God’s promises are so many and various that you can be absolutely sure they will never run out and they cover all your needs. Always and forevermore . You can base your life on God’s promises. They will carry you home. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.(Psalm 119:50; NLT,*) As R.C. Sproul has said, “faith involves trusting in the future promises of God and waiting for their fulfillment”. So let’s put our trust in God and…
Since the hate-filled happenings in Charlotte, this Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote has been going through my mind. Over and over again. “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” We can’t be silent anymore. Things are escalating rapidly, we need to act. We can’t stay silent any longer. Not to speak is to speak; it’s taking sides with evil. Is that what you want?…
Today, I was contemplating on the text on Pilate washing his hands for responsibility of Jesus’ death. I understand his dilemma: the crowd wanting Jesus dead and Pilate wanting to keep his job while (he and) his wife not finding Jesus guilty. What to do? Whom to serve? And did the hand washing work? Did he get rid of his guilt or not? How about you? Do you wash your hands like Pilate? How does that work? I’m afraid washing our hands…
It’s great that we trust God. But we are also called to follow Christ. We can’t omit the cross and Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer states “Christianity without discipleship is Christianity without Christ.” As followers of Jesus we can’t dictate our own terms or decide what we are willing to do. We can’t write our own program to suit our whims and wants. We can’t limit our following to our comprehension. It’s too limited. We are called to follow Christ beyond comprehension….
One of my favorite hymns is the one made from the poem “By Loving Forces” written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in prison. He sent it to his family for Christmas to bring hope and assurance. And this hymn still does it every time. So if you’re in dire need of encouragement in the midst of hardships, this song is for you. I’ve always loved the Finnish hymn made from the poem. Today, I fell in love with the newer German version…
This Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote captured me this morning, so I just had to share it with you. Hopefully – if you want to be a Christian – it will touch a chord in you and inspire you to put your faith in practice too. “If we want to be Christians, we must have some share in Christ’s large-heartedness by acting with responsibility and in freedom when the hour of danger comes, and by showing a real sympathy that springs, not…
I never thought that I would be blogging about President Obama giving eulogy. But life does surprise us, doesn’t it? And this one was a very pleasant surprise. I truly liked what President Obama said in eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney last Friday in Charleston, South Carolina. Who would have thought that Obama’s theology echoes Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Or St. Paul? For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift…
The writing prompt today from Five Minutes Friday was ‘together’. My immediate association was Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s wonderful but challenging book Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community. Bonhoeffer teaches us how to be church together, how to live out faith the original way. Faith is not just an individual affair, no matter how much we would like to be independent. Faith is not just a communal affair, no matter how much we would like to keep it social….
