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degradation of our environment, and the obliteration of whole species of
animal and biological life.
“If this book has a lesson,” Bryson writes, “it is that we are awfully lucky
to be here – and by ‘we’ I mean every living thing. To attain any kind of life in
this universe of ours appears to be quite an achievement. As humans, we are
doubly lucky, of course: We enjoy not only the privilege of existence bu t also
the singular ability to appreciate it and even, in a multitude of ways, to make it
better. It is a talent we have only barely begun to grasp.”
To put all of this in perspective, he notes that “we have existed for only
about 0.0001 percent of Earth’s history. But surviving for even that little while
has required a nearly endless string of good fortune.”
Well, that “other book” still waiting to be written on the spiritual nature of
creation would point out that God’s role has been omniscient and that luck has
nothing to do with it. It is God’s love, His mercy and His providence that put
us here on earth – to love God, to love our neighbors, to be useful, to be good
stewards of all we have been blessed with, and to reach always for heaven in
the way we live our lives.
Don’t thank luck or good fortune but: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all
that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget
not all His benefits.” (Psalm 103:1,2)
(BMH)
the billboard
Driving down I-95 on the way into Philadelphia from Bryn Athyn you see a
billboard advertising Bryn Athyn College. Pictured on it are two impressive
buildings which have drawn many thousands of visitors to Bryn Athyn: the
Cathedral and Glencairn.
These two structures were not built to impress the world, but to represent
the distinctive teachings of the New Church which make it different and set it
apart from the world. But the very fact that they were built for that purpose is
why they now serve so well to represent the Church to potential newcomers.
The phrase “unintended consequence” is usually used in a negative sense,
but here we have an example of a good unintended consequence.
As the billboard illustrates, the way to attract new people is not to pretend
to be like everyone else, but to let them see how extraordinary the New Church
is. The beauty of the Church that serves to attract people from without, comes
from within; from the profound truths of its doctrines and our love of them.
It is our College’s affiliation with the New Church that sets it apart and
makes it special. Apart from that it would be just another small college, but
because of its New Churchness it has something unique and immensely
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