Category Archives: Faith

by | May 17, 2013 · 1:39 PM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Canticle

File:Memorial window - St Mary's Halstock - geograph.org.uk - 1042752.jpg

St. Francis of Assisi, Church of St. Mary’s Halstock (Photo by Sarah Smith)

“…Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day…

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens You have made them, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which You give Your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water…precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You brighten the night…”

Excerpt from Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi, that most humble of men, was born into comfort. The son of a well-to-do merchant, Francis might have led a life of ease. His father feared Francis would squander his life on self-indulgence. Instead, Francis founded an Order of monks sworn to abject poverty. He died without worldly goods, bearing the stigmata of Christ, and radiant with joy.

But we are not all born to be friars. How then are we to find our way in the world?  How can we distinguish God’s call on our lives from personal ambition or – worse yet – restlessness because the going has gotten rough or the task assigned us has become stale? What do we do when confronted by that inevitable fork in the road?

There is no formula for holiness…or happiness, for that matter. We are bound to wrestle with God as Jacob did. The limitations of this earthly world dictate as much, since we are meant for another. Between our present location and that ultimate destination lies the road we travel, the life we choose – pitfalls, failures, triumphs, and all.     Continue reading →

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by | May 15, 2013 · 12:42 PM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: A Mother’s Face

There is evidence to suggest that babies can recognize the faces of their mothers within weeks of birth. At first the baby’s vision is only clear enough to let him see his mother’s face as he is feeding. By 6 months of age, however, the baby will be able to pick his mother’s photo out of a group.

It is our mother’s face we seek out. Hers is the approval for which we first yearn. She is the source of our sustenance – both physical and emotional. Not only does she feed, burp, and change us. She bathes, powders, dresses, soothes, tickles, carries, and cuddles us.

She sings us lullabies. She reads to us. She ties our shoes, then teaches us how. She tells us why the sky is blue. She sacrifices for us, and keeps us from harm.

In this relationship, we can see reflected our relationship with God. Continue reading →

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by | May 8, 2013 · 1:55 PM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Coal Miners

File:MINERS JUST LEAVING THE ELEVATOR SHAFT OF VIRGINIA-POCAHONTAS COAL COMPANY MINE ^4 NEAR RICHLANDS, VIRGINIA AT 4 P.M.... - NARA - 556340.tif

Miners at Virginia-Pocahontas Coal Mine

Coal mines have been active in Pennsylvania since the late 1700s. Despite advances, coal mining remains enormously dangerous work. The ravages of Black Lung Disease persist, as does the struggle for occupational benefits.

Though surface mining has increasingly become the trend, we remain the voice for such people – those daily giving up their lives for others, but unable to defend themselves.

What a great privilege God has afforded us as lawyers…and what a great responsibility!

“As for the earth, from it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire; its stones are the source of sapphires, and it contains gold dust” (Job 28: 5-6).

Oh, Lord, how great are Your works in all the earth!

Give strength to those who labor with their hands. Give courage to us, that we may speak out for all those without a voice.

Amen

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by | May 1, 2013 · 12:20 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Cathedrals

Reims Cathedral, Photo By Josep Grin, Lohen11 (Catalan Wikipedia) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5) via Wikimedia Commons

Using little more than a set of compasses, a T-square, and a rope marked off at regular intervals, medieval masons crafted masterpieces in stone – places of worship filled with light. The construction of Gothic cathedrals began with the laying of a cornerstone. Completion of these soaring structures could, however, take hundreds of years.

A master mason coordinated not only the work of other masons and mortar makers, but roofers, scaffolders, plasterers, painters, plumbers, stained glass craftsmen, sculptors, woodcarvers, and laborers.

At a time when higher mathematics was largely unknown in Europe, masons (responsible for actually laying the stone) combined the modern roles of architect, engineer, builder, designer, and craftsman. With little or no formal education, stonecutters shared tips with one another, learning through trial and error. Maker’s marks can still be seen on the stone in some locations.

