Better than nothing

Frankly, life hasn't been so sweet lately, forcing me to scale back my expectations of everything -- even myself.  And that's OK, because:

You must take a step before you can walk a mile.  Ten percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing.

Found that quote in my journal -- I know not by whom.

Why we pray

It's something I've never been able to figure out -- why do we pray?  Yeah, yeah, I've heard that old chestnut about how it's not for God but it's for us.  But what if it isn't really doing anything for me either?  What's the point?  This insight from Joanna Laufer struck me as one reason:

"Prayer is a choice.  For us to pray, to give thanks, or to voice our questions and doubts shows that we are choosing to leave an opening on our spirits.  Without this opening, there is no vessel, no place into which God can breathe."

The Bible in 50 words

I found this stuck in the pages of my journal, hastily tossed to my printer when I lived in Japan.  It was one of those millions of e-mails that get forwarded forever, but I haven't seen it in years so it struck me once again today:

The Bible in 50 words

God made

Adam bt

Noah arked

Abraham split

Joseph ruled

Jacob fooled

Bush talked

Moses balked

Pharaoh plagued

People walked

Sea divided

Tablets guided

Promise landed

Saul freaked

David Peeked

Prophets warned

Jesus born

God walked

Love talked

Anger crucified

Hope died

Love rose

Spirit flamed

Word spread

God remained

No, it doesn't really sum up the Bible, but it's kind of cool.

Watch your step

In June of 1995, I was halfway through a six-month cultural exchange trip to Japan and I certainly felt like an intrepid adventurer. Perhaps that is why this quote from Elizabeth Peters from her novel, "The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog" struck me:

"When one is striding bravely into the future, one cannot watch one's footing."

And, I might add, it would be ridiculous to try. . .

Gimme a head with hair

Was browsing around ithink (a Facebook application) last night when I found this quote, which strikes me as not only true, but kind of deep as well:

Women have to hunt down any tiny hair and remove it whereas men can be hairy as yetis... That is unfair !!!!

Why IS that?

If you want to see the original post, click the link that follows. Although I'm not guaranteeing how long it will be there. And I'm pretty sure you have to be a member of Facebook as well as ithink to see it. But FWIW, here it is: http://apps.facebook.com/ithinkapp/opinionpage?id=246405

The power of fredom

Found this quote by Robertson McQuilken, who was president of Columbia Bible College (now known as Columbia International University) when I worked there in the late 80s.

Freedom
is not license
to do what
I please
BUT
power to
do
what I ought.

This is so obvious that I'm pretty sure he was not the first one to say it, but he must have been the first person I ever heard say it. Not only is this true of Christian who have been freed from the power of sins, but it is true of every person on earth who lives in a "free country." Because we are free, we have power to do what is right and good. But we don't always use that power or, if we do, not very well. It is a challenge to me to use this gift of freedom to truly do what I ought.

The kicking prodigal

In February, 1994, I must have been reading C.S. Lewis, because I found the following in my journal for that month:

"You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen [his
office at Oxford], night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted for even
a second frm my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so
earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon
me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and
knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert
in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious
thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The
Prodigal son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that
love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking,
struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of
escape?"

I am struck by the layer of onion peeled back my Lewis in this quote. He not only sees his surrender to God, but the "divine humility" that would accept Him. Who are WE to come to God in this way? How dare we say to the king of kings, "No thanks." Most human kings, if they let us live, would turn away in disgust. There are a hundred more willing subjects waiting to take my place. But GOD is divinely humble. He does not demand the homage He is due. He takes the kicking and screaming convert.

I love the picture of Lewis darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape. :) Been there, done that. No, not as a potential convert or even as a new Christian. It has taken me longer in my journey to reach the depth of Lewis' maturity -- to even know that I am reluctant. To gain awareness that I am continually darting my eyes in every direction looking for escape. But there I am -- railing against God at every opportunity. It's comforting to know that in His divine humility, He lets me do this without striking me dead immediately. And He continues to love me. This passage from Lewis has struck me once again today.