While his nickname would never be approved by Ned Flanders, HERE is an article about Corey Holmes that shows that that humility and team-centeredness run deeper than football coaching.
C-Murder
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Something to Chew
Words from some guy named Jeff Woods…
“The church has sought to guide the spiritual lives of its members in very practical, reasonable ways.
That sounds like a compliment. It’s not.
Contrary to Western thought, spirituality is anything but reasonable and practical.”
Thoughts? Commentary? Confusion?
What’s Up, Diog?
There’s an old writing called the Epistle to Diognetus. It’s written by an anonymous “disciple” (I don’t care what Wikipedia says) to Diognetus, “a highly regarded pagan” to describe to him the Christian community about which he was quite curious…
They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.
It might just be me, but that sounds a lot like the Way!
One Last Confession Bit
Just came across this last night. Then I’ll leave this thread for at least a short time…
Karl Barth’s thought…
“When we speak of our virtues we are competitors,
when we confess our sins we become brothers.”
My Confession
I don’t really like that word; never really have. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t automatically get a touch defensive just by reading that word… put your hand up. Anyone? Anyone?! Bueller?
That’s what I spoke about at church this morning: The place of confession and repentance in preparing the way for the Lord. Isaiah spoke of them. John did too (that’s the Baptist, not the Close). I admit that there’s a foolish part of me that would have preferred to have walked around the topic, but it just wasn’t an option. So on we marched.
A few thoughts…
Socrates has his famous quote: “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
An examined life… that’s GOT to be connected to confession and repentance–it’s being in tune with what’s really going on inside oneself. Not an easy task to be sure, but necessary. Derek Webb’s great song “Crooked Deep Down” has been in my head for over a week. I guess I can relate to its chorus:
“Oh Lord, I’m crooked deep down. Everyone’s crooked deep down.”
Crookedness can run so deep that we find the desire to rationalize and justify around every corner of our insides. One would think that such charades would get tiring enough that we’d just desire to simplify… just to live open, honest lives that have no games playing out. One would think…
John Wesley, while at university, gathered a group of friends. They called themselves the “holy club“. Their goal? To live examined lives and push each other upwards towards greater discipleship.
Below is the list of questions that they formed to help in the quest…
John Wesley’s Holy Club
Questions
These are 22 questions the members of John Wesley’s Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions over 200 years ago.
- Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I relly am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
- Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
- Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
- Can I be trusted?
- Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
- Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
- Did the Bible live in me today?
- Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
- Am I enjoying prayer?
- When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
- Do I pray about the money I spend?
- Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
- Do I disobey God in anything?
- Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
- Am I defeated in any part of my life?
- Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
- How do I spend my spare time?
- Am I proud?
- Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
- Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward, or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
- Do I grumble or complain constantly?
- Is Christ real to me?