In fact, it seemed like most of what we do to deal with the stress of life will actually only hurt us more in the end, rather than offer any true and lasting relief. We don't try to deal with the issues; we try to escape them. Looking to my most recent events, it was buy something, eat ice cream, watch TV, or pray. Only the last of those is actually valuable though. What good is it to go waste money on something I don't need just to get a cheap thrill of consuming another product? It might even just produce more clutter in my life, causing more stress in the future. Ice cream is enjoyable, but too much of it is not healthy, and I don't want to make it my way of dealing with stress or I will soon be needing some new pants. TV is fun, especially with other people, but by myself and in too long spurts it seems like a waste of time and more mind-numbing than spirit-refreshing.

So in attempt to be refreshed, I've only become more burdened. In trying to escape, I've only become more trapped. I did hear one good answer in that class today, which was to spend some time off campus. George said he likes to just go up to Chestnut Hill for a little bit about once a week, not to do anything specific but just to walk around. This is almost how Jesus (and many of his followers since then) dealt with stress, by running off to a remote mountain-side or into the desert. Thomas á Kempis writes about all this, saying:

If you would persevere in seeking perfection, you must consider yourself a pilgrim, an exile on earth. If you would become a religious, you must be content to seem a fool for the sake of Christ. Habit and tonsure change a man but little; it is the change of life, the complete mortification of passions that endow a true religious.

He who seeks anything but God alone and the salvation of his soul will find only trouble and grief, and he who does not try to become the least, the servant of all, cannot remain at peace for long.

The Imitation of Christ, XVII

I am stressed out and lacking inner peace because I have bad priorities and value my own will too highly (which is what happens when I value it at all). If I'm focused on anything other than God, and I'm trying to fill my time with things that don't matter, I should expect to be stressed out about not being able to do it all. A few pages later, Thomas writes:

Seek a suitible time for leisure and meditate often on the favors of God. Leave curiousities alone. Read such matters as bring sorrow to the heart rather than occupation to the mind. If you withdraw yourself from unnecessary talking and idle running about, from listening to gossip and rumors, you will find enough time that is suitable for holy meditation.

The Imitation of Christ, XX

I think if we eliminated these things (curiosities, unnecessary talk, idle running about, gossip, rumors) most of us would be left with at least an extra ten hours a day to spend doing something much more healthy for our souls.

Steph bought these recently, which are both fantastic:

As always, Death Cab experiment with new directions in their music and this time things are, from song to song, either more rocking or more ambient. And Ben's lyrics are just as poetic and brilliant as ever.

Conner Oberst's first album without the moniker of Bright Eyes is an obvious departure, but it's still him. Straight up road trip music, it fits in perfectly with the rest of the Americana tunes I've been jamming all summer.

I'm currently reading The Immitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. It's completely packed with things to think about, and I'll probably have to read it two or three times before it starts to sink in. But more on that later.

After being here for a month, I think I'm finally starting to get to know some of my residents, which makes the RA position much more enjoyable. Not a whole lot of point when you don't know anyone. Hopefully at our late night breakfast tonight I'll get to know some other people as well.

And now I'm off to dinner, and then down to the Calcutta House, hopefully to see my friends Larry and Gordy whom I haven't gotten to see yet this year.

"He is truly great who has great charity. And he is great who is little in his own sight and who sets at naught* all worldly honor. And he is very wise who accounts all worldly pleasures as vile dung, so that he may win Christ. And he is very well taught who forsakes his own will and follows the will of God."

Thomas A Kempis

The Imitation of Christ

Pg. 36 

*Naught means the digit 0; zero.

"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be,
since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be."

Thomas à Kempis, 1380-1471
Imitation of Christ, c.1420

I remembered the Battle of Arnhem (Sept 1944) from history lessons. It was a brave battle, on the part of the British and the Poles, to take the Dutch town from the Nazis. It was ultimately unsuccessful and many men were captured by German forces. Strange then, that they named a street after it.

Likewise Nimegen (Nijmegen in Dutch) was the scene of a great battle in the 1550s and again the scene for military activity in the Second World War. (It’s also considered to be the oldest city in the Netherlands, having celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 2005.)

Delft has nothing to do with battles. It’s most famous as the home of blue and white pottery ceramic, inspired by Chinese porcelain arriving in Europe in the 17th century. Johannes Vermeer (1632–75) came from Delft and is perhaps the town’s most famous son. An exhibition about his paintings was held at the National Gallery in London in 2001. But I’m still no closer to why all these Dutch names are cropping up in Dulwich.
This must refer to the River Isel (or as it’s known in Dutch Ijssel) which is a distributary of the Rhine. It’s incredibly flat land, so the exact path of the river is hard to pinpoint.

