Sunday, November 17, 2024

Reflection - In The World - Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

Source (book): "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Chapter 39, "Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back", Page 205.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


 Is society making progress?
PHOTO: Is society making progress? Do we feel the wind on our faces as we rush into the future?

There are people who assume that this is so. It is evident in the many discussions about changes taking place in society. The contributions to this discussion are divided into "progressives" and "conservatives". The progressives are said to be the ones promoting social development while the conservatives are said to be putting obstacles in their path.

Some have argued that conservatives can only slow down but not stop this process of radical (progressive) change in values and lifestyles. Conservatives, on their part, see some of the key changes and trends emerging in society as representing not progress but decay.

What is your own view?

The rapid and spectacular advance of science and technology following the Enlightenment brought about the notion that improvement and progress are inbuilt mechanisms in history. This seems to be fairly true as far as technology is concerned. Our modes of transport and communications, for instances, have certainly progressed by leaps and bounds. Every change seems to be a step forward. Every innovation is evidence that the new is better than the old.

What appears to be true in technology has been taken by some as a universal principle. Charles Darwin revolutionised biology along these lines with his idea of evolutionary progress. The evolutionary principle has been further applied in the social sciences and even in the study of religion. Such views, however, are like buckets with lots of holes in them. They cannot hold water when put to the test.

There was great faith in human progress, in some circles, towards the end of the 19th century. The path forward looked bright. Everything was seen as an improvement, or a bold step forward. This outlook affected social values, political systems, and economic policy. Some in the church even spoke of a "social gospel", riding the wave of confidence in notions of progress.

Nevertheless, decades of prosperity and technological breakthroughs have revived the prospect of society's relentless (continuous) advancement. Can heaven be built on earth?

The Bible answers with a clear diagnosis of the human condition. All have caught the deadly disease of sin (Romans 3:23). At the centre of society is the human heart, and at the centre of the human heart is sin. The human heart is "deceitful above all things and beyond cure" (Jeremiah 17:9). We have a sinful tendency to want to build a world without God, to want heaven without God (see Genesis 11).

Philip Pullman, whom we met earlier, wrote the His Dark Materials trilogy as a fantasy series in the same genre as the works of C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien. He sought to "undo the damage done by C. S. Lewis" by promoting an opposing worldview for children to imbibe (absorb). [1a] His story, like the biblical account, begins in the garden of Eden. However, it sees the transgression of Adam and Eve not as the precursor to humankind's fall, but as the first step towards human liberation. It is therefore not surprising that in the conflict that follows, the church is written off as a bad mistake in history, God is portrayed as weak and ineffectual, and He is finally disposed of. It is very telling that the last words in Pullman's third book, The Amber Spyglass, are "the republic of heaven". The sinful human desire to want heaven without God is as old as the human race.

Any step forward without God cannot be described as "progress" or "maturation". In fact, the opposite words have to be used. The Bible takes a very realistic view of history and speaks often, not of the evolutionary progress of society, but of the inevitable decay of a world that dreams of a "republic of heaven" without God. Eugene Peterson's rendering of 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is instructive:

Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-cat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God.

Such words challenge the notion that every innovation in society is a step forward.

Those in society who argue against progressivism should not be written off as irrelevant conservatives. It is dangerous to make an observation from the world of technology (that things always get better) into the universal rule for all of life.

What can you do as a Christian, amid all these sweeping changes around you?

First, draw near to God. Wanting heaven without God is an old sinful desire, widely attested throughout human history. You will see signs of it all around you. The only way to prevent yourself from being swept away by it is to let God reign within you. As the Scottish theologian P. T. Forsyth said: "Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us." [2]

Second, learn to debunk the assumptions that underlie every worldly argument (2 Corinthians 10:5). Everyone has faith in something, whether or not he express it as such. We have seen how the notion of inevitable social progress can itself be said to be an article of faith.

