This isn’t the sound check. This is the concert. (And yes, that can be a metaphor for life, and a sad reality for both.)
I’m sure the inventor of this candle thought, “What a poetic, evocative name.” But if I ever bought it and burnt it, all I could imagine myself thinking was, “I BURN YOUR WISHES. I BURN THEM UP.”
Getting tired of listening to certain conservative friends freak out over same-sex marriage. You’d think desegregation was happening all over again.
TUESDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER.
So you’re not billionaire-rich. But if you have a lot of possessions, Jesus counts you as rich. So, heads up.
THURSDAY, 5 SEPTEMBER.
Too many of us use Christianity to affirm ourselves. Not reject yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.
FRIDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER.
In a parallel universe, President Romney is calling for Americans to fight in Syria. And every last neoconservative is backing him 100 percent… though in our universe you’d think they were all newly converted pacifists.
Somewhat true.
SATURDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER.
Focus on eternal things.
There is a difference.
MONDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER.
The reason people want a government which will solve all their problems is because deep down, unconsciously, they desire the kingdom of God.
The reason people want government to leave them alone is sometimes because they recognize this, and want the kingdom instead of our government. Sometimes.
But for a lot of them, especially those who take pride in their utter independence from anyone or anything: They don’t want God either. Like the Pharisees, they want to be free to interpret his rules however they please, but if God literally showed up, he’d get in their way, so they’d want him dead.
WEDNESDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER.
I think it was actually back in May.
THURSDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER.
Not gonna stop plenty of Christians from trying, though.
Oh, the fun you can have with pronunciation.
In picking a church, fruit of the Spirit makes all the difference.
FRIDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER.
If Monty Python and the Holy Grail were marketed as serious instead of funny.
Such a double standard.
SATURDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER.
Years ago my dad told me the story of when he asked God to show himself, and God didn’t answer. (Which was kind of God, considering Dad asked to be struck with lightning.) Dad concluded there’s no God, and proceeded to become atheist.
And thanks to Dad’s behavior, he probably drove me further towards God in my teens than anything else. Some kids rebel by ditching church; I rebelled by going. So, y’know, there’s that—sometimes God can best use you as an atheist.
The Canadian version of Breaking Bad would be much briefer.
WEDNESDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER.
Or they do know, but keep accepting empty promises in exchange. You know, like, “Vote for me! I’ll close Guantanamo Bay!” or “Vote for me! I’m pro-life!” Either way.
Wonder how many Christians ever bother to hit the “Let the Lord Decide” button?
“Heretic” is an overused word. We’re saved by grace, folks; not orthodoxy.
THURSDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER.
PETA goes for the easy victims. Socialites who wear fur who would never attack back; slower-than-average models who don’t realize they’re being exploited just as much as the animals they claim to defend; fast food restaurants staffed by teenagers and out-of-shape managers. If any of them ever foolhardily attack a leather-clad biker, it’s only because they’ve decided, “I don’t really need my teeth anymore.”
So… what good will it do God if he keeps me alive another day?
Just another fun thought before bedtime.
MONDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER.
Wishful thinking isn’t faith. Faith is based on something solid: Substance. Evidence. Hoped-for and unseen, but still.
TUESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER.
A human relationship, based solely on spontaneity, will never be a deep one. And a divine relationship, based solely on following whatever spiritual whim comes your way (or wrongly described as “wherever the Spirit leads”), will likewise never become a deep one. You will always be an entry-level Christian, destined for mediocrity unless the Holy Spirit does something drastic to wake you up.
WEDNESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER.
Overdo it and it’ll stop working.
Argumentativeness is a work of the flesh. Why then do Christians do it? “We’re arguing for Jesus.”
FRIDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER.
Jesus said, “A man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho, where he was attacked by robbers, beaten, and left for dead.
“A senator happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he said to himself, ‘I can’t be helping every poor fool who doesn’t plan ahead; it establishes a bad precedent, and disrupts the economy.’ And he passed him by.
“A pastor likewise saw the man, and said to himself, ‘When Jesus said “Heal the sick,” he only meant supernatural healing,’ and sent up a flare-prayer; and seeing no results, shrugged and passed him by as well.
“But an illegal immigrant came by, saw him, took pity on him, bandaged his wounds, put him in his truck, took him to a clinic, and offered to help him out however he could. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor?”
The Republican said, “Well, the senator.”
Jesus told him, “How hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Nearly sixty years of guitar solos in nearly six minutes.
MONDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER.
Lately I’ve noticed a significant pause when I open Facebook in my browser. Probably they’re just scanning my browser history, in case there are any areas of my life they don’t know about, and can’t market to, yet.
Priorities.
Raj Patel: “There are two novels that can change a bookish 14-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves Orcs.”
