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collectivecartomancy · 1 year ago

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The Tower Comes to Destroy

Part 1 of 2

The Tower comes to destroy a house

It does so regardless of our affection or malice towards the catastrophe. It does not stay to help you clean up the mess.

The Tower will not recommend a therapist of color in your area. The Tower will not leave a casserole on your porch with a note of condolence.

It's spiritual bypassing to say "The Tower is necessary" and leave it at that. We must also say it is terrifying, it is unfair, it is dramatic.

We're entitled to our full range of emotion. We're entitled to our shame, our rage, our fear.

The Tower comes for us all. It does not come for us all equally. Sometimes we long for it to strike, and we're stuck in Hanged Man pose--or worse, chained up with The Devil.

We also live suspended in The Tower as a country. War follows war. Tragedy follows tragedy. Public cruelty piles atop already under resourced lives.

Yet this is not the only archetype of The Tower--the Tower of Babel. The House of God Struck By Lightning.

There is a younger archetype within the lore of The Tower.

By scrutinizing that image, we can better understand the complexities of tarot's morality.

The Catholic Church as a colonial power provides tarot with most of its archetypes.

They reflect a world colored by the church and the European renaissance.

The obsession with ancient Greece is there. The alchemists are present. The devil looms behind every corner. Even the costumes give renaissance.

We must consider the role colonial Christianity plays in creating tarot's archetypes.

Tarot for Liberation works to change the vantage point from which we see tarot.

It goes beyond card meanings to form a metatheory of how tarot can help us. It bypasses simplistic discussions about where queers fit in tarot. It asks instead how tarot can change the way we see the world, and how we live in it.

The Tower is a card whose impact depends on where you sit.

If you built the Tower, you're probably having a shit time. If you're trapped in the Tower, you may now become free--if you can survive the fall.

But it also matters whose side you're on, and which tower you think is falling.

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho

My family began to worry my Christian education wasn't working when I turned fourteen.

My grandmother finally ended her overlong tenure as my sunday school teacher. I entered the Teen class with a sigh of relief.

She had kept me in her Junior class an extra year. (She was very serious about my walk with her god.) She read through her bible once a year while listening to it on tape. Yes, both at once.

When I'd stay over, I'd wake to the drone of her tapes. I'd see her, before dawn, still in her night dress, her huge bible with its pink floral dust jacket open on her bed.

My grandmother was a constant interlocutor, and a friend of my mind. But that year, I found we viewed biblical history through different lenses.

And she was OBSESSED with history. Particularly Black History, of course, and as such, Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt was having a moment in the 1990s--King Tut and all that.

My grandmother took it a little farther, as is our way. She had the print, the necklaces, the rings. If they had it, she had it.

To my grandmother, Egypt was proof that Black People helped to make the modern world.

It was a part of her religion. It was part of her self-understanding.

Nevermind the empire. Empire was part of her religion too, a bigger part than Egypt.

So when I told her my concerns about Joshua's behavior in Jericho, she did not share them.

The Joshua of the Christian bible rose to power when Moses died. God comes to him, and is like "make a colonial state for yourself in Canaan."

The biblical book of Joshua makes clear why Christianity is the premier religion of imperialism

A entire nation becomes an army. They carry the tablets Moses brought down from the mountain in a magical gold box. These tablets of liberation become a tool for colonization--the Ark of the Covenant.

Joshua and his army circle around the busy city of Jericho for six days. They blow horns. They carry the ark of the covenant. They pray.

On the seventh day, everyone shouts. The walls fall.

This, too, is The Tower.

And for Christians, this Tower is great.

All because their God hated the Canaanites. All because it was foretold to Abraham.

All because in the book of Leviticus, they were said to lie with animals, have gay sex, and believe in another god.

To know Leviticus was never anything more than a book of propaganda may provide the gays some relief.

I had already had my suspicions with Lot's wife. (Another Tower tale.) Let alone Lot's daughters. I sparred with my youth pastor about Tamar.

But the idea of laying low a thriving city was where I drew an internal line.

Only two books prior, the reader is asked to rejoice about the murder of every man in Midian. We're asked to side with Moses when he's pissed his soldiers left the women of Midian alive.

To Christians, the only perspective that matters in the bible is that of the colonizer, of the patriarch.

How else do you believe the story of Lot over that of his daughters, pregnant with their father's child?

How else do you celebrate a war built on gossip and prophecy? Whether you believe the gossip and prophecy or you don't.

Imagine yourself besieged inside of Jericho for seven days. Spied upon, then attacked, then sacked.

This, too, is The Tower.

Of all tarot's archetypes, The Tower brings the most immediate danger. Accidents, injuries, imprisonment, and sudden acts of violence are all manifestations of the Tower.

To even acknowledge this is to challenge the overly-psychological readings of tarot that have become all too common.

Tarot, like most spiritual technology, is reduced to mere self-help. It's capacity to speak to some of the most difficult experiences in human life is minimized in service of individualism.

Yet archetype is powerful because it's recognizable, even in crisis. Even without a lecture, or a plan of indoctrination that starts young.

In 2003, what could I see in Joshua that I didn't see in George W. Bush? What could I see but another warmonger, using god to cover his crimes?

What could I hear in those shouts but "Axis of Evil?" What could I see in Leviticus' gossip but "Weapons of Mass Distruction?"

How could I love a god of war? How could I love a god who created people he didn't love, solely for the character development of those he did?

These questions were the lightning that struck my tower of faith.

It bothered me that the priests came to shout down the walls. It bothered me that burnt the homes, and looted the residents.

To my grandmother this was fine. God had said so. No other justification was needed.

It's simple to believe as you are taught. It is simple to do as you are told.

I'm not a biblical scholar, obvi. I'm an ex-evangelical church girl from New Jersey. And there I was force-fed what politicians have said all week:

That winners win and losers lose because of god. Any other answer, whether racism, or systemic abuse, or neglect, or poverty is an excuse.

A passive reading of The Tower reinforces the narrative that god loves some people more than others.

A liberatory reading of tarot may draw our eye to the construction of The Hierophant.

The Hierophant who passes along bias with knowledge. The Hierophant who stands in for the church. The Hierophant who soaks up and mystifies the power passed to them by the Empress and Emperor.

The Hierophant who hides their hand inside of a god whose mouth they control. A god who reflects their own biases.

Further Thoughts

5 Pillars of Tarot for Liberation

Capitalism, Scarcity, and Tarot Love Readings

Seven of Wands: Tarot for Conflict

Building Responsive Power: Queering Tarot’s Kings

Understanding Tarot’s Acolyte Cards, Part 1

LET’S HANG OUT

Get the Temperance Queer Tarot Newsletter

Let’s sit down for a tarot reading

Get some 1-on-1 tarot coaching

Read more of the Queer Tarot Blog

Join the FREE Queer Tarot & Spirituality Community

#The Tower #The Hierophant #Christian Supremacy

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brightbasilica · 3 years ago

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as a heterosexual person, i haven’t committed too much thought as to what argument i want to put on the table when arguing polemically with my classmates about homosexuality other than my beliefs that all of the books of the bible are written by men, and there is a general consensus among early church fathers that a majority of the pentateuch was written (with less emphasis on spiritual influence) by moses to help direct the israelites and all of the pauline theology (pauline letters) is incredibly rooted in paul’s own experience/opinion and his really contentious claim to apostolic personage. there are plenty of other key figures who, when mentioning doctrine, bypass the topic of homosexual behavior in favor of the catch all of ‘sexual immortality’ or adultery. i wouldn’t consider the latter a point; i’m including it to explain why i only draw out moses and paul, as they speak of homosexuality in their books/letters. my biggest argument is that the bible under the mosaic covenant and within the messianic covenant both intentionally say marriage is between a husband and wife, however, if we are to reflect on that retroactively, this is the same time in which women were very clearly being kept from ministry or ministries which were led by women (montanism, etc) were considered heretical. reading the bible today, most people in the western church or in protestant sects will agree that women can be spirit filled and go on to lead congregations and take on an administrative role in the church despite pauline theology agreeing with the aristotle musing that silence is a woman’s glory, but we respect the fact that they lived in a patriarchal society and anachronistically, there was no other opinion to have been had at that time. i usually bring this up directly, and say that the same can be applied to homosexuality, along with the very elementary point of: even if homosexuality is a sin presently, that sin is passed through the seed of man and (usually) present at conception. regardless of the presence of sin in man or not, man is made in god’s image, and that’s primary doctrine. living in denial of one’s identity or shame in divine construction feels antithetical of the christian creed.

that was exceptionally long-winded, but it’s fair to sit down and say: what is my theological backing of looking at biblical theology retroactively and applying it today?-- because, it is so hard for me to not run into these arguments immediately and say: “every single gospel is about love, when we meet God, what makes you think that He’s going to ask us who our preferred gender was? if He asks us anything, it will be: did you love me? did you love others? He’s going to say there was so much love out there for you, you felt so much all of these years, all of the love of Christ in you grasping for others and instead of accepting the part of you that is me, you listened to man”-- which is emotion driven, but it blows my mind when someone can sit in front of me and say “i want to be a spiritual leader of people, and help others feel the awesome love of God” and then ten minutes later say, “homosexuality is a sin, and i think doctrine against it needs to be stronger, i don’t feel comfortable with churches that allow gay people as members or in administration, and i won’t do anything that makes it look as if though i condone that lifestyle” as if that was ever the point of Jesus Christ dying on a cross for mankind (well, I’m sure he died for those aforementioned rhetoricians).

it’s so hard to shake these people and say: that’s not who God is. God is an infinite being that we will never understand, and physical and romantic love is something he gave to us on earth to experience with each other- it’s nothing he needs. perversion that happens with it is perversion of the character or the heart, not with the action. and that’s it.

we look in samuel/kings and see that the israelites ask God for a king, He doesn’t want to give them one, because he understands what man is like, but the hebrews beg samuel, and samuel begs God, and God changes his mind. He gives them saul (a bit of a haha moment), but he does it: even in the old testament, he listens to man and he acquiesces. Christ repeatedly says the the son of man came to serve. we’re looking at ‘logos’, the Word, Jesus, and everything that Jesus said is important, the written text of the bible will pass away but Jesus remains, and He just says love. countless times. countless. after all, the world will pass away and really the love of God will be the only eternal thing, within us, and because of secondary doctrine, we ask others to deny it. mind numbing.

