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I'm really sorry about... you know... that thing. Really!
When someone has hurt us and wants to be back in a restored relationship with us, how do we know when they are sincere? It is impossible to see the heart, so we must rely on their words and actions. However because God does see our hearts, this makes C.S. Lewis' quote all the more intriguing to me on repentance.
"This repentance, this willing submission to humiliation and a kind of death, is not something God demands of you before He will take you back and which He could let you off if ... |
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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From Mere Christianity, CS Lewis writes...
"In other words, fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor - that is the only way out of a 'hole'. This process of surrender - this movement full speed astern - is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating ... |
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space and return. Supposedly either he or Nikita Khrushchev during a later speech, made the comment that he "didn't see any God there."
In 'The Seeing Eye', CS Lewis reflects on this and writes...
"The Russians, I am told, report that they have not found God in outer space... The belief in a local deity who can be contained in a particular temple, island or grove. That, in fact, seems to be the sort of religion about which the Russians - or some Russians, and a good many people in the West - are being irreligious. It is not in the least disquieting that no astronauts have discovered a god of that sort. The really disquieting thing would be if they had."
I like that. I think I tend to sometimes look for God or try to find Him in places of my choosing or places where I have encountered Him before. ie when I'm alone, at church, on a run, at prayer, etc... Instead, believing and knowing that He is always with me, I would like to be continually 'discovering' him during the day. Look He's here...
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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CS Lewis is one of my favorite authors who inspires my thinking and draws me closer to God. I'm reading a book that has daily readings culled from Lewis' books and letters. Listen to this...
'One of the great difficulties is to keep before the audience's mind the question of Truth. They always think you are recommending Christianity not because it is true but because it is good. And in the discussion they will at every moment try to escape from the issue 'True or False' into stuff about the Spanish Inquisition, or France, or Poland or anything whatever. You have to ... |
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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After speaking about connecting last Sunday and preparing to speak on serving and going this week, I thought this story from a pastor in Canada (Mark Buchanan) caught the essence of how these
components of our Christian life work together so well.
Enjoy... and feel free to comment on anything that grabs you...
A few years ago, a friend assembled a weekend work party to lay sod in his yard. The sun was shining. He had fresh coffee and cinnamon buns. And the crew he'd
called together were all good friends. We liked each other immensely.
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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When I was 12 I got my first cavity in a "permanent" tooth and it drove me nuts. Despite, what I thought were my best efforts at brushing and even flossing once a year, I
still got drilled.
When I was 17, my girlfriend Sheila broke up with me and I thought I was going to die. Despite my best efforts at dating and even doing what she wanted to do once a year, I still got
dumped.
In both of those instances and many other times, I thought I had control. Whenever I operate under the delusion that I have control, ... |
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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I've been leading a video series called the "Truth Project". The opening night, the leader asked the question "Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?"
His intent in asking that question, was to prompt us to look at what we say we really believe and see if our actions, our words, our attitudes really reflect our beliefs. That question,
combined with the passage from James about faith and actions, really has me thinking about my actions more.
Now combine that with the temporary versus eternal discussion. When I do things that are more focused on the temporary, then ... |
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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My friend John Diniz, just started a new book study on Wednesday mornings on the book "It All Goes Back In The Box" by John Ortberg. One of the more salient points to me this
morning was there are many things that are temporary in life and only a few that are eternal.
It made me ponder how much time I was spending on the temporary versus the eternal. I've found that unless I intentionally focus on spending time on those things that are eternal, my natural
drift is toward the temporary. Time spent with others, who are also pursuing ... |
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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Words have incredible power. As I prepare to say words this Sunday about words, I think back to the words I've heard people speak to me this week or even this morning.
Some have been encouraging and strengthened me.
Some have been discouraging and weary me.
Some have been on the neutral side and didn't have much of an effect on me either way.
Then, I think about the words I've said to my family, friends, strangers... and I wonder what impact they've had. I wonder about the words I'm typing and you're reading... will they make a
difference...
May the words of my mouth and ... |
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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I've always been a reader, although there have been times when my reading load has lightened up. The past four to five months have been light. I'm not sure if I was just a little tired of reading or simply had other priorities. However, in the past couple weeks, I've jumped back in and love it again. I confess that part of the motivation was organizing my bookshelf and realizing how many books I had bought and not read. Yikes...
I'm finding again how much reading stimulates by imagination, increases my knowledge and challenges me to consider other points of view. My current reading list includes a daily reading of selected C.S. Lewis works, The Upside of Adversity, They're Gentiles for Christ's Sake and Boards That Make a Difference. It a nice diverse group and all interesting to one degree or another.
Anyone else read anything interesting lately??? |
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| Posted by Mike Heiniger at | | | |
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