To love someone is to believe in the goodness of God, even you don't know him. That faith is less a head-knowledge thought and more an act of bodily throwing yourself from a cliff, feeling almost certain that everything will be alright.
Sometimes it is.
On many a Valentine's Day, I find myself unwilling to believe in God. I assent to the truth of him, but the faith that makes a lane to a cliff-lip, I just don't have.
Something I wish for.
Just the same.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Dear Chris
Dear Chris,
When I said, "choose a profession." I meant "choose a mission field." The gospel, you know and know well. Who you tell and how well you tell this gospel is now the issue. Choose well. Your profession is where you will preach. Your profession is how you will teach. It is how you will love this earth.
Choosing a profession you can do well is your means to teaching and preaching well. This good news is news about our new world, our planet, our reality. If we have this news, if we know nature better, then our relation with this earth should be better than those who don't. Note, I said relationship and not performance. In light of this gospel, we love our profession. We do not depend on our relationship with our work for our identity and worth. Rather, we freely love what we do. Out of the gracious largess of God we live supported by his generosity we freely love our profession. With love, we do good work. By good work, I mean well-informed, well-meant, and well executed effort. This work, done freely, and given freely without demands for fame or fortune will create a question. For this same work is almost always done with increasing demands for reward, (Rewards, in and of themselves, become less rewarding.
That, in turn, inspires a search for greater satisfaction either through more of the same rewards or through novel ones.) Your good work given without regard to lust of the flesh,
lust of the eyes, and pride of live illustrates this gospel. Each whole-hearted illustration, each day is a powerful-compelling source of goodness. A goodness that causes the needy to seek
its source. Men and women will agree they need your work. Some will be convinced that
they need the gospel that guides your work. This persuasion is a work of the Holy Spirit. He will use the profession you choose and the gospel you know.
Sincerely, A
When I said, "choose a profession." I meant "choose a mission field." The gospel, you know and know well. Who you tell and how well you tell this gospel is now the issue. Choose well. Your profession is where you will preach. Your profession is how you will teach. It is how you will love this earth.
Choosing a profession you can do well is your means to teaching and preaching well. This good news is news about our new world, our planet, our reality. If we have this news, if we know nature better, then our relation with this earth should be better than those who don't. Note, I said relationship and not performance. In light of this gospel, we love our profession. We do not depend on our relationship with our work for our identity and worth. Rather, we freely love what we do. Out of the gracious largess of God we live supported by his generosity we freely love our profession. With love, we do good work. By good work, I mean well-informed, well-meant, and well executed effort. This work, done freely, and given freely without demands for fame or fortune will create a question. For this same work is almost always done with increasing demands for reward, (Rewards, in and of themselves, become less rewarding.
That, in turn, inspires a search for greater satisfaction either through more of the same rewards or through novel ones.) Your good work given without regard to lust of the flesh,
lust of the eyes, and pride of live illustrates this gospel. Each whole-hearted illustration, each day is a powerful-compelling source of goodness. A goodness that causes the needy to seek
its source. Men and women will agree they need your work. Some will be convinced that
they need the gospel that guides your work. This persuasion is a work of the Holy Spirit. He will use the profession you choose and the gospel you know.
Sincerely, A
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