from Jacob to Israel...

But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
And he said to him, "what is your name?"
And he said, "Jacob"
Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed."

ive been reminded of this story fairly often throughout the year and recently read a little commentary about Jacob. In the end the author, Rev. Frederick Buechner, writes, "God is the enemy whom Jacob fights by the river, and whom in one way of another we all fight - God, the beloved enemy. Our enemy because he demands of us everything; our selves, our wills, our treasure. Will we give them, you and I? I do not know..."

living with integrity...

i been reading some M Scott Peck... he talks some about the words "integrated" and "integrity"... about how the relationship between these two words has been lost...but in reinstating their connection, he says that living a life of integrity means living an integrated life: "the profession of faith is a lie if it does not significantly determine one's economic, political, and social behavior."
an integrated faith...
living with integrity...
not so easy...