So the following is a reminder that as we enter into a new year we have HOPE as we reflect and renew our charge to partner with Christ. Even in seasons when things look a mess there are some things taht will STILL be true forever!
1. The Bible will STILL be the eternal Word of God - forever settled in Heaven!
2. Prayer will STILL always work!
3. The Father will STILL be sitting confidently on His indomitable throne!
4. Jesus will STILL be the Way, the Truth, and the Life - the only means by which you may access the Father!
5. The Holy Spirit will STILL be our Comforter - comforting you from the inside, out!
6. The Church will STILL be "the pillar and ground of the truth" manifesting the wisdom of God!
7. Healing (for spirit, soul, and body) will STILL be in His wings!
8. The Gospel will STILL be the answer - whatever the question!
9. His grace will STILL be all-sufficient and our strength, whatever the task!
10. The gifts of the Spirit will STILL change lives - instantly, radically, and permanently!
11. You will STILL be God's most prized possession - His cherished son or daughter!
12. Heaven will STILL be wonderful, hell will STILL be horrible!
13. "By faith" will STILL be the only way for you to live.
14. You will STILL be "more than a conqueror in Christ" - victory is imminent!
15. Sowing will STILL result in reaping! So keep sowing!
16. God will STILL "always cause you to triumph in Christ!"
17. The love of God will STILL be in your heart - and nothing can separate you from it!
18. "All things will STILL work together for your good" - as you do His will!
19. You will STILL "be the head and not the tail" - blessed when you go out, blessed when you come in!
20. The devil will still, still, STILL, be a big-time loser!
Amen!
Happy New Year!
viernes, 9 de enero de 2009
lunes, 10 de noviembre de 2008
What is beauty? What does this mean?
Yeah so in my personal meditation/reflection time I was struck with the desire to look up the word "beauty". I guess because I am perplexed with the idea of "gazing upon His beauty" and what that really means! So, according to webster
beauty-the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit : loveliness
I think that is odd that it is about more than visual senses but all senses! and that it exalts the mind...which I believe in many ways refers to our imagination!
So, I did some searching on the beauty of Christ and found this written by a Catholic Cardinal....very interesting. Please read and be blessed and provoked to desire the ONE THING to gaze upon his beauty and inquire in his temple!
Oh by the way...I guess I am being prepared because today we start our new class "Song of Songs"....I am sure to delve into beauty!
THE BEAUTY AND THE TRUTH OF CHRIST
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Cardinal Ratzinger to CL Meeting in Rimini: 24-30 August
In August, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sent a message to the Communion and Liberation (CL) meeting at Rimini 24-30 August on the theme, 'The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty'. Cardinal Ratzinger commented on the need for the Church to restore the beautiful to a central place. "I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth against every denial, are the saints, and the beauty that the faith has generated. Today, for faith to grow, we must lead ourselves and the persons we meet to encounter the saints and to enter into contact with the Beautiful. Now however, we still have to respond to an objection. We have already rejected the assumption which claims that what has just been said is a flight into the irrational, into mere aestheticism. Rather, it is the opposite that is true: this is the very way in which reason is freed from dullness and made ready to act". Here is a translation of his message.
Truth of Christ: beautiful among men, the man of sorrows
Every year, in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Season of Lent, I am struck anew by a paradox in Vespers for Monday of the Second Week of the Psalter. Here, side by side, are two antiphons, one for the Season of Lent, the other for Holy Week. Both introduce Psalm 44 [45], but they present strikingly contradictory interpretations. The Psalm describes the wedding of the King, his beauty, his virtues, his mission, and then becomes an exaltation of his bride. In the Season of Lent, Psalm 44 is framed by the same antiphon used for the rest of the year. The third verse of the Psalm says: "You are the fairest of the children of men and grace is poured upon your lips". Naturally, the Church reads this psalm as a poetic-prophetic representation of Christ's spousal relationship with his Church. She recognizes Christ as the fairest of men, the grace poured upon his lips points to the inner beauty of his words, the glory of his proclamation. So it is not merely the external beauty of the Redeemer's appearance that is glorified: rather, the beauty of Truth appears in him, the beauty of God himself who draws us to himself and, at the same time captures us with the wound of Love, the holy passion (eros), that enables us to go forth together, with and in the Church his Bride, to meet the Love who calls us.
On Monday of Holy Week, however, the Church changes the antiphon and invites us to interpret the Psalm in the light of Is 53,2: "He had neither beauty, no majesty, nothing to attract our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him". How can we reconcile this? The appearance of the "fairest of the children of men" is so wretched that no one desires to look at him. Pilate presented him to the crowd saying: "Behold the man!", to rouse sympathy for the crushed and battered Man, in whom no external beauty remained.
Two trumpets of the same Spirit
Augustine, who in his youth wrote a book on the Beautiful and the Harmonious [De pulchro et apto] and who appreciated beauty in words, in music, in the figurative arts, had a keen appreciation of this paradox and realized that in this regard, the great Greek philosophy of the beautiful was not simply rejected but rather, dramatically called into question and what the beautiful might be, what beauty might mean, would have to be debated anew and suffered. Referring to the paradox contained in these texts, he spoke of the contrasting blasts of "two trumpets", produced by the same breath, the same Spirit. He knew that a paradox is contrast and not contradiction. Both quotes come from the same Spirit who inspires all Scripture, but sounds different notes in it. It is in this way that he sets us before the totality of true Beauty, of Truth itself.
The beauty of truth embraces a love that is faithful to the end
In the first place, the text of Isaiah supplies the question that interested the Fathers of the Church, whether or not Christ was beautiful. Implicit here is the more radical question of whether beauty is true or whether it is not ugliness that leads us to the deepest truth of reality. Whoever believes in God, in the God who manifested himself, precisely in the altered appearance of Christ crucified as love "to the end" (Jn 13,1), knows that beauty is truth and truth beauty; but in the suffering Christ he also learns that the beauty of truth also embraces offence, pain, and even the dark mystery of death, and that this can only be found in accepting suffering, not in ignoring it.
Plato shows that beauty entails the pain of discontent
Certainly, the consciousness that beauty has something to do with pain was also present in the Greek world. For example, let us take Plato's Phaedrus. Plato contemplates the encounter with beauty as the salutary emotional shock that makes man leave his shell and sparks his "enthusiasm" by attracting him to what is other than himself. Man, says Plato, has lost the original perfection that was conceived for him. He is now perennially searching for the healing primitive form. Nostalgia and longing impel him to pursue the quest; beauty prevents him from being content with just daily life. It causes him to suffer. In a Platonic sense, we could say that the arrow of nostalgia pierces man, wounds him and in this way gives him wings, lifts him upwards towards the transcendent. In his discourse in the Symposium, Aristophanes says that lovers do not know what they really want from each other. From the search for what is more than their pleasure, it is obvious that the souls of both are thirsting for something other than amorous pleasure. But the heart cannot express this "other" thing, "it has only a vague perception of what it truly wants and wonders about it as an enigma".
Nicholas Cabasilas: the wound of the beauty of the Spouse
In the 14th century, in the book, "The Life in Christ" by the Byzantine theologian, Nicholas Cabasilas, we rediscover Plato's experience in which the ultimate object of nostalgia, transformed by the new Christian experience, continues to be nameless. Cabasilas says: "When men have a longing so great that it surpasses human nature and eagerly desire and are able to accomplish things beyond human thought, it is the Bridegroom who has smitten them with this longing. It is he who has sent a ray of his beauty into their eyes. The greatness of the wound already shows the arrow which has struck home, the longing indicates who has inflicted the wound" (cf. The Life in Christ, the Second Book, § 15).
