Wednesday, April 12, 2006

A 1928 Truth in a Strange Place

Have you ever had this happen? You are reading through an "okay" book, maybe even laboring to accomplish the completion, when you catach sight of something that is exactly on target with what you are dealing with right then. It doesn't even have to be the main theme of the book. It just leaps off the page; it is so crystal clear that this quote is for you.

I had one of those ah-ha moments while reading a short book about "the Wife of Pilate". It was totally historical fiction, filling in the details of the gospel account. But it was the foreword which captured my attention. It described the types of "ways of thinking" (a euphemism for worldview) in the world. I believe that the author nailed some personality influences on worldview.

"...God has ordained that there should always be in the world two essentially different types of minds. The one looks backward, feeds upon established order, and preserves the sanctities of the past. The other is a restless one, seeking, trying, daring; respecting above everything else its own integrity; following its own leadings unfalteringly, even though they bring pain, if by so doing it may be utterly honest with itself.
Both types of mind are noble and necessary. The first gives the world poise and balance; the second gives it progress and truth. ... [As they meet together], there shirks away from the discussion a third group -- sensitive, trusting souls -- who fear they have lost something precious from the old, who do not quite grasp the new, who are therfore sometimes saddened and sometimes embittered."
Agnes Sligh Turnbull, The Wife of Pontious Pilate, pp. 6-7
And so I ask you, of which mind are you? I find myself decidedly in the "restless" category. I believe that this way of thinking is what gets me in trouble with those of the stayed mindset. :)
Restless for truth applied to life,
Mike

5 comments:

CATTLTEKMAN said...

I am always in awe of a God that brings to our attention a truth or an idea that seems to come out of no where . your quote mine this week when studing 1 Cor.1-13 and coming to verse 4 and just reflectively thinking about it.
God is good.

Sue Densmore said...

What a great quote! I am totally putting that in my journal.

By the way, thanks for visiting my blog, Mike, and for the encouraging note you left. As far as the emerging church movement, I think we're in trouble as soon as the word movement gets applied to anything...ha!!

See ya -
Sue

Anonymous said...

Gotta love the "smack you in the face" kinda moments. I had one earlier this week when I cracked open my devotional bible. Not quite sure why this still surprises me but it did....again. I randomly opened my devotional bible and then thumbed forward until I got to the devotion for the current day of the week (Monday).
More proof that God gives us what we need when we need it.

Todd Paris said...

Mike, Just wondering what your thoughts are on this quote- "We do not need success or all the calls going our way to show Christ to those around us. We need adversity and loss."


Dwight Peterson

Thad, So what did it say????

Pastor Mike Paris said...

Todd,

I got it. "Thanx" for smacking me in the face with my own posting of a quote. It must be nice to sit on that grassy knoll called perfection and throw stones at we dumb dolts trying to climb up to you! :P

But I still love you,
Mike