A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
Isaiah 42:3-4 NIV
http://bible.com/111/isa.42.3-4.NIV
Month: November 2015
Veni Veni!
Ill have some thoughts later on the start of Advent. In the bustle and hustle of the “shopping season”, we forget that Christmas is such a tremendous world changing event, that it requires proper preparation, especially for those of us who are very faulted (such as myself)
Its a time of prayer and repentance Advent, a time to go beyond where we are now, and get some place better.
Lord , how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord , are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord , and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord ! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
Psalm 3:1-8 NIV
http://bible.com/111/psa.3.1-8.NIV
Priest, Levite.. or Samaritan
Lately I have really been considering the refugee issue with Syria. I live in St. Louis, where we have had our share of bringing in others. Certainly this has always been a middle class town, Made up of Germans, Italians, French, Polish, and most recently Serbian and Bosnian Immigrants (we have others, those are the most prevalent and thus the most noteworthy).
We have seen the debate go from one side to the next. Some think we should take the refugees, others we shouldn’t. Then there are some who think we should, but there needs to be a better “vetting” process for them. I honestly fall somewhere in the 3rd group. I am over whelmed by the Gospel in this case –
“29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion,34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”” Luke 10:29-37
It made me think.. What would have happened if the victim in the story, attacked his helper, the Samaritan. Certainly there was no difference between the people of that time, compared to the people of this time – Samaritans after all socially speaking, are no different than people of Persian area decent today – Everyone immediately judges them, because with respect they are overwhelmingly Islamic, and sadly, People of the muslim faith have a bad rap from the Militants of Isis/ISIL, and other terror minded organizations. Just like now, the Samaritans and Jews were locked in a war over ideology (in short, the People of the North, Samaria, 10 out of the 12 tribes, kept certain Canaanite aspects to their Belief in the One God…Including High Places (as opposed to the temple mount) etc)
However, we never hear of the victim in the story attacking his helper. Instead, we see three people, who SHOULD have helped him each. A Priest,., The conduit of the people of God’s relationship with Him.. A Levite… also attached to the Priestly Class (and called apart to minister to the PEOPLE), and then we have a Samaritan. That Samaritan honestly should have left that Gent for dead. They were enemies. For all he knew, that Jew was waiting to murder him based off of differing Ideologies. Probably a few miles away at that instant, there probably was a dispute between the Northerners and those of Judea.
But, Our Lord in his instruction doesn’t care. All that matters is there is love shown. “Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” “
So I have to ask you, Which one are we going to be. The Levite or Priest… who had every resource and motivation to help the Jew…or The Samaritan,,who by all accounts could have left the Man dead?
Am I saying, lets take all refugees in? No. Certainly we have our own problems, especially in St Louis, where we can’t even take care of our own. But, if our answer is simply ” they might be terrorists” .. That’s a pretty poor answer in lieu of what our Lord teaches us about love and compassion.
Something to think about. Are we the Priest, the Levite, or are we The Good Samaritan, the one who showed mercy on our Brother.
St Meinrad, Patron of Hospitality, Pray for us.
Why doesnt it rain on others?

Take a look inside
Very much on my mind lately – This blog has always meant to be more about a personal journey then anything else, and less about Apologetics. Sometimes I wish I would get an answer – If that “mighty warrior” part could kick in at some point…that would be pretty awesome.
You think I am a wise man. You think I know my faith. Im probably more lost, broken and messed up then you could imagine.
You deceived me, Lord , and I was deceived ; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Jeremiah 20:7-12 NIV
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Last month, with life and everything else, I was ridiculously busy. As such I let my godaddy account lax. That being said, the account was suspended, and I managed to lose everything. I really dont fancy paying the 100 dollars to restore my data, so Ill simply start over.
For the 5 people who read 😛 Please stand by