#talking point

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religioused · 4 years ago

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Words Never Die

by Gary Simpson

1 Samuel 3:1-20 (King James Version) And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; that the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. 5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. 6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee. And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.

19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

Reflection:

There is an old public domain hymn titled “Kind Words Never Die.” Sadly, angry words take on a life of their own too. In no realm does that seem more accurate than political and religious discussions.

Three general principles you might want to look for in this sermon. (1) Ridicule and insults can cause religious and political divisions and political tension. (2) We can reflect on how our theological beliefs and political news consumption may cause us to hate others. (3) Look for ways to build people up.

There are times when a dose of Biblical trivia feels right. And this is one of those times. In the Septuagint, 1st and 2nd Samuel were called 1st and 2nd Kingdoms, and 1st and 2nd Kings were called 3rd and 4th Kingdoms.(1) A few people think 1st and 2nd Samuel would be better named Saul and David, or 1st and 2nd David.(2)

First and Second Samuel were probably written about 900 BCE(3), and the events described in 1st Samuel might date back to somewhere between 1200 and 1000 BCE.(4) The book was written after the division of the nation into two kingdoms, the northern and the southern kingdoms.(5) The events in the book of 1st Samuel take place during a time of political change. The children of Israel were transitioning into a monarchical form of government.(6) We see a shift from the leadership of priests, prophets and judges to kings.(7)

As we look to contemporary issues dividing Canada and the United States, we may find parts of 1st Samuel, a book written for a people divided into two kingdoms, valuable. A major theme in 1st Samuel is that the main characters, Samuel, Saul, and David, all “make mistakes that cost them dearly.”(8) This last point, which seems quite trivial, could be important. Religious institutions and religious leaders, combined with political institutions and political leaders, made mistakes that could be challenging for North Americans for many years. Decisions relating to the creation and operation of residential schools made by the Canadian Government and church denominations hurt generations of Indigenous people. Contributors to the NIV Foundation Study Bible observe that Samuel’s ministry is built on a foundation of an “attitude of listening.”(9) And listening could be critical to the future for people of faith.

There is some literary foreshadowing in the passage. Samuel means “requested of God.”(10) We can get the sense that there is something special about Samuel, and that sense increases as we read the narratives in 1st and 2nd Samuel.

In the ancient Near Eastern world, prophets gave messages from God. Should a god not give messages through prophets, it was considered a sign that the gods were unhappy.(11) Contributors to the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible indicate that some people speculate that Samuel was in the temple area at night in hopes of receiving a “divine vision,” but there is nothing in the Biblical passage that supports that conclusion.(12)

Verses 15 to 17 are worth exploring for a moment. Warren Wiersbe draws attention to the fact that Samuel got up and went about his daily duties. He gives Samuel credit for being mature enough not to run around telling everyone that God gave him a special message.(13) I am not sure if it was maturity or dread of telling Eli the message God gave Samuel. Because Eli was almost like a foster father, Samuel might have loved Eli. His love for Eli might have been why Samuel was reluctant to tell Eli God’s message. Samuel did not want to hurt Eli.(14) Eli had a long vocational calling as a judge, having judged Israel for 40 years. Knowing Eli's vocation might have made it even more difficult for Samuel to deliver God’s stern message.(15)

Eli appears to threaten Samuel. He says Samuel must tell the whole truth and not to hide anything from him or God will deal severely with Samuel. Eli may have spoken strongly because he realized that God did something “rare” when God bypassed him and gave Samuel a message.(16) Eli, who recognizes physical maturity does not always go hand-in-hand with spiritual maturity, takes the rebuke God gives him through the mouth of young Samuel.(17) I think Eli shows significant maturity in his willingness to seek out and to accept the message Samuel gave.

Moses understood the children of Israel wanted to have a king.(18) There could be many reasons why the children of Israel wanted a king, a person of power, leading their country. They might have been seeking power, prestige, and a feeling of safety. Chapters 8-12 of 1 Samuel describe the establishment of a king for the children of Israel.(19) Was a desire to have a powerful leader, a person who could protect people of faith, a factor in some Christians being involved in the Capitol protest, a protest that claimed the lives of people? Did some people of faith believe they needed a strong president, a virtual king figure to protect their faith? We may never know.

When protesters took over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC., a few Americans carried crosses and Christian banners. Photos show somebody put up a noose. There was a massive juxtaposition between the images. As Canadians we cannot look down our noses at our American neighbors and congratulate ourselves that this could never happen in Canada. Increasingly strong and polarizing rhetoric is not just an American thing. We have the same problem here. Polarizing language between conservative and progressive Christians is both a Canadian and an American problem.

There are a few things that we may want to consider when reviewing how you live out your religious and political convictions.

• Is our shared theology and understanding of the Bible helping us feel more compassion for others, or are we finding ourselves progressively feeling more angry with those who do not share our values or our doctrine?

• When we hear a politician or a minister speak, do we find ourselves feeling increasingly angry because we believe that we are being cheated?

• Have we studied, to understand, and not to prove other people wrong, the beliefs of other Christian denominations and other world religions?

• Do we find ourselves engaging in calling members of other religious or political groups names? Do we find ourselves calling either progressive or conservative Christians names?

• Do we decide to vote based only on one political issue?

• Are there times when we seriously want to punch people who disagree with us on core issues?

• Do we spend hours each week listening to all news, all talk shows? Are we feeling anxious and angry after we watch hours of news and opinion shows?

If some of the things I mentioned seem to describe you, this might be a sign that you need to focus less on news and theology. You may want to limit your consumption of news to the morning news and the evening news. That might help you feel less like your core values are being assaulted.

Anglican theologian John Stott states, “No theology is genuinely Christian which does not arise from and focus on the cross.”(20) Historically Christians have seen love and grace as being symbolized in the cross. This means Christian theology is only genuine Christian theology when it shows love and grace. A prime test of love is respect. When we express theology in a loving manner, we attempt to show respect for those who disagree. The use of sarcastic language, ridicule, and insults might win the argument, but it generally loses the war, since the tactics offend and alienate.

I am going to conclude with a story.

Lawrence Welk is a big band leader who had a highly successful career. There is a website that estimates the net worth of celebrities. According to the website, when Lawrence Welk died in 1992, he might have been the richest person in show business, possibly being even more wealthy than the legendary Bob Hope.(21)

I hope that I recall the story correctly because it has been years since I read Lawrence Welk’s autobiography. As I recall the story, Lawrence Welk was reminiscing about his early days in show business. Welk and his boss, the leader of the band he was in, were eating in a café. Evidently, the food was pretty awful. Lawrence Welk complained about the food. The leader of the band complimented the waitress on the coffee. Later, Lawrence Welk asked the leader of the band why he didn’t complain about the bad food. The bandleader replied to the effect that whenever the waitress heard his name, she would think about how he complimented her for the coffee and whenever the waitress heard Lawrence Welk's name, she would remember how he criticized the food.

I encourage people to change the topic from political concerns and religion to other topics and to look for a reason to praise. Your kind words will be remembered and will build a bridge.

Kind words can never die,

Cherished and blest,

God knows how deep they lie,

Stored in the breast:

Like childhood’s simple rhymes,

Said o’er a thousand times,

Aye, in all years and climes,

Distant and near.

Kind words can never die(22)

End Notes

(1) Joel Rosenberg. “1 and 2 Samuel.” The Literary Guide to the Bible. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Univ. Press, 1987), 122.

(2) Rosenberg. (1987), 122.

(3) Marshall Shelley, et al., eds. The Quest Study Bible. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zandervan Pub., 1994), 358.

(4) John H. Walton and Craig S. Keener, eds. New King James Version Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zandervan Pub., 2017), 480.

(5) Shelley, et al. (1994), 358.

(6) Walton and Keener, eds. (2017), 480.

(7) Rosenberg. (1987), 122.

(8) NIV Foundation Study Bible. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zandervan, 2015), 283.

(9) NIV Foundation Study Bible. (2015), 286.

(10) Merrill F. Unger. Unger's Bible Handbook: An Essential Guide to Understanding the Bible. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1967), 187.

(11) Walton and Keener. (2017), 486.

(12) Walton and Keener. (2017), 486.

(13) Warren W. Wiersbe. The Bible Exposition Commentary: History. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Victor, 2003), 216.

(14) Walter J. Harrelson, et al., eds. The New Interpreter's Study Bible. (Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2003), 399.

(15) Bruce Barton, et al., eds. Life Explanation Study Bible. 2nd ed. (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Pub., 2004), 413.

(16) Shelley, et al. (1994), 363.

(17) Christian Community Bible. 2nd ed. (Madrid, Spain: San Pablo, 1988), 277.

(18) Kenneth Barker, et al., eds. The NIV Study Bible. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zandervan Pub., 1985), 372.

(19) Barker, et al. (1985), 372.

(20) John Stott. The Cross of Christ. (Doners Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 216.

(21) “Lawrence Welk Net Worth.” Celebrity Net Worth. 2020, 16 January 2021.

<https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/rock-stars/lawrence-welk-net-worth/>.

(22) Abbey Hutchinson Patton. “Kind Words Can Never Die.” Public Domain Hymns. <https://www.pdhymns.com/SheetMusic/B_Normal/I-Q_Normal/K_Normal/Kind%20Words%20Can%20Never%20Die_N.pdf>.

