23.9.15
– Why is vengeance so sweet?
Maybe because it (is the only thing that perfectly) combines our deep desire for self-gratification, & for justice!
– Mission as contextual redemption!
– SFG – the connecting bridge between inward growth & outward witness!
– Identity –> vocation ~ nature –> practices
– “When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesarʼs decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!” – Acts. 17:6 (NET)
– What are the similarities & differences between liberal & liberation theology?
– Solidarity ~ dissolving!
– No missiology, no ecclesiology.
– hone
– To what extent does the shepherd need the sheep?
The line between service & abuse is thin indeed!
– Who are you?
What are you?
Why are you?
When are you?
Where are you?
Which are you?
– These people exhaust me with their blabber!
Stupidity ~ laziness ~ cowardice
Distinguish:
Ignorance
&
Foolishness
– Is there gold buried underneath the shit of popular culture?
– Falling in love with the villain,
Murdering the joker,
And ignoring the hero.
– Distinguish:
Inanity
&
Insanity
– These people can never enjoy life fully, because they only relax & don’t know what it is to focus!
In fact, even I don’t know how to relax well…
– Have I wasted (myself on) them?
– Sanctify ~ sacramentalize
– How come these Christians are able to accept crass cultural conformity, but are scandalized by any sexual controversy?
– The globular planet
Vs.
The flat screen
– Distinguish:
Self-discipline,
Self-sacrifice &
Selflessness
– LORD, help to resist the temptation to expand my ministry, but to always be faithful (individual), loving (relational) & ready to serve (the world).
– Natural
Vs.
Spontaneous
– Today, I walked barefoot & placed my hands flat on the soil…
– What do you do when you hate someone in your own immediate family?!
How does one stay both loving (without sentimentality) and principled (without arrogance)??
Is it possible to have a very heated exchange with someone close, and still be in an intimate relationship with that person?
Of course!
– “Hate the sin, love the sinner”
Compare:
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/whats-wrong-love-sinner-hate-sin
with
Distinguish:
Criticize/scold/quarrel
&
Condemn/hate/destroy
24.9.15
– [sic]
– skilling
– Nihilistic idealism
Satire
Vs.
Slapstick
– Seamless experience
– Project consultant
– Debt market
– Modernization ~ globalization ~ privatization
– Who is Hardik Patel, & Somnath Bharti?
– Selection panel
– The reputation-finance link
– Anarchists, heretics & nudists
Hail! 🙂
– How do you find ethical sponsors for non-profit ventures?
Could crowd-sourcing become a viable alternative for corporate social responsibility & government grants?
– Do you know the difference between Al Jazeera & Al Qaeda?
And what do they mean?
– Eco-terrorism
– Governments, caught between the brutal dynamics of powerful corporate houses & fundamentalist forces…
– Distinguish:
Christian theology of the Kingdom,
Capitalist imperialism
&
Islamic theocracy
– Emergency summit
– Energy security
– What would it be like for electronic gadgets to no longer be dependent on external power sources?!
Can you imagine unlimited & free mobile & Internet connectivity?
– How can hacking be ethical?
– Do we need a modified reformulation of the Decalogue for us (the Church) today?
– Digital divide
– From dividend to dilemma to debacle…!
– clientelism
Are cronyism & nepotism the same?
– My concern about brain-drain is based, not upon a narrow patriotism, but on a broader interest in the developing (& underdeveloped) world…
25.9.15
– Confession & repentance >> forgiveness & reconciliation >> “times of refreshing” (GOD will send your Messiah AGAIN)!
– “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago…”
Hmmm… The Mission is foretold long in advance, begun with a bang, then their is a long interlude of (seeming) absence & suspense, before the final triumphant consummation!
– Being “cut off from from your people” was the worst curse imaginable (then)!
Solitary confinement
Vs.
Personal retreat
– “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people (family/community).”
Periodic, or only once?
– Turn to face GOD, so that he might bless you!
– Scum at the top, & cream at the bottom…!
Change it.
– Primary questions:
Who, what, how & why?
When, where, which, etc.
– Should we convert/reinvent the Sacraments too?!
How?
– Critiquing transformation & transforming critique
– “It’s easy to be a hero, when you’re only risking your life.” – Conversations with Picasso
What??!
Hmmm… Do you mean you don’t have to worry about spouse, children, etc.?
– “Be more quiet now…
Wait for a voice to say,
Be more quiet now.
Wait for a voice to say,
Be more quiet now.
Wait for a voice to say…”
– David Crowder Band
If through silence, you’re waiting for a voice, then you need to be more quiet!
– Self-invalidation
– The (idolatrous) glorification of family
Vs.
