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Tag: Church
Reflections
9.8.14
Slipshod Slovenly
Intelligence
Vs.
Intellect
“The funk”
Human ~ humus!
America, the bloody-beautiful!
Intrical
The status of ex-slaves
Keeping promises
Vs.
Evolving convictions
Partisan-bigot
Vs.
Maladjusted-nonconformist
Conscience as contextual, critical & compassionate consciousness
“Cut against the grain”
Superficiality-denial-apathy-complacency
Avoidance-downplaying-sidestepping-overlooking
How can I be passionate about certain social evils which have not affected me personally?
Doing the M.A without being dominated-controlled by the system/deadline/evaluation of IGNOU or M.U!
Coping with one’s own public powerlessness by exercising domestic power over the most vulnerable!
The danger of reinforcing the worst, in our pursuit to reach out & grasp the best!
Christian fellowship meeting – let’s talk sex today, folks!
Ordered, collective, symbolic actions
Mystery ~ ambiguity ~ ignorance ~ chaos!
Playlets of melancholy, desire & anger
Satchel
Alpaca
Transmogrify
Ethical emotions
Secular liturgy
The Latitude Festival
10.8.14
The sermon should do for the N.T (& the entire Bible) what the N.T did for the O.T!
Progressive revelation (past), contextualisation (present) & extrapolation (future)…
Apocalyptic & eschatological exposition!
The sermon is the articulation & explication of the meeting point & dynamic interface that forms between Scripture that moves toward us, & our own lives that move toward GOD……
Therefore, the pulpit lies somewhere halfway between the Bible & the congregation, thereby becoming the vital bridge that gives life by connecting Word & flesh!
9.8.14
– Know your limitations, so that you know how much you can stretch!
– Yes I know this is what you believe, but I’m asking you to think it over again…
Will you?
– Spirituality, philosophy & service
10.8.14
– One man’s reason is another’s nonsense!
– Tree & bark ~ spirituality & religion ~ love & marriage ~ relationship & institution ~ person & society ~ Grace & Law.
1. Which is more important?
2. Which one is the means & which one is the end?
3. What does one do when they contradict each other?
– “Gladly forever adore him!”
– Sermon – evoking a particular (powerful) mood & be touched-moved, rather than (brilliant) points to remember-apply!
Imbibe the Spirit, by delving into the Word (exposition), & express it through words (preaching) that in turn recreates the same inward effect in the hearers.
Preaching is NOT GOD speaking through the preacher, but the preacher him/herself speaking out of his/her experience & encounter with the living Christ in Scripture…
– “The best just got better!”
– 2 different views of Preaching:
1. Evangelical – the sermon as playing within the circle of Scripture.
2. Liberal – the sermon as running on & taking-off from the launching pad of Scripture.
– Expository preaching – what would this passage sound like if it was written by me, inspired by the same Spirit as the Apostle, in this contemporary context?
What would be the vocabulary, the style, the central thrust of the message? How would it be the same & how would it be different?
– Movies:
Promised Land
Finally, it was a personal insult that made him change course, rather than any conscientious penance or passion for a higher cause!
11.8.14
– Living over-cautiously is more dangerous than living with gay abandon!
– “You will never again be a saint or pastor in my eyes!”
– GOD wished me “Happy Birthday!” today (through a sign in heaven) – this has made my day complete/perfect! 🙂
– The greatest danger with any substance or activity that is intensely pleasurable is not addictive potential, but its power to numb one to the suffering of others (especially ‘the least of these’) & social evils……
12.8.14
– Rather than completely repress our ‘animal instincts’, it would be better to express them in an enlightened-moderated manner.
“Just creatures for a while…”
Then the violent eruption can be prevented!
So, are concepts like ‘sublimation’ just myths??
– I want to be a paragon of ingenuity (creative improvisation)! 😉
Vignettes
17.6.14
– Is there something deeper (than the superficiality I can see) in these people, or is this all there is to them??
How is it possible to be like this?!
– If you are living in the same house as some others, then you better share your life with them!
18.6.14
– Problematize
– MOOCS – Massive Open Online Courses
– Becoming is the bridge between being & doing!
– Book review – one book for the course as a whole; one to relate it with my faith; one for each core subject.
– Self-assignments!
– Should I watch one World Cup match everyday?
20.6.14
– The greatest evils are NOT committed by ‘selfish’ persons, but by those people who have sold their souls for a ‘higher cause’!
