Category: Journal

Ramblings

14.8.15

– “What we see mainly depends on what we are looking for.”
Do you love truth or your own desire?
Do you trust GOD or your own faith?
Do you seek knowledge or your own plans?
Is it possible to be(come) able to see everything, without looking for anything?

– Lucid dreaming
What is it?!

– Axial scenes

– Liminal experiences

– Universal subjectivity

– Choice, purpose & fate

– debark

– GOD is not the enemy of man,
Sovereignty is not incompatible with freedom,
And Grace is not the opposite of consequence!

– Is there a (proper) place for impulsiveness in the human life?

– Whiggish

– The struggle for mastery

– Is Nietzsche for or against nihilism??

– avant-garde
vanguard
forefront
state-of-the-art
cutting-edge

– “Conservative movement”
Oxymoron?!

– Real communication, within & among, subversive micro-societies…

– psycho-geography

– colophon

– Library of Nothingness!

– Shopping – What are the character qualities that are tested (& developed) by this activity?
Distinguish:
Consumption
&
Provision

15.8.15

– HAPPY 69th BIRTHDAY, dear India!  🙂

– The Charismatics believe that their experience of emotional intimacy with GOD is more important than the call to an ethical lifestyle (social justice, etc.). Is that alright?
The Liberal would take exactly the opposite position…
After all, aren’t there a plurality of (legitimate) “spiritual styles”?

– You are free, but only FOR freedom, NOT slavery!

16.8.15

– Did you know that vegetarianism is a more eco-friendly lifestyle?

– Eat only half stomach.
After (occasional) feasting (full stomach), skip the next meal.

– Spiritual life:
Sit (rest in GOD),
Walk (work on yourself) &
Stand (resist the Powers)
Come on, let’s go!

– In this world, having (more) money makes you feel (more) alive!

– Film essays

– From entertainment to recreation:
The first step is to stop the incessant consumption of mass-media, the second is stillness/contemplation and the third is expression/experimentation!

– Eucharist – what does worshipping the Lamb have to do with eating mutton??

17.8.15

– Maybe the greatest ministry that GOD does (for us) is cancelling out his fatherhood role, so that we can, in turn, become full adults (& parents)!
Even the need to give is still a need.
The evolution of GOD – he outgrows the need to be the Lord/Master –> overcoming the need to take care of, & save, us –> letting go of the need to change/improve us!
How do/can/should we minister to GOD??

– Movies:
“The Loft” (hit)
WOW!
Sex, marriage & friendship
What is fidelity??!
Desire, will & conscience
Distinguish:
Spiritual/moral sin,
Social transgression &
Legal crime

– My EQ is above average!

– Spiritual SWOT analysis
Focus on the interface BETWEEN your inner & outer environment.
The overlapping & interaction between internal-external & positive-negative (spiritual-physical, past-future, individual-social, abstract-concrete, etc.) factors.

18.8.15

– All cynics are cowardly bums!

– My birthday (party) has made me realize that I need to be more (not less!) assertive (as a person with a cause/passion), maybe even aggressive (when it comes to my message)!

– Distinguish:
Penitence
&
Self-punishment

– Upright AND relaxed!

– I am not bad, but I am not perfect either.
I don’t agree with you, but I still respect you.
I do see your point, but I would rather stick to my guns…

– Original sin
&
Secular psychology
Evil
&
Psychotherapy

19.8.15

– GOD is non-violent, but he is NOT agendaless!
Therefore, he has his enemies, even if he loves all.
He is all for freedom, but he is also passionately against all evil……
Let us not cancel out the one with the other.
“Weird is the side-effect of awesome! ”

– “Just do the right thing, you will be fine. Don’t worry!”

– Lust – sexual inflammation, without the violent desire for control/possession, CANNOT be (called) sinful!

