The Narrow Gate: Day 372

The Narrow Gate

Welcome to the continuation of my blog, post-seminary. Ministry and evangelism have brought me back home to Chattanooga. I welcome your company on my journey.

The original blog, Down In Mississippi, shared stories from 2008 and 2009 of the hope and determination of people in the face of disaster wrought by the hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005, of work done primarily by volunteers from churches across America and with financial support of many aid agencies and private donations and the Church. My Mississippi posts really ended with the post of August 16, 2009. Much work, especially for the neediest, remained undone after the denominational church pulled out. Such is the nature of institutions. The world still needs your hands for a hand up. I commend to you my seven stories, Down in Mississippi I -VII, at the bottom of this page and the blog posts. They describe an experience of grace.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Day 372 - Words of War

Today I thought I would take a little respite from my Gulf-related stories (though in actuality I guess I am not since the subject of this entry draws people and many billions of dollars from relief efforts for the good of people).

In the mid-1980's Joan Croc, wife of the deceased Ray Croc (founder of McDonald's) published in the local San Diego paper a series of quotations on war from men who knew war all to well. Here they are to emphasize the historical repugnance of war, the words of three Presidents, a theologian, four generals who fought wars, statesmen and a new addition by a latter day wag, in chronological order:

"War is the greatest plague that can afflict humanity; it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys family. Any scourge is preferable to it." - Martin Luther 1569

"God is ordinarily for the big battalions against the little ones." Roger, Count Bussy-Rabutin, 1677

"I have seen enough of one war never to wish to see another." Thomas Jefferson, 1794

"It is well that war is so terrible - we would grow too fond of it." Robert E. Lee, 1862

"Hear me, my chiefs, I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, 1878

"There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell." William Tecumseh Sherman, 1880

"The first casualty when war comes is truth." Sen. Hiram Johnson, 1917

"War is much too important to be left to the generals." George Clemenceau, 1935

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity." Dwight D. Eisenhower, c. 1952

"War is always the same. It is young men dying in the fullness of their promise. It is trying to kill a man that you do not even know well enough to hate. Therefore, to know war is to know that there is still madness in the world." Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966

"Vietnam is what we had instead of happy childhoods." Michael Herr, 1977

"Iraq and Afghanistan - will we never heed the lessons of history?" Henry Paris, 2009

Shalom

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Gates

The gate pervades the Good News. Peter entered the temple gate after the Jesus’ arrest to deny him. Poor Lazarus lay at the rich man's gate, longing for the crumb's from the table, while dogs licked his sores. The blind, lame and paralyzed lay at the Sheep Gate at the Jerusalem temple waiting at the pool with five porticoes for healing water. Jesus warned of the easy road and wide gate to material ease and spiritual destruction and calls us to the hard road and narrow gate to the waters of life.

necessary disclaimer

This blog is created solely to communicate to my brothers and sisters how one person sees adversity bringing out the greater character of humanity. It's early part relating connection to the volunteer relief effort in Mississippi after Katrina and later work with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program and the Presbyterian Church(USA) is solely through my participation in them; this blog does not carry any sponsorship from these fine organizations or purport to speak for them. All original content is that of the writer who holds the copyright to all original writings and art or other works (See Creative Commons License above). Every effort is made to identify content from other sources which have been obtained from open internet sources. It's more recent content contains sermons and lessons used in preaching and teaching. The url to scripture are obtained via http://bible.oremus.org unless otherwise indicated.

Texts quoted from oremus bible viewer are from "New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved." and "New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved."