Godliness
shawn beaty
"Help lord for the godly are no more" What does it even mean to be godly?
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Fear
shawn beaty
The Huffington Post recently ran a short article about fear. It featured a series of comics depicting common fears that children have alongside similar fears held by adults. Titled "Childhood Fears vs. Adult Fears," the cartoons illustrate the following pairs:
- Childhood fear: Doctors. Adult fear: Doctor's bills.
- Childhood fear: Bad dreams. Adult fear: Unfulfilled dreams.
- Childhood fear: Strangers. Adult fear: Crippling social anxiety.
- Childhood fear: Clowns. Adult fear: Clowns.
The article notes that though the fears of children are often discounted as irrational or silly by us "older" and "wiser" adults, they are not far off from our own fears. "They're proof that no matter how old we get, we're never alone in our fears," it says. In the end, however, it would seem that there is a line of logic that explains why the most common fears among adults are often as irrational as those of children: everyone has a fear of the unknown. There will always be uncertainty about jobs, relationships, finances, health, and any number of other daily concerns that can bring down even the most spirited people.
Is there a way avoid the downward spiral that anxiety brings? In a world as chaotic as this one, you definitely can't replace uncertainty with certainty. You can, however, fight against it with hope.
Read MoreUgly Fruit still tastes good
shawn beaty
Wal-Mart is now selling "ugly fruit and vegetables." The fruits (mostly apples right now) are labeled in a bag called "I'm Perfect." Wal-Mart was already selling weather-damaged potatoes in bags called "Spuglies." "Ugly fruits and vegetables are a fact of life on the farm. Sometimes the dents and scars are so minor that you wouldn't think twice about buying them. They're perfectly edible, delicious and just as nutritious as their unmarred brethren—or perhaps even more so." Wal-Mart's John Forrest Ales says, "All of our conversations are about, how do we maximize the harvest?"
It sounds like a good calling for Christians. We're all "Spuglies" in need of God's grace and we follow a Savior who is on the hunt for other Spuglies to love and redeem for his good purposes.