Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Reflection - Redemptive Relationships - Becoming Truly Human

Source (book): "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, PART III: REDEMPTIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Chapter 17, "Discovering the Hearts of Being Human", Question 2, Page 116.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
 
 
Why do you think that coming to Christ (and staying with Him) is a real opportunity for us to become truly human?
PHOTO: Why do you think that coming to Christ (and staying with Him) is a real opportunity for us to become truly human?
We were all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), but that image has been lost because of our sins. The heart of the human race has become deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Then Jesus, the Son of God, became a man. He was the only truly human being who lived on earth, as God intended human beings to live. He shared in our humanity (and remained sinless), "fully human in every way", so that by His death we may be saved (Hebrews 2:14-18). When we believe in Jesus and walk as He did (1 John 2:6), then we shall become like Him, "being transformed into his image" (2 Corinthians 3:18). In this way, the image of God is restored in us and we become truly human, as God originally intended us to be. This is God's purpose for saving us (Romans 8:29). Those who follow Jesus learn to become truly human.


What would constitute this process of being and becoming human?
God is the real solution to the sub-human reality deep within us - also known as our inherent sinfulness. Only He has the power to recreate, reform, and renew us into real human beings.

There are many ways we can look at this. The spiritual writer Henri Nouwen, in his book Reaching Out, spells out three movements that must take place in our lives if we are to find our true selves.

We must first move from illusion to God. We carry in our hearts illusions of God - we can call them idols. Many man-made deities, both ancient and modern, are reflections of our fallen selves. But when we come to Christ, we see a God who defies our fallen ideas. How can a God who created the universe die on the cross for us? When we see the cross, we see a God who loves us perfectly and deeply, and will go to any length to save us from our sins, delusions, and illusions. The more we see of this true God, the more human we can become. This is also seen in two other significant movements.

First, the movement from loneliness to solitude. Human life, in its most painful form, is a lonely experience. But when we find God, we find our God-given space. We realise that under God's sovereign and loving rule, we each have a space generously given by the God who loves us. As Augustine famously said so long ago, we will be restless until we find our rest in God. When we find God and our true human space, we can rest and be restored. There is no more need to impress others and ourselves, to compete for a space that is already ours.

Spiritual director Kathleen Fischer notes, "At its deepest level all loneliness reflects our common experience that no created goods fully answer our yearnings; loneliness is rooted in a longing for God. It becomes solitude when the voice of God is heard in its stillness."

Second, because we have our God-given space, we can then give others their space. We move from hostility to hospitality, and thus become more human, because we are created for nurturing relationships, to be friends rather than enemies. When we discover Christ and His love, we can give up our pretensions and masks, our survival tactics and self-centredness. We can then develop the true face of a human being, and learn to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, humble, gentle, forgiving, patient, self-controlled, good, and kind.


What would be at its heart?
Our fallen selves carry in our hearts illusions of God - call idols. Man-made deities, both ancient and modern, are reflections of our fallen selves. When we come to Christ, God who loves us perfectly and deeply, will save us from our sins, delusions, and illusions. Our heart can no longer carry our past illusions, but replaced with the love for God. Scripture told us that the most important commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. (Matthew 22:37). Our heart too must has the love for our neighbour as ourselves. This is stated in the second most important commandment (Matthew 22:39). The love for God, our neighbour, and solitude would be at our heart, for us to become truly human.


Assess your own life in the light of your reflections.
In our old age, we may carry scars from frequent skirmishes (conflicts) in the Darwinian world of self-centred one-upmanships and extreme consumption and greed. But as we age, there is a priceless opportunity to give up old habits and worldviews and be truly converted. We must turn to Christ and become truly human. We must discover that "our lives are gifts, not achievements". Pastor and writer Charles Swindoll reminds us, "Please don't forget - God has decided to let you live this long. Your old age is not a mistake . . . not an oversight . . . nor an afterthought." Old age provides an opportunity to realise that there is much to thank God for, that He loves us, and that our life is His gracious gift. To realise these things helps us become more human - as God intended us to be.
Picture posted by La Gazette Drouot, engraved by E. Decisy - Eve and the serpent
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s6YSM90yGQKIlgt6z5h7AssFSfbuFv-q7wnM-N0-tUWKuALXQkaLMSqNNs4rr67wMg4FviH2husNAVhJLVKuSiQasywgOSsm3e4AVy5kk6U5m_z6ocXl0TlpKtqUrj1T4azLJOOQCzs/s974/Eve_and_the_Serpent.png
blob:null/628de36c-eb1a-4104-9949-187afef89b5e
https://www.gazette-drouot.com/en/lots/10990395


Why do you think that coming to Christ (and staying with Him) is a real opportunity for us to become truly human? What would constitute this process of being and becoming human? What would be at its heart? Assess your own life in the light of your reflections.