Many Gothic cathedrals stand to this day, attesting both to the faith and skill of their builders. But the real monuments were – as they are today – the lives of the men and women who worshiped in them. God wants our stony and battered hearts. He has set His mark upon them for all to see.

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Ps. 118: 22).

Lord Jesus, You are the Stone the builders rejected, and our Cornerstone. You are the Rock upon which we build our lives. Help us to make You central to all our endeavors, that they may rest on a firm foundation. We place our faith in You.

Amen

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by | April 29, 2013 · 9:30 AM

Wise Words: Frank Laubach

Frank Laubach was a missionary who spent his life among the Mindanao and Moro people groups of the Philippine Islands, ministering to them while furthering education with a highly successful literacy program. While my experience with Laubach and his writing is minimal, I was impacted by this excerpt from his journals, an instance of a person actively set upon practicing the presence of Jesus. It reminds me that submission to the Lord is vital throughout my lawyering days, in all tasks, at all times, even as “I pound the typewriter keys.”

April 22, 1930

This morning I started out fresh, by finding a rich experience of God in the sunrise. Then I tried to let Him control my hands while I was shaving and dressing and eating breakfast. Now I am trying to let God control my hands as I pound the typewriter keys. There is nothing that we can do excepting to throw ourselves open to God. There is, there must be, so much more in Him than He can give us. It ought to be tremendously helpful to be able to acquire the habit of reaching out strongly after God’s thoughts, and to ask, “God, what have you to put into my mind now if only I can be large enough?” That waiting, eager attitude ought to give God the chance He needs.

Oh, this thing of keeping in constant touch with God, making Him the object of my thought and the companion of my conversations, is the most amazing thing I ever ran across. It is working. I cannot do it even half a day—not yet, but I believe I shall be doing it some day for the entire day. It is a matter of acquiring a new habit of thought. Now I like God’s presence so much that when for a half hour or so He slips out of mind—as He does many times a day, I feel as though I had deserted Him, and as though I had lost something very precious in my life.

More excerpts of Laubach’s journals are available at Interacting With Jesus.

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by | April 24, 2013 · 12:15 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Renewal

The term “renewal” has been applied to a wide range of activities.

Renewal is the name for a role-playing game, a rock band, an album, a song, a movie, a type of parliamentary procedure, a magazine, and a brand of rechargeable alkaline batteries, among other things. Urban renewal relates to the redevelopment of inner cities. Renewal theory is a branch of probability theory, the mathematical analysis of random acts. Renewal Judaism is a spiritual movement incorporating aspects of Hasidism including music, mysticism, and meditation into modern Judaism.

Within Christianity, the term “renewal” has two distinct meanings.

Traditionally, renewal has been used as a synonym for sanctification, the process by which we are transformed into the image of Christ.

Recently, renewal has been used to designate the emerging church. Continue reading →

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by | April 18, 2013 · 12:38 PM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Recidivism

The statistics relating to recidivism are mind numbing:

  • In 2011, the Pew Center on the States reported the overall recidivism rate[i] in the United States to be 40% three years after release. The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Statistics in 2002 had reported a rate of 51.1%.
  • Department of Justice figures suggest that, within three years of release, approximately 2.5% of rapists will commit another rape; 1% of murderers will kill again[ii].  Compare this with a 1995 study by Quincy, Rice & Harris which placed the long-term reconviction rate of rapists at 23%.
  • Recidivism among child molesters has been estimated as 20%[iii]. However, a 1993 study by Hansen, Steffy & Guathier indicated that 42% of sexual predators are reconvicted for sexual crimes, violent crimes or both[iv]. Many victims do not report sexually based crimes, and not all such crimes brought to the attention of police are solved. Consequently, re-arrest and reconviction data for sexually based crimes greatly underestimates re-offense.

How can anyone not be repelled by these figures and the behavior they reflect? How can mercy toward criminals be reconciled with justice for victims? Yet Christians are asked to put their feelings aside, and trust that God will do the impossible.  As He has done for us.

