From his The Journey of the Mind to God. The theological writings of this 13th Century saint were so sound and influential that he is one of only 33 men and women in church history to be named a Doctor of the Church.
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Seek the answer in God's grace, not in doctrine; in the longing of the will, not in the understanding; in the sighs of prayer, not in research ... Look not to the light but rather to the raging fire that carries to soul to God with intense fervor and glowing love. The fire is God, and the furnace is Jerusalem, fired by Christ in the ardor of his loving passion. Only he understood this who said: My soul chose hanging and my bones chose death.
The observations (and ramblings) of a Real Person searching for the Real God in the Real World.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Book Review
The Prodigal Comes Home, by Michael English with Lynn Vincent.
First, let me say that I never liked his music -- I doubt that I have ever heard a single song of his all the way through. That being said, I was interested in reading his book -- I am a sucker for redemption stories.
In the introduction, he states that this is not an "I'm sorry I had an affair; now please buy my records" book. True enough. But it does at times read like an "I'm sorry I was addicted to prescription painkillers much of my life; now please buy my records" book. He actually covers the affair only briefly. I actually wanted to know more. He spent much more time on his family upbringing, drug addictions, rehabs, arrests, etc ...
I found the book maddening at points. Two specifc times, he uses a one-sentence explanation where I was wanting much more detail. But other parts were terrific, giving insight as to how the christian music industry could make a superstar out of someone whose faith was (by his admission) so shallow.
I don't know what to make of English himself, either. I appreciate the candor he put into parts of the book, but didn't find it candid straight through. And he spends as much time whining about being cut out of the gospel music world as he does admtting to not living right while trying to make various comebacks in that world. Hypocrite? Naive? Maybe just the addictions and insecurities talking? Hard to tell.
The book was frustrating, and the story itself was frustrating. Then again, living the story was more frustrating for English than reading it was for me.
First, let me say that I never liked his music -- I doubt that I have ever heard a single song of his all the way through. That being said, I was interested in reading his book -- I am a sucker for redemption stories.
In the introduction, he states that this is not an "I'm sorry I had an affair; now please buy my records" book. True enough. But it does at times read like an "I'm sorry I was addicted to prescription painkillers much of my life; now please buy my records" book. He actually covers the affair only briefly. I actually wanted to know more. He spent much more time on his family upbringing, drug addictions, rehabs, arrests, etc ...
I found the book maddening at points. Two specifc times, he uses a one-sentence explanation where I was wanting much more detail. But other parts were terrific, giving insight as to how the christian music industry could make a superstar out of someone whose faith was (by his admission) so shallow.
I don't know what to make of English himself, either. I appreciate the candor he put into parts of the book, but didn't find it candid straight through. And he spends as much time whining about being cut out of the gospel music world as he does admtting to not living right while trying to make various comebacks in that world. Hypocrite? Naive? Maybe just the addictions and insecurities talking? Hard to tell.
The book was frustrating, and the story itself was frustrating. Then again, living the story was more frustrating for English than reading it was for me.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
brokenness
This one popped up today on my i-Pod. Had forgotten what a terrific song it is.
Restore My Soul
by Steve Hindalong
as performed by The Choir
I call to you with one lung exploded
From breathing the dust of the earth
With my tongue eroded
From licking the crust of the earth
A tear away from reconciled
A prayer away from whole
Restore my soul
I cry to you with two eardrums blistered
From laughing with preachers of night
With my vertebrae twisted
From dancing with creatures of night
A day away from sanctified
A breath away from whole
Restore my soul
I crawl to you with ten fingers smoking
From turning the pages of sin
With my spirit choking
From earning the wages of sin
A bridge away from justified
A step away from whole
Restore my soul
Restore My Soul
by Steve Hindalong
as performed by The Choir
I call to you with one lung exploded
From breathing the dust of the earth
With my tongue eroded
From licking the crust of the earth
A tear away from reconciled
A prayer away from whole
Restore my soul
I cry to you with two eardrums blistered
From laughing with preachers of night
With my vertebrae twisted
From dancing with creatures of night
A day away from sanctified
A breath away from whole
Restore my soul
I crawl to you with ten fingers smoking
From turning the pages of sin
With my spirit choking
From earning the wages of sin
A bridge away from justified
A step away from whole
Restore my soul
Saturday, October 04, 2008
St. Francis of Assisi
782 years ago today, St. Francis of Assisi passed away. Known mostly for his practice of charity/poverty and love of God's natural world (he is the patron saint of animals and the environment), I appreciate this quote of his on holy living.
"While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. Nobody should ever be roused to wrath or insult on your account. Everyone should rather be moved to peace, goodwill, and mercy because of your restraint. For we have been called to the purpose of healing the wounded, binding up those who are bruised, and reclaming the erring."
Lord, let it be so in me.
"While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. Nobody should ever be roused to wrath or insult on your account. Everyone should rather be moved to peace, goodwill, and mercy because of your restraint. For we have been called to the purpose of healing the wounded, binding up those who are bruised, and reclaming the erring."
