I'm drooling... soooo many great articles that speak to this thing inside me that's been stewing... this feeling that change is needed... this "thing" that prompted me to start this blog, actually! :o)
The first I'm going to comment on was taken from this page... written by Dan Kimball and Josh Fox:
There is a rising feeling among emerging church leaders and followers of Jesus, that in many modern contemporary churches, something has subtly gone astray in what we call “church” and what we call “Christianity”. Through time, church has become a place that you go to have your needs met, instead of being a called local community of God on a mission together. Through time, much of contemporary Christianity subtly has become more about inviting others into the subcultures of Christian music, language and church programs than about passionately inviting others into a radically alternative community and way of life as disciples of Jesus and Kingdom living.
:::
Vintage Faith is simply looking at what was vintage Christianity. Going back to the beginning and looking at the teachings of Jesus with fresh eyes and hearts and minds. Carefully discerning what it is in our contemporary churches and ministry that perhaps has been shaped through modernity and evangelical subculture, rather than the actual teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures. We need to begin asking a lot of questions again. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. Too much is at stake not to.
This is their definition of the "Emergent Church". And, it's exactly how books like "Velvet Elvis" (Rob Bell), "A Scandalous Freedom" (Steve Brown), and "The Barbarian Way" (Erwin Raphael McManus) have basically put it. These books have been my absolute favorites of the last couple of years! I love their "out-of-the-box" thinking! This resonates with me soooo deeply....
These next bits were taken from this article:
I read all the right books, went to all the right conferences and said all the right things. For years, I played by the rules and tried hard not to think too much about the lingering questions in my soul. Doubt, after all, was dangerous. Who knew where it might lead?
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...so many people have stopped thinking for themselves-and those who haven't, no longer feel safe to express a dissenting opinion.
:<><:
Jesus challenged the religious establishment in his day. He answered his critics with powerful, thought-provoking questions. He wasn't afraid to take on tough topics or discuss contentious issues. Spiritual McCarthyism, meanwhile, promotes exactly the opposite. It encourages people to orchestrate their lives to avoid censure and minimize risk. In short, it teaches people to live in fear-to put up and shut up. I don't know. I guess I'm just not sure that fear, intimidation and control should be the defining hallmarks of Christianity.
:<><:
Over time, I seemed to meet more and more people who didn't fit with the stereotype of the good Christian. By their very lives, these people challenged me to stop speaking the code language of my youth--and start engaging with the wider culture around me.
:<><:
In that moment, I think I realized that God could handle severe honesty. Authenticity, in all its messiness, was not offensive to him. There was room for doubt and anger and confusion. There was room for the real me.
:<><:
...tolerates differences and treats people with opposing views with great dignity. To me, that's the essence of the emerging church.
To me, this just epitomizes all that I've felt. All of this makes sense to me...
Lastly, here is an excerpt, taken from this page, from Chapter 1 of “A Heretic's Guide to Eternity” by Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor (published by Jossey-Bass August 2006)....
I believe that the next phase of faith is to move beyond religion. Nowhere does Jesus call his followers to start a religion. Jesus’ invitation to his first disciples was to follow him. It was a call to journey, a process that leads us away from some things and towards others. It wasn’t a call to adhere to a set of rules for all time. In fact, one of the most commonly heard critiques of the Christian message is that it is out of touch with what is really going on in the world around us.
“The purpose of theology,” writes the theologian Sallie McFague, “is to make it possible for the gospel to be heard in our time.” For the gospel to be heard in our time requires a commitment to spiritual growth and maturity. It involves being willing to break out of the boxes that have served us well in the past but no longer suffice today. While it’s possible to preserve and pass on a centuries-old understanding of the nature of society, ethics, and even morality, we have to realize that these constructs are often powerless to speak into today’s world.
Faithfulness to the message of Jesus does not mean that we must simply imitate our forbears in the Christian tradition. To do so might help preserve their formulas, but it will freeze us in history. I believe that we must attempt to recontextualize the story—to find equivalents for our world today.
