Friday
Aug062010

the basic psychosis

Man was divided from God, first; and then, ever since the Fall, man is separated from himself.  These are the psychological divisions.  I am convinced that this is the basic psychosis: that the the individual is divided from himself as a result of the Fall.

The next division is that man is divided from other men; these are the sociological divisions.  And then man is divided from nature, and nature is divided from nature.  So there are these multiple divisions, and one day, when Christ comes back, there is going to be a complete healing of all of them, on the basis of the "blood of the Lamb."

But Christians who believe the Bible are not simply called to say that "one day" there will be healing, but that by God's grace substantially, upon the basis of the work of Christ, substantial healing can be a reality here and now.

(Francis Schaeffer, Pollution and the Death of Man: The Christian View of Ecology (Tyndale '70), pg. 67; thanks to my friend Dean Ohlman of The Wonder of Creation for pointing me to this groundbreaking call to creation care)

Monday
Aug022010

sometime in your life

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong.  Sometime in your life you will have been all of these.

(Robert H. Goddard, via my friend Debby Porter)

Thursday
Jul292010

men who were supposed to love me

My friend Amy Sondova wrote an aching, poignant post today, "Divorce #2," on the pain of living through two family divorces, augmented by the failures of both father figures in her life: 

I have been through two divorces—the ripping apart of one flesh back into two, the division of marital property, wedding pictures thrown into the trash bags along with the hopes and dreams ignited that day, a million tears falling on damp pillows in the darkest of nights. ...


painting by Jan Hendrik van de Laar, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

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Tuesday
Jul272010

disappointed with Jesus?

My friend and former Moody professor John Koessler (still chair of pastoral studies) wrote a profoundly candid and relatable post today in response to a new book he's been reading on disappointment with the Christian faith:

artwork courtesy The Visual Arts: A History/Wikimedia CommonsUnfortunately, we do not seem to be able to (acknowledge that Christianity can be disappointing) without adding some kind of caveat like: “Christianity may disappoint you, but Jesus never will.”  I do not believe this for a moment.  I find that Jesus often disappoints me.  He is almost as disappointing as the church.  He works out his plans without regard for my opinion of them. ...

It is not anger but embarassment that I feel.  I do not attribute such treatment to contempt so much as to dismissal. ...

Click to read more ...

Monday
Jul262010

not once did he hint at fatalism

Synthesizing accounts of Christ's empathy in Mark and other gospels ...

Jesus never gave a poor or suffering person a speech about "accepting your lot in life," or "taking the medicine that God has given you."  He seemed unusually sensitive to the groans of suffering people, and set about remedying them.  And he used his supernatural powers to heal, never to punish. …

Jesus himself spent his life on earth fighting disease and despair.  Not once did he hint at fatalism or a resigned acceptance of suffering.

(Philip Yancey, Where is God When it Hurts? (Zondervan '90; cover image from '02 edition), pg. 82, 98)

Tuesday
Jul132010

empathy and legalism

continuing a study in empathy in the gospel of Mark ...

photo of Byzantine mosaic courtesy Sibeaster/Wikimedia CommonsAnother time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.  Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.  Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."

Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?"  But they remained silent.

Click to read more ...

Monday
Jul122010

ordinary life is a pretty complex thing

I found out that Harvey Pekar passed today, cult creator of the American Splendor comic series which dryly documents his everyday experiences and afflictions. 

I got to know him and his work through the 2003 film by the same title, which stars Paul Giamatti as Harvey, interwoven around interviews with the man himself. It's one of the more funny and true-ringing biographies I've seen, creatively edited with comic book components:


Click to read more ...

Saturday
Jul102010

get me through december

Just get me through December
A promise I'll remember
Get me through December
So I can start again

Click to read more ...

Sunday
Jun132010

oil spill prayer trip

Updated on August 2, 2010 by Registered CommenterBen DeVries

This was posted earlier in the week at not one sparrow (a Christian voice for animals), my day job.  I thought I'd share it here as well, following up on with those who's previous posts on the oil spill ...

Maybe you caught our posts on the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill, "The Oil Spill and Animals, Kyrie Eleison" and "Prayer for the Oil Spill."  The latter mentioned Oil Spill Prayer, an effort to rally Christians around the country in prayer for the spill, launched by our board member Scott Williams who heads up Creation Hope.  Scott is embarking on a prayer journey along the Gulf as part of this ministry, and graciously invited me along on behalf of not one sparrow.  Here's Scott's introduction to our trip, with a few more comments from me:


(image credit below)

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Tuesday
Jun082010

the cure-all

(courtesy Married to the Sea, 06/06/10)