22 - Feb - 2010
Date: 22 February, 2010 | Posted By: Jonathan Blundell | Category:
Reflection
While, thinking about the Gospel of Enough and the Gospel of Generosity lately… this writing from the second century always gets me:
It is the Christians, O Emperor, who have sought and found the truth, for they acknowledge God.
They do not keep for themselves the goods entrusted to them.
They do not covet what belongs to others.
They show love to their neighbors.
They do not do to another what they would not wish to have done to themselves.
They speak gently to those who oppress them, and in this way they make them friends.
It has become their passion to do good to their enemies.
They live in the awareness of their smallness.
Every one of them who has anything gives ungrudgingly to the one who has nothing.
If they see a traveling stranger, they bring him under their roof.
They rejoice over him as over a real brother, for they do not call one another brothers after the flesh, but they know they are brothers in the Spirit and in God.
If they hear that one of them is imprisoned or oppressed for the sake of Christ, they take care of his needs. If possible they set him free.
If anyone among them is poor or comes into want while they themselves have nothing to spare, they fast two or three days for him.
In this way they can supply any poor man with the food he needs.
This, O Emperor is the rule of life of the Christians, this is their manner of life.
– Asistides 137 AD
17 - Feb - 2010
Date: 17 February, 2010 | Posted By: Jonathan Blundell | Category:
Ministry,
Take Action
From Francis Chan:
http://www.vimeo.com/7152556
Excellent!
How does your community of faith compare? Are you trying to push the Big Red Tractor with your own strength, or putting its true power source to full use?
Read more from Holiday at the Sea
16 - Feb - 2010
Date: 16 February, 2010 | Posted By: Jonathan Blundell | Category:
Reflection
Jim Wallis and Jon Stewart are such a great combination…
Wallis was on the Daily Show a while back talking about his new book, “Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street.”
(watch the video on Hulu)
Wallis and Stewart talk briefly about Haiti and suffering…
“It would seem there are a lot of quotes there (in Scriptures) that would provide comfort not only to Haiti but to our country as well.” – Jon Stewart
“The God I believe in is with those who suffer, he doesn’t punish those or create evil for those who are already suffering. Haiti was a collision of poverty and an earthquake.”
Wallis also suggests that the U.S. banks should offer the same grace to their customers as the U.S. taxpayers offered to them — and then after saying his family has fired their bank, he offered this advice:
“The banks say they’re too big to fail – let’s make them smaller.”
Yet, even with those great ideas, what I love most about this interview is Jon Stewart’s comments towards the end…
“It certainly an interesting way to apply your theology to day to day problems and do it in a practical way that people understand.”
Making your message relevant to people and their day to day situations?
…hmmmmm.
How would you do that?