The (sacramental) sanctification of chores
– As you embark on this new mission, I pray that GOD will enable you to discern, & decide to abandon it, if necessary!
I wish you all the best, & pledge my friendship to you, but deep inside I feel that this venture is doomed…
– LORD, let me become a contemplative, before I die.
Amen.
– Choose this day whom you will serve:
Impact
Or
Transformation?
The latter for the sake of the former?
No.
The latter is an end in itself, the former is just the side-effect!
– I think that any strategy that attempts to promote spiritual growth at a wholesale level will always be a folly…
– Do I believe that playing TT weekly is as spiritual as conducting the SFG meeting?
Hmmm…
Just know the difference between your profession & your hobby! 😉
– Anti-ministry
Anti-theology
Anti-fellowship
– The Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology
WOW!
– Enriched by debate
– NO panaceas!!!
No, not one.
– “Grasp the nettle”
– Theology/biblical narrative as realistic fiction
– What is the relationship (if at all) between personal spiritual formation and world mission (in my ministry)?
– Hermeneutics and Ethics – what have they to do with each other?
– I. Joshua & Hema – Marina & THEOn
26.9.15
– Hippocrates – whatever I do as a Christian minister/spiritual leader, I don’t want to do any harm!
– Service, ministry & mission – synonymous?
– “The Bible & Mission: Christian witness in a Postmodern World” – Richard Bauckham
He is right about Jonathan Sacks’ relativism, but is he wrong about Christianity’s non-homogenizing/non-totalitarian nature?
Aren’t there good examples of local/contextual expressions of other (especially Eastern) religions?
– I am possessed by a distracted, frustrated & sad spirit.
How can I be exorcised?
– I must not try to make people grow spiritually.
I should only equip them by providing the necessary resources, making the means clear & providing motivation/support. And then let GOD (& their will/faith) do the rest…
Should I look for a new bunch of people for the SFG? Is it time to move on?
– Acted parable
– The future (of) Jesus Christ!
– Vital crisis
– Any strategy for spiritual renewal/personal transformation which does not have a molding effect on EVERY aspect of the individual, will inevitably fail!
E.g. Theological education, which addresses only (or mostly) the intellect.
– sapiosexual
– magick
An effort to make a change in ones life by using ones own personal energy and the energy of surrounding elements.
The “K” was brought back into use by Aleister Crowley in the 1900’s to differentiate it from magic, the slight of hand tricks that became popular in the time. Most common belief is that Magick is evil and should not be tampered with; or is only possesed by “chosen” ones.
– From albums to playlists…
– Should nominal Christians be warned, and then expelled from the church, if they don’t repent?
– incipient
– What do you do when you are tempted to hate those closest to you?
Spend more time, just being in their presence (prayerfully)!
“GOD bless you”
“I love you”
“We are family”
“Be alive!”
– Is fear always a bad thing?
What about the foolhardy person then?
27.9.15
– “We receive these hazy illusions like a narcotic necessary to bear life. But what happens to us when, disintoxicated, we learn what we are? Lost among babblers in a night in which we can only hate the appearance of light which comes from babbling. The self-acknowledged suffering of the disintoxicated is the subject of this book.”
— Georges Bataille
His is a journey marked by the questioning of experience itself, until what is reached is sovereign laughter, non-knowledge, and a Presence in no way distinct from Absence, where “The mind moves in a strange world where anguish and ecstasy coexist.”
– Issues, challenges, problems, elements, themes, foundations, principles
– SUNY
– Pyrrhonism
– Analytical
Vs.
Continental philosophy
– The Ultimate Why Question:
Why Is There Anything at All Rather than Nothing Whatsoever??
– Who is Prester John?
27.9.15
– “Bro. Samuel (Theni evangelist) – May his soul rest in PEACE!
In the name of the Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
Death (physical) is just around the corner, folks… But so is life (spiritual)!
Praise GOD.”
“Each bereavement is a wake-up call for all those still alive, before we finally fall asleep…
Anyone listening??”
“Yes da…
What we need is repentance, not pity.
Luk. 23:28”
– How do you balance patience & righteous anger when dealing with the selfish people & unjust systems of this world?
– Movies:
“Captain Phillips” (hit)
“That’s not all my blood!”
“We all have bosses…”
“We didn’t sign up for this!”
An argument against gun-control??
This world will be transformed when a critical mass of people reject using excuses like “I’m just doing my job” or “I’m just trying to survive”, etc. for unethical behaviour!
What does ‘soul survivor’ mean?
28.9.15
– Evernote – scan pages of text & make them searchable!
– I must shift my exercise/meditation time to morning or afternoon, instead of evening or night.
