“Before I quit my faculty position to move into education management and consulting, I regularly lectured to classes with 200-250 students. I was nervous at first, and my delivery was stiff and overly formal. With practice, though, I got good at it. My lectures became almost theatrical, and I enjoyed great reviews from students and colleagues. I learned to love it …” (more)

[Keith Hampson, Higher Education Management Group, 25 November]

The Fruit Of The Spirit In The Marriage Relationship

Love
Here are expressions sometimes spoken by married persons: “I wish my husband would try to understand me.” “My wife just isn’t meeting my needs.” “What am I getting out of this marriage?”

John 3:16 doesn’t say, “God loved the world so that He could get love in return.” Rather it says that “He gave!” If we give to our mate with the idea of getting something in return, we may often be disappointed. We may come to the point of saying, “Forget it. I’ll never try to give him/her anything again.” But this isn’t love; this isn’t the way God has loved us.

True love is giving, giving, giving, and giving some more. How much did Christ love us? How much did He give? “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and has given Himself for us an offering … to God” (Eph. 5:2).

Here are some characteristics of love: Love is giving; it is self-sacrificial (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 5:2). Love is unconditional, not dependent upon the good behavior of its object (Rom. 5:6-10). Love is not selfish; it is not self-centered (1 Cor. 13:4-5). Love is not easily provoked; it does not nurse grudges (1 Cor. 13:5). Love is enduring (1 Cor. 13:7).

In a recent study of 750 couples with marital difficulties, the most commonly reported problem was a partner who was in love with himself or herself. The second most common problem reported by these couples was indifference on the part of one of the partners. Both of these problems, selfishness and indifference, are opposites of that love which is a fruit of the Spirit.

Husbands: Do you love your wives? Wives: Do you love your husbands? Really? Do you love your partner sacrificially, just as Christ loved the Church? Are you willing to give up some or all of your own interests, time, friends, hobbies, and/or pleasures in order to bring your partner the greatest pleasure and happiness? Have you ever tried to find out what things make your partner happy? If you knew that he/she disliked some activity you enjoyed, would you give it up, or greatly cut back on it, in order to spend time doing the things your spouse likes?

You may ask, “What if I am the only one who gives? What if my partner receives what I give without giving anything in return?” First, you may need to become more aware and appreciative of the love your partner does show you. But even if you can’t find evidence of loving or giving by your partner, you have the glorious privilege of loving and giving as Christ did: He died for the ungodly, for sinners, and His enemies (Rom. 5:6-10).

Be encouraged to persist in this activity of true love: “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9). I have no doubt that God has prepared special rewards for those who are content to give and give and give without receiving anything in return.

Joy And Peace
“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Col. 3:15). If both husband and wife are experiencing the “joy of the Lord” and “the peace of God” in their daily lives, it will be easier for them to create an atmosphere in their marriage in which they can be intimate with each other – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They both will feel totally comfortable in each other’s presence, and will be free to share their ideas, opinions, fears, concerns, and innermost thoughts and feelings with each other without fear of being rejected, put down, preached at, or ridiculed. They will feel free to admit their failures without fear of their partner’s criticism or displeasure. They will feel free to talk about their successes without being rebuked by their partner for being proud and boastful.

Joy is having the sense of God’s grace and presence in the midst of trying circumstances (Acts 16:25; Phil. 4:4). The Greek word for joy (chara) is related to the words for grace (charis) and thanksgiving (eucharistia). Thus, a sense of God’s grace and favor toward us will bring joy to our hearts, and that joy in turn will overflow from our hearts in thanksgiving. When this joy is in the marriage relationship, there will also be frequent expressions of thanks and appreciation by the husband and wife to each other.

Peace is freedom from worry and fear about what might happen, but usually doesn’t (Phil. 4:6-7). As we allow the Holy Spirit to minister His fruit of joy and peace in our lives, we will be freed-up to reach out more to our marriage partner, our children, and others around us.

Longsuffering
“We have been married for 15 years and my partner still does such and such” complains the other. If you are tempted to think or say something like this, put yourself in God’s place. How long have you been a child of God? How long has He been trying to get you to change certain habits or attitudes?

Thus, longsuffering means patiently adapting to each other’s habits and idiosyncrasies without trying to change the other into your own image. “With longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (Eph. 4:2) means “long-tempered,” that is, the opposite of “short-tempered.” It involves praying for, rather than preaching to, one’s partner.

Gentleness Or Kindness
“Be kind, or gentle, to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:31-32). “Take My yoke upon you … for My yoke is easy (or gentle) and My burden is light” (Mt. 11:29-30). The opposite of gentleness is being controlling or domineering – wanting to be king of the hill, having everything my way, with my opinions the only ones that count, and my decisions being the best ones.

