"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves"--
Absolutely ESSENTIAL to one engaging this Life of Faith. It is akin, of course, to 2 Cor. 12:9 f. (and the end of I Cor. 1.)

One of my laments is how seldom in the conversations before, during, and after a church service, the word of Christ is "richly dwelling among us" (Col.), i.e., how seldom we are speaking biblical truth and Gospel grace to one another. I believe that in Paul's conception, it was to be more or less the atmosphere in which all of our relations took place, it was to be as common as the air we breathed.

I am humbled, yet appreciative, of the Grace and Truth that pervades most of the comments here.

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Satan has two highly effective ways to weaken/destroy faith: one is to make us doubt God; the other is to make us doubt ourselves.

The first is obvious; the second less so, but equally effective. For we may think ever so highly of God, yet if we doubt His pleasure with us we shall never have the boldness of David to go up against the Goliath Satan, but will quail in the conceit of our unworthiness and be useless for the heroic exploits we are called to perform against the “world forces of this darkness” against whom we wrestle.

Lee, your regular affirmations of us (though sometimes, perhaps, stretching credibility ever so slightly; at least in the case of some of us =)), do strengthen our hands and hearts to believe the gospel message that we, as Christ graphically demonstrated by His cross, are of more value than many sparrows.

For partnering with the Spirit of Grace, the Comforter, the One Called Alongside to Help, I thank you, “Son of Encouragement”. You continue to heap a heavy debt on this fellow’s bill.

Snork.
--
“Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.” --Job 4:3

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“I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what CAN have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one!” – Alice in Wonderland, Chapter IV

Kevin, Ellen! You ponder the Great Imponderable, and it awakens me from the dead (Eph 5:14). I hear my living corpse say, “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt” (Exodus 3:3). For here is Divine Paradox - one can “know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge” (Eph 3:19). If this is so, what things are not within the realm of possibility?

“When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one!”

My dead mentor is “Everyman” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyman ). I have sat at the feet and drunk from the common cup of hope that every man from the beginning of time has thirsted for. With Every Man I longed for the “happy ending.” With Every Man I longed to “live happily ever after.” I longed for a hopelessly beautiful fairy tale to be true, “and now here I am in the middle of one!” The story of Christ is too good to be true, and yet it is true. I am beside myself.

“That was the true Light, which lighteth Every Man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9)

“And I will shake all nations, and the Desire of All Nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:7)

Do you see then how, when we speak of Christ, I can never tell if we are off-topic? “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us” (1 Cor 5:13ff). I am intoxicated. In my veins runs the wine of the New Testament in His blood. I am intoxicated.

If this is off-topic, then life is off-topic. (This is why I brave the YOD: “To understand all is to forgive all”).

"But as the decades go on, I am finding-- oh, let's say 'the math'-- harder to fathom and to accept: knowing the volume, scope, and nature of my transgressions, it's sometimes difficult to see the blasting, overwhelming, fire-hydrant gush that Grace truly is.

Jesus took the sins of the entire world onto Himself-- does anyone besides me find this difficult to absorb?"

This is the Quantum Math and Fractal Physics. It never tallies, and yet it is proven. The universe runs on it. “In Him all things consist.” (Col 1:17) “Christ is all” (Col 3:11).

“For this cause I pray to Christ’s Father that he would enable you and every Christian to comprehend the incomprehensible dimensions of God’s love for us that was put on display in Christ – that you might contemplate the full measure, the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of that Temple of Love – His crucified body - so that you might be filled to overflowing, like the Tabernacle of old, with the uncontainable, blasting, overwhelming, fire-hydrant-gush of the glory of God.” (Eph 3:14ff, Rolley’s Paraphrase, with thanks to Kevin and Everyman, for “that which every joint (with the possible exception of Nthtitcrj) supplieth” (Eph 4:16)).

We might have known we knew it all along,
This Fairy Tale that now is fully told;
For every other mythic verse and song
Was merely tarnish over precious gold.
True, we found doubt a stubborn thing to shake
And feared the tantalizing feast too good
And us too undeserving to partake
Or trade our meager crumbs for better food.
But when our charming Prince at last appeared,
No more fantastic did our fables seem;
For in His death He slew the foes we feared
And gave us title to our wildest dream.
The Fairy Tale no fairy tale shall be:
We shall live ever after happily.

Besotted I sing, with but one song in my crude repertoire, stumbling down life’s dirty alley: “Christianity is a fairy tale… come true!”

I would have joined in this conversation earlier today, but I've been in mud-wrestling and paint-flinging mode as I re-texture and paint our bathroom walls. Had to get 'er done in between one vanity and toilet being removed and the new ones going in tomorrow. Amazingly, I didn't paint any children to the wall.

