Archive for the ‘death’ Category

Press play then close your eyes for 4:00 minutes.

Press play again and listen and watch.

Resurrection: Rob Bell from The Work of Rob Bell on Vimeo.

Unfortunatly, I don’t think Pat Robertson will ask for forgiveness or even admit any wrong-doing/speaking. He has a history of saying unloving and unkind things that highly misrepresent Christianity. I hope that anyone exposed to Robertson does not impose his words onto others who are genuinely trying to be formed into the image of God as defined in the person of Jesus.

Robertson commented that the people of Haiti “swore a pact with the devil” and that “since then they have been cursed.” He suggests that “we pray for a great turning to God” for the people of Haiti. I do hope that people of Haiti will turn to God as I’m sure many have been even prior to the earthquake of 2010. In his comment, Robertson is suggesting that the destruction in Haiti is due to a curse from some time ago. So, Pat, I have a few questions for you because that’s what we here at subversiveREFORMATION.com do – we ask questions:

Did God cause this earthquake in Haiti because of some type of pact that Haiti supposedly made with the devil?
Were the 45,000 Americans in Haiti at the time somehow in on this pact?
Is the earthquake God’s form of punishment for Haitian people?
If so, why are we all not being punished?
Have you ever been punished?
Have you ever been extended grace or have you ever offered grace to someone?
Are you more concerned about placing blame or about a compassionate response?

And a question for myself and my friends:

Can we forgive Pat Robertson?

“What do you think about Obama’s Afghanistan plan?” That was the question posed by RELEVANT magazine. “Tonight, President Obama is giving a speech detailing his new Afghanistan strategy, which includes a surge of 30,000 troops. What do you think of his plan?”

Response of Travis Keller:

“Peace is love. Violence is not. Militarization brings death… either physically or by fear. What if Afghanistan sent 30,000 troops to the U.S.?”

To contextualize my comment I will disclose that I am neither anti- or pro-Obama. I did vote for him. I would also qualify RELEVANT’s question by noting that the plan is not “his” plan but rather a plan that was developed by a team of people which includes military strategists and advisors. Additionally, I have a brother-in-law who is in the United States Air Force. My wife and I love him. He has been to Afghanistan and currently is stationed in the U.S. where he controls mechanisms on the Predator Drone planes that fly in Afghanistan.

What is your response to my response (or the original question)?

Disconnect

in a pink shirt the reporter speaks
his voice ripe with excitement while
behind him the Wave crashes over
and over the same bodies flung
like broken sticks which in an instant
they have become bundled into
body bags bulging on the shredded sand
though when we return we’ll hear
from one survivor in a wheelchair
whom we glimpse smiling as the scene
shifts to a woman waltzing across
her kitchen dazzles as she holds high
a ziplock bag not large enough for bodies
no but fruit she says stays fresh for days.

Sarah Rossiter
Published in Christian Century, May 29, 2007

Has anyone attempted to buy a "box" television from a store recently? I hope not. If you have you would have found yourself to be greatly disappointed in the selection of these now archaic entertainment devices. Where have all the televisions gone? They have disappeared – stricken from the market unless one is buying a used product through ebay or craigslist or at a local garage/yard sale.

This holiday season the plasma/LCD flat screen television appears to be one of the most highly marketed products targeted toward the average consumer. And why shouldn’t it be? Americans are wasting hours and hours of their lives everyday consuming images and propaganda without much consideration of the quality of information consumed and the quantity of time spent disassociating from human to human interaction. So if such behavior is going to be the culturally and sociologically imposed norm then why not do it in high style? Shouldn’t we all use our hard earned money to get the highest 1080p clarity on a 3.5" deep 52" HDTV with 3 HDMI inputs, 2 component video inputs, 3 composite inputs, 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and a partridge in a pear tree? Afterall, it’s not as if there are people in our world who could benefit from our research, technology, and resources in order to provide food, basic medical care, and clean water. Plus, it’s much more comfortable to zone out in front of a screen rather than enter into a meaningful and self-disclosing conversation with another human being. And who wants to spend time interacting with their family anyway?

Where have all the televisions gone? No where. The old, heavy box version has simply been replaced with a cleaner, brighter, sleeker version, increasing and enabling addictions to biased and unintelligent "news" sources, the distorted, sexualized lives of "celebrities," life-destroying gaming systems, and individualization.

Tis the the season.

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Some time ago I posted a series of questions and thoughts about simplicity and minimalism. Check out the article How to Live with Just 100 Things and then comment with your thoughts.

Do you think you could do the 100 Thing Challenge?

Click here –> NOOMA Open | 019 Rob Bell by 12:26 Wednesday. The newest NOOMA short film is available for preview on Facebook for only 48 hours prior to its release on February 22. You may preorder your copy at www.nooma.com.

The discussion board / wall is filled with all types of personal praise and criticism. I do not desire to get involved in that activity. Feel free, however, to add your thoughts about certain theological statements and assertions. The purpose is not to glorify or curse Rob Bell. I have better things to do with my time. The items discussed though affect our lives depending on how they form us. I’ll begin with one question: How do you respond to the command, “Don’t ask God to feed someone who is hungry if you have plenty of food?”