The beautiful wounds, but this is exactly how it summons man to his final destiny. What Plato said, and, more than 1,500 years later, Cabasilas, has nothing to do with superficial aestheticism and irrationalism or with the flight from clarity and the importance of reason. The beautiful is knowledge certainly, but, in a superior form, since it arouses man to the real greatness of the truth. Here Cabasilas has remained entirely Greek, since he puts knowledge first when he says, "In fact it is knowing that causes love and gives birth to it.... Since this knowledge is sometimes very ample and complete and at other times imperfect, it follows that the love potion has the same effect" (cf. ibid.). He is not content to leave this assertion in general terms. In his characteristically rigorous thought, he distinguishes between two kinds of knowledge: knowledge through instruction which remains, so to speak, "second hand" and does not imply any direct contact with reality itself. The second type of knowledge, on the other hand, is knowledge through personal experience, through a direct relationship with the reality. "Therefore we do not love it to the extent that it is a worthy object of love, and since we have not perceived the very form itself we do not experience its proper effect". True knowledge is being struck by the arrow of Beauty that wounds man, moved by reality, "how it is Christ himself who is present and in an ineffable way disposes and forms the souls of men" (cf. ibid.).
Being struck and overcome by the beauty of Christ is a more real, more profound knowledge than mere rational deduction. Of course we must not underrate the importance of theological reflection, of exact and precise theological thought; it remains absolutely necessary. But to move from here to disdain or to reject the impact produced by the response of the heart in the encounter with beauty as a true form of knowledge would impoverish us and dry up our faith and our theology. We must rediscover this form of knowledge; it is a pressing need of our time.
Pastoral need of Theological Aesthetics
Starting with this concept, Hans Urs von Balthasar built his Opus magnum of Theological Aesthetics. Many of its details have passed into theological work, while his fundamental approach, in truth the essential element of the whole work, has not been so readily accepted. Of course, this is not just, or principally, a theological problem, but a problem of pastoral life, that has to foster the human person's encounter with the beauty of faith. All too often arguments fall on deaf ears because in our world too many contradictory arguments compete with one another, so much so that we are spontaneously reminded of the medieval theologians' description of reason, that it 'has a wax nose': in other words, it can be pointed in any direction, if one is clever enough. Everything makes sense, is so convincing, whom should we trust?
The arrow of the beautiful can guide the mind to the truth: Bach, Rublëv
The encounter with the beautiful can become the wound of the arrow that strikes the heart and in this way opens our eyes, so that later, from this experience, we take the criteria for judgement and can correctly evaluate the arguments. For me an unforgettable experience was the Bach concert that Leonard Bernstein conducted in Munich after the sudden death of Karl Richter. I was sitting next to the Lutheran Bishop Hanselmann. When the last note of one of the great Thomas-Kantor-Cantatas triumphantly faded away, we looked at each other spontaneously and right then we said: "Anyone who has heard this, knows that the faith is true". The music had such an extraordinary force of reality that we realized, no longer by deduction, but by the impact on our hearts, that it could not have originated from nothingness, but could only have come to be through the power of the Truth that became real in the composer's inspiration. Isn't the same thing evident when we allow ourselves to be moved by the icon of the Trinity of Rublëv? In the art of the icons, as in the great Western paintings of the Romanesque and Gothic period, the experience described by Cabasilas, starting with interiority, is visibly portrayed and can be shared.
Beauty of the icon: fasting of sight
In a rich way Pavel Evdokimov has brought to light the interior pathway that an icon establishes. An icon does not simply reproduce what can be perceived by the senses, but rather it presupposes, as he says, "a fasting of sight". Inner perception must free itself from the impression of the merely sensible, and in prayer and ascetical effort acquire a new and deeper capacity to see, to perform the passage from what is merely external to the profundity of reality, in such a way that the artist can see what the senses as such do not see, and what actually appears in what can be perceived: the splendour of the glory of God, the "glory of God shining on the face of Christ " (II Cor 4,6). To admire the icons and the great masterpieces of Christian art in general, leads us on an inner way, a way of overcoming ourselves; thus in this purification of vision that is a purification of the heart, it reveals the beautiful to us, or at least a ray of it. In this way we are brought into contact with the power of the truth. I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth against every denial, are the saints, and the beauty that the faith has generated. Today, for faith to grow, we must lead ourselves and the persons we meet to encounter the saints and to enter into contact with the Beautiful.
Now however, we still have to respond to an objection. We have already rejected the assumption which claims that what has just been said is a flight into the irrational, into mere aestheticism. Rather, it is the opposite that is true: this is the very way in which reason is freed from dullness and made ready to act.
Counterfeit of beauty: falsehood, seduction, evil
Today another objection has even greater weight: the message of beauty is thrown into complete doubt by the power of falsehood, seduction, violence and evil. Can the beautiful be genuine, or, in the end, is it only an illusion? Isn't reality perhaps basically evil? The fear that in the end it is not the arrow of the beautiful that leads us to the truth, but that falsehood, all that is ugly and vulgar, may constitute the true "reality" has at all times caused people anguish. At present this has been expressed in the assertion that after Auschwitz it was no longer possible to write poetry; after Auschwitz it is no longer possible to speak of a God who is good. People wondered: where was God when the gas chambers were operating? This objection, which seemed reasonable enough before Auschwitz when one realized all the atrocities of history, shows that in any case a purely harmonious concept of beauty is not enough. It cannot stand up to the confrontation with the gravity of the questioning about God, truth and beauty. Apollo, who for Plato's Socrates was "the God" and the guarantor of unruffled beauty as "the truly divine" is absolutely no longer sufficient.
True beauty of Christ who loves us to the end
In this way, we return to the "two trumpets" of the Bible with which we started, to the paradox of being able to say of Christ: "You are the fairest of the children of men", and: "He had no beauty, no majesty to draw our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him". In the Passion of Christ the Greek aesthetic that deserves admiration for its perceived contact with the Divine but which remained inexpressible for it, in Christ's passion is not removed but overcome. The experience of the beautiful has received new depth and new realism. The One who is the Beauty itself let himself be slapped in the face, spat upon, crowned with thorns; the Shroud of Turin can help us imagine this in a realistic way. However, in his Face that is so disfigured, there appears the genuine, extreme beauty: the beauty of love that goes "to the very end"; for this reason it is revealed as greater than falsehood and violence. Whoever has perceived this beauty knows that truth, and not falsehood, is the real aspiration of the world. It is not the false that is "true", but indeed, the Truth. It is, as it were, a new trick of what is false to present itself as "truth" and to say to us: over and above me there is basically nothing, stop seeking or even loving the truth; in doing so you are on the wrong track. The icon of the crucified Christ sets us free from this deception that is so widespread today. However it imposes a condition: that we let ourselves be wounded by him, and that we believe in the Love who can risk setting aside his external beauty to proclaim, in this way, the truth of the beautiful.
Manipulation by presenting a false and deceptive beauty
Falsehood however has another stratagem. A beauty that is deceptive and false, a dazzling beauty that does not bring human beings out of themselves to open them to the ecstasy of rising to the heights, but indeed locks them entirely into themselves. Such beauty does not reawaken a longing for the Ineffable, readiness for sacrifice, the abandonment of self, but instead stirs up the desire, the will for power, possession and pleasure. It is that type of experience of beauty of which Genesis speaks in the account of the Original Sin. Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was "beautiful" to eat and was "delightful to the eyes". The beautiful, as she experienced it, aroused in her a desire for possession, making her, as it were, turn in upon herself. Who would not recognize, for example, in advertising, the images made with supreme skill that are created to tempt the human being irresistibly, to make him want to grab everything and seek the passing satisfaction rather than be open to others.
Avoid cult of the ugly or fear of deception with the redeeming beauty of Christ in the saints, Christian art
So it is that Christian art today is caught between two fires (as perhaps it always has been): it must oppose the cult of the ugly, which says that everything beautiful is a deception and only the representation of what is crude, low and vulgar is the truth, the true illumination of knowledge. Or it has to counter the deceptive beauty that makes the human being seem diminished instead of making him great, and for this reason is false.
