The Unrepentant Mind. . .

The unrepentant mind. . .
  Remembers wrongs. . .
  Justifies its actions. . .
  Blames others for its faults. . .
  Magnifies its virtues. . .
  Minifies its flaws. . .
  Is prideful. . .
  Abhors submission. . .
  

The repentant mind. . .
  Forgives. . .
  Continually questions its motivations and actions. . .
  Accepts responsibility. . .
  Gives God the credit for successes. . .
  Is aware of its shortcomings. . .
  Strives for humility. . .
  Is meek. . .


The dark chasm between who I was, and who I am. . . or maybe rather better said. . . who I was and who I strive to be.  After 12 years, I am still changing. . . still growing. . . still learning.

Much of what is happening in the world today makes no sense, and greatly mystifies me, until I remember how I used to act and think. . . until I remember what motivated me. . . what drove me . . and it becomes clear. . . the unrepentant mind. . .

I can see the tattered remains of my old thought processes, still hanging there, still within me. . .BUT!!! a new Spirit resides there now. . . I am a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. . .

I thank you my God for the work you have done within me. . .
I thank you my God for the work you have yet to accomplish with me. . .

I love you my God. . .
I love you my Lord. . .

  
   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mother's Day 2007

My mother had a stroke on May 1st. The doctors said that she would be a vegetable. . . I write these words a few days before Mother's Day 2007. This morning my sister and I met my Mom's doctor to discuss her future. I am appreciative of what he is trying to do. He wants us to begin thinking of things that we want to keep covered and out of sight. His experiences with similar cases, I am sure are valuable to him, but this is not a usually or a most often, this is not a past history, this is my Mom. She lies critically ill in a bed, unconscious, receiving her nourishment, and air through a tangled umbilical of hoses, lines and cords. We grasp at every positive hint. We make excuses for dark signs. This is our Mom. . . God made Eve from Adam's rib. I came from someplace deeper and much more intimate than a rib. I suspect (being an outsider to the mystery) that the tearing, the parting of birth is both physical and emotional. Birth being only the first wrenching separation in...
Read more

When Your Mother Dies. . .

Lessons learned when you were four become much more meaningful. . . The temperature of the whole world chills a little. . . Toll House cookies are no longer merely a snack, but a monument. . . Mothers day changes from an obligation to a craving. . . Sometimes the air thins and you gasp for breath just sitting in a chair. . . Crying for Mommy returns after a fifty year absence. . . You lose something vast and precious that you didn't even know you had. . . You crave being held and hugged all the time. . . The last time you spoke to her is now at the bottom of a big ache. . . Tears are found in totally unexpected places. . . Never again. . . her magical home made vegetable soup. . . wonderful green beans, potatoes, and ham that aren't falling apart and soupy. . .meat loaf with just the perfect amount of ketchup on top. . . those just right crispy fried potatoes. . . never again. . . for ever. . . Your chance to repay an enormous debt is lost. . . You lose ...
Read more

How to Find a Great Church. . .

Image
or Beetles and Bell Curves. . . The following is expanded from a talk that I gave at a men's meeting at the Elkhart County Jail March 11, 2009 Many years ago I heard on the radio, or read in a magazine or book, or saw on television. . . I just cannot remember even what medium I saw this on. . .anyway,  a scientist talked about what he could deduce about God from the design of the universe.  This man's response fascinated me and I have continued to ponder upon it for some twenty or twenty-five years after hearing it. This scientist said that he could tell two things about God from the design of the universe.  The first being that God has an inordinate love of beetles.  Zoologists have catalogued roughly 700,000 species of insects and almost half of those are various kinds of beetles.  Of all living plants and animals roughly 20% of that entire number are beetles.  That was the first thing that this scientist noticed about God's creation. The second thing was that God must gr...
Read more