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We
are Human Beings, not Human Doings
An Interview with
Rick Warren by Paul Bradshaw |
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Sumitted by Daisy G who
met Rick Warren a few times at his office at the
Saddleback Church, Lake Forest CA. Rick Warren, the
author of the
best selling book Purpose Driven Life, is the founding
and senior pastor of
Saddleback Church.
"He is a very
simple, gentle and inspiring man who, through his
book, Purpose Driven Life, has made a lot of money
for the church. Unlike other pastors/ministers whose
lifestyles change through wealth and now live in
mansions and have become materialistic, Rick and his
wife stayed in their original home where they raised
their children, live humbly ... and to top it all,
stopped accepting a salary from his church. He is an
epitome of God's servant. a true follower of God's
Word, and he lives his life in this manner. His wife
is now suffering from cancer and below is an
interview with him by Paul Bradshaw. I would like to
share this with you all." - Daisy G.
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You will enjoy
the new insights that Rick Warren has, with
his wife now having cancer and him having
'wealth' from the book sales. This is an
absolutely incredible short interview with
Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and
pastor of Saddleback Church in California.
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick
Warren, Rick said: |
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People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I
respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for
eternity. We were made to last forever, and God
wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will
be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am
going to spend trillions of years in eternity.
This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God
wants us to practice on earth what we will do
forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you
figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in
one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're
getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested
in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy
than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but
that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow
in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my
life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay,
getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys -
you go through a dark time, then you go to the
mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that
anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I
believe that it's kind of like two rails on a
railroad track, and at all times you have
something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there
is always something bad that needs to be worked
on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life,
there is always something good you can thank God
for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus
on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into
self-centeredness, 'which is my problem, my
issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to
get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself
and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers
of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not
going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God
has strengthened her character, given her a
ministry of helping other people, given her a
testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and
the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good
is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a
sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it
made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had
never had to deal with before. I don't think God
gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or
for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with
this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me
two different passages that helped me decide what
to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72
First, in spite
of all the money coming in, we would not change
our lifestyle one bit. We made no major
purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I
stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an
initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant
churches, equip leaders, assist the poor , care
for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid
me in the 24 years since I started the church,
and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be
able to serve God for free.
We need to ask
ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions?
Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt?
Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be
driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of
my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else
done today, I want to know You more and love You
better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill
a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am
than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human
doings.
Happy moments,
PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
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Elisha
2 Kings 2:18 - 4:44 |
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Introduction |
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Elisha
leaves the oxen, runs after Elijah, and begs to give him
time to say good-bye to father and mother,
and he will follow him. But Elijah orders
Elisha to go back. Elisha leaves him and,
taking the yoke of oxen, slaughters them. He
uses the plowing equipment for fuel to boil
their flesh, and gives it to his people to
eat.
Then he leaves and follows Elijah as his
attendant.
As they walk on
conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming
horses comes between them, and Elijah goes up
to heaven in a whirlwind. When Elisha sees
this he cries out, "My father! my father!
Israel's chariots and drivers!" But when he
can no longer see him, Elisha tears his own
garment in two.
Then he picks up Elijah's mantle which had
fallen from him, and goes back and stands at
the bank of the Jordan. Wielding the
Elijah’s mantle, he strikes the water. It
divides and he crosses over. |
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Taking
over the Mantle of Elijah, the guild
prophets in Jericho, who are on the
other side, see him and declare that the
spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. They
go to meet him, bowing to the ground
before him.
The prophets urge Elisha to allow them
to send men to search for Elijah. At
first Elisha refuses but the prophets
keep urging him, until he agrees. So
they send the men, who search for three
days without finding him. They go back
to Elisha in Jericho to tell him that
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did not
find Elijah. Elisha reminds
them that he did not want them to go and
search for Elijah.
Once the inhabitants of the city
complain to Elisha that although the
site of the city is fine indeed the
water is bad and the land unfruitful.
Elisha asks for a new bowl and tells
them to put salt into it. When they
bring the bowl of salt to him, he goes
out to the spring and throws salt into
it, saying that the LORD, has purified
the water and never again shall death or
miscarriage spring from it.
From there Elisha goes up to Bethel. On
his way there, some small boys come out
of the city and jeer at him, calling him
names. The prophet turns, sees them, and
he curses them in the name of the LORD.
Then two she-bears come out of the woods
and tear the children to pieces.
From there he goes to Mount Carmel, and
thence he returns to Samaria.
The Campaigns
of the Kings
Joram, son of Ahab, becomes king of Israel
in Samaria.
