Today’s Words Of Wisdom (WOW) are from Parker J. Palmer. I’m currently reading his book Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life (2004). “Like a wild animal, the soul is tough, resilient, resourceful, savvy, and self-sufficient: it knows how to survive in hard places. I learned about these qualities during my bouts with depression. In … More WOW – Parker Palmer on the Soul
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” -Saint Augustine … More WOW – Augustine
This week’s Words of Wisdom (WOW) come from ca. 500 BC. “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” -CONFUCIUS, Chinese philosopher
I want to begin a new Wednesday tradition called “WOW.” Each Wednesday I will try to share some timeless “Words of Wisdom” (WOW) from across the centuries and various traditions. Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) – Roman Emperor & Stoic philosopher “First thing every morning tell yourself: today I am going to meet a busybody, an … More WOW – Marcus Aurelius
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” ― Isaac Asimov “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” ― Aristotle “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.”―St. Paul
“My soul, where are you? Do you hear me? I speak, I call you – are you there? I have returned, I am here again. I have shaken the dust of all the lands from my feet, and I have come to you, I am with you.” … More Journey Back to the Soul (Carl Jung)
“Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.” -RICK WARREN
“Men invent means and methods of coming at God’s love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God’s presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do … More QUOTABLES: Brother Lawrence on Prayer
“This life…is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming….We are not yet what we shall be, but we are on the way….This is not the goal but it is the right road….all does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed.” -MARTIN LUTHER
“Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness.” “Only the humble … More QUOTABLES: Bonhoeffer & the Lowly Manger
“Being true to ourselves doesn’t make us people of integrity. Charles Manson was true to himself, and as a result, he rightly is spending the rest of his life in prison. Ultimately, being true to our Creator gives us the purest form of integrity.” -JOHN WOODEN
Eugene Peterson captures the thought of preachers as they look out on the congregation each Sunday: “Every Sunday I look across this congregation and wonder, prayerfully, what is going on. I know most of you pretty well. But there is a lot I don’t know. I am here every week with the conviction that this … More QUOTABLES: View From The Pulpit
“Most of the individuals in this amalgam [i.e., congregation] suppose that the goals they have for themselves and the goals God has for them are the same. It is the oldest religious mistake: refusing to countenance any real difference between God and us, imagining God to be a vague extrapolation of our own desires, and … More QUOTABLES: Subversive Pastor
“When a preacher opens the Bible and interprets the Word of God, a mystery takes place, a miracle: the grace of God, who comes down from heaven into our midst and speaks to us, knocks on our door, asks questions, warns us, puts pressure on us, alarms us, and makes us joyful again and free … More QUOTABLES: Bonhoeffer on Preaching
The question of the evangelist should be: “If you don’t die tonight, what are you going to do tomorrow?” And the answer should be: “I’m going to trust Jesus with all my life, with everything, and that will allow me to live in the Kingdom of God.” -DALLAS WILLARD
“One of the few clear differences between Christianity and Judaism is the former’s entertainment of the idea of singleness as the paradigm way of life for its followers. . . . Singleness was legitimate, not because sex was thought to be a particularly questionable activity, but because the mission of the church was such that … More QUOTABLES: On Singleness
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” -Jim Elliot, Christian martyr killed while bringing the gospel to the Auca Indians in the Amazon Jungle in 1956.
“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” -DIETRICH BONHOEFFER The creed of contemporary Christianity offers “A God without wrath [who] … More QUOTABLES: The Cross in Our Culture
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage.” … More QUOTABLES: The Hobbit
Enjoy some inspiring and memorable quotes from Billy Graham: “It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.” “Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.” “They asked her (Ruth … More Quotables: Billy Graham
“Of all the disciplines theology is the fairest, the one that moves the head and heart most fully, the one that comes closest to human reality, the one that gives the clearest perspective on the truth which every disciple seeks. . . . But of all disciplines, theology is also the most difficult and the … More QUOTABLES: Karl Barth on Theology
“If you feel or imagine that you are right and you suppose that your book, teaching, or writing is a great achievement . . . then, my dear man, feel your ears . . . . You will find that you have a splendid pair of big, long, shaggy ass’s ears.” -MARTIN LUTHER
There’s no shortage of corruption in places of power today. So I found this warning from Henry Ward Beecher from the 1860s interesting. Though, the main illicit behavior he was attacking was leaders spending their spare time gambling at casinos. If only that were our biggest problem today. “Our land has little to fear from … More Beecher on Corrupt Government
“The theology of Bethlehem and Golgotha—that is, of the enfleshment and the cross-bearing of the divine Word—directs us from the lonely and morbid contemplation of our own real suffering to the suffering of God in solidarity with us. Because God is “with us,” our suffering, though abysmally real, is given both a new perspective and … More QUOTABLES: The Suffering God
Kingdom Harbor 