Without all knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God

…For, quite clearly, the mighty gifts with which we are endowed are hardly from ourselves; indeed, our very being is nothing but subsistence in the one God.

–from Book One, Chapter One of the Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin

Heard that today on a recent Typology podcast episode. Worth remembering!

Tonight begins our congregation’s annual weekend retreat for their elected leaders. Fridays have become people-filled, other-filled days, so I’m now recruiting some energy for the peopling ahead-!

I hope to carry with me, in the substrates of my brain, what I’ve been learning about the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity, as articulated in the “F” section of our current Book of Order. A strong God-understanding and a strong us-understanding would build a base suitable for both flexibility and endurance, don’t you think?

And I do so like a good beginning.

Oh: I’ll be taking my first exam for Polity on Sunday. On the Foundations chapter, naturally! Look at that there life and art interweaving and dancing-!