Milord Lee, I thank you for your compliments. Apparently "pshaw" doesn't convey blushing and demurring - point noted. But I must say that I certainly didn't think my efforts merited such high accolades.

Kevin stated:
"But as the decades go on, I am finding-- oh, let's say 'the math'-- harder to fathom and to accept: knowing the volume, scope, and nature of my transgressions, it's sometimes difficult to see the blasting, overwhelming, fire-hydrant gush that Grace truly is.

Jesus took the sins of the entire world onto Himself-- does anyone besides me find this difficult to absorb?"

I agree that such facts are mind-boggling and beyond my comprehension. As one travels down that road, it's best to keep the focus on Jesus and what he did for us rather than too much on the enormity of our own sin. One certainly doesn't want to get lost on the false path of "I can't possibly be forgiven for _____________."

(and oh! Nice job sliding a "zinger" into the parentheses. Rather like
Shakespeare often did with the last two lines of his sonnets.)

Yes, Lee, I am in perfect agreement that there is not nearly enough sincere encouragement handed 'round. There are quite a few co-workers whom I routinely say very nice things about, both to them directly and to others (incl. their supervisors).

That said, there is the other side of encouragement: receiving encouragement and praise. Let's acknowledge that, for some people, it is absurdly difficult to receive praise: even if they receive it, inside they may either be suspicious of it, or wondering about the sincerity of the praiser.

To me, it is very closely related to how a person perceives and receives Grace-- yes, the biblical version. Is a person so convinced of his/her unworthiness that they are unable to receive the genuine and rich grace of God? Have they been so burned by Life and the World (yes, again the biblical version) that they shut themself off from the possibility, and in doing so shut themself down?

Confession time: by the grace of God, I was granted to receive His grace to me on that first night of "The Glance" (as Geo. Herbert called it in my favorite poem of his). But as the decades go on, I am finding-- oh, let's say 'the math'-- harder to fathom and to accept: knowing the volume, scope, and nature of my transgressions, it's sometimes difficult to see the blasting, overwhelming, fire-hydrant gush that Grace truly is.

Jesus took the sins of the entire world onto Himself-- does anyone besides me find this difficult to absorb? (and please, for the moment let's ignore the 'limited atonement' issue as insignificant in this regard, the numbers are still breathtaking)

And so, Lee-- I am touched by what you've written, and almost tearful in my contemplation of what our God has done in the life of this errant child of His during these past 38 years. I shall strive to believe it, and to receive it.

(and oh!, the dark underbelly-- how much of this is simply Pride wearing a different mask?)

I think CS Lewis may have meant that your friend wants to be interested in his SUBJECT. If you praise them to often you backhandedly say that you are not listening.

Or perhaps he is saying that the essence of friendship should be that they are equals. An emperor and a slave can perhaps be friends but the slave can't prostrate himself while they have tea if they do so.

We do need encouragement. I find that people are quick to tear down, not build up.

So while I've made mistakes in my writing, you and others have extended grace and gentle correction. (2 Timothy)

Blessings,
Kim

;-)

No, really - you are. You bring up such wonderfully deep conundra that most of us are hard-pressed to formulate any reply, much less a good one, before the topic has scrolled off the home page.

I agree that Lewis probably meant a form of boasting. And it would be impertinent to claim any superiority over others due to one's social circle.

On the other hand, who *were* Lewis's friends? The Inklings??!? Good grief, what kind of restraint does it take...

My contrary response to Lewis is that it is near-neglect to fail to praise one's friends to their faces. I was guilty of that earlier, with Ellen; I tried to make up for it, but earned a "pshaw" for what may have seemed flattery bit was in fact quite sincere. I call Rolley a brilliant theologian/poet/humorist, and Jason an amazing historian, and Gina and Kim and Gregory/Shawn and... amazing writers, because I want to to inflate their egos, since most people I know have severely under-inflated ones. (And we're all far more energy-efficient if... Nah, I'll skip the political jibes. This time.) And many daily events, great and small, can really take the air right out of someone. I feel responsible to do what I can to reverse that.

Plus, I hope to set an example. (If that's a kind of mentoring, then I guess I'm a kind of mentor. And at my age, kind of dead, too.) Imagine what it would be like if everywhere you went, multitudes expressed their delight just to see you, and not because they expected anything in return. I'd like to live in a world like that, so I'm doing my bit to maybe make it happen.

Shucks, what could it hurt?

Leastways, that's what some dead-but-alive guy "mentored" me to do via 1 Thessalonians 5.

