Printer
Friendly page - click here
Journal — January, 2004 |
|
|
AN ONGOING
SPIRITUAL WEBLOG
|
|
January 30, 2004
There actually are Christians who get involved in living the Gospel
by helping the marginalized. The poor, the oppressed, the hungry and the
homeless are all around us. “The Christian Community Development
Association (CCDA) is an ecumenical gathering of Christians from
diverse backgrounds whose passion in life is to see the Gospel transform
disinvested communities.” – that’s from The
Call ezine I received the other day. Find out more about the
work of the CCDA here.
Tom Gilbert
|
January 28, 2004
Opposites swirl in the cosmic dance; paradox on a roll. The great tension
between the calculating mind and the contemplative spirit…ascent
versus descent…role reversal. Only when we get quiet enough can we
hear “above the shouting”.
Wrestling with the apparent contradictions we encounter is a good thing.
We cannot simply arrive at truth, nor accept it, unless we have some experience
to draw upon. We cannot know forgiveness and mercy unless we’ve sinned.
This doesn’t mean go out and sin on purpose. But, don’t worry;
you will sin no matter how hard you try not to! To get to the place of
inner peace we must have first confronted our violence. Of course it is
a mystery – all of life is a delightful, mysterious and divine journey.
As Richard Rohr states about David in his new book, Soul
Brothers: “his gift is also his sin and his sin becomes
his gift”. That’s the beauty of transformation.
Tom Gilbert
|
January 27, 2004
“Brothers and sisters” – it’s more than a term of endearment.
We are truly all God’s kids. We’re family. God’s love - God’s
message - is inclusive. I can see where I can do more for my family. And for
those members of “the family” I’ve yet to meet.
|
January 23, 2004
I received a couple of pieces of mail this week. Not email, mind you…no,
these were an actual card and letter sent through the postal system.
The first was a letter from my long-time high school friend. It’s
been thirty years since we graduated. John still resides in Rome, New York
and has lived there all his life. On the other hand, I’ve moved all
around the United States. For many years John and I maintained faithful
letter writing habits. His lengthy discourses on music, sports, politics
and life in general were always enjoyable and thought provoking. Whenever
I got a letter it would take me several days, sometimes weeks, to write
back. This was no quick, “hi, how ya doing?” correspondence.
It required depth, introspection and honest sharing.
Over the years we’ve fallen out of the habit of writing. This letter
was the first from John in nearly two years. But, it was like he picked
up right where he left off. I instantly recognized the value of his friendship
and the importance of keeping up the writing to each other.
The other mail was a brief and loving card from my mom. She’s always
been great about writing and sending such notes. There aren’t lengthy
and she almost always apologizes for not writing sooner, although they
are far more frequent than my return letters. In a few words she communicates
a lot – love, concern and care.
I encourage you to write someone you care about. Do it today if you can,
or over the weekend. Don’t send an email…write on real paper,
put it in an envelope and send it through the mail. It’s a tangible
expression of your interest and care. A true love letter.
Tom Gilbert
|
January 22, 2004
The new issue of the Living the Solution Newsletter is
out and in an email box near you – if you subscribed, of course.
Anyone is welcome to read it online.
You should be seeing more publicity and news
coverage on Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the
Christ”. The movie opens February 25. See more about
it in the new issue of our newsletter.
I’ve also just posted the new article I wrote about work and our
attitudes toward it: Onward
Christian Worker.
Tom Gilbert
|
January 19, 2004
This week (January 18-25) is Sanctity of Human Life week.
The spotlight link on
our site has some resources for you to check out. You might also want to
revisit the article from last year, Sanctity
of Life.
Tom Gilbert
|
January 16, 2004
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been 75 yesterday. It takes
great moral courage to speak up for justice, equality and freedom. That
message, that “dream”, is still necessary today – more
than ever.
His birthday is a national holiday in America and will be observed this
Monday, January 19. Holidays
on the Net reminds us to: Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day
On, Not a Day off!
Tom Gilbert
|
January 13, 2004
Have you ever gone on a quest? Throughout the ages people have made journeys
of a spiritual nature. Some of these quests are of mythic proportions.
The many tales of the search for the Holy Grail are
examples.
I just finished a wonderfully thought provoking and spiritually enriching
book by Edward Hays, St.
George and the Dragon and the Search for the Holy Grail.
It’s not set in medieval times and George is not a knight, or even
a saint. It’s a modern-day parable, but it has a timeless message.
If you are interested in a copy go here.
Tom Gilbert
|
January 12, 2004
I heard a profound prayer request this morning. The intention was for “vocation,
clarity and courage”.
We all hunger in some way to discover what God is calling us to do with
our lives. First we must be aware and open to the calling. Next, to discover
with clarity what we should do. Finally, to have the courage to do it.
None of it can be done successfully without God’s help. We must be
vigilant and open to how God’s help comes to us. Quite often God
speaks to us when we are in the service of others.
Tom Gilbert
|
January 9, 2004
With the current media
focus on the planet Mars and the U.S. unmanned probe rovers; Spirit (already
on the surface and sending back spectacular images) and Opportunity (set
to land on the other side of the planet January 24) many of us are looking
again to the vast frontier of outer space.
President Bush is reportedly set to announce some
ambitious plans to send Americans to Mars and the moon. The first mission
may not take place for more than ten years. Maybe the announcement to take
place next week is an effort to rally voters around a unifying theme as
Bush campaigns for re-election.
I’ve always been interested in space exploration. As a young boy
I avidly watched each launch and mission reports. Today I’ve still
got “stars in my eyes”, but I think we humans need to focus
on our inner-space journey. Some day we will have new bodies and who knows
what type of celestial exploring we will do. I think it will be very exciting.
In the meantime, I pray that each of us will concentrate on how to love
and help others more.
Tom Gilbert
|
January 7, 2004
Coming to the aid of those in desperate need - we are called to do this.
Here's a variety of worthwhile organizations providing relief efforts following
the devastating earthquake centered near Bam, Iran.
Church
World Service
International
Red Cross
Mennonite
Central Committee
Mercy
Corps
National
Iranian American Council
World
Relief
World
Vision
|
January 6, 2004
Now that the Christmas shopping blitzkrieg is past it might be a good time
to look again at the subject of “wants and needs”. Wendy Lomano
of the Stay At Home
Parent site has contributed a good article, Understanding
Need vs. Want.
|
January 5, 2004
The temptation today is to jump back into business as usual. The decorations
are tucked away and the holidays are over. It’s time to get back
to the routine, right?
Well, for me, that can be a dangerous thing. While the Christmas season
was blessed in many ways and I enjoyed it and the meaning of this special
time, it was also hectic and I admit there is part of me that is glad it
is past. But, if we have not changed in some way - if we have not welcomed
Christ and God into our innermost being in a more intimate way - then Christmas
hasn’t truly arrived.
The message is to take to heart that each day is new. We can be transformed
through fresh daily living. Take heart in the New Year and concentrate
on the One Thing that’s
most important.
Tom Gilbert
|
| Read past Journal entries here. |
Scripture taken from the Holy
Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved
throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of
International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering of
goods or services requires the prior written consent of International Bible
Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
You'll
also receive Practical Biblical Solutions for life's challenges
with our free e-zine |
| |
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Spiritual Journeys: How
Faith Has Influenced Twelve Music Icons
by various authors
click to
buy
read the review
|
| We
have more than 120,000 Christian books, bibles,
music,gifts, video, software and more!
It's easy to find what you're looking for by using
our BROWSE feature to search for your favorite
type of
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
PSALM
118:24
|
|
|
"This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."
|
|
(NIV)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
 |
