Villagersonline : blogs : NewRyan : From Talk to Power

From: NewRyan
Date: Thu Jan 24 20:23:52 EST 2008
Subject: From Talk to Power

Responses
rodhugen: power (1/25/08)
emily: review? (2/2/08)

Responses (sorted by date)
emily: review? (2/2/08)
rodhugen: power (1/25/08)

Moving From Talk to Power
John Perkins
If we as Christians can see the issues of our day---the poverty, the racism, war and injustice---and if we can use the skills and resources that we get from our training at school or on the job, and if we can really be open to being equipped by the Spirit of God, then we will be used. We must lie on our beds at night and wrestle with how we can individually and collectively bring our faith from talk to power, how we can bring our faith and works to bear on the real issues of human need.
I believe that right now we are facing a most difficult time in history. We are discovering that old strategies have failed and that the new ones, or rediscovered ones, will not let us hold onto our old lifestyles.
Source: A Quiet Revolution

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From: rodhugen
Date: Fri Jan 25 11:33:51 EST 2008
Subject: power

Power is a loaded word. It is a word that is most often associated with words like abuse or misuse. The more I walk this path, the more I realize the reality of power and its misuse and abuse. Coming from my Calvinist roots, I see the power that the church has wielded and the damage it has done all because it thought its ideas were better and because it failed to take into consideration humanity's tilt toward depravity. God has certainly gifted us toward helping the homeless and feeding the hungry. And he has given us eyes of faith. But he also tells us that we will always have the poor with us. I think that is because he knows our penchant to abuse and mistreat those around us.
I like the idea of plotting how I might serve humanity. I like looking at forgotten ways and dreaming of new ones. I like bringing all we have to bear collectively to overcome the evils that confront those we love and are called to love. But part of moving from talk to power is not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. Power is dangerous. Humility is a better bet, I think. Humility is also harder.

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From: emily
Date: Sat Feb  2 00:41:09 EST 2008
Subject: review?

I was intrigued by some of the ideas in the passage. I was also left wondering about what the guy really meant and where he was coming from. SO I tried to look up information on the book. There are no reviews on Amazon. (shocking!) Not even dumb ones. So....somebody ought to be the first....
Anyway, it looks like it was published in 1976. I remember that year well. I was in Dallas, well, Duncanville to be exact. I was going to Central Elementary School for 1st grade and that was the first time I ever knew that there was such a thing as "the year". I learned to write "1976". It was so special to me that I was crushed when the year changed to 1977.
At least now I have more of a context going on. But I'm still curious. What are the old strategies? What are the lifestyles we are afraid to change? Etc. Etc. I still have questions but my kids are waiting for bedtime stories so they'll have to keep.
Emily.

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