“Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (111:10 Today’s NIV)
“‘Should you not fear me?’ declares the LORD. ’Should you not tremble in my presence?’” (Jeremiah 5:22 Today’s NIV)
==========
Kent Hoffmann is the most Christ-like person whom I have ever known. Kent was a member of the Catholic Worker community on Los Angeles’ Skid Row where I volunteered regularly.
Kent also spoke at my university on topics such as world hunger. When I listened to him, I imagined that Jesus sounded very similar–Kent was so peaceful and wise.
Once Kent talked in the university dining hall at dinnertime during “World Hunger” week. While student workers collected wasted food into plastic barrels at one end of the dining hall, Kent chastised our selfish Western lifestyle. Apparently, he got under the skin of some students, who started to yell at him angrily. Kent didn’t lose his peaceful demeanor.
Kent Hoffman is Christ-like, and I never feared him. In fact, if Kent had asked me to join him as a disciple, I would have followed him loyally to the ends of the Earth.
Kent Hoffmann (2005)
==================================================================
Stories such as the following appear too often in the news:
I chuckle in a strange way when I read these stories because the girlfriend was obviously right to leave the boyfriend.
God reminds me of the boyfriend…
• For absolutely no reason, God does something bad to me or a member of my family;
• I get angry at God–”You are not behaving like a good God!“
• Out of spite, God does something even more evil to me or a member of my family.
Yes, we should fear God–just like the girlfriend should fear her ex-boyfriend who screams, “I’m not bad, and I’ll do something bad to you to show you that I’m not bad!“
