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

Contradiction/Paradox

September 7, 2018
Year 3, Day 250 | No Comments
Section of The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio, 1602

The difference between paradox and contradiction is, essentially: l) with paradox opposites seem faithful representation of facts, perhaps in different contexts; and, 2) with contradictions two conflicting ideas cannot both be true, perhaps neither.  I affirm my desk is made of oak, and I state the fact.  If my friend insists that it is constructed of maple, we are in contradiction.  It cannot be maple if it is oak, or vice versa.  Both cannot be true, but both of us may be wrong.  It may be cherry wood – neither oak nor maple.  There may be more than two sides to an argument.  We are a bit too simplistic in our understanding of forensics, and that possibility becomes important in… Read more

God Is In A Name

September 6, 2018
Year 3, Day 249 | No Comments
Section of Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo, 1508-1512

We are dealing with a factor very large in the history of God’s involvement with earth.  God not only is perceived in many names in Scripture, but is interested in the names of persons with whom he has to do.  The primary emphasis on naming, as related to him, is that there are many gods (symbols), but only one God (Divine life-force).  If we are dealing with God, we need to know how that is done if we are to be assured meaning to experience.  There are situations in Scripture representing the point – that all matters presumed to involve God are miracles in earth context.  The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, offers a dramatic illustration of… Read more

Church and Style

September 5, 2018
Year 3, Day 248 | No Comments
Section of Noli me Tangere by Hans Holbein the Younger

It is clear from Scripture that the institutional church is to serve as a center for Christian ministry.  That ministry is broad in its assignments that include evangelism and worship as primary factors.  Whatever advances those factors in the context of biblical instructions, ought to be engaged as church meaning.  In that meaning style becomes an important factor.  In acceptable styles the church is to function actively to cultivate growth in the number of persons accepting the redemptive personal gospel of Jesus Christ. In this gospel the necessary order for the acceptance of any human being is advanced through penitence and faith related to the forgiveness of God by which the individual is justified by God and accepted to immortality. … Read more

Privacy

September 4, 2018
Year 3, Day 247 | No Comments
Section of Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo, 1508-1512

Like so much related to life, privacy bears a variety of definitions and contexts.  The first meaning for privacy in the context of nature is for self-maintenance, even protection – both personal and social.  In the personal sense we need privacy so that we can see ourselves for what we are and becoming.  In privacy we take on responsibility for ourselves.  We are not carried along by others around us, to postures, to relate to other externals (good or ill) to determination about what we feel, think, and do.  There is modesty and humility in privacy where we can be alone to be and do some things that belong to us alone, or, if a faith person to share with… Read more

Stewardship

September 3, 2018
Year 3, Day 246 | No Comments
Section of Noli me Tangere by Hans Holbein the Younger

Teaching Scripture, largely achieved through parables of life and real experiences of persons, both devout and secular, often relates to stewardship.  Stewardship is basically the management of resources for the purpose of doing good as a hedge against the vicissitudes of natural/daily life.  For example, the plan of Joseph, noted in Genesis, presented to us as an interpretation of a dream from God to a leader, to build up a reserve of grain during profitable farming years so to meet the likely famine of drought years, is a stewardship lesson to us.  We meet the problems of natural life by taking precautions.  One of those precautions relates to money (wealth) management.  That management covers the spectrum of our needs and… Read more

Missions

September 2, 2018
Year 3, Day 245 | No Comments
Section of Christ and the Adulteress, Lucas Cranach the Younger and Workshop, ca. 1545–50

Recently an article came to me affirming that missionaries have changed the world.  Although I would not make quite so sweeping a statement, I believe strongly that they played an important role in world change. The claim can be most fully illustrated in the Catholic missions of South America following the story of Christian mission in Europe that began with the Apostle Paul.  The story is mixed, of course and we acknowledge the errors wherever they occurred, but the history on balance is quite affirmative.  The mission was sometimes sullied by the objectives of conquistadors seeking gold, some for holy-grail, or conquest for the sake of conquest.  Such is the story of mankind pursuing self-interests and dominated by secular objectives,… Read more

Self-Realization

September 1, 2018
Year 3, Day 244 | No Comments
Section of Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo, 1508-1512

We are concerned here with some stress, perhaps with depression.  The concepts are sometimes confusing to us, and may be identified differently from one person to another.  When for example is stress a form of depression or depression a form of stress?  Both depression and stress are sometimes good for us.  When not severe they may be motivating causing us to work harder to achieve some objective – motivation is a legitimate form of stress.  When the objective is achieved the stress goes away, but we may be stretched out and unduly weary, so must treat such matters.  Are we treating the investment effort of the assignment, or are we treating stress?  It is good to begin by acknowledging that… Read more

Meekness

August 31, 2018
Year 3, Day 243 | No Comments
Section of The Infant Jesus and St. John the Baptist, Guido Reni, n.d.

To be persons of understanding we need to have a fair and honest share of acceptance, patience and humility that point to openness strong enough to hold convictions and life directions while honestly offering goodwill to those in opposition to our beliefs and actions.  This pattern is well illustrated in Moses, straightforward with Pharaoh, in a civil exchange, and waiting out the program of God that would free the people.  Moses, brought up in a royal household, never lost the fact he was a son of Israel.  At an appropriate time he wanted to address the matter of the slavery and suffering of his first people.  He did what he set out to do gaining support even of lay Egyptians…. Read more

Wanting To Want To

August 30, 2018
Year 3, Day 242 | No Comments
Section of Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo, 1508-1512

Human beings are often victims of their own contradictions and paradoxes.  We want to believe in God, but we have our own reasons and/or feelings for not doing so.  There are basketsful of reasons, perhaps excuses for doing or not doing just about anything.  We call them by various terms, those that we see or feel, and we don’t give a much attention even to recognition of some matters that need early resolution if life is to give us what we desire of it.  We miss proper motivations, opportunities, values, and the like because of our delays, uncertainties, laziness, ignorance, underdeveloped character, relationships, virtues, and that story too can be expanded in the story of human fault lines.  Once we… Read more

Wisdom’s Window

August 29, 2018
Year 3, Day 241 | No Comments
Section of The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio, 1602

We rightly wonder what wisdom is, how to use it with skill, why it is so respected but made impotent in the face of human problem solving and conduct appropriate to its meaning.  If informed about biblical story the reader can easily feel the impact of conversations between the father, David, and the son, Solomon, on the meaning and value of knowing the facts, understanding where they lead and having wisdom to interpret their meaning to the conduct of people.  Solomon carried this writing of his father to his writings and actions in the reign he engaged after the death of David.  The summary outline of the wisdom literature of Scripture is found in the seed of the 49th Psalm. … Read more

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