Thursday, September 24, 2009

Meditation of the week

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.




Ouch.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Bible Study: Thank God for Grace!

We're back from a scheduled break for just catching up, hanging out, and getting the low-down on how each other was getting on with life, study, etc.

This week, Paul takes a time-out from teaching Timothy to give thanks and praise to God for the grace He has given to him. He thinks about the implications of this, and we learn from his response.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

What's wrong with Mr. Bingley?


I've noticed an interesting thing in my facebook feed of late – among the endless stream of inane quizzes (seriously, who really wants to know what Pocky flavour you are, or which of Elizabeth Taylor's husbands you best fit?) are a couple of Jane Austen-themed quizzes. These purport to tell you which Pride & Prejudice character you are, or (if you're of the female persuasion) which Austen hero you "get".

Quite a number of my female facebook friends expressed disappointment that they didn't get Mr. Darcy as their companion of choice. One expression of annoyance in particular caught my eye – my friend had the result of Mr Bingley, the affable companion of Mr Darcy's. Her response? "Slightly dissatisfied"!

I'm surprised that Bingley gets passed over so much in favour of Darcy; there are no real flaws in his character, apart from considering others' opinions too highly. His heart is in the right place, and he never treats any of the other characters with anything other than genuine friendship and affection (something almost every other character is singularly incapable of). While monied, his fortune is the result of work, not lineage, and he seems to be loyal to a fault.

On behalf of all the Mr. Bingleys of the world: What's wrong with that?

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

CU Bible Study, Week 2: Law


Week 2 of the CU Bible Study Jeff & I are running looks at the law this week. It is sometimes portrayed as being a necessary evil, something that Jesus destroyed for us. But is this really the case? Check out the study and see for yourself!


Week 2: Law and Freedom [PDF]




Creative Commons: umjanedoan on flickr