Respect the diurnal (solar) rhythm! As the sun goes down, reduce the activity level…
– No matter what profession you’re in, you must be familiar with the theology, philosophy, ethics, etc. of your field.
– Charitable contribution – in terms of percentage, the rich usually give much LESSER than the middle & lower classes!
– applet
29.9.15
– Google Contacts Preview sucks!
– Internally displaced
– Sew
&
Sue
– Elon Musk
Richard Branson
– “Cruel Intentions”
“Wild Things”
“Poison Ivy”
– Doleful praise – from “Gascoigne’s Good-morrow”
– “Caedmon’s Hymn” from Norton Anthology of Poetry
– “Behaviour that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere.” – Beowulf
– retainer
– marauding
30.9.15
– Net neutrality
– Knowledge-power
&
Power-knowledge
– “Hey… What happened??
DON’T feel bad for missing our meeting for the last few days!
RELAX.
Don’t be discouraged, but be persevering in the pursuit of your spiritual goal.
I just called to ask if we can have the mentoring session this week…
Do let me know ASAP.
PEACE
DON’T let anything keep you from finishing the good race that you have begun. This is a crucial stage in your life…
I am your friend – always – irrespective of whether you are an SFG member, & we all care & pray for you.
DON’T give up that easily. You will NOT regret it if you press on!”
– Distinguish:
Philosophical spirituality
&
Spiritual philosophy
– It is easy to run away from the underdeveloped world to the developed, but the challenge is to stay in the former & contribute (in some way – small or large) to its progress…
“It is better to give than to receive” – so, there must be a judgment & an eternity ahead??
– Ezekiel – “…his divine call forced him to suppress any natural expectations he might have had”!
“Faithfully relaying to his fellows, the heart-rending & hope-crushing divine word…”
Divine judgment – for OR against GOD’s people…?
“The only hope that the prophet was authorized to extend to his hearers was that of living at peace with themselves & GOD during their exile.”
– A parable for the rebel!
– Wrath as purifying fire!
– Biblical sins – What makes you think that lewdness is any less evil than bloodshed?
– Sanctity as extreme sanity!
– Judgment – the prohibition to openly mourn your loss…
No catharsis!
Embrace punishment as cure.
– Prophet > martyr!
Living sacrifice > blood witness
– What happens when the word of the LORD comes to a son of man?!
He is both glorified (spiritually) & crucified (carnally).
– “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?” – the people to the prophet
– “I am about to desecrate my sanctuary – the stronghold in which you take pride…”
The living GOD Vs. Our tame theologies!
– “At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with them and will no longer be silent.
So you will be a sign to them, & they will know that I am the LORD.”
The message/sign of the silent preacher!
The heavy burden of the oracle…
– If the church is not exempt from judgment, then what about the world?
And vice-versa!
– 1 prophet, 2 ministries – pre-exilic (doom) & post-exilic (consolation) – patient-prognosis, before and after the radical cure!
– Reactive message
&
Proactive proclamation
– What does archeology have to do with astronomy?
– Cuneiform annals
– Prophecy of doom –> silence –> fulfillment –> prophecy of restoration –> silence –> fulfillment
Speak, wait & see –> speak, wait & see!
– The prophet as the priest-in-exile!
– The watchman who is on-duty in the darkest hour…
– Work ~ earn
Vs.
Work ~ serve
– Free to roam
– White board in front of my room – for daily quote…
– Distinguish:
Imitation
&
Emulation
– There must be (small) islands of singleness within the ocean of marriage…
– Are there non-sexual secrets?
– Group selfies – where is the Other in YOUR society?
– I hate people who drag their feet when walking.
Really?
– What does your resting position/leisure disposition look like?
– “Nymphomaniac” (movie)
Vs.
“The Promiscuous Female” (book)
Is it possible to be a nympho without also being a neurotic or sociopath?
Can one be wicked (spiritual/moral), without being either psychologically or socially deranged?
– Is “lust for life” good?
Is it possible to enjoy (experiencing) something without also desiring (to possess) it?
Is objectification without commodification okay?
In this matter, more than asking what I am doing to the other person & whether it is ethical, it is more important to ask what is going on inside me & whether it is healthy…
– Trending searches
– Conscience – is morality just another element of psychology?
– The tension between loving people & having strong convictions is becoming very real to me!
– Grace –> Praise
Praise –> Grace
– Never trust an addict, Joe!
– Endless victory ~ deathless love!
– Being free is a general Calling,
Liberating others is a special Calling.
– Angels ~ watchers
– supernal
– “Rejoice, O nations, with his people, and let all the angels worship him.” – Deut. 32:43
– concerto
– GOD’s power, love & law
In Nature,
In Man,
In the redemption plan.
Immanuel Joseph's Blog 