It's about that time when we see the influx of the "twice-a-year". You know them ... maybe you're one of them. Christmas and Easter, they pop in through the door to get their magical fix. One wonders, why bother? For the unfamiliar, coming to church is a great recipe for family fights, uncomfortably clothes, fretting about the unattended dinner in the oven, and general stress and tension on a day of celebration. All for that annual fix so we can say "OK, I faced my guilt, did my thing, now I'm ok". Those of us who are a bit more regular will greet you (perhaps) and say "Welcome", shake your hand, and try to put on a show we think you expect. At the end, we'll share some over-stewed tea and cheap biscuits (cookies for those who are Americans). Are we collectively suicidal? Do we really understand that we're walking into the lion's den when we dare to stand in the face of a universal absolute? Bizarrely we do it any way, but we come prepared with the armor of a self-tailored belief that has just enough similarities to make us think its the real thing. The hound of heaven is waiting, is chasing, is right behind. I fled Him down the nights and down the days I fled Him down the arches of the years I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind ... For though I knew His love who followe'd, Yet was I sore adread, lest having Him, I should have nought beside. [Francis Thompson] These are the days when we tread dangerously; we are close to hearing his feet, seeing his shadow, and feeling his breath. In fear we should be, as we stand in the presence of his story. For what might we lose? Only all we have, all we are, down to our very being. Our fear is that hound of heaven threatens all we hold dear. To stand our ground requires instead that we open our eyes to what we really have, to what we can say is actually ours, and realize that in its finality we have nothing of permanence. Only then we can see the gift the hound of heaven brings.
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Why?
Probably the best therapy is to express yourself. Why do you think psychiatrists make you lie on the couch and talk, while all they do is murmur "hmmm", "uhuh", or "go on"? Archives
May 2017
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