I finished two books recently: God’s Call by Brother Andrew and Plato’s Sophist. I thoroughly enjoyed the former. The latter has produced one good seminar so far and the second is coming up this evening. I enjoy it, in the sense that it’s relevant to many thoughts that have been circulating in my mathematics tutorial (we’re starting number theory), and it’s been a good mind-bending exercise at the least, but I feel at a loss when I think of how I’ll apply such “knowledge” as that gained from The Sophist. I don’t know quite what I’ve gained yet. Plato appealed to my idealism at the beginning of last semester when he explained philosophy to be the love and pursuit of wisdom, which is applicable and relevant to everyday life, and the one who’s truly a philosopher will be bettered by his pursuit. The argument of being and non-being so far hasn’t produced any virtue in me. Maybe it will come out more when we start Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics later this week. Maybe the virtue I’m overlooking is that of perseverance; the dialogue was terribly arduous to read.
God’s Call was wonderful! It’s about the man, Andrew, who smuggled Bibles across the Iron Curtain until the collapse of the Soviet Union. He’s spent his years since then smuggling Bibles into other closed Communist, Fascist, and Muslim nations, among other efforts through an organization called Open Doors International. He’s on my list of heroes, now. I can’t explain how much his writing has inspired me in one blog. I think much of the various meditations and thoughts and prayers I’ve had over the past few weeks have been influenced heavily by what I learned from this one book. It’s a good read. It’s really only a bunch of stories, autobiographical and otherwise, about people around the world enduring persecution for the name of Jesus. Only a bunch of stories. That's funny.
I wrote a prayer down this morning before I walked out to pray on the quad. I read a few psalms yesterday, but Psalm 89 was my anthem this morning. It’s a longer one. See if you can guess the themes that the Holy Spirit impressed upon me this morning as I wrote this in prayer:
It’s a small prayer, really. But I myself needed to receive the gospel this morning. And we who believe should never hesitate to preach to ourselves both the judgment and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. Bret taught me that yesterday through Psalm 130. The psalmist is honest about his situation, but he reminds himself of God’s forgiveness and the essence of the gospel spoken over creation since the beginning.
Here I am writing when I should be eating and preparing for seminar and translating Greek. Silly me. Toodles.
God’s Call was wonderful! It’s about the man, Andrew, who smuggled Bibles across the Iron Curtain until the collapse of the Soviet Union. He’s spent his years since then smuggling Bibles into other closed Communist, Fascist, and Muslim nations, among other efforts through an organization called Open Doors International. He’s on my list of heroes, now. I can’t explain how much his writing has inspired me in one blog. I think much of the various meditations and thoughts and prayers I’ve had over the past few weeks have been influenced heavily by what I learned from this one book. It’s a good read. It’s really only a bunch of stories, autobiographical and otherwise, about people around the world enduring persecution for the name of Jesus. Only a bunch of stories. That's funny.
I wrote a prayer down this morning before I walked out to pray on the quad. I read a few psalms yesterday, but Psalm 89 was my anthem this morning. It’s a longer one. See if you can guess the themes that the Holy Spirit impressed upon me this morning as I wrote this in prayer:
Your faithfulness I cannot comprehend, but need not know in words or [rationalization]. What words I need are the blessings of Your promises and the assurance of Your covenant. Your faithfulness will be my trust. I don’t need to test Your will or Your words. I know what You have spoken to the saints from the beginning and I’m a witness to the works of Your hand [even now]. You saved me from the pit—not only the chains of this world but also the fires of hell. You declared Your judgments over my life, and they’re good, and Your righteousness has gone out before You. Righteousness has caught the fire of Your wrath and justice has been accomplished in the world. Your throne is founded on justice and righteousness. So You sit exalted and [awesome] over all, with Your Son at Your right hand. And You declare Your lovingkindness and mercy and grace over the peoples. All who hear Your voice and believe in Your words receive the very love of God that saves all men.
Let me speak in Your faithfulness, Lord.
It’s a small prayer, really. But I myself needed to receive the gospel this morning. And we who believe should never hesitate to preach to ourselves both the judgment and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. Bret taught me that yesterday through Psalm 130. The psalmist is honest about his situation, but he reminds himself of God’s forgiveness and the essence of the gospel spoken over creation since the beginning.
Here I am writing when I should be eating and preparing for seminar and translating Greek. Silly me. Toodles.
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