Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith (Kindle Locations 2228-2229). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now that doesn’t make sense, does it?   If I honor it and praise it and notice it then it must matter the most. Right? Here is what Larry says, “In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul said that the body of Christ is just like our physical bodies. The parts we notice, honor, and praise are the parts that matter the least.”   Check out 1 Corinthians 12: 22-25. He goes on, “For instance, you’ll never make the cover of a glamour magazine because you have a marvelous liver, kidney, or pancreas. You might make it if you’ve got great hair, beautiful eyes, a fabulous complexion, a body that won’t quit, or killer abs.” “But none of those are very important to life itself. You can live a long and p

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith (Kindle Locations 1683-1684). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know if I had ever thought about this but it really makes sense.   Especially when you see the difference. Larry first of all says, “Our biblical unity is rooted solely in our relationship with Jesus. It’s not dependent on shared religious practices, patterns, or preferences. It’s not contingent on agreeing on every point of theology. It exists even when we wish it didn’t.” Ok but what about uniformity?   Larry says, “Uniformity is very different from unity. It’s based on clone-like similarities. That’s what makes uniformity so comfortable. It’s naturally cohesive. When everyone walks, talks, and looks alike, it’s not too hard to get along. There aren’t so many issues to work through. It’s rather easy

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith (Kindle Location 1336). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Larry says, “It refuses to fatalistically settle and accept the status quo. It powers the dogged pursuit of what could be and should be. Idealism provides the fuel that turns our crazy dreams into reality.” And we need that.   We really do. He then says, “But on the other hand, idealism can also be a curse. If it flows out of an inaccurate and overly romanticized view of the past, it can lead to a desperate longing for what never was and a deep frustration with whatever is.” He goes on, “Perhaps you have some friends who never enjoy the present because they’re so sure everything used to be better. They’re like greyhounds on the racetrack, chasing a stuffed rabbit they’ll never catch. Their endless pursuit of th