photo by GAC "To forgive is to make a decision to cancel the debt that you are owed and not hold it against your offender. There is no forgiveness without a debt. And when we realize the enormity of our own debt, it makes forgiveness possible. So in this sense, forgiveness is closely related to … Continue reading Quote of Note #148: Forgiving and Gratitude
Tag: gratitude
Quote of Note #86: Gratitude and Humility
"Moreover, a true Christian will not ascribe any prosperity to his own diligence, industry, or good fortune, but he will acknowledge that God is the author of it." John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1952/2004, page 43.
Pastor Note #48 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 4: Obedience–Faith in the Present Tense
We human beings live within time very much the way fish live within water. One way to think about the relationship of faith to the passage of time is to think about the tenses of faith. I’ve described it this way. Faith oriented toward the past faithfulness of God is gratitude. Faith oriented toward … Continue reading Pastor Note #48 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 4: Obedience–Faith in the Present Tense
Pastor Note #47 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 3: Disciplines of Christian Remembering
Time can seem like an enemy to us sometimes. Our lives flow away from us into the past. And as they do, they seem to slip through our fingers like sand. We can especially feel that way as we watch our children and then our grandchildren grow up and … Continue reading Pastor Note #47 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 3: Disciplines of Christian Remembering
Pastor Note #46 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 2: The Past Tense of Faith
Time flies. Or, time drags. But the unalterable reality of human life is time. We live in time as fish live in water. I have a past. I am in the present. And in some form I will have a future. This time-orientedness is the fundamental framework of our lives. Everything we do, everything … Continue reading Pastor Note #46 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 2: The Past Tense of Faith
Prayer Note #35 — A Prayer for Artists and Artisans
Thanks you, Lord, that you have led me to discover the pleasures of making things with my hands -- durable things that last, things that can be appealing to the eye, things that show the natural beauties of the wood and stone that you have made and the metals you have shown us how to … Continue reading Prayer Note #35 — A Prayer for Artists and Artisans
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 