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Prayer for Today O God of earth and altar, Bow down and hear our cry, Our earthly rulers falter, Our people drift and die; The walls of gold entomb us, The swords of scorn divide, Take not thy thunder from us, But take away our pride. —G. K. Chesterton from the poem "A Hymn," in Prophet of Orthodoxy |
God's Loving Justice God is not weak, He is tender. He is not angry, He is kind, even in His justice. Especially in His justice. Actually, my heart sings that the justice of God is beyond our understanding. Where would any of us be if God were a just God, as we understand and mete out justice? If I depended upon His justice, as I know justice, I'd be cast into outer darkness forever. But, … God is love, God is love.
—Eugenia Price in Share My Pleasant Stones
Soft Spirituality Enjoying "spiritual feelings" without "spiritual ideas," of course, is what tacks the foam rubber onto the cross. Spirituality, under the modern template, does not brace one for suffering that leads to inner growth. Instead, it obliterates suffering by providing the musical equivalent of an injection from Dr. Feelgood . …
Genuine spirituality makes demands on us, challenges us to overcome selfishness, to love from the depths of ourselves so that we may establish community with others despite our sinful human condition . …
"Soft spirituality" is now commercializing everything from plainchant to rock anthems to Jesus. This sign of the times is more about shadow than substance. For the spiritual seeker, "soft spirituality" is a mirage, not an oasis. The springs may run with Evian water but there is no real nourishment here, just the illusion of refreshment . …
That such a movement has co-opted the name of spirituality in our pop culture tells us just how hungry we are for the real thing, and how unfed we remain.
—Eugene Kennedy, quoted in Context (Jan. 1, 1999)
The Word Is Truth Speaking the truth is the most significant political action available to any of us—not voting, but speaking the truth. This view is based on the familiar biblical notion that the Word is central. The Word is the truth; the expression of the truth by human lips moves culture and history toward the government of God. There is no higher form of political action, nor is there one that can contribute more to the wholeness of the human community.
—John K. Stoner, quoted in The Other Side (March/April 1997)
Funeral Coming The church that marries the spirit of an age becomes a widow in the next generation.
—Dean William Inge, quoted in Context (March 15, 1997)
False Security No country can be happy while the walls may still be standing but the morals are collapsing.
—Saint Augustine in The City of God
Strength for Today God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain.
—C. S. Lewis in Letters of C. S. Lewis
Wisdom That Is Practical Seek wisdom, Scripture says (Prov. 2:4)—and wisdom includes sanctified "street smarts." Wisdom starts in heaven but works at street level, where we bump shoulders with others. It isn't satisfied with information retrieval: You can't access wisdom by the megabyte. Wisdom is concerned with how we relate to people, to the world, and to God.
Wisdom starts with God, for God has it and gives it—in His Word, and in His shaping of creation and history.
—Edmund P. Clowney in Tabletalk (March 1995)
More than Good Advice God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost isn't a consulting firm we bring in to give us expert advice on how to run our lives. The gospel life isn't something we learn about and then put together with instructions from the manufacturer; it's something we become as God does his work of creation and salvation in us and as we accustom ourselves to a life of belief and obedience and prayer.
—Eugene Peterson in Leap Over a Wall
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