He does evil in the LORD'S sight, though not
as much as his father and mother. He does
away with the pillar of Baal, which his
father had made, but he still clings to the
sin to which Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had
lured Israel, which he does not give up.
Now Mesha, king of Moab, who raises sheep,
used to pay the king of Israel as tribute a
hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a
hundred thousand rams. But when Ahab dies,
the king of Moab had rebels against the king
of Israel.
Joram as king musters all Israel, and he
sets out on a campaign from Samaria. He
makes an alliance with king of Judah to do
battle with the king of Moab. They discuss
the route for their attack, and settle upon
the route through the desert of Edom.
So the king of Israel accompanied by the
king of Judah and the king of Edom set out
for their long journey. After seven days the
water runs out for the army and for the
animals with them. In desperation they seek
out a prophet through whom they may inquire
of the LORD. One of the officers of the king
of Israel replies that Elisha, son of
Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of
Elijah, is here.
The Miracle with the Water
So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom go
down to Elisha, who tells them that were it
not for his respect for the king of Judah,
he would not have noticed them at all. Then
the power of the LORD comes upon Elisha. He
announces that the LORD says to provide many
catch basins in the wadi. Elisha continues
that the LORD says that although there will
be no rain or wind this wadi will be filled
with water for them, their livestock, and
their pack animals to drink.
LORD also says that He will deliver Moab
into their grasp. He continues that they
must destroy every fortified city, fell
every fruit tree, stop up all the springs,
and ruin every fertile field with stones.
In the morning, at the time of the
sacrifice, water comes from the direction of
Edom and fills the land.
Meanwhile, all Moab hear that the kings had
come to battle with them so they call up
every man capable of bearing arms station
them at the border. Early that morning, when
the sun shines on the water, the Moabites
sees the water at a distance as red as
blood. The Moabites confuse the sight as the
blood of the kings whom they thought have
fought among themselves and killed one
another. Then they rush to the spoils.
But when
they reach the camp of Israel, the
Israelites rise up and attack the Moabites,
who in turn flee from them. They run through
the countryside striking down the Moabites,
and destroying the cities. Each of them cast
stones onto every fertile field till they
had loaded it down. All the springs they
stop up and every useful tree they fell.
Finally only Kir-hareseth is left behind its
stone walls, and the slingers surround and
attack it.
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When he sees
that he is losing the battle, the king of Moab
takes seven hundred swordsmen to break through
to the king of Aram, but he fails. So he takes
his first-born, his heir apparent, and offers
him as a holocaust upon the wall. The wrath
against Israel is so great that they give up
the siege and return to their own land.
The Miracle with
the Oil
A widow of one of the guild prophets complains
to Elisha that her husband is dead. She
continues that he was a God-fearing man, yet
now his creditor has come to take her two
children as his slaves. Elisha asks the woman
what she has in her house. The woman answers
that she has nothing but a jug of oil.
Eisha orders her to go and borrow as many
empty vessels from her neighbors. Then he
tells her to come back, close the door on her
and her children and then pour the oil into
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vessels. He tells
her that as each is filled, set it aside.
She goes out and does as Elisha ordered. Then
closing the door on herself and her children, she
pours oil into the empty vessels until all the
vessels are full. And then the oil stop flowing.
Then Elisha tells her to go and sell the oil to
pay off her creditor and keep what remains, for
her and her children.
The Mother and
the Son
One day Elisha comes to Shunem, where there is a
woman of influence. She urges him to dine with
her. Afterward, whenever he passes by, he stops
there to dine. So she says to her husband that
they should arrange a little room on the roof and
furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and
lamp, so that when he comes he can stay there.
Sometime later Elisha arrives and stays in the
room overnight. Then Elisha says to his servant
Gehazi, that this woman has lavished them with
care, and he asks what they can do for her. So
Elisha asks her and she answers there is nothing
else she needs.
Later Elisha asks his servant again and Gehazi
observes that she has no son, and her husband is
getting on in years. So Elisha call for the woman
and tells her that by this time next year she will
be fondling a baby son.
As Elisha prophesied, the woman conceives, gives
birth at that same time in following year. |
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One day when
the child is old enough to go out to his
father among the reapers, he complains that
his head hurts. So they bring him home to
his mother. He dies in her lap that
afternoon. She takes his dead body to the
room they reserved for Elisha, closes and
goes out.
She goes to her husband to have a servant
and a donkey so she can go quickly to the
man of God. And she leaves and instructs her
servant to lead the donkey and not stop
until she tells him. She keeps going until
she reaches the man of God on Mount Carmel.
