TogetherForPeace

"SHOULD we look to kings and princes to put right the inequalities between rich and poor? Should we..."

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:42:46 -0600

“

SHOULD we look to kings and princes to put right the inequalities between rich and poor?

Should we require soldiers to come and seize the rich person’s gold and distribute it among his destitute neighbors?

Should we beg the emperor to impose a tax on the rich so great that it reduces them to the level of the poor and then to share the proceeds of that tax among everyone?

Equality imposed by force would achieve nothing, and do much harm. Those who combined both cruel hearts and sharp minds would soon find ways of making themselves rich again.

Worse still, the rich whose gold was taken away would feel bitter and resentful; while the poor who received the gold from the hands of soldiers would feel no gratitude, because no generosity would have prompted the gift.

Far from bringing moral benefit to society, it would actually do moral harm.

Material justice cannot be accomplished by compulsion, a change of heart will not follow. The only way to achieve true justice is to change people’s hearts first—and then they will joyfully share their wealth.

”

- St John Chrysostom, Collected in “On Living Simply” by Robert van der Weyer, Sermon XLIII

The battle for words is continual. Those who stand against religion reach with withered hands to create a potion of the empirical with their fanciful imagination of how things should be.

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:54:55 -0600

A new employee says, “did I do that right?” I said, “All you did was take their...

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:36:53 -0600

A new employee says, “did I do that right?” I said, “All you did was take their name and number; how could you do that wrong?!”

‎”If Christians want us to back off, then they need to admit that we can be good without a...

Sun, 20 May 2012 21:15:04 -0600

‎”If Christians want us to back off, then they need to admit that we can be good without a god…”

Allow for me to say, the sort of *good* that exists for this person apart from any belief in God is the sort of goodness by which I loudly proclaim you can be *good* with.

Anyone attempting to answer the question, “what does it mean to be human?” Necessarily, steps beyond...

Sun, 20 May 2012 18:37:57 -0600

Anyone attempting to answer the question, “what does it mean to be human?” Necessarily, steps beyond the bounds of empirical/scientific inquiry. This is not to say the natural sciences do not play a part in their response, it is to say the part it plays is not because anything empirical told them so.

There is no conflict between science and belief in God. Just as there is no conflict between science and the belief there is no God.

Sun, 20 May 2012 17:43:00 -0600

Concise version of what Dr. John Lennox said.

We are here because of a male and female. There is something unique and important about this arrangement. Does the state have a vested interest in encouraging this arrangement and placing it in a unique status from other relationships?

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:29:22 -0600

Yeah, I get sick of hearing these power words like 'bigot' being tossed out there to basically refer to people you disagree with. As though YOU are NOT a bigot on some issue!

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:15:15 -0600

"If salvation is not a real participation in the resurrected life, the glorified and grace-filled..."

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:43:00 -0600

“If salvation is not a real participation in the resurrected life, the glorified and grace-filled Humanity of Christ, then we are left with a man-made religion of “ideas” and concepts, an imaginary “relationship” with God that cannot truly transform and save us.”

- Father Michael Shanbour

"Now Christians love to live in rich homes, sit at a rich table, dress in rich clothing, ride in rich..."

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:10:36 -0600

“Now Christians love to live in rich homes, sit at a rich table, dress in rich clothing, ride in rich carriages and horses, though they may see the want and poverty of their neighbors. Hence it is evident that they only love themselves, and not God or their neighbors.”

- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Some young teens came into my job today for prom. They said, “Yolo.” I said,...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:27:52 -0600

Some young teens came into my job today for prom. They said, “Yolo.” I said, “yellow??” I was informed by them that ‘Yolo’ means, “you only live once.” After that I kept saying, ‘yellow’ even though I knew it was supposed to be ‘yolo.’ :) Teens tend to be a lot less stressful as customers than adults.

How do we determine the answer to the question, "who am I?" Is there only one way to determine who we are? How does this relate, if at all, to the saying, "I accept myself as I am."?

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:21:11 -0600

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3oiil7

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:12:00 -0600

Think but Shut up if Not What I Think?

I have seen no reason to follow what was going on with the ‘Reason Rally.’ I am not...

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:05:54 -0600

I have seen no reason to follow what was going on with the ‘Reason Rally.’ I am not surprised that people are frustrated, angry, antagonistic and confrontational when it comes to talking about *religion* and Christianity. I can spend endless hours talking about atheism and all the things associated with that, however, I believe it is far more beneficial to speak and live the truth of what defines ME! Being against something is easy…standing and living for something that actually makes a difference is far more challenging.

"Sit down and recall in solitude the things that have happened; where you started and where you went,..."

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:16:04 -0700

““Sit down and recall in solitude the things that have happened; where you started and where you went, in what place you were seized by the spirit of unchastity, dejection or anger and how it all happened. Examine these things closely and commit them to memory, so that you will then be ready to expose the demon when he next approaches you. Try to become conscious of the weak spot in yourself which he hid from you, and you will not follow him again.””

