Ship of Fools: Motto for the Christian Life

Thread: Motto for the Christian Life Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Anglican_Brat (# 12349) on :

"Pray as if it all depends on God. Work as if it all depends on you."

Good motto or bad motto?

Posted by marsupial. (# 12458) on :

Realistically, no. The beginning of wisdom in work life is knowing the difference between what depends on you and what you have no control over whatsoever.

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

I'm thinking the motto might be more reasonably "Can I help?", with the following up and helping being important thereafter.

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :

Motto : Credo.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

I like the (Muslim?) Middle-Eastern version:

"Praise God, but tie your camel to a post."

[Big Grin]

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :

Does that mean the same as Oliver Cromwell's (alleged) statement: "Trust in God, and keep your powder dry"?

Posted by Albertus (# 13356) on :

I think my motto is the old Beckett line:

quote:
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

but with 'with God's help' thrown in a couple of times.

[ 05. April 2013, 12:44: Message edited by: Albertus ]

Posted by Mere Nick (# 11827) on :

Sha la la la la la live for today.

Matthew 6:34

Posted by Evensong (# 14696) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Anglican_Brat:
"Pray as if it all depends on God. Work as if it all depends on you."

Good motto or bad motto?

How odd.

I first came across this phrase last week by a visiting London preacher.

It's been in my head ever since.

Must be in the ether

Posted by Martin PC not & Ship's Biohazard (# 368) on :

In Triangle last night I broke us up in to groups to pray for each other. Three older Christians: an Evo, another even more fascist (whom I love easy, an ex Hell's Angel enforcer) and me, a former fascist with 50+ years of fascist conditioning and reflexes and a young guy, unemployed, facing eviction, a criminal court case, totally alienated from his family and with a testimony of not a hair on his head being touched in a US prison full of murderous gangs where he walked and talked with God all day every day.

He was the living epitome of that motto.

I prayed, badly as ever, for us, his brothers, to be God's ears, mouths, arms and ... implicitly bank for him until all the miracles he needs happen. The Evo guy prayed very well in the Evo way for all the miracles and affirming God's unconditional love for the guy.

The fascist biker prayed best of ALL for reconciliation for the young guy and his family. I suspect that his family are even worse fascists. Anglo-Americans living in Florida. Florida says it all.

But that seemed to be the ONLY direction with any freedom.

Along with the fact that the guy now has three older brothers who MUST hear him and MUST respond, which was a strong part of my uncomfortable prayer. Until all the miracles happen and we aren't needed ...

Posted by Mere Nick (# 11827) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Martin PC not & Ship's Anglo-Americans living in Florida. Florida says it all.

Wow.

Posted by Martin PC not & Ship's Biohazard (# 368) on :

They can't help it.

Posted by scuffleball (# 16480) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Anglican_Brat:
" Work as if it all depends on you."

Except it doesn't; one needs safeguards against arrogance and burnout.

As for mottoes, these words are a welcome challenge to live by;

quote:
Que dans ta journée, labeur et repos soient vivifiés par la Parole de Dieu; maintiens en tout le silence intérieur, pour demeurer en Christ; pénètre toi de l'esprit des béatitudes: joie, simplicité, miséricorde

(Roughly; In your day may work and rest be brought alive by God's word; keep inner silence in all things so as to reside in Christ; fill yourself witb the spirit of the Beatitudes - joy, simplicity, mercy)

Frère Roger included these in the Règle de Taizé but I suspect they are older as other organizations use them too, and I'd be intrigued to know if any shipmates know their origin.

Also worth looking at is the Lee Abbey rule of life, especially the bit about " being open to be known for who we are, accepting one another in love and saying nothing of others that could not be said to them personally if love and wisdom required it"

Posted by Erroneous Monk (# 10858) on :

It doesn't all depend on me. If it did, then all would be fucked, because I am completely broken and need mending every day.

I can't actually achieve anything by myself. But that's OK, because God wants me to know that I am as dependent on him as a little child on a parent.

I think I'll go with "To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often".