:::
This tendency to hold on to the familiar remains a problem for many followers of God today. Religion becomes a place we retreat to, where we hear the old stories, lovingly preserved but frightfully disconnected from the realities of life. The rise of interest in fundamentalism is evidence of the desire for reassurance—for ways of fitting a complex world into manageable categories. But religions don’t function at their highest and best when they attempt to provide simple answers to life’s biggest questions.
The answer is not a retreat into the past. We must look instead at the “beliefs and ideas that stunt holiness today,” as one writer put it. I believe we must resist our Israelite-like impulse to look back longingly at Egypt.
Undoubtedly, some people will see this call to reposition questions of faith beyond religion as dangerous and unscriptural. Many who come from a religious point of view may be threatened by the challenge to consider Jesus beyond religion. But as I see it, religion finds its gravity in the light of the sun. It finds sustainability and life through its relationship to the sun.
All I can say is "Wow". This goes along with the phrase I've always heard touted... "Christianity is about RELATIONSHIP, not religion". And, I love the idea of looking for the "real" Jesus... not the one that Christianity as we know it has put "in a box" -- defined, and made "nice". Jesus as Lord... Jesus as God.... Jesus as my Savior.
Today I was surfing the 'Net, and I came across a Christian forum where they were discussing one of my favorite books, "VELVET ELVIS" by Rob Bell. And, I was very disheartened to hear the majority of the forum members bashing the book and saying it was anti-Christian.
But, I suppose that's to be expected. Rob's writing is quite "out-of-the-box" (exactly why I LOVE it!!!), and I think it "scares" a lot of people! In fact, one member even *said* that the book scared them! LOL
Another forum member sent a link to this article, talking about the "Emergent Church". Now, before I go rambling on about this, you should know that I know very little about this topic. I only know what I've just read from this same article. LOL. :o)
There were a few things mentioned in the article that I'd like to... oppose....:
[They started questioning their assumptions about the Bible itself – “discovering the Bible as a human product.” “I grew up thinking that we’ve figured out the Bible,” Kristen says, “that we knew what it means. Now I have no idea what most of it means, and yet I feel like life is big again – like life used to be black and white, and now it’s in color.” To the postmodern mind it is more important to, as Rob Bell says, “embrace mystery, rather than conquer it.”]
I believe that you can believe in the inerrant truth of Scripture, but you can also embrace its mysteries & see things through it in "color", as Kristen and Rob say here!
[The emergent church leaders are asking us to embrace a faith without truth, a Bible which has value due to its mystery, and a reality that is individual, subjective and changeable. This is touted as a new and improved version of Christian living. I fail to see the attraction, not to mention that no such understanding of truth is supportable by the Scriptures.]
Now, I don't see it this way! I see it as them wanting to get to the Truth... digging through all the crap (if you'll pardon my term) that the modern-day church has errected... getting real with your faith instead of having it be how you think others say it SHOULD be.
And, as I said before, the Bible can be mysterious but still remain true.
[Recognized, but not official leaders of the movement at this time include: Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Dan Kimball, Doug Pagitt, Leonard Sweet, the late Mike Yaconelli, Spencer Burke, Erwin McManus, Tommy Kyllonen (aka Urban D) and Donald Miller. Some see Richard Foster and Dallas Willard as key mentors for the movement.]
I've read books by Rob Bell, and Erwin McManus ... and absolutely loved them!!! And, I plan to read books by Mike Yaconelli and Donald Miller, too! These are my favorite kinds of books -- the ones that challenge how we live out our faith right now!
