Well, not really. Actually, there have been so many amazing people in my life who have taught me a lot about God, love, and life. And certainly not everything Mr. Baker said was his own idea. In fact, most of it probably was just anonymous quoting. But I still think it is high time I pay Mr. Baker the tribute he is due by posting some of the amazing things I've learned from him in the past year-and-a-half.
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To be a pilgrim you must:
Receive grace
Perceive that the earth is not going to last
Accept that fact and
Embrace it by acting upon it
The Christian's mission is to move forward as pilgrims, going so fast, "Move forward be swift, never let the dust of the earth touch you."
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Our sins are a sign of a lack of love, and they will only be reduced by the sovereign sanctification of God.
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This one's from Augustine, but Mr. B still introduced me to it:
"What parent would be so stupidly curious as to send their child to school to find out what the teacher thinks?" -St. Augustine
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Greek/Latin words Mr. B has taught me:
Cred- to believe
Heuresis- discovery, or "I have found it!"
Theorein- to gaze intently upon
Imago Dei- image of God
Kanon- the essential duties, functions, and offices of an art
Inventio/Heuresis- system or method for finding arguments
Dispositio/Taxis- effective or orderly arrangement of the parts and points
Elocutio/Lexis/Hermeneia/Phrasis- choice of words in phrases or clauses
-noia- mind
Metanoia- hindsight
Pronoia- foresight
Kairos- right time, opportunity, occasion, or season
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Salvation is grace invading our otherwise godless world.
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Ability bribes and absolute ability bribes absolutely.
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It's one thing to have resolve. It's another to have faith. It's another thing to have faith that God will honor your resolve, inspired by him.
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Love your neighbor as yourself loving God.
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God is in operation 24/7, and so is his peace- why not be a vessel of that?
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These next three are from Aristotle (but still taught by Mr. Baker):
"Rhetoric is or may be defined as, the faculty for discovering the available means of persuasion in reference to any subject whatever."
"An art brings into being that which is capable of being other than it is."
"The prerequisite to style is clarity."
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In rhetoric, we are discovering what is already available: the means of persuasion.
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Ethics can be thought of in two dimensions: horizontal (man to man), and vertical (man to God). I must love myself as God loves me. But wherever this love is spilled over, those two lines must come together. And together they form...a cross.
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You have to ask the right questions in order to keep your feet on.
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Humans are complex. To address a human is to address hearts that feel emotion, minds capable of reason, and wills choosing desires and acting on them. Those three cannot be separated.
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Any debate on earth is happening not just in the presence of other men, but also in the presence of heaven.
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Do you want to be one of those Americans who sits back and says, "America's broken. Oh well."? Or do you want to be an American who sees that America is broken and sick, and who wants to heal it?
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Earth is the human barnyard.
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No solution without cooperation, and no cooperation without assent.
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God's truth can never be reduced to over-simplification.
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I'm waiting for the presidential candidate who comes along and says, 'Our country is in a mess, and I'm not going to fix it in two years. If you think I am going to, don't vote for me!'
Well, Mr. Baker, here's to you. Thanks for all you've taught me so far, and I am eagerly awaiting more!
Meridian
thanks MP!
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