#christian #church #sermon #progressive christian #political division #religious division

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some-jw-things · 5 years ago

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I'm a exmo and came across your blog and had questions about the whole 144,000 people go to heaven after the armageddon thing if you are ok with answering questions... how is it justified to members if there are more jw than there are slots in heaven? Are there jw who don't think they'll in the 144,000? Why be in the church then? Can a priest say "nope, you're wrong" if you do believe you're one of the 144,000? Thank you!

Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t aim to get into Heaven. The ideal situation for a JW is to follow all of the rules and stuff straight through Armageddon. Then (like Mormons) they believe there will be a one thousand year trial period, where everyone who’s ever lived gets resurrected on Earth and is given the chance to learn the “truth” and start serving Jehovah. The Earth will be a Paradise then, since all the false religions are gone and so are the opposing governments to Jehovah’s theocracy, and all humans will be immortal and perfect. There will be no such thing as mistakes. They used to say everyone would be white in Paradise, but currently they only say the disabled and LGBT+ will be “cured.” Also all animals become herbivores again

After the thousand year reign, Jesus will pass the rulership over Earth back to Jehovah and there will be Judgment Day. Satan and the demons will be permanently destroyed, along with anyone who didn’t become a Jehovah’s Witness over the thousand years. Everyone left after that gets to keep on living a luxurious immortal life on a paradise Earth where all human civilization has just mysteriously disappeared. They always paint it as being very natural, with no big buildings or cities, just forests and fields everywhere because humans have cleaned up the pollution by then and everyone lives in homemade huts and grows their own food

That’s what your average rank and file Jehovah’s Witness is aiming for

Then there’s the 144,000, also called the annointed class. These people believe that they will be reigning as kings in Heaven with Jesus. They bypass all that stuff I just said about Paradise and immediately become spirit creatures in Heaven once they die. JWs believe spirit creatures and/or angels have no physical form, no gender, and also any past marriages get dissolved. The 144,000 can be of any gender theoretically, but I think they’re mostly male in practice.

The idea is that you don’t hope or aim to be a 144,000, it is revealed to you directly by Jehovah in a deeply private moment. They’re supposed to always be very spiritual and typically leaders, but this doesn’t always hold up. It used to be pretty common for people to say they were of the annointed— at least there was like a few in every hall. But now it’s not so much, and there’s a general understanding that most of them have been chosen by now. Like five years ago an old man moved into our area/hall and said he was one of the annointed, and a lot of people quietly doubted it but no one said anything to him because only he and Jehovah could say for sure, so questioning it would just be rude and pointless

#ask #ex jw #ex cult #apostate #ex jehovah's witness #christianity #religion #exjw #jworg

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yhwhrulz · 2 years ago

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Today's Daily Encounter 17th August 2022

Keep on Growing

“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”1

A schoolteacher who was bypassed for a promotion went to her administrator and complained, “I have twenty years of experience, and you promoted someone who had only been teaching five years.” The administrator replied, “No, you don’t have twenty years of experience. You have one year of experience twenty times. You’re still teaching the same things and in the same way you did your first year. You haven’t grown in your profession.”

When we come to Christ, and start our faith journey, the goal is to grow, to develop, to become effective representatives of Christ to the world. Unfortunately, some come to Christ and become stagnant in their spiritual growth. They get comfortable being spiritually fed and watching others serve but fail to take the next steps in their growth process. Years and years go by, and while they continue receiving so much information about the Bible, they fail to put it into practice. Instead of being active members in the body of Christ, they become comfortable doing as little as possible, which stunts their growth and they become ineffective in helping others grow as well.

I was a teacher for 13 years and things were constantly changing. Over the years, the State started requiring the children to know more before moving on to the next grade. However, developmentally, children are all different and learn through different methods. My job as a teacher was to be creative, flexible, and ensure the growth and success of each student, while still being sure to meet State standards. In the same way, we, as Christians, are to continually find creative ways to communicate the gospel to others in this changing society, but always adhere to the truth of God’s Word. As we study Scripture and spend time with God, we will grow and learn to successfully do the special work God has for us.

Suggested prayer: Dear Lord, I want to keep growing and learning to be more like Jesus. Keep me from getting stuck and failing to pursue a deeper relationship with you. And as I grow, give me the creativity to share the gospel with others in a way that they understand. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Ephesians 4:15-16 (NLT).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Crystal B.

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

Daily Encounter is published at no charge by ACTS International, a non-profit organization, and made possible through the donations of interested friends. Donations can be sent at: http://www.actscom.com

ACTS International P.O. Box 73545 San Clemente, California 92673-0119 U.S.A.

Phone: 949-940-9050 http://www.actsweb.org

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sinceileftyoublog · 3 years ago

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Immanuel Wilkins Album Review: The 7th Hand

(Blue Note)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Almost half of The 7th Hand, the incredible second album from alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, is its final track, “Lift”. It’s a free jazz tune on an otherwise metered record; while John Coltrane’s Ascension has been an obvious point of comparison for many music journalists, the song’s inspirations actually hark back about another century. With bendy, squeaky playing atop Micah Thomas’s jagged piano, drummer Kweku Sumbry’s popping snares, and Daryl Johns’ bowed and plucked bass, “Lift”, according to Wilkins, is an exercise in radical empathy. Its various explosions are meant to emulate speaking in tongues and recall Black Pentecostalism. “To the slave owner, Aunt Hester’s screams were just screams,” Wilkins writes. “But to the other slaves, those screams carried messages to flee, to sing, to run, to keep working — a host of things.” Wilkins knowingly explores forms that “listeners might not understand.” Indeed, even when “Lift” quiets down over its 26 minutes, or Wilkins’ saxophone drones, the song remains breathless.

Wilkins’ lack of fear in not just challenging the listener but purposefully bypassing their understanding is what makes The 7th Hand a monumental album. His debut Omega was just as socially conscious, a record about the Black experience in America. But The 7th Hand breaks the rules while establishing some of its own. The first track, “Emanation”, ends in the middle of a vamp. Each track from then on out relates to the next by a triple meter, going down and then back up until the free “Lift”; if, in Biblical terms, 6 represents man and human weakness, 7 represents divine intervention, a concept represented at first by an instrument and later by the freedom of the album’s final track.

Throughout the album, Wilkins plays with the idea of his band as a vessel, in the spiritual sense, possessed by greater powers to deliver music and messages. “Don’t Break” features the Farafina Kan Percussion Ensemble, with which Sumbry often performs, on djembe drums. Juxtaposed with the band’s traditional jazz instrumentation, the song not only explores music of the African Diaspora but explicitly references the Yoruba drumming and dancing tradition, where the drums call down a deity that then possesses a dancer. Elsewhere, a minimal track like “Shadow” takes inspiration from Wayne Shorter’s composition “Fall” from Miles Davis’ Nefertiti, while “Fugitive Ritual, Selah”, is a hymn to the Black church. If selah means “pause,” giving space to a holier spirit, the band provides that space. Johns’ bass introduces the latter track, eventually calling in Wilkins’ and Thomas’ soulful playing, while Sumbry shows his true versatility, with gentle, yet off-kilter drumming. And if “Lift” represents divine intervention--the ability for a higher power to come in and offer freedom--it’s foreshadowed by “Witness” and “Lighthouse”, two tracks that feature flutist Elena Pinderhughes. It provides timbral differences to Thomas’ mellotron and Wilkins’ improvisations on the respective tracks, allowing “Witness” to sway to a calm, appearing vocal and angelic on the skittering “Lighthouse”. Though intentional in its references and inspirations, The 7th Hand is the type of album destined to play that same role as a benchmark for future jazz masters.

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#album review #immanuel wilkins #kweku sumbry #micah thomas #the 7th hand #blue note #john coltrane #ascension #daryl johns #pentecostalism #omega #farafina kan percussion ensemble #wayne shorter #miles davis #nefertiti #elena pinderhughes

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davidjjohnston3 · 4 years ago