Perhaps the theme for these streets is rivers and towns in the Netherlands?

Nope. Kempis isn’t a town or a river – it’s a person. Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) was a monk who spent most of his life near the city of Zwolle, in the Netherlands. Famed around the medieval the world for his Christian devotional book De Imitatio Christi (Imitation of Christ), his relics are housed in the Lady Ascension Basilica in Zwolle.

So why all the Dutch references?

During the war, the Dutch government in exile used Dulwich as a training ground. Tappen House (a Georgian villa formerly called Glenlea) was used as a base for the Dutch Secret Service for agents who were trained as radio operators before being parachuted into German-occupied Holland to work with the Resistance. There’s more about this on the Southwark Council website.

But this doesn’t seem the kind of monumental relationship between Dulwich and the Netherlands worthy of naming a housing estate in the 1960s. What other links are there?

A source finally revealed to me that the old Camberwell Council was twinned with the town of Deventer in Holland and the development was named after several Dutch towns – and people – because of this connection.

So now you know. Take a look next time you’re passing by that way. There are many more.

Of course if any of this has inspired you to look for more Dutch in Dulwich, then carry on your journey, along to Dulwich Picture Gallery where there are countless pieces of Dutch art hanging on the walls.

With thanks to the East Dulwich Forum for their helpful tips on local history.

Hammarskjöld died in 1961 while on a mission to negotiate a cease-fire between warring factions in the Congo and his plane crashed. Unfortunately, conspiracy theories have grown up surrounding this event, but it appears likely to have been nothing more than an unfortunate accident.

A Christian mystic in the tradition of Thomas à Kempis, Hammarskjöld is remembered now not just for his diplomatic accomplishments but for a thin volume of writings that he contributed to throughout his life which was published posthumously under the title Markings.  I find the book remarkable, and would describe it as a cross between the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and Thoreau's Walden.  Like the former, it was not intended for publication but merely to collect his thoughts for his own purposes.  Here are a few excerpts.

From 1955:

Sun and stillness. Looking down through the jade-green water, you see the monsters of the deep playing on the reef.  Is this a reason to be afraid?  Do you feel safer when scudding waves hide what lies beneath the surface?

On Christmas Eve, 1956:

Your own efforts "did not bring it to pass," only God--but rejoice if God found a use for your efforts in His work.  Rejoice if you feel that whast you did was "necessary," but remember, even so, that you were simply the instrument by means of which He added one tiny grain to the Universe He has created for His own purposes.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has placed Hammarskjöld on their calendar of saints, recognizing him annually on this date as a "renewer of society," a designation he shares with Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Florence Nightingale, among others.  He is in very good company.

As a young man he penned the following poem:

Tomorrow we shall meet,
Death and I--
And he shall thrust his sword
Into one who is wide awake.

But in the meantime how grievous the memory
Of hours frittered away.

Hammarskjöld's tomorrow did not come for decades after that, but ours may come at any time.  May Death not find us frittering away the hours.

The world promises rewards that are temporal and insignificant, and these are pursued with great longing. I promise rewards that are eternal and unsurpassable, yet the hearts of mortals respond sluggishly.

Thomas a Kempis in The Imitation of Christ

What are you pursuing? To make more money? To get to the top of the corporate ladder? I think of the things I want: a secure job, a new car, a new computer and how much I long for them. To God's rewards, though, my heart responds sluggishly -- as if I am not really awake.

Awaken my heart, Lord, to respond with longing, with fervor for Your eternal rewards. Amen.

Good morning.  As you have probably already figured out, Pastor Rus isn't here this morning.  He had the pleasure of doing a wedding for some old friends of his back in West Virginia and asked me if I would mind doing the message for this week.

We've been talking a lot over the past few weeks about the early church - the Christian community that formed following the resurrection and then Pentecost, the blessing of the Holy Spirit on these young believers.

Just a quick aside - do you realize that the term Pentecost is not strictly a Christian term?  Pentecost, translated from the Greek literally means ‘the Fiftieth Day,' and is actually taken from the Jewish term Shavuot, which was the Feast of Weeks, taking place 50 days after the Passover and memorializing the time when Moses and the Israelites were given the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.  It speaks volumes that this was also the day that God again gave his chosen people a gift - the greatest gift - his very spirit living inside them.  I could go a lot more into this, but I want to go a little bit further forward in time with you today, and take a look at another early Christian community that I think we can hopefully learn from.

