Just Thinking

I didn't sleep well last night, so it may not be a good idea to write having so little rest, but here I go anyway.

What would life be like if we stopped concerning ourselves with what is practical, pragmatic or utilitarian, but rather concerned ourselves with what was true, good and beautiful? What would our lives look like? What would our relationships be like?

As I prepare the curriculum for my children this year, I find myself asking this question more and more. While homeschooling is wonderful, particularly in the choices and freedom it gives, there are limits - limits of time and resources. It is so easy to think too practically if the focus is on the limits, so I have to keep reminding myself to take the long view, and the ultimate goal, which is to help develop in my children a deep love and attraction for what is good and true and beautiful. In other words, a deep love for God, for after all, these are his attributes.

More thoughts later.

Robert Novak, R.I.P.

Today, reporter and columnist, Robert Novak died after suffering from brain cancer. I always enjoyed his newspaper columns and his television punditry. What I remember most vividly, though, is this story of his conversion to Christianity.

Novak started to go to Mass regularly, but it wasn't until a few years later that he decided to convert to Catholicism. The turning point, as he recounts in his book, happened when he went to Syracuse University in New York to give a lecture. Before he spoke, he was seated at a dinner table near a young woman who was wearing a necklace with a cross. Novak asked her if she was Catholic, and she posed the same question to him.

Novak replied that he had been going to Mass each Sunday for the last four years, but that he had not converted.

Her response – "Mr. Novak, life is short, but eternity is forever" – motivated him to start the process of becoming a Catholic through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. He was baptized at St. Patrick's Church in 1998. His wife was also baptized a Catholic.

Novak said he believed the Holy Spirit led him to Catholicism. He told an audience at the Heritage Foundation in Washington Aug. 2 that when he was interviewed by The New York Times about his book the interviewer scoffed at his story about his source turned priest.

But Novak said he told her he believed the Holy Spirit was behind the coincidences.

Of course, there are no coincidences.
Read more about his life here.

Lunch, Anyone?

Here is fun food art over at Funky Lunch.

The pig reminds me of a poor man's Boar's Head, appropriately made with ham, but I think I'd rather eat Nessie.

H/T The Scriptorium Daily

Lo, I Am With You Always

How very moving that the first food that was consumed on the moon was the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. How interesting also that this information was blacked out for twenty years because the government was afraid.

Here is a portion of what happened.

Buzz Aldrin had with him the Reserved Sacrament. He radioed: “Houston, this is Eagle. This is the LM pilot speaking. I would like to request a few moments of silence. I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few hours, and to give thanks in his own individual way.”

Later he wrote: “In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.’ I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, but at the last minute Deke Slayton had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray O’Hare, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly…Eagle’s metal body creaked. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements.”

H/T The Scriptorium Daily

Icons and Idols

In today's Wall Street Journal, Joe Queenan writes on the journalistic watering down of the word "icon".

This is actually something that has bothered me for a while. The word icon comes from the Greek, eikon. It refers to something that is an image or representation of something that is more real or greater than itself. The Bible uses this word to describe humans, being made in the image of God and of Christ being the perfect image of God, the perfect icon. In the biblical sense each human is an icon, though flawed to various degrees, all could be spoken of in terms of being an icon of the living God.

Works of religious art, images on a coin or even images on a computer screen can be properly called an icon because they point to something greater and more real.

This isn't how journalists and commentators use the word when describing celebrities, however. What happens when we start using this word for popular people in culture? When we say that Michael Jackson was an icon, what are we saying? What does he represent, and is what he represents worth imitating or looking toward? It abuses the word so badly that it no longer contains its proper meaning. Perhaps the creators of American Idol have a more proper terminology for celebrities of this kind. According to The Free Dictionary, the term idol means:

1.a. An image used as an object of worship.
b. A false god.
2. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.
3. Something visible but without substance.

Is this not a more proper term for the role of many celebrities?

Rickrolling

Rod Dreher first introduced me to Rickrolling, an occurrence when one opens a link or post only to find one's opened a portal to a Rick Astley video. He's found another way to be Rickrolled. Try not to cry, all you die hard Nirvana fans - this is fun stuff.