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink…” (Rom. 12: 20; Prov. 25: 21).

Lord Jesus, You teach us to return good for evil, to love even our enemies and those who would spitefully use us. This lesson is contrary to our nature. Our first instinct is to strike out, especially when loved ones have been harmed.  How are we to overcome our inclinations?

Help us remember that love is stronger than hate. Help us believe that You will render justice – in this world or the next – even if we cannot. Extend Your grace to us, Lord, that we may extend Your mercy to others.

Amen

[i] Pew Center on the States, State of Recidivism:  The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons (April 2011), http://www.pewstates.org/uploadedFiles/PCS_Assets/2011/Pew_State_of_Recidivism.pdf .

[ii] Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism (August 2012), http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=17 .

[iii] Department of Justice, Center for Sex Offenders Management, Myths and Facts about Sex Offenders (August 2000), http://www.csom.org/pubs/mythsfacts.html .

[iv] Hanson, Karl; Steffy, Richard; Gauthier, Rene; Long-Term Recidivism of Child Molesters, Journal of Consulting Psychology, Vol. 61 (4), pp. 646-652 (August 1993), APA PsychNET DIRECT, http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/0022-006X.61.4.646 .

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by | April 17, 2013 · 3:07 AM

Battlefield

The battle between good and evil is fought on many fronts. It can involve the pain threshold of fetuses in the womb, or the purchase by thirteen year old girls of the “morning after” pill without knowledge of their parents. It can involve the shooting deaths of innocent children in a quiet New England town.

Monday that battle involved the Boston marathon.

We may find words difficult to come by, in the face of yet another scene of carnage, yet more lives impacted or lost. We may be saddened and discouraged. But we must not grow weary. We must not allow others to define our course of action. We must not abandon hope that good will prevail. That is what our adversaries want.

The battle lines are not always clearly drawn. On Monday, however, they were.

We must have the courage to engage in a struggles as old as time, on whatever battlefield we may find ourselves.  Whether the battle rages on the streets or in the courts, the war was won for us on Calvary.  Let us, therefore, “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12: 1), for in Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our Faith (Heb. 12: 2), we can securely place our trust.

 

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by | April 3, 2013 · 12:21 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Almond Tree

File:Blossoming Almond Tree.jpg

“Blossoming Almond Tree” by Vincent van Gogh

“I said to the almond tree, ‘Sister, speak to me of God.’  And the almond tree blossomed.”

 —Nikos Kazantzakis, Report to Greco

The almond tree, a relative of the peach, is native to the Levant, but has been cultivated as far north as Iceland. It was among the first trees domesticated, thought to have sprouted initially on pre-historic garbage heaps. Domesticated almonds were in use by the Bronze Age (3300-2000 BC).  They were found amid other treasures in the pharaoh, Tutankhamen’s tomb.

Almond blossoms have been said to symbolize hope, perseverance, and justice, among other things. For the Israelites, they signified watchfulness, specifically God’s vigilance on their behalf.  The Hebrew word “almond” and the phrase, “I am ready” (or “I am watching”) sound similar. The almond, also, flowers in early Spring.

It was for these reasons that God instructed the Israelites to make a golden lampstand shaped like an almond tree, for the sanctuary (Ex. 25: 31-40). Three branches were to extend from each side, decorated with flowers in the form of almond blossoms and buds. The Jewish menorah (a candelabra with seven branches) was the result. Continue reading →

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by | March 31, 2013 · 12:29 AM

He Is Risen

“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word” (Matt. 28: 1-8).

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by | March 27, 2013 · 6:17 PM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: Scourged

Ancient Romans would scourge a condemned criminal before putting him to death. The Roman scourge was a short whip with several thongs to which small pieces of metal were knotted. Sometimes the scourge had a hook at its end, for added impact.