Why do you think that coming to Christ (and staying with Him) is a real opportunity for us to become truly human? [1]
We were all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), but that image has been lost because of our sins. The heart of the human race has become deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Then Jesus, the Son of God, became a man. He was the only truly human being who lived on earth, as God intended human beings to live. He shared in our humanity (and remained sinless), "fully human in every way", so that by His death we may be saved (Hebrews 2:14-18). When we believe in Jesus and walk as He did (1 John 2:6), then we shall become like Him, "being transformed into his image" (2 Corinthians 3:18). In this way, the image of God is restored in us and we become truly human, as God originally intended us to be. This is God's purpose for saving us (Romans 8:29). Those who follow Jesus learn to become truly human.


We were all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), but that image has been lost because of our sins.
PHOTO: We were all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), but that image has been lost because of our sins. The heart of the human race has become deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9).
Artwork by J. Scott Campbell, Colour by Edgar Delgado
Picture posted by Eldelgado on 14 March 2009 - Snake and Eve, process
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD-Rff5u9IObtDLBGej7nUXEmrh5JnBRZwTf0vDU5u6YHMLGC-F7EBr5UCz3NtEThpVyF_V5HLxkkqdU6Abb1goifz1S9RekShuKiRB_8B-SOW_io39Pub9lCkLbafvDQC_TDbkdtDnw/s800/d1wyulb-b073bbbd-4cdf-45ac-9220-b4eff02a1ea7.jpg
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/0707ae52-a627-4461-bfc8-6f2ea8cdc7fc/d1wyulb-b073bbbd-4cdf-45ac-9220-b4eff02a1ea7.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMDcwN2FlNTItYTYyNy00NDYxLWJmYzgtNmYyZWE4Y2RjN2ZjXC9kMXd5dWxiLWIwNzNiYmJkLTRjZGYtNDVhYy05MjIwLWI0ZWZmMDJhMWVhNy5qcGcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.TSKAI-YBQFcUpujP2e3XnKXTMwhzljuRoSdswLoZSog
https://www.deviantart.com/eldelgado/art/Snake-and-Eve-process-115839839


Jesus, the Son of God, became a man.
PHOTO: Jesus, the Son of God, became a man. He was the only truly human being who lived on earth, as God intended human beings to live. He shared in our humanity (and remained sinless), "fully human in every way", so that by His death we may be saved (Hebrews 2:14-18). When we believe in Jesus and walk as He did (1 John 2:6), then we shall become like Him, "being transformed into his image" (2 Corinthians 3:18). In this way, the image of God is restored in us and we become truly human, as God originally intended us to be.
Picture saved by εรpεяคหzค to ღJesus mi guia (Jesus my guide)ღ
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHq-Fkx2hA9z8wj-IOf4H7XytHlNqDxJaLB1T_JDfvWffMhsodQt-YgZWxfcZ0eRjyGj1VQRgfmdAvC7pwBhkL9zpEIVFBV8IK1DJTx0cMUhZEzKogktW3YQVinhGLT2SsS81RRhcHqeQ/s599/2b08305ff22a4ff8ad23b68424feb602.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/2b/08/30/2b08305ff22a4ff8ad23b68424feb602.jpg
https://www.pinterest.ch/pin/305048574735233465/


What would constitute this process of being and becoming human?
God is the real solution to the sub-human reality deep within us - also known as our inherent sinfulness. Only He has the power to recreate, reform, and renew us into real human beings.

There are many ways we can look at this. The spiritual writer Henri Nouwen, in his book Reaching Out, spells out three movements that must take place in our lives if we are to find our true selves. [64]


God is the real solution to the sub-human reality deep within us - also known as our inherent sinfulness.
PHOTO: God is the real solution to the sub-human reality deep within us - also known as our inherent sinfulness. Only He has the power to recreate, reform, and renew us into real human beings.
Picture posted by Alamy
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIHwXk78ReGbhI7JUsJdpc-4SSSBkPo4tVE2vY8hHPmN0SUOKeXBJNwWNaZ_q6L3-Wv7P4yIrN63G7oefEmcRZ3NRdYnV8vlOK6d5vRt_keKXEuK2sX4NxZrwt4XH_0oNF1QBOeRZKT0/s1390/bgpbyx_1.png
https://c8.alamy.com/compes/bgpbyx/retrato-de-una-mujer-madura-balanceandose-en-un-columpio-y-sonriente-bgpbyx.jpg
https://www.alamy.es/foto-retrato-de-una-mujer-madura-balanceandose-en-un-columpio-y-sonriente-27537214.html


We must first move from illusion to God. We carry in our hearts illusions of God - we can call them idols. Many man-made deities, both ancient and modern, are reflections of our fallen selves. But when we come to Christ, we see a God who defies our fallen ideas. How can a God who created the universe die on the cross for us? When we see the cross, we see a God who loves us perfectly and deeply, and will go to any length to save us from our sins, delusions, and illusions. The more we see of this true God, the more human we can become. This is also seen in two other significant movements.


