Acts, Chapter 18, verse 9-10
9 One night in a vision the Lord said to
Paul, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many
people in this city.”
When we
remain silent in the presence of evil, out of fear, this is wrong. Our Lord suffers
with every injustice. We must speak out against evil our Lord tells us, “Go on
speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.”
One
such evil is the murder of the unborn. The good news is we can do something.
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not
hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act" ~
Deitrich Bonhoeffer.
10
Things Worthy of Our Intolerance
1.
Be Intolerant of NaysayersPursuing our dreams and reaching our goals are hard enough on their own. Trying to swim upstream as others throw rocks at us makes it unnecessarily harder. So be wary of sharing your goals with those who habitually doubt and criticize and put down. Wet blankets are wet blankets no matter what the relationship. Choose who you confide in wisely. Those who tolerate pessimism (from themselves or others) are those who volunteer to climb the mountain of life with one arm tied behind their back and one leg cut off. Still, don’t confuse pessimism with wisdom or prudence. Optimism is not intellectual laziness. Positive thinking does not grant absolution from responsibility or honest self-evaluation of your assets, abilities and commitment. It doesn’t excuse you from the hard work of preparation. Optimists still buy life insurance. But where pessimism itself is creating deep caverns of difficulty between you and your dreams, a quiet and respectful yet sturdy and firm intolerance may be the most appropriate response.
2. Be Intolerant of Hate
Don’t tolerate racist jokes and comments. Don’t accept hateful barbs thrown at you or others. Never look the other way or excuse the bully regardless of the bully’s background. To do otherwise is to enable and empower the hate, to turn your back on the bullied, give tacit approval to the intolerable behavior and abandon its object to a miserable fate. Don’t tolerate your own hate either. Hatred is a cancer that must be removed before it metastasizes into the bone marrow of your soul. But be careful not to accuse every disagreement as being motivated by hate. Be tolerant of opposing ideas even if intolerant of the hate that may motivate some who articulate them.
3. Be Intolerant of Dishonesty
Don’t accept lies. Period. Don’t tell them. Don’t accept them. Live your life in such a way as to not feel the need to hide behind them. Don’t allow others (or yourself) the opportunity to nestle into their own cowardice. That is, after all, what lying is. It’s an attempt to get around the consequences of our decisions. Or perhaps it’s a way to avoid the overreaction of someone close or who has authority over us. Even so, have the courage to let the person overreacting choose how to deal with an honest life, not a pretended one. Then have the courage to accept their response.
4. Be Intolerant of Hypocrisy
Do you expect from others what you don’t expect from yourself? Do you impose a set of rules on others you won’t accept as an imposition on you? That’s what hypocrisy is, you know. Hypocrisy is the act of living a lie, pretending to be something you’re not or requiring others to live by a set of rules you reject for yourself. If you tolerate hypocrisy from others, stop it! Demand an equal playing field. Anything less is a form of servitude. Refuse to be a slave to someone else’s unwillingness to treat you like an equal. But remember that hypocrisy is not the same as inconsistency or human frailty. We are all inconsistent at living up to all we value. Otherwise, we would be perfect – or would have no ideals, standards or values we would have to bother trying to live up to. So be decidedly tolerant of people inconsistently trying to live up to their values and intolerant of those who would hide behind their values or impose them on others while ducking the imposition themselves.
5. Be Intolerant of Excuses
Excuses are messy things. They squirm and whine and reshape themselves like playdough pushed into cracks and crevasses. They defuse and deny, weaken and stifle greatness. Stay away from the numbing poison of excuses. Providing reasons is not the same as giving excuses, though. Reasons give an accounting, while excuses justify. Reasons accept responsibility, while excuses seek to pin fault on someone else’s lapel. Reasons explain, while excuses try to divert attention and hide motive. So never give in to the self-defeating urge to give excuses for balls dropped and wrong turns made. And while you’re at it, don’t accept them from others either. Hold yourself and others accountable for the decisions you and they make. Be compassionate, forgiving and patient as we all learn to accept responsibility for our choices, but intolerant of the excuses we may try to irresponsibly hide behind in the meantime.
