Irish Blessing

May your neighbours respect you, Trouble neglect you, The angels protect you, And heaven accept you.
May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.

The Psalms of Children

Children who are picked on by their big brothers and sisters can be remarkably adept when it comes to writing cursing psalms, and I believe that the writing process offers them a safe haven in which to work through their desires for vengeance in a healthy way. Once a little boy wrote a poem called "The Monster Who Was Sorry." He began by admitting that he hates it when his father yells at him: his response in the poem is to throw his sister down the stairs, and then to wreck his room, and finally to wreck the whole town. The poem concludes: "Then I sit in my messy house and say to myself, 'I shouldn't have done all that.' - Kathleen Norris, from Amazing Grace

How the Apostle Paul Suffered in Prison

The Apostle Paul spent roughly one-quarter of his missionary career in prisons. John McRay wrote in Christian History: Roman imprisonment was preceded by being stripped naked and then flogged—a humiliating, painful, and bloody ordeal. The bleeding wounds went untreated as prisoners sat in painful leg or wrist chains. Mutilated, bloodstained clothing was not replaced, even in the cold of winter.
Most cells were dark, especially the inner cells of a prison, like the one Paul and Silas inhabited in Philippi. Unbearable cold, lack of water, cramped quarters, and sickening stench from few toilets made sleeping difficult and waking hours miserable. Because of the miserable conditions, many prisoners begged for a speedy death. Others simply committed suicide.
In settings like this, Paul wrote encouraging, even joyful, letters and continued to speak of Jesus.

Having been thrown into a Russian prison by the secret police

Ciszek describes the moment like this:
That experience is something you cannot describe adequately. Anyone who has ever been arrested by mistake or held overnight in jail will know the feeling, but I cannot find words to convey fully the shock, both emotional and physical, that comes over you in such an experience. Helplessness may be the closest one-word description of that feeling, and yet how pale and inadequate it seems to express the reality. You feel completely cut off from everything and everyone who might conceivably help you, unable to make a move to help yourself and powerless to get in touch immediately with anyone who might help, totally at the mercy of those who have you in custody, not free to go anywhere or take any action unless they allow it. It is as if an iron door has slammed on the world you know and can operate in, and you have entered a totally new universe with its own set of rules and powers and boundaries. Those who give the orders do not have to listen, nor do they ever seem to have to make an accounting to anyone. You, on the other hand, are helpless to say or do anything that might affect your plight for the better.

(He Leadeth Me, Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., with Daniel Flaherty, S.J., Ignatius Press, 1995)

probably not dissimilar to the experience of being subject to rendition and ending up in Gitmo...

The Tongue

The tongue is our most powerful weapon of manipulation. A frantic stream of words flows from us because we are in a constant process of adjusting our public image. We fear so deeply what we think other people see in us that we talk in order to straighten out their understanding. If I have done some wrong thing (or even some right thing that I think you may misunderstand) and discover that you know about it, I will be very tempted to help you understand my action.
Silence is one of the deepest disciplines of the Spirit simply because it puts the stopper on all self-justification. One of the fruits of silence is the freedom to let God be our justifier. We don't need to straighten others out.

"Seeking the Kingdom," by Richard J. Foster.

Does God Exist?

A man went to the barbershop to have his hair and his beard cut. They started to have a conversation and talked about many things. Soon, they touched upon the subject of existence of God. The barber said: "Look, I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say so?" asked the man.
"Well, one just has to go out in the world and will soon realize that God does not exist. If God did exist, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If He did exist, there would be no suffering in this world. I just can't think of a God who permits all of these things."
The man stopped for a moment but did not respond.
The barber finished his job and the man left the salon. As he walked back home, he saw an elderly person in the street with long hair and untrimmed beard.
The man went back to the barber shop and said to the barber: "BARBERS DO NOT EXIST!"
"I am a barber and exist right in front of you." Replied the barber.
"No!" - exclaimed the client. "Barbers simply don't exist. If they did exist, there would be no people with long hair and un-trimmed beard in the streets."
The barber replied: "Ah, we barbers do exist. It's the people who do not come to us."
"Exactly!" - affirmed the man. "That's just the point. God does exist. It's the people who don't go to Him and do not look for Him and as a result we have all this misery in the world."