Like so many others, Lewis, Tozer and Chesterton are on my list. Add to those Schaeffer,a number of the Puritans, early church fathers, and the great Reformers and mystics. This has been the core of my mentoring. Although it has been somewhat unorthodox by today's view, it has been invaluable in creating an appreciation for the church universal throughout the ages and across diverse cultures and, for that, I am eternally grateful.

(perhaps justifiable, since it concerns a quote by Lewis?)
In "Surprised by Joy," he says (as I recall), "Praise of one's friends is near-impertinence."
First, what do you think meant by that, and second, are you in agreement with what you think he meant?
I THINK he meant that to praise one's own friends to other people is a kind of boasting (somewhat like name-dropping), as "and look how cool MY friends are!" It could also be that it has the unintended effect of belittling the listener, since it might be taken as "hey, MY friends are really cool; and, uh, who are you exactly?"
Do you agree that it is poor to praise one's friends when speaking with others? (assuming I've correctly understood what he meant) I'm not sure that I do. Isn't there a way in which-- partly in praise of them, partly in praise of God for working in them to become these people-- a person can in a completely godly and innocent way celebrate the accomplishments and character of one's friends?

I have wondered about that statement for probably over 20 years now (in part because many times I am in awe of how terrific some of my friends are, and often hope that my friends in this realm can come to know and like my friends in this other realm).

The ones I look to seem pretty inane next to some of the lists everyone has written. But, here are mine:

Pearl Buck was the first author to inspire and educate me;

C.S. Lewis showed up in my late adolesence bearing gifts I could barely fathom;

Taylor Caldwell became a favorite in early adulthood, with her imagination in tow, and I lapped it up like Gideon;

George Macdonald came along the high road and left me reeling under his influence.

Most recently, I'm reading the writings of the Catholic saints--not exclusively Carmelite, but others as well. Each one strenghtens me both as a writer and as a child of God. Each introduces me to variations in the practice of faith and opens possibilities I might never have seen without them.

well... a few of the entries do say "by Ellen Mandeville." "phenomenal"? "one of the best I've ever seen"? pshaw, WordPress makes is easy to look good. There is more than one writer, but I've written most of the entries with the group's approval and the two other contributors have asked me to edit everything they write as writing isn't their forte.

And yes, the writers here at BreakPoint.org, especially Gina and Kim, have informed and inspired my writing, as have my fellow commentors. Along with Jane Austen, Dorothy Sayes, Edith Wharton and Elizabeth Gaskell. And yes, Charles Dickens, as I finally read _A Christmas Carol_ for the first time last year. I really must give him another chance. _Great Expectations_ and _Bleak House_ was a bit beyond my interest as a confused, immature 16 year old who loved Algebra and Geometry because there was the assurance of one right answer.

And for live-but-not-physically-present-mentors

Susan Isaacs

http://www.amazon.com/Angry-Conversations-God-Authentic-Spiritual/dp/0446555444/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321461318&sr=8-1

and Steve Greshem

For the same reason as C.S. Lewis. They tell the truth and in this case they tell the truth about depression.

" C.S. Lewis has incredible things to tell me, but he doesn't seem to respond when I blow it, nor encourage me individually when I'm down."

He does the later. I sometimes read A Grief Observed when I feel that I am not getting a long with God.

He was a mid-19th c. English missionary to China, considered one of the pivotal figures in how missions work is carried out. When I was a new Xn, a friend recommended "Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret," and I have read it some 15 times, I am guessing.
I think that many missionary biograpies are extremely challenging and inspiring, but it's also Taylor's faith and outlook that have challenged me so much.
To me, he's one of that group of Xn giants which the U.K. produced in the 19th-century: Spurgeon, Taylor, McCheyne, Mueller (have I forgotten anyone?).
As for Tozer, there is a paragraph in "The Pursuit of God," in the chapter on faith, which is astonishingly brilliant. I think it's about p. 88, and it begins, "Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues..." He maintains the provocative idea that, to a significant degree, faith in practice consists of looking to and at Jesus. Worth reading, worth considering.

...at least sometimes, from the neck up.

My dear Ellen, I'm not sure I can tease out the difference between being a mentor and simply being a friend who is sharing what I've learned via other friends. It was Gina, for example, who got me reading Mark Steyn. And if I thought about it a bit, I might come away convinced that little if anything I've said at this site is original with me; if we're going to define "mentoring" in that way then everyone here, bloggers and commenters, is my mentor. But I tend to think of them as friends who sharpen me.

The Blaine Parents website is phenomenal - one of the best I've ever seen. One thing it does particularly well is to always say "we" or "us" instead of "I" or "me", since it is not about one parent but a group of them. I'm reminded of those who led resistance movements against totalitarian regimes (such as Solidarnosc in Poland in the last century) where the leaders made it clear that silencing one person, or even several, would not silence the protest.