Notice in Ephesians 4:32 that gentleness leads to forgiveness. Husbands and wives should not hold grudges: “Love … keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:5). But you may say, ”You don’t know how much my wife/husband has sinned against me.” But neither do you have more than the slightest idea of how much you have sinned against God. He has forgiven you fully and freely, and you are to forgive your spouse in the same way and to the same degree (Eph. 4:32).

Goodness
Goodness in the New Testament denotes helpfulness. Christ’s parable of the good Samaritan exemplifies this quality. “Honey, what can I do to help you?” should always take priority over, “Honey, get me my slippers and the newspaper.” The Lord said, “He who is greatest among you, let him be as … he who serves” (Lk. 22:26).

Faith
Our faith does not end with trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). “Your faith grows exceedingly” (2 Th. 1:3). Our entire lives as Christians should be characterized by the exercise of faith, that is, trust and dependence upon the Lord. Just as we received Christ into our lives by faith and have the blessed confidence that we are saved and bound for heaven, so with equal confidence we are to entrust Him with every matter of our daily lives, to count upon His guidance and supply for our every need.

If husband and wife are both living and walking by faith and dependence upon the Lord every day, this means that every decision will be referred to the Lord, seeking guidance to know and do His perfect will. How much marital conflict would be avoided in this way. Instead of the husband and wife arguing over what each would prefer to do, both would honestly dedicate themselves to finding out what the Lord wants them to do.

Meekness
Meekness involves giving up our own rights, not taking vengeance or retaliating if our partner says or does something that hurts us (Num. 12:3,13; 1 Sam. 25:32-34). For example, if your partner goes on a spending spree, instead of responding by going on a spree of your own, do your best to help your family weather the financial storm created by your spouse’s indiscretion. Christ, our example, says, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Mt. 11:29). He also says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth … Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you” (Mt. 5:5,44). To this Peter adds, “A meek and quiet spirit … is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Pet. 3:4).

A meek person is a confessing person. King David did some terrible things in his life. But in Psalms 32 and 51 he is preeminently a man of confession. Thus, in spite of his sins, God could call David “A man after Mine own heart” (Acts 13:22). Readiness to confess our offending words and behaviors to our partner is a crucial ingredient for a strong marriage.

Temperance Or Self-Control
What part of the body is most likely to get out of control? James 3 tells us it is the tongue: “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity … it defiles the whole body … The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.”

There is a little saying we used to recite as children: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” In reality, however, the wounds administered by the tongue often hurt far more and longer than physical wounds. This is so often the case in the marriage relationship. “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly” (Prov. 26:22). “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21).

The U.S. News & World Report (Feb. 21, ’94) reported on a long-term study of married couples to identify the factors that predict divorce. The most significant factor during both early and later years of marriage was the frequency of insults and putdowns hurled at each other.

May the Holy Spirit help each married couple to control their tongues, to choose their words carefully, and to use their powers of speech to build up, rather than tear down the marriage. May we learn these lessons from Solomon: “A soft answer turns away wrath … A word spoken in due season, how good it is!” (Prov. 15:1,23).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paul Canner is the editor of Words Of Truth. This article from its January-February ’96 issue, is used by permission.

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA.

Website: www.gtpress.org

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I mentioned at the beginning of the semester that we were tumblr blogging our classes, the Serious Gaming seminar, 39B and Archaeology and the Media: Film, 136i.  Tumblr is a simplified, speed-blogging service that provides a place to “tumble” your thoughts. I appreciate it as a sort of visual short-hand while I’m doing research–I tend to tumble what I’m reading about or thinking about, select quotes and photographs. It makes a nice, general record of your research trajectory.  I like that it is an explicit acknowledgement of the marginalia created during the construction of knowledge. Anyway, so we decided to try it out for our classes, with mixed results.

http://136i.tumblr.com

It was great for 136i. The Archaeology and the Media classes tend to be structured discussion sessions, where a lot of examples of movies, television, online video, and other forms of media come up in class. The tumblr blog was a way to track class discussion in a non-intrusive way. It helped that there were two of us–me and Ruth–so one of us could take over while the other typed. If I held the seminar by myself, I might arrange for round-robin of responsibility among the students for tumbling class discussions. Though I have a hard time on occasion with the “multi-tasking” that goes on during class.  Having folks referencing online sources and their own previously typed notes can be handy, but I’ve had to ask for “laptops down” many times this semester.

