beech feet

praise be to God that I live so close to the beach... I mean it's January... last Saturday I had some free time and was able to spend some time meditating and marveling in God's glorious creation... ahhhh...

to the death

"Religion is not meant to give you hope, it is meant to kill you so Christ can live in you."

- Tim Cain

resolute?

Question: What's the purpose of a faith that is exchangeable, interchangeable, rearrangeable?....

Otra pregunta: Why do people have religion as part of their life? Especially in cases such as the one below (last post) where one would think that just letting go of said system of beliefs would make life, marriage, raising kids, etc. easier.

Prop 390 (vote yes!): People need that sense of security, or eternal security, assurance, or shall I say in cliché fashion 'life insurance' in order to have a peace about them.

Problem: The purpose of all religion is something bigger than oneself, thus conforming to its way of life. If this is not the case, then it is nothing. Here's the breakdown: if man creates the constituents, it's no different than him saying "I am god." Yes, there are some belief systems that allow this thought, but come on, that's just scary. Anyone who is honest with themself knows the condition of their heart, and God we humans are not. (of course there are religions that explain this too, but sadly these explanations can only bring temporary peace, requiring a cyclical lifestyle that offers no attainable escape)

Solution: God and His revelation. Seek it.

chew on it...

I promised randomness on this here blog...

Think about this excerpt I pulled from an MSN article:

Growing numbers of interfaith couples, with the help of support organizations, networks, therapists, and even clergy, are successfully fashioning marriages that incorporate faith, whether that means one partner converting, each remaining with his or her religion of origin, or both embracing a new, blended belief.

Eve Edwards, 34, of McLean, Virginia, found such a compromise. An observant Jew, she had always wanted to share her beliefs with the Roman Catholic college sweetheart she married at 25. Neither spouse ever considered giving up his or her religion. Instead, after much discussion and soul searching the couple chose to raise their children in both faiths.

"We celebrate Easter and Passover, Christmas and Hanukkah," says Edwards. "We tell our children, 'Mommy's Jewish and Daddy's Catholic, and you are Jewish and Catholic.' We tell them that different people envision God differently and different people take different paths. But in the end all paths lead to God." Edwards acknowledges that their family life would have been simpler had she and her husband agreed on one faith from the outset. But the process of deciding how to practice their faiths and what to teach their children, she says, "has given us one more way to share."

simple things

More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privelege to have the time to practice this simply Ministry of Presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around some urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly toward social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do simply like them, but you truly love them.

- Henry Nowen