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.
I think vital religion has always suffered when orthodoxy is more regarded than virtue. The scriptures assure me that at the last day we shall not be examined on what we thought but what we did.
If a poet or an artist puts himself into his Productions he is criticized. But that is exactly what God does, he does so in Christ. And precisely that is Christianity. The creation was really only completed when God included himself in it. Before the coming of Christ, God was certainly in the creation, but as an invisible sign, like the watermark in paper. But the creation was completed by the Incarnation because God thereby included himself in it. In essence, God moved from being the watermark to being the letterhead.
"The happy ending is our national belief."
Imagine standing out in the freezing cold for months on end, neither eating nor drinking, all for the sake of protecting your child. You are surrounded by other fathers in the same situation, with little room to even move. But move you do--in the most democratic fashion. Emperor Penguins--at 70 pounds, the largest of 18 species--are one of the most attentive fathers in the animal kingdom. Their involvement in the parenting process is one of total commitment. Each winter, these penguins gather in huge colonies on the pack ice of the Antarctic seas. After pairing, the female deposits a single egg and immediately returns to sea, where she can eat to replenish her energy. Meanwhile, her partner incubates the egg on his feet, where it is protected by a flap of skin and feathers. For the next 64 days he braves--in total darkness--one of the coldest periods of the year in one of the coldest climates of the world, where temperatures can plunge to -80° F. And all the while he fasts. To help cope with the cold, thousands of these birds move in close to each other, forming a large circle. Since the center of the group is much warmer, you would think that every penguin would fight to be there. But emperor etiquette dictates that no penguin advance himself at the expense of another. What looks like a stationary group is actually a slowly revolving spiral. This constant shifting formation allows each father--all the while protecting that single precious egg--some time in the cozy center, as well as at the frigid edge. By the time the chick hatches the seasonal ice has broken up, and the mother soon relieves her partner. Once he is fed and rested, the father rejoins his partner in caring for their newborn.
Television: "A device that permits people who haven’t anything to do to watch people who can’t do anything" -- Fred Allen