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outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com

urban spiritual life: Helplessness

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A bad situation can get worse. That is what happened in the time we are reading about. The nations of that area were loose confederations of cities with unregulated borders. When one group wanted to gain power (usually territory, or people, or goods) they would gather their trained men and challenge a neighbouring nation. The Philistines challenged Israel, and Saul had to collect Israelite men and go to war. So I am able to ask myself whether there are horrible family experiences which influence my life&...

outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com

urban spiritual life: the hard word "discipline"

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The hard word "discipline". It is great the way the person who wrote these wise sayings was so in touch with life as a whole. He is deeply aware of spiritual realities and ethical challenges. But he makes observations that we wouldn't normally expect in that context. Every part of life is dealt with in the teacher's sagacious comments. Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,. But whoever hates correction is stupid.". This is so direct! Do I want to keep on being stupid? Can I become willing to learn?

outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com

urban spiritual life: Recognised – in a small way

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Recognised – in a small way. This doesn’t mean that clinical depression and other mental or psychological illnesses are a sign that a person has chosen not to follow God – there are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who deeply follow God and yet suffer from the blackness of depression or mental instability. However in this case the start of Saul’s struggle is linked to his rejection of God. He faithfully serves; he does a good job, just like he did as a shepherd. But more than that, he improv...

outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com

urban spiritual life: Who do we believe?

http://outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com/2015/04/who-do-we-believe.html

Who do we believe? We live in a world which frequently denies spiritual life. But many of us are aware of a transcendent dimension to life and seek to live this out. Especially on a day like today - the great festival of one of the world religions, one of the annual commercial jamborees, or (for a few) a moment of great spiritual depth - we become aware of the dissonance between different approaches to life. He has been writing about life which adequately reflects the spiritual dimension. He spoke of...

outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com

urban spiritual life: Wanting More …

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Wanting More …. In the rush of the metropolis (even a couple of thousand years ago urban life was not relaxed) we seldom pause to consider what is actually important. As we live among the demands of city life (even two millennia ago the city was a ruthless environment) we can be so conditioned by the prevailing culture that we can’t imagine a different way of urban living. But the writer of our letter does. In an aggressively human world? Now he keeps praying for them to know more, to be enlightened.

outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com

urban spiritual life: connect with "outsiders"

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Or look out for us in the urban hub. Claremont, Cape Town. Or enter the conversation via comments. Subscribe to: Posts (Atom). Outsiders urban spiritual action. The hard word "discipline". It is great the way the person who wrote these wise sayings was so in touch with life as a whole.  He is deeply aware of spiritual realities. When David arrived – young, healthy and smelling of the outdoors – Samuel realised that this young brother who hadn’t been important enough. Outsider in the Family.

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urban spiritual life: Outsider in the Family

http://outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com/2016/01/outsider-in-family.html

Outsider in the Family. This is a record of something that happened about three thousand years ago in the Middle East. Things were very different, so different that we might wonder whether there is any point to reading the story today. There is – because as we read we discover that people haven’t changed, and if the Bible is right about God, he hasn’t changed either. Turns out there is still David (our guy). But he hasn’t even been brought to the party because he is the youngest and most unimpo...If I am...

outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com

urban spiritual life: Outsider!

http://outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com/2016/01/outsider.html

Here comes another set of “Outsiders” blog posts. I have been watching a TV series. I am fascinated at how I love these protagonists who work outside of society, outside of the law, to help people in danger that no-one else can help. They are helping people that no-one else will. Help They are needed because the normal helping mechanisms are insufficient. They are needed because the entities that are supposed to help are corrupt. I know that the world is full of good people. I hope that most. A bad situa...

outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com

urban spiritual life: Then nothing ...

http://outsiders-urbanspirituallife.blogspot.com/2016/01/then-nothing.html

When David arrived – young, healthy and smelling of the outdoors – Samuel realised that this young brother who hadn’t been important enough to even come to the party was the one God had chosen to lead the people. So David is anointed in front of his seven big important brothers, and his father. So there he is, being powerfully close to God … among the sheep. In a later incident David explains that he experienced God with him in this “outsider” task, enabling him in the dangers of pr...Maybe this is a rem...