Category Archives: Quote

On January 20th

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All of the Presidents pictured above were sworn into office on this day.

1569 – The translator of the Bible into English, Miles Coverdale, dies at 80

1942 – Slim Whitman, yodeler and country singer, was born.  Below are two videos of him singing “Indian Love Call.”  The first is from Mars Attacks.

1948 - Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.  A few quotes from him follow.

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it–always.”

1993 - Audrey Hepburn, actress in My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Roman Holiday, dies of colon cancer in Switzerland at 63.

Reflection on Romans 5:5-11

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Romans 5:5-11
Hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
For while we were still helpless,
Christ died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
For only with difficulty will one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might be willing to die.

But God proves his love for us
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood,
will we be saved through him from wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
And not only that,
but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Reflection for Today on Romans
From the very first time I read Romans 5:5, I have loved that verse.  First of all, I love the fact that Paul tells us that “hope does not disappoint.” Of course this does not mean that everything in life will work out as we wish it would or as we plan for it to, but it does mean for me that there is more to the workings of this world and life than I can see.  It also means that there is a benevolent deity standing behind it all.  This truth is attested to by Paul when he adds, “because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.”  God’s love for me sustains me in my darkest times, and I know that the Spirit of God is always with me.  These two facts allow, even cause, me to have and keep hope in this crazy world.

Quote for Today
“Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.” – George Iles

Reflection on 1 John 3:1-3

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1 John 3:1-3

See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we should be called children of God.
Yet so we are.
Therefore the world does not know us
because it did not know him.
Beloved, now we are God’s children;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope in him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.

Reflection for Today

You are a child of God.  There is nothing else more important in your life than this simple fact.  Nothing.  You are loved by the Creator of the Universe, who has claimed you as your as his own.  Remember this always.

Quote for Today

“As a child of God, I am greater than anything that can happen to me.” – Abdul Kalam

Reflection on Luke 14:1, 7-11

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Luke 14:1, 7-11

And it came to pass that one sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.

And he told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor,
saying to them,
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast,
do not recline at table in the place of honor,
lest a more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this person,’
and then you would proceed with shame to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you, he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Reflection for Today from Luke
Humility does not come easily for me.  I take pride in my accomplishments, and believe that I a decent person (for the most part).  But we are reminded in scripture to think better of others than we do of ourselves.  This can be very difficult, even near impossible at times, especially when the other holds different opinions and values than I.  Nevertheless, the cultivation of humility is an essential part of following Jesus, and so I must do the best I can to humble myself.

Quote for Today
“What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God” -  Monica Baldwin

Reflection on Philippians 1:1-11

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Philippians 1:1-11

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus,
to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,
with the bishops and deacons:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God upon my every remembrance of you,
always praying every prayer of mine with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
I am convinced of this:
that he who began a good work in you
will accomplish it by the day of Jesus Christ.
It is right for me to think this way about you all,
because I hold you in my heart,
for both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel,
you are companions in my grace.

For God is my witness,
how intensely I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
So this I pray,
that your love may increase yet more and more
with full knowledge and all discernment
that you may determine what is excellent,
so that you may be pure and faultless at the day of Christ,
being filled with the fruit righteousness for the sake of Jesus Christ
and for the glory and praise of God.

Reflection for Today on Philippians

“I am convinced of this: that he who began a good work in you will accomplish it by the day of Jesus Christ.”

There’s the old saying “Be patient with me; God isn’t finished with me yet.” The truth of this is evident in both what Paul writes in this passage as well as in our own lived experience.  And for this truth, I am truly grateful.  I thank God every day that he is not finished with me.  There are still too many flaws and imperfections yet in me, and I pray that God will ultimately rid me of them.  This passage gives me hope that this is actually being accomplished in my life.

Quote for Today
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Daily Lectionary Reading for October 28, 2010 – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

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As part of my own daily devotions I am posting my own paraphrases of the the Daily Lectionary here on my blog (along with a short reflection on one or more of the readings and a related quote for the day).

Ephesians 2:19-22
So now you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but fellow citizens with the saints
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
in whom the whole structure is held together
and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
In him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Psalm 19:1-5
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night declares knowledge.
No speech. nor words , whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and their message to the ends of the world.

Luke 6:12-16
And it came to pass that in those days
[Jesus] went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
And when day came, he called his disciples
and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he also named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
Matthew and Thomas,
James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon who was called the Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Reflection for Today on Ephesians
To be a dwelling place for God’s Spirit . . . that’s what Paul tells us the Church is being transformed into.  The Church, built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Jesus Christ as its cornerstone, and everyone of us as its member, is becoming a holy temple, a place where God’s Spirit resides and can be felt/experienced.  Is there anymore exciting for the Church to contemplate?  And then there is also these two facts:  we are not alone or alienated from each other, nor are we strangers and sojourners in this world. No, we belong to each other, and together, as the Church, we can do amazing things.

Quote for Today
“Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” – Virgil

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 27, 2010 – Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

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As part of my own daily devotions I am posting my own paraphrases of the the Daily Lectionary here on my blog (along with a short reflection on one or more of the readings and a related quote for the day).