– I know how the 6 (Renovare) components of the Christian/spiritual life stack up!
(This insight came to me while bathing  😉
The first 3 elements – contemplative/prayer, charismatic/worship & evangelical/theological are the roots.
And the second 3 – sacramental/vocational, holiness/virtue & social justice/compassion are the fruits.
The first 3 are meant to produce the second 3, & the second 3 cannot exist without the first 3.
But they are all (equally?) important!
Roots without fruits – Jas. 2:17-18
Fruits without roots – 1Cor. 13:1-3

– Online:
Charts & tests

– Theatre:
“Ila” (Hit)
WOW! I didn’t expect “gender” (theme) to be so sexy (performance) 😉
Compare & contrast: Film & theater
Stay back for interaction with the artists…

20.8.15

– The good (spiritual) person is not only one who leads an ethical lifestyle, but also one who takes seriously their responsibility to create awareness & initiate a movement in their respective contexts…
So, in that sense, everyone IS an evangelist!
Witness in deed (personal/demonstrative) alone is NOT enough, it should also be in word (social/communicative).

– Olive-oil massage!

– Who is Ashley Madison??

– Slow-cycling race

– The private dimension of the Kingdom – working on oneself, to grow.
The public dimension of the Kingdom – to work with GOD, against the evil powers of this world.
The relational dimension – to join hands with others, in helping one another do the above 2 even better.

– How can you think/say anything (true) about a film, without taking into account, the very nature of filmmaking & the character of the filmmaker?
– Stop living inside your head, & start living from your body!
NOW ~ WOW

– I want to be more unself-conscious!

21.8.15

– Ticket tout

– Carnal wisdom!
Physicality, affectivity & aesthetics
Something missing here? 
Ah yes, erotics…  😉

– They say I am proud & arrogant (maybe even cruel!)…
Is that true?

– You should have sex only with me + you should give me a baby + you should earn to support the family = marriage!
WOW, what an amazing institution……
Is this a microcosm of the very Kingdom of GOD itself, or what?

– If I reject these social, moral & religious norms, than I will be rejected by this society, family &  church, right?!
Then what (happens to me)!?

– Yes I love you, but I cannot & will not compromise or sacrifice certain things, even for you.
So, does it have to be “all or nothing” (in this matter)?

– I believe that a personal counter-intuitive insight/impression has more (of the authority of) ‘inspiration’, than one which agrees with your natural inclinations..

– Man/soul is more than body, mind & spirit.
What about will, conscience & faith?

22.8.15

– “Talking heads” – 3 meanings

– Distinguish:
Doing for each other what one can do for oneself (No)
&
Each person playing their respective roles in the household (Yes)

– Being elevated to another level BY being fully in the now.

– Bending & stretching time!

– “There are not a lot of people who are willing to do self-exploration at such great depth, and who are open to share, risk & trust another person, to really show who they are.”
– “Unrecognized Relationships…” (book)
No introspection (individual), no intimacy (relational)!
Depth & closeness takes courage.

– Wireless charger
WOW! How??

– How can something like taste be judged as simply superior or inferior?

– Fiction is truer than facts!

– Movies:
“Due Date” (hit)
Hmmm… Which is better:
A good heart with a poor mind,
Or a sharp mind with a bad heart?

– Meditation, advocacy & mediation

– Private logic

– Mob ~ herd

– 1st, 2nd & 3rd wave movements

23.8.15

– Selfish, shallow, stupid & lazy

– Theater:
“In Between the Lines” (hit)
The subtle ubiquity of gender inequality, even in the middle & upper socio-economic classes.
Nandita Das is feisty (& beautiful)!
Marriage is not for the faint-hearted – marathons are not for those who don’t have stamina…
Cultural conditioning > personality traits!
Exposing the cracks in an apparently smooth wall – good or bad?
Honesty > happiness

24.8.15

– Nutraceuticals

– Divorce, while being on good terms with each other

– “Along the way, allied with the enemy” (Living Sacrifice)
&
“All along we’re just another brick in the wall” (Pink Floyd)
The co-opted elements (in the business government nexus, the political-financial power-mafia) – family, religion, education, media, entertainment, etc.
Who will refuse to be swept away by the tsunami? They will become young martyrs & immortal heroes!

– Movies:
“Comme il Vento” (“Like the wind” – Italian) – hit
Like the wind – both ephemeral & powerful!
Would she have committed suicide if she was a Christian?
Distinguish:
Realism
&
Faithfulness
Would the lead character was a male, would he have committed suicide?
She should have remarried, instead of just having an affair. The relational/sexual is the (vital!) buffer between the private/personal & the public/professional.
The natural desire for a normal life
&
The divine call to be extraordinary
Is it a code (ethical) that prohibits the mafia from killing a woman??

