Inspirational of Parental Love - Taylor Storch

This is a moving story of how one death brings life to many others. Have your tissue box nearby.


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Midweek Meditation: "On Loving God" (Bernard of Clairvaux)

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

"Lord, you are good to the soul which seeks you. What are you then to the soul which finds? But this is the most wonderful thing, that no one can seek you who has not already found you. You therefore seek to be found so that you may be sought for, sought so that you may be found.  You can be sought, and found, but not forestalled. Since Scripture says that God made everything for himself, there will be a time when he will cause everything to conform to its Maker and be in harmony with him. In the meantime, we must make this our desire: that as God himself willed that everything should be for himself, so we, too, will that nothing, not even ourselves, may be or have been except for him, that is according to his will, not ours.

To love in this way is to become like God. As a drop of water seems to disappear completely in a quantity of wine, taking the wine's flavor and color; as red-hot iron becomes indistinguishable from the glow of fire and its own original form disappears; as air suffused with the light of the sun seems transformed into the brightness of the light, as if it were itself light rather than merely lit up; so, in those who are holy, it is necessary for human affection to dissolve in some ineffable way, and be poured into the will of God. How will God be all in all (1 Cor 15:26), if anything of man remains in man? The substance remains, but in another form, with another glory, another power."


(Bernard of Clairvaux, "On Loving God")

BookPastor >> "The Pastor as Public Theologian" (Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Dec 11th, 2015.

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TITLE: The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision
AUTHOR: Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015, (230 pages).

What is the primary role of a pastor? One job description I read recently includes the typical duties such as pastoral care, preaching, evangelism, missions, visitation, small groups, office administration, oversee the care of facilities, taking care of Sunday School, and so on. On top of that, it includes a requirement of playing the piano! I smiled at first but soon my smile turned to frowns. How can a pastor be all things to all people, and all things to all work in the Church? If a pastor is going to be a spiritual Swiss knife to do everything in the Church, then only superman is eligible to apply. The tragedy of the Church is how pastors are turned from theologians into administrators; from biblical proponents to management strategists; from biblical preachers to motivational speakers. This book aims to reverse the trend and to instill in churches and pastors the need for theological reflections to be taken more seriously. The Church need more pastors to be deep in the Word and to be the public theologian in the marketplace of ideas. The call is not for less but more theology in churches to be taught.

The authors are passionate about all things theology. Kevin Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan are both professors of theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary respectively. Vanhoozer is the author of numerous books such as Everyday Theology, the Drama of Doctrine, and Is there a meaning in the text while Strachan is a Fellow with the Center for Pastor Theologians. Both of them believe that the vision for theology in the Church must be reclaimed and re-discovered. They show us the problem, the proposal, and the prospect of why they write this book.

Every Life Has a Story: Don't Judge

This short video is a nice way to put across the teaching of not judging people. It's from the video posted on Dan Cathy's vimeo account. Cathy is President and CEO of Chick-fil-A, an American fast food restaurant.


Every Life Has a Story from Dan T. Cathy on Vimeo.


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Midweek Meditation: "Why Should We Love God?" (Bernard of Clairvaux)

Why should we love God?

You want me to tell you why God is to be loved and how much. I answer, the reason for loving God is God Himself; and the measure of love due to Him is immeasurable love. Is this plain? Doubtless, to a thoughtful man; but I am debtor to the unwise also. A word to the wise is sufficient; but I must consider simple folk too. Therefore I set myself joyfully to explain more in detail what is meant above.

We are to love God for Himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable. When one asks, Why should I love God? he may mean, What is lovely in God? or What shall I gain by loving God? In either case, the same sufficient cause of love exists, namely, God Himself." (Bernard of Clairvaux)

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Truly, one of the reasons why we are unable to love God for who God is, is due to our pre-occupation with ourselves and our own needs. If God is God, we must adopt the attitude of John the Baptist, and to pray this prayer: "God, let me decrease that You may increase more and more in my heart."

BookPastor >> "Sandcastle Kings" (Rich Wilkerson Jr)

Build not the sandcastles of life that will easily wither away when the elements arrive. Build the house of God upon the Rock of Christ. This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Dec 9th, 2015.

conrade

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TITLE: Sandcastle Kings: Meeting Jesus in a Spiritually Bankrupt World
AUTHOR: Rich Wilkerson Jr
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2015, (240 pages).

Spiritually bankrupt people will naturally build things that cannot last. They achieve the best that the world can give; attain the highest standards the world desires; and pursues the things of fame, power, happiness, riches, and material goods. Yet, all these things are but sandcastles, and in achieving them, we are likened to "sandcastle kings."

What are the "sandcastles" of life? According to Wilkerson, it is about any kind of foundation that is not centered on Christ. If a person's foundation is money, then all he does is work and making money. He spends so much time at the office that he neglects other more important things in life simply because money has usurped the title of the most important thing in life. If a person's foundation is relationships, then one's sense of purpose and identity is based on the ups and downs of the health of that particular relationship. If a person's foundation is health, he becomes paranoid about diet, about looks, about keeping fit so as to prevent disease, or maintain a good build. This book describes four biblical examples of how people build their houses on sand or sandcastles that will fall in a matter of time. Using Luke 7 as the key chapter, Wilkerson also reminds us about the "Chapter 7 bankruptcy" which eventually leads him toward writing about spiritual bankruptcy when we build sandcastles.

Compassion Before Coffee

This is a heartwarming story of how a small team of coffee baristas from Dutch Brothers in Vancouver Washington, coming together to bless and to comfort a needy soul.


 



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