Ephesians 6:1-9
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise:
“that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.”
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Slaves, obey your masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as you would Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that whatever good anyone does will be requited from the Lord
whether slave or free.
Masters, do the same way towards them, and give up threatening,
knowing that your Master is also in heaven
and that there is no partiality with him.

Psalm 145:10-14
All your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and all your saints bless you.
They will tell of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might;
making known to the children men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom . . . an everlasting Kingdom
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.

Luke 13:22-30
And [Jesus] passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.
Then someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will seek to enter
but will not be able.

Once the master of the house has risen and shut the door,
and you begin to stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will answer you,
‘I do not know where you are from.’
Then you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
But he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’
And there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”

Reflection for Today on Luke
Just being with Jesus . . . in his presence, whether at church or during personal devotional times, is not enough.  The narrow gate is much harder to enter than walking through a church door.  Following Jesus entails action; it means doing the work of Jesus now.  Clean hearts must be matched with dirty hands.  Otherwise we may very well hear these words spoken to us:  “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!”

Quote for Today
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Bishop Desmond Tutu

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 26, 2010 – Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

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As part of my own daily devotions I am posting my own paraphrases of the the Daily Lectionary here on my blog (along with a short reflection on one or more of the readings and a related quote for the day).

Ephesians 5:21-33
Submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of the wife
even as Christ is head and Savior of the Church, his Body.
As the Church submits to Christ,
so wives should submit to their husbands in all things
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the Church
and gave himself up for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the washing of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one ever hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
even as Christ does the Church,
because we are members of his Body.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
and shall cleave to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a profound mystery,
but I am saying it refers to Christ and the Church.
In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself,
and the wife should respect her husband.

Psalm 128:1-5
Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the produce of your hands;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.

Luke 13:18-21
Then [Jesus] said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what shall I compare it?
It is like a grain mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden,
and it grew and became a great tree,
and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.”

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of flour
until it all was leavened.”

Reflection for Today from Luke and Ephesians

The key for interpreting Ephesians 5:22-33 is Ephesians 5:21.  This passage is all about mutual submission to each other, not the husband lording it over his wife, since there is only one LORD in the lives of Christians (and as far as I know he doesn’t wear pants and has as his bride the Church).  The Psalm compliments the reading from Ephesians.  Any man who fears (read reveres) the LORD and walks (read lives) in the way of the LORD is not going to try be a god over his wife.

Quote for Today
“When I say ‘hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come,’ I should be adding in my mind the words ‘in and through me,’ and so giving myself to God afresh to be, so far as I can be, the means of answering my own prayer. And when I say ‘thy will be done,’ I should mean this as a prayer that I, along with the rest of God’s people, may learn to be obedient.” – J. I. Packer

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 25, 2010 – Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

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As part of my own daily devotions I am posting my own paraphrases of the the Daily Lectionary here on my blog (along with a short reflection on one or more of the readings). God willing, this will not be a short term thing.

Ephesians 4:32–5:8
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

And be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us
as an offering and sacrifice to God, a fragrant aroma.
But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among saints,
neither obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place,
but instead let there be thanksgiving.
Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person
(that is, an idolater),
has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words,
for because of these things
the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience.
So do not be associated with them.
For you at one time were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light.

Psalm 1:1-6
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of scoffers,
but delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
In all that he does, he prospers.

Not so the wicked,
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the time of judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

Luke 13:10-17
Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath,
and a woman was there who had a spirit of disease for eighteen years.
She was completely bent over and was never able to stand up straight.
When Jesus saw her, he summoned her and said,
“Woman, you are set free from your disease.”
Then he laid hands on her, and at once she stood up straight and praised God.

But the leader of the synagogue began to speak with indignation
because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath.
He said to the crowd,
“There are six days on which it is proper to do work.
Come on those days and be healed, but not on the Sabbath day.”

Then the Lord answered him and said,
“You hypocrites!
Does not each of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall
and lead it away to give it water?
Then shouldn’t this woman,
a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years,
be set loose from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

When he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame;
and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Reflection for Today from Luke and Ephesians
How easy it is for us to focus on what is non-essential, to get caught up in majoring in the minors.  The religious leader in the gospel lesson is so upset about a broken “rule” that he fails to recognize what is really important:  a woman who has been sick for 18 years has been healed.  We are often in danger of doing the same.  Perhaps the opening words of our reading from Ephesians can serve as a corrective for us:  “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. And be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love.” 

Quote for Today
“Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.” — Eric Fromm

The Basis for Christian Unity

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“Christian Unity is not a secular unity, and must be prompted by no secular motive. The unity we seek is deeper than anything that the world offers. . . .  Christian Unity can only be “in Christ”. It is based on the New Birth and New Life in Christ, and upon the oneness of all the members in the Christ who is the Head. Therefore, “the quest for the unity of the Church must in fact be identical with the quest for Jesus Christ as the concrete Head and Lord of the Church.” – Karl Barth

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