These are quotes which stood out to me, possibly for use in a sermon someday. Their presence here does not mean I agree with them, it merely shows that I might want to reference them later. The default view is five random selections. Use the tag list on the right to view all quotes relevant to that theme.
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Silence Can Be Lethal - Dr. Dan Reiland
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As a parent of young children, I can appreciate the phrase
"silence is golden." But silence can sometimes be harmful in the
church - whenever it's caused by fear, apathy or insecurity.
Sometimes your people need to be taught to "speak up" for
Kingdom causes. Teach them the following lesson paired with
Scripture from Ephesians (4:3-6,15,32) or I John (4:18), and
you're likely to see (and hear) great results!
1. Silence . . . Causes Misrepresentation.
Early in my ministry, I thought the loving thing to do was simply
listen. But one day, I met with a negative person who
complained about everything they thought was wrong in the church.
As usual, I listened. But a few days later I was being quoted as
if I were in total agreement with them, even though I'd agreed
with nothing they'd said. Yikes! That's when I learned that
silence can convey agreement.
Compassion and empathy are wonderful virtues, but they do little
good if you let harmful statements go without a response. We
must all speak up in defense of our church, pastor and
ministries. Even if we don't agree with everything that's done,
we can still present a unified front.
2. Silence . . . Withholds Forgiveness.
We're taught to forgive by the Scripture and Jesus' modeling.
But our humanity and pride often keep us from communicating our
forgiveness to others. Here's the point: You may have forgiven
someone in your heart, but unless you tell them, it's almost as
if you never forgave them at all. Healing and wholeness in the
Body of Christ depend on sharing aloud the forgiving grace of
Jesus Christ.
3. Silence . . . Weakens Leadership.
Over the years, I've associated with many people who have
leadership instincts and Godly wisdom, yet rarely speak up about
anything. Maybe they're in a board or committee meeting,
listening to the discussion and thinking great thoughts, but they
don't verbalize them. When this happens, not only does the
church miss out on needed wisdom, but that person forfeits
leadership.
Leaders speak up. If you don't, you'll have a hard time making
an impact.
4. Silence . . . Promotes Division.
The Body of Christ is affirmed when you speak words of unity,
support, and mutual conviction. Silence leaves people wondering
where you stand - whether on family values, your support of the
new pastor, or your commitment to the building program.
Unfortunately, in the local church, negative people tend to speak
louder than positive people and end up forming a negative
"majority." All it would take is one positive person to lead the
way, and others would quickly add their support. Speak up -
your input can help conquer division and promote unity in your
church.
Don't stand silent when your input can make a positive impact.
If you make a habit of speaking up in love, you'll be more
precious than gold to your church.
Thu January 23, 2003 10:05 AM ET
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish man, desolate after his wife filed for divorce, converted the family's shares and mutual funds into cash and burned the money -- $81,300, a newspaper reported Thursday.
"Bitterness is not uncommon in connection with divorces but it is almost unique that one of the spouses puts fire to all their wealth," Bengt Svensson, public prosecutor in the town of Jonkoping in southern Sweden, told the daily Aftonbladet.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. -- `Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' -- Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood."
I cannot call to mind a single instance where I have ever been irreverent, except toward the things which were sacred to other people.
But throughout his life, Einstein was consistent in rejecting the charge that he was an atheist. "There are people who say there is no God," he told a friend. "But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views." And unlike Sigmund Freud or Bertrand Russell or George Bernard Shaw, Einstein never felt the urge to denigrate those who believed in God; instead, he tended to denigrate atheists. "What separates me from most so-called atheists is a feeling of utter humility toward the unattainable secrets of the harmony of the cosmos," he explained.
In fact, Einstein tended to be more critical of debunkers, who seemed to lack humility or a sense of awe, than of the faithful. "The fanatical atheists," he wrote in a letter, "are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who--in their grudge against traditional religion as the 'opium of the masses'-- cannot hear the music of the spheres."
Einstein later explained his view of the relationship between science and religion at a conference at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. The realm of science, he said, was to ascertain what was the case, but not evaluate human thoughts and actions about what should be the case. Religion had the reverse mandate. Yet the endeavors worked together at times. "Science can be created only by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding," he said. "This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion." The talk got front-page news coverage, and his pithy conclusion became famous. "The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
But there was one religious concept, Einstein went on to say, that science could not accept: a deity who could meddle at whim in the events of his creation. "The main source of the present-day conflicts between the spheres of religion and of science lies in this concept of a personal God," he argued. Scientists aim to uncover the immutable laws that govern reality, and in doing so they must reject the notion that divine will, or for that matter human will, plays a role that would violate this cosmic causality.