The article describes the "Emergent Church" as:
- interested in religious experiences and feelings
- NOT interested in systematic theology or logical reasoning
- attracted to spiritual mystery
- wanting to experience God with all 5 senses (as the vintage church did)
It also described the Emergent Church as defined by the acronym E.P.I.C.:
- E - experiential (enter into worship with all 5 senses --> more than listening and thinking)
- P - participants (not just observers)
- I - image-based (power-point presentations, etc. used in services)
- C - communal (strong sense of community)
Now, I see nothing wrong with any of this! These are all GOOD things! We should get out of the box and worship God with everything He gave us! We should be "doers of the Word, and not hearers only"! We should have a strong sense of community ... God created us to be in relationships with each other! And, as for the image-based teaching ... for some, that's more potent than just a message given from a pulpit in words alone. I, for one, am a "visual learner". If you just tell me something, I'm less likely to remember it than had you SHOWN me! I like to SEE things... then the message "sticks" better. ;o)
I'm off to go exploring! The article mentioned three websites that I'm interested in checking out:
VintageFaith.com
The Ooze
(the last one had a link for a cultish event, so I'm not posting it here)
I don't normally do this on *this* blog, 'cause I save this one for my "Christian musings"... (I have a separate blog for my fun stuff! lOl). But, I've been "tagged" by my online blogging friend, Andy, so here goes, anyway -- thanks, Andy! ;o)
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4 Jobs I've Had
- photographer's assistant
- Zeller's employee
- greenhouse shipper
- factory worker
4 Movies I Could Watch Over & Over
- Save the Last Dance (starring Julia Stiles)
- Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
- A Walk to Remember
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
4 TV Shows I Love To Watch
- Alias (and I'm soooo bummed that it's over!!!)
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (I bawl every time! LOL)
- Lost
- A Baby Story
4 Places I've Been On Holiday
- North/South Carolina, USA ("Heritage USA")
- Disney World - Florida, USA
- Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
- Muskoka, Ontario, Canada
4 Websites I Visit Regularly (non-blog)
4 of My Favorite Foods
- Pizza (with Garlic dipping sauce on the side!)
- Wendy's Bacon-Mushroom Melt
- Harvey's Cheeseburger
- my Dad's spaghetti :o)
4 Places I'd Rather Be
- at the beach
- visiting my Dad
- in Chapters (bookstore)
- shopping (anywhere'll do!)
4 People to Tag
- Debi, @ "Caught Between Worlds"
- Nancytoes@ "Bookfoolery & Babble"
- Heather@ "A High & Hidden Place"
- Nat@ "In the Spring It Is Dawn"
Well, last Friday my sister and I went to see The Da Vinci Code in the theatre... and I was disappointed.
It really wasn't as great as they'd hyped it up to be (I should've paid more mind to the reviews on the RottenTomatoes site, eh?), and they've changed a LOT from the book. That was frustrating.
Also, I went in there thinking that the whole "Jesus-married-Mary-Magdalene-&-had-a-kid" thing wouldn't bother me 'cause I've read the book twice, and I don't believe the lies ... but, as it turns out, reading it in a book, and hearing it proclaimed on the big-screen are two different things, entirely. I cringed at every mention of the heretical nonsense! :-(
I think most of my cringing came from actually witnessing this heresy being spread to other people's ears... Will they believe the lies told about my Lord? Will they be mislead?
...and then my heart ached!
I spent a lot of the movie praying that God would protect the others in the theatre with me from believing the lies. I prayed that they'd know the Truth. :-?
Do I regret going? No, not really. It was a thriller, and I like thrillers. And, I had to *see* what I'd read, ya know? (I think it's cool to be able to picture the story with more than just the minds'-eye). But, I am also, as I said, disappointed that it wasn't better. :-? Ah well.
[from my personal journal, November 27, 2003]
"But My name is honored by people of other nations from morning 'til night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of My name."
~ Malachi 1:11
This struck me, because it's true. I'm picturing those that worship Buddha or Mohamed, etc (not God Almighty), but still ... these people are often-times so much more... faithful? Would that be the right word? They spend so much more time honoring their gods than we Christians do God Almighty. I've seen (on T.V.) Buddhists who have their little shrines in their homes, and they kneel down morning and night to worship.
