Daily pages of reflection...for knowledge, understanding, to wisdom
Section of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci Section of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci

Mystery and Creation

September 22, 2019
Year 4, Day 265 | No Comments
Section of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci

It appears clear from the first chapters of The Revelation that the letter of the Apostle, John, is written to the Church – to genuine Christians, but is available to anyone.  The reader is formed in reading it, perhaps in at least having information of conflagration that is detailed in writing that closes the biblical canon.  Scripture notes in a number of places that the work of God in nature (world) is a mystery, and in this writing from John the mystery is closed.  A new and promising context is opened that continues human life as God meant for it to be at the initial creation represented in the Garden and the special life from God given to mankind.  The… Read more

Problem Solving

September 21, 2019
Year 4, Day 264 | No Comments
Section of Adoration of the Magi, artist unknown

Whatever we need to meet daily living circumstances and nature’s objectives for earthly life is available to us, but we fumble with the matter of putting it all together.  The resources of nature and the context of human rights, drawn together by the affirmations of love that create care for others ought to be enough to make of us problem solvers – to the level of ability with some energy and authority and some acceptance that we can generate to serve the needs and rights of mankind.  It should not be too difficult for the mass of human beings to choose fairly good health, low accident rates, peace and love orientations for families and nations, and happiness without excess (ethical)… Read more

Context For Hope

September 20, 2019
Year 4, Day 263 | No Comments
Section of The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio, 1602

We tend to choose or fall into the context by which we manage (live out) our lives.  That becomes the whole human scope for an individual life.  Those contexts, whether chosen or accidental in details, are many in number.  Persons are responsible for the consequences of their own choices or those factors that are permitted to attach themselves, and have no legitimate claim to whatever is rejected or omitted from their life choices.  The dominant context resulting tends toward emotional gratification to greater or lesser degree, even when it can be supported by cerebral faith evidence that we have worked through on our own.  We offer to ourselves thoughtful arguments, perhaps with persuasive natural evidence.  The evidence is not wholly… Read more

Mystery and Mankind

September 19, 2019
Year 4, Day 262 | No Comments
Section of Noli me Tangere by Hans Holbein the Younger

The mysteries of personhood provide what may be the most challenging causes for research in secular and spiritual issues (questions) related to nature studies – especially those impinging on faith matters.  Both we as individuals and society fumble along with only limited understanding of who we are as individuals and in societies of individuals in relationships.  Often in conversations, sometimes in serious counseling with persons, I note the significant differences between the way they think and the way I think.  Some of the differences are easy to account for related to the ranges of experiences, of formal education, of family perceptions, and other factors.  In education the differences may be accounted for in the different college majors represented in the… Read more

History

September 18, 2019
Year 4, Day 261 | No Comments
Section of Noli me Tangere by Hans Holbein the Younger

Information overload humbles us, and may silence us.  In nature we can never know enough about the vital truths and matters of our lives.  Part of the problem is in the imbalance of our educations.  For example, we in the West are so taken with our explorers like Columbus, especially related to their best or major performances that we miss the events in other parts of the world that ultimately had large effect on life in North and South America.  By way of illustration, the Russians had explorers moving eastward while Europe had explorers moving westward.  Vitus Bering was exploring the coastline of Alaska claiming what he found for the Czar.  By 1806 Nicolai Rezanov had advanced to San Francisco… Read more

Order

September 17, 2019
Year 4, Day 260 | No Comments
Section of The Infant Jesus and St. John the Baptist, Guido Reni, n.d.

This date in our four years of daily Pages has been given to order in all that exists related to the earth planet that includes its atmosphere.  Does the evidence justify the claim of most scientists that there is an order in nature’s reality that permits a method of its discovery of a pattern, the foundation for verifiable truth in replication, and an implication about how we should then live?  The Christian should have no difficulty with that process of discovery and do whatever is necessary to advance the implications of it.  Tension between theistic naturalists and human naturalists relates to the source of the earth and humankind, and the presence/absence of that intelligence/evolvement of the earth context and consequences. … Read more

Self-Esteem

September 16, 2019
Year 4, Day 259 | No Comments
Section of The Infant Jesus and St. John the Baptist, Guido Reni, n.d.

An open secret to inner peace is to believe in ourselves: that we are maturing in the direction and context that truly perceptive mankind and God holds for us.  There is so large a context revealed to us, that we may take it as the basic order for gaining appropriate self-esteem and a belief that life will finish well.  There is a self-esteem that relates to earth life (temporary) of human beings but aided in a larger esteem (permanent) that is summarized in the word: immortality.  As we evolve in life from infancy our self-esteem (sense of well-being and worth-competency) ought to be engendered early from the parenting skills of our mothers and fathers.  That life context is cultivated in… Read more

Prayer History

September 15, 2019
Year 4, Day 258 | No Comments
Section of Noli me Tangere by Hans Holbein the Younger

My minor in college and university was history.  In my readings of history, largely related to that of Europe and America and the ancients of Greece and Rome in relation to the intellectual development of the West that includes some attention to other area histories, I have found little to nothing of the meaning of prayer to the story of mankind.  Even in the reporting of prayer in church history the matter has been treated largely as a church matter applying most largely to individuals and their dependence upon prayer.  The theme is left to sift itself out for the most part, with chapters ending without conclusions identified with prayer as achieving or not achieving results.  In my lifetime there… Read more

Stewardship of Wants/Needs

September 14, 2019
Year 4, Day 257 | No Comments
Section of The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio, 1602

Virtually all speakers and teachers in programs and conferences sponsored by churches and other groupings are complimented or resisted on this or that theme concept or counsel related to belief and conduct.  Among the concepts that I have communicated, one of the most common references to practical application has been to determine to live by percentages.  I return to a representative illustration referred to a year ago in tenants unable to meet their rent obligations, but seem to be able to support wants over needs.  The matter makes different persons of them, inspiring loss of respect from others and themselves.  If persons will live by percentages they will likely discover that maturity comes easier, that family members join the plan,… Read more

Change and Unchange

September 13, 2019
Year 4, Day 256 | No Comments
Section of Noli me Tangere by Hans Holbein the Younger

We summarize questions and answers about inevitable change and its understanding to its management.  We change, society changes – everything changes in natural life.  Some unchanging factors remain in their varied management of the changing society.  The change we address here is not in essentials that don’t change, but in the way flowing changes are faced and addressed.  Many changes seem like flowing lava in the society, tearing at the country side threatening disaster.  Changes jerk at us, or when thoughtfully introduced offer a better future for those adapting to them.  Unchanging God works for natural change. Some change in life is inevitable, and we may have no recourse except to manage within it.  In discussion, the concern is not… Read more

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