tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20905577.post4088210927168996206..comments2024-02-22T04:58:19.083-08:00Comments on My Reflections: The NowUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20905577.post-90605900837649582042012-05-11T12:32:38.256-07:002012-05-11T12:32:38.256-07:00Another comment about living in the now...
There ...Another comment about living in the now...<br /><br />There have been a plethora of books written about visits to heaven/hell either as a near-death-experience, or simply being transported there in the spirit. Some have traditional Christian references, others do not. I have read a few to satisfy my curiosity & see if there is anything in them that is pertinent to this life; do those that claim such things ‘embrace’ life instead of being Embraced by the Light?<br /><br />Although interesting to ponder, the events being recounted are too detailed & even sensationalistic. They are intended to amaze & impress the reader with the very special account of supernatural dimensions. The emphasis is on fantastic revelations, but the claimant cannot be effectively removed from the retelling. This keeps them in the ‘spotlight’ as someone very special & authoritative on things neither scripture nor Church tradition throughout history claims to be infallible.<br /><br />I am skeptical of any such claims. I do not dismiss the experiences themselves as being fraudulently manufactured to sell books. I simply do not believe they are the untarnished ‘truth’ of supernatural experiences intended to fill us in on missing details Jesus & the authors of Holy Writ deliberately avoided. <br /><br />My point? Bell’s emphasis on living in the now seems to be a common sense approach, but not how many Christians go about living their lives. I have a tendency to live in the near future somewhere. I am making plans or directing my life to the next big step/milestone marker just over the horizon. I know there is wisdom in making plans & I am convinced God does not expect us to live a stagnant existence, but I am apt to miss the only opportunity for impacting the kingdom today when I get preoccupied with tomorrow. Bell has challenged me with this practicality & for that I am thankful...Josephnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20905577.post-69967339480567295722012-05-09T02:06:37.897-07:002012-05-09T02:06:37.897-07:00Greg and all,
Living in the now makes a lot of se...Greg and all,<br /><br />Living in the now makes a lot of sense. We have a lot of work to do to make this a better world. - Joe LoomisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20905577.post-31509493909156825422012-05-08T13:27:03.839-07:002012-05-08T13:27:03.839-07:00I am reminded of the Parable of the Talents in Mat...I am reminded of the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. I believe the talents representative of every blessing (good thing) God provides for us. This includes those things outside of what we might think of as abilities or gifts or ‘talents’. It is the servant that was given the one talent I want to focus on. The Master upon his return settled accounts & very angrily told the ‘wicked, lazy servant’ he should have put his one talent on deposit with the bankers to earn interest. And from what I know of banking, there is no paying interest based on the future; it is only calculated/earned daily…<br /><br />We receive all the goodness of God, but only able to do something with it ‘today’. There is divine strategy in the way God has designed out existence. We are not able to re-live the past, nor are we allowed access to the future. We are meant to live & move & have our being in the present only. “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” And, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”<br /><br />It is in this moment we choose to bless as we have been blessed. And that’s all any of us are given to invest in the kingdom…Josephnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20905577.post-76506779830471142532012-05-07T20:57:34.890-07:002012-05-07T20:57:34.890-07:00Greg, I've been reading your blog for years, a...Greg, I've been reading your blog for years, and honestly this may be your best post to date. Bell, Lewis and Pascal (with a little Coostona sprinkled in) have made for an amazing and edifying concoction. What a beautiful affirmation of life through the lens of faith and relationship with God. Love it, sir!M Fitzpatricknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20905577.post-66735098959004540492012-05-07T09:48:31.682-07:002012-05-07T09:48:31.682-07:00This is perfect. Thanks for your additions.This is perfect. Thanks for your additions.My Reflectionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06398084457749292224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20905577.post-58442045087228351562012-05-07T09:30:22.976-07:002012-05-07T09:30:22.976-07:00Greg,
This puts me in mind of one of my favorite ...Greg, <br />This puts me in mind of one of my favorite quotes from George Mac Donald. <br /><br />The next hour, the next moment, is as much beyond our grasp and as much in God's care, as that a hundred years away. Care for the next minute is just as foolish as care for the morrow, or for a day in the next thousand years - in neither can we do anything, in both God is doing everything. Those claims only of the morrow which have to be repeated today are of the duty of today: the moment which coincides with work to be done, is the moment to be minded; the next is nowhere till God has made it.<br /><br />Bell seems to say that we miss opportunities through inattentaveness to the present. Mac Donald's thought is somewhat more forceful, that worry about the future distracts us from present duties. <br /><br />I was unfamiliar with Pascal's thought on the matter; I'm glad you included it in your post.Janishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09070433128856338824noreply@blogger.com