Is there anyone who does not know Dostoyevsky's often quoted sentence'. "The Beautiful will save us"? However, people usually forget that Dostoyevsky is referring here to the redeeming Beauty of Christ. We must learn to see Him. If we know Him, not only in words, but if we are struck by the arrow of his paradoxical beauty, then we will truly know him, and know him not only because we have heard others speak about him. Then we will have found the beauty of Truth, of the Truth that redeems. Nothing can bring us into close contact with the beauty of Christ himself other than the world of beauty created by faith and light that shines out from the faces of the saints, through whom his own light becomes visible.
beauty-the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit : loveliness
I think that is odd that it is about more than visual senses but all senses! and that it exalts the mind...which I believe in many ways refers to our imagination!
So, I did some searching on the beauty of Christ and found this written by a Catholic Cardinal....very interesting. Please read and be blessed and provoked to desire the ONE THING to gaze upon his beauty and inquire in his temple!
Oh by the way...I guess I am being prepared because today we start our new class "Song of Songs"....I am sure to delve into beauty!
THE BEAUTY AND THE TRUTH OF CHRIST
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Cardinal Ratzinger to CL Meeting in Rimini: 24-30 August
In August, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sent a message to the Communion and Liberation (CL) meeting at Rimini 24-30 August on the theme, 'The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty'. Cardinal Ratzinger commented on the need for the Church to restore the beautiful to a central place. "I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth against every denial, are the saints, and the beauty that the faith has generated. Today, for faith to grow, we must lead ourselves and the persons we meet to encounter the saints and to enter into contact with the Beautiful. Now however, we still have to respond to an objection. We have already rejected the assumption which claims that what has just been said is a flight into the irrational, into mere aestheticism. Rather, it is the opposite that is true: this is the very way in which reason is freed from dullness and made ready to act". Here is a translation of his message.
Truth of Christ: beautiful among men, the man of sorrows
Every year, in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Season of Lent, I am struck anew by a paradox in Vespers for Monday of the Second Week of the Psalter. Here, side by side, are two antiphons, one for the Season of Lent, the other for Holy Week. Both introduce Psalm 44 [45], but they present strikingly contradictory interpretations. The Psalm describes the wedding of the King, his beauty, his virtues, his mission, and then becomes an exaltation of his bride. In the Season of Lent, Psalm 44 is framed by the same antiphon used for the rest of the year. The third verse of the Psalm says: "You are the fairest of the children of men and grace is poured upon your lips". Naturally, the Church reads this psalm as a poetic-prophetic representation of Christ's spousal relationship with his Church. She recognizes Christ as the fairest of men, the grace poured upon his lips points to the inner beauty of his words, the glory of his proclamation. So it is not merely the external beauty of the Redeemer's appearance that is glorified: rather, the beauty of Truth appears in him, the beauty of God himself who draws us to himself and, at the same time captures us with the wound of Love, the holy passion (eros), that enables us to go forth together, with and in the Church his Bride, to meet the Love who calls us.
On Monday of Holy Week, however, the Church changes the antiphon and invites us to interpret the Psalm in the light of Is 53,2: "He had neither beauty, no majesty, nothing to attract our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him". How can we reconcile this? The appearance of the "fairest of the children of men" is so wretched that no one desires to look at him. Pilate presented him to the crowd saying: "Behold the man!", to rouse sympathy for the crushed and battered Man, in whom no external beauty remained.
Two trumpets of the same Spirit
Augustine, who in his youth wrote a book on the Beautiful and the Harmonious [De pulchro et apto] and who appreciated beauty in words, in music, in the figurative arts, had a keen appreciation of this paradox and realized that in this regard, the great Greek philosophy of the beautiful was not simply rejected but rather, dramatically called into question and what the beautiful might be, what beauty might mean, would have to be debated anew and suffered. Referring to the paradox contained in these texts, he spoke of the contrasting blasts of "two trumpets", produced by the same breath, the same Spirit. He knew that a paradox is contrast and not contradiction. Both quotes come from the same Spirit who inspires all Scripture, but sounds different notes in it. It is in this way that he sets us before the totality of true Beauty, of Truth itself.
The beauty of truth embraces a love that is faithful to the end
In the first place, the text of Isaiah supplies the question that interested the Fathers of the Church, whether or not Christ was beautiful. Implicit here is the more radical question of whether beauty is true or whether it is not ugliness that leads us to the deepest truth of reality. Whoever believes in God, in the God who manifested himself, precisely in the altered appearance of Christ crucified as love "to the end" (Jn 13,1), knows that beauty is truth and truth beauty; but in the suffering Christ he also learns that the beauty of truth also embraces offence, pain, and even the dark mystery of death, and that this can only be found in accepting suffering, not in ignoring it.
Plato shows that beauty entails the pain of discontent
Certainly, the consciousness that beauty has something to do with pain was also present in the Greek world. For example, let us take Plato's Phaedrus. Plato contemplates the encounter with beauty as the salutary emotional shock that makes man leave his shell and sparks his "enthusiasm" by attracting him to what is other than himself. Man, says Plato, has lost the original perfection that was conceived for him. He is now perennially searching for the healing primitive form. Nostalgia and longing impel him to pursue the quest; beauty prevents him from being content with just daily life. It causes him to suffer. In a Platonic sense, we could say that the arrow of nostalgia pierces man, wounds him and in this way gives him wings, lifts him upwards towards the transcendent. In his discourse in the Symposium, Aristophanes says that lovers do not know what they really want from each other. From the search for what is more than their pleasure, it is obvious that the souls of both are thirsting for something other than amorous pleasure. But the heart cannot express this "other" thing, "it has only a vague perception of what it truly wants and wonders about it as an enigma".
Nicholas Cabasilas: the wound of the beauty of the Spouse
In the 14th century, in the book, "The Life in Christ" by the Byzantine theologian, Nicholas Cabasilas, we rediscover Plato's experience in which the ultimate object of nostalgia, transformed by the new Christian experience, continues to be nameless. Cabasilas says: "When men have a longing so great that it surpasses human nature and eagerly desire and are able to accomplish things beyond human thought, it is the Bridegroom who has smitten them with this longing. It is he who has sent a ray of his beauty into their eyes. The greatness of the wound already shows the arrow which has struck home, the longing indicates who has inflicted the wound" (cf. The Life in Christ, the Second Book, § 15).
The beautiful wounds, but this is exactly how it summons man to his final destiny. What Plato said, and, more than 1,500 years later, Cabasilas, has nothing to do with superficial aestheticism and irrationalism or with the flight from clarity and the importance of reason. The beautiful is knowledge certainly, but, in a superior form, since it arouses man to the real greatness of the truth. Here Cabasilas has remained entirely Greek, since he puts knowledge first when he says, "In fact it is knowing that causes love and gives birth to it.... Since this knowledge is sometimes very ample and complete and at other times imperfect, it follows that the love potion has the same effect" (cf. ibid.). He is not content to leave this assertion in general terms. In his characteristically rigorous thought, he distinguishes between two kinds of knowledge: knowledge through instruction which remains, so to speak, "second hand" and does not imply any direct contact with reality itself. The second type of knowledge, on the other hand, is knowledge through personal experience, through a direct relationship with the reality. "Therefore we do not love it to the extent that it is a worthy object of love, and since we have not perceived the very form itself we do not experience its proper effect". True knowledge is being struck by the arrow of Beauty that wounds man, moved by reality, "how it is Christ himself who is present and in an ineffable way disposes and forms the souls of men" (cf. ibid.).
Being struck and overcome by the beauty of Christ is a more real, more profound knowledge than mere rational deduction. Of course we must not underrate the importance of theological reflection, of exact and precise theological thought; it remains absolutely necessary. But to move from here to disdain or to reject the impact produced by the response of the heart in the encounter with beauty as a true form of knowledge would impoverish us and dry up our faith and our theology. We must rediscover this form of knowledge; it is a pressing need of our time.
