Recent experience has reminded me again of a difficult issue. The issue is independence. And how independence intersects with community. Americans, and perhaps westerners in general, value independence. We expect people to “pull their own weight” – to “contribute to society”. And there is merit in that, dignity even. Of course, we make exceptions. We [...]
|
|||||
|
As quoted by James Calvin Schaap in The Professor’s Death Song,” Books & Culture, Eugene Peterson wrote the following comment on the Christian life while considering Psalm 121: The Christian life is not a quiet escape to a garden where we can walk and talk uninterruptedly with our Lord; not a fantasy trip to a [...] A friend of mine was recently in Houston. His report: A street person asked me for change. I asked him if he could direct me to the best nearby restaurants. He knew every one, but confided that the cafeteria in the Presbyterian Hospital had the best deals. I gave him $5. This is magnificent! Exchange. [...] Addiction cannot be defeated by the human will acting on its own, nor by the human will opting out and turning everything over to divine will. Instead, the power of grace flows most fully when human will chooses to act in harmony with divine will. In practical terms, the means staying in a situation, being [...] It seems nearly impossible for people from conventional backgrounds, particularly Christians, in my experience, to approach those who are homeless or otherwise in unconventional circumstances without trying to “fix them”. It seems that we are afflicted with a desire to play God for other human beings. Watch the movie The Soloist for a great depiction [...] |
|||||
|
Copyright © 2012 Expressions of Faith - All Rights Reserved |
|||||