25.8.15

– Monthly budget:
10% – giving (charity/activism/religious)
10% – saving (for emergency)
10% – investment (long-term growth)
70% – regular expenses
Be pound-wise & penny-foolish!

– Vocation:
If you are not engaged in the Call, but just have a job, then compensate by increasing your giving to ~ 40-50% of income, & finding “ministry opportunities”…

– Political psychology!
Analysing power…
Psychophysiology – spirit + flesh = body!

– My mission is the inhibition of inhibition!

– Cultural cleansing

– ‘Satori’

– “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” – Stephen Hawking

– Do you know what the “VYAPAM Scam” is?

– Legislators
Vs.
Bureaucrats

26.5.15

– Carelessness/laziness & anxiety/busyness are 2 sides of the same coin.

– Dream:
I am on death row, along with a few friends. But we escape, after one is killed. Then we flee from our captors…
Muthukumar is walking in our neighborhood! I am surprised to meet him, & ask what he is doing here. I also introduce him to Chellam…

– You forgot to mention one form of Power (apart from political, financial & cultural) – brute force (muscle/military/violent)!

– NET Bible:
“When the first Bibles and books began to be printed rather than copied by hand, new issues emerged (plagiarism, author’s rights, freedom of the press versus censorship, copyright laws, etc.). It is now time to recognize that the copyright and permissions conventions carried over from printed books must now be upgraded for the Internet age. The innovations will create new opportunities for ministry while also providing new opportunities for authors to support themselves. We believe that 1 Tim 5:17-18 (the author has the right to be paid) and Lev 23:22 (allow the poor and foreigner free access) can be simultaneously satisfied far better with a new Internet model.”

– What is your ministry model?

– Translation – accurate, readable, elegant & affordable

– Translators, editors, interpreters, critics, commentators, communicators

– Beta-testing

– “I will make you fishers of men” –> “I will turn you into fishers of people”

– Biblical context – grammatical, historical & theological

– A fresh perspective from which to approach the (same old) task!

– Inspirational instruction & instructive inspiration

– Distinguish:
Providential control
&
Miraculous intervention

– What is the connection between the Septuagint & the (doctrine of the) Virgin birth??
What is more miraculous – the virgin birth or the evolution of an incomparably great person from an ordinary man?
Divine being Vs. Anointed human
Which is more powerful – a physical resurrection or the eternally active memory of the crucified One?

– Institutionalize ~ immortalize

– Name ~ call ~ encounter

– Isaiah – are Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz & Immanuel the same??
GOD’s presence, among his people, in the form of judgment!

– The rhetorical use of the imperative

– Distinguish:
Transitive
&
Infinitive

– Trash talking

– Do mammals (like goats & cows) deserve more rights than fish & birds?

– Every human must be involved in one or both of these life-activities:
Helping to meet the basic needs for the poor (in any sense – economic, spiritual, social, physical, etc.)
&/or
Enabling the materially self-sufficient to find (more) abundant being
Therefore, everyone must be engaged, through some way, in taking humanity forward from where it is now, & not just spending one’s (entire) life in the maintenance of the status quo.

– Passion > meaning > happiness!
No rigor, no vigor.
If you want be (more) fully alive, then you must (be willing to) enter (more) deeply into the pain of living…

– I want no relational constraints,
I want a perfect body,
I want to learn something new everyday,
I want to constantly grow spiritually,
I want to change the world (for the better),
I want complete economic freedom,
I want to be happy,
I want to become great……
Should I take any/all of these seriously??

– Is divorce worse than death of the spouse?

– My emotional life seems to be too flat. What can I do about it??

– Be present – stop thinking, start breathing. Pay close, full attention to your own body, your senses (external stimuli) & your feelings.

– Dominion ~ responsibility
Counselor ~ strategist

– No political justice & economic equality, no social peace!

– Hebrew – Kingdom is grammatically feminine!

– Prologue to Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach): “You are therefore urged to read with good will and attention, and to be indulgent in cases where, in spite of our diligent labor in translating, we may appear to have rendered some phrases imperfectly.”

