This comes from one of my new favorite bloggers, Jennifer Fulwiler, who says this about herself:
Five years ago I had never once believed in God, not even as a child. I was a content atheist and thought it was simply obvious that God did not exist. I thought that religion and reason were incompatible, and eventually became vocally anti-Christian. Imagine my surprise to find myself today, just a few years later, a convert to Christianity who loves her faith (my husband and I both entered the Catholic Church in 2007). This is the chronicle of my journey.
She quotes this from Finding God’s Will For You by Francis de Sales. Though he wrote it in the 17th century, she rightly considers it good advice for Christian blogging:
God’s servants who have had the highest and most exalted inspirations have been the gentlest and most peaceable men in all the world. Such were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses is called “a man exceedingly meek above all men.” David is praised for his mildness.
On the contrary, the evil spirit is turbulent, bitter, and restless. Those who follow his hellish suggestions in the belief that they are heavenly inspirations can usually be recognized because they are unsettled, headstrong, haughty, and ready to undertake or meddle in affairs. Under the pretext of zeal, they subvert everything, criticize everyone, rebuke everyone, and find fault with everything. They are men without self-control and without consideration, who put up with nothing. In the name of zeal for God’s honor, they indulge in the passions of self-love.
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Thanks, Tom.
I’ve been reading Jennifer for a long time. Like you, Tom, she has a talent for writing. She’s been a Christian for a short time, but she’s more mature in her faith than most.
[...] with an assist from Francis de Sales – has some food for thought for Christian bloggers. (via Thinking Christian) Tags: Books, Christians, [...]
I am throwing this in here, simply because it doesn’t fit anywhere else but is something I am finding fascinating. I came across a review of “Gospel Mysteries” by Darek Barefoot and subsequently found the introduction and first eight chapters online. It is a study of Messianic typology in the Bible, a look at the many and various ways that Christ is foreshadowed in the Old Testament and how that foreshadowing reaches its fulfilment in the New Testament.
I was a little skeptical of the product, but intigued by the review, so finding the initial chapters allowed me to sample and evaluate the material. It’s a fascinating look at some rather striking parallels between persons and incidents in the OT and events in Jesus ministry. Chapter 5 is (I want to say brilliant but realize that my judgment is suspect because of my limitations as an amateur theologian) an intriguing investigation of “the sign of Jonah”.
Anyhow, I thought I would pass it on as, at minimum, an intriguing little curiosity.
http://gospelmysteries.com/?q=node/11
That’s intriguing, Dave. Thanks for the link. I’ll want to check it out when I get more time.
The last couple of times I’ve read the OT, with an eye for such indicators, Jesus just leaps out time and again.