Comments on: March 2: Within our grasp but beyond our grip

By: Lisa Guedea Carreno

Lisa Guedea Carreno — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:04:33 +0000

I got behind on reading these devotionals, and catching up felt kind of artificial and rushed until I got to this one. Danke, Herr Keim. Gracias, Señor Keim. You always manage to make me stop and think whilst tickling my funny bone at the same time — the best way to learn, I think!

By: Paul Keim

Paul Keim — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:24:09 +0000

Tak jest, prosze Pani! Studiowalem pare lat w Polsce (dawno temu), i z tego powodu umiem nawet troche po Polsku mowic. Bardzo mi podoba jezyk Polski, ale niestety nie mam duzo okazje porozmawiac. Wiec czytam regularnie, i od czasu do czasu uzywam slowo jak “smacznego.”

Wszystkiego Najlepszego!

By: Helene Hoover

Helene Hoover — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:22:46 +0000

Paul: You speak Polish? Or is that just a learned phrase like “Gesundheit”? Just curious. Helene

By: Chad Martin

Chad Martin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:26:04 +0000

Thanks for this, Paul. Very artfully spoken. I’m planning to quote you in my congregation’s time of preparation for communion this Sunday. Thanks for giving us fresh words for coming to the table!

By: daphne

daphne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:55:33 +0000

Wow! THis meditation really brought these verses alive for me. Thank you.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:30:09 +0000

I read this devotion this morning at work in a bit of a rush. When I got to the end, I realized that I had just read something beautiful, and that I needed to go back and savor each convicting word. I will be passing this around! Thanks!

By: Ann Hostetler

Ann Hostetler — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:48:18 +0000

Schamcznego! I really enjoyed this meditation and could hear your voice all the way across the Atlantic.

By: Paul Keim

Paul Keim — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:31:44 +0000

Thanks, Emily, for your clarification. Actually your tongue-in-cheek prodding was helpful. It made me think about my choice of the word “admonish” (“encourage” would also have worked). I certainly didn’t intend for it to be prejudicial, though in juxtaposition with “inspire” I can see why it might be taken that way. I hope it is nonetheless clear that I consider both admonishment and inspiration crucial to the life of a faithful church, and that both are of course deeply embedded in the biblical tradition.

I’m also thankful for Jane’s challenge to my use of the labels “conservative” and “liberal.” My intention was not to to be divisive – though labels are inherently prejudicial, even when self-designated or descriptive. Rather, I wanted to affirm the value of what each impulse brings to the life of the church (by whatever name): The need to hold on to the things that matter and to let go of the things that don’t. If only we were better at figuring out which are which.

By: Suellen Stewart

Suellen Stewart — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:24:55 +0000

Thank you for yyour thougts todayl. I needed to hear them. Shalom….

By: Fr. Bill Pounds

Fr. Bill Pounds — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:02:39 +0000

Taste and see that the Lord is Good. Your insight that the ways of God are within our grasp, but beyond our grip is truly insightful. May you have a blessed lent reflecting on our reaching toward the God who came amoung us. Pax in Christi, Bill