6. Be Intolerant of Gossip
If you are not intolerant
of gossip you will become a steppingstone for it to spread its social damage. Gossip not shared but tolerated is
fueled. Refuse to
tolerate it. Stop it dead in its tracks. Ask for evidence. Make those dishing
it out explain themselves. Suggest going to the person being gossiped about for
their side as a concerned friend or neighbor or associate. Be the person responsible for killing the words that whisper
and sneak behind backs and cowardly hide behind anonymity.
Gossip is a form of cowardice. Cowardice dies in the light. Shine the light.
7. Be Intolerant of
Timewasters
The respect you have for
yourself and others can be seen in the way you treat your time and theirs. Don’t get me wrong, socializing and
recreation are not wastes of time. They are essential to renew and befriend and
experience many of life’s
little joys. But to spend hours on end in no particular endeavor, as a pattern
of repeated behavior, stealing the moments otherwise available for more meaningful
activities is to fundamentally misunderstand what life was meant to be … and, most tragically, what you could have become and
accomplished had time been used more wisely.
8. Be Intolerant of
Ingratitude
Ingratitude is a
particularly ugly form of selfishness. It’s
taking others’
kindness for granted, indifferent to their thoughtfulness.Ingratitude is intolerable because it fails to recognize the humanity of the person who has done something kind. Even Jesus asked the 10th leper where the other nine were he had healed when the 10th was the only one to thank him. Help people grow by gently and lovingly and compassionately reminding them to express gratitude more freely. You will be helping them lay a foundation for greater and deeper and more consistent levels of happiness. Still, the most effective way to encourage gratitude in others is to be grateful yourself. Lead by example, not in spite of it.
9. Be Intolerant of
Self-condemnation
The words we use when we
talk to ourselves or about ourselves matter tremendously. They matter because
our words tend to gel into belief. And belief sets the parameter for action. We will never do what we are sure can never be done.
So our self-talk, the tone
and words and meaning we use in our internal dialogue, shapes us, affecting
(sometimes infecting) our attitudes and reactions to life. When we criticize
and condemn, we start to believe we’re
less, unworthy, inevitable screw-ups and good for very little. Don’t tolerate it. Correct it. Argue
against it. Push the little whiny weasel into the corner and out the backdoor … then lock it! And never allow the
weasel back in. Tolerate mistakes and human imperfection. Don’t tolerate the self-abusive
contempt we sometimes internalize when we inevitably stumble.
10. Be Intolerant of
Fear
Fear of bee stings is a
good thing if you’re
deathly allergic and standing at the edge of a field of flowers swarming with
the little buggers as a friend (or enemy?) waves you out into the field. But it’s not a good thing if it keeps you from ever going outside. Context and degree are important
factors to consider when evaluating the psychological health of your fear. But here are a few basic questions
that should help:
•
Is your fear limiting your ability to live life to its fullest?
• Is it tearing you apart from the inside?
• Is it harming relationships, self-esteem, self-respect, work performance or otherwise getting in the way?
• Is it chronic and debilitating?
• Does it control you?
• Is it overwhelming?
• Is it tearing you apart from the inside?
• Is it harming relationships, self-esteem, self-respect, work performance or otherwise getting in the way?
• Is it chronic and debilitating?
• Does it control you?
• Is it overwhelming?
History of the French Fry
French Fries are one of
many foods whose name is most misleading, as the origins of this fat fried food
seem to be in Belgium. The story of their creation can be found in a family
manuscript dated 1781, which reveals that potatoes were originally cut into the
shape of fish and served in lieu of the fish normally caught in a series of
small villages in Belgium.It seems the river had frozen over and the fish they
normally caught and fried were unable to be caught. Why they’re called French is often
attributed to troops coming over during World War I who got their hands on
Belgian Fries. The official language of the Belgian army at that time was
French, and as a result the men thought they were in France rather than Belgium.
Interestingly, in that region of the world, they are still called “Flemish Fries” to further complicate matters. Now
these treats are loved the world round, even becoming the ‘national snack’ of the Netherlands.
