Justice

“Can you imagine if Christians actually believed that God was trying to rescue us from the pit of our own self-addiction? Can you imagine? Can you imagine what Americans would do if they understood over half the world was living in poverty? Do you think they would change the way they live, the products they purchased, and the politicians they elect? If we believed the right things, the true things, there wouldn’t be very many problems on earth.

"But the trouble with deep belief is that it costs something. And there is something inside me, some selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn’t like the truth at all because it carries responsibility, and if I actually believe these things I have to do something about them. It is so, so cumbersome to believe anything. And it isn’t cool.”
–Don Miller, Blue Like Jazz

"Passion"

Next week I'll post videos for the following episodes:

18. "Killed by Death" Skip this episode.
19.  "I Only Have Eyes for You" Watch this episode

JSS

"Rigidly defined theological concepts are doomed." -- John Shelby Spong

Can I get an amen?

"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"

I'll post a playlist for "Passion" next week.

MLK

"We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time…. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residue of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: “Too late.” There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect…. We still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation.We must move past indecision to action…. Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter—but beautiful—struggle for a new world."

— Martin Luther King Jr.
Source: Speech at Riverside Church (April 4 1967)

(Source: thisplacehasknownmagic)

"Phases"

Next week I'll post videos for "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"

Bravery

Advice

Joy

"There are, have been, and will be tellers of dangerous stories of joy. Those who have been gifted and burdened with the paradoxical authority of pastoral office are servants of the Word, servers at the table, bound by the unique mystery of Christ and God’s history of salvation. The telling of these mysteries, this history, is located in the particular times and places of worshiping congregations."

— Heather Murray Elkins, “Altar-ing the World: Community-forming Word and Worship,” in Preaching in the Context of Worship, ed. David M. Greenshaw and Ronald J. Allen (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2000), 19.

Found at an Orthodox Monastery

This quotation was found on the Facebook page for a Romanian Orthodox monastery in the Bay Area and was sent to me by my friend Flo.

“Do not say, as the divine Jeremiah tells us, that you are the Lord’s temple (cf. Jer. 7:14). And do not say that ‘mere faith in our Lord Jesus Christ can save me.’ For this is impossible unless you acquire love for Him through works. For in what concerns mere believing, 'even the demons believe and tremble’ (James 2:19).” – St. Maximus the Confessor, “Four Hundred Chapters on Love” (I, 39)

I can’t get over that quotation. Too many people use their religion as an excuse to be crappy and then confess. Religion shouldn’t just be about finding solace and coming to peace with your faults. Religion IS about those things, but more than that, it’s about fostering selflessness and the kind of compassion that Jesus was trying to build within his community. I think it’s tragic when people use religion solely to service themselves. I can’t find a self-servicing Jesus in my scripture.

"Innocence"

Welcome back to weekly "Buffy" episode chat.  This week's episode is "Innocence":

(Don't be confused by the first video, which recaps some of "Surprise")

Get Happy: More Random Acts of Kindness