Pastoral need of Theological Aesthetics
Starting with this concept, Hans Urs von Balthasar built his Opus magnum of Theological Aesthetics. Many of its details have passed into theological work, while his fundamental approach, in truth the essential element of the whole work, has not been so readily accepted. Of course, this is not just, or principally, a theological problem, but a problem of pastoral life, that has to foster the human person's encounter with the beauty of faith. All too often arguments fall on deaf ears because in our world too many contradictory arguments compete with one another, so much so that we are spontaneously reminded of the medieval theologians' description of reason, that it 'has a wax nose': in other words, it can be pointed in any direction, if one is clever enough. Everything makes sense, is so convincing, whom should we trust?
The arrow of the beautiful can guide the mind to the truth: Bach, Rublëv
The encounter with the beautiful can become the wound of the arrow that strikes the heart and in this way opens our eyes, so that later, from this experience, we take the criteria for judgement and can correctly evaluate the arguments. For me an unforgettable experience was the Bach concert that Leonard Bernstein conducted in Munich after the sudden death of Karl Richter. I was sitting next to the Lutheran Bishop Hanselmann. When the last note of one of the great Thomas-Kantor-Cantatas triumphantly faded away, we looked at each other spontaneously and right then we said: "Anyone who has heard this, knows that the faith is true". The music had such an extraordinary force of reality that we realized, no longer by deduction, but by the impact on our hearts, that it could not have originated from nothingness, but could only have come to be through the power of the Truth that became real in the composer's inspiration. Isn't the same thing evident when we allow ourselves to be moved by the icon of the Trinity of Rublëv? In the art of the icons, as in the great Western paintings of the Romanesque and Gothic period, the experience described by Cabasilas, starting with interiority, is visibly portrayed and can be shared.
Beauty of the icon: fasting of sight
In a rich way Pavel Evdokimov has brought to light the interior pathway that an icon establishes. An icon does not simply reproduce what can be perceived by the senses, but rather it presupposes, as he says, "a fasting of sight". Inner perception must free itself from the impression of the merely sensible, and in prayer and ascetical effort acquire a new and deeper capacity to see, to perform the passage from what is merely external to the profundity of reality, in such a way that the artist can see what the senses as such do not see, and what actually appears in what can be perceived: the splendour of the glory of God, the "glory of God shining on the face of Christ " (II Cor 4,6). To admire the icons and the great masterpieces of Christian art in general, leads us on an inner way, a way of overcoming ourselves; thus in this purification of vision that is a purification of the heart, it reveals the beautiful to us, or at least a ray of it. In this way we are brought into contact with the power of the truth. I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth against every denial, are the saints, and the beauty that the faith has generated. Today, for faith to grow, we must lead ourselves and the persons we meet to encounter the saints and to enter into contact with the Beautiful.
Now however, we still have to respond to an objection. We have already rejected the assumption which claims that what has just been said is a flight into the irrational, into mere aestheticism. Rather, it is the opposite that is true: this is the very way in which reason is freed from dullness and made ready to act.
Counterfeit of beauty: falsehood, seduction, evil
Today another objection has even greater weight: the message of beauty is thrown into complete doubt by the power of falsehood, seduction, violence and evil. Can the beautiful be genuine, or, in the end, is it only an illusion? Isn't reality perhaps basically evil? The fear that in the end it is not the arrow of the beautiful that leads us to the truth, but that falsehood, all that is ugly and vulgar, may constitute the true "reality" has at all times caused people anguish. At present this has been expressed in the assertion that after Auschwitz it was no longer possible to write poetry; after Auschwitz it is no longer possible to speak of a God who is good. People wondered: where was God when the gas chambers were operating? This objection, which seemed reasonable enough before Auschwitz when one realized all the atrocities of history, shows that in any case a purely harmonious concept of beauty is not enough. It cannot stand up to the confrontation with the gravity of the questioning about God, truth and beauty. Apollo, who for Plato's Socrates was "the God" and the guarantor of unruffled beauty as "the truly divine" is absolutely no longer sufficient.
True beauty of Christ who loves us to the end
In this way, we return to the "two trumpets" of the Bible with which we started, to the paradox of being able to say of Christ: "You are the fairest of the children of men", and: "He had no beauty, no majesty to draw our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him". In the Passion of Christ the Greek aesthetic that deserves admiration for its perceived contact with the Divine but which remained inexpressible for it, in Christ's passion is not removed but overcome. The experience of the beautiful has received new depth and new realism. The One who is the Beauty itself let himself be slapped in the face, spat upon, crowned with thorns; the Shroud of Turin can help us imagine this in a realistic way. However, in his Face that is so disfigured, there appears the genuine, extreme beauty: the beauty of love that goes "to the very end"; for this reason it is revealed as greater than falsehood and violence. Whoever has perceived this beauty knows that truth, and not falsehood, is the real aspiration of the world. It is not the false that is "true", but indeed, the Truth. It is, as it were, a new trick of what is false to present itself as "truth" and to say to us: over and above me there is basically nothing, stop seeking or even loving the truth; in doing so you are on the wrong track. The icon of the crucified Christ sets us free from this deception that is so widespread today. However it imposes a condition: that we let ourselves be wounded by him, and that we believe in the Love who can risk setting aside his external beauty to proclaim, in this way, the truth of the beautiful.
Manipulation by presenting a false and deceptive beauty
Falsehood however has another stratagem. A beauty that is deceptive and false, a dazzling beauty that does not bring human beings out of themselves to open them to the ecstasy of rising to the heights, but indeed locks them entirely into themselves. Such beauty does not reawaken a longing for the Ineffable, readiness for sacrifice, the abandonment of self, but instead stirs up the desire, the will for power, possession and pleasure. It is that type of experience of beauty of which Genesis speaks in the account of the Original Sin. Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was "beautiful" to eat and was "delightful to the eyes". The beautiful, as she experienced it, aroused in her a desire for possession, making her, as it were, turn in upon herself. Who would not recognize, for example, in advertising, the images made with supreme skill that are created to tempt the human being irresistibly, to make him want to grab everything and seek the passing satisfaction rather than be open to others.
Avoid cult of the ugly or fear of deception with the redeeming beauty of Christ in the saints, Christian art
So it is that Christian art today is caught between two fires (as perhaps it always has been): it must oppose the cult of the ugly, which says that everything beautiful is a deception and only the representation of what is crude, low and vulgar is the truth, the true illumination of knowledge. Or it has to counter the deceptive beauty that makes the human being seem diminished instead of making him great, and for this reason is false.
Is there anyone who does not know Dostoyevsky's often quoted sentence'. "The Beautiful will save us"? However, people usually forget that Dostoyevsky is referring here to the redeeming Beauty of Christ. We must learn to see Him. If we know Him, not only in words, but if we are struck by the arrow of his paradoxical beauty, then we will truly know him, and know him not only because we have heard others speak about him. Then we will have found the beauty of Truth, of the Truth that redeems. Nothing can bring us into close contact with the beauty of Christ himself other than the world of beauty created by faith and light that shines out from the faces of the saints, through whom his own light becomes visible.
viernes, 7 de noviembre de 2008
Welcoming into the world....Addyson Grace!!! and more
Soory for the delay faithful blog followers!! The past few weeks have been crazy busy! So here is the rather large scoop....
1. Elections:
So as I have previously mentioned, I am not a polotician, however I will say that I believe in government and the fact taht Jesus' leadership is perfect and so, as i was praying for weeks, let His will be done. I pray our nation would rally and support our new president despite our voting stance, what is done is done...this is God's choice either because it is His plan, or because He will never violate the human will....regardless, let us pray for our president and His salvation, ability to lead and that His views on issues as abortion and gay marriage will shift!
2. Proposition 8:
Well, as most of you know my teacher Lou engle held a rally in San Diego where upwards of 60,000 young adults and adults met to pray and cry out to God for more time and less judgment. they cried out for mercy on behalf of california and specifically about preserving the rights of marriage as 1 man, 1 woman....I am happy to say that God rewards those who diligently seek Him, and as of last week the proposition 8 bill was approved and gay marriage has been overturned in california, Arizona and Florida!! This is good because maybe now we will have time to pray that hearts be healed and people be drawn to the saving knowledge of christ!