– Is it possible that the same Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures will say things to us which are contradictory to what He said in the biblical context?
– Philosophical theologians & theological philosophers
Dogmaticians & metaphysicians
– We are all born fundamentalists!
– “Hi, how are you?”
– Even the so-called need for novelty is a familiar fact!
21.6.14
– Movies:
Pervert’s Guide to Ideology
22.6.14
– Apotheosis
Apophatic
– Picaresque
– Albeit
– Maybe
– Self-denial, self-forgetfulness & self-giving
Sacrifice, worship & love
– Belief-pray-praise
Talk-eat-live
Show-share-shape
– Manna, the feeding of the five thousand & preaching
Passover, Crucifixion & Eucharist
23.6.14
– “The Prodigal son was a son first, but later he was willing to become a slave voluntarily and willingly to his father. The elder son was a rightful son but he was a forced slave (by himself) to his father when absolute freedom was available. He was like the pharisees. Then when father wants him to join the celebration he refuses. He refuses to be the son. It is the reverse. It is very sad. Dr. Commins, Baptist pastor US.” – A
“GOD does NOT want slaves (voluntary or involuntary)! Does GOD give us freedom just for us to surrender it back to Him??” – J
24.6.14
– Individualism/Humanism
Vs.
Selfism/Narcissism
– “Hi… Just some thoughts on our discussion about vocation:
I am glad that you are no longer fatalistic about your future, & have found your field of interest.
But isn’t Calling more than just doing what one likes?? What about the kind of structure/system that you are getting into – the corporate sector exists only for one reason – financial profit! And humans are just ‘resources’ used by the corporation/company to attain this goal. The question is does HR really care for the holistic well-being of the persons themselves, or just about ‘optimizing performance’ for the sake of the bottomline & stock value?
Is there any genuine concern for the wider society, & are any greater local/global issues addressed by the organization that you join, & by your work in particular?
Finally, how is your work related to the values of the Kingdom of GOD & the purposes of Christian mission? Is it for, against or neutral to the agenda of GOD’s operation in our world??”
– Mirror image ~ self concept
26.6.14
– Declare war on boredom, complacency & apathy!
Do only one thing at a time with intense focus. Make a gradual & smooth transition from one thing to another. Set apart a little time periodically to review & plan. Make up your mind (about the overall direction of your life) thoughtfully, & then stick to your guns!
– Monday – Friday: Green
Saturday: Orange
Sunday: Red
– Once in 3 months – outing (retreat or house-visit)
– Ignorance-deception-vanity,
Anxiety-apathy-compromise &
Indulgence-conceit-aggression.
27.6.14
– Distinguish:
Pain
&
Suffering
– Theology is the linguistic expression of our mimetic & methectic response to what we hear from GOD (the excess in our experience of ourselves & the world).
– Struggle, rest & celebrate
Vs.
Relax, indulge & frustrate
29.6.14
– Distinguish:
Individualism
&
Selfism
Narcissism
&
Solipsism
– Boredom + entertainment = depression!
– At the end of the Book of Job, why doesn’t GOD ‘explain’ to Job the reason for/meaning of his tragedy in terms of the heavenly court drama with the Devil?
– Life is not like a football match where your team wins or even loses. It is not just plain happiness or grief.
It is more like a match where the better team loses or a refereeing mistake determines the outcome of the game……
It is just frustrating & puzzling!
– Self-reliance without self-sufficiency.
Self-confidence without self-complacency.
Self-discipline without self-denial.
Self-sacrifice without selflessness.
Notes
4.5.14
– Maybe the Apocalypse is (primarily) an unveiling of our own eyes!
– Maintain equilibrium by increasing both the extremes instead of augmenting the middle!
– “World of worship”
– Distinguish:
What you ought
&
What you must
– Possessive/female/ conservative
Vs.
Covetous/male/progressive
– Needy – the dependent AND the ambitious
– Faith as sight
Vs.
Faith as blindness
Fideism/rationalism
Vs.
Empiricism/scepticism
– The complementary
AND
The contradictory
Enjoy being played (pushed & shoved)! 😉
– Fantasy/imagination/ dream/hope
Vs.
Experience/reality/ memory/context
– Passion
Vs.
Purpose
Vs.
Peace
– “Spirit of GOD, descend upon my heart, wean it from earth.
