Entries Tagged as ‘Religion’

July 1, 2008

As my friend Harvey says, “Something to think about.”

Answered prayer vs. random chance or human intervention
July 1, 2008 From d-C

On a previous discussion on this subject, orDover said (edited for flow):
The entire problem with answered or unanswered prayers is the vagueness. You can be the sort of person who asserts that every good thing in your life, including your daily meals, is an [...]

June 10, 2008

Not Lawyers, But Lovers

Someone has observed that God has not called us to be lawyers, but lovers.
We in the Church of Christ have developed some strange concepts of Christ’s law. We seem to conceive of a system of law half revealed and half concealed in biography, historical accounts, treatises, personal letters, and prophecy. Clues to the laws are [...]

June 1, 2008

A Fish Tale

Some time ago, as I sat listening to Dr. Hillery Motsinger talk about the Family Upreach ministry ( a Christian ministry to prison and jail inmates and their families ) my thoughts were prompted by what he called “a fish tale.” As he related the story of a young woman who had been reached in [...]

May 30, 2008

Just A Christian

Comedian Emo Philips tells a story.
“In conversation with a person I recently met, I asked, ‘Are you a Protestant or Catholic? ‘
My new acquaintance replied, ‘Protestant.”
I said, ‘Me, too! ‘What franchise?’
He answered,’Baptist.’
‘Me, too!’ I said. Northen Baptist or Southern Baptist?’
“Northern Baptist,’ he replied.
‘Me, too!’ I shouted.
We continued to go back and forth. Finally I asked, [...]

May 26, 2008

Together

Because we do
All things together
All things improve
Even weather.
Our daily meat
And bread taste better
Trees greener,
Rain wetter.
I don’t make a habit of reading poetry, but I ran across this Paul Engle, short poem as I was glancing through a literature textbook recently. I don’t think I have ever read a better description of the whole purpose of [...]

May 23, 2008

JACK AND JILL

Let me tell you about two young people I know. I’ll call them Jack and Jill.
Jack is eighteen years old. Jack was in honors classes when he started high school, before he was suspended for punching an assistant principal.
Jack lives with his mother although she doesn’t want him or his older brother or his little [...]

May 22, 2008

First Amendment? Not in Texas.

Breaking News—-
SAN ANGELO, Texas - A Texas appeals court said Thursday that the state had no right to take more than 400 children from a polygamist sect’s ranch, a ruling that could unravel one of the biggest child-custody cases in U.S. history.
The Third Court of Appeals in Austin ruled that the state offered “legally [...]

May 20, 2008

MOUNTAIN VS SQUIRREL

A Fable - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel,
And the former called the latter “Little Prig”.
Bun replied,
“You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together,
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I’m not so large as you,
You [...]

May 7, 2008

Lord’s Supper Meditations

Communion Commentary Concerns
William Penn (1644-171 once wrote, “Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood.” Let’s be honest with ourselves — too frequently those who assume for themselves the right and privilege [...]

April 11, 2008

Social Service vs. Social Action

In June of 1982 a group of Christians gathered together in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their goal was to explore and explain their reasons for believing that Christians ought to be both socially and politically involved. Eventually, a report was published, and embedded in that report is something I think may help us continue our dialog [...]