Holiness

"God save yer holiness."

From The Project Gutenberg EBook of Irish Wonders

"In the Bible holiness always includes the public, social dimension, which is connected inextricably to the personality of the individual. Not only the human heart must be holy, but also the living conditions, social structures and the forms of the environment in which people live and which they continually construct. In all probability, reified, ritual holiness in the Old Testament and in Judaism always intended this. We must be extremely careful about reducing the requirement of holiness to the purely moral. In no case may the social dimension be lost.

The New Testament obviously knew why it referred to the believers of a church as "the saints," why it spoke of the "holy people" and why it called the church a "holy temple." In all these expressions "holy" always connotes "separated." Not separated in a ghetto, in religious self-satisfaction or in cultural or intellectual isolation, but separated to a different style of life and to new forms of life which realize what God wants society to be, in contrast to the structures of a sick society that is far from God."

From Jesus and Community by Gerhard Lohfink, p. 135

New Start

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The Surrey Christian Sojourners!

I finally took the plunge and started a new 'meetup' group in my area for postmodern Christians. I hope this will be the beginning of a new Christian community. I'm nervous about it, yet excited. Please keep me in prayer!

Easter Weekend

I spent a wonderful 5 days visiting my Dad (Jack) and step-mom (Lorie) and their 9 Labradors on their new acreage in Lumby. I had a great time, and got some much-needed relaxation. Here is the 'best of' video...

Images of Calvary

At His Feet by Anthony Novak

"Jesus, being without sin, took upon himself the iniquities of the world, so that all who put their trust in him will be saved from the law of sin and death. At the foot of the Cross are life, hope, and salvation for all who believe."

Artists reflect on Good Friday - here.

The Weirdest Book I've Ever Seen

I was searching Amazon.ca for e-books, and this came up. I'm almost inspired to create a new category for it called 'complete weirdness'. Enjoy!

Book Description: Since Matthew Delooze's encounters with interdimensional beings during his childhood, and a spiritual awakening in 1998, he has been directed by mysterious forces. In 2005 he found himself being guided to visit Egypt, specifically the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. The astonishing photographs he took there suggest that we were ruled then by a race of reptilian aliens. Matthew believes that those reptilian aliens, that he calls the Serpent Cult, still rules us today, using their human puppets to deceive us into surrendering our spiritual self-possession. He draws parallels between ancient Egyptian gods, the Live 8 concerts, monuments in our towns and cities and the imagery in the Pope's regalia to show us how. He also suggests how you, the reader, can awaken from you trance and reclaim your true spiritual legacy.

Ouch!

While in the throes of a migraine, Lydia "PRUNES" her flowers.

Migraine by Crystal Star &Peggy Hoffman

I've been battling a migraine for over two weeks now, so I haven't had a lot of original thoughts to post here. It's amazing how something so seemingly minor can (temporarily) transform my journey into a holding pattern. I've been thinking about the poor a lot during this time - I know that many of the world's poorest poor have no access to HIV or malaria medication. The sad truth is that something as accessible as aspirin is also hard to come by - a migraine like mine with no treatment could lay someone flat, robbing them of their ability to work. Bono's words really stand out to me right now: "I'm talking about the right to live like a human, the right to live, period. Those are the stakes in Africa right now."

Technorati tags: migraine, poverty, social justice

Bono Teaches Us True Religion

Here are some powerful quotes from Bono's speech:

"I'm talking about the right to live like a human, the right to live, period. Those are the stakes in Africa right now."

"This is not about charity...It's about justice, justice and equality."

"This is true religion. True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom. Love thy neighbor is not a piece of advice, it's a command. That means, in the global village, we're going to have to start loving a whole lot more people, that's what that means."

"Because where you live should not decide whether you live, or whether you die. And to those in the church who still sit in judgement on the AIDS emergency, let me climb into the pulpit for just one moment. Because whatever thoughts we have about God, who He is, or even if God exists, most will agree that God has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes, where the poor play house. God is where opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with a virus that will take both their lives. God is under the rubble, the cries we hear during wartime. God, my friends, is with the poor, and God is with us if we are with them. This is not a burden, this is an adventure. Don't let anyone tell you it cannot be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty."

Thank you, Bono, for being a prophet to the western world.

Technorati Tags: Bono, Africa, Make poverty history, poverty, HIV, pure religion, social justice

Neighborhood Kitty

Week in Review

Lent

“I remember sitting in the seat of the Ford Explorer as it finally stopped rolling, with its engine still running, and thinking, "This begins chapter two of my life." Indeed it does, though with considerably brighter prospects than it seemed at the time.”

Phillip Yancey writes about his recent car accident, which he miraculously survived without paralysis, in 'I'm Okay! Honest'.

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“Can you be both purpose-driven and emerging? We say that we are both, but some people wonder if that is possible. I think it depends on what you mean by the terms.”

Article Purpose Driven & Emerging? on a newly discovered site St. Paul's Collegiate Church at Storrs. Looking at their site, I almost wish I lived in Connecticut.

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Another newly discovered blogger, JR Woodward of Dream Awakener, has been posting articles about the book of Ephesians. The final article, Stand, concludes “three-part series on an overview of the book of Ephesians.” It’s my favorite type of reading – short, but packed with content. His whole blog is worth a look-see.

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Stephen Shields of Emergesque provides The "Jesus Family Tomb" Roundup, a list of articles discussing the issue with links to more extensive resources.

Flying Motorcycle

I really want one of these!