In any case, I found Tumblr to be not only a great “rapid-repository” for references during class, but also appended clips from movies discussed in the readings for students to reference before class. Most of the students had never seen such movies as Double Indemnity and Stagecoach.  I was also able to provide a small collection of important links to address issues such as copyright, and finding creative commons-licensed music for their movies. I even threw in a few “fun” links to archaeology videos that circulate among academics, but aren’t often seen by students.

http://39b.tumblr.com/

The Serious Games and Virtual Worlds for Archaeology Tumblr blog didn’t fare quite as well. Perhaps it was because so much of the class was oriented toward trying to manage awkward CAD systems in Second Life, or that the readings were primarily about Catalhoyuk or other history games. The students also were not quite as engaged, and did not offer as many examples from their own experience for us to reference on the blog. This class was also completely new, and we had to wrangle material about a subject that is not a fully formed field of inquiry quite yet.

In any case, I could recommend using tumblr for both smaller seminar settings, and for larger classes when there is a TA available to follow the discussion with links to examples and salient points.  We are not quite to full immersion–live blogging a lecture so that a powerpoint isn’t necessary, but we’re getting closer. I’m guessing that in the next decade we’ll have it being done for us–word clouds, reference images, and networks of meaning appearing behind us as we lecture.  That might actually get the attention of the students…for a second or two.

És un hàbit meu el de felicitar amb retard la gent pel seu aniversari. Com no podia ser d’una altra manera, aquest cop també arribo tard per celebrar els 150 anys de l’obra més important de la Biologia: L’Origen de les Espècies, de Charles R. Darwin (1809-1882). Ahir, 24 de novembre, es va complir l’aniversari de la primera edició d’aquest text fonamental (titulat originalment On THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life).

Portada de la primera edició de "L'Origen de les Espècies" (1859)

A alguns els pot semblar exagerada la meva afirmació, però crec sincerament que la Biologia moderna NO ES POT ENTENDRE sense l’opus maxima de Darwin. Fa ja un temps que m’interessa terriblement tot el que envolta el naixement de la Teoria de l’Evolució per Selecció Natural, i justament és perquè crec sincerament que va ser una REVOLUCIÓ. Ho va ser per a la pròpia Biologia, una ciència que a mitjans del segle XIX probablement no gaudia del seu millor moment, perquè la Geologia era “la gran moda” de l’època. Des d’aquell moment disposava d’un paradigma nou sobre el qual construir tot el coneixement que ens ha portat on som. Però ho va ser també per al pensament i la filosofia en general, que es trobaven de sobte amb una teoria que implicava situar l’home al mateix nivell que qualsevol altre ésser viu. Si això no era una revolució social, ja m’explicareu on en podem trobar un exemple millor…

El Beagle davant de les costes de la Terra del Foc

La publicació de L’Origen de les Espècies és una història curiosa i interessant com poques. Com tots sabeu, es va començar a gestar arrel del viatge del HMS Beagle al voltant del món (27/12/1831 – 2/10/1836), en una expedició originalment pensada per a completar la cartografia de Sud-amèrica. El capità del vaixell en aquest viatge, i principal responsable que Darwin s’embarqués i pugués madurar la seva teoria, va ser Robert FitzRoy (1805-1865) [biografia en castellà a la Wiki]. Amb el pas dels anys, l’enfrontament entre els dos homes s’ha convertit en una metàfora de l’enfrontament de la nova visió del món que sorgia amb Darwin i la visió més conservadora de l’Anglaterra victoriana. Si voleu saber més coses  sobre el navili i el seu comandant (el primer gran meteoròleg, mai prou reconegut), us recomano Hacia los confines del mundo de Harry Thompson (títol original: This thing of Darkness), publicat aquí per Salamandra [fitxa].

A.R.Wallace (1823-1913), en una imatge de 1862

Després d’aquest viatge, però, Darwin va trigar encara vora 25 anys abans de fer el pas de publicar el seu treball. Les raons d’aquest retard són moltes i molt profundes. Totes elles, però, comparteixen una mateixa base: la por a com seria rebut el text. Darwin era perfectament conscient de les implicacions filosòfiques de les seves idees, del terratrèmol ideològic que podia suscitar. Sabia que el que ell afirmava eliminava Déu de l’equació. Tot i que Darwin havia perdut la fe en morir la seva filla gran, la seva dona temia la seva condemnació eterna i no volia passar l’eternitat lluny de l’home que estimava. Tot i aquesta por, Darwin no podia deixar de publicar l’obra de tota una vida. Però ho havia de fer bé, havia de ser meticulós i aportar totes les proves que fessin fermament creïble la seva teoria revolucionària. I tot i així, no va ser fins que va entrar en escena Alfred Russell Wallace [Wiki] que Darwin es va decidir finalment a fer públic L’Origen. El jove naturalista va preguntar per carta a Darwin la seva opinió sobre una teoria evolutiva que havia elaborat a Malàisia, fet que va portar Darwin a donar el pas definitiu el 1859. La pel·licula Creation (m’encanta la ironia anglesa ) [tràiler aquí, es va estrenar el 25 de setembre al Regne Unit] sembla que dona una visió clara de tots els dubtes de Darwin.

