I'm enjoying reading a book by Eugene Peterson, 'A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.' It's a book about discipleship in today's world.
One chapter I enjoyed was about worship, the joy of being together in Christian community worshipping God.
He writes,
"One of the afflictions of pastoral work has been to listen, with a straight face, to all the reasons people give for not going to church.
"My mother made me when I was little."
"There are too many hypocrites in the church."
"It's the only day I have to sleep in."
There was a time when I responded to such statements with simple arguments that exposed them as flimsy excuses. Then I noticed that it didn't make any difference. If I showed the inadequacy of one excuse, three more would pop up in its place. So I don't respond anymore. I listen (with a straight face) and go home and pray that person will one day find the one sufficient reason for going to church, which is God. I go about my work hoping that what I do and say will be usable by the Holy Spirit to create in that person a determination to worship God in a Christian community.
I like that.
Religion
August 23, 2008
August 29, 2007
Attack on Mother Teresa
What ? Attack on Mother Teresa ?
I won't go into the details, but instead suggest you click the following link for an article by Charles Colson that gives us a very important perspective.
July 08, 2007
7/7/07
What does superstitution have to do with following Jesus Christ?
From the hub-bub and news stories covering this date, many Christians did participate in the 7/7/07 circus. Following are a few news reports I came across.
Is 7/7/07 a lucky day? Seven is often associated with good luck and for some people it has mystical or religious associations. It's a prime number, though so are 3, 11 and 13,267. Seven appears frequently in the Bible, and there are seven days in a week, seven wonders of the world, seven seas, seven sins and seven virtues, seven years bad luck, seven dwarves, the Boeing 777 and winning numbers in craps, slot machines and blackjack (where three times seven is a blackjack). American Indians have seven directions, Christianity has seven sacraments and Hinduism believes in seven chakras. Then there's the world's most popular boy wizard: the seventh Harry Potter book comes out on the 21st day (that's three sevens) of July, 2007.
To some, 7/7/07 is simply another day or, perhaps, a magnet for superstition, astrologers and marketing companies. But to many people, the number seven holds special, even spiritual or supernatural significance. According to our article on numerology, seven is often associated with magic, wisdom, intelligence, mystery and solitude. The day has caused many people to pore over their lives, looking for the number seven -- in their age, anniversary, the day they met their spouse -- and a variety of events have been planned accordingly.
In California, yoga instructors will be meditating at 7 p.m. while Christians in Tennessee will fill the Tennessee Titans' football stadium for mass prayer. Many shops will be holding special sales, casinos are expected to do great business and if the lottery comes up all sevens, the winners are going to be splitting the money many ways.
July 7, 2007, or 7-7-07. In numerological terms, that's about as big as it gets for the superstitious. People are booking gambling junkets, casinos are offering "7"-themed promotions, and about three times the normal number of couples plan to get married that day…
Hundreds hoping to be lucky in love poured into Las Vegas wedding chapels on Saturday to tie the knot on 7-7-07, a date with auspicious associations.
"The numerology on this day - 7-7-07 - is phenomenal," one wrote on his Web site. "Seven represents the aura. Three sevens equals 21 (2+13). Three represents the positive mind. Add the 7 p.m. hour and you have four sevens, which equals 28 (2+810). Ten is the radiant body."
This year, 7/7/07 provides a unique opportunity for superstition and marketing to come together: starry-eyed couples are tying the knot, casinos are over-booked and Live Earth concerts as well as the proclamation of the world's seven new wonders take place that day.
Christians will gather in the Nashville football stadium where the Tennessee Titans play to pray and fast on the 7th. "The number is significant in the Bible because seven represents a covenant," said Julia Richardson, a spokeswoman for the event, titled The Call. "We feel we want to make a covenant with the Lord to pursue him. Whether it's 1,000 people or 100,000 people, we feel we can bring about a change through prayer and fasting."
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom 12:2)
