What Jesus Didn’t Say

I woke up with this on my mind today.  Not sure why, but thought I would share.

Luke 23:39-43

³⁹One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴²Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[f]“

⁴³Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

All Jesus said was , “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”  He didn’t say, “You’ve got to be pretty messed up to be here.  Before I know you’re really with me and not against me I must know…”

• “…where you stand politically. Red or Blue?”
• “…how you feel about the gay community.”
• “…if you said “The Salvation Prayer” repeating someone word for word.”
• “…whether or not you believe in creationism or evolution.”
• “…if you are going to commit to a ‘body of believers.’”
• “…,what is your stance on abortion?”
• “…that you line up with all of my core beliefs.”
• “…how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.”

Point being that most of our questions have nothing to do with what truly matters when it comes to grace and salvation.  Not only is God bigger than our sins and our jaded pasts (and present), but God is bigger than our politics, our cultural belief systems, our Christian denominations.  All of these things are valid and important to us as a society and within our own convictions… one way or another.  But Christians come in many shapes, sizes and belief systems.  I think this tends to get lost.  One Christian might hang their head or shake their finger at another Christian because they’re obviously “off track” (or, say, part of a different denomination) when that person is where God has wanted them to be.

The way I see it is Faith is a journey… and he’s much too creative to make us all take the same one and end up in the same place.

Practice Compassion

From Serhan K. Flickr Photostream

 

“Each of us in our own way can try to spread compassion into people’s hearts. Western civilizations these days place great importance on filling the human ‘brain’ with knowledge, but no one seems to care about filling the human ‘heart’ with compassion. This is what the real role of religion is.”  -Dalai Lama

“Man may dismiss compassion from his heart, but God never will” -William Cowp

“Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth. ” – Benjamin Disraeli 

“The major block to compassion is the judgment in our minds. Judgment is the mind’s primary tool of separation.” -Diane Berke

“We frail humans are at one time capable of the greatest good and, at the same time, capable of the greatest evil. Change will only come about when each of us takes up the daily struggle ourselves to be more forgiving, compassionate, loving, and above all joyful in the knowledge that, by some miracle of grace, we can change as those around us can change too.” -Mairead Maguire

“Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.” -Saint Teresa of Avila

 

Image Mosaic Generator

Thankful For

- a husband who loves me inside and out and unconditionally.

 

- my children with personalities so different and expressions so alike.

 

- enjoying other’s creations – centering music and beautiful art.

 

- amazing amounts of food, water, resources and shelter at my fingertips.

 

- the love of friends and deep understanding.

 

- a seriously nice, cool breeze at the perfect time.

 

- Crepe Myrtles starting to bloom.

 

- a God who blesses me with “yes” and protects me with “no”.

 

- a God who, I’m convinced, loves to make me smile and laugh.

 

- endless possibilities.

Water 13

Water 13

For 40 Days, colored by Baby Bear

Water 12

Water 12 

 

For 40 Days

Water 11

Water 11

 

For 40 Days

Vinnegar and Water – A Copacetic Combination

I know I haven’t been posting the drawings of water, but I swear on the beanie hat of Leroy Vinnegar and his funky jazz tunes, Iwill draw 40 glasses of water.  I think he’s the only one who understands my passion.

For 40 Days

Water 10

Water 10

For 40 Days, by dt

Water 9

Water 9

For 40 Days

Water 8

Water 8

For 40 Days