…I ask no sudden rending of the veil of clay…”
– Encounter ~ confront
– “If a man does not stumble in what he says, he is perfect.”
– Jas.3:6 – “course of life” ~ “wheel of birth”!
How can my tongue corrupt my own body?
– Freedom is solitude,
Solitude is freedom.
Company is security,
Security is company.
– Boast (self), rebel (GOD) & slander (others)
– The whisperers
– Non-malicious, but still destructive!
– Mutual pastoring
– We have legs – neither roots nor wings!
– Feeling good about oneself when savoring the fall of another!
– “Meekness of wisdom”
– Bitter jealousy ~ selfish ambition
– Integrity » impartiality
– “My brothers & sisters, this is how things are, but they ought not to be so.
Who is wise and understanding among you (concerning this)?”
– Self-deception is always involuntary/unconscious!
– He who dares to walk in external darkness will experience the inner light!
– “If you love somebody,
Free, free, set them free!”
– Creating & using religious, moral & social categories/norms to compensate for the lack of personal spiritual/ existential/psychological adequacy……
The frail/pathetic individual seeks shelter under the wings of marriage, family, church, office, government, etc.
– State terrorism
– Retreat from ministry ok. But what about:
Retreat from marriage?
Retreat from religion?
Retreat from work?
Retreat from law?
– Am I just sawing at the branch on which I myself am sitting??
– Recognize ~ acknowledge ~ appreciate
– Horrific comedy
Bizarre, surreal, macabre
– Too clever for your own good!
– Picaresque
– Is all you want just to break her, force her to surrender & confess your superiority?
– Randy
– Who is Vatsyayana?
– Boudoir
– Ingenue
Naïve, curious & enthusiastic!
– Frigid (sexually) & caustic (socially) women
– “One Hundred Years of Solitude”
– ‘Chinki’
– PDSO
– Mapping the sexual landscape of contemporary India
Words
11.4.14
– Change watching (night sleep + day sleep) from 4+2 to 4&1/2 + 2&1/2
– Advanced search
– Egghead Longhair
– Townie
– Interloper
– Have you ever smelt the breath of GOD?!
– Research, education & service
Religion, faith & witness
– Vox populi ~ Vox dei?
– Radical reformulation
– Ultimately, spiritual growth is an individual responsibility, and mainly depends upon the people themselves, not the leader or the resources or the system – these factors are only secondary.
– Is there such a thing as divine tradition?
– Power of GOD
Vs.
Worldly wisdom
Divine wisdom
Vs.
Carnal power
Spirit
Vs.
Intellect
– Is Jesus still in the church??
– Sensuous asceticism!
– Knowledge, discipline & mystery
– Is play as important as purpose & passion?
– Language as symbol – vehicle for communicating realities.
– Dr. Augustine Asir
– Parents worthy to have a ‘special’ (handicapped) child!
– Personal retardation » burden/suffering for those close to you!
– Dr. Emmma thinks I may have a ‘developmental problem’!
– We need a new jargon for this generation!
– Seasonal fruits & evergreen trees
– Where is the faith & peace?
Where is the hope & joy?
Where is the love?
– From what do you draw your strength?
– Certain things, in fact the most important things, cannot be done hurriedly!
– Abiding in the fellowship
– NOT fearing (fleeing/fighting) whatever happens to you is obedience (to GOD)!
– If you love those you live with, then you will be blessed/joyful!
– Self-understanding + self-discipline + self-sacrifice = self-realization!
– Walking in Christ
– You become like the one with whom you spend most of your time!
– Knowing » loving » obeying
– Conversation/intercourse (give/speak & take/listen) » intimacy
– Loving sex & lustful relationship
– How can I reach, touch & hold GOD?
– Community-living – maybe this is the resolution of the family/fellowship divide, just like Calling is the answer to the career/ministry tension!
– Do you think the menace of busyness can be solved just by being better organized, or is a more radical solution required?
– D.G.S. Dhinakaran & Jim Reeves
Pieces
16.3.14
– A quarrelsome spirit may be even more damaging to a marriage than an adulterous lifestyle, right?
I guess it all depends on the degree of the problematic attitude/behaviour, & how the other handles it…
– ‘Deliberate disappearance’!
– Psychology of religion – internalization & projection
– Are you seeking what you (really) desire?
Are you living what you (really) believe?