Obviously idol-worship (what they're doing) is wrong, but their heart seems to be in the right place. Their devotion to their god is genuine, heartfelt, and deep.
I want to be that devoted!
Well, I thought I had things all figured out. But now I'm not so sure...
This morning I sat down to read my Bible, and I was just going to open it at random and start reading. But, when I opened it, I found the little brochure that has the "Bible-in-one-Year" verses, so I chose to read today's selection: Deuteronomy 34:1-12.
And, you can imagine how stunned I was when I read verse 9:
"Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the LORD had commanded Moses."
Okay... So, now what am I supposed to think? That's the second reference to someone laying hands on someone else, and the someone else receiving a gift of the Spirit.
Huh...
Guess I've got some more searching and praying to do! I'll let you know what I find! :-P LOL
Well, are you sick of hearing about Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code", yet? I'm getting there.
I've really been looking forward to the movie, despite the fact that my family is up in arms at me about it. They say it's "heresy" and "blasphemy". Well, yes, the book / movie is very blasphemous. But, I still look at it as a work of F-I-C-T-I-O-N and for that fact (minus the bit about Jesus and Mary Magdalene), I love it! I've read the book twice!
Today I was reading the threads on a Christian women's forum I belong to, and they were talking about The Da Vinci Code (DVC). Most of them are totally against it. They refuse to buy the book or read it because that would be 'supporting the devil's work'. Well, hmmm... On the one hand, I want to agree with them. But, on the other hand, I don't. Yes, the book is full of controversial issues (duh...), but by reading it myself, and by reading companion books like Bart Ehrman's "Truth & Fiction in the Da Vinci Code" (or even his other book, "Lost Christianities"), I feel that I can talk about the DVC without ignorance. I know what the book says and I know the TRUTH! I've read God's Word, and I've read Mr. Ehrman's work, and I don't believe a bit about the Da Vinci Code!
If you want to know why I don't think that Jesus & Mary Magdalene had a child, click here to read my other blog entry about it! ;o)
One lady on the forum based her opinion on Philippians 4:8... "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." She asks, "Does 'The DVC' measure up to those standards?" Well, no. It doesn't. It's not 'true', it's not 'pure', and it's not 'honorable'. Therefore, this lady says, we should avoid it at all costs! And, she has a point ...
Regardless, I'm of the camp that says we shouldn't 'fear' Dan Brown's book (or movie), but that we should see it as an opportunity to educate the world about the history of Christianity, and the TRUTH ("You shall know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free!" ~ John 8:32)
Well, I've been researching this issue of the Spiritual Gifts, and how you come by them, a lot in the last couple of days. And, I've read some pretty interesting articles. None has specifically said *how* you come by the gifts (other than that the Holy Spirit gives them, and that He is the one who chooses who gets what gift ~ see 1 Corinthians 12:11). But, I think I'm getting an answer to my question: Do you have to have someone lay hands on you and pray for you to be able to receive a Spiritual Gift?
After reading several websites, I read this verse:
1 Corinthians 12:11 ~
"All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines."
So, if the Spirit gives a gift "to each one", how would those who've never heard of this 'condition' of needing someone to lay hands on you be true? Not everyone would know about that ~ I didn't until the other day. But yet, the Word says that "each one" gets a Gift.
Romans 12:6-8 says:
"In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly."
This verse seems to say that we, as believers, already *have* our gifts. See the use of "past tense" -- "God has given us different gifts" -- not present or future tense. Nowhere in this passage does it say you need to have hands laid on you before you can do these things.
So, I think I'm going to stick with the belief that you *don't* need to have someone lay hands on you to receive these gifts. Maybe it helps, but I don't think it's necessary.
(*Please note, though, that I'm not condemning anyone who still believes in the laying on of hands for the receiving of a Gift. If you believe that, that's fine. I'm only posting what I've come to believe is true through my search of Scripture*)
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Now, I want to also mention that I *do* think God wants us to search out what our gifts are. 1 Corinthians 14:1 says, "Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives..."