When we come to Christ, we see a God who defies our fallen ideas.
PHOTO: When we come to Christ, we see a God who defies our fallen ideas. When we see the cross, we see a God who loves us perfectly and deeply, and will go to any length to save us from our sins, delusions, and illusions. The more we see of this true God, the more human we can become.
Picture posted by Glenn E. Chatfield on Friday, 30 March 2018 at 8:08 am - Crucifixion of jesus
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IoCMN-23SnN0EVPrtcjTqXQKg8qQxmwS3m_NJPWN5ZVTPx6EQPqft_ALgFyRQspO1AZoherbdctVaFKBCXlyXJ8vP6-4nIac9V_eXqUTWUP9Ch2YOgAH-e7bLN3wSEY4xHe2bVX12IQ/s1300/15246571_1.png
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfCdl9J_4q1sPw3STtXE8OHMrJ1rSU79kX66pQowRInXEMsWknIBHbKJHSofAOHUVBAuV0USyjIb7wOH7Z3LwxOaj_OGeo1A-u7j2myKR5xyuTOYqFxyndwWq8xgbI_JETd6VZxYrrzs/s1600/15246571-an-engraved-vintage-illustration-image-of-the-crucifixion-of-jesus-christ-from-a-victorian-book-date.jpg
http://watchmansbagpipes.blogspot.com/2018/03/man-of-sorrows.html


First, the movement from loneliness to solitude. Human life, in its most painful form, is a lonely experience. But when we find God, we find our God-given space. We realise that under God's sovereign and loving rule, we each have a space generously given by the God who loves us. As Augustine famously said so long ago, we will be restless until we find our rest in God. [65] When we find God and our true human space, we can rest and be restored. There is no more need to impress others and ourselves, to compete for a space that is already ours.


The movement from loneliness to solitude
PHOTO: The movement from loneliness to solitude
Human life, in its most painful form, is a lonely experience. But when we find God, we find our God-given space. We realise that under God's sovereign and loving rule, we each have a space generously given by the God who loves us. When we find God and our true human space, we can rest and be restored. There is no more need to impress others and ourselves, to compete for a space that is already ours.
Picture posted by Jackie Trottmann - Turn the Pain of Loneliness Into Peace and Solitude of the Heart
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1l0plJaHFZDnvyS9InT8vpkfDdKJRJo39f6cmeli95OBithyBZMbIQYjcARZoeRO2-gO7U_3q_XUwrpmIT1DiEkBImUd_KLb-SU0rGuRbwBBuW_eZOFATxxqAHDQdUJDAg_59UCnbL4/s600/TurnPainOfLonelinessIntoSolitude.jpg
https://guidedchristianmeditation.com/wp-content/uploads/TurnPainOfLonelinessIntoSolitude.jpg
https://guidedchristianmeditation.com/2062/inspirational-thoughts/turn-the-pain-of-loneliness-into-peace-and-solitude-of-the-heart/


Spiritual director Kathleen Fischer notes, "At its deepest level all loneliness reflects our common experience that no created goods fully answer our yearnings; loneliness is rooted in a longing for God. It becomes solitude when the voice of God is heard in its stillness." [66]


We need to find God and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.
PHOTO: "We need to find God and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature- trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence: see the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls." - St. Teresa of Calcutta
Picture posted by Franciscan Sisters, T.O.R.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LplIt54rKxQkX3DMqAc2ZZq1Nz-qYoYWn5db-lrlnC31xHiq5O6UQaIQj_99YbGawZCch-CsAU07n8hh9CfDV8TMeyadYdirEzHcmnHwvjJzzOr6P9MDWAzfnwQsr2ofhG6gfL2JjFo/s634/prayer--solitude_1.jpg
https://www.franciscansisterstor.org/images/stories/prayer/prayer--solitude.jpg
https://www.franciscansisterstor.org/about/life-of-prayer
 
 
Second, because we have our God-given space, we can then give others their space. We move from hostility to hospitality, and thus become more human, because we are created for nurturing relationships, to be friends rather than enemies. When we discover Christ and His love, we can give up our pretensions and masks, our survival tactics and self-centredness. We can then develop the true face of a human being, and learn to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, humble, gentle, forgiving, patient, self-controlled, good, and kind.