– Saved by Grace ~ justified by His faithfulness!
My faithfulness/obedience (OT) –> my faith in Christ (NT & Protestant Reformation) –> the faith of Jesus (NT & contemporary interpretation)!

27.8.15

– ‘Actor-turned-director’

– Situation room

– Apps, extensions, add-ons & tweaks

– Inspiration > motivation
What’s the difference?

– Eliminate the middle-men…
Going direct!

– Distinguish:
“Karumaariyamman thunai” (Tamil)
&
“The LORD shall keep your going out & your coming in.”

– Dream:
I have a long, intimate conversation with Rowan.
There is danger (temptation) all around…

– “Unable to grasp God’s essence, we seek help in words, in names, in animal forms, in figures  . . .in trees and flowers, summits and sources.”

— Maximus of Tyre

– “This world is verily an outer court of the Eternal, or of Eternity, and specially whatever in Time, or any temporal things or creatures, manifesteth or remindeth us of God or Eternity; for the creatures are a guide and a path unto God and Eternity.”
— Theologia Germanica, 50

– Confrontational education

– BASIC ID

– Chairwork

– Psychodrama

– Scripts, drivers, games &

– Bolstering individual identity through social engagement

– Milieu therapy

– “The concept of elementality is part of an appreciation of living and achieving
an ultimate level of consciousness toward the end of life. Compelling
new brain research is included that suggests between the ages 60 and 80
the brain begins a new stage of cognitive and psychosocial development
in which reminiscence and life review play a critical role.”

– End-of-life care – from palliative to redemptive!

– “…finishing, with peace and dignity by letting go of and passing on what has been essential in one’s life.”

– Assisted living
Service learning

– Confrontation and closure

– Oral histories

– Making educational work enjoyable,
And creating entertainment that is also edifying…

– Transformative memories

– “The memoir is the signature genre of our age.” – Patricia Hampl

– 3 levels of journaling:
Public – for blogging
Personal – shared only with my wife
Private – accessible only to me

Speaking (notes) @ Verizon Christian fellowship

29.7.15 – Introduction

– Apology
Scouting
4 week guarantee!
Audio-recording
Alert mind & open heart – take notes, revise, reflect, respond, share. Follow-up email.
Are you ready to focus on working with yourself?
Are you willing to change?

– Friendship with Wesley, Bermin

– What is theology?
Scripture + tradition/history + personal experience + reason + culture/church!

– My intro. – testimony

– My ministry ppt

– “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead (American cultural anthropologist & TV personality – 1901-1978)
“Do not be afraid, little flock,
for it is the Father’s good pleasure
to give you the Kingdom.” – Luke 12:32 (Jesus to the 12 disciples/apostles) – theme verse for SFG!

Homework: Brief Bio (in 1-3 sentences)
1. What kind of person am I?
2. What am I passionate about?
3. What is unique about me?
Please give your full name, age, church affiliation and marital status also.

– Definition:
What is spirituality or spiritual life/growth?

_______________________________________________

5.8.15 – Clarifications, my testimony, Renovare

– Silence

– Request not to be biased based on presumptions & prejudices.
Allow me to speak uninterrupted for 25-30 min., note down your comments & doubts.
First observe & understand, only then evaluate & criticize!
Further discussion – before or after fellowship meetings…

– Sorry about Dmail.

– Sharing bios
Add marital status & church affiliation.

– Done homework?
Share reflections & responses (discuss on online/mobile forum?).

– Clarification regarding “being biblical”, “holiness”, etc.
Please be aware that your faith (theology & morality) is not formed directly or exclusively by Scripture (or Holy Spirit), but by your religious background (church denomination & leadership), family (childhood/upbringing), personality type, society/culture, education, books, sermons, etc. ALSO. That is why diversity within Christianity (need not cause conflict & division if dealt with maturely)! The inevitability of (subjective) interpretation!
Even Scripture is the (inspired) human record of divine encounters – from divine revelation to human language. Diversity of voices even within Scripture!

– My testimony.

– Renovare – Richard Foster’s vision – the 3 defects/needs in the contemporary church.

