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| The Power of Christ's ForgivenessExcerpt from Greg Boyd's blog, about his apologetics book "Letters From a Skeptic," which were actual letters between he and his agnostic/atheist father, which eventually led to his father's conversion at age 73:
"It’s also been tremendously rewarding to see God use Letters From a Skeptic to reach others for Christ. I have over the years received thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from people who came to faith through this correspondence. Some of their stories are overwhelmingly beautiful. One of my dad’s favorites was a letter we received from a woman who was imprisoned for killing her baby. Somehow she got a hold of Letters in prison and it resulted in her committing her life to Christ. She told us that, even though it seemed her earthly life was pretty much over, she felt like her life was actually just beginning. And, she added, 'I now know I’ll someday see my precious baby again, and she’ll forgive me.' "
Powerful.
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| Obedience Over ResultsI was recently reading Tiffany's reading blog, and something she wrote made me reflective. She said that one of the disciplines outlined by the author of the book she reviewed is that we should "pursue action out of obedience and not results." This is an idea that I strongly gravitate towards, but at the same time find intensely difficult to actually live out. It's attractive because, as a Christian pacifist, I strongly rail against the sort of "ends justify the means" theologies that people use in arguing with me. However, on a personal level, how often do I act "in faith" because I believe it will get a desired result, when in fact I should be acting out of obedience? Just last night, Chi Alpha had a hayride, and as I worked at the hot cocoa/other-hot-drinks area, I tried to get one of my shyer friends to go talk to some new people who were by themselves. Sarah pointed out that it's not my place to convict, but rather the Spirit's. I thought, "But I can help, right?" While that may be true, I was operating out of a mindset that the result of these people being talked to was more important than my obedience in trusting that the Spirit will convict people to do His will. It's a difficult mindset, but it's one that I pray God will reveal to me more and more. Thanks, Tif for the illuminating thought.
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| I'll pretend I have twitterSo, here are a few random thoughts I wanted to write down, twitter/Henry Imler-style.
- How are the Smashing Pumpkins widely popular? I can't imagine Danielson being popular, and both of their voices are like potatoes being shoved into my ears.
- Is the Flash super-intelligent? If not, shouldn't his thoughts race at near the speed of light just like the rest of him?
- Here's an interesting article that suggests that John McCain doesn't actually believe in God, but rather believes in America.
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| Simple MathIf A = B,
and
If B = C,
Then A = C.
If we (A) are to be like Jesus (B) [Romans 8:29 and 2 Cor. 3:18],
and
If Jesus (B) demonstrates that the way we respond to our enemies is not to give them "what they deserve," but to act gracefully towards them (C) [Romans 5:10],
Then we (A) should respond to our enemies by...?
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| The Only Game In TownThere's a story about a famous gambler named Canada Bill who was playing Faro in a saloon in Illinois. A friend pulled him aside to warn him that the game was rigged. "Yeah," he said, turning back to the game, "but it's the only game in town." I've reflected on this story a bit as the presidential elections have been heating up. Yesterday I watched the vice presidential debate with varying levels of interest, apathy, and dismay. I know that countless Christians are watching these debates and following the "issues" figuring out who we'll vote for in November, and I can't help but think that we're like Canada Bill--we know there's no real chance of us winning, but we play anyway. We've fooled ourselves into thinking that the only way that real, large-scale change can be made is if we particpate in the political process, even when most of us think that most politicians are corrupt promise breakers. As Christians, though, we need to have a Christ-like imagination. If there's only one game in town, start another. If the only way change seems to get done is through political channels, the Church need to get our act together. While it's not necessarily a sin to vote, it can be a pacifying action, one that quiets that holy unrest that God has put inside of each one of us that says, "Something is not right with the world. Something must be done." Voting can quell those feelings so we don't band together and act. While this might not happen overnight, my hope is that more Christians will begin to question not only the Religious Right and one or two-issue politics, but the very idea that Christians can be aligned with any Babylon, even if it is the best Babylon on the planet. | | |
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