The Kiss

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  “Ryabovitch pulled the bed-clothes over his head, curled himself up in bed, and tried to gather together the floating images in his mind and to combine them into one whole. But nothing came of it. He soon fell asleep, and his last thought was that someone had caressed him and made him happy—that something extraordinary, foolish, but joyful and delightful, had come into his life. The thought did not leave him even in his sleep. When he woke up the sensations of oil on his neck and the chill of peppermint about his lips had gone, but joy flooded his heart just as the day before.” The Kiss By Anton Chekhov (1860–1904)

The "Salad Bar" approach

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Does anyone know who made this statement?

"When you go out for a meal served as a buffet you're given the invitation to serve yourself, perhaps a salad. There's quite a range of dishes to choose from according to your taste. There's quite a range of dishes to choose from according to your taste. This is fine for eating but it doesn't work in Christian terms. One of the reasons why there's spiritual poverty is that believers have taken the 'salad bar' approach to scripture. Can we really pick the teachings we're comfortable with and ignore the rest? The answer, of course, is 'no.' When we take the 'salad bar' approach to scripture to justify your own prejudices or personal comfort, the result is a stunted spiritual life."

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