letting go

“Nora, you have to let go. Julia needs to move on”
“How do I do that?”
“Start by wishing her well”

-Brothers and Sisters

 

The reality of God

At a Christian camp in Colorado, a woman Bible teacher gave an illustration that changed my life.  She said, “If the distance between the Earth and the Sun, 92 million miles, was reduced to the thickness of a sheet of paper, then the distance between the Earth and the nearest star would be a stack of paper 70 feet high.  And the diameter of the galaxy would be a stack of paper 310 miles high.  That’s how big the galaxy is.  And yet, the galaxy is nothing but a speck of dust, virtually, in the whole universe.  And the Bible says Jesus Christ holds this universe together with the word of his power.  His pinky, as it were.”  And then she asked the question: “Is this the kind of person you ask into your life to be your assistant?”

-Tim Keller in his sermon The Gospel and Your Self

 

If you play erotic games of desire and power, a moment may come when you are so turned on that all reason leaves you and you are nothing but your wanting, nothing but your screaming animal desire, no thoughts of justice, no plans for the future, no love of virginity, nothing but the moment and what you want, and in this moment if you are like millions of men and women throughout the millennia you will do what you did not plan to do. So prepare. Respect the power of your own erotic nature; meditate upon this most evolutionarily important aspect of the species: that we are designed to fuck and fuck a lot. Respect this part of yourself. Ready yourself and carry condoms. And if that moment comes, be ready to say I may give in to it and if I do give in to it, that does not mean I have failed; it just means I am human. I did what my species was designed to do.
–Cary Tennis, to a woman who wants to experiment while remaining a virgin

 

“Nora, you’re a very powerful woman…”

“Nora, you’re a very powerful woman.  But you didn’t cause this, and you can’t fix it.”

-Saul on Brothers and Sisters

 

Found on the body of a Southern soldier (1861-1865)

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked God for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for
- but everything I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among men, most richly blessed.