paravanes:meditations

There is so much pain in the world. For those of us who enjoy relative peace, safety, and security, it may be easy to ignore or forget how many of Earth’s inhabitants are constantly hungry, constantly seeking clean water, constantly escaping wars and armed conflicts, or enduring extreme poverty. On a daily basis, we may not think of those without access to the written word, health care, or a safe place to sleep. The Christian tradition teaches humanity’s ills are a result of humanity’s “fall” from innocence. Innocence was the lack of knowledge of evil. This is not the same as knowing about evil. “Knowing” evil is experiencing it as a part of the self. In an undated, ancient time in the beginning of human history, a decision was made by those first inhabitants of Earth. They decided to live apart from the protection of God’s guidelines. We, their descendants, inherited that tendency, just as we inherited our other characteristics. Despite the best efforts of those who ...

If you listen with care and empathy to those around you, you will always have a good reason to pray.

 --  from toencourageoneanother.wordpress.com From Proverbs 11:3: "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them." (English Standard Version) The answer to the question in the title depends upon how one defines "weak." Advice and guidance given to Christians in Scripture is based upon the assumption of living under God's rule, living under God's kingdom, and living under God's judgment. If you are not a Christian living under the the rule, kingdom, and judgment of God, you will have a difficult, if not impossible, time understanding why someone would not want, seek, and eventually take vengeance. Why aren't Christians allowed to take vengeance?  Here are the basic reasons: 1. Christians know and understand and accept and cooperate with God's rule over their lives. This means we know God allows injustice into our experiences because He can and will use even those experiences...