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

God Search

May 25, 2017
Year 2, Day 145 | No Comments
Section of Christ and the Woman of Samaria, Benedetto Luti, 1715-20

Search for God is a major matter for any normal person, in any part of the world – in any language, race, nationality, place or stage in life.  Cultural jungles have grown up making the search more difficult than it ought to be.  The Apostles faced a monumental task of communicating to a world with limited true information about God.  In our era, there is a serious overload of information that threatens.  As the first was like a desert the present is like a jungle.  As the earlier had too little vegetation, the later has too much.  As the first may have given up for the paucity of information, the last may give up for the overload.  As once the… Read more

Christian Life Mystery

May 24, 2017
Year 2, Day 144 | No Comments
Section of The Crucifixion, Pedro Orrente, ca. 1625–30

The persons who know my private and public life most know that one of the major issues of my life is the matter of maturity.  To believe that a person is mature is the high compliment – as I perceive Scripture. I believe it is the major Christian goal for the individual in a faith relationship with Jesus Christ, and with that the mature person means to become a model of integrity.  Even without religious faith one can become mature in common grace so to be helpful in the perceptions of peaceful and loving context of natural life leading to problem solutions.  God assists in this context.  For the Christian there is added an even more important maturity relating to… Read more

Church Building

May 23, 2017
Year 2, Day 143 | No Comments
Section of Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo, 1508-1512

I hold firm faith in God, God identified on earth as one – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  At some point in the sifting process of value factors in my life, I may begin at the bottom of the pyramid of values that makes up the important matters of my life.  Each block in the pyramid is important to me, but as I ascend to the high point some factors, although important are identified so but less so than those above them.  At the top there is God only – into whose presence we prayerfully relate, with his assistance.  One is reminded that all his/her values are important to the individual, but some more important than others.  Arts, or what… Read more

Jesus and Time

May 22, 2017
Year 2, Day 142 | No Comments
Section of The Infant Jesus and St. John the Baptist, Guido Reni, n.d.

This Page is begun on May 21, 2011.  In the light of a sub-plot of news for the last few weeks this is an interesting day.  The main news is occupied with the: concerns about Israel and Palestinians in international considerations; morals of a leading world banker, and an actor (the former governor of California); uprisings in various Islamic countries by citizens seeking better governments; death of terrorist, bin Laden, with uncertainty about future terrorism; erratic stock market and slow recovery from years of world recession.  Other world problems aggravate.  The point is made for me, that in my long life there have appeared inveterate, personal, community and world problems that are generally threatening to peaceful and progressive improvement for… Read more

Social Righteousness

May 21, 2017
Year 2, Day 141 | No Comments
Section of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci

In 2010 a study was published related to the financial and societal costs of our bad habits.  Some analysts call them the sin factors of daily life costing trillions of dollars.  Sin designation is seen as important to shock the society that bad habits are negative, and should be corrected as a human concern.  This may be somewhat helpful, but is a gentle perception of sin.  Sin in this context means bad, but is not necessarily related to actual or alleged immorality before God.  There is an underlying impression that though the practices are bad they do not have lasting spiritual meaning.  Perhaps the majority of persons in the world believe that we gain whatever mortality and immortality benefits there… Read more

‘Common’ Sin

May 20, 2017
Year 2, Day 140 | No Comments
Section of Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo, 1508-1512

This date has been my choice for dealing with sins that are not generally discussed.  They are overshadowed by the gross sins of our concern, but sins nonetheless.  One of these sins is intemperance in life, our consideration for Today’s Page.  The point is of sufficient importance that the Scripture notes the matter of moderation, of temperance, of balance, for life as spiritual, perhaps more important than we realize for fulfilled and happy life.  To agree to the principles is not enough.  Application must follow.  Application requires self-policing.  We understand that to be self-controlled is related to our lives over matters about which we have something to say.  We may forget that we are in partnership with God to make… Read more

Depravity

May 19, 2017
Year 2, Day 139 | No Comments
Section of Christ and the Woman of Samaria, Benedetto Luti, 1715-20

Almost daily I review major books, newspapers, magazines, and surf the TV/Internet to gain understanding about the human condition, principally in America. I want some evidence for daily life context as we have it, described in the media.  Today, April 23, 2011, touches my search.  I often write for days on different dates than appear for the Page, as is the instance for today.  I make choice for days relating themes to what has been written for the date over the years.  My major illustrative source for today, in deference to limited space, is the Wall Street Journal.  The date, 4/22/11, is Saturday, between Good Friday and Easter this year.  Advent is an appropriate time period for accent on thoughts… Read more

Starting at Go

May 18, 2017
Year 2, Day 138 | No Comments
Section of Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo, 1508-1512

Important to mankind’s concepts of God are the unknowns.  Christians know he is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons in one God.  We have analogies employed to make the understanding of the Trinity clearer, but it is unlikely that we fully grasp the concept, because we have nothing higher than personhood, an image of God, in us to relate some meaning.  We believe God is one and perfect.  His nature is perfect love, perfect peace, which with his power attributes become the source of all virtues.  God’s nature is in truth, so there is no room for falsity in any issue.  When truth reigns one does not have to remember anything other than to engage truth.  When mankind falsifies… Read more

Gospel

May 17, 2017
Year 2, Day 137 | No Comments
Section of Christ and the Adulteress, Lucas Cranach the Younger and Workshop, ca. 1545–50

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a leveler that appears lost from human history.  Life features that matter highly in society were often precluded to Scripture and church.  Much is made in secular reporting of racial segregation, so divisive, in the church in America before the Civil War, but continued in an unclear cultural pattern until experience after World War II.  Some racial prejudice continues on a reduced level, and without support of authorities and the nation’s best leadership.  It is muted but tenacious.  It will continue at some level no matter how insignificant it may become, simply because we are flawed and find prejudice in any context in which we are found.  Our solutions are generally found in reducing… Read more

Son-Light

May 16, 2017
Year 2, Day 136 | No Comments
Section of Adoration of the Magi, artist unknown

What is the minimal belief for becoming a Christian?  What must be done to gain my assurance for future spiritual safety?  Asking some questions may make us appear cowardly in fearing mystery. The questions are important for several reasons, the first of which is to make sure that the minimal requirement is met, even if there is failure in meeting some implications attending acceptance of a person by God.  So vast is the gulf between a created being and God, that we do not have the competency to answer many nagging questions about God and mankind.  Down deep we feel adequate for consideration by an infinite God, but we do feel that somehow we arrived here and someone must be… Read more

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