“We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbour. Hence he comes to us clad in all the careless terrors of nature; he is as strange as the stars, as reckless and indifferent as the rain. He is Man, the most terrible of the beasts. That is why the old religions and the old scriptural language showed so sharp a wisdom when they spoke not of one’s duty towards humanity, but one’s duty towards one’s neighbour. The duty towards humanity may often take the form of some choice which is personal or even pleasurable. That duty may be a hobby; it may even be dissipation. We may work in the East End because we are peculiarly fitted to work in the East End, or because we think we are; we may fight for the cause of international peace because we are very fond of fighting. The most monstrous martyrdom’ the most repulsive experience, may be the result of choice or a kind of taste. We may be so made as to be particularly fond of lunatics or specially interested in leprosy. We may love negroes [sic] because they are black or German Socialists because they are pedantic. But we have to love our neighbour because he is there – a much more alarming reason for a much more serious operation. He is the sample of humanity which is actually given us. Precisely because he may be anybody he is everybody. He is a symbol because he is an accident.”
Taken from the book 'Heretics' written by G.K.Chesterton, Chapter XIV - On Certain Modern Writers and the Institution of the Family
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
G.K. Chesterton
"As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is a mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength at all. Like all the Christian Virtues, it is as unreasonable as it is indispensable." ~Quote taken from the book Heretics by G.K. Chesterton.
Friday, August 22, 2008
A Warning
The other day I was reading Hosea and came accross this verse amoung the warnings that God is giving his people.
My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
"Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
Hosea 4:6
And after thinking about it I realized this is something that we should take seriously too. We as God's people have to be knowledgable in the cultures we live in as well as the historical context of our times. But most of all we need to be well versed in Scripture and able to be a guide for the people and nations around us. If not God will reject us as his priests, this is a scary thought. This does not mean he will reject us as his covenant children but we will end up under ungodly rulers and rules. And when you look at the result of some christian brothers and sisters denying that the public schools are secular and in many ways ungodly, due to the lack of knowledge they themselves have, (or just plain laziness in searching out the facts) you see the result of the second part of this verse. They send their children there and wonder why they end up in all kinds of trouble and problems. Searching for knowledge is not easy to do. So lets help one another and listen when people try to warn us about areas of life they actually know something about, and not be too shy to open our mouths and try to warn people we see heading for disaster. But then We always need to remember the most important part of all of this, do it in LOVE.
Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites,
because the LORD has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
"There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.
Hosea 4:1
My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
"Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
Hosea 4:6
And after thinking about it I realized this is something that we should take seriously too. We as God's people have to be knowledgable in the cultures we live in as well as the historical context of our times. But most of all we need to be well versed in Scripture and able to be a guide for the people and nations around us. If not God will reject us as his priests, this is a scary thought. This does not mean he will reject us as his covenant children but we will end up under ungodly rulers and rules. And when you look at the result of some christian brothers and sisters denying that the public schools are secular and in many ways ungodly, due to the lack of knowledge they themselves have, (or just plain laziness in searching out the facts) you see the result of the second part of this verse. They send their children there and wonder why they end up in all kinds of trouble and problems. Searching for knowledge is not easy to do. So lets help one another and listen when people try to warn us about areas of life they actually know something about, and not be too shy to open our mouths and try to warn people we see heading for disaster. But then We always need to remember the most important part of all of this, do it in LOVE.
Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites,
because the LORD has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
"There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.
Hosea 4:1
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Psalm 34
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Joyful and Sophisticated
When I went to Tim Horton's for coffee this morning I saw something remarkable, actually it was someone remarkable.
I have no idea who he was but I could see that he had a job involving close contact with mud. He was grinning from ear to ear and humming a happy tune.
But the most remakable thing was that he smelled like David Beckham cologne under all that mud.
Whatever job he had it was a dirty one, but he was obviously treating it like the most joyful and sophisticated thing in the world to do, I really had to smile and think how much more enjoyable life would be if we took what we were handed and treated it with the same sort of enthusiasim.
On the other hand maybe he was just laid off which was why he was so happy :-).
I have no idea who he was but I could see that he had a job involving close contact with mud. He was grinning from ear to ear and humming a happy tune.
But the most remakable thing was that he smelled like David Beckham cologne under all that mud.
Whatever job he had it was a dirty one, but he was obviously treating it like the most joyful and sophisticated thing in the world to do, I really had to smile and think how much more enjoyable life would be if we took what we were handed and treated it with the same sort of enthusiasim.
On the other hand maybe he was just laid off which was why he was so happy :-).
Thursday, January 24, 2008
I will lift my eyes - by Bebo Norman
God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near, calm my fear
And take my doubt
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
God, my God, let Mercy sing
Her melody over me
God, right here all I bring
Is all of me
Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
The Lover I need to save me
Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
So hold me now
This is one of my very favorite songs.
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near, calm my fear
And take my doubt
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
God, my God, let Mercy sing
Her melody over me
God, right here all I bring
Is all of me
Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
The Lover I need to save me
Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
So hold me now
This is one of my very favorite songs.
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