heart
Inordinate Affections
Thou hast commanded, and so it is, that every inordinate affection should be its own punishment.
Will you be alive then, Daddy?
Last night as I was talking and praying with my 5-year-old daughter Evelyn, she asked me about something to which I answered "When you're all grown up." Then she asked when that would be, so I told her she'd go off to college in about 13 years. Her next question grabbed my attention, "Will you be alive then, Daddy?" I at first said, "Of course, I'll only be 53!" But then it sunk in that I couldn't make that promise at all. Not only could I die of accidental causes, but I might fulfill my hereditary destiny of dying of heart disease by then. It would only require that fall in line two years earlier than my Dad had his gratefully non-fatal heart attack.
Courage and Fear
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
I Admit It. I'm Prone To Wander
There may be folks who try to keep up the appearance of being all together, but I'll come right out and say it: I am prone to wander far from whatever goodness I know. That is the very reason I thank God for his patience with me and for sending the Counselor to lead me (John 14:16-17,John 16:7). Peter Nelson hits this point on the head in Impractical Christianity.
Preferring Not to Argue
Brian McLaren makes a good point when he suggests that followers of Jesus Christ should prefer not to argue with each other but rather embrace first and address concerns later. It seems Brian is doing a pretty good job of finding the middle ground between the right- and left-wing contentions that seem to characterize too many church leaders. I've been way too guilty of preferring to argue in the past. His message was for me, though I'm glad I could hear it.
Seeker Michael Shermer?
Over several years, I've watched Skeptic Magazine pursue and defend its contention that science is the ultimate measure of reality. Editor in Chief Michael Shermer distinguishes himself both with his objective analysis and with his inability to concieve of believing anything without total proof. In this review of Alister McGrath's Dawkins' God, Shermer almost leaves the impression that he wants someone to explain to him how to believe in God, or at least provide a plausible explanation for why the author believes.
Rowboats and Swings
I learned a great concept from Harold Korver, the pastor of a church we were a part of for ten years. He described how we must practice what he called "rowboat vision" in which we keep our eyes on the landmarks of where we've come from to chart a straight course into new waters. Brian McLaren uses the metaphor of the playground swing to describe the wonderful effect of leaning back and kicking forward at the same time. In both cases, I resonate with the point: the passage into the future will involve change; our task is to
Round Three
Okay, so my personal web site has gone through quite a few phases over the years.
Here we go again! This time with Drupal...
Oh, here are some links from my past sites that might still be interesting or useful:
