Written on a 4x6 note card by Stan Julin.
March, 1995
We need to be ready to think that which is true, to open our eyes and clarify our thoughts....We memorize certain verses. We study certain subjects. We are influenced by certain books. We are bent in a certain direction by too few minds - the pastor. We stay in the New Testament. (You know, the generic, collective, safety-in-numbers "we".) But the more we focus on a few things, the more we are bound by those things.
These Things Struck a Chord Within Me Too
The thoughts shared below are a continuation of my June entry: These Things Struck a Chord Within Me.
“He always thought the best of me. Maybe it was by the grace of God that he always thought so highly of me, but it always seemed like he thought that I was the man that he wanted to be, where in fact, the opposite was true, that I always wanted to be the man that he was.” My brother, Ethan, spoke those words in eulogy of our father, and they struck a chord within me, for though I had never put such thoughts to words, I too had been amazed at my dad’s high opinion of me. To be sure, I had surpassed him in many ways, as by standing upon a father’s shoulders, almost any son will surpass a father who cares for him. Yet dad always seemed to have a certain transcendent greatness about him, latent in the grain of his construction, powerfully obvious to those who knew him, invisible to the world at large. It felt odd, therefore, that he seemed to look up to me. He even, on one occasion, told me that I was his mentor.
“He always thought the best of me. Maybe it was by the grace of God that he always thought so highly of me, but it always seemed like he thought that I was the man that he wanted to be, where in fact, the opposite was true, that I always wanted to be the man that he was.” My brother, Ethan, spoke those words in eulogy of our father, and they struck a chord within me, for though I had never put such thoughts to words, I too had been amazed at my dad’s high opinion of me. To be sure, I had surpassed him in many ways, as by standing upon a father’s shoulders, almost any son will surpass a father who cares for him. Yet dad always seemed to have a certain transcendent greatness about him, latent in the grain of his construction, powerfully obvious to those who knew him, invisible to the world at large. It felt odd, therefore, that he seemed to look up to me. He even, on one occasion, told me that I was his mentor.
He seemed thrilled that I would take time from my busy schedule to be with him, beaming at my arrival, basking in my presence. “Dad,” I felt like saying, “you know I’m not the President of the United States, don’t you?” On one occasion, at some point after it became apparent that he was experiencing memory problems, I asked him to accompany Caleb and me to an air-show in a neighboring town. The invitation was extended a few weeks before the show, and I expected him to accept and then forget all about it until I re-asked him closer to the day of the event. Instead, he called me every few days, each time very excited about the invitation and very worried that, perhaps by forgetfulness, he had already missed the date.
Note Card: The Books and the Book
Written on a 4x6 note card by Stan Julin.
January 13, 2001
At the Great White Throne, the appeals will be to books, not computer discs, for the records will be written. ...not videos, for they are deceptive as TV is deceptive, and besides, the scripture specifies books. ...not witnesses, for they lie, twist, and withhold information...not earthly books, for anything can be and has been published. But records are being kept in heaven of what earthlings do, what they say, what they think, why they do these things, what are their intentions. Things written as they are happening are accepted as evidence in courts of law. ...written by beings who do not sin, who observe what is done, said and thought here, whose duty it is to record exactly what happened. Nothing is said about how many books there are, what their titles are, where they are kept. One thing is certain: All history - all of history - is recorded in those books.
January 13, 2001
At the Great White Throne, the appeals will be to books, not computer discs, for the records will be written. ...not videos, for they are deceptive as TV is deceptive, and besides, the scripture specifies books. ...not witnesses, for they lie, twist, and withhold information...not earthly books, for anything can be and has been published. But records are being kept in heaven of what earthlings do, what they say, what they think, why they do these things, what are their intentions. Things written as they are happening are accepted as evidence in courts of law. ...written by beings who do not sin, who observe what is done, said and thought here, whose duty it is to record exactly what happened. Nothing is said about how many books there are, what their titles are, where they are kept. One thing is certain: All history - all of history - is recorded in those books.
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