3. BABY ADDYSON!!!!
So my cousin had her little girl on Nov. 5 and she is super precious! the day could not have been better ordained by God as everything webnt smoothly even down to me being able to watch the 2yr old and pick up my aunt on time from the airport. I give God praise thae He is even convcerns with the details of life and woudl arrange my work schedule to be able to help! Pray for continued peace, and patience during the transition for the house with 2 kids!
4. Meekness...who is this King?
Finally, I am stirred these days as i study the "Excellencies of Christ", to think about meekness. This work is often confused with weakness, but that is not so. Meekness is power under restraint. It is amazing to think that the God of the heavens, the Lord of all glory, would humble himself to the earth as a baby in a manger and present himself before peasants as a servant! It is more amazing that even before Pontius Pilate, He did not exude his power to free Himself, but kept it under restraint so He could fufill the promise to all. this is humility at its finest and it is astounding that the only reason this man was born was to die! Oh that we would learn to live like this man. This king who was exalted by being first made low. Oh that we would behold Him and thus become transformed by His glory, made low and meek for His sake that our lives would be poured out unto death and crucifixion of natural desires so as to enter a kingdom and finally grasp...who is this King!
Prayer requests...
Please pray for me to be able to help around the house in transitio, and that I would start earning some monet as I finally got a job at a restaurant! Pray for the one Thing conference taht is coming in Dec. to KC. Last, i will be home for Christmas Dec. 19-27 only so I hope to see all of you at some point. God bless.
1. Elections:
So as I have previously mentioned, I am not a polotician, however I will say that I believe in government and the fact taht Jesus' leadership is perfect and so, as i was praying for weeks, let His will be done. I pray our nation would rally and support our new president despite our voting stance, what is done is done...this is God's choice either because it is His plan, or because He will never violate the human will....regardless, let us pray for our president and His salvation, ability to lead and that His views on issues as abortion and gay marriage will shift!
2. Proposition 8:
Well, as most of you know my teacher Lou engle held a rally in San Diego where upwards of 60,000 young adults and adults met to pray and cry out to God for more time and less judgment. they cried out for mercy on behalf of california and specifically about preserving the rights of marriage as 1 man, 1 woman....I am happy to say that God rewards those who diligently seek Him, and as of last week the proposition 8 bill was approved and gay marriage has been overturned in california, Arizona and Florida!! This is good because maybe now we will have time to pray that hearts be healed and people be drawn to the saving knowledge of christ!
3. BABY ADDYSON!!!!
So my cousin had her little girl on Nov. 5 and she is super precious! the day could not have been better ordained by God as everything webnt smoothly even down to me being able to watch the 2yr old and pick up my aunt on time from the airport. I give God praise thae He is even convcerns with the details of life and woudl arrange my work schedule to be able to help! Pray for continued peace, and patience during the transition for the house with 2 kids!
4. Meekness...who is this King?
Finally, I am stirred these days as i study the "Excellencies of Christ", to think about meekness. This work is often confused with weakness, but that is not so. Meekness is power under restraint. It is amazing to think that the God of the heavens, the Lord of all glory, would humble himself to the earth as a baby in a manger and present himself before peasants as a servant! It is more amazing that even before Pontius Pilate, He did not exude his power to free Himself, but kept it under restraint so He could fufill the promise to all. this is humility at its finest and it is astounding that the only reason this man was born was to die! Oh that we would learn to live like this man. This king who was exalted by being first made low. Oh that we would behold Him and thus become transformed by His glory, made low and meek for His sake that our lives would be poured out unto death and crucifixion of natural desires so as to enter a kingdom and finally grasp...who is this King!
Prayer requests...
Please pray for me to be able to help around the house in transitio, and that I would start earning some monet as I finally got a job at a restaurant! Pray for the one Thing conference taht is coming in Dec. to KC. Last, i will be home for Christmas Dec. 19-27 only so I hope to see all of you at some point. God bless.
jueves, 23 de octubre de 2008
The scary reality
Hey Everyone,
Right now I feel and urgency in my heart to express the gravity of the hour we live in. Today I was faced with the grewsome reality of the strongholds over our nation and specifically California in regard to abortion and homosexuality in the coming elections. A teacher of mine (LOU ENGLE) has been out in CA for 40 days fasting and praying with a team of young adults whose #1 goal is to change the spiritual climate there unto physical results in America's healing. They have told stories of violence and hate car keyings and shootings against people who stand up for righteousness and the values of morals as per Jesus. I have heard stories of field trips (second graders) to gay marriage ceremonies and class role play of gay unions and parents being arrested for fighting the schools gay agenda! This fight is real and nothing less than the hand of GOd is going to stop the rage of the enemy in this hour. I wish my mere words could express the passionate sorrow I feel right now. We all have jobs to do beside taht of seeking the filling of our pockets monetarily. We must realize our responsibility in the place of prayer for our nation. you will never pray for something you don't love so we must first come to love our nation and then realize taht liberty has been distorted and we must contend for the truth of God to be shined amidst the darkness....some people in our day will be outcast and persecuted for this stand. Some will even give their lives for it. I would hope to be one who will stand regardless of the consequence knowing God will hear my cry and heal my land. This is so real and not generations away...it is the age we live in and things are going to get ugly. When famine and economic collapse come will you be ready and confident to stand and trust Jesus has a plan and sometimes we don't fully get it but be unshaken to your convictions to Him? I urge you to stand...perfect love cast out fear...fight for He is worth it and these abortionists and homosexuals...they have a name and a face, they are or could have been you and meand we must fight on their behalf to win them back from darkness into victory in christ unto an America who will fight with the Lord. Please read the article below. Also we are praying 6am-6pm Thurday and the monday before elections. join us in one spirit if you wish.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/la-me-prayer20-2008oct20,0,4059865.story
Right now I feel and urgency in my heart to express the gravity of the hour we live in. Today I was faced with the grewsome reality of the strongholds over our nation and specifically California in regard to abortion and homosexuality in the coming elections. A teacher of mine (LOU ENGLE) has been out in CA for 40 days fasting and praying with a team of young adults whose #1 goal is to change the spiritual climate there unto physical results in America's healing. They have told stories of violence and hate car keyings and shootings against people who stand up for righteousness and the values of morals as per Jesus. I have heard stories of field trips (second graders) to gay marriage ceremonies and class role play of gay unions and parents being arrested for fighting the schools gay agenda! This fight is real and nothing less than the hand of GOd is going to stop the rage of the enemy in this hour. I wish my mere words could express the passionate sorrow I feel right now. We all have jobs to do beside taht of seeking the filling of our pockets monetarily. We must realize our responsibility in the place of prayer for our nation. you will never pray for something you don't love so we must first come to love our nation and then realize taht liberty has been distorted and we must contend for the truth of God to be shined amidst the darkness....some people in our day will be outcast and persecuted for this stand. Some will even give their lives for it. I would hope to be one who will stand regardless of the consequence knowing God will hear my cry and heal my land. This is so real and not generations away...it is the age we live in and things are going to get ugly. When famine and economic collapse come will you be ready and confident to stand and trust Jesus has a plan and sometimes we don't fully get it but be unshaken to your convictions to Him? I urge you to stand...perfect love cast out fear...fight for He is worth it and these abortionists and homosexuals...they have a name and a face, they are or could have been you and meand we must fight on their behalf to win them back from darkness into victory in christ unto an America who will fight with the Lord. Please read the article below. Also we are praying 6am-6pm Thurday and the monday before elections. join us in one spirit if you wish.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/la-me-prayer20-2008oct20,0,4059865.story
lunes, 20 de octubre de 2008
My new Best Friend...
You know there is nothing more comforting than the gift of friendship. All too often I think we foolishly throw this gift away casting it out before mere acquaintances or those whose heart does not really meet the depths of your own.
I am on this journey of solitude upon which I have not really been looking to make new friends and yet I seem to have found the most profound friendship I've ever known.
