Jedus de True Wine

"A de true wine, an me Fada de one wa tek cyah ob de gyaaden. Ebry wine branch wa been jine ta me bot e ain beah no fruit, me Fada cut um off. An ebry branch wa da beah fruit, e da trim um back so dat branch kin beah mo fruit. De wod wa A done tell oona done mek oona haat clean. Oona mus stay one wid me all de time, an A gwine stay one wid oona. De wine branch wa stay ta esef an ain jine ta de wine, dat branch ain able fa beah no fruit. E haffa be jine ta de wine fa beah fruit. Same way so, oona cyahn do nottin fa God cep oona stay one wid me all de time.

“A de wine. Oona de branch dem. Whosoneba stay jine ta me all de time, e gwine beah a heapa fruit fa me Fada. Oona cyahn do nottin ef ya ain jine ta me. Whosoneba ain stay jine ta me all de time, e same like a wine branch wa cut off ta esef. Dey shrow um way an den e dry op. Dey gwine geda dem dead branch an chunk um eenta de fire, weh dey gwine bun. Ef ya stay jine ta me an me wod stay een ya haat, ya kin aks me Fada fa wasoneba ya wahn an e gwine gim ta ya. Ef oona beah a heapa fruit fa me Fada, oona gwine show people dat oona gii glory ta um, an oona gwine show dat oona me ciple dem. A lob oona same like me Fada lob me. Now den, oona mus lib een me lob all de time. Ef ya do wa A chaage oona fa do, ya gwine lib een me lob. Same fashion, A beena do wa me Fada chaage me fa do, an A da lib een de lob ob me Fada.

“A done tell oona dis so dat oona kin lib full op wid me joy. A da chaage oona fa do dis: Oona mus lob one noda same fashion A done lob oona. Ain nobody hab no mo lob den de one wa gii e life fa de sake ob e fren dem. Oona me fren ef oona do wa A chaage oona fa do. A ain da call oona me saabant no mo, cause de saabant ain know wa e massa da do. Steada dat, A da call oona me fren, cause A done tell oona all wa me Fada done laan me. Oona ain pick me. A de One wa done pick oona, fa go an beah a heapa fruit, fruit wa gwine las. Den de Fada gwine gii oona wasoneba oona aks um fa, ef oona tek me name wen oona aks. So den, dis wa A da chaage oona fa do, ‘Oona mus lob one noda.’

John 15, De Nyew Testament (Gullah)

The Resurrection - N.T. Wright

God's Mercy and Grace - John Cassian

The thief on the cross certainly did not receive
the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for his virtues
but as a grace and mercy from God.
He can serve as an authentic witness
that our salvation is given to us
only by God's mercy and grace.
All the holy masters knew this
and unanimously taught that perfection in holiness
can be achieved only through humility.



— John Cassian

Confidence - St Symeon the New Theologian

One thing I've discovered in the writings of ancient monks is humility. They are unaware of us arrogant protestant critics bearing rocks. Unaware of us disrespectful charismatics who lift proof texts from their mystic teachers and put them in our books that condemn obedience. Unaware of how disgusting to us is their desperation to be saved.

The harder you try, the more desperate you get for help. That's why the monastics jettison everything they can, even good things, to live simply and pray for mercy.

I hope that in reading this, we do not allow our understanding of justification to override the Gospel; Jesus said a lot about obedience to Himself. Let me point out for example, something that shows up in our cultural blind spot: Responding to an altar-call is very much a work.

Praying a prayer with sincerity is also a work. Warding ourselves against any hint of legalism is a very difficult work, and a burden Jesus never gave us. That's something the reformers gleaned from Paul, using only half of what he said and no Gospel texts at all. Modernism hit the fan and we now have a new law of no-law and no one is lifting a finger to help us bear it. It's a deadly error to think that saving faith consists in doing nothing at all; that effort causes us to forfeit grace.  It might be that the effort to do nothing forfeits grace.

The antidote for despair is not presumption; it's desperate repentance and watching yourself grow up into Christ (Eph 4:15).

Be not deceived, my brethren. God loves mankind, He is merciful and compassionate. Of this I bear witness and this I confess, for it is by His compassion that I am confident that I will be saved. But know this, that it will be of no avail for those who are impenitent and do not keep His commandments with all exactitude and with much fear; they will be punished far more severely than the unbelieving and unbaptized heathen. Be not deceived, brethren; let not any of your offenses appear insignificant to you, nor dismiss them with contempt as though they do not greatly damage your souls. Servants who are grateful do not recognize any difference between a small offense and a great one. Even if their offense consist merely in a glance or in a thought or word, they feel about it as though they have fallen from the love of God, which I believe is true (III.7).

