President Reagan's Normandy Speech (1984)

 

As we approach the 80th anniversary of D-Day this year, I thought it might be beneficial to view President Ronald Reagan's thoughts on this famous battle in history. 

The Story of Job - Revisited

The story of Job is one of the great mysteries of the faith and one that most of us, if honest, really struggle with.  It’s tantamount to asking your dad “why” only to hear him respond, “because I said so”.  

We in our selfish nature want to attach to this story our understanding of justice and fairness.  Our finite comprehension of God wants to ask the same questions Job’s friends did.  We who read carefully want to inquire of God why it is the He pointed out Job to satan and why He removed His hand of protection from a man that the Bible describes as the most righteous man in all the earth at the time. Surely if Job was not spared what chance do we stand who would hardly be labeled as righteous?  

You see, we've barely even stepped off the porch to wade into the weeds and we have already raised massive theological questions about the character of God. And yes, it is true that when God finally answers Job, He almost taunts Him with his lack of knowledge and wisdom, daring him to try to counter a point that God has made. Such is the price for worshipping that which we cannot truly understand, as portrayed by C.S. Lewis in the Chronicles of Narnia, when confronted by the idea of Aslan, the lion, who is a picture of God, Lucy asks, "Is He safe?"

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Mr. Tumnus also says, "He's wild, you know. Not a tame lion."

— C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

Honest To God | Bill Hybels

"You see, in the space of a day my relationship with Jesus Christ can fall from the heights to the depths, from vitality to superficiality, from life-changing interaction to meaningless ritual. That’s a humbling admission, but it’s true. In a mere twenty-four hours, I can slide from spiritual authenticity into spiritual inauthenticity." - Bill Hybels

Honest To God | Chapter Two 

Based on Honest To God | Chapter 2 by Bill Hybels (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990.)

Over the years, as I traveled and spoke at churches and conferences, I occasionally met leaders who somehow seemed to avoid the daily slide into artificial Christianity. Whenever I could, I asked what their secret was. In almost every case, they said “journaling”—the daily process of examining and evaluating their lives in written form.

Two Rooms | Driven To Jesus

Today I wanted to publish two small essays, one of which was a letter written almost 700 years ago, the other a blog entry from this decade. Both speak to the grace and goodness of Jesus. (Authors are St.Catherine of Siena and Joshua Rogers) 

Two Rooms

My dearest sister and daughter in sweet Jesus Christ. I Catherine, servant and slave of the servants of Jesus Christ, write to you in his precious blood; with desire to see you a true servant and bride of Christ crucified. Servants we must be, for we are redeemed by his blood.

Make two homes for yourself, my daughter. One actual home in your cell, so that you do not go flitting from place to place, except out of some necessity, or in obedience to the prioress, or for charity's sake; and another spiritual home, which are to carry with you always--the cell of true self-knowledge, where you will find within yourself knowledge of the goodness of God. These are two cells in one, and when abiding in the one it is fitting that you should abide in the other, for otherwise the soul would fall
into either confusion or presumption.