Bloggy Linky Goodness
Before I get started, allow me to share one of the weird things I’ve been thinking about. First, the number 40. Remember how it rained for 40 days and 40 nights for Noah? And how the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. And Jesus retreated to the desert for 40 days before starting his ministry. And it takes 40 days to gestate a human baby. Coincidence? I think not.
Now on to Bloggy Linky Goodness:
Looking Out For Number 1 (Part 1) In this post Joe Thorn shares his early fascination with Satanism and why the most important holiday for any Satanist is his own birthday. Joe is now the pastor of a church in the far western suburbs of Chicago, so clearly he’s come around to a whole different way of thinking. Excellent stuff and I’m looking forward to the rest of the story.
Just a Mediocre Miracle (by Neely Stansell-Simpson) This guest post over at Rachel Held Evans’ blog really touched me. Neely explains how bringing her 3 year old into the hard parts of life rather than trying to shield her made all the difference. Very sweet, touching story. And I whole-heartedly believe that we protect our kids too much from the hard realities of life as well.
A Fleeting Moment of Surprise Something completely different – a poem! I loved this one from Mochamad Subhu Zien who I believe is an Indonesian writer. Who writes amazing poetry. “This morning/I had a fleeting moment of surprise!/When I finished my morning prayer/God kissed me on the cheek.” There’s more – go read it!
Salvation Here and Now and Then and There Reader Rev. John Collins shares his take on the nature of salvation. His answer reminds me of a truth I have long held to – we enter into the afterlife as the people we have become in this life. It makes no sense to wait until then to work through our salvation.
Wanting God to Exist is More Important Than Believing in God This guest post by Jeff Cook over at Jesus Creed (Scot McKnight’s blog) is so spot on. In it Jeff Cook explains why most apologetics do nothing to move people to belief. And he uses this amazing quote from Pascal which sums the whole thing up nicely: “Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is”
Chosen Over at Embracing This Life, Laura sucked me in with this post that talks about something I know all about – feeling rejected. Last chosen. Surrounded by people who might put up with you, but don’t really want you. Most all of us have been there. But, like she says – we have been chosen by the Most High.
Comparisons will kick you in the teeth and hijack your dreams every time We women can be an awfully insecure, competitive bunch. I mean, men are known for being competitive, but I don’t know that they let it seep into everything the way that women do. Lisa Jo Baker aka The Gypsy Mom shares this post encouraging us to stop comparing ourselves to everyone else. I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but it was quite timely for me.
Finally, I heard this song on the radio yesterday and thought, “that sounds like worship to me.” Sure enough, I looked it up and discovered that the artist, Tyrone Watts comes from a fundamentalist background and was only allowed to listen to gospel music by his parents. He attended a Christian university and formed a band that put out a Dove Award nominated album. Given that he’s a pop star now, I’m thinking he’s walked away from fundamentalist background, but clearly what is good still has a hold on the boy. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndnS1RXZJzM
As always, if you are a blogger who has a post you’re especially proud of or a reader who’s found a post that you think everyone should read – send it to me! Email me at ratrotter73@yahoo.com or use the contact form (under “About”) to send it on.
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