Bible
Continuing with the saga of Saul, who seems hell-bent on destroying David. I'm finding, though, that although the Old Testament seems filled with blood, guts, and gore, there are still many examples of grace. for instance, David had numerous opportunities - which he did not take - to kill Saul.
I've not said much about my New Testament readings, but this morning I read about how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This account seldom fails to bring a tear to my eye, as it shows Jesus as a very real, loving person who is not only God but God in human form.
TEEC material
In the "Journeying in Faith" material, I've been reading about the expressions of spirituality as applicable to young children as well as to married couples. Not good when your family is 1000km away!
Showing posts with label TEEC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TEEC. Show all posts
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
18 to 20 May (Jenny)
I haven't done too well, because I can't remember what I've read over the last couple of days! Scratch, scratch think . . .
Life Together: Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Hm, this should sound impressive. Actually, it's a short book and I have only read the chapter called Community. I like Bonhoeffer's stand. We ARE the community of Christ, we don't need to create it. We are it. The way I like to put it is that we need to work on expressing it - so my Master's dissertation tends to speak of ways of expressing Christian community. Interesting how this 'old' work relates to stuff that is being written today - so-called 'third culture' thinking. I've ordered 'The Monkey and the Fish' on this. I'm looking forward to a good challenge.
Church and State: Karl Barth. It's really cheating to put this here. I read it quite a while ago and wrote up the relevant part for my thesis and was reworking it yesterday. I so like the clarity of thinking that Barth had. In a sense it is my confort zone. I don't like the fuzziness that we encounter nowadays.
You Magazine: I'm proud of this. I keep meaning to read something that the rest of the world reads. I've only read a couple of articles, but I might manage more! I also bought a Popular Mechanics. Again I've only read a couple of articles. So, I learnt about Jacob Zuma's daughters and um, can't remember. There was an ad for this sony underwater camera/ video camera that looked quite awesome.
TEE College Workbook: Still working on the same course as last week. This material is uninspiring. Almost negatively inspiring. Bringing your psychic energies under the headship of Christ - where the headship of Christ is put in almost as an afterthought. And where the word psychic is not used in a technical sense as Bonhoeffer uses it!
2 Samuel 9&10: David attempts to act altruistically in a cynical and self-serving world. Hooray for David! That's inspiring. Even if it didn't work out too well for him.
Life Together: Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Hm, this should sound impressive. Actually, it's a short book and I have only read the chapter called Community. I like Bonhoeffer's stand. We ARE the community of Christ, we don't need to create it. We are it. The way I like to put it is that we need to work on expressing it - so my Master's dissertation tends to speak of ways of expressing Christian community. Interesting how this 'old' work relates to stuff that is being written today - so-called 'third culture' thinking. I've ordered 'The Monkey and the Fish' on this. I'm looking forward to a good challenge.
Church and State: Karl Barth. It's really cheating to put this here. I read it quite a while ago and wrote up the relevant part for my thesis and was reworking it yesterday. I so like the clarity of thinking that Barth had. In a sense it is my confort zone. I don't like the fuzziness that we encounter nowadays.
You Magazine: I'm proud of this. I keep meaning to read something that the rest of the world reads. I've only read a couple of articles, but I might manage more! I also bought a Popular Mechanics. Again I've only read a couple of articles. So, I learnt about Jacob Zuma's daughters and um, can't remember. There was an ad for this sony underwater camera/ video camera that looked quite awesome.
TEE College Workbook: Still working on the same course as last week. This material is uninspiring. Almost negatively inspiring. Bringing your psychic energies under the headship of Christ - where the headship of Christ is put in almost as an afterthought. And where the word psychic is not used in a technical sense as Bonhoeffer uses it!
2 Samuel 9&10: David attempts to act altruistically in a cynical and self-serving world. Hooray for David! That's inspiring. Even if it didn't work out too well for him.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
12 - 13 May 2009 (Steven)
Bible
It seems that some of the phenomena that we experience in the Church today are nothing new! 1 Samuel 2 speaks of two things we can identify with: firstly, and sadly, the manner in which some "preacher's kids" go off the rails, as Eli's did; and secondly, equally sadly, how those who claim to me God's ministers take advantage of their position for personal gain (see 1 Samuel 2: 27 - 29).
TEEC material
I'm at College at the moment so any spare time needs to be allocated to assignments. The stuff on Tozer was quite stimulating - I can buy his philosophies - but some of the other material is a bit like Greek to me.
It seems that some of the phenomena that we experience in the Church today are nothing new! 1 Samuel 2 speaks of two things we can identify with: firstly, and sadly, the manner in which some "preacher's kids" go off the rails, as Eli's did; and secondly, equally sadly, how those who claim to me God's ministers take advantage of their position for personal gain (see 1 Samuel 2: 27 - 29).
TEEC material
I'm at College at the moment so any spare time needs to be allocated to assignments. The stuff on Tozer was quite stimulating - I can buy his philosophies - but some of the other material is a bit like Greek to me.
12 to 13 May (Jenny)
TEE College Course Notes: This is not my favourite course and I don't find the notes well-written. Academic material should not be written with a bias, unless that is stated or obviously expected (a Christian bias is expected in Christian studies).
