God always heals us

When I was the chaplain for an in-patient hospice unit, I had an interesting conversation with a visitor from a patient's church.  She said "God always answers prayers for healing.  Sometimes God takes our disease away from us, and sometimes God takes us away from our disease.  Either way, God always heals us."

This life is not the end of the story

quote from Rick Warren who is struggling with the recent death of his son:

“Not everything in this life has a happy ending. But this life is not the end of the story.”

Likeability and Capability, Respect and Support

://www.people.com/people/mobile/article/0,,20710201,00.html

The Voice Crowns Danielle Bradbery as Winner11:30PM EDT

 

The season also stood out for the camaraderie between the judges and the contestants, who showed respect and support for one another throughout the competition – despite the friendly bickering between Shelton and fellow coach Adam Levine.

For winner Bradbery, the Texas high schooler told PEOPLE Monday night she's thinking about the next step in her burgeoning career. "I feel like I could start off making a single. I could start off really small, but then eventually get bigger."

Regarding, Chamuel, coach Usher has made it clear he wants to stay in touch with the increasingly popular rocker, who wowed audiences with her fierce performances and humble, sweet demeanor.

"Every artist would hope to possess these two things: likeability and capability," Usher told her Monday after she performed a heartfelt version of "Why" by Annie Lennox. "To me, that represents a successful artist, and that is what you possess."

As for the The Swon Brothers, Zach told PEOPLE that Shelton's wife, Miranda Lambert, gave them a piece of advice that set their minds at ease, no matter the outcome. "She said she came in third on Nashville Star and look where she ended up. She's like 'Don't worry about winning. We are going to do great.' "

 

• With reporting by JESSICA HERNDON

 

too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart

Quotes from an address by Nelson Mandela to the Irish Dáil Éireann* in July 1990, just months after his release from prison in South Africa, thanking them for their support:
(bold added by blogger)

"The outstanding Irish poet, William Butler Yeats, has written that too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. He spoke thus because he could feel within himself the pain of the suffering that Irish men and women of conscience had had to endure in centuries of struggle against an unrelenting tyranny.
"But then he also spoke of love, of the love of those whose warm hearts the oppressors sought to turn to stone, the love of their country and people, and, in the end the love of humanity itself.

"For three quarters of a century, under the leadership of the ANC, our own people have themselves confronted a racist tyranny which grew more stubborn with each passing day. It had to be our lot that even as we refused to take up arms to save lives, we still had to bury many martyrs who were shot down or tortured to death simply because they dared to cry freedom.

"The apartheid system has killed countless numbers, not only in our country but throughout Southern Africa. It has condemned to the gallows some of the best sons of our people. It has imprisoned some and driven others into exile. Even those whose only desire was to live, have had their lives cut short because apartheid means the systematic and conscious deprivation and impoverishment of the black millions.

"It could have been that our own hearts turned to stone. It could have been that we inscribed vengeance on our banners of battle and resolved to meet brutality with brutality. But we understood that oppression dehumanises the oppressor as it hurts the oppressed. We understood that to emulate the barbarity of the tyrant would also transform us into savages. We knew that we would sully and degrade our cause if we allowed that it should, at any stage, borrow anything from the practices of the oppressor. We had to refuse that our long sacrifice should make a stone of our hearts.

"We are in struggle because we value life and love all humanity. The liberated South Africa we envision is one in which all our people, both black and white, will be one to the other, brother and sister. We see being born a united South African nation of equal compatriots, enriched by the diversity of the colour and culture of the citizens who make up the whole."

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/address-by-nelson-mandela-to-d%C3%A1il-%C3%A9ireann-1.1422034?page=2

*Note: Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament).

God's grace is based upon what helps

"God wants all his children to enjoy the complete fullness of eternal life.
God's grace is not based upon what is fair, but rather what helps."
~ Author Unknown

Reese Witherspoon's Apology

Witherspoon apologized shortly after news of the arrests broke Sunday:

“I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said,” she said in a statement.

“It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband, but that is no excuse.

I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. The words I used that night definitely do not reflect who I am.

I have nothing but respect for the police and I’m very sorry for my behavior.”

 

http://www.accesshollywood.com/will-reese-witherspoons-ultra-clean-image-make-a-full-recovery-after-arrest_article_78422

Nihilism: profound alienation, grievance, sense of anger, desire for revenge, feelings of humiliation...

The New Zealand Herald
Unlikely religion motive behind attacks

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10878802
5:30 AM Sunday Apr 21, 2013
quotes:

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, appear to fit the biographical pattern of those involved in domestic terror plots, according to research by terrorism expert Brian Jenkins of Rand Corp - young, male, disaffected consumers of radical internet propaganda.

"These are individuals who were disenfranchised with their station in life and they decided to take action," said Rick "Ozzie" Nelson, former US counterterrorism official and a senior affiliate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

"The motivation for these two would have been very different from the people on 9/11," said Akbar Ahmed, an American University professor who recently published a book about tribal Islam. "It's not an act for a political point. It is an act of nihilism, and the frame is not Islam."
...
Their median age is 27. They have come from a cross-section of ethnic backgrounds. They typically show signs of profound alienation.

"Religious belief does not appear to be the key personal factor," Jenkins said. Participants have been motivated by "grievance, sense of anger, desire for revenge, feelings of humiliation, desire to demonstrate manhood, participation in an epic struggle, thirst for glory."

Your beliefs become your thoughts ...

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

People will never forget how you made them feel

"I've learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

~ Maya Angelou

Footprints on our Hearts

"Some people come into our lives and quietly go.
Others stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same."

Otto's

Down But Not Out

Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest NBA player of all time, credits his attitude about failure as a critical driver behind his enormous success:
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet

Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet:

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”

Make 'em laugh or they'll kill you

If you want to tell people the truth, make 'em laugh.
Otherwise, they'll kill you.

~ Oscar Wilde

The Good-Morrow - John Donne

The Good-Morrow

I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I

Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?

But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?

Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?

’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.

If ever any beauty I did see,

Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.

And now good-morrow to our waking souls,

Which watch not one another out of fear;

For love, all love of other sights controls,

And makes one little room an everywhere.

Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,

Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,

Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,

And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;

Where can we find two better hemispheres,

Without sharp north, without declining west?

Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;

If our two loves be one, or, thou and I

Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.

By John Donne 1572–1631

Source: The Norton Anthology of Poetry Third Edition (1983)

strength from the integrity that comes from keeping promises

Finding Your Spiritual Strength

By NORRIS BURKES

Published: Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 3:36 a.m.

quote: 

"But here's the rub in the story. Samson didn't really get his strength from his hair. I know that's what Miss Myrtle taught in Sunday school, but the truth is a little more complicated than that.