After greeting him, the woman tells Elisha
what happened and begs him in bitter anguish
to save her son.
Elisha then says to Gehazi to take his staff
with him and go to the house of the boy and
lay the staff upon him. But the boy’s mother
cries out begs him to go back with her, so
they go back together.
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Meanwhile, Gehazi
goes on ahead and had lays the staff upon the boy,
but there is no sound or sign of life. He returns
to meet Elisha and informs him that the boy had
not awakened.
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When Elisha
reaches the house, he finds the boy lying
dead. He goes in, closes the door on them
both, and prays to the LORD.
Then he lays upon the child on the bed,
placing his mouth upon the child's mouth, his
eyes upon the eyes, and his hands upon the
hands. As Elisha stretches himself over the
child, the body becomes warm.
He arises, paces up and down the room, and
then once more lays down upon the boy, who now
sneezes seven times and opens his eyes.
Elisha summons Gehazi to call the mother, and
when she arrives, Elisha presents to her the
boy alive.
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The Miracle with
the Bread
When Elisha returns to Gilgal, there is a famine
in the land. Once, Elisha tells his servant, while
the guild prophets are seated before him, to put
the large pot on, and make some vegetable stew for
the guild prophets.
Someone goes out into the field to gather herbs
and finds a wild vine, from which he picks some
wild gourds. On his return he cuts them up into
the pot of vegetable stew without anybody knowing
it.
When done they pour the stew for the men to eat.
But when they begin to eat it, they find that
there is poison in the pot and that they cannot
not eat it. Elisha then orders to bring some meal
and throws it into the pot. Then he says to serve
the stew to the people to eat. And there is no
longer anything harmful in the pot.
A man comes from Baal-shalishah bringing the man
of God twenty barley loaves made from the first
fruits, and fresh grain in the ear. Elisha says to
give the bread to the people to eat. But his
servant objects saying that there are a hundred
men to serve, and there is not enough bread.
Elisha insist to give the bread to the people to
eat for thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and
there shall be some left over.'
And after they had eaten, there is some left over,
as the LORD had said.
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To be continued... |
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For further
reading on the heroes of the Old Testament: |
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The Chariot of Israel: Exploits of the Prophet of Elijah
THE CHARIOT OF ISRAEL: When Elijah was caught up
to heaven, his disciple Elisha cried out, "the
chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." Elisha was
referring not to the chariot but to the prophet.
This study of Elijah’s life will captivate you
as it walks you through a pivotal period in
Israel’s history, and illustrative maps will
give you a better picture of the physical
geography of this ancient land. |
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The First Book of Kings (Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the Old Testament) This
volume of commentary on the New English Bible text of the First Book of Kings
follows the pattern of the now well-established series on the Old and New
Testaments. The main divisions of the text are those provided by the New English
Bible itself, but these are further subdivided for the purposes of the
commentary, which is printed in short sections following the relevant portion of
the text. |
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Canon Robinson suggests that the editors of I
Kings compiled their history in order to teach
the Hebrews that their existence as Israel, the
covenant people of God, depended upon their
continuing loyalty to their own religious
traditions, and their refusal to exchange them
for the very different traditions of the
Canaanites among whom they lived.
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I & II Samuel: A Commentary (Old Testament
Library)
First sentence in
the book:
""THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL contain that
part of the history of Israel which describes
the foundation of the State, running from the
close of the period of the Judges to the
establishment of the united kingdom." |
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The Sunday Readings
September 2,
2007:
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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First Reading From the
Book of Sirach : |
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Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 |
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My child, conduct
your affairs with humility, and you will be loved
more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the
more, the greater you are, and you will find favor
with God.
What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things
beyond your strength search not. The mind of a
sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is
the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a
flaming fire, and alms atone for sins. |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms:
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Ps 68:4-5, 6-7,
10-11 |
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R. God, in
your goodness, you have made a home for the
poor.
The just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a
home for the poor.
The father of orphans and the defender of
widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a
home for the poor.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God,
upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for
the needy.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a
home for the poor.
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Second Reading from
the Letter to the Hebrews |
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Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a |
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Brothers and
sisters:
You have not approached that which could be
touched and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and
storm and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking
words such that those who heard begged that no
message be further addressed to them.
No, you have
approached Mount Zion and the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels
in festal gathering, and the assembly of the
firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of
all, and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the
sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than
that of Abel. |
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Reading From
the Gospel of Luke:
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Lk 14:1, 7-14 |
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On a sabbath Jesus
went to dine at the home of one of the leading
Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of
honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding
banquet, do not recline at table in the place of
honor.