The Real Thing

Update:
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon has issued and apology and says that the company handled the matter with the Orwell books poorly. He says similar situations will be handled differently in the future, but he doesn't explain how they will be handled differently. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

In PC World, Melissa J. Perenson writes,

Today, Amazon removed George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm from its Kindle e-book store. The company also went ahead and removed any digital trace of the books, too-striking them from both users' digital lockers and from Kindle devices. This disturbing, Orwellian move underscores how, in spite of comments otherwise, a purchase in the digital realm can't be compared to physical ownership of content.

Oh, the irony! So, the gist of the article is this: If you receive information electronically, such as music, books, movies, etc...consider it a rental. The idea of not having to store cds is appealing to me, but I've always loved having books around. In fact, I kind of wonder about people who don't.

The Books Behind Harry Potter

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince opens at midnight, so in honor of the occasion, I'm posting a link to John Granger's, (aka The Hogwart's Professor), new book. n">

Happy 13th, Emma

Today, my daughter Emma turns 13. She is a very responsible, funny, lovely and energetic young lady.
Here she is hanging out in the dressing room during The Sleeping Beauty rehearsals.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

fails.

Here's its creed as understood by Smith and Denton and reported in their book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers
.

1. A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.

2. God wants people to be good, nice and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.

5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

In the end, this is nothing but wishful thinking. It does not answer the perennial human problems of evil, sin and despair. It leads one to have no faith at all, because this is a weak, thin, vague kind of faith, that in the end means nothing. God's love is a costly love - a real love - as one can see from Christ's suffering on the cross. If the point of life is being happy, this is not the kind of happiness Jesus taught. He taught a self-sacrificing life that leads to happiness - to daily take up our cross. This Moralistic therapeutic deism has nothing to say to The Beatitudes, which describes those who have a true and lasting happiness.

1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Are we ready for that kind of happiness? Are we ready to let go of our 'Five steps to a more fulfilling prayer life?' or 'Ten steps to a happier marriage.' Are we willing to say to God, "Be it done to me according to your will?" I say we, not to soften the question, but because as a gen Xer, I have fallen under MTD's sway too often and since it is so much a part of the church culture at large, it is easy for it to seep into my thinking.

Here is a video with short interviews that address the MTD's type of belief in the church.

Scripture of the Week- Matthew 6:22-23

22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

The mystery contained within these 2 sentences has captured my imagination for years. At different times, I have found different meanings in the words. What I think the true meaning, the meaning intended by the Holy Spirit, is- is this... We control the use of our eyes. For the most part, we decide what to focus on and what to ignore. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. When we focus on Him, with not only our eyes but with every fiber of our being, our being becomes full of His light.

This light is the glorious and beautiful light of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. This light is the light that struck Paul blind on the Road to Damascus. It was the subsequent healing that he received from God that enabled him to focus on the light of Christ and his whole being was filled with light from that point on.

This is the uncreated light that emanates from the Godhead Himself. This is the light, the simple presence of God, that will provide light for God's children in heaven billions of years after the sun has been extinguished.

This is the light that burns and refines the deepest recesses of our souls. This is the light by which we may catch a glimpse of our own hearts and become devastated by the darkness therein.

Most of the world does not know this light. Most of the world walks in darkness for the bible says that Jesus came into the darkness and the darkness could not recognize Him. How incapacitating and awful that darkness is when it infuses a person's soul.

The Psalmist cries out in Psalm 13, "Give light to my eyes Lord, or I will sleep in death". This has been my deepest hearts cry for a very long time. If we turn our eyes from the Lord, our souls become consumed by darkness. Like Peter walking on the surface of the dark and storm ravaged waters, we begin to sink beneath the waves and drown. "If the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" The darkness can consume us, for all eternity, if we allow our eyes to go bad.

Janine

Scripture of the Week- Genesis 4:7

"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."