Money

It can buy you a House
But not a Home

It can buy you a Bed
But not Sleep

It can buy you a Clock
But not Time

It can buy you a Book
But not Knowledge

It can buy you a Position
But not Respect

It can buy you Sex
But not Love

It can buy you Medicine
But not Health

It can buy you Blood
But not Life.

Different Variety of Christians

Christians come in about 13 varieties. These varieties (or mindsets) can be found in all religions. You mustn't judge any religion simply on its caricatures. My theses:
Each mind-set makes part of Christianity the whole of it.
There's nothing wrong with the parts. But like a car, if you've only got parts lying around you're not going anywhere.
Jesus rejected all these mindsets (but not the essential concerns of each of them).
For convenience I'll use terms from early Christianity, and for the sake of brevity I'll oversimplify each mindset:
Sadducees are rationalists. If your reason can't comprehend something (miracles, resurrection, angels) you don't have to believe it. Their God is very reasonable; their theology is 'liberal'; they inhabit mainline church seminaries.
Zealots are passionate about justice. Justice is all about fairness, the relationship of the strong to the weak, the right use of power. Their God sanctions terrorism; their theology is 'liberationist'; today they're priests and others who advocate the violent overthrow of oppressive Latin American regimes.
Herodians love power. They climb to the top of religious institutions. Their God bestows favours on the 'haves' who are 'born to rule'. They do not realize that love of power is inimical to a devout spirituality.
Scribes, elders, teachers-of-the-law regard tradition as master, rather than servant. Their religious way of life is ruled by precedent, what has been. 'Come weal, come woe, their status is the quo'. If it's new, it's suspect. Their God is unchanging, not merely in faithfulness, but operationally.
Essenes are liturgists. 'If only we get our worship right, the Messiah will come.' Their God is 'wholly other'. Their liturgies are exact, their worship-forms utterly predictable.
Mystics major on experience. They are right-brain, rejecting rationalism, cerebralism, dogmatism. For them prayer (perhaps divorced from labour) is the essence of the spiritual life. They sometimes form monastic orders.
Gnostics are syncretists. They believe there's truth in every religion. They invite us to make up our own identikit picture of God. They're at home somewhere in the New Age Movement; they develop conspiracy theories from the Dead Sea Scrolls; they love the Gospel of Thomas.
Sophists or sages place a high premium on knowledge or wisdom (they're not the same). They develop beautiful theories about redaction criticism, whether the four gospels are 'reliable' when they describe what Jesus said and did. They write learned papers, which like those of their predecessors, will be seen in future academic circles to be largely nonsense.
Sign-seekers love miracles. With Herod (in Jesus Christ Superstar) they'd love Jesus to 'walk across their swimming-pool.' Their God wants everyone to be healthy, wealthy (but not necessarily wise: academia is suspect). Anything can be cured, instantly, given enough faith.
Materialists measure everything, not just money. The bigger, faster, more brilliant, the better. Bigger churches are better than smaller churches; brilliant preachers than ordinary ones. Success, fame, ambition, optimism, 'imaging' are their watch-words. They attend Amway conventions.
Do-gooders are given to paternalism. They do works of mercy for their own benefit, not just for the sake of the one done good to/against. Thoreau said of them, 'If you see someone coming towards you with the object of doing you good, run for your life.' These 'people-helpers' don't realize they're in it to solve their own problems: pure altruism is very very rare.
Antinomians despise holiness - at least for themselves in private. As the term implies, they're 'against law' and misuse grace. 'God loves to forgive, it's his business' - so they give God every opportunity to do just that.
Finally, Pharisees are preoccupied with two things - law and doctrine. So they become legalists and dogmatists. They talk a lot about 'truth' and 'error'. Their God is unambiguous, reducible to creeds and doctrinal statements. Their 'gospel': repentance precedes acceptance (with Jesus it was the other way around). The acid test: their non-concern for social justice and mercy and true faith (Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, cf. Micah 6:8). They're fundamentalists, and proud of it.
All the entities emphasized are O.K. as part of a religious system, but are deadly if divorced from any/all of the others. Jesus did not align himself with any of the above groups: go and do likewise!

source unknown

Which is More Important?

