The shattering revelation of that moment was that true peace, the high and bidding peace that passeth all understanding, is to be had not in retreat from the battle, but only in the thick of the battle. To journey for the sake of saving our own lives is little by little to cease to live in any sense that really matters, even to ourselves, because it is only by journeying for the world's sake—even when the world bores and sickens and scares you half to death—that little by little we start to come alive. It was not a conclusion that I came to in time. It was a conclusion from beyond time that came to me. God knows I have never been any good at following the road it pointed me to, but at least, by grace, I glimpsed the road and saw that it is the only one worth traveling.

Fredrick Buechner. THE SACRED JOURNEY. 

Filled with self-doubt, I asked my friends if the work that I do is "necessary." I had been comparing my role as a teacher and trainer with others' roles of direct service among the urban poor. I admire -perhaps even idolize- their sacrificial lives. But I wanted to know that my part was also vital. Why give my life to nurture and sustain others in hard places if it isn't NECESSARY? 

My friends... laughed out loud, ... and said ... "Since when is any of our work necessary? Your work is not necessary, but it is BEAUTIFUL. That is your gift."

Kris Rocke.

One proof of the inspiration of the Bible is that much is said in a few words, unlike the works of men that usually say little in many words.

James Montgomery Boice. GENESIS: AN EXPOSITIONAL COMMENTARY. Vol I.

The hard thing isn't being the "Architect of your Destiny"... it's building it.

Espiritu de los Cinicos. 

A King and a Kingdom

John Phillips, "Distributing Water" Meredith March, Mississippi, 1966

Both Reverend Marsh and the civil rights workers [Marsh criticized in "The Sorrow of Selma"] were wrong, but in different ways. Reverend Marsh sought the King without the kingdom. The civil rights workers sought the kingdom without the King.

Fikkert & Corbett. WHEN HELPING HURTS: HOW TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY WITHOUT HURTING THE POOR... AND YOURSELF.

 Thinking means concentrating on one thing long enough to develop an idea about it.

I find for myself that my first thought is never my best thought. My first thought is always someone else’s; it’s always what I’ve already heard about the subject, always the conventional wisdom. It’s only by concentrating, sticking to the question, being patient, letting all the parts of my mind come into play, that I arrive at an original idea. By giving my brain a chance to make associations, draw connections, take me by surprise. And often even that idea doesn’t turn out to be very good. I need time to think about it, too, to make mistakes and recognize them, to make false starts and correct them, to outlast my impulses, to defeat my desire to declare the job done and move on to the next thing.

William Deresiewicz. Solitude and Leadership: If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts

 Father Placidus, a Benedictine Monk, has an unusual way of seeing things, but that's bound to happen when you have prayed the psalms for over 50 years. When a friend asked Father Placidus what he had been reflecting on lately he answered, "I'm contemplating the deficiencies of God." He offered three examples. "God is bad at math; He leaves 99 to save one. God has a bad memory; He is always forgetting our sins. God is wasteful; He makes six stones jars (120 gallons) of the best wine, that's a lot of wine for one party."

Meal from Below: A Five Course Feast with Jesus. Second Course: Blessed - Week 07

If you want to make something new, start with understanding.

Seth Godin. Learning How To See.

The Serendipity Equation

success of a project = project potential  x  serendipitous factors

Summary: You cannot count on luck or skill to generate remarkable outcomes in isolation. The most consistent path to meaningful accomplishment seems to be a combination of the two. Pick a small number of things and become so good they can’t ignore you. Along the way, however, keep taking your growing skill out for a spin, launching related projects, one after another, carefully studying the outcomes to see if you stumbled into something big.

Cal Newport. Does Luck Matter More Than Skill.

wind

around and around it goes

be still

dthaase. haiku CDXCII