37 things people are saying about God

Face detail of God by Michelangelo. | Photo via WikiCommons - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Creation_of_the_Sun_and_Moon_face_detail.jpg

I did a random search for “God” on Twitter last week. Interesting to see how many different mentions he gets at any given point online…

Here are just a random sampling of what folks are saying about “God” on Twitter…

@DoctorOddfellow
Oh God. Cook County Sheriff was just here and I JUST missed an obstruction of justice charge. Ugh. Rules and Policies, you don’t work.

@Nnenma
You are blessed if you are too busy to worry by day and too sleepy to worry by night. God gives sleep to His beloved.

@ChrisDuhamelJsy
Oh dear god… these little people are so depressing! this is meant to be full of funnies… they aren’t there on my tv to depress me

@mattlande
God, we’re all so empty yet so fulfilled.
Continue reading 37 things people are saying about God

A second chance for the KKK

Never Beyond KKK
Who would you give a second chance? | Illustration by People of the Second Chance

The American Civil Rights struggle can teach us a lot about love and forgiveness — especially that of loving our enemies.

“The black freedom struggle is the best example of bringing together the quest for unarmed truth and unconditional love in the face of American Terrorism for 400 years. Instead of a Black al-Qaeda you get Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther.” – Dr Cornel West

Of all the inspiring stories that have come from the Civil Rights struggle in America – one of the most powerful ones I’ve heard is the story of Rev. Wade Watts.
Continue reading A second chance for the KKK

Peace is not merely a distant goal

eucatastrophe
eucatastrophe | illustration by Jonathan Blundell

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

Through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder.

Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can’t establish truth.

Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate.

Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that…

We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody, that is far superior to the dis-chords of war.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

– Martin Luther King Jr.

Today, I’m reminded of the speech President Bush didn’t give on Oct. 1, 2001.

The speech was written by Brian McLaren as an illustration on the different path America could have chosen in a post 9/11 world (the above quote from Martin Luther King was included in the speech).

I encourage you to read it the entire speech. To chew on it and consider how different the last 10 years might have been had the speech been given.

(read the speech)

May God bless the entire world.

Lighten your burden

Granddad and Grandma waiting for his surgery
My grandparents waiting for Granddad's surgery | Photo by Jonathan Blundell

Shane Hipps shares in the latest Mars Hill podcast…

When his grandmother was in her 70s and her husband was in his 90s she had done all she could to care for him at home, but eventually it was to difficult. So they moved him to a nursing facility near by. Shane’s grandmother had never had a drivers license, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her.

So every morning she would get up and walk 2.5 miles to the nursing home to sit by her husband’s side. There wasn’t much she could do, but she would sit with him and be present.

Every night when visiting hours were over, she would walk 2.5 miles home.

Each day (seven days a week) walking five miles – for two years.

When asked what it was like she said, “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life but it was my joy to be with him and I would have done it as many years as God would have let me.”

There was a levity to her burden because of love.