Tag: God

Light and Darkness

Person standing before window in dark room looking at bright light.

“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness.
They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.
Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure.
But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”
John 3:19-21, Peterson, Eugene H.. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language . The Navigators. Kindle Edition.

I’m enjoying reading The Message, Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible, because it gives me fresh insight and perspective on passages that are very familiar. This is an example.

I wrote on this passage a couple of years back, using a more familiar translation. I updated the original post this week with what I hope is a more engaging response. I’d be honored to have you take a look.

Read Original Post

Grace and peace to you…

Tags addiction, darkness, denial, evil, God, light, reality, truth

Current Events love Scripture

The truth we tell

Young man wearing hat that says Love Your Neighbor.

If love is not in the truth we tell,
are we telling the whole truth?

dw

I read this from the apostle Paul today – he is coaching Timothy on how to be a good pastor.

The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into dead ends of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven’t the remotest idea of what they’re holding forth with such imposing eloquence.

Peterson, Eugene H.. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language . The Navigators. Kindle Edition.

Grace and peace to you…

Tags faith, God, Paul the apostle, religion, The Message, Timothy, truth and love

hope Other Writings Poetry

We are the ones

The very essence of hope is freely to expect all the graces necessary for salvation as free gifts from God.

— Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island, Sentences on Hope

Freely to expect –
when was the last time
I was free to expect
anything at all
when some sort of pain
or payment wasn’t expected,
quid pro quo,
in return?
We learn,
young enough,
we better shape up
or shut up
or figure out how not to be
– yes, not to be –
too much of a bother,
so we can fit in
be accepted
be liked
be safe
at least for the moment.
But we can’t keep it up.
Can’t keep in line enough.
Can’t be good enough
to earn all the graces necessary
for acceptance
for being safe.
Can’t be good enough for hope.

We are the ones God saves.