by bignorm on September 14, 2010
Right.
This has been brewing for a looong time, and I’ve finally got the courage to face this giant – bignorm.net is changing. (maybe not a severe as what I done to facebook)
With the arrival of Elsie, and a surge in my ministerial servant-hood here in Skerries, AND, it being my final year at Bible college, something has to give. Sadly, after much thought and observation, bignorm.net will feel the pinch the most. You’ve probably notices — all 3 of you visitors — that my posts have became very irregular and pathetic – I know (I hear you musing that they always were).
Life right now is not permitting such narcissistic luxuries such as blogging. I’ve come to realise that in order for my to maintain and build upon the things in my life that really matter, blogging has to decrease. From time to time IF I have the time I MAY post a few thoughts or an odd random post. But I cannot promise anything any more.
I have also realised that all the humble men of God who I admire spend hours every day meditating on the scriptures, not social networking. In order for me to fulfill my calling in God, I must continue to submerge myself in that still rich world of Godly thought, prayer and meditation.
Bignorm.net has been a fun project. I’ve went too far some days and expressed things I should have kept. Yet I believe that it served a purpose for a time. Thank you for commenting and dropping by.
Pause for now,
N
by bignorm on August 5, 2010
I bring a fresh thread to bgnmdtnt from my personal study life: thoughts from Marks Gospel.
David Garland’s NIV Commentary has been aiding me, so I probably bring a mixture of thoughts from both scripture and the Dr’s opinions. I’ve deliberatedly made it slowly to chapter three of Mark. Lots to consider here.
Let me open your thoughts for discussion by presenting something that has been a reasonably large chord in my christian awareness recently: unity (or lack or it in the body too often). Jesus proclaims in Mark 3:25 says “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”
Garland comments on this hot area:
“Vicious criticism of others in religious circles stems form a variety of motives: sincere distress over something radically new, genuine alarm over what is perceived to be heresy, a desire to reassure that we belong to the good guys by branding others as bad guys, or a craven dread of losing power.” (Garland p.142)
Someone once said that “character is who we are when we are alone.” To often I’ve noticed that believers get caught up in wranglings about things which don’t really matter; clandestine tittle-tattle that is divisive and poisonous, and ultimately, unnecessary lies and speculation that proves cancerous and paralysing to God’s People and the development of His Kingdom.
There’ll probably be few comments on this post, or answers to these questions, sadly, due to the scale of discord that often exists within the “body”. I’ll ask it anyway for you to ponder at least:
Of the four that Garland mentions, which do you think are most common in your “house”? And, how much are you contributing to the unifying process?