This Sunday’s readings: John 16:16-22

Reflections

‘Without pain, how could we know joy?’ This is an old argument in the field of thinking about suffering, and its stupidity and lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the taste of chocolate.
~ John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
~  Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931,  Author, The Prophet

So, [can] joy be joy and sorrow can be sorrow, with neither of them casting either light or shadow on the other?
~  Marilynne Robinson, Author, Lila

When you numb your pain you also numb your joy.
~ Brené Brown, Lecturer/Author

I fear joy more than sorrow. Let me be clear, sorrow is not preferable, nor without dread, it’s that joy intensifies the awareness of other losses and increases our desire for what is to come. Joy boosts our sensitivity to life and death. But heartache, more often than not, dulls our senses and limits our vision of what is yet to come.
~ Dan Allender, Psychologist/Author

This Sunday’s readings: John 16:4-11

Reflections

It’s easy to see God in the exceptional things, but it requires a culture of spiritual discipline to see God in the details.
~ Oswald Chambers, 1874-1917

A man’s social and spiritual discipline must answer to his corporeal. He must lean on a friend who has a hard breast, as he would lie on a hard bed. He must drink cold water for his only beverage. So he must not hear sweetened and colored words, but pure and refreshing truths. He must daily bathe in truth cold as spring water, not warmed by the sympathy of friends.
~ Henry David Thoreau

The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right and the condition we want to enjoy. This is the feature of human character that explains why the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We intend what is right, but we avoid the life that would make it reality.
~ Dallas Willard, Philosopher/Author

Loving our enemies also teaches us that the gospel is bigger and more important than any other issue. It trumps all divisions, prejudices, and hatred. The gospel is more important than any personal or political issues you may have with others.
~ John S. Leonard, Get Real: Sharing Your Everyday Faith Every Day

Never allow your ego to diminish your ability to listen.
~ Gary Hopkins, The Master Within