I have recently been devoting much time and energy to deeply considering what this means. This was God's most intimate advice to Cain upon the most disappointing failure of his life. Cain was presented with a clear choice. Either he could allow bitterness and resentment to become a full blown, murderous impulse, or, he could choose to "rule over" the sin that was threatening to overtake him.

I think that sin is most easy to rule over when the inclination has just begun, before it begins to grow. If we can manage to simply control our thoughts and impulses at that initial stage, sin can be vanquished. It is when we entertain those thoughts that we begin to loose control of ourselves and give into sin. And small sins, when surrendered to, almost always blossom into very large sins.

What began in Cain as profound disappointment and jealousy blossomed into murder. And yet, God said that it was possible for him to rule over it.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that God allows us to experience failure in the midst of life. He already knows whether or not we will surrender to sin. We need the opportunity to be tested and to come to know this about ourselves. It is of critical importance that we learn to rule over our own sin. If not, it will rule over us.

Janine

An Appeal To Authority

My daughters were having a debate. Olivia insisted that yummy chocolaty goodness with crunchy peanuts is much superior to Emma's white chocolate creaminess with crunchy cookies mixed in. I, of course, always having an opinion in all matters of chocolate, sided with Olivia. This led Olivia to rejoice at her good fortune that she is right because she is in the majority, not knowing of course that this statement is a logical fallacy, known as argumentum ad numerum. Emma then argued that simply because more people may agree on the matter, it does not make it true. Olivia blurts out, "And I've got a Mama!"...Ah, the appeal to authority, argumentum ad verecundium.

Scripture of the Week- 1 John 4:9-18

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Eastern Orthodox theology teaches that, on each Christian soul's way to God, there is a middle way and the way of perfection. Some never reach the way of perfection. Perfection is this, that perfect love drives out all fear and only love remains.

I am far from perfect. My deepest fear is that God is going to turn His back on me and that I will be separated from Him for all eternity. Sometimes, in moments of despair, this fear becomes all consuming.

During such times, I become incapable of loving other people, or God. I become so focused on myself, and on my fear, that only my consciousness of myself and the fear exists. That is a horrible place to be. I think that it is a state very close to hell.

Most days, I am stuck soundly within the middle way-- loving God passionately and fearing His judgement and punishment. This scripture states that we can know and rely upon the love that God has for us. This scripture states that our salvation depends upon what God has done for us. This scripture states that we can have confidence on the day of judgement if we exist within the key to that confidence--- that we must live in love and, in doing so, live in God. In this way, God will also live within us.

There are few things that intrigue me more about scripture than the idea that "perfect love drives out fear.... and.... The one who fears is not made perfect in love." Ironically, these verses fill me with both fear and hope.... Fear that I am still far from perfect and hopeful that the very real possibility exists that I can one day be perfect in love and exist without fear.

I think that the key must be the cultivation of a deeper trust in God and a consistent reliance upon what He has done for us. It is very challenging to abide in God, always, when you do not fully trust Him. Paradoxically, it is also very challenging to learn to trust God completely without abiding in Him consistently.

I once heard it said that true courage is not the absence of fear but taking action in the presence of fear. I think that abiding in God, from a human perspective, must necessarily be like this. We grow deeper in the Lord, and closer to perfection in love, when we do not allow ourselves to be defeated by fear.

As in all things with God, much depends upon our free will and much depends upon the grace and help of God. If we not try though, our fear will consume us and, ultimately, fear has the potential to extinguish love.

Janine

What Happened In Roanoke Today

Some performance artists decided to go out on the market and watch fixatedly, old unplugged televisions. The goal of the group seems nebulous, but anything that may promote turning off the television gets a thumbs up from me.

From what I understand, they were abiding by the law as far as how many were standing together, though from the police officer's perspective, if there were many gathered around this particular performer it may have been a violation of some code. It seems that it would have just been easier for the officer to ask the people to move along. Question; What are the responsibilities of a citizen/artist in such situations?

In the long run, it probably has worked in favor of the performance group, because now it may be seen around the world.



An explanation of the project from Beth Deel.

