URBANarmy

Typical - day after you preach on Hebrews 10:19-25, not least "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds " a brilliant Ghandi quote pops into your inbox! "Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very being. . . . If love or non-violence be not the law of our being, the whole of my argument falls to pieces. . . . Belief in non-violence is based on the assumption that human nature in its essence is one and therefore unfailingly responds to the advances of love. . . . If one does not practice non-violence in one's personal relations with others and hopes to use it in bigger affairs, one is vastly mistaken." Ghana ( Mahatma Gandhi, edited by Thomas Merton,  On Non-Violence  (New Directions: 2007), 10)

I remember reading somewhere that Dallas Willard used to ask himself each evening two powerful questions. "Have I been more or less irritable today? and have I been more or less hopeful today" . I tried it and found it quite challenging! Add this Carl Jung quote to the mix and it gets a whole lot more challenging! "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."  C.G. Jung Almighty God, unto you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord.

Bel Canto drew a varied response as a choice this time around for book club. I was struck by the impact of beauty in a dark and ominous situation, the transformation it brought, the hope it nurtured and its part in the dignity of humanity. I got home and thought of a connection I wish I had made. Tom Wright suggests that we have  a responsibility  to be 'workers for justice; explorers of spirituality, makers and menders of relationships, creators of beauty...' Wright, N.T. (2006:161). Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. SanFrancisco: HarperSanFrancisco As ever a fascinating discussion last night.