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7.24.2021'Reflections of a Russian-Romantic-Orthodox-Post-Soviet Obstetrician / Aspiring Catholic-Post-Reformation-Unified-Church Pediatric Neurosurgeon (Divider of Freak-Conjoined Child-Brains) cum. Bethlehem College and Seminary M. Div. Global Studies + Savior of Worldwide North Korean Studies + Policy + Final Flaming Sword Destroyer of Democrat Intellectual Arrogance, Child-Hate, God-Hate and Anti-Korean Racism' Flaming swords that divide people, change the world, change souls... Russia's determination to remember tragedy as well as mercy and a spirit of gentle adoption whereby they treat students and other young people much different from what I did; also Russian anti-Nazism - everlasting I imagine - in an age when respect-me-or-die attitudes, moral purity, intellectual hubris and Scientism, messianic corporatism and much else are either being accelerated or badly necromanced as everyone tries to settle every little score (an easy way to forget all the starvation, organ-harvesting, betrayal of human promise that is going on every second). I'm only writing this because it's 7:08 in the morning and it's easier to write than not to write. Lately I developed the habit of 'Holding the Dream' to paraphrase the title of a Nora Roberts novel about children that I tried to turn in to 'Project 521' in a gentler time. I read a C.S. Lewis essay though I forget which one, perhaps 'Home,' about being known. When I read this essay at night it reminds me of a more trusting whole time as does Knausgaard's 'A Time for Everything' whose title is a joke at several levels; a book I'll finish reading, if I even finish 'Autumn' which is my favorite work of his about an unborn daughter, a 'notebook-letter-bouquet' which is a genre I appreciate.For a while I felt I was close to greatness and that my mind and heart were in unison with those I most respect around this globe such as Chancellor John Piper with respect to abortion-culture - playing God - but no matter what I say this is a Maoist era in which power has to be backed by guns or other 'hard' resources. I was also compelled or perhaps tempted to provide background for my spiritual development which in retrospect attracted 'assassins' who were only interested in cherry-picking my worst moment. I honestly came to feel that there is some 'unconditional evil, unconditional hatred' in some that makes them - no matter how nobly they speak or how hard they worked in the past - determined to destroy something at the end rather than build something or help someone or do what they said they would do.I wondered if I blasphemed someone or something so that God allowed the Prince of Darkness through these people, every professing Christians or family-members. People are talking about spirit and intellect and insight but forget that Lucifer has all these in abundance. I've had some delusions and kept responding to people outside of myself. I learned a lot about people whom understanding was without purpose or profit as a) telling them to themselves, that their expectations were wrong or criminal or sadistic or nihilistic or of the party of 'the protest of ultimate futility' - the messaging whereby someone says ultimately nothing matters or you don't matter - was never going to alter their mindsb) this increased experience of human / spiritual evil didn't really constitute increase of knowledge, wisdom, understanding but only more 'CCP-esque pimp-love lie-fare gas-lighting brain-damage; brick to the head' or to put it more gently a wrong emphasis of factors which distorted mood or disposition as an orchestra with good rehearsal, preparation, and conductor could be eroded in the wrong hands over time, and people were just trying to wear me down in a 'Bleed France White' war of attrition against everything I've tried to be and do I also realized of late the time had come to give up certain perquisites that I had had in mind to one day gain or 'help myself to.' At the bottom of my soul I guess I always wanted to cash in; someone else on FB after the miraculous sparing of my life in 2012 started spreading around an experience that I had had with a student in 2012 which was nothing like the K-wave NC-17 version could have been the CCP deepfake character-assassination pretext for WW3 or Covid unrestricted biowarfare against white guys. Words can't fly back in to the mouth that once let them out and at this point I have no idea what my legacy could be - or in a way hopefully no one even cares anymore although I suspect they keep some version of the story somewhere for a dinner-party IDK why I am saying this; you can reason with some people / try and teach them but if they have no compelling reason to change they might just savage youI wondered lately whether some people really believe. They want life but their interpretation / understanding or imago of life - who knows? 'Tomorrow will be like today only more so' (Isaiah, mutatis mutandis). They might love life or hate life but they want it and they also often don't care where it comes from, which is part of why right now the debate over social justice or the fact that so much in the United States comes from outside of the United States, or the fact that poor Millennials et al. are often still unable to get married and have children while Boomers ride emperor-on-palanquin- style on top of the Social Security system and reproach us for believing, like the title of a novel about Shanghai, 'What We Were Promised' at the breakfast-table or in (public, Democrato-Maoist-intellectual-town-bike-fruitbasket) schools about freedom, self-esteem, magic - world peace, nuclear disarmament, the 'salvation' of the natural environment, outer space, technology, non-traditional families, racial reconciliation, international adjudication of breaches of international law and esp. enforcement of human rights. It struck me several times in recent months and years that the rulers, the sovereigns, the princes and great captains of the nations I admire such as Israel and Korea were often either a) special forces soldiers (such as Moon Jaein, Ehud Barak)b) human rights lawyers (Roh Moohyun, Moon Jaein again)c) spies (the individual who might actually have closest to total control of world-events right now; or at least the ultimate veto of everything and everyone, with variable selectivity and specificity / detail) I don't know if I was overreacting or what; I was comfortable with my 'modest income' from mental illness and felt adequately justified since I was engaged in respectable activities; I felt I hadn't really had a moment's rest in life since I was about 4, constantly shot at, judged, abused, thrown to wolves etc. and blamed for my own problems since I 'didn't "make" daddy____.' I even believed I had a chance to re-emerge since everyone amid Covid appears to be essentially on the same side. Before recent events I event felt an 'FDR-moment' / 'New Deal moment' was feasible under Biden though I now see clearly I believe that JRBJr. can't control his underlings, staff, et al. as FDR was able to do; and America and the world are simply too complicated. Vladimir Putin was saying - and he doesn't always lie - basically that constitutional democracies are too weak. Neoliberal+ shills, 'Wahh bureaucracy, Milton Friedman, grist for our mill, cliche, cliche, eat the poor, abandon the weak, post-partum-abortion, God is dead' but a lot of these people are part of a bureaucracy as well and Russia's got government bureaus, CCP does, Korea does. Anyone who ever loved or admired Confucius or studied China knows - though many such as Ezra Vogel and Tu Weiming and some dumb-ass Australians and Indian-Singaporean pervert this knowledge for pleasure and profit - what can be achieved through sincere, spiritual, loving, reverent, educated, talented, qualified, also beauty-loving, statecraft.I guess the only question in a way is whether Microsoft themselves have nuclear weapons or Google built the guidance-systems or something and that's not an LRB title though if I had lived a purer life to this point I might be on staff there or at least they'd welcome me in the cake-shop. Howbeit at this point my 'last wish' is kind of to die in Korea where they journalists are NOT affected or mercenary, and the rag-picking of ppl like me is not fake or ultimately egocentric / meretricious / simulacrum or sham-virtue (again I hate to talk about Nietzsche since I wanted to move on to just David Platt, Saint Augustine, John Piper, John MacArthur, global Christianity 2022). Korea's also, I noticed, a country where the Covid body-account appears to be honest and I know for a fact, as Dr., Prof, much else Eric Feigl-Ding has been talking about on Twitter about 25 hours a day, a country in which the Democrat mentality of 'you got sick you're stupid' or the Milwaukee mentality of 'you got sick bypass watch you die joke at bar but we're still good Christians South Park Satan must be good to be evil sometimes' isn't in effect and people have resolved to do everything they can both to prevent and to mitigate as well to contain or pocket though no one wants to talk much about that. Like I said the other day I wish I were in Korea; I also had a dream about one of those free-standing station-stops in rural Japan that reminded me of 'Cafe Lumiere' by Hou Hsiao Hsien and a conversation I had with Prof. Ban Wang fmr. Rutgers and last I checked Stanford about how Japan had built these intricate rail-systems in order to help preserve rural culture. Another good film about rural Japan is 'Hanamizuki' although IDK if post-Covid anyone is going to want to talk again about micro-sized kindergartens, the Iraq War, fishing, the meanings of trees, following through on commitments or promises, or returning gratitude and love. IDK whether the stuff I read over the last 5-10 years about housing-prices in places like rural Japan or, alternatively, Vladivostok are as low as I've read but if they have good internet I might go if only b/c people there aren't interested in teaching you every lesson or extracting the max. from you then leaving you to die in the name of 'getting to know one.' There's a short Somerset Maugham book called 'The Moon and Sixpence' though I don't admire Maugham that much and prefer his literary criticism / critical appreciations of other writers and cultures to his fiction but it feels like what some people are looking for today is more like 'huge amounts of money, charming personality, offer we can't refuse, satisfying sexual favor or we either vivisect you or pozz you up with 1st-gen anti-psychotics / kill you with ECT and still deny the exist of God, as well as demons.'My other privileged Millennial friends are all mad at me for not bearing fruit and my 'last love' said I dishonored my parents but Koreans & maybe they don't get just how much Mark Johnston et al. are totally committed to reversing course at the most destructive possible moments and never paying what they said they'd pay; like how terrorists will sometimes detonate one bomb for the civilians and another for the first responders on the scene - though maybe I just ran out of chances.

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dalyunministry · 4 years ago

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Pas. Johnraj Lamech

Greetings in the matchless Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Topic: The First Persecution of the Church – Lessons for Christian Service!

Rhema Word: Acts 4:19-20 (NKJV) “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Let’s pray. Our Gracious Loving Father, thank you for giving us an opportunity to meditate Your Word today along with your children who have been called to live a holy life Father. I commit everyone who are all meditating this message into your mighty hand Father. Bless them and give them the oneness of Spirit and make their heart as a good land to receive each and every Word which is living and active Lord. Thank You Holy Spirit for helping us to understand the in-depth treasure of Your Word and helping us to live a life as per Your Word Lord. We give all the Glory and Honour to You only Father. We pray in the mighty Name of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Bible recorded the first persecution of the church in Acts 4:1-21. There are several challenging lessons for Christian service. Let us try to understand the following today with the help of Holy Spirit:

1] Persecution (Acts 4:1):

2] Religionists – Persecution – Worldliness : (Acts 4:2-4):

3] Jesus Christ – the Power: (Acts 4:5-10):

4] Jesus Christ – The Stone – Salvation: (Acts 4:11-12)

5] Jesus Christ – Fellowship with Disciples: (Acts 4:13-14):

6] Peter & John suffered threats (Acts 4:15-18):

7] Peter & John – Witnessing: (Acts 4:19-20):

8] The result: All men praised God (Acts 4:21-22):

1] Persecution (Acts 4:1):

The Bible says in Acts 4:1-2 ”Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”

Peter and John were arrested “while they were speaking”, that is, while they were preaching and tried. Remember that the cripple had walked through the temple leaping and praising God (Acts 3:8-11). A huge throng of thousands had rushed to see the cripple who had been healed and to hear the message being proclaimed by the two men who had such power. The temple was a massive building which could hold thousands. The excitement and noise were bound to attract attention and bring the temple authorities to the scene.

Yes, what they saw and heard disturbed them to no end. They thought they had eliminated the “Jesus movement” eight weeks earlier when they had crucified Jesus. They had heard about the preaching incident several days earlier and how excited the people had become (Acts 2:51). Now, these two men (Peter and John) were publicly preaching the rumour that God had raised Jesus from the dead. And they were preaching, of all places, in the temple precincts.

It was time to investigate the matter, to nip the movement in the bud before it could spread. Please note that those who came to arrest them, as mentioned above, stopped Peter right in the middle of his message. The priests were probably those who were officiating in the temple at that particular time, the captain of the temple who is the chief of staff to the High Priest and the Sadducees.