Third, pray. God loves the people of the world, even though the human race has taken the self-destructive path of disobedience. Because of this, we must not disengage ourselves from the world. Instead, amid all its woes and follies, we must live prophetically and with compassion, as salt and light.
Picture posted by David Hoffman
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLsD7SzFbVeUjFRnB8ux2tBvZLoFUr_s_sg-HFxJE5F-YG00xqH_9vGV2ifu5tMcRuiPstquwwj4kXsChEisH0qm3MWrO7Z_M0UrV46aV5V6x7R_4ymnNDmHO0fmsuTKuiPDvkr3ya0OZ8ooojcJJ2I1mMHJRGMcJecwmExXTONXg2BCNEQK3-PZkg30/s686/hq720.jpg
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/du63d-4Alz0/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLADpaBRYxE_AvEXfj0d6t9S0aM4ig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du63d-4Alz0


Is society making progress? Do we feel the wind on our faces as we rush into the future?

There are people who assume that this is so. It is evident in the many discussions about changes taking place in society. The contributions to this discussion are divided into "progressives" and "conservatives". The progressives are said to be the ones promoting social development while the conservatives are said to be putting obstacles in their path.


 Is society making progress?
PHOTO: Is society making progress? Do we feel the wind on our faces as we rush into the future?
There are people who assume that this is so. It is evident in the many discussions about changes taking place in society. The contributions to this discussion are divided into "progressives" and "conservatives". The progressives are said to be the ones promoting social development while the conservatives are said to be putting obstacles in their path.
Picture posted by Stacey J. Drubner, JD, LICSW, MPH on 01 September 2023
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2nHSyDEUkFtfzodfGdmyHFRod5ntqW__vmUjXMz3mG1zxa5vS2bXrRq9t9QYfD1X8wE5WTYufRc7GwyuPJ7zd917NyJ0g_665gwOAUQUNuwHAdS6ZiL6sHmlJbi6sedWeziIjbyyGhyphenhyphen36V0agd6ytFkdftgFF52cLHP3xvnP76-3OlHGOSmeP31oDk8/s768/Yes-No-Protest_Image-768x329-2.jpg
https://eap.partners.org/wp-content/uploads/Yes-No-Protest_Image-768x329-2.jpg
https://eap.partners.org/news_posts/the-challenges-of-conversation-etiquette-in-the-workplace/


Some have argued that conservatives can only slow down but not stop this process of radical (progressive) change in values and lifestyles. Conservatives, on their part, see some of the key changes and trends emerging in society as representing not progress but decay.

What is your own view?


 Some have argued that conservatives can only slow down but not stop this process of radical (progressive) change in values and lifestyles.
PHOTO: Some have argued that conservatives can only slow down but not stop this process of radical (progressive) change in values and lifestyles. Conservatives, on their part, see some of the key changes and trends emerging in society as representing not progress but decay.
Picture posted by Aashay Mody on 18 April 2023
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscpNmi_Y7Z837Uye2ulJWW2aNe5nWBfpQQiA9y84gLDMSfurpS01VOCrUxxECEpYEzOf237El6SHj85jk3gaNFHI94OhzsaG4k_YFE4W7ilYIEn26IwIfhnqxdq7c6yB1gY3AFa7_ksiLorYYqvqVZWdFEF6Cja8Bcz-PikuIBn938Hqn5gmVoNyRUnc/s1000/Screen-Shot-2023-04-19-at-1.54.44-AM.png
https://www.aashaymody.com/content/images/size/w1000/2023/04/Screen-Shot-2023-04-19-at-1.54.44-AM.png
https://www.aashaymody.com/on-the-liberal-pyramid/


The rapid and spectacular advance of science and technology following the Enlightenment brought about the notion that improvement and progress are inbuilt mechanisms in history. This seems to be fairly true as far as technology is concerned. Our modes of transport and communications, for instances, have certainly progressed by leaps and bounds. Every change seems to be a step forward. Every innovation is evidence that the new is better than the old.