Samson was a part of a religious order that took a vow before God not to cut his hair. He didn't get his strength from his hair. He got his strength from the integrity that came to him from keeping his promises. When he lost the integrity, he lost the source of his real strength.

The story ends with God restoring Samson's strength, and in a suicidal burst of energy, he literally brought the house down on himself and his enemies — not your typical hero ending, but Samson died, in touch once again with the source of his real strength."

 

http://www.theledger.com/article/20121216/
COLUMNISTS0420/121219440?p=2&tc=pg

 

The dangers of a fatalistic, pessimistic perception of history

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/opinion/sunday/friedman-the-full-israeli-experience.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121209

 

Op-Ed Columnist

The Full Israeli Experience

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: December 8, 2012

The dangers of a fatalistic, pessimistic perception of history:

quote: 

Today, alas, not only is the Israeli peace camp dead, but the most effective Israeli “bastard for peace,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak, is retiring. As I sat with Barak in his office the other day, he shared with me his parting advice to Israel’s next and sure-to-be-far-right government.

Huge political forces, with deep roots, are now playing out around Israel, particularly the rise of political Islam, said Barak. “We have to learn to accept it and see both sides of it and try to make it better. I am worried about our tendency to adopt a fatalistic, pessimistic perception of history. Because, once you adopt it, you are relieved from the responsibility to see the better aspects and seize the opportunities” when they arise.

If Israel just assumes that it’s only a matter of time before the moderate Palestinian leaders in the West Bank fall and Hamas takes over, “why try anything?” added Barak. “And, therefore, you lose sight of the opportunities and the will to seize opportunities. ...
I know that you can’t say when leaders raise this kind of pessimism that it is all just invented. It is not all invented, and you would be stupid if you did not look [at it] with open eyes.
But it is a major risk that you will not notice that you become enslaved by this pessimism in a way that will paralyze you from understanding that you can shape it. The world is full of risks, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have a responsibility to do something about it — within your limits and the limits of realism — and avoid self-fulfilling prophecies that are extremely dangerous here.”

 

Value of Churches to the Community

The study, commissioned by Partners for Sacred Places, a religion-related historical preservation group in Philadelphia, assigns a dollar value to factors including the effect on individuals, safety net ministries, tourism and education. The study's first phase found that the average congregation in Philadelphia returned $4.3 million to its community. Raw data collected in Chicago suggests similar results, said Tuomi Forrest, executive vice president of Partners.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/religion/ct-met-church-water-fee-reversal-20121207,0,2604304.story

Chicago's religious leaders fight water fee

By Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune reporter, December 7, 2012

Living Blissfully with the Mystery

Henry Miller’s Reflections on Writing

“Understanding is not a piercing of the mystery, but an acceptance of it, a living blissfully with it, in it, through and by it.”

Religion Among the Ranks of the Long Gray Line

B.J. Garrison

USMA Class of 2002

Religion Among the Ranks of the Long Gray Line

Posted: 12/06/2012 11:16 am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bj-garrison/religion-among-the-ranks-of-the-long-gray-line_b_2250487.html

"Challenging Cadets, officers and NCOs to have meaningful discussions on all facets of Army life is one of the many reasons why the Academy exists. Rather than running away from the thought, we stress the need for critical thinking.

Is that hard to do in an atmosphere like West Point? Absolutely. But we revel in the difficult and solve the impossible. We members of the Long Gray Line have been taught to run to the problems and do what we can to help set things straight, and not run away cursing the ground of those who don't hold similar views as we retreat."

Evil from Conviction

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

-Blaise Pascal (Pensees, 1670)

"Jamais on ne fait le mal si pleinement et si gaiement que quand on le fait par conscience."

lit: Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it conscientiously.

Variant: Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction (trans. W.F. Trotter)

Blaise Pascal, Pensées (# 894 or 895, depending on differing editions).

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Evil

Author

Profession: Philosopher

Nationality: French

Born: June 19, 1623

Died: August 19, 1662

Scripture which troubles me most

"Most people are bothered by those passages in Scriptures which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always notice that the passages in Scripture which trouble me most are those which I do understand."

~ Mark Twain

Haiku

Haiku computer error message:

Chaos reigns within.

Reflect, repent and reboot.

Order shall return.

Three Kinds of Trouble

Never bear more than one trouble at a time.

Some people bear three kinds:

all they have had,

all they have now

and all they expect to have.

~ Edward Everett Hale, author

The Fans

"If you listen to the fans, you'll end up sitting with them."

~ Philadelphia Eagles head coach Joe Kuharich (1964-68)

Thrill and Agony

"Philadelphia is the only city, where you can experience the thrill of victory and the agony of reading about it the next day."

~ Mike Schmidt, Phillies

Win or Lose

Philadelphia Eagles coach Buddy Ryan, to reporters:

"If I win, you can't hurt me. If I lose, you can't help me."

Controversies

"I don't create controversies. They're there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention."

~ Charles Barkley

I wish I had done more

"This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."

~ Joe Paterno, Nov. 9, 2011

I wish I'd known

"I wish I'd known early what I had to learn late."

~ Richie Ashburn

Democrats and Republicans

"The Democrats seem to be basically nicer people, but they have demonstrated time and again that they have the management skills of celery. They're the kind of people who'd stop to help you change a flat, but would somehow manage to set your car on fire. I would be reluctant to entrust them with a Cuisinart, let alone the economy.

"The Republicans, on the other hand, would know how to fix your tire, but they wouldn't bother to stop because they'd want to be on time for Ugly Pants Night at the country club."

~ Dave Barry

The Machine and the Garden

The Machine and the Garden
An economy is a garden. It can be fruitful if well tended but will be overrun by noxious weeds if not.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/opinion/ our-gardenbrain-economy.html?nl= todaysheadlines&emc=thab1_20120711

Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron Remembered by Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks

By Liz Raftery
Wednesday June 27, 2012 09:55 AM EDT
People.com
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20607376,00.html

A true trailblazer, Nora Ephron leaves behind a legacy of always knowing the right (and wittiest) thing to say. She was "an expert in all the departments of living well," according to Meryl Streep – one of many paying tribute to the late author-journalist-screenwriter-director, who died Tuesday at 71.

"You could call on her for anything: doctors, restaurants, recipes, speeches, or just a few jokes, and we all did it, constantly," Streep – who was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Julia Child in Ephron's Julie & Julia (2009) – wrote in an email to The New York Times. "Nora just looked at every situation and cocked her head and thought, ‘Hmmmm, how can I make this more fun?'"

Streep wasn't the only celebrity to remember Ephron fondly.

The filmmaker's Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998) star, Tom Hanks, said he and wife Rita Wilson were devastated by her death.