2] Religionists – Persecution – Worldliness : (Acts 4:2-4):

Peter and John suffered abuse because they preached the resurrection. The officials were threatened by the preaching of Jesus being raised from the dead. They knew that it was the nature of people to respond to hope, especially to great hope. They also knew that great excitement existed within the people’s heart for the coming of the Messiah and that it would take only a small spark of hope to set the excitement aflame.

Yes, they just could not allow Jesus to be preached, not the hope of resurrection, for the resurrection meant that all men who followed Him would arise. People ached and were ripe for such a message. Therefore, the authorities, knowing the nature of man and the situation, were threatened. If the people turned to the new movement, the authorities feared for the following reasons:

a) They feared the loss of the people – their loyalty, recognition and esteem.

b) They feared the loss of position, authority, and livelihood. If they lost the loyalty of the people or allowed a disturbance, the Romans would replace them with other officials. The Romans were usually tolerant, but they were quick to stamp out disorder and disloyalty.

c) They feared the people might begin to think that their doctrine was wrong. If they allowed the preaching of the resurrection to continue, they would be admitting that God had bypassed them and revealed the truth to others. Their own “spiritual condition” and beliefs and teachings would be suspect. They were the secure “religionists” and the official religious leaders. Therefore, they would be jeopardizing their own religion and leadership among the people. They would be undermining their own sense of security and their sense of being acceptable to God.

d) They feared acknowledging they were wrong in crucifying Jesus. If He were truly the risen Son of God, then they were sinners, chief sinners, guilty of denying and rejecting God’s Son.

Apostle James says in James 4:4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Apostle John says in 1 John 2:14-15 “ I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

Please note the same fears strike so many even today, causing them not to support true man and movement of God, not to rock the boat, not to do what is right.

Also, please note too many seek after the things of the world and of religion instead of really serving God. They seek after acceptance, recognition, authority, possessions, bigger and better, esteem, position, power and wealth.

Yes, the authorities arrested Peter and John. It was late afternoon, too late for a trial, so they jailed them for the night. But just note a significant fact: before Peter was arrested, he had shared enough of the gospel for the crowd to respond. Yes, five thousand men (not counting women and children) made decisions for Christ. The Bible records this in Acts 4:3-4 ”And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

Yes, persecution did not stop the Word and the Spirit of God from working. Souls were saved despite the abuse and opposition. What a lesson for believers to keep on in their preaching and witnessing no matter the opposition!

Prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 55:11 “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:8-9 “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.”

3] Jesus Christ – the Power: (Acts 4:5-10):

Peter and John credited Christ with the power to heal and to change lives in Acts 4:5-10 “And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.”

Here, the following few points are to be noted:

a) The question on the court asked was straight to the point. “By what power, or what name did you do this (miracle which healed the man)?” The court was doing exactly what God had said to do. God had instructed Israel to try every man who claimed to be a prophet and working signs and wonders among the people (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). If the man was not a true prophet, he was to be executed.

But there is more to their questioning than this. They knew Peter was preaching the resurrection through Jesus Christ. They had to stop it or risk losing the loyalty of the people and their position and livelihood, so they were seeking opportunity to accuse and stop Peter and John.

Their questioning also involved something more. As they were the religious leaders, they thought the power could not be of God. If God should choose to do some marvellous work, especially in the temple, they thought He would choose to reveal such work to them, the traditional religious leaders. Therefore they felt the “name” and the “power” that healed the crippled must be diabolical (Luke 11:15).

Here, two lessons are to be drawn: (i) Men in leadership, leaders, in both state and religion, face some common sins, that is, the seeking of position, riches, authority, recognition, influence and being exclusive. The flesh, that is, the sinful human nature is the culprit. But bureaucratic, institutional, established positions lend themselves to the sins.

(ii) Every believer, minister and group must guard against thinking that God can work only through them. God is always bringing new faces and groups into the picture to do His work. He must, for the mission is so enormous and there is still so much to do – so many who have not yet heard and been helped – bring new faces and groups to do His work.

b) God equipped Peter and John with the Holy Spirit. Just note how quickly God came to the rescue: “Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit”. Yes, Peter had not even had time to speak, and God was present, filling Peter with the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit was ready to take over and give Peter the words to say.

Here, another lesson to learn. Just note, the believer who is ready to proclaim Christ will never be left alone. The Holy Spirit will be present to speak through him.

This is what Jesus told to His disciples in Matthew 10:18-20 “You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”

Luke also recorded this in Luke 21:12-15 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.”

c) Peter and John credited Christ with the power to make men whole. Here, Peter declared three critical points:

(i) It was “the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” that made the man whole. Just note that Jesus is called the “Christ” (Messiah). Peter was declaring that men must know that Jesus is the true Messiah and there must be no doubt which Jesus: it was the Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Messiah, the Saviour whom God promised to send to the world.

(ii) It was Jesus Christ (Messiah) whom you crucified. Remember, Peter was speaking to the top leaders of the nation. He boldly charged them with killing not only a man, but the Messiah. What an indictment! To be charged with killing the Son of God Himself!

(iii) It was Jesus whom God raised from the dead that made the man well. Yes, Peter was declaring that it was the power of the resurrected and ascended Messiah, the Lord of heaven and earth who had such power. Hallelujah!!!

4] Jesus Christ – The Stone – Salvation: (Acts 4:11-12)

Peter and John proclaimed salvation. Peter had just shared the source of his power, the name of Jesus Christ. He now proclaimed that the salvation is in Jesus. And to strike the point home, he used the declaration of prophetic Scripture in Acts 4:11-12 “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

a) Jesus Christ is the Head, that is, the Chief Cornerstone of God’s building. Psalmist says in Psalm 118:22 “ The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” Here, we see two truths:

Truth (i): God gave man the Head Cornerstone of His building, the life He wanted to build. But men rejected the stone – counted it as no good, unacceptable, of no account, of no worth. Men rejected God’s Head Stone and went about finding their own chief stone and building their lives as they wished.

Truth (ii): But God took His Stone, despite man’s rejection, and still made Him the Head of the corner. God has exalted Jesus Christ and made Him the Head of life.

That’s what Peter firmly told in Acts 4:11 “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.”

Jesus also indicated this in Matthew 21:42 “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?”

Apostle Paul while writing to Ephesians said in Ephesians 2:19-22 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

b) Jesus Christ alone saves. There is no other Head, no other exalted Lord; therefore, no man can be saved by any other head or lord or by any other name under heaven. Yes, no teacher is capable enough, no prophet is noble enough, no minister is good enough to save himself, much less anyone else. Therefore, no matter the claim – no matter the indulgence and strength of the name – the man comes far, far short of being God’s chosen Head. No man has the name by which God saves men. All men are mortal. No man can make another man immortal. Therefore, God’s Head, the name which God uses to save men, must be eternal. ONLY ONE MAN is ETERNAL: JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF MAN HIMSELF.

That is what Jesus said in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Jesus further said to the Pharisees in John 8:23-24 “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

That is why Peter declared very firmly in Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Apostle Paul while writing to Corinthians says in 1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” He further says in 1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

5] Jesus Christ – Fellowship with Disciples: (Acts 4:13-14):

Peter and John gave evidence that they had been with Jesus. The Bible says in Acts 4:13-14 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.”

Please note a striking fact here: it was the courage and power of Peter and John that caused the rulers to recognize them. The rulers had witnessed the same courage and power in Jesus. And now it was courage and power that identified these two men as having been with Jesus.

Another fact: the courage and power were not due to education and learning. It was due to their having “been with Jesus”. The clear evidence that a person has been with Jesus is “courage and power”. The man healed and made whole stood before the “Court of the World”. Therefore, the world was silenced. The enemies of Christ could not refute the claim, for the claim was not profession only. The claim was backed up by the evidence of a miracle, of a changed life: a man was healed and made whole.

Here, three lessons are to be drawn: (i) What a challenge to believers! We must be with Jesus; we must spend time, much time with Him. He is the source of courage and power.

(ii) There is only one evidence that we belong to Jesus. Do we live in His courage and power? If we have been with Jesus, then His courage and power are present within us. We are living and witnessing in boldness and power.

(iii) What a change the world would know if believers spent enough time with Jesus to receive His courage and power.

Yes, the rulers astonished in Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Apostle John says in 1 John 1:3 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Yes, even today our Lord Jesus is standing at the door and knocking our hearts. Shall we open our hearts so that He can commune with us? The Bible says in Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

That is why David confidently says from his experience and fellowship with God in Psalm 5:3 “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

David further said in Psalm 55:17 “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.”

The Psalmist Asaph says in Psalm 77:12 “I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.”

6] Peter & John suffered threats (Acts 4:15-18):

Peter and John suffered threats. The court had Peter and John escorted from the council chambers so they could discuss the matter and reach a verdict in Acts 4:15-18 “But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.”

Yes, they acknowledged that an “outstanding” – clear and unmistakable – miracle had been done. The man was healed and made whole. Secondly, all the people knew the man had been transformed. Thirdly, they could not deny the miracle. They would have but the evidence (the power of Jesus Christ), the man made whole, stood before them.

Here, the lesson to be drawn: the great need of the hour is for lame men to be made whole, transformed by the power of Christ. When a man is truly transformed, the world cannot deny it. The power of Christ stands within them as evidence that He is the risen and exalted Lord.

The rulers knew they must stop the new movement, suppress it from spreading any further among the people as recorded in Acts 4:17 “But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

At this point, they did not dare take drastic steps lest the people cause a disturbance that would bring the Romans down upon them. Their decision was to threaten Peter and John, forbidding them to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

Please note that the orders and decisions of the court were binding except in the death penalty (which had to be referred to the Romans). The court’s orders had to be obeyed or else Peter and John would face severe consequences.