A more
distinguished guest than you may have been invited
by him, and the host who invited both of you may
approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this
man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment to
take the lowest place.
Rather, when you
are invited, go and take the lowest place so that
when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions
at the table.
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one
who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then he said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have
repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the
blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their
inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the
righteous.”
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References |
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The Chariot of Israel: Exploits of the Prophet of Elijah
THE CHARIOT OF ISRAEL: When Elijah was caught up
to heaven, his disciple Elisha cried out, "the
chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." Elisha was
referring not to the chariot but to the prophet.
This study of Elijah’s life will captivate you
as it walks you through a pivotal period in
Israel’s history, and illustrative maps will
give you a better picture of the physical
geography of this ancient land. |
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Read more about the Liturgical Year |
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The Origins of the Liturgical Year (Pueblo
Books)
by
Thomas J. Talley (Author) The Rev. Dr.
Thomas J. Talley, Professor of Liturgics
at the General Theological Seminary in New
York, is one of the leading liturgists in
the country. He gives us a fresh
examination of the complex history of the
Liturgical Year. |
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The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C. (Bestseller! the Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday)
by
John J. Pilch (Author)
Reader
Review: The book by Pilch provides
those who not only fill the pulpits across
this country but also all interested in
the cultural world in which Jesus lived
with a lot of pertinent information that
sheds light on a lot of areas that have
been "muddled" in the past. Yes, I highly
recommend this book. - James Mauldin |
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Learn more and read the Old Testament. |
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Preaching from the Old Testament
by Elizabeth Achtemeier (Author) Reader
Review: The author of these
thirty-two short chapters begins and ends
with the assumption that problems we
experience with the Old Testament are our
problem, not the Bible's. This
subordinating of the Bible reader to the
well-weathered book he holds in his hand
opens doors, not to forced harmonisations
of problematic passages, but to fresh
reappraisal of difficult texts on their
own terms. -
David A. Baer |
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The Navarre Bible: Pentateuch (The Navarre Bible: Old Testament)
This volume helps you make the first five
books of the Old Testament a vital part of
your spiritual reading and practical
growth in the Christian life. It contains
the full English and Latin texts of these
books, along with extensive and faithfully
Catholic commentaries. Like other volumes
in the world-renowned Navarre Bible
series, these commentaries draw on Church
documents, the exegesis of Fathers and
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Doctors of the Church, and the works of contemporary
spiritual writers — particularly St. Josemaría
Escrivá, who initiated the Navarre Bible
project. |
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Comments and
Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If you have any
comments or contributions, please
use the form in this link.
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Recipes |
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Walnut and
Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta |
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SERVES FOUR
Ingredients
1/2 cup walnut pieces
4 thick slices walnut bread
1/2 cup French dressing
7 oz semi-soft goat’s cheese
Click
here for a Printer Friendly Version
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Pancetta and Broad Bean
Risotto |
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SERVES FOUR
Ingredients
6 oz smoked pancetta, diced
1 1/4 cups risotto rice
6 1/4 cups simmering herb stock
2 cups frozen baby broad (or fava) beans
Click
here for a Printer Friendly Version
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Chocolate Truffles |
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MAKES TWENTY-FOUR
Ingredients
12 oz plain (semisweet) chocolate
5 tbsp double (heavy) cream
2 tbsp coffee liqueur, such as Tia Maria, Kahlüa or
Toussaint
8 oz good quality white or milk dessert chocolate
Click here for a Printer Friendly Version
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Everything I need to know about life, I learned
from Noah's Ark |
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One: |
Don't miss the
boat. |
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Remember that we
are all in the same boat. |
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Plan ahead. It
wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. |
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Four:
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Stay fit When
you're 600 years old. Someone may ask you to
do something really big. |
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Don't listen to
critics; just get on with the job that needs
to be done. |
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Six: |
Build your
future on high ground. |
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Seven: |
For safety's
sake, travel in pairs. |
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Eight: |
Speed isn't
always an advantage. The snails were on board
with the cheetahs. |
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Nine: |
When you're
stressed, float a while. |
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Ten: |
Remember, the
Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by
professionals. |
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Eleven: |
No matter the
storm, when you are with God, there's always a
rainbow waiting...Pass this along and make
someone else smile, too. |
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Pictures!
with More than a Thousand
Words |
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Did you say there are two of them? |
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How you know a Catholic is speeding! |
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Comments and
Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If
you have any comments or contributions, please
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