"At a dinner table and on a film set she lifted us all with wisdom and wit mixed with love for us and love for life," Hanks said in a statement. "Rita and I are so very sad to lose our friend who brought so much joy to all who were lucky enough to know her."

"Bebbington Quadrilateral"

Barack Obama: Evangelical-in-Chief?

How Christians might think about the President's faith.

Judd Birdsall

posted 6/21/2012 10:53AM

The most widely accepted definition of evangelicalism comes from British historian David Bebbington. According to Bebbington, an evangelical is a Christian marked by four distinct emphases:

- "conversionism, the belief that lives need to be changed;
- activism, the expression of the gospel in effort;
- biblicism, a particular regard for the Bible;
and what may be termed
- crucicentrism, a stress on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross."

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/juneweb-only/barack-obama-evangelical-in-chief.html?utm_source=ctweekly-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=6300605&utm_
content=128812793&utm_campaign=2012

The Habit of Liking You

"Hang onto your old friends because there may come a day when there's no good reason for people to like you except out of habit."
~ Garrison Keillor

As Long As They Are Fighting

quotes from a sermon commenting on Mark 3:20-30

Rev. Brian Vinson, Millersport United Methodist Church,
Sunday, March 20, 2011
I am Convinced that Unity Leads to Victory
Mark 3:20-30
http://brian-sermons.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-am-convinced-that-unity-leads-to.html

quote from Ryan Bash:
“To be honest, I’m not sure Satan really cares about what churches fight about, as long as they are fighting. I’m not sure he has much interest in who’s right and who’s wrong, as long as we’re refusing to treat one another with love and grace in the midst of the disagreement.”

There are some of you who don’t hear from God and you, implicitly if not explicitly, blame God for it. If that’s not what you’re doing, what are you doing? What’s your excuse?
Are you studying the Bible? God speaks through his word. Are you asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the Word when you read it? Are you actively seeking others to discuss scripture with? Are you praying with other Christians?
If not, what’s your excuse? Really. What’s your excuse?

Posted by Brian Vinson at 7:42 AM

People Remember Quality

“More than anything, people remember quality.”

~ Bob Evans

A Friend of Your Mind

from Toni Morrison's book Beloved:

Paul D reflects on how his relationship with Sethe is healing in the same way as the relationship between Sixo and the Thirty Mile Woman.
“She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order. It’s good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind.”

Who Is Elect?

"Some people are predestined to believe and teach predestination. Some people are predestined to believe and teach freewill. Some predestinators are predestined to change to freewill later in life. Some freewillers are predestined to become predestinators later in life."

~ Clarence Cossey, Baylor University
comment on the article "Who Is Elect? Arminius Differed from Calvin" http://www.christianity.com/ChurchHistory/11630050/?utm_source=This%20Week%20in%20Christian%20History%20-%20Christianity.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=05/11/2012/ as of 5/11/12

Courage

“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.”

G.K. Chesterton

We need greater virtues

In one of his famous maxims, the great 17th Century French aphorist Francois de la Rochefoucauld said this:

"Il faut de plus grandes vertus pour soutenir la bonne fortune que la mauvaise."

Translated this means: "We need greater virtues to sustain good than evil fortune."

Facts are Friends

"Facts are Friends."

~ Author Unknown

All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten

excerpts from Robert Fulghum's "All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten:"

"All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:
Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Take a nap every afternoon.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the styrofoam cup -- they all die. So do we.
Think what a better world it would be if we all -- the whole world -- had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.
Or, if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are -- when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Robert Fulghum "All I really Need to Know I learned In Kindergarten",
Villard Books N.Y. 1988, pp. 6-8

How to be Happy

"You can be happy by not being unhappy."

Juanita W.
April 30, 2012

Isaiah 53 Explained

Isaiah 53 Explained
Dr. Mitch Glaser
following is the Foreword to this book, quoted from
http://www.isaiah53.com/free-book/sample-chapter

Foreword

One chapter really can change your life!
That chapter is Isaiah 53, and the best-selling book in which it is found is the Bible—the Hebrew Scriptures, often described as the Old Testament.
This brief volume is written primarily for those who are not religious. Since Isaiah 53 is found in the Hebrew Scriptures, much of what you are about to read is written with the Jewish reader in mind.
However, this is not intended to be exclusively so. Like Jerusalem—a Jewish city important to many faiths—the Hebrew Scriptures, originally Jewish documents, are considered to be holy writings by Christians as well. The Old Testament is also referenced in the Koran. Therefore, even though this book is primarily written for Jewish people, hopefully it will be read and understood by those of a variety of faiths: Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and those who do not claim allegiance to any formal religion, but are looking to deepen their relationship with God.
There are a number of reasons why Isaiah 53 can change your life. As a chapter in the Jewish Bible, Isaiah 53 is part of the book that describes our history, ethics, religion and the very basis for our Jewish heritage. There is also considerable information in the Hebrew Scriptures regarding God’s love and plan for the Gentile nations. Whether or not you are Jewish, whether or not you are religious, I hope you will discover that reading and understanding Isaiah chapter 53 will change your life.
Allow me to offer a few compelling reasons why I hope you will find Isaiah 53 meaningful:
•This chapter will help you understand some things about yourself—especially regarding your relationship to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
•This chapter will demonstrate that the Bible can be trusted.
•This chapter will introduce you to God, who predicts the future and also brings it to pass.
•This chapter will help shape your expectation of who the Messiah would be. You will discover how this chapter has been fulfilled in the life of the One whom many call “the greatest Jew who ever lived.”
•This book was written by a Messianic Jew—a Jewish person who believes that Jesus (Yeshua) is the Messiah of Israel and the fulfillment of Isaiah 53—and one whose life was completely changed as a result.
Having been raised in a traditional Jewish home, I fully understand the challenges of keeping an open mind to the possibility that Jesus is the Messiah. So many of my fellow Jews are searching for a deeper spirituality and desire an intimate personal relationship with God. Many of us have not found this within the Jewish religion, but we would never consider detaching ourselves from the Jewish community.
When I came to believe that Yeshua was the Messiah many years ago, I certainly had no intention of abandoning my Jewishness. I was looking for an authentic spirituality, and I imagine you might be interested in the same thing. I hope you might be willing to put aside—at least for a moment—the common belief that you cannot be Jewish and believe in Jesus.
After all, if one of our greatest Jewish prophets predicted the Messianic details that Yeshua ultimately fulfills, then we would certainly have the basis to believe that one can be Jewish and believe in Yeshua.
More than anything, I hope that as you read this brief volume, your soul will be deeply touched by God. I pray that your spiritual search for a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Creator will become a reality in your life as it has in mine. There is no relationship in the world more fulfilling—or one that brings greater joy and satisfaction—than connection with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The purpose of this book is not to persuade you to change religions, but rather to discover a new relationship with the One who made you in His image and created you for this relationship. Not knowing God is like not knowing your mother or father; it leaves a hole in your soul that can only be filled by discovering where you have come from. Without knowing God, it is difficult to answer the fundamental questions of life: Why am I here? What is my purpose for living? How should I live my life in a way that gives me the most fulfillment and helps me to be a better person? These are the questions that either plague us or propel us into the arms of our Creator.
May the Lord enlighten your path and give you the insight to understand Isaiah chapter 53—and to find a new and personal relationship with the God who made you and loves you.
Dr. Mitch Glaser
Jerusalem
May 2010

