Today is the annual Sonlight "Refresher," so I have to get ready to film it in a moment. The "Refresher" is a time when we get together and hear the story of Sonlight and get reminded of what we are all about: Helping families (especially missionaries) by making it easier and more enjoyable for them to homeschool their children. ...of course, I film the refresher every year and we have yet to do anything with the footage. Maybe someday posterity will want to see it. Or perhaps, sometime in the future, I'll get to make something cool to post here.
<switching gears>
I'm not feeling very ponderous today--though Brittany's mom once said that she was, much to the amusement of her family--even so, my mind has been pondering a few things. Most recently, and notably, a post by Cherish.
I've come to enjoy Cherish's posts, as well as her personality and ways of looking at things... not to mention her physics lessons. <smile>
Her post, which I strongly suggest you read instead of relying on my truncated version, is in response to a call to pray and fast for the stop of abortion. Her argument is basically thus:
[This is] in no way even a small step toward a real solution. ...they're doing absolutely nothing of practical value that will in actuality reduce the problem. ...It's a scam. It's snake oil. It deprives people who may have a sincere and earnest desire to do some good of the opportunity to... do something which could truly be useful.
Ouch.
And, by and large, I agree with her.
Granted, I do believe in the importance of prayer both for our own edification--which she acknowledges--as well as the world change it can bring about. So, I'm not knocking the prayer and fasting. That is super important. But her point remains searingly (and searchingly) true: Faith without works is dead.
In fact, read all of James 2.
If these people are merely praying and doing nothing more--like loving and caring for these girls, offering help and support--there is little value to praying and fasting, because, as James 2 points out: Are you even really acting out in faith if you aren't also actively doing something to help the problem in the real world?
So, yes, Cherish, you've just giving an excellent example of the truth of Scripture <smile>. Right on.
On the other hand, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be praying as well. We simply should be doing both. Which reminds me of another passage...
~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father
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