Jesus while teaching His disciples and the people said in Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”

Jesus further said in Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by everyone because of Me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Apostle Paul while writing to Timothy says in 2 Timothy 3:12 “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

7] Peter & John – Witnessing: (Acts 4:19-20):

Peter and John refused to compromise their message as recorded in Acts 4:19-20 “But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

There are two important reasons:

(i) God is to be obeyed before men. The highest authority must always be obeyed. This is the very basis of men and their laws. It is the word of the highest authority that men must carry out. Peter and John challenged the world: Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God” (v.19)

Jesus had commanded them to preach time and again in Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus further said in John 20:21 “Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Yes, they had to obey Him. They could do no other, for the highest possible authority had spoken. They were commissioned by God to speak and teach the resurrection, even in the face of opposition and persecution.

Here, the lesson to be drawn: how can believers keep silent about Christ and His glorious salvation? He has commanded us to speak and teach, to bear witness and testimony to the living Lord.

(ii) A man must testify to what he has seen and heard. Here, these two disciples were claiming to have seen and heard Jesus after His resurrection as well as during His ministry.

Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:13-14 “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.”

Further, he says in 2 Corinthians 5:10-11 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.” He continues in Verses 14-15 “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15-16 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

Apostle John reiterates in his epistle 1 John 1:3 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 63:7 “I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which He is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— yes, the many good things He has done for Israel, according to His compassion and many kindnesses.”

Prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 20:9 “Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”

8] The result: All men praised God (Acts 4:21-22):

Yes, the result of such a dynamic witness was that men praised God; that is, they kept on praising Him. Why? Because the power of Christ had taken a man who had been helpless for forty years and made him whole, completely whole. The Bible says in Acts 4:21-22 “So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.”

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Further He said in John 15:8 “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

The author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 13:15 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light”

Psalmist said in Psalm 9:11 “Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.” He further said in Psalm 35:28 “And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.”

Shall we proclaim with confident boldness the good news that there is salvation in no one else except in Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead ?

In Ephesians 6:19-20, apostle Paul shares a startling prayer request: “Pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Twice he repeats his request, that he might speak boldly. It’s the same Greek word translated “confidence” in Acts 4:13. If Paul had on his prayer list the need for boldness as a witness, then perhaps you and I should add it to our lists! We all should seek to proclaim with confident boldness the good news that there is salvation in no one else except in Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead.

Let us introspect ourselves.

Are we able to proclaim the gospel boldly even under threat of persecution like Peter and John?

Shall we seek to be confident witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ?

Shall we long for anointing by the Holy Spirit while proclaiming the gospel?

Shall we live a life led by the Holy Spirit?

Shall we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit fully so that God’s will is manifested through us for His glory?

Shall we seek to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ in whatever we do to be a witness to our Lord?

Shall we obey God rather than men even under the threat of persecution or death?

Shall we be built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone?

Shall we have the intimate fellowship with our Lord Jesus in our day to day life which gives the confidence and power while preaching the gospel?

Shall we confidently proclaim the fact of Jesus’ resurrection while sharing the gospel?

Shall we have the confidence and faith that the resurrected Jesus who lives in us can do greater miracles even today while proclaiming the gospel?

Shall we check ourselves whether any common sins such as seeking of position, riches, authority, recognition, etc., are still hindering us from allowing the Holy Spirit to use us for His glory?

Shall we guard us against thinking that God can work only through us?

Shall we have the confidence that when we are ready to proclaim the gospel the Holy Spirit will be always present to speak through us?

Shall we have the 100% belief that “the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” is the name above all the names and declare boldly that Jesus is the true Messiah, the Saviour whom God sent to the world?

Shall we declare, like Peter, that it is the power of the resurrected and ascended Messiah, the Lord of heaven and earth who had such wonderful power?

Shall we live in His courage and power as we have been with Jesus in prayer so as to live a life with witnessing in boldness knowing that the power of Christ stands within them as evidence that He is the risen and exalted Lord?

Let us Pray: Our Heavenly Gracious Father, we thank you for helping us to understand about the “The First Persecution of the Church – Lessons for Christian Service” Father. Thank You Father for helping us to proclaim the gospel boldly even under threat of persecution, to seek to be confident witnesses for Your beloved Son Jesus Christ, help us to long for anointing by the Holy Spirit while proclaiming the gospel, help us to live a life led by the Holy Spirit besides submitting us fully to You Father so that Your will is manifested through us for Your glory Father. Father, please help us to obey You only rather than men even under the threat of persecution or death, help us to be built on the foundation on Your beloved Son Jesus Christ who is the Chief Cornerstone Father, help us to have the intimate fellowship with our Lord Jesus in our day-to-day life which gives us the confidence and power while preaching the gospel besides helping us to proclaim confidently the fact of resurrection of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ Father. We give all praise, glory and honour to Your Holy Name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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nowtravel · 4 years ago

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Rejecting the nauseating mix of new age spiritualism and old age religion that defines the Camino de Santiago, Bert Archer embarks on the lesser-known Via de la Plata

The road is just wide enough for a pick-up truck loaded with building supplies to rumble higher up into the hills that overlook Baños de Montemayor, still terraced after 17 or 18 centuries. The road is mostly flagstones, mostly level, with tufts of beaten-down grass poking up between them. But every so often, there’s a stripe of more obviously found stones, rounded and less evenly spaced, laid around the same time the terraces were being carved, that gave the Via de la Plata its name (which, despite sounding like it has something to do with silver, actually comes from the Arabic al balat, which means “cobblestone road”).

Following the pick-up are five men, aged probably 25 to 50, Croatian by the sound of them. Three have wide-brimmed straw hats, the sort that were probably conceived as modest country hats but that stand out these days as the millinery equivalent of the peasant dress; two of them have thick socks under sandals; all have conspicuously large and conspicuously new backpacks: pilgrims, on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

I hate them on sight.

These are the people that make the more popular parts of the so-called Camino de Santiago so intolerable; these are the people I wanted to get away from when I took the Via de la Plata, a lesser known pilgrimage than the Camino.

I like the idea of a structured route with some heritage as much as the next guy, walking in the footsteps of thousands who have walked the same road. I just can’t stand the arch admixture of new age spiritualism with old age religion that infuses the very dust kicked up by every be-sandaled foot that strides the Camino.

Born in the Dark Ages from a myth about the mystical appearance of the clam-encrusted body of St. James, executed by Herod in Jerusalem in 44 AD, the pilgrimage route had slowly fallen into desuetude until the 20th century, when people realized they didn’t have to walk anymore. They still visited the church where the mythical body of the saint mythically rests, but they got there by 20th-century methods: planes, trains, and automobiles.

Then came the 1970s, a decade that has a lot to answer for: the Khmer Rouge, China’s Cultural Revolution, Idi Amin, Allende/Pinochet. To that list may be added a resurgence of pedestrian pilgrims, dedicated souls who cut through the undergrowth to reveal the neglected paths, going back to primary sources, like Pope Calixtinus II’s 12th-century guide to the camino, the Codex Calixtinus, to re-establish the route. There were some faithful in there, certainly, but the fact that the resurgence came at the same time as the international marathon boom is not pure coincidence.

As the line-ups at Machu Picchu and the final approach to Everest’s peak attest, an increasingly leisured and monied Western population has taken rather warmly to artificially reproducing the sorts of physical hardships their ancestors fought so hard to put behind them. Iron Man competitions, extreme sports, and the blooming of a hundred million six-packs all bear witness to a population for whom leisure has become oppressive and regular achievement—stable income, family, housing, a general lack of conflict—is too easy, no longer enough.

Marathoners and Everest climbers are noxious enough, but what makes the Camino so intolerable is the added celestial righteousness. I have no pilgrims in any of my social media networks, but I have read the comments elsewhere: regular reports on how far, how much, how great, with the added bonus of conspicuously quiet—but not silent—averrals of how grounded they feel now, or what inspiring people they met along the way, like the 82-year-old woman who did it barefoot, or the uncle who did it for his cancer-stricken nephew. Ugh.

And those who do not believe they have a friend in the sky, but follow the same route as those who for more than a thousand years did and made the trip in the hopes they’d escape the business end of his supernal hob-nailed boot (though for those who still believe, the route is still, as the Catholics say, “indulgenced”) seem to me disingenuous and possibly deluded, like mindful college kids who think Buddhism is an alternative to organized religion, or people whose third car is electric.

Robert Ward, who wrote two good books on the subject of being a secular pilgrim on the Camino, is neither disingenuous nor deluded. He started out as a guy who just liked walking. Then he heard about the Camino, and something happened to him. In the middle of many good sentences in these books, one about walking parts of the Camino several times over the course of a decade, the other about tracking down as many depictions of the Virgin Mary along it and similar routes, he comes out with ones like “While we’ve all heard it said that life is a pilgrimage, it is also true that a pilgrimage is a life,” and “I was a pilgrim and always had been one. It was something that dawned on me day by day, not a lightning flash on the road to Damascus, but a slow recognition that ‘pilgrim’ is another way of understanding who we are, and that to make a pilgrimage is only to formalize that understanding.” There’s something about walking holy roads that makes you think big, beyond what’s in front of you, that attempts to give it all a meaning that transcends the cafes and the bars, the jamon and the queso, the beer and the fina.

There is one very good thing about the Camino though: It goes through small towns that would otherwise never attract travellers. As the route increases in popularity, however—there were 237,886 pilgrims in 2013, according to the official count—they are becoming more and more like standard tourist towns, albeit catering to a very particular demographic.

The Via de la Plata is different. It’s been around as long, and has been used from time to time over the centuries as an alternative, all-Spanish route to the tomb of St. James (the standard Camino routes begin in France). But it has never been primarily that, and that has made all the difference.

The Via, also known as the Ruta de la Plata, began life as a pre-Roman trade route, first for the transport of tin, then as a way for the Romans to conquer various bits of Iberia, who later, according to Pliny the Elder, used it to trade gold and copper, running as it did between the copper mines of Rio Tinto and the gold mines in Las Medulas.