Total Church: I need to get a basic understanding of this model if I want to include it in my Masters - which I do. But I don't think the book explains it enough. I will look up Crowded House on the internet. The chapter I read was about church planting. I think they like small congregations, like households, and I gather they grow by dividing the plants.
The Serenity Prayer:I forgot to record this yesterday. Accept what we cannot change - amongst others, the past Aad other people. Good point, that last one.
2 Samuel 3: Treachery and heartache. God lives in our world. How does he stay sane? I hope he has. Would I know? Yes, I think so!
Total Church: I need to get a basic understanding of this model if I want to include it in my Masters - which I do. But I don't think the book explains it enough. I will look up Crowded House on the internet. The chapter I read was about church planting. I think they like small congregations, like households, and I gather they grow by dividing the plants.
The Serenity Prayer:I forgot to record this yesterday. Accept what we cannot change - amongst others, the past Aad other people. Good point, that last one.
2 Samuel 3: Treachery and heartache. God lives in our world. How does he stay sane? I hope he has. Would I know? Yes, I think so!
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
4 - 6 May 2009 (Steven)
I've been busy with studies, including preparing for an exegesis exam, so reading has been a bit sparse these past few days.
Bible
My Old Testament readings for the past few days have been from Judges, and it seems that each chapter begins with the words "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord..." What were they thinking? Then again, we are no different. Thank God for His mercy when we blow it!
TEEC material
In the material for the course "Journeying in Faith", we are looking at the spirituality of various historical figures, and right now I'm reading about the "social Gospel" of John Wesley. Since I'm also reading a book by Tuttle on the life and theology of Wesley, and being a Methodist, I'm finding this rather interesting indeed!
Blogs
Jenny "the Machine" Hillebrand seems to have a low sleep requirement, since her blog is more up to date than stock exchange feeds from the JSE. At the moment she is reflecting on the trial service she did this past Sunday, and also on yesterday's exegesis exam - both of which she passed. Well done, Jen!
Dion Forster also has some interesting things on his blog (as always). He has recently been seconded from the Church to a position whereby he ministers to people in business, and has been reflecting recently on the sessions he is attending at business school. I find his attempts to come to terms with a transition from ministry to the business world quite fascinating, especially since I'm going through the same process the other way round (i.e. from the business world into ministry).
Bible
My Old Testament readings for the past few days have been from Judges, and it seems that each chapter begins with the words "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord..." What were they thinking? Then again, we are no different. Thank God for His mercy when we blow it!
TEEC material
In the material for the course "Journeying in Faith", we are looking at the spirituality of various historical figures, and right now I'm reading about the "social Gospel" of John Wesley. Since I'm also reading a book by Tuttle on the life and theology of Wesley, and being a Methodist, I'm finding this rather interesting indeed!
Blogs
Jenny "the Machine" Hillebrand seems to have a low sleep requirement, since her blog is more up to date than stock exchange feeds from the JSE. At the moment she is reflecting on the trial service she did this past Sunday, and also on yesterday's exegesis exam - both of which she passed. Well done, Jen!
Dion Forster also has some interesting things on his blog (as always). He has recently been seconded from the Church to a position whereby he ministers to people in business, and has been reflecting recently on the sessions he is attending at business school. I find his attempts to come to terms with a transition from ministry to the business world quite fascinating, especially since I'm going through the same process the other way round (i.e. from the business world into ministry).
Friday, 1 May 2009
30 April to 1 May
Orphans of the Sky - Robert Heinlein. I read a few pages of this - I'm about halfway through the book. Old fashioned science fiction. From a time when people were easily shocked by things that were different (mutants, loose morals, whatever). I enjoy Heinlein (not his brain tumour era, though). This book wonders how people would be if they had grown up on a world-size spaceship, with little historical memory of how they came to be there.
Proclaiming our Faith Workbook - TEE College I have to read this for my phase one studies. Very lightweight - but there is a legitimate place for that. I read carefully those bits that pertain to culture (which could be useful for my Masters dissertation) and about funerals.
God is Closer Than You Think - John Ortberg I'm rereading this - for maybe the fourth or fifth time. It still reminds me that 'it's all about Jesus'. I read about Job and 'winter in the Christian life'.
James ch 2 & 3. I'm doing a programme that takes you through the Bible in three years put together by Tim Chester. I'd put in a link, but last time I looked the document was not there. James pulls no punches in his writing. He tells it like he sees it. That is refreshing. Paul writes in a contorted way sometimes. James 2 says that faith without deeds is dead.
Proclaiming our Faith Workbook - TEE College I have to read this for my phase one studies. Very lightweight - but there is a legitimate place for that. I read carefully those bits that pertain to culture (which could be useful for my Masters dissertation) and about funerals.
God is Closer Than You Think - John Ortberg I'm rereading this - for maybe the fourth or fifth time. It still reminds me that 'it's all about Jesus'. I read about Job and 'winter in the Christian life'.
James ch 2 & 3. I'm doing a programme that takes you through the Bible in three years put together by Tim Chester. I'd put in a link, but last time I looked the document was not there. James pulls no punches in his writing. He tells it like he sees it. That is refreshing. Paul writes in a contorted way sometimes. James 2 says that faith without deeds is dead.
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