Des de 1859, la pròpia teoria de l’evolució ha anat evolucionant. Les aportacions de la Genètica, a través de les lleis de Mendel, van ser fonamentals des d’un primer moment per construir la Síntesi Neodarwinista, el paradigma actual de la teoria. A partir d’aquí, s’han anat construint diverses variants que han enriquit la idea primigènia (el neutralisme, l’equilibri puntuat, el gradualisme…) que encara susciten un debat intens entre els biòlegs. A més a més, la teoria ha trobat aplicacions en camps molt diversos, com l’economia o la sociologia, i ha donat lloc també a fenòmens perversos com el darwinisme social, fortament emparentat amb el racisme.

Queden, és clar, moltes coses per explicar al voltant de l’obra i del seu autor. No obstant, com que us he promès una nova entrega del Vídeo de la Setmana, potser és millor que busqueu les explicacions en el seu contingut:

Si no funciona, el teniu a Youtube. Es tracta d’un reportatge del Redes de l’Eduard Punset on s’expliquen molt clarament els fonaments de la Selecció Natural. Hi ha tres elements fonamentals per entendre-la, que van ser els que van acabar portant Darwin a una “revelació”:

1. Temps: la diversitat actual de la vida s’ha aconseguit amb el pas de molts anys.
2. Superpoblació: hi ha més individus que recursos per mantenir-los.
3. Variabilitat: les diferències entre els individus són la base per a l’acció de la selecció.

Moneda de 2 lliures commemorativa de l'Any Darwin.

I ja no m’allargo més. Estic convençut que escriuré molt més sobre evolució, però per avui ja n’hi ha ben bé prou. Per acabar, us deixo només uns quants enllaços sobre l’Any Darwin, que hem celebrat tot el 2009 perquè coincidien l’aniversari de L’Origen i el bicentenari de Darwin:

• Nature: Especial Darwin 200
• CSIC: Darwin 2009
• Facultat de Biologia UB: Any Darwin
• XTEC/CDEC: 2009-Any Darwin

PS: Reconec, amb certa vergonya, que L’Origen és una lectura que tinc pendent. De tota manera, i encara que alguns afirmin que és un llibre avorrit, procuraré llegir-lo ben aviat. Si algú es decideix a acompanyar-me en aquest viatge, podeu descarregar-ne el pdf en castellà des d’aquest enllaç (cal registrar-se, però és gratuït).

Je répond (en retard) à l’invitation du Pirathécaire:

Le 9 novembre dernier, La Presse a publié dans sa section Opinions une lettre de Laurent Frotey, aide-bibliothécaire à la Bibliothèque interculturelle de Côte-des-Neiges. En résumé, l’auteur s’y plaignait de l’évolution récente des bibliothèques publiques, en particulier de leurs collections.

Décidément, on n’en sort pas. Le développement des collections de nos bibliothèques fait beaucoup de malheureux, si on en juge par la couverture médiatique dont il est l’objet. Il faut dire qu’en cette matière comme en tant d’autres, le premier venu a tôt fait de se prétendre expert ou du moins de se targuer de posséder des connaissances amplement suffisantes pour juger de la situation. Pourtant, les nombreuses plaintes concernant les acquisitions en bibliothèques indiquent une méconnaissance évidente de la mission de nos bibliothèques comme du rôle des bibliothécaires en leur sein.

Ainsi, il y a une vision romantico-élitiste évidente qui émane de ce type de grief. Bien des gens qui se désolent de la piètre qualité des documents acquis par les bibliothèques publiques, voire du populisme dont celles-ci font preuve, croient que le but ultime d’une bibliothèque est d’éduquer le bon peuple et de défendre la Culture, celle avec un grand C. Or, est-ce bien la mission de la bibliothèque publique?