Practical people built practical settlements, unlike those who, from Charlemagne forward, built basilicas and monuments to saints and martyrs around which towns like Redecilla and Ourense grew. There are churches in Fuente de Cantos and Casar de Caceres on the Via, but they’re not the main attractions and not being on the Camino has meant they’ve been thrown back on their own devices to come up with economic engines to replace the trade no longer being done along the route, which is now the A-66, which, though it pretty much follows the old Via, allows you to efficiently bypass all the towns. (In fact, a drunken holler in a Seville bar asking if anyone had heard of Fuente de Cantos drew a chorus of equally bibulous “No’s,” and one meek response from the kitchen, “I think it’s a town.” Fuente de Cantos is just 37 miles north of Seville, and the A66 is the way you get from there to Madrid.)

When I got to Fuente de Cantos (population: 5,002), the church was shut, so I visited the house of the doctor of the mother of the second most famous Spanish painter of the 17th century. Francisco de Zurbaran lived the first 16 years of his life here, before his father sent him off to Seville to be a painter’s apprentice. Specializing in monks, nuns, royalty, and, in the painting that’s become his most famous, a cup of water, Zurbaran was second only to his friend Velasquez in esteem in their day.

Since then, he’s not fared too well in international circles, though in Spain, he’s still fairly well known. He’s Fuente de Cantos’ favorite son, and since the house he grew up in is still in private hands, the modest museum dedicated to his time here is in the house he was actually born in. It’s a small affair, renovated last year for the 350th anniversary of his death, so actually having any original Zurbarans was out of the question—as the museum-keeper told me, the security expenses will probably never be feasible. So, on the walls there are pictures of his pictures, blown up and framed. There’s also a new touch screen counter where you can flip through a PDF catalogue of his work. It is thoroughly charming, if earnest but underfunded and mostly amateur projects charm you.

Seville, where by some definitions the Via begins, is gorgeous. The Alcazar, recently re-celebrated as the stand-in for Game of Thrones’ Dornish palace, along with its cathedral, its jamon iberico, and many, is as glorious as you’d expect. But Fuente de Cantos, with its single visible bar, where the tapas is still free (even though the bars tend to close pretty early), and its streets lined with white-washed houses populated only by pint-sized Iker Casillases and David Silvas is unexpected, which is where its beauty lies.

The cheese you get a few miles north, in Casar de Caceres, a tiny suburb of the larger Caceres, is slightly more famous than Zurbaran. Torta del Casar is a raw sheep’s milk cheese; soft and either white or pale yellow, it’s most often served as a spread or dip. It’s a designated cheese, which means the sheep have to come from this part of Extremadura, where shepherds began making the torta accidentally, when bunches of the harder, more regular white cheese they were trying to make spoiled during humid spring seasons. Until quite recently the cheeses were given away free with the purchase of one of the more popular hard cheeses. Then an American food writer stumbled on it, praised it to the heavens, and, over the next couple of decades, turned it into one of Spain’s most expensive cheeses.

Every town along the Via has its version of the torta, something unique they’ve cultivated and are waiting for the world to recognize, from the never-quite-finished Gaudi-esque house in Los Santos de Maimona, lovingly constructed over the last three decades by a passionate septuagenarian builder named Francisco González Gragera, to Hervas, with its annual Jewish festival that celebrates the fact that it is one of the only towns in Spain that didn’t tear down its old Jewish quarter with its gentile citizens dressing up in their versions of Jewish costumes and doing little dances they think might also be Jewish.

But my favorite is the parador in Plasencia. A former nunnery, it provides a striking contrast to another one I visited just outside Fuente de Cantos, one of the few bits of evidence, aside from those Croatians, of the seeping influence of the religious pilgrimage into the Via de la Plata. The Albergue Convento Vía de la Plata de Fuente de Cantos was a modest but lovely little former convent turned into an albergue of the sort that dot the Camino de Santiago, cheap, with communal facilities and a cafeteria where you get your daily bread, and not much more, before heading out again.

Except here, it’s the exception rather than the rule, and when I called ahead to say I’d be coming, and that I thought I’d like to write about it, there was enough excitement that the mayor invited me to lunch in the albergue cafeteria, where big aluminum platters of modest food like cheese on toast and slices of jamon were served as we talk about tourism, the fantastic success that other route has made over the past couple of decades, protecting many of its small towns from the financial crisis that’s still going on here, and how she’s trying to get some of that sweet pilgrim cash out her way, to add to the mostly school group business of the Zurbaran house.

I sympathize, but later, as I sit in the vaulted brick cellar of the Plasencia parador and a waiter who knows his gin brings me a gin and tonic, served in a big-bowled stem glass packed with ice, the way they’re doing it in Barcelona and Rotterdam these days, with Fever Tree tonic and garnished with a sprig of basil, I silently hope she fails.

By the time you reach Baños de Montemayor, where I ran into my Croatian pilgrims, it’s almost time to turn off to Madrid. The Via continues, all the way north to Astorga, but this isn’t the Camino. There’s no one, in heaven or earth, tracking your progress or waiting to be impressed with your endurance, self-abnegation and weeping blisters. You can do the rest some other time if you like; the bars are open later in Madrid.

#walking tours

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seekfirstme · 4 years ago

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Meditation: What is God's call on your life? Jesus chose Matthew to be his follower and friend, not because Matthew was religious or learned, popular or saintly. Matthew appeared to be none of those. He chose to live a life of wealth and ease. His profession was probably the most corrupted and despised by everyone because tax collectors made themselves wealthy by over-charging and threatening people if they did not hand over their money to them.

God searches our heart

What did Jesus see in Matthew that others did not see? When the prophet Samuel came to the house of Jesse to anoint the future heir to the throne of Israel, he bypassed all the first seven sons and chose the last! "God looks at the heart and not at the appearance of a man" he declared (1 Samuel 16:7). David's heart was like a compass looking for true north - it pointed to God. Matthew's heart must have yearned for God, even though he dare not show his face in a synagogue - the Jewish house of prayer and the study of Torah - God's law. When Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his tax office - no doubt counting his day's profit - Jesus spoke only two words - "follow me". Those two words changed Matthew from a self-serving profiteer to a God-serving apostle who would bring the treasures of God's kingdom to the poor and needy.

John Chrysostom, the great 5th century church father, describes Matthew's calling: "Why did Jesus not call Matthew at the same time as he called Peter and John and the rest? He came to each one at a particular time when he knew that they would respond to him. He came at a different time to call Matthew when he was assured that Matthew would surrender to his call. Similarly, he called Paul at a different time when he was vulnerable, after the resurrection, something like a hunter going after his quarry. For he who is acquainted with our inmost hearts and knows the secrets of our minds knows when each one of us is ready to respond fully. Therefore he did not call them all together at the beginning, when Matthew was still in a hardened condition. Rather, only after countless miracles, after his fame spread abroad, did he call Matthew. He knew Matthew had been softened for full responsiveness."

Jesus- the divine physician

When the Pharisees challenged Jesus' unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners, Jesus' defense was quite simple. A doctor doesn't need to visit healthy people - instead he goes to those who are sick. Jesus likewise sought out those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life. The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed spiritual care. Their religion was selfish because they didn't want to have anything to do with people not like themselves. Jesus stated his mission in unequivocal terms: I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners. Ironically the orthodox were as needy as those they despised. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

On more than one occasion Jesus quoted the saying from the prophet Hosea:For I desire mercy and not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). Do you thank the Lord Jesus for the great mercy he has shown to you? And do you show mercy to your neighbor as well?

"Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself. (Prayer of Augustine, 354-430) "

LORD

“As He moved on, Jesus saw a man named Matthew at his post where taxes were collected. He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ ” —Matthew 9:9

When your spouse dies, Jesus is there as Lord of the burial. As with Sarah’s burial, He wants to use this occasion to prepare others to enter the promised land (see Gn 23:20). When you’re attracted to someone of the opposite sex and even contemplating marriage, Jesus is there as Lord of the courtship. When you’re thinking about getting a job or changing jobs, Jesus is there to be Lord of your employment and unemployment.

Jesus wants to become Lord of your eating, sleeping, entertainment, conversation, money, time, education, shopping, parenting, thinking, feeling, sexuality, etc. If He’s not Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all.

We Christians keep talking about Jesus being Lord of our lives (see Mt 7:21), but live as if “it just ain’t so.” If it were, Christian funerals would be noticeably different from non-Christian ones. If Jesus were accepted as Lord, most young Christians getting married would be virgins, and some Christian workers would stay on or change to low-paying jobs despite more profitable opportunities.

If Jesus were accepted as Lord, Christians would repeatedly do things impossible for those in the world to understand unless they come to believe in Jesus’ cross and Resurrection.

Prayer: Jesus, be Lord of areas of my life of which I’ve never even thought to turn over to You.

Promise: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness endures forever.” —Ps 106:1

Praise: Jane uses her scraps of fabric to make quilts for the poor and homeless. She prays continually while doing her quilting.