 The rapid and spectacular advance of science and technology following the Enlightenment brought about the notion that improvement and progress are inbuilt mechanisms in history.
PHOTO: The rapid and spectacular advance of science and technology following the Enlightenment brought about the notion that improvement and progress are inbuilt mechanisms in history. This seems to be fairly true as far as technology is concerned. Our modes of transport and communications, for instances, have certainly progressed by leaps and bounds. Every change seems to be a step forward. Every innovation is evidence that the new is better than the old.
Picture posted by ebay
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7N7b6xnm66zxVhq35xo-OCthgLjLzA_ti7vTVtBTjpxPn5Qw2kn22FA2lFiMAyzZZswU8HN9hhL6ipfQlxHKHBPyOXUAc_shGwKa17aNu8YIA_Jy0uzHy9kZAXtXfx8zy2oBEtrSp5s2rbvSOn9OJ_aVtk5c-mtZ0kxSBtaUmRerNx8J94ByhP8kNNs/s1248/s-l960_1.png
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rwAAAOSwyQtV4JOs/s-l960.jpg
https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/142027722551


What appears to be true in technology has been taken by some as a universal principle. Charles Darwin revolutionised biology along these lines with his idea of evolutionary progress. The evolutionary principle has been further applied in the social sciences and even in the study of religion. Such views, however, are like buckets with lots of holes in them. They cannot hold water when put to the test.


 What appears to be true in technology has been taken by some as a universal principle.
PHOTO: What appears to be true in technology has been taken by some as a universal principle. Charles Darwin revolutionised biology along these lines with his idea of evolutionary progress. The evolutionary principle has been further applied in the social sciences and even in the study of religion. Such views, however, are like buckets with lots of holes in them. They cannot hold water when put to the test.
Picture posted boy Adobe Stock - Charles Darwin's theory of evolution
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaKEdzYSeKTIyYeGXciD0As50pMISzZNOZL6bGF-lRBiwTAwDR30rnKYcmHNssOVxvgRWFdZlHlnZ8eaewkmiiAlYgYFeNNzi7eAHyRzmT4esT-PA2vGGHzVy4cLRXcjUTvKjeP3ljhCJdmAY0IHs9f8V6deVEehXQCykmB1rzgqS8BBN2ZCvfmCf8Wc/s1000/1000_F_899450808_JtOQSFyGc86RZopjmobJarKvgIUpJ5Y6_1.png
https://as1.ftcdn.net/v2/jpg/08/99/45/08/1000_F_899450808_JtOQSFyGc86RZopjmobJarKvgIUpJ5Y6.jpg
https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=darwinism&asset_id=899450808


There was great faith in human progress, in some circles, towards the end of the 19th century. The path forward looked bright. Everything was seen as an improvement, or a bold step forward. This outlook affected social values, political systems, and economic policy. Some in the church even spoke of a "social gospel", riding the wave of confidence in notions of progress.

Nevertheless, decades of prosperity and technological breakthroughs have revived the prospect of society's relentless (continuous) advancement. Can heaven be built on earth?


 There was great faith in human progress, in some circles, towards the end of the 19th century.
PHOTO: There was great faith in human progress, in some circles, towards the end of the 19th century. The path forward looked bright. Everything was seen as an improvement, or a bold step forward. This outlook affected social values, political systems, and economic policy. Some in the church even spoke of a "social gospel", riding the wave of confidence in notions of progress.
Picture posted boy Adobe Stock - Charles Darwin observing wildlife
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjwo1pRGFVz28UjtKs4y0YyL-02IHFEGr1mCdj6stCujx_Ed9E1SnG6NMMff4LfitOWXXZRO4j1VJ5prHeyJDcE_-jMuoYM5zZkUXkJ4WTpgLASUpDdrX5XgYBPK38KR_vtbhbYSufC24lbTv7P7O5ZYuaWUCUoPLx3gSLvJX4gJiToIfxx0R1NzAKf0/s1000/1000_F_980638737_moA7qnVlGJz1F6GxxViKog10Lt2DS6Yv_1.png
https://as2.ftcdn.net/v2/jpg/09/80/63/87/1000_F_980638737_moA7qnVlGJz1F6GxxViKog10Lt2DS6Yv.jpg
https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=darwinism&asset_id=980638737


The Bible answers with a clear diagnosis of the human condition. All have caught the deadly disease of sin (Romans 3:23). At the centre of society is the human heart, and at the centre of the human heart is sin. The human heart is "deceitful above all things and beyond cure" (Jeremiah 17:9). We have a sinful tendency to want to build a world without God, to want heaven without God (see Genesis 11).