But first, if you don't mind, I'd like to have you take part in my brand new game show (drum roll)...

I hope you brought your Bibles.  I'm going to have a series of phrases up on the screen and I want you to vote with me whether they are from the Bible or not.

"Leopards don’t change their spots” Bible or non-Bible? (highlight hidden text for the answer)

Jeremiah 13:23 (New International Version)

Can the Ethiopian change his skin
or the leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.

“God works in mysterious ways”

William Cowper,

“On The Loss of the Royal George"

“Money is the root of all evil”

1 Timothy 6:10 (New International Version)

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from

the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

“Cleanliness is next to godliness”

Charles Wesley

Sermons, no 93,

‘On Dress’

“God helps those who help themselves”

Aesop

“The gods help them

that help themselves”

“Spare the rod and spoil the child”

Samuel Butler (Hudibras, 1664),

Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

Okay, hopefully you've learned a little bit today... A lot of what is attributed to the Bible, that is more traditional, in fact, has little or nothing to do with the Bible and Christian beliefs.  But believe me, we're not the first ones to make this mistake.  I titled this message, "What Would Luther Say," for an interesting reason.  If you look at Luther's life, historically, you see that at the time he lived, very few people actually read the Bible.  Now, some of that could be attributed to the fact that it was in either Hebrew, Greek or Latin, and few could speak those languages.

In fact, if you know your Lutheran history, you know that was one of Luther's major quests, was to translate the Bible into the German language so common folk could read and understand it.  But if you look even closer at the people of the time, you realize that even the priests themselves, who spoke Latin, Hebrew and Greek, did not read the Bible either.  It's not too far different from what we know today, unfortunately.  As we just pointed out, there are a lot of misconceptions about what the Bible actually teaches, in the heart of many American churches, and I am sure that the European churches can't boast much better.

I think, after all of his work, Luther would be appalled at the attitude in many churches today that people just don't read the Bible.  Imagine from his perspective, as a priest, he didn't read the New Testament until halfway through his career as a priest.  We know from history that he use to flagellate, or whip himself, forced himself to climb stairs on his knees and was constantly sure that he was not worthy of Christ's favor.  Then he was encouraged to read the New Testament, and he discovered the letters of Paul, which opened his mind to the concept of salvation through grace by faith alone, a revolutionary idea to the people of his day.  In fact, Luther felt his rediscovery of that principle was so important, so revolutionary that the Devil himself would not be able to bear it and would rise up, bringing about the end of the world.

What's interesting to note is that Luther was in the Augustinian order of the Catholic Church.  The Augustinian order followed the model of fraternity lived by the Apostles and found in the early Christian community. Augustine of Hippo himself wrote, "Before all else, live together in harmony, being of one soul and one heart seeking God."  It also carried out the mandate of the Church to proclaim the good news of the Gospel - more on that in a moment.  From the beginning, the Augustinians tended toward a universal service to the needs of the Church.  Gregor Mendel, the monk considered the father of modern genetics, was an Augustinian, as was Myles Coverdale, who translated the first English Bible, under Henry the 8^th.  Augustinian monasteries pattern themselves after the life of the early church, in Jerusalem, and also held strongly to the teachings of the Apostle Paul.

So traditionally, Augustinian monks held to the teachings of Paul.  Which makes you wonder why Luther was not familiar with them and found them so revolutionary.  To go one step further, there is another somewhat famous German Augustinian, a man by the name of Thomas á Kempis.  Just a generation before Luther, he wrote a treatise titled, The Imitation of Christ.  Within this book, he says that there are two things essential for human life - food and light - which in the spiritual realm is Communion and the Scriptures.

"Without these two I cannot live well, for the Word of God is the light of my soul, and this Sacrament is the bread of life.

"These two can be likened to two tables, set here and there in the spiritual treasure of the holy Church.  The one is the table of the holy altar, having the living Bread that is the precious Body of Christ; the other is the table of the laws of God, containing the holy doctrine which instructs man in the right faith and in the true belief and leads him into the sancta sanctorum, where the inward secrets of Scripture are hidden and contained.  I give you thanks, my Lord Jesus, the Brightness of eternal light, for this table of holy doctrine You have ministered to us by Your servants, the doctors, prophets, and Apostles." - Thomas á Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Just a generation before Luther, another German monk in his own order of the church wrote that men must know the scripture for the continuance of life.  And yet, 90 years later, Luther is nailing the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenburg, having just rediscovered the scriptures.  I am thinking that this is NOT one of the grand Lutheran traditions to repeat over and over again throughout history.

