But the most obvious fact about praise–whether of God or any thing–strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless (sometimes even if) shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise–lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game–praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least…
I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it gorgeous? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.
– C S Lewis
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Robert Reich Unintentionally Calling Obama a Liar
"I will actually give you a speech made up entirely -- almost at the spur of the moment, of what a candidate for president would say if that candidate did not care about becoming president. In other words, this is what the truth is, and a candidate will never say, but what candidates should say if we were in a kind of democracy where citizens were honored in terms of their practice of citizenship, and they were educated in terms of what the issues were, and they could separate myth from reality in terms of what candidates would tell them:
'Thank you so much for coming this afternoon. I'm so glad to see you, and I would like to be president. Let me tell you a few things on health care. Look, we have the only health care system in the world that is designed to avoid sick people. [laughter] That's true, and what I'm going to do is I am going to try to reorganize it to be more amenable to treating sick people. But that means you -- particularly you young people, particularly you young, healthy people -- you're going to have to pay more. [applause] Thank you.'
'And by the way, we are going to have to -- if you're very old, we're not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you maybe going for another couple of months. It's too expensive, so we're going to let you die.' [applause]
'Also, I'm going to use the bargaining leverage of the federal government in terms of Medicare, Medicaid -- we already have a lot of bargaining leverage -- to force drug companies and insurance companies and medical suppliers to reduce their costs. But that means less innovation, and that means less new products and less new drugs on the market, which means you are probably not going to live that much longer than your parents. [applause] Thank you.'" --Robert Reich, President Clinton's labor secretary, in a speech at Berkeley in 2007. Democrats, death panels and dying early -- it's all in there, folks.
'Thank you so much for coming this afternoon. I'm so glad to see you, and I would like to be president. Let me tell you a few things on health care. Look, we have the only health care system in the world that is designed to avoid sick people. [laughter] That's true, and what I'm going to do is I am going to try to reorganize it to be more amenable to treating sick people. But that means you -- particularly you young people, particularly you young, healthy people -- you're going to have to pay more. [applause] Thank you.'
'And by the way, we are going to have to -- if you're very old, we're not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you maybe going for another couple of months. It's too expensive, so we're going to let you die.' [applause]
'Also, I'm going to use the bargaining leverage of the federal government in terms of Medicare, Medicaid -- we already have a lot of bargaining leverage -- to force drug companies and insurance companies and medical suppliers to reduce their costs. But that means less innovation, and that means less new products and less new drugs on the market, which means you are probably not going to live that much longer than your parents. [applause] Thank you.'" --Robert Reich, President Clinton's labor secretary, in a speech at Berkeley in 2007. Democrats, death panels and dying early -- it's all in there, folks.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Where Joy and Sorrow Meet
As Paul is recounting his hardships in 2 Corinthians 3:6-10, he uses the phrase "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing". This is one of those paradoxes that defines the Christian life. I don't believe he is using the word "sorrow" to simply describe the emotional reaction to hunger, beatings and imprisonments. I think it's a much deeper meaning - mainly in his heart for those he is trying to reach with the Gospel who cannot or will not hear. Indeed, I felt it this morning as a dear friend of mine, who had a very positive impact on my life during my formative years, is unable to see what I see in Christ Jesus. Her inability to grasp the truth of the Gospel leaves me with a deep burden and sorrow. Yet I am reminded of my own salvation and rejoice in what God continues to do in my heart and life and in those around me.
"37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
This morning gave me a renewed glimpse into the heart of Jesus as He ached for His people to come to Him. It is indeed sorrowful...and yet I must keep rejoicing.
There’s a place of quiet stillness ‘tween the light and shadows reach
Where the hurting and the hopeless seek everlasting peace
Words of men and songs of angels whisper comfort bittersweet
Mending grief and life eternal where joy and sorrow meet
There is a place where hope remains
In crowns of thorns and crimson stains
And tears that fall on Jesus’ feet
Where joy and sorrow meet
There’s a place the lost surrender and the weary will retreat
Full of grace and mercy tender in times of unbelief
For the wounded there is healing, strength is given to the weak
Broken hearts find love redeeming where joy and sorrow meet
There’s a place of thirst and hunger where the roots of faith grow deep
And there is rain and rolling thunder when the road is rough and steep
There is hope in desperation there is victory in defeat
At the cross of restoration where joy and sorrow meet
"37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
This morning gave me a renewed glimpse into the heart of Jesus as He ached for His people to come to Him. It is indeed sorrowful...and yet I must keep rejoicing.
