27.10.15
– There is a time for innovation & there is a time for conservation.
The question is, what time is it NOW?
– Questions to arrive at a vision/mission statement:
1. Where are we, & what is wrong with this?
2. Where do we go from here, & why is that better?
3. How do we get there, & what do we need to guide us on our way?
– Dark Knight:
Salvation is based on the lie that GOD is sovereign, the Saviour is a perfect human, & the Devil is responsible (not us) for all the terrible things that happen in our world.
Dark Knight Rises:
Salvation is based on the true sacrifice of the (divine) Messiah, who is in complete solidarity with us in the battle against evil.
OT (Throne) –> NT (Cross)?!
– Distinguish:
Love
&
Instinct
– “Objective art”
– Penguin Non-classics
28.10.15
– Fuck the To-do list for a while!
– I know that job, family, money, social status, emotional fulfillment, success, etc. can become idols.
But can mission (higher cause/noble ideals) be idolized?
Loving GOD
Vs.
Seeking the Kingdom!
– Overcoming the need for perfection, without succumbing to complacency.
How??
– Maybe I should resist the temptation to take anti-depressant medication, & let my emotional pain produce spiritual fruit, instead of undergoing therapy in order to be “efficient”.
Those people who have had the greatest impact on the world were those who lived entirely from within, without giving a damn about how relevant or useful they were!
– Trying to continue “functioning” externally, by repressing/ignoring one’s internal climate – do you call this discipline or folly??
– Discernment/enlightenment – maybe YOUR God is THE enemy, & YOUR Devil is THE friend!
– I confess that I CANNOT do nothing.
I am bound by the need to do SOMETHING, in order to be approved by myself & also accepted by society.
The only thing that is most needed by our present human condition (that gets to the heart of the matter) is considered as “nothing” by most, & all the other things that merely scratch the surface (beat around the bush) are considered as “something”……!
– Spirit Vs. Instinct
Spirit Vs. Intellect
Spirit Vs. Emotion
Instinct ~ body
Spirit ~ will
You must educate, train & liberate the will, not just strengthen it as if it is a blind/brutal force!
– All your (second-hand) learning is only for yourself to use (as a means). Only your (first-hand) knowledge is to be shared with others – seminar!
– Instead of “doing ministry” now, why don’t you just focus on “being (truly/fully) yourself” first. Then, later in the future, or along the way, maybe you can also share with others out of your own treasure……!
Mat. 13:52
I must ingest, digest & absorb the ancient wisdom, make it my own in the integration of experience, practice & theory. Only then can I share something vital & powerful with others – it must have become a part of who I am!
– Archetype – instead of just being an explorer/magician, I have become a reformer/achiever!
😦
– I am afraid of becoming more & more socially ostracized, because this will make it more & more psychologically difficult for me to survive. But maybe this (psychosocial death, along with physical discipline) is the only way to spiritual life!
– Stop all regular (fortnightly) SFG meetings, & continue only the annual picnic, retreat & seminar.
Or convert all SFG meetings into mutual sharing-learning. So I am NOT the resource-person, but just the coordinator.
– I live among a people who are all subject to an external system. In this context, I needed to demonstrate an alternative life by being free, but I have become a slave of a self-made structure instead! 😦
In my very attempt to be effective (vocationally), I have become worthless (essentially)……
– The only battle that matters:
Self (The One)
Vs.
selves (The many)
– It’s time for me to stop acquiring more & more gadgets/techniques to continue my survival underwater, and climb out onto dry ground, & learn to breathe the fresh air outside this pond!
The Spirit is the one who empowers me to be enthroned on my cross, by opening my eyes to see it as my greatest opportunity & not as something I should flee or resist……
ICor. 1:24
How can I impart the Spirit into them (the only way to grow/flourish) if I myself am not crucified/resurrected?!
– Imaginative insight
– Literary vivisection
– Insincere obeisance
– bathos
– paresis
– Exegetical acrobatics
– bon mot
– purblind
– From hedonism/castratism to sublimation/creativity!
– Humanistic skepticism
– Aphoristic experimentalism
– Subjective intellect and objective passion
– Physical/emotional discipline + intellectual/creative expression + personal/social independence = spiritual growth!
– Is the mystic/existentialist one who runs away from social/political issues, because he is afraid of confronting these large matters?
– Make my daily routine more open & flexible so that I can explore & experiment freely!
– I have solved the problem of locating which line one left off reading, when using page down in Adobe Reader!
– How can Savonarola be called a sceptic?!
– How can one policeman regulate the traffic at a 4-way junction?
– “For they have chosen crooked paths and have forgotten the Lord their God. “My wayward children,” says the Lord , “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” “Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the Lord our God.”
Is this what we (ought to) say every time we gather for worship?
We will always be backsliders, returning to be healed, right?
– “The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours.”
Voluntary blindness – no purgation, no illumination!
