Aphorisms, Exhortations and Encouragements

Dr. Philip G. Ney

Oh To Be Like Christ

So Many Christians wish, sing or pray that they could be more like Christ. They forget that the more they are like Christ, the more often they will be treated as Christ was. He was treated with indifference by the vast majority, claimed to be honored by a significant number, passionately hated by quite a few and passionately loved by a minority.

Shame And War

The world tries to bury its’ shameful history by honouring, then interring an unknown, unnamed soldier. Though the flesh rots and the bones eventually dissolve, essential history cannot be forgotten. The pain is indelibly inscribed in the memories of survivors who inadvertently pass on that pain. Their desire for revenge will be reenacted by their children. Tragedy cannot be resolved by repression or revenge, only by reconciliation.

Lest We Forget, November 11.

In case we forget the sacrifice of our fathers and brothers who fought for what we hold dear, each year, at least once a year, we should bow our heads in silence to remember and honour them. BUT, unless we forgive and forget, the pain of unresolved conflicts will demand a re-enactment again and again. Reconciliation is the only way to go. Neither ignoring nor re-enacting will accomplish anything.

A Woman's Ultimate Hurt

A woman’s greatest and deepest pain producing the greatest bitterness occurs when she sacrifices her unborn child in an attempt to get her partner to cherish her. Then, only to find his love grows cold or he leaves. The consequence is harmful to all involved. There will be bitter loathing of that man and, to a growing extent, anger at men in general.

Knowing

Do you trust more in your eyes and ears or in someone else’s mouth and their bitter words? Our body knows more than we let it tell us.

The Abortionists

The abortionists’ basic argument, “You had better get rid of that thing now because it may, probably will, cause trouble later.” This is a disquieting line of reasoning, especially for any Israeli. They know that it has been used against hobos, gypsies and Jews.

Self Destruction

Following the tragedy of September 11th in New York people kept shaking their heads and saying, “I can’t understand why anyone would be so destructive as to willfully kill themselves and many others too. They forget that this mutual destruction is common among depressed people who say, “I have often thought of driving into an oncoming car.”