To exalt or subjugate women

"The truth is that male religious leaders have had—and still have—an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation for justification for much of the persuasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world."
~ Jimmy Carter

Separation from God

"Death is not the enemy, separation from God is the enemy."

~ author unknown

The Definition of the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D)

The Definition of the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D)

Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

http://www.reformed.org/documents/chalcedon.html

How Enlightened Are You?

HOW ENLIGHTENED ARE YOU?

IF....

If you can live without caffeine,

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him or her,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, gender preference, or politics,

--Then you have almost reached the same level of spiritual development as your dog!

The Truth

THE TRUTH
Once Satan and his demon sidekick were walking down the street, closely watching a man 20 yards ahead who was on the verge of realizing the Supreme Truth. The demon grew worried, and began to nudge Satan, but Satan looked quite calm.

Sure enough, the man did, in fact, soon realize the deepest spiritual Truth. Yet Satan still did nothing about it.

With this, the demon nudged Satan harder and, getting no response, finally blurted out, “Satan! Don’t you see? That man has realized the Truth! And yet you are doing nothing to stop him!”

With that, Satan cunningly smiled and announced, “Yes, he has realized the Truth. And now I am going to help him organize the Truth!”

~ story heard years ago from Indian sage Jiddu Krishnamurti

On Learning from Elders - John Cassian

On Learning from Elders. John Cassian:
And therefore by no means let the ignorance or shallowness of one old man or of a few deter you and cut you off from that salutary path about which we have spoken and from the traditions of our forebears. The clever enemy misuses their gray hairs to deceive the young. But everything should be revealed to the elders without any obfuscating embarrassment, and from them one may confidently receive both healing for one’s wounds and examples for one’s way of life. Thanks to them we shall experience the same assistance and a like result if we strive to aim at nothing whatsoever by our own judgment and presumption.
Finally, it is evident that this understanding is greatly pleasing to God, for not without reason do we find this same instruction even in holy Scripture. Thus, the Lord did not desire of himself to teach the boy Samuel through divine speech, once he had been chosen by his own decision, but he was obliged to return twice to the old man. He willed that one whom he was calling to an intimate relationship with himself should even be instructed by a person who had offended God, because he was an old man. And he desired that one whom he judged most worthy to be selected by himself should be reared by an old man so that the humility of him who was called to a divine ministry might be tested and so that the pattern of this subjection might be offered as an example to young men.

~ Conference 2.13.12–2.14.3

In Evil Long I Took Delight - John Newton

In Evil Long I Took Delight

In evil long I took delight, unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight, and stopped my wild career.

I saw one hanging on a tree, in agony and blood,
Who fixed his languid eyes on me, as near his cross I stood.

Sure, never to my latest breath, can I forget that look;
It seemed to charge me with his death, though not a word he spoke.

My conscience felt and owned the guilt, and plunged me in despair,
I saw my sins his blood had spilt, and helped to nail him there.

Alas! I knew not what I did! But now my tears are vain:
Where shall my trembling soul be hid? For I the Lord have slain!

A second look he gave, which said, "I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid; I die that you may live."

Thus, while his death my sin displays in all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace, it seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief, and mournful joy, my spirit now is filled,
That I should such a life destroy, yet live by him I killed!

~ John Newton (1725-1807) from OLNEY HYMNS (1779).

The Single Best Invention of Life

"Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent."

~ Steve Jobs

Don't ASSUME

“When you ASSUME to know
that which you know nothing of
you make an ASS out of U and ME."

~ tweeted by Ashton Kutcher, re Ashton Kutcher/Demi Moore breakup rumors

“When we are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself & study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger." — Epictetus

~ tweeted by Demi Moore the day before her anniversary

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2011/09/29/
ashton-kutcherdemi-moore-breakup-rumors/

The BRAT Diet

This is the get-right diet, called "BRAT"-- bananas, rice (white only), applesauce, and 'toast' which can really be any kind of bread, even with jam and smooth peanut butter, just not butter.

Three Irrational Beliefs

quoted from:
LeadershipJournal.net
Three Irrational Beliefs ...
that I constantly have to fight
David Slagle | posted 9/26/2011
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/summer/irrationalbeliefs.html

Dr. Albert Ellis (1913-2007) was a psychologist ... most widely known for his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, so named because it is directed at irrationality. Ellis theorized that much of our inner turmoil is caused by our tendency to embrace irrational beliefs, which leads to stress, low self-worth, frustration, conflict, anger, avoidance, procrastination, diminished productivity, and difficulty in relating to others.

He identified three irrational core beliefs that cause the most trouble:

#1: "I absolutely MUST, at all times, perform outstandingly well and win the approval of significant others. If I fail in these important—and sacred—respects, that is awful and I am a bad, incompetent, unworthy person, who will probably always fail and deserves to suffer."

#2: "Other people with whom I relate absolutely MUST, under practically all conditions, treat me nicely, considerately, and fairly. Otherwise, it is terrible and they are rotten, bad, unworthy people who will always treat me badly and should be severely punished for acting so abominably to me."

#3: "The conditions under which I live absolutely MUST, at practically all times, be favorable, safe, hassle-free, and quickly and easily enjoyable. If they are not, it's awful and horrible and I can't ever enjoy myself at all. My life is hardly worth living."

Each of these statements is clearly irrational. In our best moments, we would reject them as ludicrous, wondering, "How could anyone think this way?" but then ...

Fortunately, there are better responses to each of the three irrational beliefs.

etc.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/summer/irrationalbeliefs.html

Books like Catfish

As someone once said: "Some books are like catfish: good eatin' but you have to spit out the bones."

Stick to what you know

(in reference to changing to a particular new group)
I think you should stick to what you know. I know the weak points of my group. I know where the land mines are. I know what their faults are, and how to work around them.

