There are just some days when my words are not enough. I can feed myself candy and call it food, but most of the time when tell myself things that sound good in the moment they often leave me hungering for more. That's junk food religion. I don't need that anymore. I need real spiritual nourishment. Sometimes that comes in the form of a quiet walk with my dog, some time on guitar, or sharing a long, wonderful phone call with an old acquaintance. Other times, I have to rely on the wisdom of someone I've never met but feel intimately close to. One would not have to look far on this blog to find me quoting the late Belgian Catholic theologian Henri Nouwen. But I know you're too lazy, or don't have the time, to look through the entire site to find something by him, I give you this reminder that I needed to hear today: The voice of despair says, “I sin over and over again. After endless promises to myself and others to do better next time, I find myself back again in the old dark places. Forget about trying to change. I have tried for years. It didn’t work and it never will work. It is better that I get out of people’s way, be forgotten, no longer around, dead.” This strangely attractive voice takes all uncertainties away and puts an end to the struggle. It speaks unambiguously for the darkness and offers a clear-cut negative identity.
1 Comment
7/6/2024 07:21:10 am
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Ian MacdonaldAn ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. "that they all might be one" ~John 17:21“Prius vita quam doctrina.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) * “Life is more important than doctrine.”
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