Friday, April 21, 2006

A Glimpse of Jesus


I am reading another of Brennan Mannings books, "A Glimpse of Jesus: The Stranger to Self-Hatred" and so far it is not a let down. I read the "Ragamuffin Gospel" not long ago and it oozed with grace and so does this work. This morning, I was reading and I came across a story Brennan tells about a vision he had while on a spiritual retreat. I would like to transcribe it here for you to read. The context of this story is it follows the question, "But who do you say that I am?"(Matt. 16:15). This answers that question for me.
"Praying over the passage of the washing of the feet, I was suddenly transported in faith into the Upper Room, where I took Judas' place among the Twelve. The Servant, who had tied a towel round his waist, poured water from a pitcher into a copper basin and reached out to wash my feet. Involuntarily I pulled my foot back. I couldn't look at him. I had betrayed the vision, been unfaithful to my dream(and thus unfaithful to his plan for my life).
Sensing my dismay, he placed his hand on my knee and said, "Brennan, do you know what these years together have meant to me? You were being held even when you didn't believe I was holding you. I love you, my friend."
Tears rolled down my cheeks. "But Lord, my sins, my repeated failures, my weaknesses...."
"I understand. Brennan, I expected more failure from you than you expected from yourself." He smiled. "And you always came back. Nothing pleases me as much as when you trust me, when you allow that my compassion is bigger than your sinfulness."
"But Jesus, what about my irritating character defects-the boasting, the inflating of the truth, the pretense of being an intellectual, the impatience with people, and all the times I drank to excess?"
"What you are saying is true. But your love for me has never wavered: your heart has remained pure. What's more, even in darkness and confusion, you've always done something that overshadowed all the rest. You were kind to sinners. Now I'll go. I've washed your feet. Do the same for others. Serve my people humbly and lovingly. You will find happiness if you do. Peace, my friend."
After reading that, I had to re-read it. What a revelation of grace! What a beautiful answer to the question of who Jesus is to me. It's not what others have said Jesus is. Not the eloquent writers of scripture. It's not what the preacher said. It's not what the teacher said. It's not what any author has penned. It's a very personal answer that only we as individuals can answer. For me, Jesus is Grace.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

...Film at 11.




I have tried and tried to "get into the news", but so far I have been unsuccessful. I have tried the local, national, and world news, but to no avail. I have tried different medias, ie. TV, newspaper, etc., no dice. I don't know why this is when people who are my age seem to keep up regularly with it. I just don't have the motovation. The newspaper to me is good for comics, sales papers (for my wife), and crossword puzzles. The news is of little concern for me. Watching local news at night usually becomes a long commercial as I wait for the late shows to come on. I realize that there have been important things that I have missed, nothing life or death...yet. All I have to say to all the people out there that stay informed on a regular basis, keep me informed!

Good Night and Good Luck,
SIM CP

Friday, April 07, 2006

Superman Returns 6-30-06


One of the coolest lines in a film is in this trailer for the much anticipated Superman Returns (select player at bottom of screen). In case you miss it, here is the line from Jor-EL (Superman's dad) to Superman (Kal-EL): "Even though you have been raised as a human being, you are not one of them. They can be a great people, Kal-EL, they wish to be...They only lack the light to show the way...For this reason above all, their capacity to do good, I've sent them you, my only son. Does this not ooze spiritual overtones!?! The story of Jesus Christ, the original Super(Son of)Man, is paralleled with an awesome soundtrack for added emotion (if the little hairs on the back of your neck don't stand up when you see the Kent's mailbox in the forefront of the Kansas sunrise with John Williams' theme playing, you might not be a fan of Superman). Just thought this was really cool.
SIM CP