~ Truthful Grace

A dad with lower testosterone

New York Times Sept. 13, 2011

- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -

"A dad with lower testosterone is maybe a little more sensitive to cues from his child, and maybe he's a little less sensitive to cues from a woman he meets at a restaurant."

PETER GRAY, an anthropologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on a study finding that fatherhood decreases testosterone levels.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/health/research/
13testosterone.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha3

Life in a War Zone

Christianity tells you how to live life in a war zone.

~ my friend Nancy D.

Ain't Misbehavin'

Ain't Misbehavin'
Preparing my five-year-old son, Keegan, for his first overnight sleepover, I explained, "Eat whatever is served, say thanks, and make sure you behave yourself."
"Oh, don't worry, Mom," Keegan replied. "I never sin at anyone else's house."

—Suzy Ryan, California. Today's Christian Woman "Small Talk."

Miracles of Healing

"Sometimes God takes the disease away from the person.
Sometimes God takes the person away from the disease.
Both are miracles of healing."

~ spoken by a hospice visitor, name unknown

Life Is a Journey

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, champagne in one hand ... strawberries in the other and screaming: 'Woo Hoo! What a ride!' "

The God of the Old Testment and the New Testament

response to a friend who found it hard to relate to the "harsh" God of the Old Testament as opposed to the more loving God of the New Testament:

If you remember raising your own children, you treated them differently at each stage of life. You disciplined them differently at 2 than at 15. Now that they are grown and are parents themselves, you relate to them in a new way, on a more equal basis.

I think it is the same with God. In the Old Testament the people did a lot of immature and destructive things, and God had to bail them out over and over and over again when they ended up in destitution, slavery, and poverty. As the people matured in their faith, God was able to relate to them on a higher level.

By the time of Jesus, the Jewish people had formed strong faith traditions and had overcome their tendency to worship pagan idols. At this time God appeared to them through Jesus Christ and told them to go to all nations and teach people about God and to bring the Kingdom of God on earth to every nation in the world, one soul at a time. Those who accepted this responsibility have been working for 2,000 years to bring the Kingdom of God to all nations and all souls, and today 2.1 billion people identify as Christians, 33% of the world's population.
source: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

Unfortunately true Christianity has not completely changed the world yet. As Einstein said,

“If one purges the Judaism of the Prophets and Christianity as Jesus Christ taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left with a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity. It is the duty of every man of good will to strive steadfastly in his own little world to make this teaching of pure humanity a living force, so far as he can.”
(Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, New York, Bonanza Books, 1954, 184-185).
source: www.adherents.com/people/100_Nobel.html as of 8/2011

I believe all the social ills of humanity represent unfinished work that Christians are called to do -- to help and heal. It is a big responsibility but God wants us to help people as we have been helped.

God loves you like a good father. You are God's beloved son, created in the image of God and destined to be a blessing to the world.

~ Truthful Grace

Decreasing Worry and Psychological Stress

A recent study also says that those who trust in a benevolent, loving God report "significant decreases in worry and psychological stress."

Interesting idea: If a person has been cruelly taught that God hates them and wants to punish them, choosing to believe that God doesn't exist might decrease their worry and psychological stress. However, it would not give them the help and comfort and peace that knowledge of a benevolent God would give.

~ Truthful Grace

This is What Redemption Means

"Again and again the Gospels note that Jeus withdrew 'to the mountain' to spend nights in prayer 'alone' with his Father. These short passages are fundamental for our understanding of Jesus; they lift the veil of mystery just a little; they give us a glimpse into Jesus' filial existence, into the source from which his action and teaching and suffering sprang. This 'praying' of Jesus is the Son conversing with the Father; Jesus' human consciousness and will, his human soul, is taken up into that exchange, and in this way human 'praying' is able to become a participation in this filial communion with the Father." . . .

"We have said that in Jesus' filial communion with the Father, his human soul is also taken up into the act of praying. He who sees Jesus sees the Father (cf. Jn 14:9) The disciple who walks with Jesus is thus caught up with him into communion with God. And that is what redemption means: this stepping beyond the limits of human nature, which had been there as a possibility and an expectation in man, God's image and likeness, since the moment of creation."

Jesus of Nazareth, by Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benefict XVI, Doubleday, New York, 2007, p. 7-8

Rude People

When people are rude to you and you are rude back, they never remember that they were rude to you first. They only remember that you were rude back.

~ Truthful Grace

Xenophobia, Paranoia, and Narcissism

definitions from various dictionaries:

Xenophobia
1 : fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign
2 : fear or wariness of people with whom a person is not familiar

Paranoia
1 : fear (and expectation) of attack and betrayal, resulting in avoidance of tenderness and intimacy
2 : a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others
3 : an unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others, sometimes reaching delusional proportions, and resulting in constant suspicions of the motives of those around them and belief that certain individuals, or people in general, are "out to get them"
4 : a way to uphold the narcissist's grandiosity, to prove how important and feared he is
5 : a way to fend off intimacy that exposes his weaknesses, shortcomings, and deep buried emotions - hurt, envy, anger, aggression

Narcissism
1 : egoism, egocentrism
2 : love of or sexual desire for one's own body
3 : excessive preoccupation with self and lack of empathy for others
4 : feelings of shame or humiliation, depression, and mania
5 : dependence upon external stimuli - adoration, adulation, affirmation, applause, notoriety, fame, infamy, and, in general, attention of any kind

Psychologists suspect that the cause of narcissism is severe mental or physical pain in childhood at the hands of a powerful, idealized mother-father figure.

"Freud used the phrase “the narcissism of small differences” to describe the work of British anthropologist Ernest Crawley. Crawley discovered that groups with greater degrees of similarity would often treat each other with greater degrees of enmity and aggression than strangers. Indeed, the people most similar to us upset us the most, because we expect them to be exactly like us, and are disappointed when they aren’t. (Which is why it shouldn’t be a surprise that in the Book of Genesis, sibling conflict is the virulent and frequent. Siblings are the ones most like ourselves, and therefore the people most capable of inspiring the narcissism of small differences)."
http://chaimsteinmetz.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-jews-fight-why-your-kindly-uncle-is.html

Coping Mechanisms
* splitting (seeing things as black-white, good-bad, weak-strong)
* projection (accusing others of having the disowned aspects of your self)
* ignoring the future consequences of their actions
* ritualized behavior

All sin comes from the failure to love.

Jesus Christ:

Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount NRSV
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Luke 17:1-6 NRSV "You Must Forgive"
1 Jesus said to his disciples, "Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! 2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
3 Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive."
5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

Exodus 22 NRSV
21 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 23 NRSV
12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.

