August 18, 2003 Holy Spirit Sightings in John
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE BOOK OF JOHN
Please note these references regarding the Holy Spirit.
Look them up for your private study.
John 1:32-33
John 3:5-6,8,34
John 4:23-24
John 6:63 The Holy Spirit gives spiritual life
John 7:37-39
John 14:16 The Holy Spirit lives in Christians
John 14:26 The Holy Spirit teaches Christians
John 15:26 The Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus
John 16:7-11 The Holy Spirit convicts us about sin
John 16:13 The Holy Spirit guides into all truth
John 16:14 The Holy Spirit brings glory to Jesus
More encouraging facets about the ministry of the HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit sets God's seal on Christians Ephesians 1:13-14
The Holy Spirit reveals God's love in Christians Romans 5:3-5
The Holy Spirit, who fathoms God's depths, and reveals God's purposes
1 Cor. 2:10
The Holy Spirit fills Christians Eph. 5:18
The Holy Spirit guides Christians into godliness Ezekiel 36:27
The Holy Spirit strenghtens Christians Acts 9:31
The Holy Spirit helps Christians in their weakness Romans 8:26
The Holy Spirit prays for Christians Romans 8:26-27
The Holy Spirit brings hope Rom.15:13, Galatians 5:5
The Holy Spirit imparts assurance that Christians belong to God 1 John
4:13, Rom. 8:9,14,16
The Holy Spirit enables Christians to witness Acts 1:8, Luke 24:46-49
The Holy Spirit builds up the Christian church Acts 9:31
The Holy Spirit directs Christians in their witness and service Acts 13:2,
20:28
August 18, 2003 The Metaphor Moment
Here's an interview part one and part two with Leonard Sweet on why metphors are so important in communicsating with today's culture. I disagree with his dichotomization and therefore oversimplication of the connection and synthetic nature of image and word - I see them completely interrelated. Image can be in service to the Word or Word in service to the image but ultimately every word carries with it some sort of mental image- the key is to maximize the delivery of ideas into the cognitive processes of the hearer .
| Word pictures can maximize the efficiency of this and ultimately bypass part of the translation process.. There is a Spiritual precedence for this in the Incarnation where Word was made flesh- the image of God was manifest in Christ. But there is much here that is a no brainer and I agree with completely. |  |
August 17, 2003- Update
I was at DVCreators Final Cut Pro training on Thursday and Friday- the second time I attended it- first in 2001. I thought it would be a good way to overview the new features of version 4. Guy Cochran was the instructor again and he has an innate ability as a trainer. Turned us on the FCPPlanet site that I had forgotten about. That will be a handy resource.
Attended a new church and I must say I need to spend some time in reflection. I must have had blinders on over the past few years, being so deeply entrenched in my local church. Here is a church that seems on the surface to be more in alignment with our ministry vision than any we have found and it is right in our back yard. Was it preconceived notions that have blinded us? I don't think so- fasting and prayer and seeking God's will and His face are not rewarded with confusion and ignorance.
When we came to the church we just left, it was the place where God was rolling up his sleeves and working but as time passed the need for a coherent vision outstripped the viability for our ministry there. that's not to say God isn't actively at work there- the Visions have just diverged...It is so important that Vision be a constant consistent thing that does not change with the landscape.
I think rather this is another crossroads of opportunity that we have seen periodically- a call to "go without knowing" like Abraham leaving Ur so that we can have a honeymoon period with God in the wilderness as described in Jeremiah 2. This is not something to seek it is something that can invariably happen by listening to that holy dissatisfaction with the status quo our lives can slip into periodically. It is an answer to the call of Jeremiah 4 as Jeremiah piles up image on top of image- Break up your unplowed ground...
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I learned to use one of these as a kid but like a lot of other impolements of agriculturre, I never learned to love them. God intends for us to master the spiritual plough... |
August 17, 2003- First thoughts on Open Range.
Kevin Costner needs to learn the art of editing. This movie is SLOOWWWW. It is also derivative of every western you've seen- the only thing making it worth watching is Robert Duvall's character. That's not enough to save the movie. An early Costner flick "Silverado" was also intentionally derivative but it turned out to be flattering in its imitation.
But Open Range is predictable and pedantic for most of the movie. The characters are sometimes downright goofy. So many chiches...so much time. It is basically a movie about revenge and duty and freedom and change. The central character is haunted by his past, and finds redemption by killing all the bad guys. Justice must prevail and the marshall is in the cattleman's pocket. Costner kills them all. Then he gets the girl. That's about it. I found it very bothersome that while Costner's character was reacting adversely and ashamedly to the carnage he had wreaked on the bad guys the audience was laughing at the townspeople who had turned into a pack to pursue and kill the last runaway bad guy. Indeed there was a comic flavor to the scene so Costner's shame was not very convincing.