Because we have our God-given space, we can then give others their space.
PHOTO: Because we have our God-given space, we can then give others their space. We move from hostility to hospitality, and thus become more human, because we are created for nurturing relationships, to be friends rather than enemies. We can then develop the true face of a human being, and learn to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, humble, gentle, forgiving, patient, self-controlled, good, and kind.
Picture posted by 1zoom.me
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13GXxpL1MTIH1qzgsIs1SAMb_yUJ5MGKMXDyLBFARX2X8-8JkdpaYA94dTAQdKU4gWQLiVJiyeWZo0E-uPYRaeOH6Wkw3QXl4B_elq_yrx-OTknnMIOZaFPJiI1Imm9XEwJZzxiL68_A/s2048/Three_3_Brown_haired_Dress_Smile_Beautiful_547823_3000x4500.jpg
https://s1.1zoom.me/big3/850/Three_3_Brown_haired_Dress_Smile_Beautiful_547823_3000x4500.jpg
https://www.1zoom.me/pt/wallpaper/547823/z7024.9/3000x4500


What would be at its heart?
Our fallen selves carry in our hearts illusions of God - call idols. Man-made deities, both ancient and modern, are reflections of our fallen selves. When we come to Christ, God who loves us perfectly and deeply, will save us from our sins, delusions, and illusions. Our heart can no longer carry our past illusions, but replaced with the love for God. Scripture told us that the most important commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. (Matthew 22:37). Our heart too must has the love for our neighbour as ourselves. This is stated in the second most important commandment (Matthew 22:39). The love for God, our neighbour, and solitude would be at our heart, for us to become truly human.


Our heart can no longer carry our past illusions, but replaced with the love for God.
PHOTO: Our heart can no longer carry our past illusions, but replaced with the love for God. Our heart too must has the love for our neighbour as ourselves. The love for God, our neighbour, and solitude would be at our heart, for us to become truly human.
Picture posted by Donald Hall on 15 October 2016 - Between Solitude and Loneliness
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9-eUs-rhlYrerEtgajtmM-ktefkshPeY00pz3slNqlwARJWT-DU3lwKCAvaz-c5vG911DKuoPVwAsRgd3uImSvPNFlYh99fQstECpRLDtYx6eG3jFJ46jgGzhK6zVJV9T53cwLL0HFc/s2000/Hall-One_Illo.png
https://media.newyorker.com/photos/59097ae21c7a8e33fb3900c2/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Hall-One_Illo.jpg
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/double-solitude


Assess your own life in the light of your reflections.
In our old age, we may carry scars from frequent skirmishes (conflicts) in the Darwinian world of self-centred one-upmanships and extreme consumption and greed. But as we age, there is a priceless opportunity to give up old habits and worldviews and be truly converted. We must turn to Christ and become truly human. We must discover that "our lives are gifts, not achievements". [67] Pastor and writer Charles Swindoll reminds us, "Please don't forget - God has decided to let you live this long. Your old age is not a mistake . . . not an oversight . . . nor an afterthought." [68] Old age provides an opportunity to realise that there is much to thank God for, that He loves us, and that our life is His gracious gift. To realise these things helps us become more human - as God intended us to be.
 
 
In our old age, we may carry scars from frequent skirmishes (conflicts) in the Darwinian world of self-centred one-upmanships and extreme consumption and greed.
PHOTO: In our old age, we may carry scars from frequent skirmishes (conflicts) in the Darwinian world of self-centred one-upmanships and extreme consumption and greed.
As we age, there is a priceless opportunity to give up old habits and worldviews and be truly converted. We must turn to Christ and become truly human. We must discover that "our lives are gifts, not achievements".
Old age provides an opportunity to realise that there is much to thank God for, that He loves us, and that our life is His gracious gift. To realise these things helps us become more human - as God intended us to be.
Picture posted by Dreamstime - Pigeon over a cross in the cloudy sky background with light rays.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFP24Wp13yQqZhCkv14k_YUBrf0150N5afwTStWJ86Hf5Ngv4Laderkjc-N_WlNt_Hz0Kl_ftLMtvsPdecEAeUXC4NIZLmz87htdmrH_0-H8q8pkyNMzBshblap6ZJUz0bgmiQMqYVV20/s1689/177009445_1.png
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/cross-sky-light-rays-pigeon-pigeon-over-cross-cloudy-sky-background-light-rays-177009445.jpg
https://www.dreamstime.com/cross-sky-light-rays-pigeon-pigeon-over-cross-cloudy-sky-background-light-rays-image177009445


Dear Lord
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we were all created in the image of God, but that image has been lost because of our sins. Our human heart has become deceitful and we do not become truly human. We need Jesus, the Son of God, because He was the only truly human being who lived on earth, as God intended human beings to live. Help us to believe in Jesus and walk as He did so that we shall become like Him, ‘being transformed into his image’. In this way, the image of God is restored in us and we become truly human, as God originally intended us to be. Help us to follow Jesus and learn to become truly human.