The gifts are given so that we can build up the church, not so we can edify ourselves. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other." (note: again it says we EACH receive a spiritual gift!)
Our purpose on earth is to please God (Hebrews 11:6; Colossians 1:16), and to "go into the world and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19), so edifying the body of Christ (church) is just a part of that ... anything that helps build one another up will, eventually, assist us in spreading the gospel! At least, that's how *I* see things. :-?
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Lastly, it's important to point out that NONE of this matters if we don't have LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says:
"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing."
So, without Love, all of it is pointless, anyway. :o)
Today my friend came over, and she and I had a good chat over tea. She told me all about what she's been learning regarding the Spiritual Gifts.
In case you don't already know what those are, they're mentioned in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11...
"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so that we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages [tongues], while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all of these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have."
So, to sum up, these are the gifts:
- wisdom
- knowledge
- great faith
- healing
- miracles
- prophecy
- discernment
- speaking in tongues
- interpretation of tongues
Now, my friend was talking about how she has come to believe that the Spiritual Gifts are only given to a person when someone who is 'anointed' lays hands on that person.
My friend was quick to clarify that, each person who calls on Jesus and becomes "Born Again" receives the Holy Spirit at that moment of conversion. But, it's not until the 'laying on of hands' that the person receives their "Gift".... this is what she is starting to believe.
My friend also backs up her claims with both Scripture (see below), and with personal experience. She says that she knows a few people who've claimed to want the gift of speaking in tongues, and then they've had someone lay hands on them, and were blessed with just such a gift!
The Scripture she quoted was:
Acts 19:5:
"As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied."
Now, I'm not sure what to believe. On the one hand, because she's had *experience* with watching people be blessed with a Gift after the laying on of hands, I want to believe that it's true. And, when she first brought the verse in Acts to my attention, I believed it to be pertaining to what she was talking about. If the Scripture says it, it must be true!
But, now I'm a little skeptical. I mean, what about all of those books about "discovering your spiritual gifts"? What about all of the courses offered through churches that help you discover your gifts?
And, this verse in Acts says "the Holy Spirit came on them" before it says anything about gifts.
This second one, though, is something my friend talked about. She said that, when someone lays hands on you, you're, in a sense, "topped up" with the Holy Spirit -- you already had Him since your conversion, but when you are given the Gift(s), you *overflow* with the Holy Spirit. It's hard to explain, and hard to understand. :-?
In 1 Corinthians 14, it talks about the gifts of Speaking in Tongues, and Prophecy. It says we should *desire* the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives. This tends to lead back to what my friend believes ... as if they're not immediately with the believer upon conversion. That you have to *desire* them, and *ask* for them ... and then you'll be blessed with them.
Anyway. It requires more thought, and lots of prayer. I'll be praying for clarity on this issue. :o)
Personally, I at one point wanted the gift of Tongues. I've seen several of my friends speak in tongues, and this friend that was over today has the gift of Tongues. It's really cool! And, the ability to commune with God in His own language just seems wonderful! So, I think that, yes, I'd like to have that Gift.
But, I've always wondered whether or not I have the gift of Prophecy. Reason being is that I have a lot of "prophetic" type dreams. A lot of my scary dreams have come true in one way or other (one very close to the tragedy of the WTC attacks!), and that makes me curious. That's another reason why I question the idea of the Gifts only being bestowed upon having hands layed on the believer. I've never had anyone lay hands on me... :-?
Well, anyway. Enough for now. I need to "chew" on this a bit more. ;o)
Yesterday, while reading an Email from Blessings Christian Marketplace, I came across a blurb that was quite enlightening:
Singer/ writer Tim Neufeld (of the band, "Starfield") says of the new album ["Beauty in the Broken"], "The underlying theme of the CD is the idea of looking through the everyday and into the sacred... the idea that the sacred IS the reality, and not the earthly. It's about us fitting into God's reality and not the reverse…" The songs are the full range of the human response to this kind of grand theme… abandonment, surrender, apprehension, doubt, joy and more…
Whoa. How true is *that*?! That this is GOD'S REALITY, not ours! That really put things into perspective for me. It reemphasizes the same thing I've heard over and over in the past 6 years: It's not about ME.
