Yearning

"I can’t tell you how much I yearn for a church where the leadership doesn’t lord it over the flock, but is part of the flock themselves; where the corrupting influence of money and power are taken away; where we all have a right to speak up and question if something is taught that contradicts the Bible; where each person is free to be what God is growing them to be."

I wrote these words almost one year ago. They still express the deep longing of my soul.

Sign me up

"I will not quarrel with you about my opinions; only see that your heart is right toward God, that you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ; that you love your neighbor, and walk as your Master walked, and I desire no more. I am sick of opinions; am weary to bear them; my soul loathes this frosty food. Give me solid and substantial religion; give me a humble, gentle lover of God and man; a man full of mercy and good faith, without partiality and without hypocrisy; a man laying himself out in the work of faith, the patience of hope, the labor of love. Let my soul be with these Christians wheresoever they are, and whatsoever opinion they are of."

- John Wesley


Amen. I can so relate. Sometimes however, we are so convinced of the truth of our opinions that we do not realize that is what they are. Notice how Wesley calls our attention to love, mercy, faith and humility. What fruit do our opinions produce?

Food for Thought

The following excerpt was taken from a book by Edwin Hatch [1888] and makes an interesting observation. I found this at the Christ is All blog where a lengthier citation is given. If you'd like to read the rest check it out here..

It is impossible for any one, whether he be a student of history or no, to fail to notice the difference and contrast between the Sermon on the Mount and the Nicene Creed.
The Sermon on the Mount is the promulgation of a new law of conduct; it assumes beliefs rather than formulates them; the theological conceptions which underlie it belong to the ethical rather than the speculative side of theology; metaphysics are totally absent.The Nicene Creed is a statement partly of historical facts and partly of dogmatic inferences; the metaphysical terms which it contains would probably have been unintelligible to the first disciples; ethics have no place in it. The one belongs to a world of Syrian peasants, the other to a world of Greek philosophers.
[Why] an ethical sermon stood out in the forefront of the teaching of Jesus Christ, and a metaphysical creed in the forefront of the Christianity of the fourth century, is a problem which claims investigation…

Quote of the Day

We have felt a lot less emphasis on "what we're going to do in life" and a lot greater desire to be the man/woman, father/mother, husband/wife that God desires us to be

This was a comment on a blog I was reading. I copied it to my personal journal, but forgot to note who wrote it and where I found it. I've thought about what I'm going to do with my life since 7th grade. Recent changes in my life have brought this question to the front once again. The wisdom in these words spoke directly to me and reinforced what God has been trying to get me to understand these past few years. Simple Be. Being is more important than believing, knowing or doing. What we are is more important than our accomplishments. Our accomplishments will pass away, but what we are is eternal.