 The Bible answers with a clear diagnosis of the human condition.
PHOTO: The Bible answers with a clear diagnosis of the human condition. All have caught the deadly disease of sin (Romans 3:23). At the centre of society is the human heart, and at the centre of the human heart is sin. The human heart is "deceitful above all things and beyond cure" (Jeremiah 17:9). We have a sinful tendency to want to build a world without God, to want heaven without God (see Genesis 11).
Picture posted by Faith in GOD - Expulsion from Eden
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72Ppu0YGL612KRwLTlRjTE2n3151hdLpRbGATFkYvF2pKUMsmaRCR4Lmq1_Pmx_LCFdx2lOD7WC3qYd0Soo_L6dlsyvHQb-zoU8PjOHUso62ADDVUcjYCWvIL1QzoiYg2nVaWC8k4QAzhs2amAfjgx7Ty2csW-vq1TELQEIP7IdQb7njZD05Q1LvCWOE/s1200/5e9b60056580fa3b650d5f45fa36b718.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/5e/9b/60/5e9b60056580fa3b650d5f45fa36b718.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/11470174045553080/


Philip Pullman, whom we met earlier, wrote the His Dark Materials trilogy as a fantasy series in the same genre as the works of C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien. He sought to "undo the damage done by C. S. Lewis" by promoting an opposing worldview for children to imbibe (absorb). [1a] His story, like the biblical account, begins in the garden of Eden. However, it sees the transgression of Adam and Eve not as the precursor to humankind's fall, but as the first step towards human liberation. It is therefore not surprising that in the conflict that follows, the church is written off as a bad mistake in history, God is portrayed as weak and ineffectual, and He is finally disposed of. It is very telling that the last words in Pullman's third book, The Amber Spyglass, are "the republic of heaven". The sinful human desire to want heaven without God is as old as the human race.


Philip Pullman, whom we met earlier, wrote the His Dark Materials trilogy as a fantasy series in the same genre as the works of C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien.
PHOTO: Philip Pullman, whom we met earlier, wrote the His Dark Materials trilogy as a fantasy series in the same genre as the works of C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien. He sought to "undo the damage done by C. S. Lewis" by promoting an opposing worldview for children to imbibe (absorb). [1a] His story, like the biblical account, begins in the garden of Eden. However, it sees the transgression of Adam and Eve not as the precursor to humankind's fall, but as the first step towards human liberation. It is therefore not surprising that in the conflict that follows, the church is written off as a bad mistake in history, God is portrayed as weak and ineffectual, and He is finally disposed of. It is very telling that the last words in Pullman's third book, The Amber Spyglass, are "the republic of heaven". The sinful human desire to want heaven without God is as old as the human race.
Picture posted by Amazon - His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Book 3)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaS3BCC-RNLQWOzvteFdwnUvbddwi4w1E5g3Mgyxf5FFcT8M-_vxG6MUyyFQYBNm5rOUywGk3FSoH36OaTA4LgN0gkH8amXAvGPPMewBVjOchE4fYESvG-zeeL8Lh7hzkNDXPS0VrtysCqbWEmVCQP9FqwlD3IuqdOf-8bIjekOfm2-vA7cFLokXJ0eXo/s1000/81yApz0dypL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81yApz0dypL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg
https://www.amazon.sg/dp/0440418569?ref_=mr_referred_us_sg_sg
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/09/reflection-in-church-kingdom-or-republic.html


Any step forward without God cannot be described as "progress" or "maturation". In fact, the opposite words have to be used. The Bible takes a very realistic view of history and speaks often, not of the evolutionary progress of society, but of the inevitable decay of a world that dreams of a "republic of heaven" without God. Eugene Peterson's rendering of 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is instructive:

Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-cat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God.
 