In my Sunday School class, this past Sunday, a friend said something pretty profound ...
"If you're struggling, it's because you're not completely surrendered to God."
Whoa. I am *constantly* struggling, and surrender is one of the things I have such a hard time with. I want to be the one in control. I want to make things go my way. But, it rarely happens like that, anyway.
"In his heart a man plans his course,
but the Lord determines his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9
Surrender is a hard lesson to learn, but it's an important one. Without surrender, we wander aimlessly, wondering how to get out of this problem or that, and yet God is patiently waiting for us to turn to Him, hand over the keys, and say, "Okay. You're right. I can't do this. YOU drive!"
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and
lean NOT on your OWN understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He
will make your paths straight."
~ Proverbs 3:5,6
Today, while doing my Bible study homework, I had to read through the entire chapter of Isaiah 53 in the Bible (I use a New Living Translation).
In Isaiah 53, Isaiah is talking about Jesus and His death on the cross for our sins. Well, when I read Isaiah 53:8, I had to stop, go back, and read it again...
"Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that He died without decendants, that His life was cut short in midstream..."
Why has no one seen this verse before? I've read books that debunk the myths of Dan Brown's book, "The Da Vinci Code" (my favorite being Bart D. Ehrman's "Truth & Fiction in The Da Vinci Code") but, to the best of my knowledge, I'd never come across this particular verse before.
And, yet, this verse totally debunks the claim that Jesus & Mary Magdalene had a child and that the bloodline continues on to this day, kept secret by a secret society!
You can't argue with the Word of God. It's the truth, and "the Truth will set you free!"(John 8:32)
On Sunday, March 26, 2006, my pastor gave a sermon titled "Don't Miss the Party". And, I didn't write down much from that sermon, except for a part that really struck me as powerful...
"If you say you're going to be a marathon runner, but then never train or run, you're not really a runner ... it's the same with being a Christian."
Then the pastor asked: "Is your faith real? Is it just words, or do you live it out daily?"
Whoa. Do I live my faith? Probably not much. Do I put effort into being a Christian (a *follower* of Christ), or do I just say I *am* one?
Hmmm... Things to ponder...
Some people talk of having had a changed life at their conversion ... that they felt automatically filled with the Holy Spirit ... that they felt a lightness & freedom. I never had that experience. Life went on as per usual, and nothing really changed. I never felt *different*.
Why am I different in this, though? Why no "sha-bang!" conversion experience? Sure, I had my "rebirth" experience: I lived 12 years of my life under the label of "Christian" without really knowing what it meant to be one. It wasn't until I stumbled, and God saved me, that I truly understood.
Sometimes, in my head, I believe that I can be a better Christian if I just try harder. Other times I know, in my heart, that I don't have to try. I just have to be willing to let go ... to hand over the keys and let God drive. So, if I know the truth, why don't I do it? Why do I stubbornly try to hang onto control, when I know it's impossible to do so?
Here are some quotes from "A Third Testament" by Malcolm Muggeridge ... I'll add my thoughts later, once I've had a chance to chew on these for a bit! ;o)
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p.37 - "O greedy men, what will satisfy you if God Himself will not?" ~ St. Augustine
"There's nothing so powerful in drawing the spirit of a man downwards as the caresses of a woman." ~ St. Augustine
p. 58 - "How few things there are which can be proved. Proofs only convince the mind. Who has ever been able to prove that tomorrow will come, and that we shall die? And yet, what could be more generally believed?... In short, we must rely on faith when the mind has once perceived where truth lies, in order to quench our thirst and colour our minds with a faith that eludes us at every moment of the day." ~ Blaise Pascal
p. 79 - "Jesus Christ did nothing but teach men that they only loved themselves, that they were slaves, blind, sick, unhappy and sinful; that He had come to deliver them, bring them light, sanctify and heal them; that this would come about through their hating themselves and following Him to misery and death on the Cross...
