I love the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It speaks to me on so many different levels. Right before the parable in Luke's Gospel, Jesus is talking with a lawyer about inheriting eternal life. They guy has the right answer, but somehow or another I get from the passage that his heart is just not in it. Then Jesus tells him the story of the Good Samaritan...
From
Bible Gateway:
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[d]"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
(NIV Version - Luke 10: 25-37)
Sometimes I think that I get it right, but most of the time I fear that I fall into one of the other categories represented... busyness, self-involvement, or just plain complacency.
Everyone is my neighbor, whether it be by physical location or just by nature of being a member of the human race. In the time period that this was written, the Samaritan and the injured man would have been at "cultural odds."
Who are we at cultural odds with today? Would we be willing to stop and help if the occasion presented itself, or would we just keep walking and turn a blind eye?
My prayer today is that my eyes will be opened to my neighbors and the needs that I can help meet...that I will "go and do likewise."
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
How Did We Wind Up In Idaho?
Well, take a look at this...US Satellite Map At Night.
If you will notice, in the Northwest US the lights tend to thin out to complete black. There is a reason for that. The black areas mean that there are no lights to be seen by the satellite. The area is secluded and sparsely populated.
To the east and on the west coast there are lights everywhere, i.e. lots and lots of people. We chose the mountains, the peace, the quiet, and the 80-mile drive to Wal Mart! And we are blessed:)
If you will notice, in the Northwest US the lights tend to thin out to complete black. There is a reason for that. The black areas mean that there are no lights to be seen by the satellite. The area is secluded and sparsely populated.
To the east and on the west coast there are lights everywhere, i.e. lots and lots of people. We chose the mountains, the peace, the quiet, and the 80-mile drive to Wal Mart! And we are blessed:)
Daily Lit
My friend KayLynn got me interested in this site. We have committed (or should be) to reading Don Quixote per the Well Educated Mind. Sometimes it is easier to read on the computer, and this is what Daily Lit does. You can either receive an email with a sequential daily reading from a selected book or you can view the reading as an RSS. Either way, you are working your way through literature. And best of all...It is FREE! At least it is free for the older classics:)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I Thought The Cat Was Funny...
But apparently some people were kind of grossed out by it.
I did finally make it to Barnes and Noble. I bought books that I did not really need and a Caramel Macchiato that I definitely did need! We braved below-zero temperatures and icy roads and slow drivers and had a wonderful time. If this does not make any sense, please read the previous blog entry.
The books that I bought were either on my list or ones that I have noble intentions of reading...just like Don Quixote that is sitting on my bookshelf!
The Count of Monte Cristo
Les Miserables
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
The Diary Of Anne Frank
They Like Jesus But Not The Church
Pocket NLT Bible
There is just something about leaving the mall with a Starbucks in one hand and your Barnes and Noble and Bath and Body Works bags in the other hand that just feels right. Ahhh, civilization!
I did finally make it to Barnes and Noble. I bought books that I did not really need and a Caramel Macchiato that I definitely did need! We braved below-zero temperatures and icy roads and slow drivers and had a wonderful time. If this does not make any sense, please read the previous blog entry.
The books that I bought were either on my list or ones that I have noble intentions of reading...just like Don Quixote that is sitting on my bookshelf!
The Count of Monte Cristo
Les Miserables
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
The Diary Of Anne Frank
They Like Jesus But Not The Church
Pocket NLT Bible
There is just something about leaving the mall with a Starbucks in one hand and your Barnes and Noble and Bath and Body Works bags in the other hand that just feels right. Ahhh, civilization!
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