And there is another reason to know the Scriptures, to read your Bible, to memorize passages and understand what they say.  In I Peter 3, the Apostle writes, "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

Always be prepared to give an answer - a reason for the hope that you have.

When I was in high school, my best friend, Dave Rickards, was a PK - a pastor's kid.  He was the son of a Baptist minister out on Pine Island, Pastor Tommy.  And as we spent our days going to classes at Cape High, we encountered a number of people of other beliefs and non-beliefs.  But the one most troubling was a girl that we were both good friends with, who we learned was a Jehovah's Witness.  Now, I don't really have time to go into everything that separates Jehovah's Witnesses from mainline Christianity, so please take it at my word for the moment, that JW's do not believe in the same Jesus as we do.  But, and it's a big but... But they know their Scripture well - better than most folks who do believe in the same Jesus we do.  Imagine the frustration of being in an argument about religion - and we had a few here and there - two against one, and me and the pastor's kid losing to this person who knew more about what we supposedly believed than we did.

What would Luther say?

In the church today, we have, in my opinion, abdicated too much of our responsibility of doing the work of God to those who are in leadership in the church.  Usually, it's the pastor or priest that is most on the hook, followed by the lay leaders and church staff.  But all too often, once we leave the walls of the church, we don't speak of our faith, we don't live our faith and we don't represent Christ to those around us.  It's not uncommon to hear, "Well, that's the pastor's job."

One of the things we've been talking about over the last 3 weeks is our mission to talk to the people around us - to invite them, not necessarily to church, although, that is definitely one of our pressing concerns around here lately, but to invite them to know Christ - to become a follower of His love and His truth.  To shine as believers in our respective workplaces and social lives.

You see, the thing is, it's NOT the pastor's job.  Is he called to do it?  Yes, but not alone.  Will we have a commune of believers like the early Jerusalem church?  No, probably not, but we are expected to do our part.

What would Luther say?

In 1520, in a paper written to the German Christians in government, in his day, of course, being the nobility, Luther proclaimed, "There is no true, basic difference between laymen and priests, princes and bishops, between religious and secular, except for the sake of office and work, but not for the sake of status. They are all of the spiritual estate, all are truly priests, bishops, and popes. But they do not all have the same work to do."

A layman is you and me - normal folks with no particular religious training or scholarship.

Years later, during World War II, an English Bishop by the name of William Temple told his fellow church people that, "We are convinced that England will never be converted until the laity use the opportunities daily afforded by their various professions, crafts and occupations."

When I worked full-time for the Sheriff's Office, I got subpoenaed quite a bit to testify in court.  Here in Florida, prosecutors don't do a lot of witness preparation, so while I didn't always end up in court, I was told to take advantage of classes on being a witness.  The first rule of giving testimony is that you tell the truth and you only talk about what you know.  You give testimony on what you know for a fact and, in some cases, as an expert witness, what you are permitted to surmise from your work experience and training.  You're told to address the jury, not the lawyers and are reminded time and time again to answer only the questions asked of you by either lawyer, especially when the defense attorney is questioning you.

I think what happens a lot in the church is people forget how to be a good witness.  A witness talks about what they know - they offer testimony about things that have happened in their lives, they tell the truth and they answer questions posed to them.  I couldn't just walk into court and start spouting off my theories on who committed the crime.  But I think a lot of Christians are afraid that that is exactly what they are supposed to do when witnessing to people.  They think that witnessing and missions is telling people "You need to get saved" or "You need Jesus" or "Turn or burn!"  The fact is, none of that is true.  You're only expected to answer the questions presented to you as you live your life to glorify God.

Always be prepared to give an answer - a reason for the hope you have

The Word of God is a light to my soul.

Always be prepared to give an answer - a reason for the hope you have

There is no difference between laymen and priests - they are all priests, bishops, popes.

Always be prepared to give an answer - a reason for the hope you have

Until the laity use the opportunities daily afforded by their various professions, crafts and occupations... this land will never be converted

Always be prepared to give an answer - a reason for the hope you have... Amen.

just what the world needs. more of liz..thinking she is all important. your annoying, ugly (huge nose, gross body), single and just...think your above it all. cant wait to read your musings, hypocrite.

