Indifference

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”

~ Elie Wiesel

Even today...

It may be today that you are required to do hard things and it may be that tomorrow you will face difficult challenges.

Never forget that you have been kept up till now and you will also be kept after.

Challenges come to all of us.

It is in responding to challenges that we grow, we mature and we build.

Without conflict, resolution would be a hollow and empty prospect.

Today is not only the end of something old...in fact, it could be that today is the beginning of everything new.

Have a great weekend!

From Andrew Peterson...

He came back.

And after that brutal Friday, and that long, quiet Saturday, he came back.

And that one intake of breath in the tomb changes everything. It changes the very reason I drew breath today and the way I move about in this world because I believe he’s coming back again. The world has gone on for more than two millenia since Jesus’ feet tread the earth he made. What would they have said back then if someone had told them two thousand years later we’d still be waiting? They would’ve thought back to that long Saturday and said, “Two thousand years will seem like a breath to you when you finally lay your crown at his feet. We don’t even remember what we were doing on that Saturday, but let me tell you about Sunday morning. Now that was something.”

These many years of waiting will only be a sentence in the story. This long day will come to an end, and I believe it will end in glory, when we will shine like suns and stride the green hills with those we love and the One who loves. We will look with our new eyes and speak with our new tongues and turn to each other and say, “Do you remember the waiting? The long years, the bitter pain, the gnawing doubt, the relentless ache?” And like Mary at the tomb, we will say: “I remember only the light, and the voice calling my name, and the overwhelming joy that the waiting was finally over.”

The stone will be rolled away for each of us.

May we wait with faithful hearts.

"Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time."

~Martin Luther

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” 

-Mark Twain

Of what does life consist?

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

~ Hamlet by William Shakespeare


Sometimes in life we can begin to think that the world is only as big as our ideas about it.  Our perceptions and our learning vary from individual to individual, but it is certainly true that no one knows everything.  We must learn to be willing to admit that there are many things that we do not and perhaps cannot understand.  We must learn to look on the world with wonder.  While we may not understand something or someone that does not make that thing or person evil, backward or wrong.  We need to always be looking to know more and at the same time to be amazed at the breadth and the depth of our universe's unknowable nature.
The universe is vast beyond imagination and, yet, as people of faith, we believe that in that vastness we as individuals have meaning and purpose.  To grow in our faith we must look out as well as in.  When we see the wonder of this life we perhaps will be motivated to seek out the Author of this life.  God has the ability to be both unknowable and yet also very intimate.  As we extend ourselves in faith, God will reveal Himself in a variety of ways.
Our charge is to not limit God to our narrow ideas of Him.  We must approach God as He is and we must approach Him just as we are.


For more along these lines check out Acts 17 and Paul's sermon on Mar's Hill.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

-St. Paul to the church at Ephesus

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails..."

-St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian church

"I want to take the word Christianity back to Christ himself, back to that mighty heart whose pulse seems to throb through the world today, that endless fountain of charity out of which I believe has come all true progress and all civilization that deserves the name ... I go back to that great Spirit which contemplated a sacrifice for the whole of humanity. That sacrifice is not one of exclusion, but of an infinite and endless and joyous inclusion. And I thank God for it."

~ Julia Ward Howe

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

~ C.S. Lewis

 "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery in The Little Prince

"It is irresponsible and unproductive to try to turn someone away from a sinful lifestyle without offering the Christ-centered lifestyle to take its place."

From my files...

Paul begins II Corinthians 3 speaking of the fact that he and his fellow workers were well known to the Corinthian brethren. Other than his time in Ephesus and his earliest ministry in Cilicia, Paul spent more time in Corinth than in any other mission point during his ministry.

In verse 2, Paul says that the Corinthian Christians "are our epistle (letter) written in our hearts, known and read by all men." In other words, the actions of the Christian community at Corinth were a testimony to Paul's witness and word among them. In verse 3, Paul further states that "clearly you are an epistle of Christ." Not only did the Corinthians manner of life reflect the touch of Paul's pastoral hand, their lives shone with the very radiance of the personage of Jesus.