Au risque de les décevoir… non, la mission de la bibliothèque publique est ailleurs. Ou plutôt, elle est beaucoup plus variée que cela. Toute bibliothèque est d’abord un lieu d’information et de documentation. La bibliothèque est aussi un lieu de culture, mais dans un sens plus large que ce qu’entendent habituellement les détracteurs de la culture populaire. La culture ne se limite pas, ne se limite plus au patrimoine écrit. Elle ne se restreint pas à une forme d’art, à une technologie, à un canon, à un idéal qui serait défini… par qui, au juste? La bibliothèque est enfin, aussi, un lieu de loisir. Une mission qui en choque plusieurs, mais qui est tout aussi valable et défendable que l’apport culturel ou informationnel de la bibliothèque.

Quant au rôle des bibliothécaires, il est multiple. Oui, les bibliothécaires se soucient de développer des collections qui correspondent le plus exactement aux besoins de leurs clientèles, mais ils ont aussi pour tâche:

• d’aménager de façon optimale les locaux de leur bibliothèque;
• de gérer leur bibliothèque, de ses ressources humaines jusqu’à son budget en passant par sa logistique;
• de gérer les systèmes informatiques de leur bibliothèque, en particulier son système intégré de gestion de bibliothèque (qui inclut le catalogue) et ses bases de données;
• de faciliter le repérage des documents acquis en supervisant leur indexation et leur classification;
• d’aider leur clientèle dans la recherche d’informations;
• de former leur clientèle à la recherche documentaire, à une meilleure utilisation de l’information, etc.;
• d’animer leur bibliothèque;
• de faire la promotion de leurs services, bien souvent inconnus ou mal compris par leur clientèle et donc sous-utilisés;
• de soutenir la gestion documentaire de leur organisation;
• de faire de la veille pour leur clientèle;
• … et nous en passons, et des meilleures.

La complexité de notre profession était d’ailleurs bien illustrée par le riche programme du tout premier congrès des milieux documentaires du Québec, qui avait justement lieu du 11 au 14 novembre et s’intitulait Investir le monde numérique – hé oui, il nous arrive de discuter d’autre chose que de livres, figurez-vous!

En somme, il est bien facile de se plaindre du développement d’une collection. Mais sur quoi se base-t-on pour critiquer celui-ci, au juste? Même les plaintes basées sur des données plus ou moins «sérieuses» puisque tirées de catalogues témoignent souvent d’une utilisation maladroite de nos outils de travail.

Contrairement à ce que d’aucuns pourraient penser, l’analyse du développement d’une collection ne peut se faire à partir de découvertes hasardeuses faites dans les présentoirs de nouveautés ou même sur les rayons d’une bibliothèque. Pour présenter une critique justifiée, il faut pouvoir faire appel à des statistiques valables, comme celles fournies par certains outils d’analyse de collections de bibliothèque. Il faut savoir faire des tests par catalogue. Il faut connaître la politique de développement des collections d’une bibliothèque, ou à tout le moins, en l’absence d’un document précis, savoir interroger le bibliothécaire en charge du développement.

On peut supposer qu’il est très tentant de lancer des déclarations à l’emporte-pièce et de critiquer le travail des bibliothécaires en matière de développement de collections. Acheter des livres est apparemment une tâche facile, n’est-ce pas? Il est seulement dommage qu’on ne prenne pas soin de s’informer proprement avant de s’exprimer publiquement. Pour discuter de développement de collections, n’en déplaise aux ignorants, les bibliothécaires restent les mieux placés. Il est simplement dommage qu’on ne pense pas à nous interroger plus souvent!

En terminant, un conseil à ceux qui se disent insatisfaits des acquisitions de leur bibliothèque. Les bibliothécaires acceptent généralement avec plaisir les suggestions d’achat de leurs clients et se font un devoir d’y répondre, dans la mesure du possible. Pourquoi donc ne pas leur suggérer de meilleurs documents, si vous pensez en connaître?

Plongé dans mes révisions d’introduction à la science politique, je viens de tomber sur cet extrait de Diderot tiré de l’Encyclopédie, où il parle du rapport du chrétien à l’autorité politique. Ca m’a bien plu et j’ai eu envie de vous le partager ; comme quoi les philosophes des Lumières ne sont pas les hérétiques qu’on prétend !