Piano Lessons in Roanoke

For any of you in the Roanoke area, Olivia's piano teacher has a website here.
Olivia has really enjoyed her lessons, so if you've been wanting to give the piano a try, check it out.

Monica

Today is the Feast day of St. Monica, faithful mother of Augustine of Hippo. This is a portion of how Augustine remembered her to God.

For in your hidden providence your hands, my God, did not forsake my soul. By my mother's tears night and day sacrifice was being offered to you from the blood of her heart, and you dealt with me in wonderful ways.

A reminder that God listens to a mother's prayers. How appropriate that this Sunday is Mother's day.

St. Clive's Academy

I've been thinking of taking some time off of our history rotation to spend a few months doing a unit study of the Chronicles of Narnia, adding extra reading for Emma. Lewis' books are so rich in literary and historical references, there would be plenty to study and I think the change would do us great good.
Well, I guess I'd better get busy!

A Little Budgetary Perspective

Scripture of the Week- Ezekiel 3:16-21

16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the LORD came to me: 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul."

This scripture has always inspired great fear of the Lord within me. It is so deeply mysterious, yet at the same time very straightforward. This is one of those golden threads that weaves thru all of the bible and is consistently present in all of the tapestry of God’s Word. Namely, it is not good enough to be hearers of God’s Word…. We must also be doers of God’s Word in order to be saved.
How fearful of a thing it is to know that, when we ignore or disobey the Lord’s instructions to us, “the blood” of others will be “required at our hands”. There are a great many scholars who would say that these words were meant specifically for Ezekiel, but I believe that they are words for all of God’s children. What does it mean for us that, even when we commit a sin of omission- of negligence, that the consequences for ourselves and for others will be severe?

Yes, by all means, we are washed by the blood of Jesus and when we confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts that Jesus is Lord, the promise is that we will inherit the Kingdom of God. This act of divine grace is purely God’s great work of mercy towards all who would receive Him.

Revelation speaks about those who will pass thru the fire of God’s judgement naked and those who will pass thru, along with their works which were done to the glory of God and are of eternal value in God’s Kingdom. I think about this so often…..
As I have mentioned in this blog before, I have become captivated by the Eastern Orthodox theological concept of synergy. That is that the process of salvation and sanctification is a dance between divine grace and the human free will. Yes, there must always be that initial surrender to God and to all that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. There must always be that initial surrender when we come to the ends of ourselves and realize that we can never reach God thru our own efforts. There must always be that initial, God given, awareness that we are literally drowning in our sins and that only God can save us. And yet, even then, there are those who choose to walk away from Jesus and those who choose to love Him for the rest of their lives.

Synergy is a dance that begins between 2 partners. Yes, God invites and initiates but it is we who must accept and join Him. It is we who choose to continue with Him or stop dancing. As long as we continue to dance, He makes us more perfectly into the image of His Son. This is the Glory of God, revealed by God in the lives of His children.

And Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. “

Once again, how fearful an echo of Ezekiel...

And in John 14 Jesus says, 21 "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." 23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me."

How fearful a thing... To know that we are responsible to the living God to live lives of holiness and to continue to walk with Him all of the days of our lives. And yet, He gives us the strength and the grace to do this, if we ask Him.

Even the demons confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord. They know who He is. That is not sufficient for their salvation.

I think that all of the literature that has been written on assurance of salvation, without sanctification and holiness, is a very dangerous thing. It is literally eternity that hangs in the balance. What an accomplishment for satan when he is able to convince those who come to knowledge of and surrender to the Lord that no further effort is required on their part. And yet, God promises to bring the good works that He has begun to completion.

I guess, in summary, what I am trying to say is that this is a deeply mysterious issue. God is all powerful and only He could have ever accomplished what was necessary for our salvation. However, I also think that salvation and sanctification require constant effort, in blood, sweat and tears, on our part. I think that salvation and sanctification is a dance between divine grace and the human free will. I think that this dance must continue for all eternity, once a person comes to believe in Jesus Christ and accepts His invitation to the dance. This dance is no easy thing. Yet, it is wonderful beyond anything else in the cosmos.

Janine