Matthew 5

I'm reminded this morning of the harsh practicality of the sermon on the mount. The first twelve verses...the beatitudes...contain enough pointers to my own failings to make me want to go back to reading Leviticus, which is every bit as anointed but a little easier to misapply.

Meekness. Hunger for righteousness. Peacemakers. Not much room for misapplication here. Just the stark reality of my shortcomings.

We started a fast last Wednesday. On that day, I grabbed a stack of notecards, started cribbing thoughts about the beatitudes and sticking them in the back of my Moleskine. A week later, I have five cards. This morning, I reviewed the cards and realized that it could be argued from my behavior that I have learned absolutely nothing from this exercise.

My journal entries, usually very tidy 3 point entries that I could stand up and teach from, have deteriorated into half coherent notes and accompanying pen drawings that often do a better job of conveying what I am learning that my prose ever will.