Tuesday, January 22, 2008

montreat morsels

"courage and fear are not opposites. It's impossible to be courageous if you aren't afraid--courage necessitates fear." --David LaMotte

"proud to be maladjusted" (don't plan to adjust to segregation, injustice, lynching, etc...) --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, in a speech at Montreat, 1965

"divine discontent" (with the way things are) --ditto

"paid church professionals get 10% off at the bookstore!" "do you have to show some kind of ID?" "it's a sad day if you pretend to be a paid church worker just to get a discount at a church retreat center bookstore."

"it's a wonder I didn't have dreams about being on a steam ship--it sounds like I'm sleeping in the engine room" --my roommate, discussing the strange noises the radiator makes at all hours of day and night.

"you tell me you can't change the world? you can't be in the world and not change it--you can't help it. Try not changing the oxygen-carbon dioxide ratio for ten minutes and let me know how that goes. tell me you can't change the world!" --David LaMotte

"if a stranger walked into your office and said "what do you guys believe at this church," what would you say?" --fellow conferee

"when were you saved?" "33AD, approximately. you?" --ditto

"if perfection is stagnation, heaven is a swamp." --David LaMotte, quoting someone else RE the myth of perfection being required before action.

"Moses had his firewall broken down. My firewalls make me slow and unresponsive--how can I break them down to hear the burning bush speaking to me?" --Dori Baker in a sermon.

Also, the food is good. and right now it's breakfast time....more later.

5 comments:

  1. In response to the question of "what does your church believe?" I heard Rob Bell say something that I think totally fits this. He said, "We think it is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE that anyone should have to suffer alone." Wow.

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  2. Lol'ing at the bookstore discount comment!

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  3. Growing up in the Bible Belt, I often got asked, "When were you saved?" and in the same vein as your response, Dad taught me to answer, "Oh, about 2,000 years ago." Those poor little Baptist kids had no idea how to respond. It's stuck with me ever since. :)

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  4. Those are great "nuggets" of wisdom and humor. Thanks!

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