Some thoughts from the stake

John Hus was a Czech that was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415. His love for Jesus was what sent him to be burned and I pray our words woud be the same as his if we would ever be faced with renouncing Christ.

"God is my witness that the evidence against me is false. I have never thought nor preached except with the one intention of winning men, if possible, from their sins. In the truth of the Gospel I have written, taught, and preached; today I will galdly die."

Some More City of God "Goodness"

"It is the glory of vain men never to yield to the truth."

"How could anyone give us eternal life who cannot even make us happy? And, by eternal life I mean a life where there is happiness without end."

"There can be no greter or worse death than where death itself never dies. Since it is the nature of the soul that it cannot be without some sort of life, having been created immortal, it is the depth of death for it to be alienated from the life of God in an eternity of pain."

St. Augustine

Some challenging thoughts on Pacifism

Here is a blog from an old professor of Amber's. He is an amazing man who has influenced a ton of people. I pray the Lord will keep Dr. Reeves strong in Him.
click here a genuine faith (the comments are worth reading)

Let me know what your thoughts are on pacifism. By the way...it is fine to not agree, but we are all called to disagree with humility.

Love Truth

Some of St. Augustine's thoughts on suffering

"For, in the same fire, gold gleams and straw smokes; under the same flail the stalk is crushed and the grain threshed; the lees are not mistaken for oil because they have issued from the same press. So, too, the tide of trouble will test, purify, and improve the good, but beat, crush, and wash away the wicked. So it is that, under the weight of the same affliction, the wicked deny and blaspheme God, and the good pray to Him and praise Him. The difference is not in what people suffer but in the way they suffer. The same shaking that makes fetid water stink makes perfume issue a more pleasant odor."

St. Augustine (The City of God)

Some Reasons

I started a personal blog for several reasons (by the way, these are not in order of importance).
1. I have been learning some great things in school and I want to share quotes from the books I am reading.

2. History, theology, and philosophy are areas I really enjoy and would love to grow in.

3. Many people from our past have debated and come to some incredible conclusions that some people today are walking around and professing as new ideas. I believe it is important to see how these questions were confronted in order to see how each of us can grow more.

4. I LOVE JESUS. I believe HE is the greatest Historian, Theologian, and Philosopher ever. Looking at these areas through a "God-centered" lense will cause one to know the greatest Thinker of all time!

5. C.S. Lewis said that good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, that bad philosophy does.

6. It is unloving to watch people act and live in a wrong manner, all the while walking down the street singing "How Great is Our God" and being silent when it comes to confrontation. This thinking is sadistic. A good word picture may be someone who puts their arm around another and smiles at them as they are on the way to Hell. A person who would do this has problems, yet many Christians live this way.

7. It is important to think properly so that we can act properly. It is not good enough to have what appear to be good actions. OUR ACTIONS MUST BE PROPERLY INFORMED. Jesus made this clear in the Sermon on the Mount when He said that some people will come and tell Him that they preached in His name and did what they perceived to be good things in His name. He will tell them they must depart from Him because they never knew Him.

8. We do not know Jesus better by celebrating ignorance.

9. Truth is ultimately relational. First and foremost is the relationship of God amongst Himself (the intra-Trinitarian relationship). He is then relationally focused with us. This does not cause God to be dependent on us or needy in anyway, but shows that His relationship amongst Himself is the greatest joy one can have and therefore He invites us into His greatest pleasure and our greatest pleasure...HIMSELF! To miss that Truth is ultimately relational is to turn words such as glory into a "thing" to be pursued and not ultimately a relationship. God is a person, not a thing. Therefore, from enjoying relationship with Him we will spread His glory to others.

10. I have so much to learn from others. I will be posting quotes from unbelievers as well as believers. Daniel's testimony was that he was 10 times smarter than any of the other pagan's in their own beliefs. He knew what he believed and was also able to see the Truth in other pagan literature (Acts 17 is also another testimony of this).

Love Truth