The real solution to this process of being and becoming human is God. Only He has the power to recreate, reform, and renew us from the sub-human reality deep within us into real human beings.

We learn that there are three movements that must take place in our lives if we are to find our true selves.

We carry in our hearts illusions of God - call idols. Many man-made deities, both ancient and modern, are reflections of our fallen selves. Help us to come to Christ, to defy our fallen ideas. When we see the cross, we see a God who loves us perfectly and deeply, and will go to any length to save us from our sins, delusions, and illusions. The more we see of this true God, the more human we can become.

We need help in the movement from loneliness to solitude. As our human life, in its most painful form, is a lonely experience. We need to find God, to find our God-given space. Then only can we realise that under God's sovereign and loving rule, we each have a space generously given by the God who loves us. Otherwise we will be restless until we find our rest in God. Help us to find God and our true human space, so that we can rest and be restored. Because then there is no more need to impress others and ourselves, to compete for a space that is already ours.

We learn that at the deepest level all loneliness reflects our common experience that no created goods fully answer our yearnings. Our loneliness is rooted in a longing for God. It becomes solitude when the voice of God is heard in its stillness.

Give us our God-given space, so that we can then give others their space. We want to move from hostility to hospitality, and thus become more human, because we are created for nurturing relationships, to be friends rather than enemies. Only when we discover Christ and His love, can we give up our pretensions and masks, our survival tactics and self-centredness. We can then develop the true face of a human being, and learn to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, humble, gentle, forgiving, patient, self-controlled, good, and kind.

Our fallen selves carry in our hearts illusions of God, which are idols. Help us to overcome these. Our heart can no longer carry our past illusions, but replaced with the love for God. Scripture told us that the most important commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. Our heart too must has the love for our neighbour as ourselves. This is stated in the second most important commandment. The love for God, our neighbour, and solitude would be at our heart, for us to become truly human.

Lord, in our old age, we may carry scars from frequent skirmishes in the Darwinian world of self-centred one-upmanships and extreme consumption and greed. Give us this priceless opportunity to give up our old habits and worldviews and be truly converted. We must turn to Christ and become truly human. We must discover that ‘our lives are gifts, not achievements’.

Thank You for providing an opportunity during our old age to realise that there is much to thank God for, that He loves us, and that our life is His gracious gift. To realise these things helps us become more human - as God intended us to be.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Artwork by J. Scott Campbell, Colour by Edgar Delgado - Snake and Eve
Picture saved by Modern Man to Disney - WB etc in Cool art
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6yj2tSw7RZpNXPlsFWnpyJ02GjoHhPdJ2Qq33y8OwqkqCqNlXTfVK4XecExtMhVVdzwrBT1elFlPniaK6QGTLsn0yHuBtkVCy1WPFf3UONHWNsNYezXDZ_Xi1_PGSV0jrbJl7-Cf0Gs/s982/e520920f0f236dc1df8520afb71ce4f7_1.gif
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e5/20/92/e520920f0f236dc1df8520afb71ce4f7.jpg
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/724657396268448927/

Source (book): "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, PART III: REDEMPTIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Chapter 17, "Discovering the Hearts of Being Human", Question 2, Page 116.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


 
Also from the same author, Robert M. Solomon

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

'Faithful to the end', A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon<br>
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html


"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html 


"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
 


Reference
[1] From "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, Copyright © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-981-14-1836-5, PART III: REDEMPTIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Chapter 17, "Discovering the Hearts of Being Human", Page 111-116.

[64] Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life :(New York: Doubleday Image Books, 1986).

[65] Augustine, The Confessions, trans. J. G. Pilkington, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 1at ser., vol. 1 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature,1887), chap. 1, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/110101.htm.

[66] Kathleen Fischer, Winter Grace: Spiritually and Aging (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1998), 32.

[67] Stanley Hauerwas and Laura Yordy, "Captured in Time: Friendship and Aging", in Hauerwas et al., eds., Growing Old in Christ, 178.

[68] Charles R. Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life (Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1983), 349.


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