Tuesday, December 28, 2010

stiff shot of Bible whiskey


"A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy." Prov. 29:1

May God give us broken and contrite hearts.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Rene Girard

"Why does Jesus regard the Father and himself as the best model for all humans?  Because neither the Father nor the Son desires greedily, egotistically.  God 'makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and he sends his rain on the just and on the unjust.'  God gives to us without counting, without marking the least difference between us.  He lets the weeds grow with the wheat until the time of harvest.  If we imitate the detached generosity of God, then the trap of mimetic rivalries will never close over us."

Girard defines this "mimetic rivalry" to be the awakening of desire within us when our neighbor simply has something we don't.  This is like a toddler who wants the toy that the other toddler has in his hand, even though there are hundreds of toys just like it on the floor.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Elijah is six.

"Dad."  What.  "When I get married I am going to get a hotel room."  Me- .................. O-k-a-y.

Kids these days.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

All I got to say is BAM

The Mind of A Servant...

"Are you in your right mind?  Aren't there unattractive, thankless people in your life whom you should be loving and serving, but whom you are about to give up on?  Maybe it is a spouse?  Your parents?  Others in the church?  Pastors often hear:  "I work my fingers to the bone in this church and what thanks do I get?"  Is that the way it is?  Your service was for thanks?  Are you in your right mind?  Servanthood begins where gratitude and applause ends.  Do you only serve people whom you like or whom you find attractive or who are like you?  Even sinners do that (Luke 6:32-34).  Christians, like Peter's mother-in-law, give diakonia because they have been healed and given diakonia by Christ (Matt 8:15)."

Tim Keller~pastor in Manhattan