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Journal — February, 2008 |
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AN ONGOING
SPIRITUAL WEBLOG
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February 28, 2008
The Father of Christian Rock. The
Grandfather of Contemporary Christian Music. These
are a couple of common titles given to Christian
music legend Larry Norman. He passed away
on Sunday and the accolades have been pouring
in. Jeremy Reynalds, the ASSIST
News correspondent based here
in Albuquerque has posted a column on reactions
from many people (go
here).
Pete Reinbold, our contributor of the Daily Thought,
pays tribute to Larry (here).
And, as with all strong believers like Larry, the best way to pay our
respects is to carry on in our lives with the love and message of Christ
Jesus.
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February 26, 2008
It is nothing new to state that gratitude is a powerful spiritual principle.
If we can't express our thanks for the wonderful gift of life we are
going to find living hard going. But, it's easy to say this and much
harder to live it.
Brandon Jubar (ParishWebmaster.com) writes about gratitude
and joy in a new
article and he puts it well. "What makes gratitude and joy challenging
is our own need for control and credit. We want to be in charge of our
lives and our destinies. And we want to receive the credit when good
things happen. Gratitude and joy seem to thrive if we are able to let
go of our need to have control over the world around us. It is not a
sign of weakness when we let people do things for us. On the contrary,
it takes a great deal of strength to let go."
Read
the entire article here.
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February 24, 2008
The Academy Awards annual ceremony is this evening. The Oscars is the
film industry's most prestigious awards show. Sure, there is plenty of
glitz and glamour. And a lot of what Hollywood and movies stand for is
less than morally desirable. At the same time, films also have the ability
to reach a wide audience and to convey messages rich in spirituality.
Movies can point out evils and praise the strength of the human spirit.
So I find that I usually watch the show.
I enjoy reading Gareth Higgins' thoughts and comments on films. He's
the author of How Movies Helped Save My Soul (read
my review here) and as a writer he is deeply interested in issues
of peace, justice, art and spirituality. You can read his thoughts about
this year's crop of Oscar nominated films at the God's
Politics blog he often writes for.
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February 21, 2008
You can't keep it unless
you give it away. This is an expression used
by people in 12 step groups, like Alcoholics
Anonymous. It's the same idea expressed in
the concept of "paying it forward".
You receive help and you pass it on.
It works. Do good to others. Do it because it is the right way to live,
not to get something out of it. If we all lived that way what mighty
changes would take place. Despite humanities' history of great violence
there have been many who lived by "giving it away" and "passing
it on". It's a Biblical principle - you can look it up!
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February 18, 2008
We are in desperate need of strong leadership in the United States. There
are a great many issues facing us in this Presidential election year.
Many Christians are awakening to the need to address them. War, violence,
poverty, health care, immigration, ecological stewardship and education
are among these issues.
Believers should vote with their conscience, which is ideally shaped
by their beliefs. If you truly believe the Holy Spirit is in you and
guides you then don't let rhetoric or any one particular party line sway
you until you have examined carefully the issues.
I recently discovered an interesting historical fact about Abraham Lincoln,
one of the greatest American Presidents and leaders. I share it with
you on the Presidents Day holiday.
After the bitterly contested process he went through to win the Republican
party nomination, and then the presidency, he selected his fellow Republican
candidates to serve in his cabinet. He was a man who looked to unite,
not divide. And he was in office during our most critical time in history,
the war between the states. We need more leadership like that so that
our country can face and meet the challenges ahead. Lincoln didn't force
his beliefs on the country or other individuals, but he did live and
act according to his faith.
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February 14, 2008
Are you a romantic or a cynic? Perhaps the answer depends on your experience
in love and relationships.
True love, the unconditional kind that God gives to all of us, is the
basis for all living and all healthy relationships. It's not mushy and
sentimental. It's solid, bold and self-sacrificing. One of the hardest
things for any of us to do is love when we are not loved in return, or
worse, hated and persecuted. But love triumphs. The answer is not returning
hate, or even indifference. That doesn't change anything and only continues
the violent cycle.
Happy Valentine's Day from God who loves continually and seeks us out
when we turn our backs on Him or mess up and think we are not lovable
or capable of being forgiven. Everyone messes up sometimes. Here's a
secret — you can discover God and grace at precisely those times.
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February 13, 2008
Tony Campolo, a noted evangelist and author, has been garnering attention
lately for his new book Red
Letter Christians. I encourage you to read
the Q&A with Tony Campolo reprinted here.
It has a lot to say about living the life Jesus has called us to.
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February 11, 2008
Prayer is vital - like breathing for our souls. But learning how to pray
and even just letting go to the mystery of what real prayer is has taken
me years. I'm still learning and letting go to it.
I know it is more than a bunch of words. It is not a "request" list,
either. Yes, I use words and I do have intentions I pray for. But mostly
it is admitting that I'm no good trying to live life without God and
that there is a great need for me to have a connection and a relationship
with God.
Jesus spent lots of time in prayer and his disciples saw this. That's
why they made the request to him to teach them to pray and he gave them
the Lord's prayer.
However you pray, keep doing it and make it real. Pray that you will
receive the grace to live life to the fullest and know that you are not
alone. Pray for others. And don't forget to participate in life. Prayer
in action is part of prayers being answered.
Some of our articles on prayer include Becoming
a Prayer, It's a
Relationship, Can We Talk? and Why
Pray?
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February 8, 2008
I have a lot of respect for evangelist Jim Wallis. He
and his group of Christians committed to the whole Gospel message (see
Sojo.net) encourage us to think for ouselves, especially when it
comes to politics. Don't let others dictate your free choice. And don't
buy into the myth that God has chosen a particular political party or
candidate. God asks each of us to love him and each other. The model
is Jesus Christ. He asks us to follow his way.
Yes, we should examine the issues and what the candidates say about them.
Then vote with your heart and conscience. The new book by Wallis is The
Great Awakening and it has just made it on to the New
York Times Best-seller list. You can buy it here.
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February 6, 2008
Today is Ash
Wednesday. That is the start of the season of Lent, observed
by Catholics and a number of Protestant denominations. It is a season
to recognize ever more deeply what Jesus Christ did for us, how the plan
of salvation redeems us all. God adopts us as His children in a new and
beautiful way when we recognize and repent of our sins and live for Him.
I believe we are all children of God. The Creator doesn't wait for us
to do to good to be one of His kids. But the adoption I refer to is our "coming
home to God's family". We recognize our inherent dignity and the
Divine indwelling. We each must make the decision to live in unity with
God. God doesn't force His way in. He waits for our invitation.
Since we are all part of God's family we must remember that how we treat
each other is important. Jesus said what we do to others, especially
the least of our "brothers and sisters" we do to him. Helping
others, being of service, getting out of self, fasting and prayer are
all integral parts of our Lenten observance.
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February 4, 2008
Why is it that Christians often have a poor public reputation? Oh, I
don't know, maybe because so many of them act morally superior, self-righteous
or hypocritical? Clearly there is an image problem.
I've aways been fascinated with the concept of attraction rather than
promotion, especially when it comes to belief systems. Where there is
truth, honesty and compassion I find less pushiness.
A new book got me thinking about this. You can read an excerpt of it
online. I'm
Fine with God...It's Christians I Can't Stand by Stan
Jantz and Bruce Bickel deals with this subject, and with some humor (always
a welcome thing). More
here.
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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.
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PSALM 118:24
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"This
is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it."
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(NIV)
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