Hello. You didn't leave a name with your comment, so I can't properly address you.  I tried to email you, but the email address you left is bogus. My name is Colleen Watson (as if the blog URL didn't give it away). And I just felt the need to say something about how cruel this comment was you left my best friend of nearly 21 years.

I don't know how you know Liz, but chances are it's through her place of employment or a church-oriented facility/event. So I'm sure you are well aware of her beliefs in Jesus.  I share similar beliefs. I don't know where you stand, but I'd like to sincerely apologize for the people Christians are.  I will be the first to admit I'm a total hypocrite (and in my opinion, so is every other Jesus-following person). We are trying to glorify God and love others to the best of our abilities, but we are only human so we are bound to fail at times. This is not a justification or excuse to sin or be mean, awful people...but it happens, so again I'm sorry on behalf of whoever has given you a bad taste in your mouth about Jesus/God/the Holy Spirit/Christianity.

With that said, the comment you left was extremely mean and hurtful. I don't know if Liz has responded or will respond to it, but I refuse to let it fall to the wayside.  Nearly everything you wrote was a straight-up opinion, so whatever, everyone is entitled to an opinion, right?  But are you so shallow that her looks (in my opinion, Liz is beautiful) and relationship status contribute to your opinion of her as a person?

This comment broke my heart for one of my best friends, and even more because the author of the comment doesn't have the guts to take credit for his or her words.  Regardless, I hope you feel better now that you've gotten all those mean things you've been thinking of Liz off your chest.

I don't expect a response from you, but I'm fairly certain you found Liz's site through my blogroll. I invite you to continue reading my blog.  Leave cruel comments if you'd like because, again, I admit I am a complete hypocrite who is constantly falling short of the person God desires for me to be.

Take care.

PS - To anyone who reads this, I also felt like this a good time to share something I read a long time ago that I've really been trying to practice more consciously. Though this specific blog may have been a failed attempt.

When it is right and  proper to speak, speak to edify.

from Counsels on the Spiritual Life by Thomas a Kempis.

I was feeling down today and half way through a bowl of Moose Tracks double chocolate when I came upon this quote at another blog site.  It helped, but I finished my ice cream anyway (thanking God for ice cream and thanks Thomas).

“Many love Christ as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless him as long as they receive some comfort from him. But if Jesus hides himself and leaves them for a while, they either start complaining or become dejected. Those, on the contrary, who love him for his own sake and not for any comfort of their own, praise him both in trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if Jesus should never comfort them, they would continue to praise and thank him. What power there is in a pure love for Jesus—love that is free from all self-interest and self-love!”

“God often gives in one brief moment that which He has for a long time denied.”

“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”

“In Jesus and for Him, enemies and friends alike are to be loved.”

“If thou bear the cross cheerfully, it will bear thee.”

– Thomas a Kempis

Selv hvis vi går ud fra at vores nuværende samfund kender til al verdens visdom (tror vi ikke det forholder sig sådan?), gør det os intet godt, hvis ikke vi reflektere over samfundets etik og øver os på at praktisere kærlighed.

Og dem der burde gøre det - vore politikere - hører jeg kæmpe mod hinanden, istedet for at være passioneret i deres søgen efter et godt samfund. Dette kan være et spørgsmål om magt, men måske omhandler det også at der er mange ting, vi som mennesker ønsker besvaret, hvor det givne svar, eller omkostningerne herfor, ikke gør os noget godt.

Det er måske noget vrøvl, men sikkert er det derimod, at hvis vi brugte lige så lang tid på at rodfæste kærlighed i samfundet, som vi stiler hårde spørgsmål til hinanden, ville vores samfund være et helt andet sted i dag. Tænk over det!

Kærligheden er tålmodig,
kærligheden er mild,
den misunder ikke,
kærligheden praler ikke,
bilder sig ikke noget ind.
Den gør intet usømmeligt,
søger ikke sit eget,
hidser sig ikke op,
bærer ikke nag.
Den finder ikke sin glæde i uretten,
men glæder sig ved sandheden.
Den tåler alt,
tror alt,
håber alt,
udholder alt.

Kærligheden hører aldrig op...
-1.Kor.13

I would think that your point is very close to the one that Kempis is making. Certainly there are other places where Kempis seems to do what you call upon here, but this doesn’t seem to be one of the places.