It might be good to think of each new day as a blank page of letterhead in a typewriter. With each thought, action and word, we type a few words upon the page. What we type reflects what has influenced us. Does our letter shine with the words and message of Jesus or does it contain things more fitting the prince of darkness than the Prince of Peace? Once the ink is applied to the page, it is difficult to remove the stain. Liquid Paper, White Out or a blotter may be used to erase the words, but the page will never look perfect again. Similarly, we who are in Christ have the ability to have our mistakes (sins) blotted out and covered over, but our lives are still impacted by their consequences. We may change our heart, but spiritual scar tissue remains. Thankfully, God has better vision than we do. When He divinely intercedes and removes the words of hurt, hate or hostility from our story, we are in essence given a fresh sheet of paper and told to start again. Though we often fall short, God's love never fails to cleanse the canvas of our lives and make us new.

If a person "read" your life, who do you suppose it would be a letter from? Would it be a "living epistle" of Christ or more like a nasty note from Satan?

Praying that we all become more Christ-filled and Christ-like as we live our lives from day to day so that our living letter reflects the love of Jesus to everyone we meet.

"I never knew you were a Christian!"

"I never knew you were a Christian!"

I went into an unfamiliar bank while I was on my way to Memphis to an appointment this week.  I was handed over my check from the church and the teller looked it over and then looked at me.

"Do you attend this church?" she asked.

"Yes, in fact, I am the minister there," I responded.

"That is wonderful!  I am a member of the church too.  I attend the Jefferson Street congregation here in town," she gushed.

I immediately became conscious of what I was wearing, whether or not I had smiled at the teller, and if I had been friendly.  Have you ever been in a social situation and discovered a coworker, an acquaintance, or a teacher/student was a Christian?  Did this information shock you when you compared the standards of Christianity with this person's behavior, language, or dress?

We probably have all been surprised to learn certain people were Christians, but why not think about that scenario in reverse?  Has anyone ever found out you were a Christian and a look of shock passed across his or her face?

People that know us beyond a passing conversation should be able to recognize that Jesus has played a part in who we are.  We ought to become very comfortable with people knowing where we worship and with them knowing that worship is a priority in our lives.  We ought to have the type actions, speech, and dress that strengthens rather than discredits our claim of being a Christian.  We never know when our conduct in school, business, or recreation will influence someone about Christ.  Let's be sure that the message we send about Jesus is a positive one and that when we tell people that we are Christians they will say,

"That was obvious from the moment we met."

A Personal Favorite

I have been read Ann Voskamp's blog for quite a while now.  This entry from several years ago is my favorite.  We often think we can read the minds and intentions of others.  Many times we may be right, but rarely, we are caught by surprise in the best kind of way.  

This is a bit lengthy, but I think some of you can identify with the characters presented.

Enjoy.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2008/09/seekers-repenters-and-love/

     “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”

-William Carey

Pioneer missionary to India who dealt with profound economic and family problems

"If you don't behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you behave."

—Fulton J. Sheen

"Reality is totally indifferent

to our beliefs about it."

When I am doing well, let me thank God.

When I am living in doubt, let me ask God.

When I am confident, let me find humility before God.

When I make a mistake, let me trust God.

When I am in need of love, let me turn to God.

When I am lonely, let me know the presence of God.

When I want to give up, let me remember God.

When I think it will never get better, let me choose God.

In all things let me simply know God.

"Some days it's ok for things to not be rationally true."

-Hank Green

I find myself often believing in things that are not rationally true. 

A great number of things I believe to be true are not rational. 

My belief in an unseen spiritual realm. 

My belief in my glorified, resurrected body spending eternity in the presence of an unseen, all-powerful Deity. 

Even my belief that the Cardinals might still catch the Brewers in the NL Central race.

Just because something seems irrational is no reason to stop believing. 

Flying machines once seemed irrational and yet da Vinci sketched them 400 years before they were built.  And they were built and now have traveled even beyond our solar system. 

Mass produced books once seemed a pipe dream and now we not only got them (eventually millions of titles available for mere pennies apiece) we have replaced them with Kindles, iPads and smart tablets. 

Personal computers?  Once thought entirely to be the stuff of science fiction.

We can talk on phones that aren't connected to any visible conveying agent to people in space.

Whenever someone tells you your beliefs or goals are irrational, simply smile and remember that with enough faith and determination, anything is possible.