Chapter 2: The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven -Matthew 5:3
"The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and abnegation of all things.  The blessed ones who possess the Kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing.  These are the "poor in spirit."  They have reached an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets of Jerusalem; that is what the word "poor" as Christ used it actually mean.  These blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of things.  They have broken the yoke of the oppressor; and this they have done not by fighting but by surrendering.  Though free from all sense of possessing, they yet possess all things.  "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Chapter 1: Following Hard After God

I've started reading A. W. Tozer's "The Pursuit of God."  There is some good stuff in it and I'll be sharing periodically!  Here is an excerpt from chapter one:
Everything is made to center upon the initial act of "accepting" Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls.  We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him we need no more seek Him...The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire.  Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.  Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people.  He waits to be wanted.  Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very lon, in vain.  Every age has its own characteristics.  Right now we are in an age of religious complexity.  The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us.  In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. 

Eat Your Veggies!

Who would have thought that I would become a border-line vegetarian?  But these last few months I've decided to give it a try for my health.  And it's worked out great.  I still eat meat on occasion, but I don't miss meat at all and I can live without it just fine.  Most vegetarian recipes I make myself but I tried this Dole Salad Kit and it was so good I had to share it.  It is spinach, dried cherries, sliced almonds, bleu cheese crumbles, and white balsamic vinegar dressing.  Very tasty, give it a try!