- Evagrios The Solitary

'Anonymous' hacks Christian websites...

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:39:50 -0700

and replaces their homepage with Richard Dawkins speech in which he declares “war on religion.”

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/320639

Iranian Sentenced to Death for Becoming Christian

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:28:03 -0700

An Iranian who abandoned Islam and embraced Christianity and as such was sentenced to death has had his execution ‘delayed.’ Lord, have mercy on Youcef, his family, and church. Lord, have mercy on the Muslims who have sentenced him to death.

http://www.bosnewslife.com/20630-breaking-iran-delaying-tuesday-execution-pastor-nadarkhani-concerns-remain

Homeade yeast made from organic raisins this was day 4-5.

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:55:11 -0700

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

Homeade yeast made from organic raisins this was day 4-5.

"Because of the workings of the memory whatever has preoccupied our mind before the time for prayer..."

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 07:24:59 -0700

“Because of the workings of the memory whatever has preoccupied our mind before the time for prayer must of necessity intrude on our actual prayers. Therefore in advance of prayer we must strive to dispose ourselves as we would wish to be during prayer. The praying spirit is shaped by its earlier condition. As we prostrate ourselves for prayer our deeds, words, fastings rise up in our imagination. They are as they were before our prayer, and they move us to anger or gloom. We turn back toward desire or worldly affairs. Stupidly - and I am ashamed to say it - we laugh as we recall some clownish act or word, and the mind flits back to the earlier concerns of our talk. So therefore before we pray we must hasten to drive from our heart’s sanctuary anything we would not wish to intrude on our prayers, and all this so that we might do as the apostle bids us: ‘Pray ceaselessly’ (I Thes. 5:17). ‘In every place lift up pure hands, with no anger and no rivalry’ (I Tim. 2:8). But we will not be able to fulfill this injunction unless the mind within us is cleansed of the contagion of sin, is devoted to virtue as its natural good, and feeds continuously on the contemplation of the all-powerful God.””

- St. John Cassian

Shrub Branch

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:31:00 -0700

January 29, 2012

The house was blessed. This involved Father Mark and several people from the church coming over. We started in my room as this is where I have a few icons. Father Mark prayed. Then we began singing a song about when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan. Father Mark had a bowl of water and used a branch, that I had taken from outside, to toss water on each side of every room that we entered.

-I mention this summarized account to provide context for the following-

The branch for the past two weeks has been sitting in the blessed water in my room by the icons. Father Mark suggested that I use the water for a plant…I figured what the heck lets see how this shrub branch does.

Slowly but surely the water has been decreasing and about 2-3 days ago it was all gone. The branch sat there.

This branch got me thinking of my own life. There’s these moments of being saturated by drawing close to God but then sin becomes a close companion and I’m left sitting in an empty bowl, drying out.

Today I went to Home Depot, bought some soil and a pot. I also purchased a small indoor rose bush to place by the icons.

The shrub branch appears to still be kicking…we’ll see in a week or so how it turns out.

TogetherForPeace

"SHOULD we look to kings and princes to put right the inequalities between rich and poor? Should we..."

The battle for words is continual. Those who stand against religion reach with withered hands to create a potion of the empirical with their fanciful imagination of how things should be.

A new employee says, “did I do that right?” I said, “All you did was take their...

‎”If Christians want us to back off, then they need to admit that we can be good without a...

Anyone attempting to answer the question, “what does it mean to be human?” Necessarily, steps beyond...

There is no conflict between science and belief in God. Just as there is no conflict between science and the belief there is no God.

We are here because of a male and female. There is something unique and important about this arrangement. Does the state have a vested interest in encouraging this arrangement and placing it in a unique status from other relationships?

Yeah, I get sick of hearing these power words like 'bigot' being tossed out there to basically refer to people you disagree with. As though YOU are NOT a bigot on some issue!

"If salvation is not a real participation in the resurrected life, the glorified and grace-filled..."

"Now Christians love to live in rich homes, sit at a rich table, dress in rich clothing, ride in rich..."

Some young teens came into my job today for prom. They said, “Yolo.” I said,...

How do we determine the answer to the question, "who am I?" Is there only *one* way to determine who we are? How does this relate, if at all, to the saying, "I accept myself as I am."?

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3oiil7

I have seen no reason to follow what was going on with the ‘Reason Rally.’ I am not...

"Sit down and recall in solitude the things that have happened; where you started and where you went,..."

'Anonymous' hacks Christian websites...

Iranian Sentenced to Death for Becoming Christian

Homeade yeast made from organic raisins this was day 4-5.

"Because of the workings of the memory whatever has preoccupied our mind before the time for prayer..."

Shrub Branch

How do we determine the answer to the question, "who am I?" Is there only one way to determine who we are? How does this relate, if at all, to the saying, "I accept myself as I am."?