Ultimately, everything will be revealed for what it really is. So, live in view of this fact.
– “The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them.”
The fundamental difference between technology & spirituality – NEVER confuse them!
– Darkness – the justification of sin
Light – the exposure of evil
– “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in.”
The greatest in spirit is the one who has cultivated a great/sound intellect, yet maintains a humble/open attitude – an expert who perpetually remains a beginner!
– “Join the company of those serious people who sincerely call on the Lord.”
This is the (only) way to escape being caught unwittingly in the Devil’s traps!
– “If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we are left on our own to face the Judgment…”
Can a wilful sinner exercise repentance?
Why do some people leave the SFG? What usually happens to them?
– “What do you make out of what you hear? Are you really listening?”
Are you trying to understand so that you can be what you learn?
– Ears: Physical & spiritual
Eyes: Physical & spiritual
– What I want to be
Vs.
What I ought to be
What I am doing
Vs.
What I am becoming
Who I am
Vs.
Who I was
– Are there any Christian converts to Judaism?
– Not all those working in the corporate sector are slaves,
Not all those in government are corrupt,
Not all entrepreneurs are greedy.
– Distinguish:
Skepticism (more intellectual)
&
Cynicism (more moral)
– Machines are fallible too!
– 3 types of days:
Structured routine,
Creative expression &
Relaxation
– Intellect ~ cognitive/rational self ~ the conscious
Emotion ~ psychosocial self ~ unconscious
Instinct ~ bio-cultural self ~ collective unconscious
– Consciousness/motivation – the target for progressive transformation!
– I want to overcome the need for harmony & tranquility!
– When I feel more depressed, I must try to break out of the usual routine, just relax, & allow myself more freedom to do what is necessary to (gradually) restore emotional equilibrium…
– The more you block out what surrounds you, the more your inner life will come forth!
– I must learn how to use procrastination wisely…
Making an art-form out of conventional vices!
– How can we escape falling into the trap of self-made religion or man-made gods?
Will regular Bible-reading alone do the trick??
– Consciousness > conscience > cognition
– Ether (Old Eastern) ~ Spirit (Old Western) ~ Energy (New synthesis)!
– Sextus Empiricus
Richard Popkin
– Is critical theory an oxymoron?
29.10.15
– Spiritual life –> spiritual growth –> spiritual Kingdom!
30.10.15
– Is my frustration (& guilt!?) regarding the periodic (planned) indulgence/entertainment, coming from my over-reactive conscience or from my true heart??
When will I get over this (adolescent) crisis?!
;-[
– What is the third crucial element to a balanced life, apart from working & partying?
Being conscious (through contemplation & reflection)!
– How do I become more of a ‘human being’, from a ‘human doing’?
I have no clue!
Ha ha ha… And I am supposed to be a spiritual guru (with a small G of course!) 😉
– So, should I give myself another kick in the ass, or should I be more patient & gentle?
– Ordinary, everyday life-experience could be your greatest teacher, if you pay attention!
– A poor person who isn’t spiritual becomes an animal.
A rich person who isn’t spiritual becomes a demon.
What about the middle class?
A machine!?
– Suffering & joy are NOT mutually exclusive!
– Why is it that we tend to serve what we should use (technology) & end up using what we should serve (spirituality)?
– Waking Life –> Living Awake!
But how does the first happen? Is it completely serendipitous?
How can you find, if you are not seeking?
How can you be found, if you don’t want to be?
– Gratitude & reverence in each & every moment –> rejoicing always!
31.10.15
– Truth & faithfulness (root) –> love & justice (fruit)
– What/where is Heaven?
Heaven is where GOD’s rule is perfect. It is a place in GOD’s heart/mind (& therefore a spiritual reality), & it is the ultimate destiny of this (& every other) world in eternity!
– If what GOD thinks & wants is essential reality, & what we experience is sensible reality, then which is MORE real, (from the ultimate/eternal/cosmic perspective)?!
1.11.15
– Holy temple – the clergy like to keep repeating the phrase, “the sanctuary of the Lord”!
Is any belief/doctrine free of the power-drive??
The Cross.
But even that subversive symbol has become a sign of guilt/control…… 😦
– Spiritual friends, GOD-siblings, etc.
– How do we know that his “steadfast love endures forever”?
” The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me”!
– By attempting to look at our awesome troubles through the faith-lens of GOD’s power, we end up looking at awesome Glory through the ego-lens of our problems!
– Divine faithfulness being used to maintain the (supposedly providential) status quo…
His provision called upon to help us continue to live peacefully within the idolatrous/inhuman systems!
– Distinguish:
Glory (Christian)
&
Power (pagan)
– “All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD.
For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly.”
– Male + female = offspring.
Animus + Anima = ?
– Remembering the dead as a way of overcoming shortsightedness & self-centredness!
– What if Israel confuses Egypt with Canaan?!
