Today marks to historic events in the lives of important Christian leaders.
On this day one hundred fifty years ago General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses Grant at Appomattox. I find Lee to be a very intriguing figure:
"We failed (to win the Civil War), but in the good providence of God apparent failure often proves a blessing...so far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interests of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this, as regards Virginia especially, that I would cheerfully have lost all I have lost by the war, and have suffered all I have suffered, to have this object attained."
On this day seventy years ago German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis. His most popular work is "The Cost of Discipleship", but his best work (in my opinion) is "Life Together". In that book he gave pastors very important advice that I have tried to heed:
“A pastor should never complain about his congregation, certainly never to other people, but also not to God. A congregation has not been entrusted to him in order that he should become its accuser before God and men.”
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In my humble opinion, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer are the three most influential Christians of the 20th Century, they are also probably the most quoted. Here are a few pithy quotes from the brave WWII martyr stood for truth in the face death by the hands of the evil Nazi’s.
“If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.”
“A God who let us prove His existence would be an idol”
“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”
“It is only because He became like us that we can become like Him.”
“Nothing that we despise in other men is inherently absent from ourselves. We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or don't do, and more in light of what they suffer.”
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