An old saint was asked, "Which is the more important: reading God's Word or praying?"
To which he replied, "Which is more important to a bird: the right wing or the left?"

Whispers

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" ... and a meadowlark sang.
But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, "God, speak to me" ... and the thunder rolled across the sky.
But, the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." .. and a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see.
And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle." .. and a life was born.
But, the man did not notice.
So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here." ... whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away ... and walked on.

Enriched by Less-Than-Perfect Humans

Carmen Renee Berry's recent book, The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church, was "inspired by her odyssey from the deeply conservative church of her childhood into the world of seekers and cynics, and back again." She eventually found that the very reason she withdrew from the church—her disappointment in church members who often failed to act as Christians—was what drew her back. She writes:
I had overlooked one essential factor—that I am as finite and flawed as everyone else. … When a friend committed suicide, I realized I could become too cynical, too lost, and too alone. I needed a church, a community of believers. I needed to live in my faith and visit my doubts. Something happens there that simply doesn't when you are alone in prayer or on the Internet. As much as I hate to admit it, my faith is enhanced and enlarged when in relationship to other less-than-perfect human beings.

What Time I Have Left

Chuck Colson visiting Mississippi's Parchman Prison:
Most of the death row inmates were in their bunks wrapped in blankets, staring blankly at little black-and-white TV screens, killing time. But in one cell a man was sitting on his bunk, reading. As I approached, he looked up and showed me his book—an instruction manual on Episcopal liturgy.
John Irving, on death row for more than 15 years, was studying for the priesthood. John told me he was allowed out of his cell one hour each day. The rest of the time, he studies.
Seeing that John had nothing in his cell but a few books, I thought, God's blessed me so much, the least I can do is provide something for this brother. "Would you like a TV if I could arrange it?" I asked.
John smiled gratefully. "Thanks," he said, "but no thanks. You can waste an awful lot of time with those things." For the 15 years since a judge placed a number on his days, John has determined not to waste the one commodity he had to give to the Lord—his time.

Charles Colson, A Dangerous Grace (Word, 1994)

The Flower of God’s Design

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
But in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

I'll trust in Him for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to Him for guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.

The path that lies before me,
Only the Lord God knows.
I'll trust Him to unfold each moment,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

Adults Negligent in Affirming Kids

Most American adults already know they have the power to influence children into becoming healthy, responsible, and mature adults. However, according to a recent study, most adults don't try.
Research has confirmed that the more involved adults are in kids' lives, the less likely the kids will engage in self-destructive behavior. Peter Benson, president of the Search Institute, says: "Relationships are the oxygen of human development. This study is another attempt to get into the ether of America the notion of the importance of connectedness, the power that real people have but which most of us are not using."
Complimenting a kid on good behavior, or telling his parents about it, is obviously meaningful to any child, but only twenty percent of adults do it. While 75 percent of adults are all for advising kids about money, only 36 percent actually do it. Nathan Dungan, vice president of Lutheran Brotherhood, says: "There are 190 million adults in this country. If just five percent of them jumped up and did something, it would have an enormous impact on kids."