Scourging quickly and painfully removed the skin, producing substantial blood. Shredded flesh and exposed muscles were intended not only as a punishment for the criminal, but a warning to others.

Jewish law permitted only forty stripes less one (Deut. 25: 3). Scourging by the Romans had no legal limit to the number of blows. With the objective crucifixion, however, the Centurion would direct the scourging stopped short of death. Continue reading →

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by | March 21, 2013 · 12:17 AM

A Lawyer’s Prayers: In His Footsteps

homelessnotworthless

Photo by Chris Wasey, www.truropeople.co/uk/pictures

“ ‘If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you’ ” (John 13: 14).

For many Christians, a re-enactment of Jesus’ washing of His Apostles’ feet at the Last Supper is part of their Holy Week liturgy. There is a growing trend to re-enact that event by ministering to the feet of the homeless. Continue reading →

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by | March 20, 2013 · 12:42 AM

Priorities

Recently, I was asked to rank a number of issues facing our nation, in order of their importance to me. The final result surprised and disturbed me. Coincidentally, our elected representatives are in process of an identical analysis, as they wrestle with one another to arrive at a budget. What surprises they may have in store for the rest of us, we will have to wait and see.

Poverty

I would have expected poverty and ethics to top my list, as these are issues about which I feel deeply. More importantly, they are vital concerns in God’s eyes. “He is…a God of truth, and without injustice…” (Deut. 32: 4). “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes…” (1 Sam. 2: 8).

Poverty and ethics did make my list. But poverty has multiple components. So a place on the list had to be found not only for public assistance in its various forms, but jobs, tax equity, and education. I ranked these topics jointly as 4th, 5th, and 6th though I do not believe government should be the employer of last resort, absent dire straits.

Social Justice

Healthcare – another major issue – was ranked 3rd because it so heavily impacts the quality (not to mention the length) of life, raising social justice questions. How do we as a nation care for those unable to care for themselves? Can we agree that this is a governmental responsibility, at least in a regulatory sense? If not, what are the viable alternatives? Or do we plan to abandon the weak by the wayside? Is it not written, “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” (Is. 40: 29)? Continue reading →

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by | March 16, 2013 · 1:09 PM

Pro Deo Conference 2013: Speak UP

Speak up and judge fairly; speak up and defend the rights of the poor and needy.

-Proverbs 31:9

Coming up next week, Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia is hosting a unique event: its second-annual conference for Christian legal professionals and students committed to incarnating Christ in the law.

This year’s conference is focused upon the idea of Christian advocacy, trying to articulate what differences there are, if any, from secular advocacy. It’s a big question with a lot of space for dialogue, and all of the contributors here at the Pro Deo blog are interested in seeing what conversations God will stir up among attendees.

The conference is taking place March 22nd and 23rd in the heart of Philadelphia, and full event information including a list of speakers and topics is available by clicking here. We know many readers are from outside the Philadelphia area, so where appropriate we’ll post videos of the speakers’ presentations over the course of the weeks following the conference.

Please pray for attendees’ hearts as the conference commences, that God will soften them and re-mold them to better do His work in the world!

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by | March 14, 2013 · 2:47 PM

The “God” Particle

” ‘Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?…Who determined its measurements?  Surely you know!…Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?’ ” (Job 38: 4-7).

Physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research or CERN today announced that they have discovered a critical but elusive subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson.  The data was actually generated last year by the Large Hadron Collider, an atom smasher near Geneva, Switzerland.

The Higgs boson is considered so fundamental to an understanding of the way the material universe works that it is often called the “God” particle.  The particle is named after one of the six physicists who first proposed its existence.

This is a remarkable achievement, worthy of acknowledgement.  Man has struggled to understand his world since time immemorial.

God, however, it outside time and space.  He cannot be found under a microscope, quantified or dissected.  No mere material discovery can rule Him into or out of existence.  But when our eyes are opened by the gift of faith (Ps. 119: 18; Acts 26: 16), we can see evidence of Him everywhere.

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