Leviticus 19 NRSV
10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 19 NRSV
33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.
34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Numbers 15 NRSV
14 An alien who lives with you, or who takes up permanent residence among you, and wishes to offer an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD, shall do as you do.
15 As for the assembly, there shall be for both you and the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the LORD.
16 You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and the same ordinance.

Deuteronomy 1 NRSV
16 I charged your judges at that time: "Give the members of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and another, whether citizen or resident alien."

Deuteronomy 10 NRSV
19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 23 NRSV
7 You shall not abhor any of the Edomites, for they are your kin. You shall not abhor any of the Egyptians, because you were an alien residing in their land.

Deuteronomy 24 NRSV
17 You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge.

Deuteronomy 27 NRSV
19 "Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice." All the people shall say, "Amen!"

Jeremiah 7 NRSV
5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.

Jeremiah 22 NRSV
3 Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.

Zechariah 7 NRSV
9 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; 10 do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.

Matthew 25 NRSV
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

God's Everlasting Covenant with David
2 Samuel 7:1-17 NRSV
8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. 15 But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
17 In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

A Plentitude of Top Predators?

This is weird! Wonder what it implies about humans???

"Biomass boomed over 460 percent, with carnivores increasing 4 times and top predators increasing 11 times. The plentitude of top predators is a hallmark sign of a healthy ecosystem."

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/197624/20110814/underwater-california-baja-conservation-marine-park.htm

‘No Take’ Policy Works Wonders at Mexican Marine Park
By IBTimes Staff Reporter | August 14, 2011 7:47 PM EDT

A “no take” policy, which prohibits fishing and other extractive activities, has worked wonders at a Mexican marine park.
Just 15 years ago, the Cabo Pulmo National Park area in Mexico was devastated by overfishing. The large predators were gone and there were only medium sized fishes left.
Now, marine life is thriving so much that the 71-square-kilometer area is almost like a pristine environment left untouched by mankind, according to a 10-year study by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, which published its findings in the “Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE” journal.
Large fish species now found in the park include parrotfish, groupers, snappers, and even sharks.
The scientists first measured the biomass of the park in 1999, a few year after the “no take” policy took place, and did not notice a dramatic change.
However, by 2009, the park almost made a full-fledged recovery. Biomass boomed over 460 percent, with carnivores increasing 4 times and top predators increasing 11 times. The plentitude of top predators is a hallmark sign of a healthy ecosystem.

50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God

http://www.adherents.com/people/100_Nobel.html

Tihomir Dimitrov's online book of quotations 50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God (2007) is mostly about scientists, although it also features sections about non-scientist Nobel Prize winners. The book can be found at http://nobelists.net/

The author's website describes the book: "This book is an anthology of well-documented quotations. It is a free e-book."

It should be noted that 50 Nobel Laureates is written primarily for inspirational purposes and is not intended to be a source of detailed or balanced biographical data. Nevertheless, the book is a treasure trove of interesting information. Also note that the author's criteria for including Nobel Laureates who "believe in God" does not imply a specific type of belief or adherence to any specific religious group or denomination. The individuals included in the book represent a wide range of religious beliefs, religious affiliation, and religious practice.

50 Nobel Laureates includes this chapter on Albert Einstein:

1. ALBERT EINSTEIN – NOBEL LAUREATE IN PHYSICS

Nobel Prize: Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to Quantum Theory and for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. Einstein is one of the founders of modern physics; he is the author of the Theory of Relativity. According to the world media (Reuters, December 2000) Einstein is “the personality of the second millennium.”

Nationality: German; later Swiss and American citizen

Education: Ph.D. in physics, University of Zurich, Switzerland, 1905

Occupation: Patent Examiner in the Swiss Patent Office, Bern, 1902-1908; Professor of Physics at the Universities of Zurich, Prague, Bern, and Princeton, NJ.

♦♦♦ Quotes ♦♦♦


1. “I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details.” (Einstein, as cited in Ronald Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times, London, Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., 1973, 33).


2. “We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books, but doesn’t know what it is.

That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see a Universe marvellously arranged and obeying certain laws, but only dimly understand these laws. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations.” (Einstein, as cited in Denis Brian, Einstein: A Life, New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1996, 186).


3. “If one purges the Judaism of the Prophets and Christianity as Jesus Christ taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left with a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity. It is the duty of every man of good will to strive steadfastly in his own little world to make this teaching of pure humanity a living force, so far as he can.” (Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, New York, Bonanza Books, 1954, 184-185).


4. “After all, haven’t the differences between Jew and Christian been overexaggerated by fanatics on both sides? We both are living under God’s approval, and nurture almost identical spiritual capacities. Jew or Gentile, bond or free, all are God’s own.” (Einstein, as cited in H.G. Garbedian, Albert Einstein: Maker of Universes, New York, Funk and Wagnalls Co., 1939, 267).


5. “Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a Spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe – a Spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive.” (Einstein 1936, as cited in Dukas and Hoffmann, Albert Einstein: The Human Side, Princeton University Press, 1979, 33).


6. “The deeper one penetrates into nature’s secrets, the greater becomes one’s respect for God.” (Einstein, as cited in Brian 1996, 119).


7. “The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior Reasoning Power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible Universe, forms my idea of God.” (Einstein, as cited in Libby Anfinsen 1995).


8. “My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior Spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality.” (Einstein 1936, as cited in Dukas and Hoffmann 1979, 66).


9. “The more I study science the more I believe in God.” (Einstein, as cited in Holt 1997).


10. Max Jammer (Professor Emeritus of Physics and author of the biographical book Einstein and Religion, 2002) claims that Einstein’s well-known dictum, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind” can serve as an epitome and quintessence of Einstein’s religious philosophy. (Jammer 2002; Einstein 1967, 30).


11. “The highest principles for our aspirations and judgments are given to us in the Jewish-Christian religious tradition. It is a very high goal which, with our weak powers, we can reach only very inadequately, but which gives a sure foundation to our aspirations and valuations.” (Albert Einstein, Out of My Later Years, New Jersey, Littlefield, Adams and Co., 1967, 27).


12. “In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views.” (Einstein, as cited in Clark 1973, 400; and Jammer 2002, 97).


13. Concerning the fanatical atheists Einstein pointed out:

“Then there are the fanatical atheists whose intolerance is of the same kind as the intolerance of the religious fanatics and comes from the same source. They are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who – in their grudge against the traditional ‘opium for the people’ – cannot bear the music of the spheres. The Wonder of nature does not become smaller because one cannot measure it by the standards of human moral and human aims.” (Einstein, as cited in Max Jammer, Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology, Princeton University Press, 2002, 97).


14. “True religion is real living – living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness” (Einstein, as cited in Garbedian 1939, 267).