“La vraie et légitime puissance a donc nécessairement des bornes. Aussi l’Écriture nous dit-elle : « Que votre soumission soit raisonnable », sit rationabile obsequium vestrum. « Toute puissance qui vient de Dieu est une puissance réglée », omnis potestas a Deo ordinata est. Car c’est ainsi qu’il faut entendre ces paroles, conformément à la droite raison et au sens littéral, et non conformément à l’interprétation de la bassesse et de la flatterie, qui prétendent que toute puissance, quelle qu’elle soit, vient de Dieu. Quoi donc, n’y a-t-il point de puissances injustes ? n’y a-t-il pas des autorités qui, loin de venir de Dieu, s’établissent contre ses ordres et contre sa volonté ? les usurpateurs ont-ils Dieu pour eux ? faut-il obéir en tout aux persécuteurs de la vraie religion ? et pour fermer la bouche à l’imbécillité, la puissance de l’Antéchrist sera-t-elle légitime ? Ce sera pourtant une grande puissance. Énoch et Élie qui lui résisteront, seront-ils des rebelles et des séditieux qui auront oublié que toute puissance vient de Dieu, ou des hommes raisonnables, fermes et pieux, qui sauront que toute puissance cesse de l’être dès qu’elle sort des bornes que la raison lui a prescrites, et qu’elle s’écarte des règles que le souverain des princes et des sujets a établies ; des hommes enfin qui penseront; comme saint Paul, que toute puissance n’est de Dieu qu’autant qu’elle est juste et réglée ?”

Baptiste

Dans ce billet où je détaille le cycle de Contremont de Joël Champetier, je mentionnais Le Mystère des Sylvanneaux à paraître, estimant que ça pourrait être une nouveauté intéressante. Il est paru, je l’ai récemment feuilleté. En fait, il s’agit d’une réédition en un seul volume de quatre des histoires parues chez Jeunesse-Pop: La Requête de Barrad, La Prisonnière de Barrad, Le Voyage de la sylvanelle et Le Secret des sylvanneaux.

Parlant de feuilleter, Alire adopte une tactique de pusher pour les drogués de lecture, en permettant de “feuilleter” en ligne les premières pages de leurs nouvelles parutions. Que c’est déloyal…

I had the opportunity to go to a lecture by David Oliver Relin, co-author of Three Cups of Tea, a NY Times Bestseller. I haven’t read the book, but his talk was rewarding nonetheless. He shared an observation that has been reverberating in my mind:

“It’s the duty of the writer to listen to the stories of the powerless, and tell them to the powerful.”

Trying to focus a passion is like trying to shepherd a herd of stallions. When I heard that line, I heard a whip crack. A purpose. Not the ultimate purpose, but a strand of the many that, when woven together, create an unmistakable portrait of certainty and direction. That’s what I saw what I looked at David Oliver Relin. You can always tell when someone has a purpose rooted within him or her. It comes with a distinguishable aura that either induces admiration, intimidation, or jealousy. I choose to feel inspired.

Everyone goes through three stages: Who, Why, and What. Who am I? Why am I? What do I do about it?

My answer to the first is, I am a writer. Why am I a writer? I’m still exploring that question, and I explore it through answering the last one: I write.

Life is all about transactions. You give and you get. Answering the Why helps you figure out what you’re supposed to give to the world using what you do best. When I heard Relin make the above statement, I felt so naive, so inexperienced. It reminded me that I know nothing. But in a good way. When you start to think you know, a part of you feels like there isn’t as much out there to learn. When you realize that you know nothing, that the knowledge you have is the size of an atom compared to all the knowledge the universe holds, you truly begin to learn.

Why am I a writer? I hope I spend the rest of my life answering that question.

Worship In The Spirit:

What Does It Mean?

In response to this woman’s boast the Lord said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him” (Jn. 4:23). Significantly, the Lord introduces the thought of true worshipers in the face of this woman’s remarks, thereby clearly indicating that what had been recognized as worship in the levitical order was but a shadow of the true. What we hear the Lord saying here is that the rituals of the levitical system never met God’s requirement for true worship. Now He will raise up men whom He will endow with attributes that will make them true worshipers. These, He said, will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Moreover, He adds, “The Father seeketh such to worship Him.”

Just as the Lord announced in Matthew 16:18, “Upon this rock I will build my Church,” here He announces a concomitant of the Church (then still future). What was it? Worship in spirit and truth! The writer of Hebrews, referring to that old order, tells us, “There are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things” (Heb 8:4-5). So Scripture explicitly teaches that the rituals of the now obsolete tabernacle service have become obsolete with the tabernacle itself. They were only a shadow of the true. At the same time, Peter teaches us that a new order of priests has been ushered in. Speaking of the individuals who make up the Church, he says, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5).

Worship, therefore, consists no longer of the offering of bulls and goats, made by priests of the levitical order. Rather, it consists of spiritual sacrifices offered up by priests of the new order. Thus worship is no longer a mechanically executed process; it is, as the Lord Jesus says in John 4, a function that is carried out in the Spirit. That is to say, the Spirit of God generates in the heart of the believer notes of worship – “worthship” if you please, of the Lord Jesus Christ and of God the Father.

