Humankind's Denial and Double Standard With God

When we exercise our autonomy (self-rule),

     and things go well for us,

We conclude God had nothing to do with it.

     God is therefore, irrelevant.

When we exercise our autonomy, 

     and things go poorly for  us,

We conclude God is to blame.

     God is therefore, irrelevant.

When the "self" rules, no "self" is ever safe.

     The problem is, and has always been, 

Our (fallen) human autonomy. 

Greatness of God and the Grace of Christ

If I might fully grasp the greatness of God

     I must then tremble in the fear of The Lord

Let my trembling be changed into dancing

     Because of the surpassing grace of Christ

Death as a Teacher

There is only one thing 

that a heroic, intentional death and a 

tragic, unnecessary death have in common:

A voice that calls out from the grave that says: 

"Learn from me!" 

- as I prepare for a funeral service today

A Sequence In Engaging Evil

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Evil: Obvious and Obfuscated
Viral
Saturate
Encounter 
Discernment 
Love and Truth 
Called
Resolve 
Engage 
Courage 
Faithfulness
Hope
Sacrifice 
Imitation of Christ 
Redemption
Justification 
Reconciliation 
Restoration.

There is a notable, vital and primary application in the sequence of Luke 10:27, and that at our own peril, we would do well to be careful not to create an inverse and opposite relationship with... 

He [Jesus] answered,
(A) “‘Love the Lord your God 
with all your heart 

and with all your soul
and with all your strength
and with all your mind;'
and,(B) ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

The inverse and opposite relationship looks like this:

(B)We answered,
"Love your neighbor
[as yourself],
because, [you say that]
(A) you love your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your strength
and with all your mind.

Authentic (A) always leads to a meaningful (B), but An authentic (B) does not lead to a meaningful and authentic (A).