...It is the heart which is aware of God and not reason. That is what faith is: God perceived intuitively by the heart, not by reason..." ~ Blaise Pascal, from his "Penseés"
p.86 - "...the only reality in life has been from the beginning of time, and will be until the end of time, a spiritual one called God." ~ the author, re: William Blake's belief
"I am wrapped in mortality, my flesh is a prison, my bones the bars of death. What is mortality but the things related to the body, which dies. What is immortality but the things related to the spirit, which lives eternally. What is the joy of Heaven but improvement of the things of the spirit. What are the pains of hell but ignorance and bodily lust, idleness and devastation of the things of the spirit..." ~ William Blake
p. 90 - "To see a world in a grain of sand
and a Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour."
~ William Blake
p.95-96 - "Everyone who, like Blake, has a passion for goodness cannot but in some degree hate morality; just as lovers of freedom hate laws, and lovers of truth hate dogma...
...The truth is that in our imperfect, mortal existence, morality is a condition of goodness, as law is of freedom, and as dogma has been of the survival of our Christian faith." ~ the author
p. 134 - "Is not the truth of the matter really this, that man is just like a child who would rather be free from being under his parents' eyes. Is not this what men want? To be free from being under the eyes of God?..." ~ Søren Kierkegaard
p. 138 & 143 - "Kierkegaard modestly called himself a Christian Auditor: 'An apostle proclaims the truth, an auditor is responsible for discovering counterfeits.' And, therefore, he has to have been in his time a bit of a counterfeiter himself." ~ author re: Søren Kierkegaard
p. 164 - "...Tolstoy observed that only in his own tiny circle of the educated, rich and mostly idle, did people take so despairing a view of life. The others, the muzhiks [peasants], went about their work, got up in the morning, and lay down at night with a sense that life was essentially good, however arduous and full of hardships it might be for them. Likewise, when the time came for them to die, they were ready to close their eyes and depart without fear or recrimination. They, who had so little and knew so little, were at peace with themselves and with the world; it was the others, who had so much and thought they knew so much, who despaired... The difference? The muzhiks had faith..." ~ the author, re: Leo Tolstoy
A few days ago I got a copy of Blaise Pascal's "PENSEÉS" ("thoughts") out of the library. I've been browsing through it, and I find it fascinating.
I'm not agreeing with *everything* I've read in the book, so far -- he's a Jansenist, I'm a Baptist; we're bound to disagree on certain things -- but other points I'm thoroughly agreeing with. I find myself wanting to read passage after passage to my husband. LOL
A quote I liked from the chapter entitled, "Fundamentals of Religion and Answers to Objections" - #446 [68-510] -
"Man is not worthy of God, but not incapable of being made worthy of Him. It is unworthy of God to unite Himself with miserable man; but it is not unworthy of God to rescue man from his misery."
It is true that we're not worthy, but that God *makes* us worthy! He made us worthy when He took our place on the Cross at Calvary! Hallelujah! All we need to do is accept His *free* gift!
More on Blaise Pascal to come....
I've been thinking that I want a place where I can ramble on about the things I'm learning from my books. Not like reviews (I have a blog for that already), but a way to discuss what insights I've found, and what the books have prompted me to seek out, etc.
I'm thirsty for Truth. I've sought it out in places where Truth is supposed to be a given, and yet I've been burned more than once. That's not to say that I'm giving up on those places entirely. I just need more.
Thank the Lord for books! ;oP
I may not always be profound and intelligent in my ramblings, but to put down in words what is going through my head helps me to sort out those thoughts, and make sense of things a bit.