Have you ever been seated on a park bench when a friend comes to sit beside you without a word? Have you ever experienced that comforable silence? The idea that the mere presence of another can so much farther surpass the need for actual spoken communication. Even to the point that the presence can fill you with peace and healing you never kew you needed or craved?
That my friends is the power I found in the gift of friendship with Holy Spirit, the man!
Sometimes we claim to need peace and silence a sense of rest but rarely do we actually become active in the persuit of solitude and silence. Among the many disciplines of this spiritual life we find so much accomplishmentin the doing checklist...bible reading...check...prayer...check...fasting...check
But in all the doing to meet the Prince of peace, have we found peace. In all the "being called friends of God" have we come to the secret solitudeby which we cultivate friendship? I have been deeply gripped by the sweetness of the presence of Holy Spirit found in my intentional surrender of my hearts cries, my surrender of my mouths requests and I am coming to a place where I resolve that even if I find no answers or no "a ha" revelation, this friendship of silence is like hidden treasure to be searched out. When you sit on that bench and wait...oubegin to feel an arm that slips itself into yours and in stillness there is intimacy beyond words and transcending all doable activities. This is the gift of friendship I am coming to know and man, it is more precious than silver or gold. And oh, in that place should He decide to speak...I am learning to listen...and wait not in a hurry to run to the next thing or tell others the great news just simply...wait what if the God of the universe just wanted to meet you there because He knew you were tenderhearted and faithful to listen to the concerns on His heart not to move you to act but just to listen as a friend He wants to share with...will you be found at the bench present to slip your arm in His? It's a place of beholding the beauty of a man whose light shines in the quiet solitude where time does not exist and there is no hindrance to love. Incredible!
I am on this journey of solitude upon which I have not really been looking to make new friends and yet I seem to have found the most profound friendship I've ever known.
Have you ever been seated on a park bench when a friend comes to sit beside you without a word? Have you ever experienced that comforable silence? The idea that the mere presence of another can so much farther surpass the need for actual spoken communication. Even to the point that the presence can fill you with peace and healing you never kew you needed or craved?
That my friends is the power I found in the gift of friendship with Holy Spirit, the man!
Sometimes we claim to need peace and silence a sense of rest but rarely do we actually become active in the persuit of solitude and silence. Among the many disciplines of this spiritual life we find so much accomplishmentin the doing checklist...bible reading...check...prayer...check...fasting...check
But in all the doing to meet the Prince of peace, have we found peace. In all the "being called friends of God" have we come to the secret solitudeby which we cultivate friendship? I have been deeply gripped by the sweetness of the presence of Holy Spirit found in my intentional surrender of my hearts cries, my surrender of my mouths requests and I am coming to a place where I resolve that even if I find no answers or no "a ha" revelation, this friendship of silence is like hidden treasure to be searched out. When you sit on that bench and wait...oubegin to feel an arm that slips itself into yours and in stillness there is intimacy beyond words and transcending all doable activities. This is the gift of friendship I am coming to know and man, it is more precious than silver or gold. And oh, in that place should He decide to speak...I am learning to listen...and wait not in a hurry to run to the next thing or tell others the great news just simply...wait what if the God of the universe just wanted to meet you there because He knew you were tenderhearted and faithful to listen to the concerns on His heart not to move you to act but just to listen as a friend He wants to share with...will you be found at the bench present to slip your arm in His? It's a place of beholding the beauty of a man whose light shines in the quiet solitude where time does not exist and there is no hindrance to love. Incredible!
sábado, 11 de octubre de 2008
The wonders of a fast...
Hi all- The Call Institute, my program at IHOP basically fights for ending abortion and calls people to fasting and prayer to change things in the world. (thus the name!) Anyway, in light of the present state of California's demise sexually, morally and in every pervers way, and in light of the coming elections, we have been doing a 40 day fast topray for God to change things in America. (we are currently on day 16, oh and I went to the KC zoo today fun!...yeah random sorry:))
So I am doig my first 40 day juice/water fast and I'll be honest.....I wanna eat! But I am realizing that God is sooooo gracious to give favor and clarity even when we are grumbling and in wrong motivation. He sees beyond to our heart and He is faithful. Right now I can hear His voice like razor sharp and that is awesome but it is not because I am doing so well on the fast (as I have slipped up a few times!) It's because He meets us where we're at. We are very fallible people but when we trust and believe in the power of His might, He shows up in that very power. The bible even tells of how Abraham was allowed to ask God to consult him first before causing a nation to perish...who are we that God should give us this type of privilege? But the truth is it is about LOVE. He loves when we come to Him declaring we are weak and in need of His strength. Can we do that in a fast to say hey GOd, I am no one, but you are everything and because you love me, will you change America?
The below if from TheCAll website I encourage you to read and go radical...ask...seek...knock...FAST!
Every dynamic new force for change is undergirded by rigorous disciplines. The slack decadence of culture-Christianity cannot produce athletes of the spirit. Those who are the bearers of tomorrow undergo what others might call disciplines, but not to punish themselves to God. They simply do what is necessary to stay spiritually alive, just as they eat food and drink water.Engaging the Powers, Walter Wink p. 261“Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” - Matthew 4:4
Fasting:1. Act of non-conformity in the face of a matrix glutted with worldly pleasures.2. Act of spiritual defiance to the mighty tidal waters of godless enculturation.3. Weapon of the weak to resist the power of the strong.4. Statement to soul and body by the spirit that demands, “You will not dominate me.”5. Weapon of the weak that deals with the true source of injustice, the unseen powers that govern kings and rulers.6. Fasting does in the spiritual realm what a hunger strike does in the natural realm. It states, “I will not go your way, even unto death.” It is an appeal to a higher court of justice.7. Fasting is the God ordained mean to seek with all your heart, to return to God with all your heart as in Joel 2.8. Fasting is a God ordained means of cleansing the image of the matrix off the lenses of your mind; it prepares your spirit to receive new light images from heaven. The image of Christ is more readily beheld and imprinted.9. Fasting curbs the appétit of the flesh while intensifying the appetites of the spirit. Man shall not live by bread alone.10. Dreams come where there are many thought and cares, bombarded with images. Fasting prepares the heart to receive images (dreams) from heaven.11. Fasting is a sort of spiritual detox. It is a cleansing of the soul from deadening poison, giving the addict a new lease on life.“Fasting begets prophets and strengthens strong men. Fasting makes lawgivers wise. It is the souls safeguard, the bodies trusted comrade, the armor of the champion, the training of the athlete.” - Basil of Caesarea
One of John Wesley’s disciples was William Wilberforce. At first, he thought he would go into the clergy, but he was led to go into politics. God needs altar builders in every area of life. With the passion and support of Wesley, his spiritual father, Wilberforce used the power of God to change society in England and end slavery there. Wilberforce was greatly influenced by Wesley, who was then 88 and close to dying. Wesley’s last written communication was to Wilberforce:Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils, but if God be for you who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might, till even American slavery, the vilest that ever saw the sun, shall vanish away before it. That He that has guided you from your youth may continue to strengthen you in this and all things, is the prayer of, Dear Sir, Your affectionate servant, John Wesley.A few days later, Wesley died, giving to Wilberforce his mantle for revival that would end slavery in England. Slavery was ended in Britain by 1833, throughout the empire, and that began to stir the debate about slavery in the southern part of America.”Can abortion end in America? Yes, if God can find a generation of Wilberforce’s. God chose, from the time of the Creation, to work on earth through humans, not independent of them. He always has and always will, even at the cost of becoming one. Though God is sovereign and all-powerful, Scripture clearly tells us that He limited Himself, concerning the affairs of earth, to working through human beings.
