Why "St. Cuthbert's Island"?

Saint Cuthbert was a Celtic monk who lived in the 7th century.
He received visitors at his monastery in Northumbria and was even appointed a bishop, but he yearned for the life of an ascetic. While living at the monastery on the island of Lindisfarne, he sought to spend time with the Lord whenever possible. Early on, he practiced solitude on a small island that was linked to Lindisfarne by a land bridge when the tide was low. This tiny island, known as Saint Cuthbert’s Island, was a training ground of sorts—a place to grow in faith and in love for God.

I chose to name my blog after this island for two reasons:
1) I hope that it will be a place where I can spend time alone with God, growing in my love for Him.
2) Perhaps, when the tide is low, others may find their way to this tiny island
and, by God’s grace, be blessed by what they find there.

Friday, July 13, 2007

1 Corinthians 8-9

Continuing to quote Ben Witherington from 1 Corinthians Exegesis...
(notice that I'm not necessarily relating thoughts about the text--I've mainly chosen snippets that are more or less applicable to life in general)

  • It’s one thing to persuade someone to change their mind. It’s quite another to lead someone to violate their conscience.
  • Whatever you cannot do in good faith is sin for you. Even worse is when you, through pressure, force, or brow-beating, cause someone else to violate their conscience.
  • There is a problem in conservative, evangelical churches of having too many scruples.
  • The grace and love of God is not like a heat-seeking missile that goes to a particular target because there’s something particularly attractive about that target. God’s love is unconditional. It makes someone lovable.
  • You need to take a regular reality check about your attitude concerning money. We are supposed to be the Body of Christ, and how you relate to money shows a lot about what you really believe. Where does your ultimate security lie?
  • Offer the gospel freely and trust that the Holy Spirit will move their hearts to support you. The people aren’t paying for the gospel. They’re paying to support their minister.
  • Paul does not believe you are eternally secure until you are secure in eternity.
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)