This was a nice quick read. I thought the discussion on how TULIP applies to soteriology (the theology of salvation) was helpful. However, the most useful part of the book was probably at the end, where the point is made that God is love, first and foremost. Sharing a gospel of judgment without love is not going to be effective way to reach out to a lost world.
Don’t know if this applies to those who don’t suffer from depression, but I have rediscovered a basic truth. Adequate sleep is very important. I was able to squeeze in a nap yesterday afternoon and it had a profound impact on my mood. It makes me wish our culture embraced the siesta. Like the movie “Over the Hedge” observes, we (seemingly) never need to hibernate because we have coffee and energy drinks. Unfortunately, one would think that all of the false stimulation and ignoring the body has to take a toll after a while.
Thanks to one of my church family members for sharing this…
“My Eternal Preference” (anon.)
“When we are given our rewards, I would prefer to be found to have erred on the side of grace rather than judgment: to have loved too much rather than too little; to have forgiven an undeserving rather than to have refused forgiveness to one who deserved it; to have fed a parasite rather than to have neglected one who was truly hungry; to have been taken advantage of rather than to have taken undue advantage; to have believed too much in my brothers rather than little; having been wrong on the side of too much trust than too much cynicism; to have believed the best and been wrong, than to have believed the worst and been right.”
I’ve been meeting with someone from church on a regular basis. Our last discussion involved selfless giving and how it relates to universal health care and other issues. It is my belief that capitalism results in more prosperity and therefore more giving. His response was that there also is increasing disparity between the rich and poor in a capitalist society, so the increase in giving does not match the increase in prosperity.
Well, God had other plans for us concerning homeschooling. Franny currently is now a first grader in the East Grand Rapids school system. I actually have been very impressed with the school, teachers, and principal. It makes me even more thankful that we decided to settle in EGR. As expected, Franny loves school. She’s just like her mom in that respect. Actually, I really enjoyed school around that time, too. I still can remember my elementary school teachers quite well, which goes to show the impact they can have on young lives. To all you prayer warriors out there, please include Franny and Ted, who will be ready for kindergarten next year.