HomeContact

Wednesday, 19 June 2013

"If I love my neighbor as I love myself, I soon discover that the love my neighbor needs and the love that I need is one and the same thing ... In a beautiful twist of poetic irony, it turns out that our greatest need is also our greatest gift."

"I am who I am, no other definition of myself is adequate or true.
The offering of myself to God and my neighbor is only honest and real when I am actually offering myself, warts and all, and not some projected image of myself imposed upon me by my own insecurities or the expectations of others."

"Ministry is not a means of escaping the suffering of others. Once I elevate myself above others because I mistake myself for a beneficiary instead of a servant, I disqualify myself from the joy of loving my neighbor unconditionally."

"The beginning of spirituality is to embrace this art of doing nothing without any fear or guilt, not so that we may remain passive but so that our actions may be born and our stories told from a place of healing and abundance rather than produced out of a place of fear and intimidation."

"In my mind, Christianity cannot be called the world's greatest religion simply because in its truest form it doesn't qualify as a religion. Religion is not the need, religion is not the answer - and, when it comes to the ongoing story of God, religion is not the offer."

"Grace liberates us to accept our own brokenness and the brokenness of others with the same pierced hands with which God accepts us all."

"What most of us need in answer to the anxious dissonance in our spiritual lives is not another jam-packed conference on the latest revelation doing the rounds or more activities aimed at making us more productive in the kingdom of God, but simply a good dose of silence and solitude."

"I used to associate the idea of 'glorifying God' with drinking mocktails and going to bed at nine. But I am beginning to get the idea that glorifying the One who loves me has more to do with laughter and celebration and less to do with trying my best to stay in line. To glorify Him is not to 'enjoy less' compelled by a fear of failure, but to 'enjoy more' of what is good and life-affirming."

"Finding my place in His story is discovering where my deep gladness and the world's great hunger collide. To ignore His guidance would be like giving up on life itself, a soul suicide which will leave me dead and countless people grieving."

"To love one another with the same love with which we are loved by God is the end that God has in mind for us, the 'hoorah!' moment of His story if you wish. All else is a prelude or a stepping stone to this state of being and way of life."

Johan van der Merwe

Contact


	South Africa

E-mail:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To stay in touch, send me a friend request on Facebook