And Canaan with Egypt……
– “Just submit to the authorities, & pray for the leaders.
Never disturb order by challenging the GOD-ordained authorities.”
– The angels are the spiritual creation, who stand somewhere between GOD himself & the material creation.
They remind us that Creation is larger than what we (can) know through science/reason!
– Knowledge ~ no-ledge!
– “The arm of flesh will fail you” ~ the pierced Hand!
– The criteria you use to qualify a leader says more about who you are than the one you assess!
– The natural stage after the dramatic liberation, and the initial honeymoon period, is the strong temptation to return to the former state of slavery! Freedom needs much more courage than slavery, & that doesn’t come immediately to a newly liberated people…
– A weakling who becomes a powerful weapon in the hands of the Spirit!
– “I fear (for you) that my work (for you) may have been in vain.”
SFG?
“I beg you, dear brothers & sisters, become like me, for I have become like you…”!
What??
Become like me (spiritually/theologically/ethically), for I have become like you (emotionally/socially/physically).
– “You have done me no wrong!
So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?”
Leader to people: you like me as a person, but hate my message.
Sometimes it’s the other way around.
– Who knows a leader who is both passionate & humble (doesn’t desire power)?
The truly powerful person is one who has no seek/need for popularity!
– Let him increase & let me decrease ~ let Christ be formed in you
– “But I am not proud like that person!”
– “They court you eagerly, but for no good purpose…”
Yes I am zealous for you, but not for promoting myself!
– The only way to fulfill this mission is by getting crushed under the weight of the burden!
– Obeying GOD ~ rebelling against other authorities (including the religious)!
Submissiveness is a relevant virtue, only in the context of challenging (abusive) power.
– The leader receives the Eucharist, to be thankful, & to be inspired to replicate Christ crucified in his/her service.
2.11.15
– I must start looking at psychological problems as also having an element of (organic) disease (instead of purely a spiritual malfunction), for which the person suffering from it is only as responsible (for the disorder) as in a case of flu. This will help me to deal with her/him in a more sympathetic way!
– Learning to have fun (properly!):
1. Experiencing (passive/entertainment) & doing (active/recreation)
2. Individual (indulgence) & corporate (celebration)
3. Taking time to imagine (think of something new/different/challenging), & then experiment (try it)
– If you want to find GOD, then just go to the deepest deep, the widest wide &/or the highest high!
– Dream:
Mountaineering with Shanthuru & others…!
– To be zealous (for a cause) ~ to seek (someone) eagerly
– What does it mean to present the Gospel (the reason for your hope) with respect & a clear conscience?
It means that you don’t talk as if only you (as a Christian) are right/good, & everyone else (non-Christian) is bad/wrong, and sharing the message out of a life of fervent devotion to Christ & moral integrity in all your dealings.
– Distinguish:
Sincerity
&
Truth
– Only the virtuous person is able to discern spiritual truth from her experience of the natural world!
– The flesh as veil/reflection
– All human creativity is a work of imitation!
– No man mocks GOD & is the better for it!
– “Thy inclination to defer (spiritual) works until a leisure time comes from foolishness of soul.”
— Ibn Ataillah
– Calavera figurines:
“If life must be celebrated, then what about death?”
– “Photography and film play a very important role: to share what’s there with people … We need to inspire the leaders and the public emotionally. We need them to fall in love with these places. We bring the place to them—that’s why photography and film is important.” – Ecologist
– No intentional suffering, no personal growth.
No strategic sacrifice, no effective ministry.
No creative solidarity, no social development.
– Distinguish:
Living in the moment
&
Focusing on the task at hand
I am tired of fighting my absent-mindedness!
😦
Maybe I should just learn to accept my weaknesses, without stopping the effort to change……
– We are willing to pay for every other service, but why do most Christians (especially those who earn) take spiritual work for granted?!
– Don’t confuse silence & solitude with isolation & obsession!
– I love you ~ I give myself for you ~ I do my utmost for your welfare
– The biblical (especially NT) use of the word “spiritual” is usually not as a synonym for, but an antonym of, “human”!
4.11.15
– Movies:
“Enemy” (hit!)
Totalitarianism, identity-crisis & sexual morality
How are these three connected?
The poster seems to agree with the review I have posted on the blog.
I think it’s about the stunning realization that our greatest fantasies & worst nightmares are but identical!
– Spontaneity as eschatological existence, & discipline as teleological existence!
Bring back the alternate day rhythm (50-50). My very lifestyle & who I am, needs to be the Message.
The Future is always scandalous! But it takes enormous guts to live it out in one’s context. The greatest resistance comes from within.
The 2 sides of the coin:
1. Living subject to a prefixed structure – intellectual & volitional emphasis.
2. Living out of one’s emotions, expressing the body & responding to circumstances (includes other people).
… instead of dividing the whole into the work & relaxation halves.
Immanuel Joseph's Blog 