This Sunday’s readings: Psalm 42/43

Reflections

What do people mean when they say, ‘I am not afraid of God because I know He is good’? Have they never even been to a dentist?
~ C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about him. The conclusion I dread is not ‘So there’s no God after all,’ but ‘So this is what God’s really like. Deceive yourself no longer.’
~ C. S. Lewis, 1898-1963

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
~ A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

Our self help culture is preoccupied with ‘self-talk’, with your inner-monologue. Does what you say cheer you up or tear you down? Are you consciously self-affirming or obsessively self-critical?…[God’s Word] gets you out of the monologue business entirely. It gets you about the business of a living dialogue with the person whose opinion finally matters.
~ David Powlison, Pastoral theologian and author with CCEF

I find a lot of dishonesty in Christian art. And I think it’s a shame because [the psalmists] are people who are vulnerable to God in a good way…porous, open. I would love if… people writing these [Christian] songs would write a song about their bad marriage… Why I’m suspicious of Christians is because of this lack of realism.
~Bono (1960-present), lead singer of U2

I have never experienced stomach doubt, but I think Jesus did. When he cried out, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!’ I don’t think he was raising a theological issue… I think he had looked into the abyss itself and found there a darkness that spiritually, viscerally, totally engulfed him. I think God allows that kind of darkness to happen only to God’s saints.
~ Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking