How have Christian teachings on gratitude added basic ideas to the founding of Enlightenment institutions and the modern world we live in? … [Read more...] about The Revolution of Christian Ingratitude in Western History: A Talk by Peter Leithart
gratitude
Not What I’d Planned (Scholar’s Compass)
My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26 Reflection Chronic illness is not what I'd planned. Chronic illness is not the path I would've chosen. Yet chronic illness is the laboratory where I'm learning to be a better wife, mother, daughter, professor, and friend. … [Read more...] about Not What I’d Planned (Scholar’s Compass)
Who Am I? Bonhoeffer as a Historical Mentor in Prayer: Part 2
Preface In the process of completing the Christian Devotional Classics series, I was inspired to dig into material which I wrote on the prayer life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for Theology and Practice of Prayer[footnote]SF/ST 777: Theology and Practice of Prayer. Laurie Mellinger, Ph.D. Evangelical Seminary. Summer 2012. Course Description: This course explores various aspects of the interplay between theology and prayer. What we believe about God determines how and why we pray; this has also been true for Christians … [Read more...] about Who Am I? Bonhoeffer as a Historical Mentor in Prayer: Part 2
A grateful heart
Thou has given so much to me Give one thing more – a grateful heart; Not thankful when it pleases me, As if Thy blessings had spare days; But such a heart, whose pulse may be Thy praise -- George Herbert May it be so for each of us as we celebrate Christ the King and prepare to enter Advent!PS. If you have not already done such, I encourage you to take time to reflect upon: What Are You Thankful For? The Spiritual Discipline of Gratitude (Mike Hickerson. ESN Blog. 11/20/2012). Living the Christian Year … [Read more...] about A grateful heart
What Are You Thankful For? The Spiritual Discipline of Gratitude
All this month, my Facebook feed has been filled with friends participating in 30 Days of Thanksgiving, posting each day about something for which they are thankful —their family, their friends, the goodness of God's provision, etc. The regular practice of gratitude is an important guard against cynicism and self-righteousness and something that I endorse. Even so, it was hard for me not to laugh at the Facebook post of a friend, who recently left a PhD program in Second Temple Judaism and is currently struggling to … [Read more...] about What Are You Thankful For? The Spiritual Discipline of Gratitude