In my later youth I was given a lengthy aptitude test based on questions with multiple choice answers. I looked at it, decided I would ask myself at each question, "How would I answer this if I had a real interest in mechanics?" And lo and behold, the test results said that I would be … Continue reading But what do I do when I come to the real test?
faith
Time shall be no more
Can you imagine an existence without time? I have tried, but I can't. Does it mean that everything happens all at once, a state of super excitation with no ability to separate one event from another? Or does it mean a state of suspended animation where nothing happens at all? Neither of those states sounds … Continue reading Time shall be no more
Handicapped by our strengths
I am now two thirds of the way through two of the books that I listed in an earlier post and it just dawned on me that they are talking about the same thing: one from a Christian perspective; the other from a business perspective. Chapter Six of The Power of Weakness begins by describing … Continue reading Handicapped by our strengths
The Cost of Discipleship
This is the title of a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It’s not hard to understand that attempting to be faithful to Christ in Nazi Germany would come at a cost, but it has been more difficult for us to grasp that to be a true disciple of Christ will always entail a cost, even in … Continue reading The Cost of Discipleship
The Father himself loveth you
Who do we pray to? And in whose name? I often hear people begin their prayers with "Our Father," "Dear Lord," or "Dear Jesus," and then end with "in thy name." Whose name do they mean? This practice, by the way, is not limited to members of any particular denomination. Hitherto have ye asked nothing … Continue reading The Father himself loveth you
God and Mammon
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (The words of Jesus, quoted in Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13.) Here is a stark warning that the pursuit of … Continue reading God and Mammon
Taking stock
Things that I am learning: - It's not important to know what my abilities, talents, or gifts are. The only thing that matters is if I am following where the Master leads and doing what He asks me to do. - It's not important to know what I have accomplished for the Master, even less … Continue reading Taking stock
We’re headed in the right direction
It is -30° this morning, the sun won't rise until 9:15 and it will set again at 5:00 P.M. But the days are getting longer — I need to keep reminding myself of that. Twenty-five years ago I took a statistics course taught by a man originally from India. He told us how he and … Continue reading We’re headed in the right direction
Inexcusable
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things (Romans 2:1). What kind of judging is the apostle talking about? Does he mean that we should make no judgment of right and wrong, in ourselves or others? … Continue reading Inexcusable
Blaise Pascal on the prophecies
If a single man had written a book foretelling the time and manner of Jesus's coming and Jesus had come in conformity with these prophecies, this would carry infinite weight. But there is much more here. There is a succession of men over a period of 4,000 years, coming consistently and invariably one after the … Continue reading Blaise Pascal on the prophecies
Flatlander Faith 