The Thread of Faith

“May I feel the thread?” asked Curdie.

“Here it is,” said Irene, guiding his fingers to where she was holding the thin, shimmering strand.

“I feel nothing!” he exclaimed.

Irene looked at him, sad and solemn. “And so you still do not believe me. But I do feel it. And aren’t you glad? I found you in that cave, and brought you out, and I couldn’t have done it without the thread.”

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Scene from all for One’s production (2/6/14)

Sometime later, Irene led Curdie to see her great-great grandmother. But Curdie could neither see nor hear her. Sure that Irene was mocking, he stormed off home. “I’m obliged to you for getting me out of that hole, Princess. But I wish you hadn’t made a fool of me afterwards!”

“What does it all mean, Grandmother?” sobbed Irene.

“It means, my love, that Curdie is not yet able to see some things…in the meantime, you must be content to be misunderstood for awhile. We are all of us very anxious to be understood. But there is one thing much more necessary:  to understand other people.”

(Retold from The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald)

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Each time I heard the above lines spoken onstage, it was well-nigh impossible not to think of that famous prayer:

Hearing His Voice

“Do you have a second? I’ve talked to several other friends, and a bunch of family members. Heck, I even talked to a stranger about it. No one was any help so far. 

So, I wanted to get YOUR opinion.”

These were the opening words from a friend of mine recently. He was visibly bothered by something, and I wanted to help him. Although…I admit that I chuckled more than just a little at also realizing I was, apparently, his absolute LAST RESORT.

(Before I continue, I should probably note here that my friend has just opened his heart to Jesus, and is still very young in the Faith.)

“What do YOU think about your choices?” I asked. And without going into the whole conversation, over the next 10 minutes I watched and listened as the voices of Reason, Conscience, Fear and Pride influenced my friend’s thoughts and words.

He concluded with, “See?  This is why I am SO confused!”

Society and the “Halfway Decent” Samaritan

What’s happened to us?

Recently, a report concerning a man being shot at a convenience store gained headlines. No, not (sadly) because being shot in front of a convenience store in-and-of-itself was unusual, but rather due to the behavior of the customers who subsequently WALKED OVER his body, in the doorway:

 

I thought this must be some sort of unthinkably sick prank, until I read the following account. It seems that this actually occurred back in 2012, and we’re only seeing the video now because the shooter is on trial:

(via The UK Daily Mail) – “…Shocking surveillance footage shows the moment that a man who had been shot was stepped over by customers at a convenience store. Jheryl Wright, 31, was fatally shot in September 2012 as he left a shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The REAL Gift of Love at Christmas, …and all year ’round

Even though Christmas DAY has passed, we are still celebrating the Christmas SEASON. 

But if you were to ask a random group of people what they “love” about Christmas (the day AND the season), you’d probably get answers ranging from giving/receiving gifts, to time off from work, to spending time with family.

And while those things can certainly be gratifying, there’s no question that they are also ephemeral by their very nature:

• Your ‘shake weight‘ now resides in the back of a closet somewhere, waiting for the day when you “get around to using it…”,
• You DID go back to work, …or you will soon,
• And the family, eventually, puts away the Christmas decorations, and goes back to the daily and weekly routines.

Yet there IS one Christmas gift which never loses its beauty, and is the greatest “gift” of all time:

God’s gift of His Son.

A Christmas Poem…

“PURE WHITE”

It doesn’t matter
if the snow was falling
fierce or lazily or not at all.

The sinless Son of God
was bright enough without that pall.

We humbly trust in the Power of Giving Thanks…

This post from our good friend “Pgh” was a wonderful reminder last year of how and why we should always give thanks, no matter our circumstances.

We’re honored to be able to share it with you again. 

–JTR & GBL

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Every year, on the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving Day, our congregation gathers to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. And, while we seek to be in a mind of praise and thankfulness EVERY day, there’s something about this particular evening that sharpens that focus.

It is truly a time of praise, worship, and thanksgiving.

This particular Tuesday evening, our Pastor delivered a message on “The Power of Giving Thanks“. It will change MY life forever, and from the heart, I would like to share his thoughts with you.

Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill: “How Great Thou Art”

After a particularly contentious news cycle this past week, I thought it would be beneficial to bring the focus back onto what’s important in our lives.

What’s truly important.

And I couldn’t come up with a better, or more inspiring, way to illustrate it than this video from 2011.

Please: turn up the volume, close your eyes, and let the Truth bring you peace today….

A Christmas Poem

 

PURE WHITE

It doesn’t matter

if the snow was falling

fierce or lazily or not at all.

The sinless Son of God

was bright enough without that pall.

The world, cold, dark and rough

at heart,

whether encased in ice

or just crouched low and acting tough

under its crust of piety—this world

was due to be

dazzled

by the pure white heart of love.    

     -GBL, 2008

 

May you be dazzled by God’s love throughout the coming year.  

–Godsbooklover & Justturnright