– Coming up:
Strategies for SFG, Renovare components, traditional streams & spirituality styles
Calling (vocational guidance – triangle model)

_______________________________________________

– Give list of spiritual disciplines to Babu – send “Celebration of Discipline” book

_______________________________________________

12.8.15 – Clarifications, Salvation/Gospel/Kingdom, Spirituality/Spiritual Formation

– Silence, homework, sharing

– My responsibility to share the Message in my heart rather than to tell you what you expect/want!

– What is “holiness”?
Gal. 5:22!
Fruit ~ outcome ~ result

– “Renovare” – 2Cor. 4:16b – continual renewal!

– What is salvation?
Eph. 2:8-9 – what is grace? What is faith?
Mk. 1:14-15 – what is repentance?
Shift in emphasis from Heaven/after-life/forgiveness of sins to Kingdom/abundant life/New Creation!

– Spiritual/Christian life – Renovare components

– Strategies for growth – 4 models

– Distinguish:
Theology (comprehensive)
&
Spirituality (personal)

– Discussion

– Prayer

– Next meeting – 19.8.15 – Calling/vocation

_______________________________________________

12.8.15 – Clarifications, Salvation/Gospel/Kingdom, Spirituality/Spiritual Formation

– Silence, homework, sharing

– My responsibility to share the Message in my heart rather than to tell you what you expect/want!

– Our expectations & GOD’s redefinitions!
What is “holiness”?
Gal. 5:22!
Fruit ~ outcome ~ result

– “Renovare” – 2Cor. 4:16b – continual renewal!

– What is salvation?
Eph. 2:8-9 – what is grace? What is faith?
Mk. 1:14-15 – what is repentance?
Shift in emphasis from Heaven/after-life/forgiveness of sins to Kingdom/abundant life/New Creation!
The already/always and the coming/not yet – tension!
Acorn & oak
– Spiritual/Christian life – Renovare components

_______________________________________________

– Strategies for growth – 4 models

– Distinguish:

Theology (comprehensive/universal)

&

Spirituality (partial/personal)

– Discussion

– Prayer

– Next meeting – 19.8.15 – Gospel of Grace, Calling/vocation

___________________________________________________________________

19.8.15

– Please go through the recording & notes carefully, more than once, and reflect upon them to make specific, personal applications. If you do them, these meetings will definitely be fruitful for you!

– Distinguish:
Eternal life/reconciliation with GOD/forgiveness of sins (universalism)
&
Kingdom of GOD/New Creation/Heavenly City (it’s up to us to choose!)

– The CEO as father (personal/relational/civilian),
And the Father as CEO (professional/missional/military).
Getting out of the childish attitude, to the adult. Compulsion –> freedom –> impulsion!
GRACE – Accepting GOD’s already given acceptance!

– Major decisions & “GOD’s will”
Holy habits (lifestyle alteration)
vs.
Religious programs (accessory activities)
From a negative understanding of holiness to positive

– The prophet
&
The demoniac
Distinguish!
Mat. 4:3-10 + 5:21a,22a, 27a,28a, 33a,34a, 38a,39a, 43a,44a + 15:3,6,8
“It is written” – Devil; “It is written again” – Jesus
“You have heard it said”
Vs.
“But I say unto you!”

– Parable – Mat. 7:21-23 + 25:31-46 + Luk. 3:8
Religious identity (us knowing Him)
Vs.
Spiritual life (Him knowing us)

– Passages on listening to sermons/messages…

Our interaction with Scripture

Mat. 13:10-15 (NET)
Then the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He replied, “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘ You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely  yet will never comprehend .  For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them . ’

Mark 4:14-20:
“The sower sows the Word.
And these are those by the wayside where the Word is sown. And when they hear,
Satan comes at once and takes away the Word having been sown in their hearts.
And likewise, these are the ones having been sown on the rocky places, who, when
they hear the Word, they immediately receive it with joy, yet they have no root in
themselves, but are temporary. Then trouble or persecution having occurred through
the Word, immediately they are offended.
These are those being sown into the thorn bushes, those hearing the Word,
and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts about other
things entering in, they choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.
And these are those being sown on the good ground, who hear and welcome the Word
and bring forth fruit, one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundredfold.”

Mark 4:23-25 (NLT):
“Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand (If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear)! And be sure to pay attention to what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand – and even more besides. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.”

John 13:17
“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

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