15. “Certain it is that a conviction, akin to religious feeling, of the rationality or intelligibility of the world lies behind all scientific work of a higher order.

… This firm belief, a belief bound up with deep feeling, in a superior Mind that reveals itself in the world of experience, represents my conception of God.” (Einstein 1973, 255).


16. “Strenuous intellectual work and the study of God’s Nature are the angels that will lead me through all the troubles of this life with consolation, strength, and uncompromising rigor.” (Einstein, as cited in Calaprice 2000, ch. 1).


17. Einstein’s attitude towards Jesus Christ was expressed in an interview, which the great scientist gave to the American magazine The Saturday Evening Post (26 October 1929):

“- To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?

- As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.

- Have you read Emil Ludwig’s book on Jesus?

- Emil Ludwig’s Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.

- You accept the historical Jesus?

- Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” (Einstein, as cited in Viereck 1929; see also Einstein, as cited in the German magazine Geisteskampf der Gegenwart, Guetersloh, 1930, S. 235).

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

http://nobelists.net/

Healthy Affirmations

Healthy Affirmations

- it's only hard, not impossible
- today is the best place to be
- expectations are premeditated resentments
- if I don't take care of me, I can't take care of you
- learning to be comfortable when it's not all about me
- let it begin with me
- life is messy — roll up your sleeves
- progress — not perfection
- speak gently and carry a big present
- your opinion of me is none of my business

Thera-Wear© 2005 Copyright
www.thera-wear.com

A Positive Attitude

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

~ Author Unknown

the classic preadolescent boy’s fantasy

Sam Witwicky, the all-American kid played by Shia LaBeouf in Michael Bay’s “Transformers” movies:

"The fantasy he lives out is the classic preadolescent boy’s dream of defying adult wisdom, saving the princess and getting to make all the noise and mess he wants in the service of a noble cause."

Arts & Leisure
Babies to Heroes: A Field Guide to Big-Screen Men
By A. O. SCOTT and MANOHLA DARGIS
Published: July 27, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/movies/male-archetypes
-in-the-movies-big-baby-to-brave-boy.html

People Do What You Expect

"My experience with people is that they generally do what you expect them to do."

~ Mary Kay Ash
Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics

Prayer - Dag Hammarskjold

Prayer

Give me, O my Lord,
that purity of conscience
which alone can receive your inspirations.

My ears are dull,
so that I cannot hear your voice.
My eyes are dim,
so that I cannot see the signs of your presence.

You alone can quicken my hearing
and purge my sight,
and cleanse and renew my heart.

Teach me to sit at your feet
and to hear your word,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

~ Dag Hammarskjold (1905 – 1961)

We need to hear your voice

"We need to hear your voice."

~ Rev. Aisha Brooks-Lytle

Let your speech be always with grace

BibleWorks
July 6, 2011 - Wednesday Morning

Let your speech be always with grace. (1 Col 4:6)

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. (Pro 25:11,12)

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Eph 4:29)

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
By thy words thou shalt be justified. (Mat 12:35,37)

The tongue of the wise is health. (Pro 12:18)

They that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. (Mal 3:16)

If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth. (Jer 15:19)

Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, ... see that ye abound in this grace also. (2 Cor 8:7 KJV)
______________

there is darkness in all of us, but we can overcome it

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, review
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/8619487/
Harry-Potter-and-the-Deathly-Hallows-Part-2-review.html
By Philip Womack
10:00PM BST 05 Jul 2011

Our central threesome, too, do not disappoint. Radcliffe’s erstwhile plankishness has transformed into a heroic stoicism; Watson has perfected the requisite winsome, fearful look, panting and gasping with the best of them; and even Grint can now do “emotional”, pulling off a big scene in which one of his brothers is slain.

This is monumental cinema, awash with gorgeous tones, and carrying an ultimate message that will resonate with every viewer, young or old: there is darkness in all of us, but we can overcome it.

*Philip Womack is the author of The Liberators and The Other Book

to see if they could get along ...

Mark Twain used to say that he once tried an experiment of putting a dog and cat in a cage together. After some adjustments, they got along.
So he added a bird, a pig and goat. Again after some initial adjustments, they got along.
Then he put in a Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Catholic, and within minutes there was not a living thing left.

~ Quoted in Phillip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace?,
Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1997, p. 33.

Women's Heart Attack Symptoms

Are Men and Women Different?
By Dr. Mehmet Oz
The Oprah Winfrey Show | June 03, 2009

Dr. Oz quote:
"Most men having a heart attack have shortness of breath, break out into cold sweats and feel severe pain or discomfort in their upper body," he says. "One-third of women feel no discomfort in their chest, which can cause them to wait longer to go to the emergency room."

Dr. Oz says women who are having a heart attack may feel shortness of breath, weakness, flu-like symptoms, indigestion and nausea. If you think you might be having a heart attack, Dr. Oz recommends calling 911 immediately.

http://www.oprah.com/health/Are-Men-and-Women-Different_1/10

pumpkin pie and lavender

Are Men and Women Different?
By Dr. Mehmet Oz
The Oprah Winfrey Show | June 03, 2009
quote:
The way something smells also affects the sexes differently. Dr. Oz says research has found that the smells of pumpkin pie and lavender make men feel more sexual, while ladies get excited by the scents of cucumber and licorice. "Smell is important because it signifies to us at a very deep level that we're in a home—in a safe environment," he says.

http://www.oprah.com/health/Are-Men-and-Women-Different_1/9

Wanting vs. Creating

commentary on Romans 7:
“What a person wants is salvation. What he creates is disaster”

~ Ernst Käsemann
(Commentary on Romans; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1980, p. 203)

Extremely Expensive to be Poor

“Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.”

~ James Baldwin

"Poverty is brutal, consuming and unforgiving. It strikes at the soul."

~ Charles M. Blow

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/opinion/
25blow.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

Make Him a Friend - Abraham Lincoln

"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."

~ Abraham Lincoln,
from Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount

Mahatma Gandhi and the Sermon on the Mount

"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."
~ Abraham Lincoln

quotes from "Break the Chain" by Sr. Phyllis Neves:

"They say that Mahatma Gandhi read from the Sermon on the Mount twice a day for the last forty years of his life. He considered these texts the greatest writings on nonviolence in the history of the world. Since he wanted to become a person of nonviolence, he treated these teachings as a basic primer, as the catechism of nonviolence. Don't you think it could make a tremendous difference in our world if more of us had the courage to do the same?

Jesus was not preaching hopeless idealism. He advocated a wise strategy for living in peace. "Love for enemies is the key to the solution of the problems of our world," Dr. Martin Luther King wrote. Nelson Mandela put it this way: "I have never yet met an enemy whom I did not try to turn into a friend." The Christian way to get rid of enemies is to forgive them.

