Inspirational Video: "Light Rain"

This short video is an inspirational one for the weekend. Written by Bob Perks, it is a story of a group of people stranded because of the rain and it took a little girl to kick start a remarkable response. It reminds me of how we as adults have lots to learn from the innocence of little children. Interestingly, when adults try to teach children, they talk sense. When they try to live it themselves, they easily forget what they have taught their children.


conrade

Midweek Meditation: "Like a Precious Stone"

A monk in his travels once found a precious stone and kept it. One day he met a traveler, and when the monk opened his bag to share his provisions with him, the traveler saw the jewel and asked the monk to give it to him. The monk did so readily. The traveler departed, overjoyed with the unexpected gift of the precious stone that was enough to give him wealth and security for the rest of his life. However, a few days later he came back in search of the monk, found him, gave him back the stone, and entreated him, “Now give me something much more precious than this stone, valuable as it is. Give me that which enabled you to give it to me.” 
(Anthony De Mello)
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Let our faith be like that of a pilgrim who gets enlightened to seek after the One who made the precious stone? As we pray for our needs in this world, remember not the gifts we seek after but the Giver who provides all that we need.

conrade

BookPastor >> "ESV Global Study Bible" (Free from Crossway)

TITLE: ESV Global Study Bible
AUTHOR: Crossway
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2012, (1984 pages)

This is a treat from Crossway Publishers. As of April 13th, 2015, the electronic version of the ESV Global Study Bible was made available for free. As a not-for-profit ministry, the motive is to encourage greater Bible literacy and for readers to put the principles into practice. Multiple platforms are supported, ranging from conventional computer platforms, Apple iPhones and iPads, to versions for various ebook readers. Comprising an international team of educators, pastors, scholars, theologians, mission agencies, and leaders from around the world, this study Bible contains the entire English Standard Version (2011 edition), and a host of other resources like:

• Charts and diagrams
• Maps and Tables
• Illustrations and Timelines
• Facts
• Character Profiles
• Overviews of each book
• Global Perspectives
• Many articles

The contributors hail from Africa (Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia), Americas (Canada, Jamaica, USA), Asia (India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka), Europe (France, UK), and the rest of the world (Australia, etc). This one-volume study resource packs a punch for the unbeatable price of free, unless of course you want to get a hardcopy edition. Here is more from Crossway.

    - Complete ESV Bible text
    - 12,000 clear, concise study notes
    - The global message of each book
    - 14 new articles written by global Christian leaders
    - Introductions and timelines for each Bible book
    - Nearly 900 highlighted Bible facts
    - 120 Bible character profiles
    - More than 120 duotone maps and illustrations throughout
    - More than 80,000 cross-references
    - An extensive concordance
    - Glossary with concise definitions of key terms

As you download, say a prayer of thanks for the ESV team and the Global Bible Study contributors. They have worked a lot to simply give away their work. Maybe we can do some form of paying it forward?

conrade

2015 - Happy Canada Day!

This is the 148th Birthday of Canada!

(Credit: http://www.canadaday2015.com)

BookPastor >> "Spiritual Friendship" (Wesley Hill)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint.

conrade

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TITLE: Spiritual Friendship: Finding Love in the Church as a Celibate Gay Christian
AUTHOR: Wesley Hill
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2015, (160 pages).

Must all relationships be sexual in one way or another? Is there a place for celibacy in the modern debate over homosexuality? Can there be genuine friendships without any sexual connotations?More importantly, is there a place for friendship in spite of one's sexual orientation? According to Wesley Hill who is celibate and also gay, the answer is yes. In this book about spiritual friendship, Hill attempts to show us that friendship is "the freest, the least constrained, the least fixed and determined, of all human loves" and "entirely voluntary, uncoerced, and unencumbered by any sense of duty or debt."  He believes that friendship must stand alone and above all kinds of opinions or prejudices. He sees Simon bearing Jesus' cross as "an icon of friendship." He separates the idea of sexual attraction from the development of true spiritual friendship. Having done that, he moves toward distilling the essence of spiritual friendship based on acceptance, grace, and love. Hill believes that the gospel says "No" to same-sex relationships but "Yes" to spiritual friendship that is not necessarily sexual in any way. This sets him on a path to finding out love as a celibate and spiritual friendship without sexual implications.

Midweek Meditation: "Radical Hospitality" A Video

A friend of mine shared this powerful video done by a Regent Alum. It is a reminder once again that practicing radical hospitality is a very Christian thing. The Greek word for hospitality is "philoxenia" which is translated as "loving the stranger."


conrade

BookPastor >> "Let Your Life Speak"

TITLE: Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
AUTHOR: Parker J. Palmer
PUBLISHER: San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000, (120 pages).

This book is one of those that deserves to be read over and over again. Some friends I know read it each year. It is a beautiful book written by an educator, a professor, a practitioner, a listener of hearts, and one that forces us to engage ourselves in the process of reading the life of the author. It comprises six essays about weaving one's personal search for meaning, calling, and significance.

Chapter 1 starts appropriately with listening. Against a silence-averse culture that takes comfort (even pride) in speaking first, Palmer helps us calibrate our inner lives with what is happening outside of us. Vocation comes from a Latin word for "voice" which gives us a clue that listening is key to understanding calling. Far too often, we go for conferences, seminars, and various teaching courses to try and learn something from external sources, without recognizing that we too can learn from within ourselves. The tragedy is that we listen so much to the outside that we fail to legitimately listen to what is inside us. We need to learn to listen. We need to discern. We need to respect the beauty of silence.