There’s a place of quiet stillness ‘tween the light and shadows reach
Where the hurting and the hopeless seek everlasting peace
Words of men and songs of angels whisper comfort bittersweet
Mending grief and life eternal where joy and sorrow meet
There is a place where hope remains
In crowns of thorns and crimson stains
And tears that fall on Jesus’ feet
Where joy and sorrow meet
There’s a place the lost surrender and the weary will retreat
Full of grace and mercy tender in times of unbelief
For the wounded there is healing, strength is given to the weak
Broken hearts find love redeeming where joy and sorrow meet
There’s a place of thirst and hunger where the roots of faith grow deep
And there is rain and rolling thunder when the road is rough and steep
There is hope in desperation there is victory in defeat
At the cross of restoration where joy and sorrow meet
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Weekends are Good
My life slows down on weekends and that is a very welcome event.
In preparation for Tuesday's Bible Study, I came across this passage in our book today: "God made us desperately hungry for Him because He, out of love, is hungry for us. His hunger for us isn't an expression of neediness or emptiness, as is our hunger for Him. Rather, His hunger for us is an expression of the fullness of His perfect love. Precisely because He is a God of perfect love, He creates beings with whom He deeply wants to share Himself and who desperately need Him."
I don't think I have ever heard the phrase that God is hungry for us. It gives a renewed perspective from God's point of view. I like that.
Interesting dreams last night. I was debating Bill Maher in religion, and holding my own, in one...and in the other I was counseling a friend's father on the strained relationship with his son. I sometimes get the feeling God is preparing me for things ahead while I sleep.
I read in the Mt. Calvary weekly newsletter (taken from a WebMD article) that each person only has so much willpower in a given day. This "scientific fact" was then used as a reason as to why we may struggle to get everything that needs to or that we want to get done in a given day, not to mention challenges with discipline in the areas of physical and spiritual health. I don't like things that offer excuses for why we are failing in life. I am always trying to improve myself in every area and exhort myself to get more done when I am not completing those things of which I believe I am capable. To offer someone a convenient reason as to why they aren't exercising regularly or spending time in God's Word every day is counterproductive to the nth degree. If the reality is that you are struggling then find ways to overcome your struggles...don't turn to something that will cause you to embrace your complacency. If you start believing that you can't do something, then guess what? You won't be able to do it. Reality places enough inherent restrictions...we don't need to make up more.
Of course, take it one step further and you are implicitly removing God from the equation when you say that something can't be done or I don't have the capability to accomplish what is set before me on a given day. The Bible doesn't say that I can do some things through God who gives me strength. No...I can do ALL things. So we can talk about medical facts or motivational deficiencies all we want but they are ultimately meaningless in the face of the Lord God Almighty. If you walk in the strength of the Creator of the universe there are NO limitations to what is possible.
In preparation for Tuesday's Bible Study, I came across this passage in our book today: "God made us desperately hungry for Him because He, out of love, is hungry for us. His hunger for us isn't an expression of neediness or emptiness, as is our hunger for Him. Rather, His hunger for us is an expression of the fullness of His perfect love. Precisely because He is a God of perfect love, He creates beings with whom He deeply wants to share Himself and who desperately need Him."
I don't think I have ever heard the phrase that God is hungry for us. It gives a renewed perspective from God's point of view. I like that.
Interesting dreams last night. I was debating Bill Maher in religion, and holding my own, in one...and in the other I was counseling a friend's father on the strained relationship with his son. I sometimes get the feeling God is preparing me for things ahead while I sleep.
I read in the Mt. Calvary weekly newsletter (taken from a WebMD article) that each person only has so much willpower in a given day. This "scientific fact" was then used as a reason as to why we may struggle to get everything that needs to or that we want to get done in a given day, not to mention challenges with discipline in the areas of physical and spiritual health. I don't like things that offer excuses for why we are failing in life. I am always trying to improve myself in every area and exhort myself to get more done when I am not completing those things of which I believe I am capable. To offer someone a convenient reason as to why they aren't exercising regularly or spending time in God's Word every day is counterproductive to the nth degree. If the reality is that you are struggling then find ways to overcome your struggles...don't turn to something that will cause you to embrace your complacency. If you start believing that you can't do something, then guess what? You won't be able to do it. Reality places enough inherent restrictions...we don't need to make up more.