Leah Yarrow, "Adults Get a 'D' for Being Disconnected from Kids," Chicago Tribune (18-3-2001)

Tolerance vs Love

Apologist, author, and speaker Josh McDowell writes:
Tolerance says, "You must approve of what I do." Love responds, "I must do something harder: I will love you, even when your behaviour offends me."
Tolerance says, "You must agree with me." Love responds, "I must do something harder: I will tell you the truth, because I am convinced 'the truth will set you free.'"
Tolerance says, "You must allow me to have my way." Love responds, "I must do something harder: I will plead with you to follow the right way, because I believe you are worth the risk."
Tolerance seeks to be inoffensive; love takes risks. Tolerance glorifies division; love seeks unity. Tolerance costs nothing; love costs everything.

A Piece of Cake

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?"
"Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart and will live there if you will only ask Jesus into your heart.
I hope your day is a "piece of cake!"

A Morning Prayer

Lord, today as I labour:
help me to do the right thing
at the correct time
with the proper attitude
and in the correct relationship with You.

Practice What You Preach

You can know all the Scriptures,
Have all the Bibles you can reach,
But when push comes to shove
Do you practice what you preach?

Anyone can go to church
And collapse upon the floor,
But when Judgment Day arrives
Will you be at Heaven's door?

You can have the biggest fits
And say the Holy Ghost passed through,
But is that really reflected
In the things you daily do?

You can yell far and wide
Proclaiming your love for Christ,
But what have you given him
When for you He gave his life?

You can lecture other people
About the wrong things they do,
But before you look at others
You need to look at you.

You can damn all the sinners,
Tell them they're headed south,
But what have you done lately
Besides run your mouth?

You can call yourself a Christian
Spend all your days at church,
But while you are praising His dear name,
Have you been doing His work?

You can boast of good deeds
To show the Spirit within
But why show it to us?
You should show it to Him!

You can memorize the Bible
Know it from front to back,
But you don't use it to regulate others
Regulate how YOU act!

Take a good look at yourself
Not at what others do,
Because when He comes to get his children...
Will He be coming for you?

- Author Unknown

The 2003 Mindset

I know this one is a bit dated, but it serves to show how quickly things change. Some I might add for 2009 appear at the bottom.

Each year the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to try to give the Faculty a sense of the mindset of this year's incoming freshman.
Here are some this year's list of items:
The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1985. They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and probably do not know he had ever been shot.
Bottles have always been plastic with screw-off caps.
Jay Leno has always been the host of the Tonight Show.
Tiananmen Square means nothing to them. There has been only one Pope in their lifetime. They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
They do not remember the Cold War - they were 8 years old when the Soviet Union broke apart.
They have likely never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong.
Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black and white TV. They have always had cable. There have always been VCRs, but always VHS, not BETA. The Compact Disc was introduced when they were 1 year old. They may have never heard of an 8 track tape. They cannot fathom not having a remote control.
They were born the year that Walkmen were introduced by Sony.
Roller skating has always meant inline for them.
They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
There has always been MTV.
They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
They do not care who shot J. R. and have no idea who J.R. was.
Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are bands, not places.
Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
Michael Jackson has always been white.

Some further suggestions: *Remember that those turning 18 this year were born in 1991*
...Have never lived without email, mobile phones or CDs and have no idea what a record is
...Have never seen an economic recession
...Are native to climate change, global warming, and cross-cultural interaction
...Are unlikely to have tasted butter
What else, I wonder?

Words

A careless word may kindle strife;
A cruel word may wreck a life;
A timely word may level stress;
A loving word may heal and bless.

Perspective

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world.
If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.
If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare, especially in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.
If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.
You are so blessed in ways you may never even know.

The Seven Wonders of the World

A group of students was asked to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet, so she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. TO SEE
2. TO TASTE
3. TO TOUCH
4. TO HEAR
She hesitated a little, and then added,
5. TO FEEL
6. TO LAUGH
7. AND TO LOVE
The room was so full of silence you could have heard a pin drop.