 Eugene Peterson's rendering of 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is instructive:
PHOTO: Eugene Peterson's rendering of 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is instructive:
Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-cat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God.
Picture posted by The Gospel on Monday, 05 March 2018 at 03:06 am
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0cVUx7BU8sP7k6uCOA13hmV6Lh68a8GOJNZSM9b2fr4B6_-J_w85_wuRgVECkFxMda8rCoizPts9AEhV44wUncAriVruX5Pz5Pjr157RZNGvkHaZJiSWiI8sQlwBZ5356ap-M9bZuLU43EDX0s9p8IJps9NBYcNAWMi2ARedP5M4CePRRpainefRMTQ/s2048/464876208_8405088839618829_5936248590209165292_n.jpg
https://scontent.fsin15-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/464876208_8405088839618829_5936248590209165292_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=cf85f3&_nc_ohc=ol5R_JxR2XAQ7kNvgHzMuZM&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fsin15-2.fna&_nc_gid=AIUQtmbFWMESx_MZhjgBIQu&oh=00_AYBg6uivParQB3Xe4dgePUEd7Lz_0XRgzYOHyamIkJ-s0A&oe=673E6E21
https://www.facebook.com/thegospel7/photos/pb.100071636083492.-2207520000/1475243725936743/?type=3&locale=es_LA



Such words challenge the notion that every innovation in society is a step forward.

Those in society who argue against progressivism should not be written off as irrelevant conservatives. It is dangerous to make an observation from the world of technology (that things always get better) into the universal rule for all of life.


 Those in society who argue against progressivism should not be written off as irrelevant conservatives.
PHOTO: Those in society who argue against progressivism should not be written off as irrelevant conservatives. It is dangerous to make an observation from the world of technology (that things always get better) into the universal rule for all of life.
Picture posted by Andrew on 20 January 2024
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimb2fxB6XcPga035fdG0Ci9CP532JYxzsbHW7quYruvXFqiVJ93EAApvQjGBRv7V4YPcBLDgnHYnda4pDZ2-a_v9ISIRCQz_o2PrJAKbpMCEw7Msn0C6F-wUfuXsuC7k3zbUoFs88pyzTLyAhG3LJlKXrCTsBpZJxqNeoX801RrgYDw32aw1RnATORHv4/s1792/The-jpg.png
https://andrewggibson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/DALL%C2%B7E-2024-01-20-14.59.26-A-montage-image-showcasing-the-transition-from-iconic-science-fiction-book-covers-to-real-world-technological-innovations-inspired-by-these-books.-The-jpg.webp
https://andrewggibson.com/2024/01/20/from-sci-fi-to-reality-how-modern-science-and-technology-are-bringing-our-favorite-books-to-life/


What can you do as a Christian, amid all these sweeping changes around you?

First, draw near to God. Wanting heaven without God is an old sinful desire, widely attested throughout human history. You will see signs of it all around you. The only way to prevent yourself from being swept away by it is to let God reign within you. As the Scottish theologian P. T. Forsyth said: "Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us." [2]


 First, draw near to God. Wanting heaven without God is an old sinful desire, widely attested throughout human history.
PHOTO: First, draw near to God. Wanting heaven without God is an old sinful desire, widely attested throughout human history. You will see signs of it all around you. The only way to prevent yourself from being swept away by it is to let God reign within you. As the Scottish theologian P. T. Forsyth said: "Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us." [2]
Picture posted by Faith in GOD - God Confronts Adam and Eve
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrriIi52mxjgoIXaM428EhoAWWg-VCc0NO9TIv-5jFd0X7DinGxEo2Di9JCsC2w5B6xjBLUGR32zJweRB_ZNby6wzSQWJ_FUeu3g6vzwlK4UVDLTHqAIN79UZFs_I7USgSvKCpwsu1lXXCeWmQIq8jxZG27iodwTYRhKZifRjrQPmhEAV2K4LaKwmzyiI/s1200/30a0bbff60eeffe60575bbe914bcb9a0.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/30/a0/bb/30a0bbff60eeffe60575bbe914bcb9a0.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/26529085298770729/


Second, learn to debunk the assumptions that underlie every worldly argument (2 Corinthians 10:5). Everyone has faith in something, whether or not he express it as such. We have seen how the notion of inevitable social progress can itself be said to be an article of faith.