Of course, take it one step further and you are implicitly removing God from the equation when you say that something can't be done or I don't have the capability to accomplish what is set before me on a given day. The Bible doesn't say that I can do some things through God who gives me strength. No...I can do ALL things. So we can talk about medical facts or motivational deficiencies all we want but they are ultimately meaningless in the face of the Lord God Almighty. If you walk in the strength of the Creator of the universe there are NO limitations to what is possible.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Just a Couple Things
My brother came to visit last weekend. It was a very good time of laughing and sharing. I'm very blessed to have a brother that I really admire, respect and enjoying spending time with. Although there have been many exmaples in his life in which he followed my lead, I learn just as much from him now as he ever took from me. I rejoice in his heart for God and for people and I love the way he lives life with openness and adventure.
Just a quick follow up to my recent blog on the differences in the top 2 commands of Islam and Christianity. I think it was in a Bill Keller devotional, that he talked about two representatives - one Muslim and one Christian - who would regularly get together and discuss different topics in front of an audience. One of those topics dealt with the type of relationship that each had with their God. The Christian talked of how God yearned for an intimate, personal, bride/groom relationship. The Muslim, on the other hand, stated how disrespectful it would be to Allah to ever even think of having such a relationship. It really gets to the core of the difference between Christianity and all other religions. God came down to us...to be with us, walk among us and to make His place with us. Every other religion is about how to get up to God's level. What do I need to do to get close, to gain his approval, to reach God in some small way. It's clear that Christianity is so backwards to the natural way that people think that it could never have been created by man. To me that is one of the most powerful witnessing tools when someone starts talking about how all religions really worship the same God and lead to the same place.
Just a quick follow up to my recent blog on the differences in the top 2 commands of Islam and Christianity. I think it was in a Bill Keller devotional, that he talked about two representatives - one Muslim and one Christian - who would regularly get together and discuss different topics in front of an audience. One of those topics dealt with the type of relationship that each had with their God. The Christian talked of how God yearned for an intimate, personal, bride/groom relationship. The Muslim, on the other hand, stated how disrespectful it would be to Allah to ever even think of having such a relationship. It really gets to the core of the difference between Christianity and all other religions. God came down to us...to be with us, walk among us and to make His place with us. Every other religion is about how to get up to God's level. What do I need to do to get close, to gain his approval, to reach God in some small way. It's clear that Christianity is so backwards to the natural way that people think that it could never have been created by man. To me that is one of the most powerful witnessing tools when someone starts talking about how all religions really worship the same God and lead to the same place.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day Snippets
"Adam Smith [once] said, 'Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.' That lesson seems to have been forgotten in America ... where so many people seem to have been far more concerned about whether we have been nice enough to the mass-murdering terrorists in our custody than those critics have ever been about the innocent people beheaded or blown up by the terrorists themselves. ... Those who are pushing for legal action against CIA agents may talk about 'upholding the law' but they are doing no such thing. Neither the Constitution of the United States nor the Geneva Convention gives rights to terrorists who operate outside the law. ... So many 'rights' have been conjured up out of thin air that many people seem unaware that rights and obligations derive from explicit laws, not from politically correct pieties. If you don't meet the terms of the Geneva Convention, then the Geneva Convention doesn't protect you. If you are not an American citizen, then the rights guaranteed to American citizens do not apply to you. That should be especially obvious if you are part of an international network bent on killing Americans. But bending over backward to be nice to our enemies is one of the many self-indulgences of those who engage in moral preening. But getting other people killed so that you can feel puffed up about yourself is profoundly immoral. So is betraying the country you took an oath to protect." --economist Thomas Sowell
