Deus Misereatur

(Versions of this was presented at Heritage Presbyterian Church on 27 November 2016; and to the Capitol Forum on 30 November 2016) Thanksgiving People Colossians 3.17 John Kralik wrote a book, “A Simple Act of Gratitude,” where he recounts some of his story. Here was a guy whose life was a disaster: miserable, broke, overweight, on his second divorce, living in a rundown apartment with no air conditioning. He was an attorney, but couldn’t pay his employees their Christmas bonuses because his clients weren’t paying their bills on time or weren’t paying them at all. But one New Year’s day, Kralik had a moment of enlightenment; He’d start finding a reason to be thankful and grateful every single day, and would write one thank you note to someone each day of the year. Things have since turned around for Kralik, and he observes, “Gratitude presses outwards and that creates good feelings in the universe. A lot of that comes back to you eventually.” I’m not recommending the book, ...

O Holy God – Uncontaminated by greed, envy or lust; unstained by hysterical anger, self-centered egoism, or soul-stifling insecurity; and uncontained by space, time, laws of physics, or human rationality. In whom all is contained, sustained and arranged; in whom there is more goodness and truth in one “ounce” of you – so to speak – than there is in our whole being; in whom there is more love and compassion than anything we could imagine or fashion. You are the beauty of holiness itself, in all radiance and purity; you are the meaning of all, seen and unseen, visible and invisible; you are the fullness of justice, rightness, gladness and peace! And you are all of these things  without us , O Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and you are all these things  for us !!!! For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea; we thank you, Lord. For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends;...

From Psalm 145.13b-21 “ The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down .” Thank you that on you we can rely; on you we can lean; and to you we can give ourselves away! We join together with those around us who have fallen or been pressed down under their desperation, darkness, dreariness, or disquiet….hold their heads up, turn their faces to look up into yours and radiate your care and compassion through and through, that their hearts may rise in cheer, and their bodies stand straight and sturdy.  “ The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing .” Thank you for supplying us with wealth and wellbeing, for being there and bringing unlooked for help when we were in want and woe. There are many, some who live just down the block from us, or a street over from us, who work in the cubical right ...

The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin My rating: 5 of 5 stars First time I read "The Gospel in a Pluralist Society" was in 2003, and now I have completed my second reading. A lot has changed in my experience and comprehension since my initial reading, and there are things I picked up this time I didn't before. Since there are loads of reviews of the book filling the virtual pages, I'll simply point out a few of the highlights I enjoyed being reminded of in my second reading of the book. To begin with, Newbigin sought to practice what he preached. This book came toward the latter end of his life and service as a missionary to South India, as well as his work in the ecumenical movement. He brings his talented perception to bear on the mission field of the West, and primarily the West shaped and formed by the Enlightenment. Primarily the greater part of the book is helping the reader to learn to be suspicious of the hermeneutics of suspicion. He does t...

O Lord Jesus Christ, who lovingly has given yourself for our sins, to deliver us from this present evil age, to deliver us from the dominance of the devil and to deliver us from the fearful bondage of death, thank you! And as our great High Priest you regard the humble prayers of all who call upon you, who call upon you in truth. Incline your ear and hear. Look upon your Holy, Universal  Church which you are sanctifying, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word; including this church and Faith Mission Church; Faith Tabernacle; First Alliance Church; First Baptist in OKC, Edmond, Moore, Mustang, Piedmont, Yukon and Norman. Straighten out, O Lord, and have mercy upon all the ministers, pastors, elders, and overseers of your Church: aid us to shepherd the flock of God that is among us, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as you would have us do; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in our charge, but being exam...

Ultimate Martial Arts Encyclopedia by John  Little My rating: 3 of 5 stars Quite the spiffy and informative book. It's small for an encyclopedia, but covers a wide range of martial arts' history and rational. With regard to it being "ultimate," the authors must have used this word to describe, not the depth of material, but the breadth of the subject. No singular martial art is covered deeply, but the authors spread out to cover numerous modern and ancient styles, as well as from different continents: Asian, European and African. Beyond the subject matter on the different styles, there are chapters to inform and help broaden the thinking, perception and motivation of the martial artist. These chapters are nicely written, drawing out finer points, and explaining the importance of more technical elements in punches, kicks, and blocks. For example, there's the chapter that emphasizes the fluidity and artfulness of any particular technique, so that "a lock ...

Taekwondo Grappling Techniques: Hone Your Competitive Edge for Mixed Martial Arts [DVD Included] by Tony Kemerly My rating: 3 of 5 stars The upside to this book is that it draws out several combative and grappling aspects from various Taekwondo movements. The author demonstrates these maneuvers from twelve different katas, and translates them into throws, breaks, arms holds, chokes, and submission holds. The pictures and explanations are fairly easy to follow. The downside is that the Jujitsu applications of the Taekwondo movements seems forced and artificial. There are several times when the moves translate easily from Taekwondo to Jujitsu. There are other times when the Taekwondo positions and sequences are clearly being stretched beyond their intended use. And finally a few of the throws or chokes are well outside of the initial flow. In the end this book is about 50/50. A martial arts instructor could use it as a prompt to help make some sample applications to different steps in...