The passion to protect ourselves, to keep our wounds out of sight where no one can make them worse, is the strongest passion in our hearts. And it will remain so until we experience a certain kind of relationship, until we meet the crucified and resurrected Christ, and experience a person like Christ, someone broken yet beautiful. […]
It takes someone…to shatter our defenses, to expose our brokenness, and to touch our souls with love. It takes someone…to reveal Christ, to help us see the miracle of the gospel in our hearts, that beneath all the pretense and posturing, beneath the wounds of insecurity and failure, there is divine goodness.
[I]f no one is broken enough to enjoy God’s love and give it away, our communities never become spiritual. The inevitable conflict that crops up eventually in every relationship will take us in unspiritual directions, into relationships that do not require the Spirit.
Eclipse vibes
A Cornfield by Moonlight with the Evening Star (c. 1830) by Samuel Palmer:
A Moonlit Scene with a Winding River (c. 1827) by Samuel Palmer:
The Terrace at Saint-Germain, Spring by Alfred Sisley:
The church’s very first need, before it can begin to engage in evangelism, is an experience and an assurance of Christ’s peace – peace of conscience through his death that banishes sin, peace of mind through his resurrection that banishes doubt. Jesus repeated his greeting for emphasis. “Peace be unto you,” he said, “peace be unto you.”
It is utterly impossible to preach the gospel of peace to others unless we ourselves have peace. Indeed, the greatest single reason for the church’s evangelistic disobedience centers in the church’s doubts. We are not sure if our own sins are forgiven. We are not sure if the gospel is true. And so, because we doubt, we are dumb. We need to hear again Christ’s word of peace, and see again his hands and his side. Once we are glad that we have seen the Lord, and once we have clearly recognized him as our crucified and risen savior, then nothing and no one will be able to silence us.
Polaroid of Lewis (courtesy of Lily)
Kristyn and I finally watched Dune: Part One last night (we were riveted!), and now we’re going to see Part Two tonight. I knew it wouldn’t take much, but Villeneuve’s film definitely whet my appetite for reading the books.
I found a marvelous post that uses the Dune books to show evolving trends in book cover designs over the years.
