my thoughts

First of all, this is a beautiful book, thank you for choosing it. Secondly, For some reason the cafe we go to doesn't let us open anything "google,"
so g-mail and blogspot are a rarity for us. Janna has been e-mailing us some of the posts, but sorry in advance for our lateness.

The attaining of heavenly beauties is definitely a theme I saw as well. The ironic thing with this though it that I feel God created us with a purpose to try and attain these things, to strive for that which is Ultimate Good. This longing, however, can never be fully satisfied on earth, so frustrated, we modify our longing to be instead for the attaining of "more." Once this becomes our measure of success, we begin believing that God is using the same system, blessing those She loves with "more" (and just to make it easier we only count the "more" we can see- humility, kindness, patience, etc lose value).

One way I believe we can be set apart is in letting go the notion that we are always sound in judgment and ruling. Being "right" I think is just another heavenly beauty, something to pursue but in what way and at what cost? American Christians seem to cling to their rightness. I cling to my rightness. On page 39 I love the way Claiborne talks about many things "all being a little right." I need more of that gentleness, along with discernment to know when that leniency doesn't work. (Is there a time when something is not even a little right? Can't murder be seen as a poor replica of God's OT justice?)

When prosperity is our only gospel, then it all our systems act like the ones described on page 43, "dehumanized, no longer [having] life or love or beauty in them, and no longer [doing] anything humans were creaked to do, like love and be loved." It becomes about the ends, not the means.

Anyway those are some of my thoughts...