Dutch Sheets, 10/10/2008
Day 14 - Father NashHaving experienced a terrible overhaul of his own spiritual experience, Nash, Finney’s intercessor, emerged from a cold and backslidden condition to faithfully labor for souls, full of the power of prayer. He prayed daily – often many times a day – for those whom he was led to place on his list, frequently literally in agony for them. Multitudes were thus converted, many of them hardened, abandoned characters who could not be reached in any ordinary way.One such example involved a bartender violently opposed to revival meetings who would deliberately swear outrageously whenever Christians were within hearing. It was so bad that some of his neighbors considered moving because they could not tolerate such swearing. When Father Nash heard of this situation, he became very grieved and took this man on in prayer. Day and night he labored in prayer for this ungodly bartender. Several days later, the tavern keeper came to a meeting, confessed his sins and came to Christ. His confession was one of the most heartbroken Finney and Nash had ever heard and seemed to cover the whole ground of his treatment of God, Christians, revival, and everything good. His barroom immediately became the place where prayer meetings were held.Can bars, mosques, crack houses or other sin-dens become prayer rooms in our day? Can vulgar God-haters, drug dealers, porn-peddlers and others of ill repute become passionate followers of Christ? Only if we find the “Father Nashes” of our day – those who refuse to accept status quo and through fervent and agonizing prayer bring the will of Heaven to earth. Have you been infected with this heavenly virus?
Dutch Sheets, 10/7/2008
So I am doig my first 40 day juice/water fast and I'll be honest.....I wanna eat! But I am realizing that God is sooooo gracious to give favor and clarity even when we are grumbling and in wrong motivation. He sees beyond to our heart and He is faithful. Right now I can hear His voice like razor sharp and that is awesome but it is not because I am doing so well on the fast (as I have slipped up a few times!) It's because He meets us where we're at. We are very fallible people but when we trust and believe in the power of His might, He shows up in that very power. The bible even tells of how Abraham was allowed to ask God to consult him first before causing a nation to perish...who are we that God should give us this type of privilege? But the truth is it is about LOVE. He loves when we come to Him declaring we are weak and in need of His strength. Can we do that in a fast to say hey GOd, I am no one, but you are everything and because you love me, will you change America?
The below if from TheCAll website I encourage you to read and go radical...ask...seek...knock...FAST!
Every dynamic new force for change is undergirded by rigorous disciplines. The slack decadence of culture-Christianity cannot produce athletes of the spirit. Those who are the bearers of tomorrow undergo what others might call disciplines, but not to punish themselves to God. They simply do what is necessary to stay spiritually alive, just as they eat food and drink water.Engaging the Powers, Walter Wink p. 261“Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” - Matthew 4:4
Fasting:1. Act of non-conformity in the face of a matrix glutted with worldly pleasures.2. Act of spiritual defiance to the mighty tidal waters of godless enculturation.3. Weapon of the weak to resist the power of the strong.4. Statement to soul and body by the spirit that demands, “You will not dominate me.”5. Weapon of the weak that deals with the true source of injustice, the unseen powers that govern kings and rulers.6. Fasting does in the spiritual realm what a hunger strike does in the natural realm. It states, “I will not go your way, even unto death.” It is an appeal to a higher court of justice.7. Fasting is the God ordained mean to seek with all your heart, to return to God with all your heart as in Joel 2.8. Fasting is a God ordained means of cleansing the image of the matrix off the lenses of your mind; it prepares your spirit to receive new light images from heaven. The image of Christ is more readily beheld and imprinted.9. Fasting curbs the appétit of the flesh while intensifying the appetites of the spirit. Man shall not live by bread alone.10. Dreams come where there are many thought and cares, bombarded with images. Fasting prepares the heart to receive images (dreams) from heaven.11. Fasting is a sort of spiritual detox. It is a cleansing of the soul from deadening poison, giving the addict a new lease on life.“Fasting begets prophets and strengthens strong men. Fasting makes lawgivers wise. It is the souls safeguard, the bodies trusted comrade, the armor of the champion, the training of the athlete.” - Basil of Caesarea
One of John Wesley’s disciples was William Wilberforce. At first, he thought he would go into the clergy, but he was led to go into politics. God needs altar builders in every area of life. With the passion and support of Wesley, his spiritual father, Wilberforce used the power of God to change society in England and end slavery there. Wilberforce was greatly influenced by Wesley, who was then 88 and close to dying. Wesley’s last written communication was to Wilberforce:Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils, but if God be for you who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might, till even American slavery, the vilest that ever saw the sun, shall vanish away before it. That He that has guided you from your youth may continue to strengthen you in this and all things, is the prayer of, Dear Sir, Your affectionate servant, John Wesley.A few days later, Wesley died, giving to Wilberforce his mantle for revival that would end slavery in England. Slavery was ended in Britain by 1833, throughout the empire, and that began to stir the debate about slavery in the southern part of America.”Can abortion end in America? Yes, if God can find a generation of Wilberforce’s. God chose, from the time of the Creation, to work on earth through humans, not independent of them. He always has and always will, even at the cost of becoming one. Though God is sovereign and all-powerful, Scripture clearly tells us that He limited Himself, concerning the affairs of earth, to working through human beings.
Dutch Sheets, 10/10/2008
Day 14 - Father NashHaving experienced a terrible overhaul of his own spiritual experience, Nash, Finney’s intercessor, emerged from a cold and backslidden condition to faithfully labor for souls, full of the power of prayer. He prayed daily – often many times a day – for those whom he was led to place on his list, frequently literally in agony for them. Multitudes were thus converted, many of them hardened, abandoned characters who could not be reached in any ordinary way.One such example involved a bartender violently opposed to revival meetings who would deliberately swear outrageously whenever Christians were within hearing. It was so bad that some of his neighbors considered moving because they could not tolerate such swearing. When Father Nash heard of this situation, he became very grieved and took this man on in prayer. Day and night he labored in prayer for this ungodly bartender. Several days later, the tavern keeper came to a meeting, confessed his sins and came to Christ. His confession was one of the most heartbroken Finney and Nash had ever heard and seemed to cover the whole ground of his treatment of God, Christians, revival, and everything good. His barroom immediately became the place where prayer meetings were held.Can bars, mosques, crack houses or other sin-dens become prayer rooms in our day? Can vulgar God-haters, drug dealers, porn-peddlers and others of ill repute become passionate followers of Christ? Only if we find the “Father Nashes” of our day – those who refuse to accept status quo and through fervent and agonizing prayer bring the will of Heaven to earth. Have you been infected with this heavenly virus?
Dutch Sheets, 10/7/2008
sábado, 4 de octubre de 2008
Nothing is lacking where everything is given! -Bernard of Clairvaux
Wow, where to begin? I have so many things I want to share and they may or may not all relate but if you know me, it's just that way!
So in class we have been learning about the End Times of Jesus' Second coming and the iminent danger headed toward the planet! Yes, I know really upbeat stuff! But, in the next breath I would like to share that we have also been learning about LOVE. What do we as people perceive possibilities in love and what does God require of us? To study both these avenues in one timeframe is slightly a paradox, but a great balance too!
I still have about amonth left in the End times learning, so today I am going to share mainly about love, and practical ways to focus our "time with God!" (however, I am learning, to understand the end times will help us to understand why it is so important to learn to love God now!) I also have some questions that have been floating around in this rather strange mind which I want to throw out there! Here goes:
Wholehearted love starts now! what if our life vision was not about how many people we can affect or how successful we can be in the eyes of the world. What if it was "to impact God's heart, and win His gaze?" Do we even understand that that is possible? Do we have a sobering reality of hte necessity to win His gaze? Often times we get so obsorbed by the stresses of life and the "mundane" activity of even the important things yet we fail to engage in the act of loving wholeheartedly now. What do I mean?
Often you can give 100% of your efforts into something, but it is not until the last 2% is given, that you begin to see or feel the impact of your efforts...it is at that point that you actually scratch the surface of possibility. Innate in our makeup is dissatisfaction with half-heartedness and a yearning to love and be loved to the uttermost. The problem is that we think that is something to be attainedin some far off time period. Like when I am out of school I will give it all, or whenthe summer break comes I will start, or when I get married it will all fall together...the problem is we see wholeheartedness to God as being equal to perfection...NOT SO!