Lincoln, again during the Civil War, made a kind remark about a Southern general, causing a woman in shock to flare up: "Mr. President, don't you realize, that man is your enemy; your job is to destroy the enemy!"

Very graciously, Lincoln replied, "Madam, when I turn an enemy into a friend, haven't I destroyed an enemy?"

Forgiveness, then, is the process of restoring relationships. Forgiveness is the way of bringing back into relationship that which was estranged. Forgiveness is making whole again. Forgiveness is tearing down barriers to re-unite person with person. Forgiveness is a bridge to unity among all people. Forgiveness is the process of allowing kindness to replace bitterness.

So let's take on the Christian challenge, you and I, to break the chain of violence in our world by becoming links on the chain of peace and forgiveness."

Sr. Phyllis Neves
"Break the Chain"
Partners in Giving, Early Summer 2011
www.salesiansisters.org

I offer you peace - Mahatma Gandhi

“I offer you peace. I offer you love.
I offer you friendship. I see your beauty.
I hear your need. I feel your feelings.
My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.
I salute that Source in you.
Let us work together for unity and love.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Rankism

Robert W. Fuller "Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank" (New Society):

"We covet the rewards that come to the somebodies of the world, so we're willing to endure a lot for a shot at the life we see them leading -- even if that shot is a long one. Should we, by hook or crook or sheer luck, acquire fame and fortune, then we too could insulate ourselves from the cruelties of life."

I coulda been a contender

Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront":
"I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am...."

Table Grace

Blessings on the blossoms,
Blessing on the fruits,
Blessings on the leaves and stems,
Blessings on the roots,
Loving hands together as we say,
Blessings on our meal,
and our time together,
and we're grateful for our family.

~ Katia Hetter's blog
(blessing from her daughter's pre-school)
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/12/
my-faith-how-saying-a-blessing-changed-my-secular-family-meals/
?hpt=hp_bn8

In the beginning God created - Gen. 1:1

JPS Genesis 1:1
IN THE beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

TNK Genesis 1:1
When God began to create heaven and earth --

God (Elohim): noun common masculine plural absolute
created: verb qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular homonym 1

Who will go for us? Isaiah 6:8

JPS Isaiah 6:8
And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: 'Here am I; send me.'

TNK Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of my Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me."

Lord: noun common masculine plural construct suffix 1st person common singular
for us: particle preposition suffix 1st person common plural

Anxiety passes when we break out of ruts

"Life keeps presenting us with a choice between anxiety and depression. Choose anxiety; it passes. Depression hangs on.
"The anxiety is apprehension over breaking with routine ways of behaving and relating. When we break out of ruts, that anxiety passes. When we give in to routine out of fear, we feel helpless and that leads to feeling depressed."

~ Dr. Michael D'Antonio
a Senior Staff Therapist in Council For Relationship's Paoli, PA office

A Test of Obedience and Loyalty

"Charismatic leaders can gain control of people’s minds in sects and pretty much create their own rules," Grumett said. Whatever food edicts a sect founder invents are likely a test of obedience and loyalty to him."

~ David Grumett, author of "Theology on the Menu"
http://blog.nj.com/njv_kathleen_obrien/2011/06/religious_fasting_and_child_ab.html

He Pushed Them and They Flew

Come to the edge, he said.
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed them and they flew.

~ Christopher Logue

"recks not his own rede"

from the Free Dictionary definition of Advice:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/advice

reck one’s own rede

To follow one’s own advice; to “practice what you preach.” Reck ‘heed, regard’ appears only in negative constructions. Rede ‘advice, counsel’ is now archaic and limited to poetical or dialectal use. This expression is found in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whilst, like a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede. (I,iii)

Today reck one’s own rede is met only in literary contexts.

the tune the old cow died of

Advice instead of aid, words in lieu of alms.
This expression alludes to the following old ballad:

There was an old man, and he had an old cow,
But he had no fodder to give her,
So he took up his fiddle and played her the tune;
“Consider, good cow, consider,
This isn’t the time for the grass to grow,
Consider, good cow, consider.”

Needless to say, the old cow died of hunger.

"Is everything sad going to come untrue?”

quote from a Timothy Keller sermon:

In the last book of The Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee wakes up, thinking everything is lost and discovering instead that all his friends were around him, he cries out: “Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead! Is everything sad going to come untrue?”

The answer is YES. And the answer of the Bible is YES. If the resurrection is true, then the answer is yes. Everything sad is going TO COME UNTRUE.

http://davidkpark.wordpress.com/2006/09/26/
timothy-keller-transcript-the-problem-of-suffering/

no worse struggle than the one that is never fought

from a New York Times story on the competition between Mexican central bank governor, Agustín Carstens and French finance minister, Christine Lagarde to become the new director of the I.M.F.:

For Mr. Carstens, long-shot chances are no reason to forgo seeking the position. “It’s essential to take the risk,” he said. He cited a Mexican expression, “There is no worse struggle than the one that is never fought.”

Emerging Nations Warm to Lagarde to Lead I.M.F.
By LIZ ALDERMAN and KEITH BRADSHER
Published: June 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/
business/global/08fund.html

Bidden or not bidden God is present

"Bidden or not bidden God is present."

~ Carl Jung
(written on his door and on his tombstone)

Lobsters

As lobsters grow, their hard shells become too small. in order to continue to grow, they split their shells and crawl out, naked and vulnerable. During the time it takes for their new shell to harden, they face danger without the protection of their shell.
When the new shell hardens it is too big, so it doesn't fit quite right. Eventually the lobster grows into her new shell and feels more comfortable, until she grows more and the cycle starts all over again! During its first year, a lobster molts fourteen to seventeen times, but when it grows older it molts not more than once a year.

get married, get a degree, hold on to a job

The Bloody Crossroads
By DAVID BROOKS
New York Times
Published September 7, 2009
http://www.foramericankids.org/documents/9-909.RESPONSE.pdf

Can the state do anything to effectively promote virtuous behavior? Because when you get into the core problems, whether in Washington, California or on Wall Street, you keep seeing the same moral deficiencies: self-indulgence, irresponsibility and imprudence.

Two of my favorite essays in the first issue go right at this problem. Ron Haskins delivers a careful reading of the data on inequality and social mobility and cuts through a lot of the sloppy reporting on this issue. He points out that the surest way to achieve mobility is still the same: get married, get a degree, hold on to a job. Poverty in America is a function of culture and behavior at least as much as of entrenched injustice, he writes.

A good parent self-limits

"A good parent self-limits with his children to help them grow."

~ Rev. Dr. Paul MacMurray, 5/29/11