He does not seem to be arguing for action instead of learning, or more properly, practice without faith, but the more meaningful integration of faith and practice, that has always been the goal of Christian theology. We could see it this way, has there ever been any person that saw learning as an end in itself but failed to put into practice in their lives the virtuous things taught in such learning? Of course. Learning is not always placed in its proper spiritual perspective. If it were, men would be Angels and we would have no laws.

It is when men know and understand what is right and fail to practice it that troubles come. We all understand that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. Do we practice it? Not very well it seems. Your last sentence seems to sum up nicely. We shouldn’t do one without the other. We can speak one thing and live another. We can reduce theology to mere philosophical rudiments and miss the soul shaking consequences of its verity.

Here Kempis is simply reminding us not to do that and saying that men should use as much care in uprooting vices as they do in discussing problems, because if we do not, we are just putting words into the air. There is no real discussion of problems without the ultimate matter including the uprooting of vices. Everything is inter-related and when we treat things as if they are not, we miss the point.

Abstraction and Human Action (Theory and Practice) are both distinguishable but inseparable aspects of a whole life lived, but we can certainly unduly focus on one to the disregard of the other. Now Kempis, for all of his insight into the working of the spiritual psychology of the Christian, tends to over focus on Practice to the exclusion of an intellectual understanding of technical theology. An understanding of technical theology is the prerequisite to the continued growth and understanding of the Christian soul, so in this he can be a bit self defeating. But still, I don’t think it means that he is wrong when he waves the flag of caution about the rigorous pursuit of mere learning to the neglect of our own soul. As you say, we “shouldn’t do one without the other.”

And in this I will try to have my faith be the source of my practice and my practice be the expression of my faith, since I believe in order to understand and my works should testify of my understanding.

Christopher Neiswonger

When transitory things are possessed and greatly multiplied in the world, they do not always help a man's soul to peace.  But they help, rather, when they are despised and fully cut away from the love and desire of the heart.  And this is to be understood not only of gold and silver and other worldly riches, but also of the desire for honor and praise in the world, which shortly vanish and pass away as smoke upon the wind.

Place helps little if the spirit of fervor is absent, and the peace a man gains outwardly will not long stand whole if it lacks true inward peace of heart.  Though you change your place, it will improve you little unless you stand firm and steadfast in Me.  For by new occasions that daily arise you will find the very things from which you fled, and perhaps they will be much more perilous and much more harmful than the first verse.

From: Of the Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis; translated from the Latin by Richard Whitford (1530); translation updated by Edward J. Klein (Garden City: Hanover House, 1955), pp. 145-146 = 3.27 (Book III, "The Inward Speaking of Christ to a Faithful Soul" and Section 27, "That Private Love Most Withholds a Man from God")

Thomas Haemerken (1379-1471), knows as Thomas a Kempis, is the author of the book quoted above, which was the most popular Christian book in the world until the publication of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.

Cease from an inordinate desire of knowing, for therein is much distraction and deceit.

The learned are well-pleased to seem so to others, and to be accounted wise.

There are many things, which to know is of little or no profit to the soul; and he is very unwise, that is intent upon other things than those that may serve for his salvation.

Many words do not satisfy the soul; but a good life comforts the mind, and a pure conscience gives great assurance in the sight of God.

Imitation of Christ by Thomas a' Kempis

Something for me to keep in mind. I've always used my knowledge as ego-ornamentation, always proud of citing this or that key text, this or that scholar. It's however of little use. It would be much better to put that knowledge to use rather than to store up mountains of it in this brain, which is growing more impatient and tired by the day with this unnecessary accumulation of text-debris.

Take care, then, not to trust too much to any desire you may have formed without consulting Me, lest perhaps you come to reject and repent of that which pleased you at first, and which then you were eager for, thinking it the best. For not every desire which seems good is is to be followed out at once; nor need we at first sight turn away from everything that seems otherwise. Even in your good works and plans it is well to be moderate, for fear of falling into the way of distractions through over-eagerness, for fear, too, of giving any scandal by breaking discipline, even for fear of meeting resistance from others, which might trouble your peace and bring about your fall. 

[thomas a kempis translated by s. mackenna]

"For God weigheth more with how much love a man worketh, than how much he doeth. He doeth much that loveth much. He doeth much, that doeth a thing well. He doeth well that rather serveth the community than his own will." Thomas À Kempis

På mit arbejde med mennesker med forskellige handicap, oplever jeg mere og mere hvordan vores velfærdssamfunds ellers så gode gerninger overfor de mindste i samfundet, medføre en umenneskeliggørelse og institutionalisering, der degraderer mennesker til numre og journaler, istedet for kød, sjæl og ånd.