Youand I can walk in wholehearted abandoned love to God right now by accepting daily His invitation to speak to you, teach you, and allowing Him to lead you through every season of life, saying YES to HIs leadership. Perfection indeed may be far off, but your heart longing to be with Him IS the place of wholeheartedness. Ordinary lives can be wholehearted by practicing the presence of GOd in the mundane of life...driving-pray, in traffic-give thanks for protection, at every venue of life there is an opportunity to engage right now with a God who desires your heart in love and even though we have made it this intimidating unrealistic challenge, it is very natural and possible.
In the midst of the common, we can be radical! At this point many may be thinkin "she is nuts!" well my friends, look around, this worl is nuts and if I am crazy, I may as well be crazy and enter a kingdom of priests in the end! The amount of "oil" (Matt25) you will have in your lamp later in life, is directly connected to the ways in which you use your time now. we must prepare ourselves for tomorrow by preparing today! These are not even outward displays, I could care less howmuch $ you have or how many cd's you sold or that you run 10minstries in your church! It is the very things done in secret in the times of the mundane or trials, that fuel the lamp so to speak for the days ahead!I mean, if you spend time praying, holding your tongue, fatsing, reading the bible and not for shwo, but do these with a pure heart and desire to "win His gaze" you are actually cultivating future power and success.
QUOTE: Only in the safety of wholeheartedness will we be kept secure in the hour of delusion that will sweep the globe before Jesus return. In that day, when lawlessness abounds, the love of many will grow cold. Divided hearts will give way to their shifting foundations and only lives built upon the lifestyle of Jesus-the pursuit of the first commandment asin the sermon on the mount, will stand firm and be prepared at His return!
We do not have time to accept Him later. And those of us in church do not have time to get disciplined tomorrow! Today is the day. Which leads me to my questions:
1. What do you expect from Christianity? What's the point for you?
2. Is your life and your priorities reflective of the above answer?
A note on prayer:
I used to find it very difficult to engage in prayer outside of church. I had no "plan" as it were and thus experienced boredom or frustration alot! In all we do we must have a focus and a path and should God meet us and steer us off into another direction, great, but start with a plan. Below are the things I do in my 4 hour prayer block at school.It is my own plan and it works for me, but some people might find this useful!
1. pray in the spirit (30 min)
2. read the bible- not study (30 min)
3. engage in worship-music (30 min)
4. Global intercession-worl issues(30min)
5. Personal prayer list family/friends(30 min)
6. silence waiting (30 min)
7. Bible study or resource material (1 hour)
Each day this fluxuates, but this is my floor plan! And God always shows up!
Finally, you are love and valuable and called to be so much more, not in your own efforts though. The challenges of today can be placed on the altar for rest and you can make time daily to meet with the lover of your soul. Again think I am nuts? Whatever cause in this place I have never had more peace and at timesI struggle with thoughts and attitude etc. But God is so faithful to meet you where you are at. Today, right now you can be wholehearted with Him! What a privilege! It is also a choice. We intentionally make an hour for the gym or church meetings or last minute back to school night...all these are good but daily you can make time to find love! I share this because I do love you all, and because I know that the hour we live in is grave, our world is in need of a savoir and He longs to come...."the spirit and the bride shout COME!"
So in class we have been learning about the End Times of Jesus' Second coming and the iminent danger headed toward the planet! Yes, I know really upbeat stuff! But, in the next breath I would like to share that we have also been learning about LOVE. What do we as people perceive possibilities in love and what does God require of us? To study both these avenues in one timeframe is slightly a paradox, but a great balance too!
I still have about amonth left in the End times learning, so today I am going to share mainly about love, and practical ways to focus our "time with God!" (however, I am learning, to understand the end times will help us to understand why it is so important to learn to love God now!) I also have some questions that have been floating around in this rather strange mind which I want to throw out there! Here goes:
Wholehearted love starts now! what if our life vision was not about how many people we can affect or how successful we can be in the eyes of the world. What if it was "to impact God's heart, and win His gaze?" Do we even understand that that is possible? Do we have a sobering reality of hte necessity to win His gaze? Often times we get so obsorbed by the stresses of life and the "mundane" activity of even the important things yet we fail to engage in the act of loving wholeheartedly now. What do I mean?
Often you can give 100% of your efforts into something, but it is not until the last 2% is given, that you begin to see or feel the impact of your efforts...it is at that point that you actually scratch the surface of possibility. Innate in our makeup is dissatisfaction with half-heartedness and a yearning to love and be loved to the uttermost. The problem is that we think that is something to be attainedin some far off time period. Like when I am out of school I will give it all, or whenthe summer break comes I will start, or when I get married it will all fall together...the problem is we see wholeheartedness to God as being equal to perfection...NOT SO!
Youand I can walk in wholehearted abandoned love to God right now by accepting daily His invitation to speak to you, teach you, and allowing Him to lead you through every season of life, saying YES to HIs leadership. Perfection indeed may be far off, but your heart longing to be with Him IS the place of wholeheartedness. Ordinary lives can be wholehearted by practicing the presence of GOd in the mundane of life...driving-pray, in traffic-give thanks for protection, at every venue of life there is an opportunity to engage right now with a God who desires your heart in love and even though we have made it this intimidating unrealistic challenge, it is very natural and possible.
In the midst of the common, we can be radical! At this point many may be thinkin "she is nuts!" well my friends, look around, this worl is nuts and if I am crazy, I may as well be crazy and enter a kingdom of priests in the end! The amount of "oil" (Matt25) you will have in your lamp later in life, is directly connected to the ways in which you use your time now. we must prepare ourselves for tomorrow by preparing today! These are not even outward displays, I could care less howmuch $ you have or how many cd's you sold or that you run 10minstries in your church! It is the very things done in secret in the times of the mundane or trials, that fuel the lamp so to speak for the days ahead!I mean, if you spend time praying, holding your tongue, fatsing, reading the bible and not for shwo, but do these with a pure heart and desire to "win His gaze" you are actually cultivating future power and success.
QUOTE: Only in the safety of wholeheartedness will we be kept secure in the hour of delusion that will sweep the globe before Jesus return. In that day, when lawlessness abounds, the love of many will grow cold. Divided hearts will give way to their shifting foundations and only lives built upon the lifestyle of Jesus-the pursuit of the first commandment asin the sermon on the mount, will stand firm and be prepared at His return!
We do not have time to accept Him later. And those of us in church do not have time to get disciplined tomorrow! Today is the day. Which leads me to my questions:
1. What do you expect from Christianity? What's the point for you?
2. Is your life and your priorities reflective of the above answer?
A note on prayer:
I used to find it very difficult to engage in prayer outside of church. I had no "plan" as it were and thus experienced boredom or frustration alot! In all we do we must have a focus and a path and should God meet us and steer us off into another direction, great, but start with a plan. Below are the things I do in my 4 hour prayer block at school.It is my own plan and it works for me, but some people might find this useful!
1. pray in the spirit (30 min)
2. read the bible- not study (30 min)
3. engage in worship-music (30 min)
4. Global intercession-worl issues(30min)
5. Personal prayer list family/friends(30 min)
6. silence waiting (30 min)
7. Bible study or resource material (1 hour)
Each day this fluxuates, but this is my floor plan! And God always shows up!
Finally, you are love and valuable and called to be so much more, not in your own efforts though. The challenges of today can be placed on the altar for rest and you can make time daily to meet with the lover of your soul. Again think I am nuts? Whatever cause in this place I have never had more peace and at timesI struggle with thoughts and attitude etc. But God is so faithful to meet you where you are at. Today, right now you can be wholehearted with Him! What a privilege! It is also a choice. We intentionally make an hour for the gym or church meetings or last minute back to school night...all these are good but daily you can make time to find love! I share this because I do love you all, and because I know that the hour we live in is grave, our world is in need of a savoir and He longs to come...."the spirit and the bride shout COME!"
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