“Cynicism is the greatest barrier to love. It is rooted in doubt and despair. Fear intensifies our doubt. It paralyzes. Faith and hope allow us to let fear go. Fear stands in the way of love. When we take to hear the biblical insistence that ‘there is no fear in love,’ we understand the necessityContinue reading “Love overcomes cynicism”
Tag Archives: love
The hard work of love and friendship
“When we see love as the will to nurture one’s own or another’s spiritual growth, revealed through acts of care, respect, knowing, and assuming responsibility, the foundation of all love in our life is the same… Genuine love is the foundation of our engagement with ourselves, with family, with friends, with partners, with everyone weContinue reading “The hard work of love and friendship”
Idols that need destroying
“Awakening to love can happen only as we let go of our obsession with power and domination.” — bell hooks You have to knock over a few idols along the way. The gods of this age are controlling. They have a chokehold in all that we do in every institution existing in our culture. WhenContinue reading “Idols that need destroying”
The centering place of Christ and love
“My belief that God is love — that love is everything, our true destiny — sustains me. I affirm these beliefs through daily meditation and prayer, through contemplation and service, through worship and loving kindness.” — bell hooks, All About Love
“Last Third Living”
A concept that has been rattling around in my head the last few weeks is what I’ve labeled “Last Third Living.” The Lord willing, I am in the last one-third of my life. How do I want to finish?
Power hungry
Mark 10:42–45 (NIV): Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants toContinue reading “Power hungry”
The difficult task of love
True beauty
“I cannot worry much about your sins and miseries when I have so many of my own. I can only love you all, poor fellow travelers, fellow sufferers. I do not want to add one least straw to the burden you already carry. My prayer from day to day is that God will so enlargeContinue reading “True beauty”
Keep it simple
Scariest verse from my reading this morning: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Matt. 22:29)
The withdrawing hand of God
Reading for today: Ps. 30, 32, 42, 43 Ez. 49:21-29 Phil. 4:10-20 John 17:20-26
Apprentice 2 Jesus 