Reference:

Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the period from June 1, 2021 through July 31, 2021. Reverend Steve J Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 20, 2021"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements

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dfroza · 2 years ago

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our Creator designed the covenant of marriage between husband & wife which is also the only place for sex to be shared.

many people in this world choose to be in a relationship and to share human love and affection, yet for us as children of Light (daughters & sons of our heavenly Father) we aren’t meant to be having sex just because it feels good. we’re meant for patience and making a lifelong covenant with another.

it is sexual sin to have sex outside of marriage, and this includes anyone having sex with another of the same biological sex. our Creator doesn’t allow this. people may choose it out of their own free will, but it doesn’t change spiritual truth.

some people don’t want to accept this, and they feel it is hateful because it offends their natural senses, it opposes how they feel. it violates the affection they want to share with someone. this is understandable, and it is a hard truth to accept for some. many have rejected it altogether. people bypass the truth of Scripture or they interpret it to be something other than it is. marriage is actually interwoven throughout the whole Bible, from the starting point of Genesis to Revelation, ultimately pointing to the mystery of the eternal King and His Bride as a spiritual marriage of the Body (the Church and the Temple of the Spirit), which is also seen mirrored on earth in the physical marriage of a man and a woman becoming as “One” body.

i personally reiterate this because of its significance.

the house address in UP from ‘09 (now playing on TV) is 18 just like Today’s date, October 18 of ‘18

i watched UP with my kids in Tulsa, OK back when in came out in 2D and in 3D

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ianspirations · 4 years ago

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A BETTER KIND OF POLITICS: Chapter 5 of Fratelli Tutti

A global community of fraternity bound by ties of social friendship is possible if we upgrade to a better kind of politics, one that is truly at the service of the common good. Sadly, politics today often goes in the opposite direction by hindering progress toward a better world.

Populism and Liberalism

Populism exploits the vulnerable for its own purposes and liberalism only serves the economic interests of the powerful.

Populism is a political approach that tries to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their voice is not heard by the majority or elite. Such a politic threatens democracy because it thrives on the differences of people and in the bargain deepens the fractures. Populists try to exploit culture by pushing an ideological agenda that serves selfish purposes. To this end they are ready to exert pressure and ‘capture’ other institutions and amend laws. Despite the existence of different kinds of people there are also communitarian aspirations. “Men and women are capable of coming up with shared goals that transcend their differences and can thus engage in a common endeavour” (FT#157). We have to beware of demagoguery within politics. Our identity as ‘people’ is a shared notion that arises from social and cultural bonds. Thus, it is not something automatic and natural but something that develops gradually over a period of time and directed to a common end.

Contrary to Populist leaders we have Popular leaders who are capable of understanding the feelings and cultural dynamics of people and society. They have the potential to lead according to an enduring vision of transformation and growth that allows everyone space to pursue the common good.

One sign of populist politics is the concern for short-term advantage. Any initiative of development is done with the view of attracting votes and not for the real good of the people. Inequality can be eliminated with the help of economic growth that taps into each region’s potential and provides equal opportunity to all. Welfare projects which meet urgent needs are important but should only be a temporary response. Providing employment is one of the best ways to uplift the poor and offer them dignity through work. “Since production systems may change, political systems must keep working to structure society in such a way that everyone has a chance to contribute his/her own talents and efforts” (FT#162). Work does more than provide economic sustenance, it allows for personal growth, building of healthy relationships, self-expression and exchange of gifts; it gives a sense of shared responsibility for the development of the world.

The concepts of people, along with their community and cultural bonds and neighbour are criticized by individualistic liberalists. Charity unites both the individual and the social. We cannot have a private life without a public order. An individual’s life depends on the security and stability assured by law; their wellbeing requires that there exist a division of labour, commercial exchange, social justice and political citizenship. Real charity is able to recognize these as necessities for an individual and is willing to offer it even to a foreigner or a neglected brother or sister. To do this, one can have recourse to various institutions that are willing to offer their services to provide these basic necessities. Even the Samaritan needed the inn to care for the hurt person. Love of neighbour is concrete and makes use of every resource to bring about historical change that benefits the poor and disadvantaged. But leftist ideologies and social doctrines can also prove ineffective if they are propelled by individualistic ambitions. Therefore, we see the need for worldwide organization to resolve the problems plaguing our world. There is no one solution.

Everything hinges on our ability to see the need for a change of heart, attitudes and lifestyles. Until then, political propaganda, the media and shapers of public opinion will continue to promote an individualistic culture that perpetuates the problem. The tendency to selfishness or what is known within Christian circles as Concupiscence is not limited to our times. It has been present since Adam and has only taken on different forms in different ages. It can be overcome with the help of God. (FT#166) Education and upbringing, concern for others, a well-integrated view of life and spiritual growth are all essential for better relations and a better society.

Some liberal approaches fail to consider the impact of concupiscence and hence envisage a world that is determined by certain laws and capable of providing its own solutions for every problem. This is clearly not true. Encouraging the rich to get richer and purporting that their excess wealth will ‘trickle’ over to help the disadvantaged just does not hold any water in reality. Such alleged ‘spillovers’ do not resolve inequality or the violence that ensues from desperation. We need an economic policy that encourages business creativity and creates jobs. A business that seeks quick profits ends up creating more havoc than good. The pandemic has shown that “not everything can be resolved by market freedom. It has also shown that, in addition to recovering sound political life that is not subject to the dictates of finance, we must put human dignity back at the centre and on that pillar build the alternative social structures we need” (FT#168).

We need an economic framework that integrates popular movements of the unemployed, temporary, informal and other kinds of workers who do not find a place in existing structures. Political and economic institutions stand to gain from allowing for the excluded to be included in the task of building up a common destiny. These movements act as ‘social poets’ who work, propose, promote and liberate; they make possible integral human development. Many might consider them troublesome and disruptive but they ensure that democracy stays alive and remains true to its nature of being a government for the people, by the people and of the people.

The response to the financial crisis of 07-08 was a lame effort at revival that did not include rethinking strategies to avoid such a crisis in the future but which rather “fostered greater individualism, less integration and increased freedom” for the wealthy to retain their wealth (FT#170). In keeping with the concept of justice, no individual or group can consider themselves to be above any other; they have no right to bypass the rights and dignity of others in serving their own interests. In order to prevent this we need a strong judicial system and an effective distribution of power among the population. What is noticeable is that politics is coming under the influence of economics such that those with economic power wield immense power within the political arena whether they enter into it directly or not. Often, this economic power is transnational, that is, it goes beyond state or national borders. Therefore, it is necessary to have “some form of world authority regulated by law” which can regulate transnational economics and impose sanctions if necessary, so as to prevent transnational economic powers from interfering and influencing local and global politics, and promoting the “global common good” and the “defence of fundamental human rights” (FT#172).

In this regard, the UN needs to evolve into something more than just an advisory and administrative body. It has to be able to set “clear legal limits to avoid power being co-opted only by a few countries and to prevent cultural impositions or a restriction of the basic freedoms of weaker nations on the basis of ideological differences” (FT#173).

In order to achieve these goals all of us have to show courage and generosity. To this end, agreements have to be honoured and controversies have to be resolved as peacefully as possible. It is fortuitous that many groups and organizations are striving to make up for the deficiencies of governments. Their work is a “concrete application of the principle of subsidiarity which justifies the participation and activity of communities and organizations on lower levels as a means of integrating and complementing the activity of the state” (FT#175).

Social and Political Charity

For many people, politics is a dirty word. This association has come through the way politics is done in many parts. But politics is essential to society and to building a better world. Recognizing all people as family and seeking social friendship is not a utopian ideal, “it demands decisive commitment to devising effective means to this end” (FT#180). This is a work of charity; politics is in fact, “a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good” (FT#180).

Putting Jesus’ command of love of neighbour into action is itself a political act. Love of neighbour does not stop with those who are close to us but extends to macro relationships which are social, economic and political. Every action inspired by the Church’s social teaching is an act of charity that seeks to build a better world. We are fully human when we form part of a society but in the collective, the individual is valuable. Therefore, growth, development and progress cannot be individual feats but have to be communitarian. Business today is focused on the individual but a healthy politics will ensure that it does not restrict itself to the individual but rather extend to the whole community.

There is a form of love that is elicited, that is, actions which flow out of a deep love for people. There is another form of love which is commanded, that is, actions which “spur people to create more sound institutions, more just regulations, more supportive structures” (FT#186). This latter form of love encourages social friendship because it cannot see others suffer, deprived or exploited.

A simple act of charity can give a hungry person something to eat but a politician through a higher form of charity can create an opportunity for that person to earn their food. Such a form of charity ought to be the spiritual heart of politics. It has a preferential love for those in greatest need. Education has a role to play in helping each person shape their own future. Politicians need to take account and act against those things which threaten the fundamental human rights. They have to be men and women of vision whose concern is not about winning elections but finding solutions to the various challenges that hinder the common good.

We are still far from a globalization of the most basic of human rights: food! Politics needs to make the elimination of hunger a top priority. The huge amounts of wasted food speak of a crime against humanity. Another shameful practice is human trafficking. Politicians would do better to waste less time on speeches and give more time to eradicating these miseries (FT#189).

Political charity is expressed in a spirit of openness. Politicians ought to foster encounter and consensus on important issues. They should be ready to listen to alternative points of view and thus make room for different voices and opinions. In a world that is rearing fundamentalism and intolerance, we can make a difference by being respectful of others, welcoming differences, giving importance to the dignity of people over ideas and projects. Disagreements can lead to conflict but they are necessary for healthy societies; uniformity only leads to stagnation.

Politicians need to beware of the modern tendency to functionalize the satisfaction of human desires. Instead of viewing people as persons with an identity and interests, they are seen as sick and in need of medical attention, struggling and in need of financial backing, homeless and in need of a home or frustrated and in need of entertainment. We have to be aware that persons are persons at the end of the day and not mere beneficiaries.

Political love is also a tender love. Tenderness means being close to someone. This is a path for the strongest and most courageous. The ability to be tender to the most needy and oppressed is challenging but necessary and fulfilling. Political life cannot only be about achieving great results that is not possible all the time. It has to be about respecting people for who they are and giving them an opportunity to fulfil their potential. One might not achieve great things in a political career but every act of love is not lost to the universe, it remains in the world as a vital force (FT#195). For this reason, it is noble to place hope in the hidden power of the seeds of goodness that we sow. This makes starting new initiatives for a better future meaningful.

When we approach politics in this way we will see it as something noble. The focus needs to shift from media posturing and marketing oneself to focusing on how much love one has shown through one’s work.

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