Sunday, August 29, 2010

Purpose

"And thou wilt give thyself relief, if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last."

Marcus Aurelius

Monday, August 23, 2010

For Christendom

We need Christians – reborn people who have accepted the life of the Sermon on the
Mount.
We need people who work – people who are capable and willing to work.
We need people who radiate the spirit of Christ – people who witness for Christ
with their entire being.
We are a working community of disciples of Jesus who give up everything to live
simply and solely for love and for productive work. We must testify that we are a
church of Christ, a Lord’s Supper fellowship.
We need Christ and the kingdom of God, protest and the call to repentance,
testimony and faith, a bold commitment to life and love. Witnesses are needed – not
self-idolization, not the right-eousness of works, not self-appointed goals, not prophets,
not leaders. We need brotherliness in forgiveness and grace, because each proclaims
not himself but Christ.


-Eberhard Arnold

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Wisdom determines what simply must be done without consideration of other options.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Rachoff


An excerpt from a conversation in the book Rachoff:


“Little mother,” Rachoff asked her one day, “What are your
teachings? What are your beliefs about God, about the rich and
poor?”
“In my eyes they all live in bondage,” Irina replied, “the richjust
as much as the poor.”
“The rich!” exclaimed Rachoff. “How can they be, when they live
in such warmth and comfort?”
“No one is free just because he has possessions,” said Irina. “And
money does not necessarily mean wealth. Yes, even the richest man
is poor. And so is every other being. The whole creation moans under
the weight of a terrible sadness. The earth itself cries out as if
in pain. There is sighing among the animals and the trees, in the
springs and the rocks, in the fire and the stars. But Jesus will come.
He hears every groan, and he will come to rescue us from our grief.
His spirit heals and reconciles and blesses; it comes to us and dwells
in our midst, and it can – through grace and hard work – pry us free
from our bondage and make us like children.”
“Children?” Rachoff puzzled.
“Yes, children.” Irina repeated. “True children are joyous,
whether they are fed with a hundred rubles or three kopeks a day,
for the spirit of Jesus lives within them.”