The only problem with always saying "we" or "us", though, is that it's not clear who's doing the writing; is it only one person, or is it many? I invite everyone here to visit http://blaineparents.org and search for an identifiable author of the blog entries. Whoever it is :-) , they are extremely talented, skilled and passionate - almost as if they'd been mentored by another brilliant writer like Gina or Kim.

Or at least, been inspired by them, as Pete would prefer.

Rolley, I claim that you have the imagination to write fiction, not that fiction is your thing. I also know that you'd be adept at writing deep philosophical paper if you ever have a mind to. Some people might be able to write one or the other, but it takes someone special to write both.

Kevin, I've been reading a good bit of Tozer lately. I always find something that sticks! However, to show my ignorance, I'm not sure who Hudson Taylor is. Do enlighten me.

Lee, you've mentored me. Now I understand that "homophobia" and "Islamophobia" are asinine terms that do a disservice to those who suffer true phobias.

And you've encouraged me to fight the good fight to attain an excellent mathematics curriculum for students in our school district. I just came home from a PTA parent meeting. My fellow agitating parents and I have caused good things to happen! Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Of course, you haven't told me if you think any of my writing on the Blaine Parents website is any good or not....

The reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated.

As are the reports of my being a mentor.

Unless, Rolley, you were referring to Romans 7:24 for the "dead" part, and Romans 7:25 for the "mentor" part. In which case, you're correct, but you owe me; I'll put it on your bill.

Snork.

(Hey, I see in the USA Today that Irmo, SC just got a new mayor this past week, courtesy of the Tea Party. I hope congratulations are in order.)

I'm a bit shocked that Jason didn't seize the opportunity to re-tell the story of the mythological Mentor and his relationship to Odysseus. Ah, well; Google isn't as personable and witty as Mr. Taylor, but I suppose it will do under the circumstances. Or as Mr. Haggard might put it, "Tell 'em, Marcus!"

And on a related note, since the departed tend to make lousy life coaches (with the possible exception of Jacob Marley), I should ask how it is a dead person could be a mentor. They could be one who imparts knowledge, certainly - but doesn't a mentor/protege relationship imply an actual, well, *relationship*? C.S. Lewis has incredible things to tell me, but he doesn't seem to respond when I blow it, nor encourage me individually when I'm down.

Besides, since I'm in a nitpicky mood, didn't Lewis himself tell us that we've never actually met a mortal? So, none of those already mentioned are actually dead. Harrrrr-UMPH.

And if someone of a truly fundamentalist bent were lurking hereabouts, no doubt they'd be going on about how we should all have Jesus, and only Jesus, as our mentor. (And that this is what's wrong with the Centurions Program, etc., etc. YODs are crafted, and wielded, for just such remarks.) But Jesus is most emphatically NOT dead. And the harangue on 1 Cor. 1:10-17 would probably be far more tedious than informative, anyway.

But to stop being such a wet blanket and come around into the spirit of this post, I'll say that in 2012 I hope to read a lot more of the works of John Stott.

And, to mentor someone myself.

Preferably while still alive.

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I will pass the time by ticking off my dead mentors (huh, I seem to stumble a-pun double entendres without even trying; though many here, I’m sure, would argue very passionately – and convincingly - that I am, in fact, trying).

[A brief aside for the sake of those unaccustomed to my silly ways: be forewarned that, like the highly comical bowl-full-of-jelly-fish, I don’t have a serious bone in my body. On the other hand, I quite often have out-of-body experiences, and at those times -- I make no bones about it – at those times I can prove quite a bonehead. And I think I just flubbed my joke. Which proves my point. Or does it? Hurry up with that cigar, Ellen.]

And now, my list of dead mentors.

But before I enumerate them, I wonder if I could make a momentary digression.

Yes, I believe I could.

But I won’t.

The List:

1. Almost all the folks everyone else here has already mentioned.
2. G.K. Chesterton (warning: it’s down hill from here)
3. Kyloh Okimcafe
4. Notary Sojac
5. Kilroy
6. Mr. Mxyzptlk
7. Rosebud
8. Carl Barks (tossed in to nudge things duckward; apologies to Tex Avery and Bob Clampett, but nobody drew ducks better than Barks)
9. Daffy Duck (it’s just not possible after all those pyrotechnics he and Wylie Coyote are still alive)
10. Everyman

And if that cigar has the Acme brand on the band, you can put Dubya Dubya Wuuwuu down as number 11 and LeeQuod as number 12. Theologically that doesn’t work too well, but Kim claims fiction is my thing, so I figure why fight it.