Christian Witness
There is a beautiful story from years ago about an interview Dan Rather did with Mother Teresa. He was asking her about prayer. Here’s how I remember it. Rather asked Mother, “When you pray, what do you say to God?” She replied, “I don’t say anything. I listen.” He then prodded further, “What then does God say?” She responded, “God doesn’t say anything. He listens.” Then she wryly added, “And if you don’t understand that, I can’t explain it.”
Listening to the Bible
…one of my big problems with both progressive and evangelical Christians is that neither group listens to the Bible as each already knows exactly what the Bible has to say. Why read the book when you already know all the answers? Both groups pin Jesus in the case as a specimen of their preferred politics. Neither group realizes that Jesus is their critic and crisis.
Richard Beck
Beauty and Wonder
Over the years, I have come to believe more deeply in the importance of regularly engaging with things that move us to awe and wonder. So much of our early adult years can be spent trying to nail things to the floor (theological, relational, philosophical, spiritual, or otherwise) that simply cannot be wrangled in that way. Engaging with beauty and wonder pries our grip off of our felt need to lock things in so we can control them. Russ Ramsey
Context
…what I mean by context is, “stuff you might want to know if you were going to have a compelling conversation about stuff going on,” or, “stuff people leave out of the conversations I see on TV.”
Jonah Goldberg
Christian ? Witness
A gentleman in this park invited us to join (after paying the cost of course) a group for Easter dinner outside over by the club house. This guy, I’m sure you’ve seen/maybe met, was in charge of this Lord’s Luncheon to break bread together and I’m sure he would lead us all in a lengthy Easter prayer. He proudly touts his christian faith. After asking me if I wanted tickets (following the cable/internet public meeting), I said I would speak to my bride and seek her opinion. I did mention we would be just getting back from Disney, as it is Barb’s birthday wish to go there for the 50 year anniversary. Before I could even finish, I was bashed and ridiculed as to why would anyone go to Disney! He stated, and I quote,” the place is full of gays and those LGBTQ people, I will never go there and I hope DeSantas closes the place down.”
We are not attending the Easter dinner, and we are going to Disney to support those folks.
We have to have a name for the masses of Christian wanna bees. Christian is not what they are.
A non- wannabe Christian friend
Rembrandt’s Transformation
Try to put well in practice what you already know; and in so doing, you will in good time, discover the hidden things which you now inquire about. Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know.”
In his younger work, he flexed for the viewer, showing off his technical abilities, which were unmatched. To think a man in his mid-twenties painted The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is hard to get my mind around. As impressive as it is, however, it’s not that intimate. But later, he paints the same scene again, only this time he is an old man, approaching death. He has suffered. He has lost a wife, three children, his fortune, and reputation. This version is intimate, warm, and simple. In his early painting, he wanted to show us what he could do, but in the later version, it’s as though all the old man wants to do is hold Jesus. Those two paintings come together to tell the story of one man, and how youthful self-assurance gives way humility and dependence—and often by way of suffering.
Capturing it all.
Some years back, my wife and I stood beside the Grand Canyon. I had bought a small camera for the trip and felt a deep frustration as I tried to take pictures. Every picture I took, no matter how I pointed the camera, no matter how I adjusted the lens, was a failure. Every picture was entirely accurate. However, no picture could capture what I saw and felt. The Grand Canyon, and the experience of standing on its edge, cannot fit in a standard camera (if any). I think that reason is somewhat like that. It can do an amazing job of expressing and understanding certain things. It cannot, however, do everything. If there is a “reason” that can comprehend the whole of things, then it is unknown to human beings.
Fr Stephen Freeman
Reenactment
This past week we traveled to Abilene, Texas for Ann’s brother and wife’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration. Ann and I met on our first day of college at Abilene Christian College. We had a great celebration and visit with family and friends. Walking around the campus of Abilene Christian University, we located the place where we had our first kiss. We reenacted the event. It was as good as the first one 62 years ago. Actually, it was better.
STILL ON THE JOURNEY