[…]

The deadly wound consists of every sin that is not repented and confessed, and of falling into despair. This depends on our choice and will. If we do not yield ourselves to the pit of carelessness and despair the devils cannot at all prevail over us. Even when we have been wounded, if we so wish we may through fervent penitence become more courageous and skillful fighters. To rise again and fight after being wounded and slain belongs to the noblest and bravest – it is worthy of great praise and most admirable. It does not depend on us whether we should be preserved from suffering wounds. To become either mortal or immortal depends on us, for if we do not despair we shall not die, “death will have no dominion over us” (Rom 6:9), but we shall always be strong if we flee in penitence to our all-powerful and gracious God.

Therefore I encourage myself and us all to display all eagerness, all patient courage and endurance by means of good deeds. Thus may we make our way through all the commandments and precepts of Christ, so that in readiness of soul we may attain to the eternal habitations by the guidance of the Spirit. So shall we be found worthy to stand before the one and indivisible Trinity and in Him worship Christ our God, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen (III.10).

– St Symeon, The Discourses

Inside Bound4LIFE 6/8/10

10 Minute Go, Episode 06

Good Go resources are hard to find (for us who only speak English).  This one (http://www.gocommentary.com/) is particularly good.

Divine Love - St Symeon the New Theologian

My dear fathers and brethren, as soon as I called to mind the beauty of undefiled love, its light suddenly appeared in my heart. I have been ravished with its delight and have ceased to perceive outward things; I have lost all sense of this life and have forgotten the things that are at hand. Yet again – I am at a loss how to say it – it has removed far from me and left me to lament my own weakness.

O all-desirable love, how happy is he who has embraced you, for he will no longer have a passionate desire to embrace any earthly beauty! Happy is he who is moved by divine love to cling to you! He will deny the whole world, yet as he associates with all men he will be wholly untainted. Happy is he who caresses your beauty and with infinite desire delights therein, for he will be spiritually sanctified by the water and blood (cf. John 19:34) that in all purity issue from you!

Happy is he who passionately embraces you, for he will be wondrously changed! In spirit and in soul he will rejoice, because you are the ineffable joy. Happy is he who gains possession of you, for he will count the treasures of the world as nothing, for you are indeed the truly inexhaustible riches. Happy and triply happy is he whom you accept, for though he be without any visible glory he will be more glorious than all that is glorious, more honored and august than all that is honored. Worthy of praise is he who pursues you; even more praiseworthy is he who has found you; more blessed he who is loved by you, received by you, taught by you, he who dwells in you and is fed by you with Christ, the immortal food, Christ our God!

– St Symeon the New Theologian, The Discourses I.3

Come to Focus In Yourself

From the moment you start praying,
raise your heart upward
and turn your eyes downward.
Come to focus in your innermost self
and there pray in secret to your heavenly Father

— Aphraphat the Persian

This strikes me as a good example of how Christian prayer is not the same as New Age or Hindu meditation. He says, "Come to focus in your innermost self" as opposed to focusing on your innermost self. There's a big difference. That we're like God is a half truth. That we are God is a complete lie. God is good and we are not.

We cannot do away with the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul prayed, let me pray this blessing for you. :)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Galations 1:3-5)

Personal God - Archimandrite Sophrony

I AM THAT I AM. Yes, indeed, it is He Who is Being. He alone truly lives. Everything summoned from the abyss of non-being exists solely by His will. My individual life, down to the smallest detail, comes uniquely from Him. He fills the soul, binding her ever more intimately to Himself. Conscious contact with Him stamps a man for ever. Such a man will not now depart from the God of love Whom he has come to know. His mind is reborn. Hitherto he was inclined to see everywhere determined natural processes; now he begins to apprehend all things in the light of Person.

Knowledge of the Personal God bears an intrinsically personal character. Like recognises like. There is an end to the deadly tedium of the impersonal. The earth, the whole universe, proclaims Him: 'heaven and earth praise him, the sea, and everything that moveth therein' (Ps. 69:34). And lo, He Himself seeks to be with us, to impart to us the abundance of His life (cf. John 10:10). And we for our part thirst for this gift.

The soul knows but cannot contain Him, and therin lies her pain. Our days are filled with longing to penetrate into the Divine sphere with every fiber of our being.

From His Life is Mine by Archimandrite Sophrony

Beautiful Mercy - Laura Hackett

The whole album, Laura Hackett is good. A lot of acoustic instruments (there's a banjo, in fact ... and an upright bass) and clever arrangements. Listen through to the two-minute mark on this one.

Praktikos - Abba Philemon

Set your mind on following the path of saints.
Prefer a simple style of life.
Wear unremarkable clothes.
Eat simple food.
Behave in an unaffected manner.
Don't strut around as if you were important.
Speak from your heart.

— Abba Philemon