fathers on Religion

“The Account of The Declaration”
Thomas Jefferson notes regarding the birth of the Declaration of Independence
www.ushistory.org/declaration/account/index.htm

“With the help therefore of Rushworth (a popular book, John Rushworth’s “Historical Collections”) whom we rummaged over for revolutionary precedents & forms of the Puritans of that day, preserved by him, we cooked up a resolution, somewhat modernizing their phrases...”
Note: dictionary definition of Puritan:
“A member of a group of English Protestants who in the 16th and 17th centuries advocated simplification of the deeds and ceremonies of the Church of England and strict religious discipline.”

The Founding Fathers called “for a day of fasting, humiliation and prayer” and further in that same paragraph Jefferson states, “ To give greater emphasis to our proposition, we agreed to wait the next morning on Mr. Nicholas, whose grave & religious character was more in unison with the tone of our resolution and to solicit him to move it.”

George Washington’s Farewell Address
http://www.gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/farewell/transcript.html#p20

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labour to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men & citizens. The mere Politican, equally with the pious man ought to respect & to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private & public felicity. Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the Oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure--reason & experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

'Tis substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of Free Government. Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric."

Declaration of Independence:

“the Laws of Nature’s God”
“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”

moralistic therapeutic deism

from Thin Places, by Amy Julia Becker
on Faith, Family, and Disability
http://blog.beliefnet.com/thinplaces/

Patheos ran an interview with Kenda Cressey Dean, author of the new book Almost Christian: about the religious/spiritual views of American teenagers. It's a fascinating, if sobering, interview. Here's an example:

You refer to this "moralistic therapeutic deism" quite a bit in your book. Can you unpack this term for us?

That's the name the NSYR came up with to describe the "belief system" of the majority of teens surveyed. The shorthand of moralistic therapeutic deism is that religion helps you feel good and do good, but God pretty much stays out of the way. Now, you can call on God if you need God to solve a problem, but God's track record on solving problems is pretty bad. So the primary God-images that the kids had were either as the "cosmic therapist" or the "divine butler." The therapist serves as the one who helps you feel good about yourself; the guidance counselor image comes to mind here when working with teenagers. The divine butler is somebody who comes when called upon but otherwise stays away. Those images were identified in the study as being dominant among teenagers. And that was very true with the teens I talked to as well. They believe that:

A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.
God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and most world religions.
The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
God does not need to be involved in my life except when I need God to resolve a problem.
Good people go to Heaven when they die.

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/thinplaces/#ixzz0sODdDVDL

aware of the needs of others

"Your heart is so much more than a vessel for romance. It has been described as the king, with the mind as the king's adviser. When faced with a decision, the king may ask his advisers for advice, may even send him out into the world to gather information, but ultimately it is the king that makes the final decision. Even though the advisers do not always agree with the king's decision, the king is invariably right, because the king's view not only sees the bigger picture but is also aware of the needs of others."

Ed and Deb Shapiro, authors of Be The Change, How Meditation Can Transform You and the World

the purpose of life

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

when character is lost

“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;
when health is lost, something is lost;
when character is lost, all is lost.”

~ Billy Graham

being able to remake ourselves

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.”

~ Mohandas (Mahatma) Ghandi