Letter and Spirit

1. Jesse Curtis on what the Bible actually says about poverty, with quotes from The Big Guy:

   It is not hard to see that such practices are rampant in our culture. Just think of the schemes of the banks, mortgage companies, and payday lenders. But the more subtle practices the Bible so wisely notes are present here too, and we are implicated in them. The norm in American culture is to live in the best community one can afford, putting as much distance between us and the poor as money will provide. The rich do indeed have many friends, while the poor suffer for want of connections. The Bible speaks of such states of affairs not as age-old ways of the world that we must resign ourselves to, but as expressions of cultures nearing the extreme limits of depravity. When God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to decry extreme evil he focused on treatment of the most marginal members of the society[.]

2. Having, eating, and complaining about one's cake.

   “Ma’am, if we were closed today, how would you get these things you’re buying right now?”

Probably not a Journey to God post.