"Obama's advisors think the answer to every problem is more cowbell, if by 'cowbell' you mean 'Obama.' It's like Obama guru David Axelrod is the Christopher Walken character from the 'Saturday Night Live' skit about Blue Oyster Cult (if you don't know the reference, Google 'cowbell'). Every time someone comes up with an alternative to throwing Obama on TV, Axelrod says, 'No, no, no. Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription ... is more Obama!' ... But what is lacking is not cowbell, it's substance the American people can support. Obama will reportedly be 'more specific,' but he won't commit himself to any particular piece of legislation. This suggests that the White House still thinks it has a communication problem, and if only it dispels the cloud of 'lies' belched up by the opposition, there will be nothing but blue skies ahead. Funny how the people who run the most sophisticated communication operation in the history of the presidency keep concluding that their difficulties stem from their inability to get their message out and never from what their message actually is. And so, rather than change the substance of the message, they're grabbing an even bigger megaphone: an address to a joint session of Congress. ... Just seven months into Obama's presidency, the White House is turning up the speakers on the cowbell as loud as they will go. And, heck, if you love cowbell, it's going to be a real treat. But in all the ways that matter, it may just end up being more noise." --columnist Jonah Goldberg
I think this last one is so true. I am so tired of hearing the left, Howard Dean in particular, blame any opposition to Obama policies on right-wing organized groups, people responding to myths/lies about policies and basically people just not knowing what is really good for themselves. Maybe people disagree with Obama's agenda for one very simple reason - it isn't good for them or this country. What is so hard to understand about that? Simply amplifying a wrong message doesn't get us anywhere. Go back to the drawing board.
"Obama's advisors think the answer to every problem is more cowbell, if by 'cowbell' you mean 'Obama.' It's like Obama guru David Axelrod is the Christopher Walken character from the 'Saturday Night Live' skit about Blue Oyster Cult (if you don't know the reference, Google 'cowbell'). Every time someone comes up with an alternative to throwing Obama on TV, Axelrod says, 'No, no, no. Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription ... is more Obama!' ... But what is lacking is not cowbell, it's substance the American people can support. Obama will reportedly be 'more specific,' but he won't commit himself to any particular piece of legislation. This suggests that the White House still thinks it has a communication problem, and if only it dispels the cloud of 'lies' belched up by the opposition, there will be nothing but blue skies ahead. Funny how the people who run the most sophisticated communication operation in the history of the presidency keep concluding that their difficulties stem from their inability to get their message out and never from what their message actually is. And so, rather than change the substance of the message, they're grabbing an even bigger megaphone: an address to a joint session of Congress. ... Just seven months into Obama's presidency, the White House is turning up the speakers on the cowbell as loud as they will go. And, heck, if you love cowbell, it's going to be a real treat. But in all the ways that matter, it may just end up being more noise." --columnist Jonah Goldberg
I think this last one is so true. I am so tired of hearing the left, Howard Dean in particular, blame any opposition to Obama policies on right-wing organized groups, people responding to myths/lies about policies and basically people just not knowing what is really good for themselves. Maybe people disagree with Obama's agenda for one very simple reason - it isn't good for them or this country. What is so hard to understand about that? Simply amplifying a wrong message doesn't get us anywhere. Go back to the drawing board.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Christianity vs. Islam
http://equipblog.wpengine.com/is-allah-the-same-as-god-the-father/
When you run into people who believe that all religions are essentially the same and lead to the same place, here is something to tell them.
In the Hadith, which is a record of Mohammed's life and sayings, second in authority to the Koran, Mohammed was once asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and his apostle" (Mohammed was supposedly his apostle).
The questioner then asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To participate in jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's cause" (Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 25).
Christ on the other hand, when asked for the greatest commandment, replied, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39).
Does that sound like the same theology? Or the same God? The second commandments could not be more diametrically opposed. I'll serve a God that teaches us to love our enemies...who died for us while we were STILL His enemies...rather than one that brings the sword upon the infidels.
When you run into people who believe that all religions are essentially the same and lead to the same place, here is something to tell them.
In the Hadith, which is a record of Mohammed's life and sayings, second in authority to the Koran, Mohammed was once asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and his apostle" (Mohammed was supposedly his apostle).
The questioner then asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To participate in jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's cause" (Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 25).
Christ on the other hand, when asked for the greatest commandment, replied, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39).
Does that sound like the same theology? Or the same God? The second commandments could not be more diametrically opposed. I'll serve a God that teaches us to love our enemies...who died for us while we were STILL His enemies...rather than one that brings the sword upon the infidels.
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