Wednesday, October 11, 2006

The world as we know it is coming to an end - revisited

"The world as we know it is coming to an end" may seem like a grim statement but it has great hope as well. This post is about death of apathy, ignorance, and complacency. It was stimulated by the October 1, 2006, sermon of Dr. Craig Barnes at Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.

There have always been those who predicted the end of time, the crumbling of humanity, and the hopelessness of our struggle against it. Faith allows those who seek it to see that the end of time means only that there is a new day seeking to come forth that will be better than all those that came before. Quoting Dr. Barnes, "It is the easiest thing in the world to say that things are getting bad, or the political and military options are not working, or those devoted to violence just keep coming. Yes, all of that is true." To pronounce doom and gloom may seem prophetic but it reflects only cynicism and an unwillingness to take responsibility to shape the world as we would like to see it. "If you want to be a leader in your part of the world, then say something unique and useful. Be a man or woman of hope who lives as if the story is not over yet. Not by a long shot."

I combined these inspirational words with pictures taken by distant friend, Jake Brewer. Jake has traveled the world over and has an incredible store of pictures that demonstrate a world becoming - in every corner and especially through the hope in our children. (BTW - this post is noted as "revisited" because I looked back in my blog and found that I posted under the same topic almost a year ago. Sound like a theme?)

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