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  • A tragic misconception of time

    I have just received a letter from a white brother in Texas. He writes: “All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry. It has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth.” Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.

  • Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.

    …I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

  • I once asked a Lutheran pastor why we needed the sacraments if the grace given by simply believing in Jesus is enough for ultimate salvation. He said, “Because Nathan, God wants to give you more than enough grace—grace upon grace!”

    God didn’t just save us and heal us, he pours out his Spirit upon us so we can have life, and life abundant.

    I am excited to preach about the extravagant, over-the-top love of God tomorrow morning!

    Pray for me.

  • Brilliant discussion with renowned New Testament scholar N. T. Wright on the historical Jesus, the destructive potential of ultra-conservative Christianity, and the implausibility of an “epistemological Switzerland.”

  • I read this week about the miracle at Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine.

    His mother Mary didn’t demand a specific solution to the problem at hand.

    She simply and humbly told Jesus “they’ve run out of wine” in faith that he would do whatever was best.

    If only I had that confidence and humility in prayer.

  • Got some news today that was—initially—quite disappointing.

    But I was reminded that because of Jesus there’s nothing to fear, even if things don’t go the way I thought they would.

    God is always present, and always loving.

  • 🍿 Finally saw Bumblebee yesterday afternoon with Amber and really enjoyed it. As far as Transformers movies go it is certainly the best so far—it manages to add genuine heart and solid pacing to the franchise’s trademark robot action. Plus, you know I loved that 80’s nostalgia.