Lord, let it be so in me.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
September Reading List
77. Never Enough, by Joe McGinniss
78. If I am Missing or Dead, by Janine Latus
79. The Front, by Patricia Cornwell
80. Redeemed, by Heather King
81. Leaper, by Geoffrey Wood
82. The Whole Truth, by David Baldacci
83. Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?, by Peter Walsh
78. If I am Missing or Dead, by Janine Latus
79. The Front, by Patricia Cornwell
80. Redeemed, by Heather King
81. Leaper, by Geoffrey Wood
82. The Whole Truth, by David Baldacci
83. Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?, by Peter Walsh
Friday, September 26, 2008
Book Review
Redeemed, by Heather King.
King's first memoir, Parched, focused on her years of addicition (drugs and alcohol) and treatment, and ended with her entering sobriety. That memoir had little if any spiritual content, apart from the general God-stuff of AA.
But this is a total spiritual memoir, as King explains how she found God in the most unlikeliest place she could imagine: the Catholic Church. Her expressions of love for Mary and the Eucharist may make some uncomfortable, but whoever can get past that will find a delightful and extremely well-written book. The sections describing her newfound love for the church's teachings on sex and abortion, for example, are worth finding.
I am personally a sucker for conversion stories of all types, and this one is written by someone with a humbling transparency and real ability to spin a compelling tale. I was hooked from the first page and enjoyed it all the way to the end.
King's first memoir, Parched, focused on her years of addicition (drugs and alcohol) and treatment, and ended with her entering sobriety. That memoir had little if any spiritual content, apart from the general God-stuff of AA.
But this is a total spiritual memoir, as King explains how she found God in the most unlikeliest place she could imagine: the Catholic Church. Her expressions of love for Mary and the Eucharist may make some uncomfortable, but whoever can get past that will find a delightful and extremely well-written book. The sections describing her newfound love for the church's teachings on sex and abortion, for example, are worth finding.
I am personally a sucker for conversion stories of all types, and this one is written by someone with a humbling transparency and real ability to spin a compelling tale. I was hooked from the first page and enjoyed it all the way to the end.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Censorship @ Lifeway?
It seems to me this is a conversation worth having, not supressing. But whoever owns the stores has the right to decide what they will and won't display, I suppose.
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Magazine Featuring Female Pastors Pulled From Shelves, 'Treated Like Pornography'
Friday, September 19, 2008
Associated Press
ATLANTA — The five women on the cover are dressed in black and smiling — not an uncommon strategy for selling magazines.
But these cover girls are women of the cloth, featured in Gospel Today magazine's latest issue, which Lifeway Christian Bookstores (affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention) has pulled from the shelves at its bookstores, though the magazine is available for sale upon request.
The group says women pastors go against its beliefs, according to its interpretation of the New Testament. The magazine was taken off stands in more than 100 Lifeway stores across the country, including six in metro Atlanta.
Published for nearly 20 years, Gospel Today is the largest and most widely distributed urban Christian publication in the country, with a circulation of 240,000. The magazine's publisher, Teresa Hairston, said she was just reporting on a trend, not trying to promote women pastors.
"They basically treated it like pornography and put it behind the counter," she said. "Unless a person goes into the store and asks for it, they won't see it displayed."
Nationally, the Southern Baptists have adopted statements discouraging women from being pastors, but their 42,000 U.S. churches are independent and a few have selected women to lead their congregations. The faith was organized in 1845 in Augusta, Ga.
Chris Turner, a spokesman for Lifeway Resources, said the cover was not the reason the magazine was pulled from Lifeway's shelves.
"The buyers said the statements that were in it took positions that were contrary to what we would say," Turner said. "It wasn't so much that there were women on the cover."
Featured on the cover are Pastor Sheryl Brady of The River in Durham, N.C.; Pastor Tamara Bennett of This Is Pentecost Ministries in Sacramento, Calif.; Bishop Millicent Hunter of The Baptist Worship Center in Philadelphia, Pa.; Pastor Claudette Copeland of New Creation Christian Fellowship in San Antonio, Texas; and Pastor Kimberly Ray of Church on the Rock in Matteson, Ill.
Bennett said the issue of women in the ministry is not one that should be shelved.
"It's a story that needs to be told," she said in a telephone interview Friday. "Sometimes we forget that ministry is God's business. It's not a man's business. God gives gifts to whomever he sees fit."
Bennett said she is encouraging people to ask for the magazine.
"All Dr. Hairston did was tell a story, she didn't preach a doctrine," Bennett said of the article. "It's just sharing news."
------------------------------------------------------------
Magazine Featuring Female Pastors Pulled From Shelves, 'Treated Like Pornography'
Friday, September 19, 2008
Associated Press
ATLANTA — The five women on the cover are dressed in black and smiling — not an uncommon strategy for selling magazines.
But these cover girls are women of the cloth, featured in Gospel Today magazine's latest issue, which Lifeway Christian Bookstores (affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention) has pulled from the shelves at its bookstores, though the magazine is available for sale upon request.
The group says women pastors go against its beliefs, according to its interpretation of the New Testament. The magazine was taken off stands in more than 100 Lifeway stores across the country, including six in metro Atlanta.