I forvejen kan jeg falde ned af stolen over hvor mange midler vi bruger, og har derfor svært ved at forestille mig omfanget af den hjælp der i realiteten er brug for, hvis vi altså skal bibeholde med-menneskeligheden i velfærdssamfundet. Men måske er svaret og løsningen ikke flere hænder og mere i løn, men snarere at kilden for den nænsomhed og kærligheden der opstår som resultat af løn udbetalingerne re-justeres til dets egentlig ophav - Gud.

Kirkens rige tradition for diakoni, hospitaler, hospice og lignende selvopofrende tjenester, stammer fra munkenes og nonnernes klostre, hvor efterfølgelsen af Jesus, tidebønnen og næstekærligheden blev holdt højt. Og det er som om at uden dette Guds perspektiv bliver diakonien bleg, og forbliver kun et job istedet for en hellig livsstil.

[Luca 6.28]

Cind auzi pe cineva ca spune lucruri rele si nemeritate despre tine, sa stii ca ti se da sa bei din paharul Domnului medicament pentru suflet.

Thomas a Kempis

Cuvîntul Meu, care iese din gura Mea, nu se întoarce la Mine fara rod

[1Samuel 16.7]

Slava oamenilor buni sta in constiinta lor, nu in gura oamenilor. Nu devine omul cu nimic mai sfint daca e coplesit de laude; si cu nimic nu-l fac mai josnic ponegririle si vorbele de ocara. Fiecare este ceea ce este; oricite vorbe s-ar vintura despre tine, ele nu te vor face nici mai bun, nici mai rau decit esti de fapt in ochii lui Dumnezeu.

Thomas a Kempis 

Cuvîntul Meu, care iese din gura Mea, nu se întoarce la Mine fara rod

Han er skræmmende indsigtsfuld når han skriver, at hvis mennesker kender hele Bibelen og i deres klogskab er filosofisk velfunderet, men ikke elsker Gud og praktiserer nåde, er det intet værd.
Sladder(pressen) kan være et eksempel på, at der er mange ting vi ønsker at vide og kende til, som blot er støj i hverdagen og ikke gavner vores sjæl.

Hvis folk blot stræbte ligeså hårdt efter at plante deres dyder - værdi og etik baserede handlinger - i hverdagen, som folk stræber efter at stille spørgsmål, ville vi have langt færre skandaler i verden.
At landets ytringsfrihed berettiger at man printer Muhammed-tegningerne, gør det ikke til en nødvendighed at man skal krænke andre mennesker eller befolkningsgrupper - ligesom vi lære vores børn at tale pænt, selvom de er i deres fulde ret til ikke at gøre det.

Jeg ved ikke hvor meget jeg kommer til at blogge om det, men hvis du vil læse med kan du købe et livs refleksion for blot 60 kr. her, eller læse den gratis på nettet her.

First of all, I want to apologize that you haven't received any new posts since the Study opened. If you were wondering, yes, this blog is still active. After driving over 1100 miles last week to visit our satellite ministry, attend a conference, and lead a seminar, I didn't get to spend much time in my study--really just enough time to prepare for Sunday. As busy Lutheran shepherds, sometimes there are just weeks like that. For future reference, I plan to regularly post updates each Monday with occasional posts on other days at other times.

As the Epiphany season comes to a close and we prepare our hearts for the solemn season of Lent, I'd like to turn your attention to a hymn with which you might be familiar. I've sung it occasionally over the years, but its text didn't really sink in until we sang it here for the First Sunday after the Epiphany--the celebration of the Baptism of Our Lord. Our focus that Sunday was on Christ's work as our substitute and how he had come to "fulfill all righteousness". As I quickly paged through the Redeemer section of Christian Worship to prepare the worship plan, I came across hymn #371 - Oh, Love, How Deep, which is attributed to Thomas à Kempis.

