Tag Archives: 1 Corinthians 12

Prayer primer

Bible, Science, Thursday posts, , , , , , , , ,

nanocrystals2 edited
All my life, I’ve been fascinated with things that glow in the dark.  Where does the light come from?  This is now fundamental to my understanding of prayer, and of my vocation.

The picture shows what I take for the latest advance in the world of fluorescent materials.  Here are germanium nanoparticles in a colorless colloidal (gelatinous) suspension, being irradiated by ultraviolet light.  By virtue merely of where they are and what they are, the invisible light that shines on these particles is changed into visible light.

The nanoparticles catalyze that process:  they do no work of their own, expend no energies of their own, and take no active part in the process; but it won’t occur without them.
Continue reading Prayer primer →

A short route to agony

Bible, Music, The Way of Peace, Thursday posts, , , , , , , , , ,

On one occasion sometime between 1983 and 1990 — I can recall where I was living, but not where I was working — I came home from work and became suicidal. I don’t recall the basis of my agony, but it almost certainly pertained to certain foibles of “the flesh” that my “spirit” seemed powerless to overcome.

A former student had left a cassette tape at my door that day, full of music he wanted to share with me, beginning with “Bad” by U2. I had a second floor apartment, and had sometimes heard this from the boom boxes of people who walked by outside; and I knew what effect it would have on me, particularly the opening section, with the bells. Given my state, for that reason I intentionally delayed playing it.

When I couldn’t bear the pain any more, I put it on, and was at once transported from the pit of despair into a place of perfect peace. I count this as a case of divine intervention: by means of that young man and that music, God saved my life.
Continue reading A short route to agony →

o 1 Corinthians 12

Bible, OUR BEST POSTS, ,

1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

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* Prayer primer

Bible, OUR BEST POSTS, Science, , , , , , , , ,

nanocrystals2 edited
All my life, I’ve been fascinated with things that glow in the dark.  Where does the light come from?  This is now fundamental to my understanding of prayer, and of my vocation.

The picture shows what I take for the latest advance in the world of fluorescent materials.  Here are germanium nanoparticles in a colorless colloidal (gelatinous) suspension, being irradiated by ultraviolet light.  By virtue merely of where they are and what they are, the invisible light that shines on these particles is changed into visible light.

The nanoparticles catalyze that process:  they do no work of their own, expend no energies of their own, and take no active part in the process; but it won’t occur without them.
Continue reading * Prayer primer →

* A short route to agony

Bible, Music, OUR BEST POSTS, The Way of Peace, , , , , , , , , ,

On one occasion sometime between 1983 and 1990 — I can recall where I was living, but not where I was working — I came home from work and became suicidal. I don’t recall the basis of my agony, but it almost certainly pertained to certain foibles of “the flesh” that my “spirit” seemed powerless to overcome.

A former student had left a cassette tape at my door that day, full of music he wanted to share with me, beginning with “Bad” by U2. I had a second floor apartment, and had sometimes heard this from the boom boxes of people who walked by outside; and I knew what effect it would have on me, particularly the opening section, with the bells. Given my state, for that reason I intentionally delayed playing it.

When I couldn’t bear the pain any more, I put it on, and was at once transported from the pit of despair into a place of perfect peace. I count this as a case of divine intervention: by means of that young man and that music, God saved my life.
Continue reading * A short route to agony →