 Second, learn to debunk the assumptions that underlie every worldly argument (2 Corinthians 10:5).
PHOTO: Second, learn to debunk the assumptions that underlie every worldly argument (2 Corinthians 10:5). Everyone has faith in something, whether or not he express it as such. We have seen how the notion of inevitable social progress can itself be said to be an article of faith.
Picture posted by Asana
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaGWvA44ow_TZK6ITGI0XZKmTJX5CvAWaPRHcJ9QRO7uRi5_oH74JxcSZ27TasjTcnxBn2rgOSd19AwXNkiLtwwfhDOZNtMhutKA0QYV2VVq5FYm_Xn7epfHNGmoBA_N6t73wX5ItJWakT4ETWnsy1g8w1vn_PVmT9RUuK6tYhnQwuxN09UZPXJ0T3qk/s1536/how-to-protect-from-evil-eye-nazar-greek-eye.png
https://crystal-shop.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/how-to-protect-from-evil-eye-nazar-greek-eye.jpg
https://crystal-shop.co/evil-eye-protection/


Third, pray. God loves the people of the world, even though the human race has taken the self-destructive path of disobedience. Because of this, we must not disengage ourselves from the world. Instead, amid all its woes and follies, we must live prophetically and with compassion, as salt and light.


 Third, pray.
PHOTO: Third, pray. God loves the people of the world, even though the human race has taken the self-destructive path of disobedience. Because of this, we must not disengage ourselves from the world. Instead, amid all its woes and follies, we must live prophetically and with compassion, as salt and light.
Picture posted by Vimla Praisy
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuk0XY1hZePxckyJKQ6XNE5d8oF6cc2ohgaYVB4CU-t5vE60IRCLu1YKKT5btVt7px6eGlhpdh-DTqzzjp9BaJ2PA99G31qL5diXUrDO8UXyFGfZZZddb6XtJJsLsF9beoigIpsD2AiGpuxCXF4mDdcbiHLwjjkr6AQBnBBTy_1QhZ2fqdtSE8qkZsmpY/s1024/35ed2a07ee8fdea3f7060f6b00d7af0f.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/35/ed/2a/35ed2a07ee8fdea3f7060f6b00d7af0f.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/16044142416684982/
 

 Dear Lord,
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray God loves the people of the world, even though the human race has taken the self-destructive path of disobedience.

May we do not disengage ourselves from the world. Instead, amid all its woes and follies, may we live prophetically and with compassion, as salt and light.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by carmogram
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Reflection - In The World - Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back
Source (book): "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Chapter 39, "Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back", Page 205.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012



"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
 

"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html
 

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
 

"Teach Us to Number Our Days", © 2008 by David Roper

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-1-40.html
 
 
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-41.html
 
 
"He Walks with Me - Devotions for Your Caregiving Journey with God",  © 2018 by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Shelly Beach

 Reflection - He Walks with Me (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 August 2022Reflection - He Walks with Me (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 August 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/08/reflection-he-walks-with-me-links.html
 

"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 1 - 45 (Links), posted on 03 April 2023
Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 1 - 45 (Links), posted on 03 April 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/04/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-1-45.html

 
"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 46 - 90 (Links), posted on
Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 46 - 90 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 24 October 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/10/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-46-90.html
 
 
"Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Making All Things New, Chapter 1 - 28 (Links), posted on Saturday, 04 August 2024
Reflection - Making All Things New, Chapter 1 - 28 (Links), posted on Saturday, 04 August 2024
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/08/reflection-making-all-things-new.html



Reference
[1] From "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon, Chapter 39, "Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back", Page 205.

[1a] Marek Ozicwicz and Daniel Hade, "The marriage of Heaven and Hell? Philip Pullman, C.S. Levis, and the Fantasy Tradition." Mythlore: A Journal of J. R. R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles William, and Mythopoeic Literature, vol. 28, no. 3 (3010), https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol28/iss3/4.

[2] Quoted in Bill Bright and Henry Brandt, Soul Prescription: Experiencing True Healing and Freedom (Enumclaw, WA: WinePress Publishing, 2009), 19.


Links
Other Books (Links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/reflection-books-links.html


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