Pie in the sky

Long-haired preachers come out every night,
Try to tell you what's wrong and what's right;
But when asked how 'bout something to eat
They will answer with voices so sweet:
You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and pray, live on hay,
You'll get pie in the sky when you die.
-- Joe Hill
+ pax

Sayings of the Desert Fathers

A brother said to an old man, “I do not know of any warfare in my heart.” The old man said to him, “Then you are a building open on all four sides. Whatever wishes to, goes in and out, and you do not notice. If you had windows and a door, and shut them so as to bar certain thoughts, you would soon realize how many there are outside, waiting to slip in and attack you.”
+ pax

Thoughts about the 10 commandments

Charles Honey:
Like most Americans, I like monuments. They're big, they're solid and they last. Mount Rushmore is ridiculously massive, but it is spectacularly American and looks great on a postcard. But do I really want to see a monument of the Ten Commandments springing up on every courthouse and state capitol lawn in the country? No. The ones already there, fine. Demolishing monuments nationwide would be the culture-war equivalent of Fort Sumter. I say, leave the ones we have alone and don't start chiseling more. We should build the commandments into our lives, not on our public squares.

+pax

Where are you, God?

There may be many days when God seems distant -- when God seems to have abandoned us -- when God doesn't seem to hear us -- when there seems to be no answer to our prayers. I have found encouragement and reassurance by dwelling on Psalm 145:18. When you do not feel God's presence, spend some time meditating upon it.
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
+ pax

Brother Roger

Brother Roger, founder of the Taize movement, was stabbed to death last Tuesday. This is from his writings:

One of the first things Christ says in the Gospel is this: "Happy the simple-hearted!" Yes, happy those who head towards simplicity, simplicity of heart and simplicity of life.
A simple heart attempts to live in the present moment, to welcome each day as God’s today… Simplifying our life enables us to share with the least fortunate, in order to alleviate suffering where there is disease, poverty, famine…
Where can we find the simplicity indispensable for living out the Gospel? Some words of Christ enlighten us. One day he said to his disciples, "Let the little children come to me; the realities of God are for those who are like them."
And so we would like to say to God: "God, you love us: turn us into people who are humble; give us great simplicity in our prayer, in human relationships, in welcoming others."
+ pax

What can you do?

Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do when your mind is numb is to water your plants or refill your stapler.
+ pax

The cure to being an atheist

Believe only two things: 1. There IS a God. 2. It is NOT you.
+ pax

The value of pondering

Do not be intimidated by those who demand that you have a clear opinion on every issue, particularly dealing with religion. Feel free to ponder, wonder, and search.
Let no one mistake the virtue of pondering for moral ambiguity. We will come to decisions. Not everyone will like them. They will have their critics, even vitriolic ones. But they will be thoughtful and debated. What have we gained by the dictatorship of the loudest? What have we lost by muffling and discrediting the prudent, compassionate voices that speak respectfully to each other and coalesce to contemplate the ultimate issues of our destiny?
-- Marc Howard Wilson

Are you ready to return from exile? Here's how:

When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Jeremiah 29:13-14

How is my heart today?

Student: "Why does Torah tell us to 'place these words upon your hearts'? Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts?" The rebbe answers, "It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks, and the words fall in."
+ pax