As you might recall from Christian church history, à Kempis is better known as a Renaissance era Roman Catholic monk who wrote a famed devotional entitled The Imitation of Christ. This hymn, however, has nothing of typical Roman Catholic synergistic theology about it. No, this hymn is all about what Christ did "for us" and we simply stand in awe of that.
The frequency of that phrase "for us" was what struck me about this hymn. At the very beginning, it clearly tells us why Christ came in the first place ("for us"). "For us", then, Christ lived. "For us" Christ died. "For us" Christ rose again. "For us" Christ poured out his Holy Spirit to bring us into his kingdom. The "for us" comes up again and again as you sing it. (13x in Christian Worship's version!) All this and so much more he did "for us"--not because we have earned or deserved it or even participated in it, but solely out of his gracious love he endured all that "for us". What a perfect hymn for the Epiphany season as we consider how the Lord revealed himself as our substitute Savior in his life and ministry! What a perfect hymn as we enter the Lenten season and ponder how the Lord sacrificed himself as our substitute Savior!

I pray this hymn helps you to prepare your heart, as it has helped to prepare mine, for the solemn season of Lent when we ponder the importance of our substitute Savior's atoning sacrifice "for us"!

Oh, Love, How Deep by Thomas à Kempis (ca. 1380-1471)
(Christian Worship 371)

Oh, love, how deep, how broad, how high, beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take our mortal form for mortals' sake!

He sent no angel to our race, of higher or of lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame, and to this world himself he came.

For us baptized, for us he bore his holy fast and hungered sore;
For us temptation sharp he knew, for us the tempter overthrew.

For us he prayed, for us he taught; For us his daily works he wrought,
But words and signs and actions thus still seeking not himself but us.

For us, by wickedness betrayed, for us, in crown of thorns arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death; For us he gave his dying breath.

For us he rose from death again, for us he went on high to reign;
For us he sent his Spirit here to guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.

All glory to our Lord and God for love so deep, so so high, so broad,
The Trinity whom we adore forever and forevermore.

A Kempis goes on to say:

"Their examples still witness that they were indeed holy and perfect men, who fought valiantly, and trampled the world under their feet... Oh, the carelessness and coldness of the present time! Sloth and lukewarmness make life wearisome for us, and we soon lose our early fervour! May the longing to grow in grace not remain dormant in you, who have been privileged to witness so many examples of the holy life" (from chapter 18)

This is all very well, and reflects a (good) desire to grow in Christian maturity towards God. However, I can't help thinking that a Kempis to a certain degree reflects his own time. In the same chapter he could be seen as laying some of the ground work that led to the reformer, Martin Luther's dissatisfaction with himself as a monk, and his subsequent rediscovery of the power of God's grace.

Earlier in the same chapter, a Kempis says, (talking again of the example of early Christians): "Grounded in true humility, they lived in simple obedience, they walked in charity and patience; and thus daily increased in the Spirit, and received great grace from God"

Is there here, a hint of the idea that God's grace is some wort of reward for living in simple obedience. This is what Luther rallied against. He could never be good enough to merit God's grace, no matter how hard he tried. There would always be aspects of himself that were undeserving. Surely it is the other way around. It is as a response to God's grace that we attempt to grow in discipleship (that is, grow in the imitation of Christ).

Martin Luther put it a lot better than I can:

"As it is written: 'The just person lives by faith'. I began to understand that in this verse the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous man lives by the gift of God, in other words by faith.... This immediately made me feel as if I had been born again and entered through open gates into paradise itself." (Martin Luther, from his 'Autobiographical fragment' of 1545)

This makes the heart keener to live for God, and takes the pressure off.

I'm being reminded, quite honestly, how selfish I am. Don't get me wrong, I think I'm a pretty nice guy with an amiable personality. I get along well with others, but I'm selfish. My life includes frequent rationalizations for instant gratification and ruthless self indulgence.

This type of behavior is contrary to Jesus' invitation to take up our cross. An invitation that often scares me. But Thomas, my new found 15th century friend, reminds me that while taking up this cross may be petrifying, it is so much better than the alternative. He says:

"Why, then, do you fear to take up the cross when through it you can win a kingdom? In the cross is salvation, in the cross is life, in the cross is protection from enemies, in the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the cross is strength of mind, in the cross is joy of spirit... There is no salvation of soul nor hope of everlasting life but in the cross.

"Take up your cross, therefore, and follow Jesus, and you shall enter eternal life. He Himself opened the way before you in carrying His cross, and upon it He died for you, that you, too, might take up your cross and long to die upon it. If you die with Him, you shall also live with Him, and if you share His suffering, you shall also share His glory." - Thomas a Kempis

When we accept all of Christ for all that we need... When we walk away from our self-indulging desires... When our need for instant gratification dies... In those moments, we are truly alive!