How to Celebrate French Fries Day
With the popularity of
French Fry, it’s
not surprising that the world has come up with as many different varieties of
this delicious food as you could imagine. So, one of the best ways to celebrate
French Fries Day is to host a party dedicated to celebrating the international
menu the fried potato has created. The simplest variation is simply to put
chopped raw onions in some ketchup and eat them up like they do in the
Netherlands. For the more adventurous, try some of the varieties below!
Canadian Poutine
American Bacon
Cheeseburger Classic
There is little Americans
love more than to add cheese and bacon to just about anything. French fries are
no exception, there is little that is as well-loved as a rich, greasy
accompaniment to any meal. To make this classic you start with a basic of
fries, and layer on bacon, chopped onions, cheese, and ground hamburger before
tossing them in the oven just long enough for everything to get melty. Then
grab a handful and dig in!
Greek French Fries
The Mediterranean rarely
fail at making an already delicious food rich and full of the smells of home. If
you love the classic Greek flavors of parmigiano-reggiano or romano cheese,
garlic, and oregano, then these fries are going to leave you smiling. The key
ingredients here are Extra Virgin Olive Oil to fry them in, after which you toss
them in garlic salt, Greek Oregano, and your choice of cheese such as those
mentioned ahead. To get the full impact you’re going to want to stick to the
white crumbly cheese of the region, the truly adventurous might use Mazithra
cheese.These are a few dishes that can help enhance French Fries Day, and really bring out the amazing versatility of this centuries old treat. So, get out your deep frier, chop up some potatoes, and celebrate French Fries Day by eating yourself into a starch filled stupor!
Shaslik[3]
Is a traditional seasoned grilled meat for the Feast of St. Bart. While stationed in Belgium many years ago with my young daughter Nicole there were none of the American fast food places in close vicinity, but there were frites stands. Nicole loved Belgium frites, which are “French Fries” with an attitude. We use to joke that someday we will open our own Frite stand and on the placard we would proudly proclaim the name of our stand, “DICK AND NIC’S FRITES AND SHASLIKS”.
Have
you ever noticed that some people may be very, very good at lying with their
lips; yet by their gestures or body language you can always see the truth? This
may be the reason we have such a great affection for pets who bodily speak the
truth of their own likings. Let us ask our Lord whose hands were nailed to the
wood and can no longer gesture---to allow us to be His hands thus making our
own gestures speak His language of love.
The Way[4]
A
British man, Mr. Harrison Weir, got the idea for the first cat show. He was a
Fellow of the Horticultural Society, and artist, and a cat lover. He developed
a schedule, classes, and prizes for the show. He also created the "Points
of Excellence" -- a guideline for how the cats would be judged.
The
Crystal Palace, in south-east London, was chosen for the site of the first
show. (Dog shows had already been held there). A man named Mr. F. Wilson was
appointed manager of the show for setting up the Crystal Palace. The judges
were Mr. Weir, his brother John Weir, and the Reverend J. Macdona.
The
show was held on July 13, 1871. Nearly 160 cats were shown. The cats were
mostly short-haired, and were divided into different color groups. Pedigrees
were not around at this time. It wasn't until 1887 that the National Cat Club
formed in Britain and began tracking the parentage of cats. The prize cats did
not have their photos taken, but were drawn by an artist to record them.
The
show attracted a great deal of interest. Cat shows soon became fashionable in
Britian, particularly because they were patronized by Queen Victoria, who owned
a pair of Blue Persians. In the 1870s, larger and larger cat shows were held in
Britain. In 1895 the first official cat show was held in Madison Square Garden,
New York.
The Way[4]
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
15. Will-power. A very
important quality. Don't despise little things, for by the continual practice
of denying yourself again and again in such things — which are never futile or
trivial — with God's grace you will add strength and resilience to your
character. In that way you will first become master of yourself, and then a
guide, a chief, a leader: to compel and to urge and to inspire others, with
your word, with your example, with your knowledge and with your power.
Daily Devotions
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
·
Please
Pray for Senator
McCain and our country; asking Our Lady of Beauraing to
intercede.
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