Robert Witham

Advent Reader by Jon Swanson

Jon Swanson (Levite Chronicles) has compiled Anticipation: An Advent Reader from a series of blog posts he wrote last year. Advent readers can be dry and less-than-inspiring - but not in this case. Jon writes in a warm and engaging style that is sure to bless you and your family. This reader is well suited for personal use and family use.

Advent begins November 30th this year (just one week away as I write this) so the time is right to begin preparations for this important season. Anticipation: An Advent Reader is well worth considering as you make preparations for this holy season.

Anticipation: An Advent Reader is available in a page-turning, online edition at YUDU or as a PDF download at Levite Chronicles.

[Link - Levite Chronicles]

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama do not talk much about issues like homelessness (at least not publicly). Nonetheless, there are more people that will be impacted by this election than just the wealthy and the middle class. The poor, including those experiencing homelessness, will also be impacted heavily by this nation’s choice for a president on November 4th.

I suppose it is easy to forget the poor during the excitement and busyness of the election season. After all, everyone has an agenda and an interest that they hope to see realized with their preferred candidate.

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
Jesus of Nazareth - Luke 14.13 NRSV

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After watching this video I could only think, “What else can be said?”

Thanks to Iggy for the link to this video.

Anyone who has spent some time watching American political coverage recently has heard politicians talk of terrorism. To listen to some politicians though, terrorism is limited to violent acts committed by Musliim extremists that target the USA. Of course, informed world citizens know that terrorism is much broader and much more prevalent than the short-sighted definition of a political opportunist seeking election by riding a wave of carefully stoked fear.

A Jewish newspaper in the UK has an article about the rise of “modesty patrols” in Israel. According to Jewish Telegraph, Jewish zealots throw stones at women whose dress does not meet their standards of chasteness, burn stores that sell electronic equipment that might be used to access the Internet or play objectionable content, and even commit home invasions and assaults to intimidate women who are viewed as offenders. These Israeli domestic terrorists are Orthodox Jews who embrace violence as a means of coercion.

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Note: I originally published this post on my old blog site. To my surprise the post received high and sustained traffic. Who knew? I decided to republish the article here given its sustained popularity at my old site. Besides, I like Thoreau…

Resignation or Desperation

Do you ever feel like you are just going through the motions? Do you ever look around you and wonder what keeps people going? Most people I know operate out of something we often call resignation (and no, I don’t mean quitting your job resignation either).

What do I mean by all of this? What is my proof that something is seriously wrong? Consider the following thoughts:

• Most people don’t like their jobs or their work
• Most people don’t like much of their lifestyle
• Most people generally feel as though they are missing something
• Most people can’t wait for their two weeks of vacation or eventual retirement

What’s up with that? Why are we willing to resign ourselves to a life we hate? We are given 70 or 80 years (if we are fortunate) - why squander it on a resigned existence? Why squander life going through the motions?

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I came across a rather intriguing quote yesterday. The statement, penned by Soren Kierkegaard, really grabbed my attention. I thought the statement was worth sharing with everyone.

“The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world?

Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.”

Soren Kierkegaard

My experience with talking to new Christians over the years would confirm that Kierkegaard was right. An oft repeated question amongst those new to the faith is, “Why don’t people just do what the Bible says?”