Published for nearly 20 years, Gospel Today is the largest and most widely distributed urban Christian publication in the country, with a circulation of 240,000. The magazine's publisher, Teresa Hairston, said she was just reporting on a trend, not trying to promote women pastors.
"They basically treated it like pornography and put it behind the counter," she said. "Unless a person goes into the store and asks for it, they won't see it displayed."
Nationally, the Southern Baptists have adopted statements discouraging women from being pastors, but their 42,000 U.S. churches are independent and a few have selected women to lead their congregations. The faith was organized in 1845 in Augusta, Ga.
Chris Turner, a spokesman for Lifeway Resources, said the cover was not the reason the magazine was pulled from Lifeway's shelves.
"The buyers said the statements that were in it took positions that were contrary to what we would say," Turner said. "It wasn't so much that there were women on the cover."
Featured on the cover are Pastor Sheryl Brady of The River in Durham, N.C.; Pastor Tamara Bennett of This Is Pentecost Ministries in Sacramento, Calif.; Bishop Millicent Hunter of The Baptist Worship Center in Philadelphia, Pa.; Pastor Claudette Copeland of New Creation Christian Fellowship in San Antonio, Texas; and Pastor Kimberly Ray of Church on the Rock in Matteson, Ill.
Bennett said the issue of women in the ministry is not one that should be shelved.
"It's a story that needs to be told," she said in a telephone interview Friday. "Sometimes we forget that ministry is God's business. It's not a man's business. God gives gifts to whomever he sees fit."
Bennett said she is encouraging people to ask for the magazine.
"All Dr. Hairston did was tell a story, she didn't preach a doctrine," Bennett said of the article. "It's just sharing news."
Friday, September 19, 2008
Abandon Yourself To It
This is from Abandonment to Divine Providence, from Jean Pierre de Caussade, a Jesuit priest from the 18th Century:
"For those who abandon themselves to it, God's love contains every good thing and if you long for it with all your heart and soul it will be yours. All God asks for is love, and if you search for this kingdom where God alone rules, you can be quite sure you will find it. For if your heart is completely devoted to God, your heart itself is this treasure, this very kingdom which you desire so ardently."
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Book Review
The Dead Whisper On, by T.L. Hines.
This is Hines' second novel. Though not a sequel to Waking Lazarus, it plows similar material: creepy events, eerie spirituality, and an interesting Christian take on the ghost story.
Canada MacHugh, a hard-working woman in Montana, hears the voice of her father, dead for 11 years. And Dad has a mission for her: helping him and other (supposedly) dead folk go about and perform missions of mercy and goodness. What could be wrong with that?
Well, of course, plenty can go wrong with that. And it does go wrong for Canada, and she is thrown into a variety of dangerous situations, all the while trying to figure out exactly what the ghosts are.
Hines' books have a dry sense of humor that counteract the suspense/horror aspects well. No book is everyone's cup of tea, but this one is a solid example of the spiritual thriller genre.
This is Hines' second novel. Though not a sequel to Waking Lazarus, it plows similar material: creepy events, eerie spirituality, and an interesting Christian take on the ghost story.
Canada MacHugh, a hard-working woman in Montana, hears the voice of her father, dead for 11 years. And Dad has a mission for her: helping him and other (supposedly) dead folk go about and perform missions of mercy and goodness. What could be wrong with that?
Well, of course, plenty can go wrong with that. And it does go wrong for Canada, and she is thrown into a variety of dangerous situations, all the while trying to figure out exactly what the ghosts are.
Hines' books have a dry sense of humor that counteract the suspense/horror aspects well. No book is everyone's cup of tea, but this one is a solid example of the spiritual thriller genre.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
August Reading
65. The Dark Knight novelization, by Dennis O'Neal
66. Left Behind: The Kids #10, by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye
67. Left Behind: The Kids #11, by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye
68. Left Behind: The Kids #12, by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye
69. Left Behind: The Kids #13, by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye
70. Queen of Sorcery, by David Eddings
71. Invincible Ultimate Collection, vol. 1 & 2, Robert Kirkman et. al.
72. Playing for Keeps, by Mur Lafferty
73. Beverly Hills Dead, by Stuary Woods
74. A Cat in a Chorus Line, by Lydia Adamson
75. The Star Scroll, by Melanie Rawn
76. Tom Clancy's Op-Center #3: Games of State, by Jeff Rovin
66. Left Behind: The Kids #10, by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye
67. Left Behind: The Kids #11, by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye
68. Left Behind: The Kids #12, by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye
69. Left Behind: The Kids #13, by Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye
70. Queen of Sorcery, by David Eddings
71. Invincible Ultimate Collection, vol. 1 & 2, Robert Kirkman et. al.
72. Playing for Keeps, by Mur Lafferty
73. Beverly Hills Dead, by Stuary Woods
74. A Cat in a Chorus Line, by Lydia Adamson
75. The Star Scroll, by Melanie Rawn
76. Tom Clancy's Op-Center #3: Games of State, by Jeff Rovin
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