Strategies for Soldiers of Shalom

1. Pray daily!
2. Keep informed regarding the development of international and national affairs: Be concerned about the world, not just the church.
3. Unambiguously denounce and renounce war.
4. Study and ponder biblical ethics.
5. Critically examine traditional and prevalent viewpoints and doctrines with respect to military policy - e.g., the just war theory, pre-emptive strike, the pacifist and non-resistant options.
6. Recognize that Christians, while grateful citizens of a particular country, belong to a kingdom that is global. Refuse to be an uncritical nationalist or an idolatrous American.
7. Support the historic right to dissent.
8. Take seriously the New Testament demand for Christian nonconformity.
9. Recognize that obedience to our Lord Jesus is the master-criterion of discipleship, not political effectiveness nor pragmatic success.
10. Use whatever political and propaganda resources are available to oppose those forces, ideologies, and institutions that foster an anti-peace mindset and a pro-war mentality.
11. Stress the interconnectedness of justice and peace. Battle injustice insofar as that is possible.
12. Collaborate with all peace-lovers in peacemaking regardless of theological and ideological differences but within the limits imposed by conscience.
13. Seek to be an agent of shalom in all personal relationships.

From "Transformed by Love: The Vernon Grounds Story," by Bruce L. Shelley. Discovery House Publishers.

CEO Thinks He Is a Self-Made Man

Not long ago, there was a CEO of a Fortune 500 company who pulled into a service station to get gas. He went inside to pay, and when he came out he noticed his wife engaged in a deep discussion with the service station attendant. It turned out that she knew him. In fact, back in high school before she met her eventual husband, she used to date this man.
The CEO got in the car, and the two drove in silence. He was feeling pretty good about himself when he finally spoke: "I bet I know what you were thinking. I bet you were thinking you're glad you married me, a Fortune 500 CEO, and not him, a service station attendant."
"No, I was thinking if I'd married him, he'd be a Fortune 500 CEO and you'd be a service station attendant."

John Ortberg in Love Beyond Reason (Zondervan, 1998), pp. 142-43

Touching Jesus

Some years ago, David Robinson, who plays basketball in San Antonio, visited our church. He's not a member of our church, but he shows up occasionally. You can imagine the stir that occurred when that seven-foot striking fellow walked into the auditorium. We have two worship services, and he came to the first one. At the end of it, people mobbed him. Kids all wanted his autograph. Dads lined up, allegedly to get things signed for their kids, but we all knew the truth. The brouhaha finally settled down and David went his way, and we began the second service.
In the second service that day, I was standing to do the announcements when something happened that has never happened since. A homeless person walked in the back of the auditorium, came down the centre aisle with his backpack, ratty jeans, torn T-shirt, unshaven face, and distinct odour. He walked down to the front, and he sat down.
The contrast struck me. When David Robinson entered, he was immediately swarmed. People wanted to touch him and be close to him, be next to him. However, I'm sad to say that nobody jumped up to run and sit next to the homeless man. After two or three awkward minutes during which I was trying to act like nothing was happening, one of our elders got up from his seat and sat by the man and touched him. I was struck. Wouldn't you have been as well?
The message that I received in my heart that morning was: Which of these men do you think touched Jesus? If you want to touch Jesus, whom do you touch? Jesus said, "Whatever you've done for the least of these, my brethren, you've done also to me."

Max Lucado, "Touch of Christ," Preaching Today No. 197

Butterflies are Free

As I've Matured...
I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in...
I've learned that one good turn gets most of the blankets.
I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just jackasses.
I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.
I've learned that whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more screwed up than you think.
I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
I've learned that it is not what you wear; it is how you take it off.
I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
I've learned to not sweat the petty things, and not pet the sweaty things.
I've learned that ex's are like fungus, and keep coming back.
I've learned age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it.
I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.
I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
I've learned that 99% of the time when something isn't working in your house, one of your kids did it.
I've learned that there is a fine line between genius and insanity.
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the ass are permanent.

Mistakes

When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power

- Mary Pickford -

Of Lasting Value

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.
In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the $20 dollar bill up.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.
Well, he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled, and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.
But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or whom we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are special - Don't EVER forget it."