It is very important to observe that Christian worship does not, unlike Judaism’s levitical worship, require that the worshiper go to any particular geographic location, or perform any particular liturgy. The levitical system tied worship to an earthly tabernacle in Jerusalem; so much so that the exiles in Babylon asked rhetorically, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” (Ps. 137:4). In addition, the ritual of that service was fixed by the laws governing the levitical order. Not so in Christianity, for the sons of God have been brought into the sphere of the liberty of the Spirit. This is what makes the efforts of some, to enforce uniform practice in the order of events when we meet to remember the Lord in the breaking of bread, so incongruous if not ludicrous.

In Christianity worship is offered up through the Spirit, in any location at any time, because the way into the holiest has now been made manifest (Heb 9:4). This became effective with the Lord’s triumphant shout on the cross, “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30). Then and there, the veil separating the holiest from the outer chamber of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mk. 15:38). The believer, therefore, does not have to wait for a so-called “worship meeting” to be bowed in worship and adoration, for the Spirit, by whom the Christian worships, is not limited by geography, occasion or liturgical constraints. The Spirit is always with the believer, dwelling in him. The Christian is perpetually in the sanctuary, equipped to worship anywhere, anytime – and he should be doing so.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Humphrey Duncanson teaches God’s Word in North America, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. This article is taken from his recent book entitled, Prayer and Worship In The Holy Spirit, published by Overcomer Press, Box 248, Owosso, MI, 48867.

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA.

Website: www.gtpress.org

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26th – November – Thursday 06.00PM – LECTURE – Catherine Burd of BurdHaward Architects.  Ground Floor, Undergrad Studio, Sheffield School of Architecture, Crookesmoor Building. SUAS Bar open from 05.30PM.  SUAS members: FREE.  Non-Members: £4.00.

In the past two lectures we have covered several examples of authentication/key-exchange protocols and attacks that can be carried out against them. This topic makes for great exam questions, so make sure you understand everything discussed in class.

Homework 4 is now available. The homework is intended to give you some practice in analyzing such protocols. Those of you who have a copy of the book may also want to look at all the questions at the ends of Chapters 9, 11, and 12.

Soldiers search bus passengers along the Northern Highway, 1980

Documentary Photographer

Susan Meiselas

Portfolio Review
Sunday, December 6
10am – 4pm SFAI
$100 (sliding scale fees available) Reservations Required

Lecture
Monday, December 7
6pm Tipton Hall
$5 general | $2.5 students/seniors/sfai members

The Santa Fe Art Institute is pleased to bring you award-winning documentary photographer, Susan Meiselas as part of our 2009 Visiting Artist & Lecture season, Memory: Shadow and Light | Art as individual/collective memory. Join us for her lecture on Monday, December 7th where Meiselas will talk about how her work is, by its very nature, charged with the sometimes antagonistic ideas of memory versus history. You can also come by the SFAI between 9am – 5pm M-F through December 31st and see two of her photographs in our Memory: Shadow & Light exhibition.

Susan Meiselas is an American photographer best known for her work covering the political upheavals in Central America in the 1970s and 1980s. Meiselas’ process has evolved in radical and challenging ways as she has grappled with pivotal questions about her relationship to her subjects, the use and circulation of her images in the media, and the relationship of images to history and memory. Since the 1970s, questions of ethics raised by documentary practice have been central to debates in photography. Perhaps no other photographer has so closely and consistently represented and participated in these debates than Meiselas. Her insistent engagement with these concerns has positioned her as a leading voice in the debate on contemporary documentary practice.

You can see her work and learn more about her projects at susanmeiselas.com

Dal Theatre is staging Nenad Prokic’s 1994 adaptation of Dante’s Inferno this week, and the playwright himself is visiting from Serbia to attend.  Nenad is a lively and entertaining speaker; he is not only a playwright and artistic director of the Belgrade Theatre Festival, but is also a politician and founder of the Liberal Party of Serbia.

Nenad will be giving the pre-show talk at 7pm in room 401 in the Dal Arts Centre before the opening night  All are welcome!

Also, Nenad will be interviewed by Olga Milosevich on CBC Mainstreet tomorrow (the 25th); the interview will be broadcast between 3:30 and 4pm.

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Presbyterians are well known for their vigorous debating.  The response of the Presbytery of  Dunedin to the Reform Government’s recommendations to introduce Compulsory Military Training in 1911 reflects the members conflicting emotions and understanding of the role of the Church. 