Posted by Truman White (# 17290) on :

Sound like a good motto to start with. What makes me think twice is that all the initiative is with me - I pray, I do. You can pray like it all depends on God and act like God's not involved.

But hey, am I picking fleas? Didn't Paul both say he worked harder than any of the other apostles and also encourage his churches to pray without letting up?

I like Anselm's:

"O Lord our God,
grant us grace to desire you with our whole heart;
that so desiring, we may seek and find you;
and so finding, may love you;
and so loving, may hate those sins from which you have delivered us'
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And all God's people said......

Posted by Anselmina (# 3032) on :

There are lots of great Christian mottoes. But I always think of Jesus' motto as 'love one another as I have loved you'.

Posted by Emily Windsor-Cragg (# 17687) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Anglican_Brat:
"Pray as if it all depends on God. Work as if it all depends on you."

Good motto or bad motto?

That works for me and, "Let your yes mean Yes, and your no, No."

Keeps life simple. [Smile]

Posted by Grits (# 4169) on :

I like what Jesus taught in Luke 18 -- always pray and don't give up. Pretty similar to the OP.

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

Martn PC not:

quote:
I suspect that his family are even worse fascists. Anglo-Americans living in Florida. Florida says it all.

Jedijudy? Erin? That's a broad brush you wield, Martin. [Disappointed]

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

Good Heavens! There must be a hidden part of Florida that I've never noticed. Shipmates are scattered across the state, as Lyda*Rose indicated! Siegfried, Gramatica, St. Sebastian, Chastmastr, MaryFL...I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.

I tell you what, Martin PC not, I'll put out the word, and one of us will let you know the headcount of fascists we find. Or suspect.

quote:
Originally posted by Martin PC not & Ship's Biohazard:
They can't help it.

Really? Does this helplessness stop at the borders and coastlines?

Posted by bib (# 13074) on :

My great grandfather used to say "keep smiling and shining" which always resonates with me.

Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :

This seems a most heavenly intellectual salon ...

Doublethink
Purgatory Host

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

George Fox's little bit about seeking "that of God" in everyone we meet helps me a lot - and some people are REALLY good at hiding it!

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

I like that WW because it challenges me in a practical way, especially with those "who are good at hiding it"

Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :

My motto is "There but for the grace of God go I"

Either that or "Don't be an arsehole".

I think if many more Christians were to follow these, we would be in a far better place.

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

"Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God."

together with

"Love one another."

Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :

The mottos of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, taken by every St. John Ambulance cadet, are "Pro Fide" - for the faith, and "Pro Utilitate Hominum" - for the service of all mankind. Not bad mottos to try and live by.

Posted by The Rogue (# 2275) on :

With God there is no box to think outside of.

Posted by Taliesin (# 14017) on :

Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest.

Posted by vw man (# 13951) on :

at diffrent times of life and what ever proublems we are going through.The level of faith we have,or if God annswers are prayers,are motos will no doubt change,and the out look we have on them wil also change'
when I had deppersion I used to think of a song and change the words to
"even the good times where bad"

Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :

quote:
Originally posted by vw man:
at diffrent times of life and what ever proublems we are going through.The level of faith we have,or if God annswers are prayers,are motos will no doubt change,and the out look we have on them wil also change'

Yep. And I would change the word "motto" perhaps, though I'm not sure to what. It's more of a useful meditation tool or guiding principle for the place you're in at the moment.

"Pray as though it all depends on God; work as though it all depends on you" sounds like a decent thing to meditate for someone who wants God to fix everything but never puts forth an effort. The second half of the phrase would be a corrective, then.

Some of us might not have mottoes, but rather a concept or an image to meditate on. What if a "motto" for the Christian life were an icon of the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah? (A wide variety of which can be seen in this Google Image search.)

Posted by John T (# 17166) on :

Spoke to a retired Anglican Vicar at Church yesterday. He'd been sadly widowed earlier this year and is finding it difficult. He's adopted Winston Churchill's K.B.O. - Keep Buggering On.

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

Welcome to the Ship, John. You may wish to introduce yourself in All Saints: there's a thread for that.

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