Pictures of Me by Jill Carattini

Take approximately 5 minutes to read this shortened version of yesterday's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Post comments to the blog for spiritual collaboration. Please email your prayer requests too.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 NLT

Slice of Infinity Snippets:
While in prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer struggled with the many reflections of his life. As a seminary instructor he was considered a saint and a giant. In America they made him feel like an escapist. In prison they made him feel like a criminal. There were days when he saw himself as all three and all the stages in between. It was in such a convolution of images that he asked:

"Who am I?
This or the other?
Am I one person today, and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me,
these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine."

Our adoption by God is our identity, the picture we hold as children until the day when there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, and God will wipe every tear from our eyes. Neither death nor life, nor anything else in all creation, can separate us from this love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Comments: The main thrust of this article (click here to read today's slice of infinity in full) was adoption. Galleries containing photographs of foster children at play spur people towards adoption. Recently, I have been keenly aware of God's command to love your neighbor as yourself. If you recall in the recent letter I shared with you, one comment, which was first made by a friend of mine, went like this,“My prayer and heartbeat is that we in America will stand up and focus on what is eternal and begin to love people in such a way so that next time a girl gets pregnant before she goes to the abortion clinic, she will first think to go to a Christian family who will love and accept her and will either help her raise her child or will adopt her baby. When this becomes our reputation, then I'm convinced that the abortion rates will dramatically be will be lowered in our land.

It is no coincidence that another friend replied with some wonderful ideas of how we can truely love our neighbor as ourself:

I also think a huge investment in the opposite side of the equation would make so much sense. What if we lived in a culture that praised a young girl for delivering a baby for a sterile married couple instead of mocking her for "being a careless tramp" (or whatever other vulgar things are said)? What if young fathers were comfortable with supporting the mother in all ways instead of denying "participation" and running from the result? What if adopted kids were so routine in families that nobody ever did a double-take? How about government funding for organizations that educate young couples, help them through the pregnancy, and facilitate adoption instead of funding the murder? This seems so simple.

I really like this. Here are some concrete examples that buck perception of Christians because we don't condemn the girl for being a 'tramp'. And we disciple others in Love. Let us strive to make this the new reputation.

May you today be known by how you love your fellow Christian.
-Chad