Galaxies

"Telescope, keep an eye on my only hope,

lest I blink and be swept off the narrow road.

Hercules, you've got nothing to say to me,

'cause you're not the blinding light that I need.

For He is the saving grace of the galaxies!"

~Galaxies, Owl City


Snapshots of the pages of 
the 1979 book by Walter Sullivan, "Black Holes"


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The Truth War

It grieves me to learn that apostasy runs widespread in the church today.  I thought, since we have the Bible, it was a thing of bygone medieval times.  Boy was I wrong.

I find it hard to believe there are some who heard and studied and believed the truth of the gospel but then turn away from it.  Why?  Because it did not work for them?  Since when is the truth of God's word centered on people?  Isn't it centered on God and who He is?  God sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins to give us life.  But why do they turn His grace into a permission for licentiousness?  Why is the Bible being twisted by people to mean what the current culture want it to mean?  Since when is the current culture more important than eternity?

What ever happened to the fear of the Lord?

What ever happened to loving the Lord with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength?

And why are only a few Christians standing up for truth?

Oh... It's very disturbing.  

In this book, The Truth War, John Macarthur encourages real Christians who know the truth to contend, not with weapons of the flesh, for the truth.

"To be an effective warrior in the battle for truth today, several old-fashioned, Christlike virtues are absolutely essential: biblical discernment, wisdom, fortitude, determination, endurance, skill in handling Scripture, strong convictions, the ability to speak candidly without waffling, and a willingness to enter into conflict."
~John Macarthur

We must be faithful to the true meaning of the word in order to fight falsehood.  I do hope that more Christians will love the truth.

"...it is an urgent reason to be deeply concerned about the future of the evangelical movement, and it ought to serve as a reminder that we had better get back to fighting the war for truth.
     The way to begin is by giving Christ His due position of preeminence in the church once more."
~John Macarthur

How do we know what is true and what is not?  Sound doctrine.  Let us study God's word for what it really is.  Jesus said it best,
"If you hold to My teaching, you really are My disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
~John 8:31-32

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Anna Karenina

I've read the book a couple of times.  Each time I read I get to see and feel differently for the characters.

Anna is one of those types I would love to hate.  But seeing things from her perspective I felt compassion for her.

Alexei Karenin is the character, who at first, I felt compassion for but in the end disliked.

As for Vronsky,  I hated him from beginning to end.

In the chaos of affairs Levin and Kitty are the only ones who emerged well from their struggles.

And then the movie... trailer.

Doesn't it look dazzling?

I can't wait to see how they will portray all those anti-heroes and how they will interpret the values, or lack of it, that buzz around them.

Have you read the book?  Are you excited to see the movie?

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Rediscovering Holiness (A Book Review)

"All ventures in holiness go rotten at the core when gain in any form, rather than gratitude, motivates them.  The true taproot of holiness is always the Spirit-prompted urge to show love to God and others by doing what is right out of gratitude to God for Jesus Christ..."
~J.I. Packer

This is one of my favorite books on holiness.  J.I. Packer makes vivid what the holiness of God is and what it means to us.  He explains that holiness is not just a concept but it is who God is and it is what He requires of us as His beloved children.  Packer goes on to say that living a pure life inside out is not as impossible as we think rather it is made possible by Jesus who paid the price of our sins on the cross and with the help of the Holy Spirit.

In this journey I will fall many times, but it gives me much comfort and encouragement to know that the Creator of the universe is helping me every step of the way.  What a relief!

"The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God."
~Psalm 51:17 (NLT)


"He gave us His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."
~Titus 2:14 (NLT)


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Night

How I fall between shadows!
What is this night
that displays
light in absence?

The clock of sky
is relentless
in its slow circular motion
without a care.

I keep on falling.
Under its face
I am still,
small,

alone

as the sun seem absent,
waiting for the light
to break the night blue.

Sartre and Heidegger: What is Your Essence?

"Existence precedes essence."
~John Paul Sartre


"The essence of Dasein lies in its existence."
~Martin Heidegger

Ontology!  Do I exist because I have essence or do I exist because I will have essence?  What if I say, "I am happy."  Is being "happy" the essence of "I am" because "I am" exist or does "I am" as a dasein exist because of the essence of being "happy"?

Or is this a problem of syntax?

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Anatomy of a Librarian

source

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

"If it is I who determine where God is to be found, then I shall always find a God who corresponds to me in some way, who is obliging, who is connected with my own nature.  But if God determines where He is to be found, then it will be a place which is not immediately pleasing to my nature and which is not at all congenial to me.  This place is the cross of Christ.  And whoever would find Him must go to the foot of the cross, as the Sermon on the Mount commands.  This is not according to our nature at all, it is entirely contrary to it.  But this is the message of the Bible, not only in the New but also in the Old Testament..."
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I love reading biographies because I get to glean lessons from the lives of great men and women.  I have yet to get to the middle of this book but I have learned a thing or two already.

Bonhoeffer, no matter how mischievous his students were, did not lose composure and kindness to them.  I think a good and kindly composure is one of the outward manifestations of having trust in Jesus.

I get too emotional and lose composure most of the time especially in tough situations.  Next time I should remember to take a deep breath, harness those self-indulgent emotions, and think of what response will delight the Lord and then composure will be the posture.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
~Galatians 2:20

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