Are you thinking of what you (really) need?
– “Anyone who does not want you to think (for yourself) is not (truly) your friend.”
– Evoke
Invoke
Incant
– “Maybe the Devil is just GOD’s alter-ego!” – RFC
– Movies:
The Shining
– “Lauda Anima”
Mercy » praise!
– “There’s no one like Jehovah”
“There is no rock like our GOD”
Mmm……
– “With my whole heart I seek thee,
I will praise thee with an upright heart.”
“Blessed be thou, O Lord!
In thy word I delight, as much as in all riches.”
– Glory » pleasure » creation » delight!
– God-like creatures
&
Man-like God
– Conflict, chaos & despair
– “Lord, save our nation!”
– ‘Servant of (the people of) GOD’
– Acknowledging GOD
The absent-minded clergy!
– Anti-cult ministries
– What do holiness & hope have to do with each other?
– Self-examination & consecration
– Prayers, songs & sermons
– Hortatory
Vs.
Dialectical
Encouraging by inciting!
– The logic of fallacy
&
The fallacy of logic
– Oath/vow/pledge
&
Swearword/cuss/expletive
– Sexuality, morality & religion
– Immanuel Joseph
&
The biblical Joseph
– Uninterested in adultery
– Possession & position
– Gen. 39:9
vv.14,17 – “came in to laugh/mock at me”
Woman as property of the man (father/husband/?GOD)
&
The objectification & abuse of the female body
– GOD, the masses, leadership, structures & authority
– Placement
– Peter
Vs.
Judas
Vs.
Thomas
Whom do I resemble (in my faith)?
– Grace & morality; sin & salvation
Anything radical is scandalous; & anything divine is paradoxical!
– Movies:
Queen (Hindi)
– The best way to read my blog is to read one line at a time, & take a minute or two to reflect on it, before going to the next one…
– I am a tweeter, disguised as a blogger!
Vs.
You cannot love & serve 2 masters!
– Vital – regular journaling, slow pace of living & annual personal retreat
Experience
5.3.14
– Veracious
Unvarnished
– The best (& only) way to help others (family & friends) to love me, is for me to love them first.
– Lent – no meat, chocolate, ice-cream, cake, milk-shake, eating out (except on Sundays).
– Meat – I have stopped eating mutton & beef, for an ethical reason – the rights of sentient creatures! I eat only chicken & fish. And eat non-veg for not more than one meal a day.
– Are erotica & porn different?
– Confession:
Remembering (GOD’s forgetfulness of) our sins!
– Penitence & mortality,
Retreat & burial,
Repentance & resurrection!
– No mourning, no rejoicing!
– Water – external washing.
Blood – internal purification.
– Wilderness – the ambiguities & complexities of our lives are simplified & clarified by extreme experiences!
– Retreat – intense rest ~ thorough preparation!
– Deliberately entering a place of severe temptation!
– Purposeful wandering
– Settling down in a half-way house…
– Up & down… down & up…
Incarnation » transfiguration » crucifixion » resurrection » Pentecost » Parousia!
– ‘Basic needs’ become an entry point for untold evil!
– Triggering the tsunami – are retreats ‘dangerous’??
Succumb to the sacred temptation & divine wooing!
– Impurity & wrath
Guilt as the internal condemnation-rebuke of our divine nature against the false ego!
– Untested = unproven = uncertain
– Father – the wholly transcendent source, basis & end of all things.
Son – the particular historical manifestation of GOD.
Spirit – the divine in all of nature (especially, the human)
– Time to flex your spiritual muscles, Joe!
– I AM – the eternal self!
– Love – care & share; give & receive; adjust & help; accept & understand…
Do this consistently, and you (& all yours) can be healthy & happy!
– Holy disturbance
– “Dear xyz… Do you think having a memorial service for your late father, every year, is good?”
– Sexual abstinence & Lent.
– Sundays (the Day of the Coming One), even during this season, are NOT part of the usual Lenten austerity!
– From glancing to gazing
– Is fun/pleasure a ‘genuine benefit’?
…What does this question say about the one who asks it?
– What happens when a sceptic engages sincerely & regularly in religious rituals & spiritual disciplines?
– Many of the lines in my journal are ‘hyperlinks’!
– Could death be your greatest ‘achievement’?!
– “Fear of GOD” – reverence for the sublime; aiming for the ideal; belief in the eternal.
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