Deus Misereatur

When reading Scripture as part of times for prayer, thoughts jump out at me, sometimes energetically, and other times subtly. That slow, simmering thing happened this morning, and I share it with you. I was reading Jeremiah 23 and the whole chapter gave me pause, but especially v.3-4: " Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the LORD " (Jeremiah 23:3-4). In the Hebrew Scriptures, the concept of shepherds is normally a title given to civil leaders - judges, magistrates and priests. It might include prophets as well. The idea is that the leaders of God's people often guide their charges in ways that are similar to shepherds herding and caring for their sheep. Therefore, it's fitting for us to thin...

  Maybe not the most finely written piece, but the story is deeply touching. Carson's life is a tale of overcoming this obstacle and that snag. As he puts it at the end of his autobiography, if we choose to see these obstacles on our life path as barriers, as insurmountable impediments placed in our way by others, then we'll stop trying. "However, if we chose to see the obstacles as hurdles, we can leap over them. Successful people don't have fewer problems. They have determined that nothing will stop them from going forward" (224). The whole book is Carson chronicling his dogged persistence to jump those hurdles, beginning with his mother's struggles. It is an encouraging read. "Gifted Hands" is worthwhile for any and all. If a reader can momentarily set aside their political allegiances, their denominational pride, their Critical Race Theories, Intersectionality, psychological conjectures, sociological suppositions, etc. and just let the story wash...

A book about the underdog. The advantage of the powerful is often disadvantageous; and the disadvantage of the weak may actually be advantageous! And each story - whether David and Goliath, Huguenots and Nazis, or Goure and Kellen, and every subject - from education, foreign policy, or criminology, depicts Gladwell's point. The author is a masterful craftsman, who usually makes his case in brilliant fashion, though I personally didn't like where he went in some recitations. Nevertheless, the volume will stick with me, and the perspective painted in this manuscript will remain etched in colorful detail in my memory. It is a book worth reading.