John Milnes’ lecture to the Research Network gives an insight into these arguments and  tensions, and highlights the different sources needed to explain them.  Read more …

Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27 NIV

Just to make sure we are not misunderstanding what he meant, let’s put verse 27 in context. As we do this, we will see that the expression, “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” is the culminating revelation of a series of thoughts which originate in the glorious message of the gospel.

The Gospel Of Truth
Paul reassured the Colossians that they had heard the Word of Truth in the gospel preached to them. They had received the message by faith, and it was bearing fruit and growing – not only among them, but all over the world (Col. 1:5-6). The result of having accepted the gospel and of being brought into God’s family was that they, along with all who receive the Lord Jesus as Savior, were brought into all the blessings and riches of the gospel. The riches of the gospel include treasures such as being rescued from “the dominion of darkness,” being “qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light,” receiving a complete pardon for sin and the assurance of eternal life (Col. 1:12-14), being reconciled to God, becoming a child of God through adoption, being assured of blessings in this life and the life to come, and so much more.

All the riches in Christ that they had received contrasted radically with what they had before the blessings of the gospel poured into their souls. They had been aliens from the promises of God – exceedingly wicked, poor and blind – and had lived in misery and without hope. The Gentiles particularly had never experienced the power of God for their blessing, and did not have the inspired Scriptures to point them to God. Paul stated that they were “dead in (their) transgressions and sins, in which (they) used to live when (they) followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath” (Eph. 2:1-3). They were without hope and without God in this world.

When the Gentiles received the gospel they were flooded with the peace of Christ, brought in as the chosen of God, made wise through the fear of God, and filled with inexpressible joy. They came to know real life: “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-7).

With the indwelling Spirit they had power, and would be strengthened spiritually so that they would be able to enjoy the new life to the full. Paul made similar comments to the Ephesians when he told them that they too would be filled with Christ: “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith … that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:16,19). The fullness of God’s power is in us, which enables us to live as we should and to enjoy the riches of His grace as we wait for the day when the Lord Jesus will return and take us to enjoy the inheritance which is ours. What a hope!

The Creator Redeemer
The power and basis of this glorious gospel was in the Lord Jesus Himself. He not only laid the foundation for the gospel by dying as a substitute for lost sinners, but was the originator of the plan and, as the Creator God, had the power to instigate and carry out the plan.

The glory of the Lord Jesus as Son of God and Savior, is revealed through the gospel. His eternal existence is clearly shown as the Creator of all things, including the universe, the angels, and the world we live in. He is the sustainer of all creation and “in Him all things hold together.” The Lord Jesus becomes the central theme of the gospel because it begins with Him, is sustained by Him, continues through Him, and will culminate with Him. He is the substance and riches of the gospel. All the fullness of the Deity dwells in Him (Col. 1:16-19). The glory of the gospel is seen in Him as the “only begotten of the Father” and as the only mediator between God and man. He is the wisdom of God, the truth of God, the faithfulness of God, and the love of God personified. His holiness, grace, mercy, and compassion are eminently displayed in the gospel.

Christ, The Mystery Of The Gospel
The word “mystery” is used, not in the sense of something mysterious, but rather as something that was unknown. In Old Testament times the prophets were used by God to reveal His Word to the people of God. Most of the writings of the prophets were directly connected to current events in their times, but other prophesies obviously contained messages about future events. The prophets themselves did not always understand what was meant in their own writings or the prophesies of others.

Daniel was one who was troubled about the prophetic writings and wanted to know what they meant: “Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast … While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it” (Dan. 7:19, 8:15). Some answers were given to Daniel, but others were sealed up and kept from the understanding of men until the right time: “But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end” (Dan. 12:4).

Daniel wasn’t the only one who tried to understand the prophesies, but in spite of carefully searching the Scriptures regarding the coming Messiah, His Church and salvation by grace through faith was a mystery to these men: “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things” (1 Pet. 1:10-12). How interesting! Even the angels were kept in the dark about God’s master plan for salvation. The angels would come to understand the glories and riches of Christ through the gospel and the Church.

When the time was right, God sent His Son into the world to reveal His plan, which was the glorious gospel of salvation through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross: “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (Gal. 4:4-7). The “mystery” was finally revealed!

Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory
Not only was the believer to receive salvation and eternal life through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross, but the Lord Jesus, through the person of the Holy Spirit, would take up residence in the believer. His indwelling presence would give new life in Christ and the assurance of salvation. He would be the power to transform the life and bring the believer into all the blessings mentioned before. We can now say that this communion through union with Christ, is the ground and source of all our hopes of glory.

The glory we hope for transcends anything this world can offer. The joys and blessings which we now experience are nothing compared with what is in store for us. Any sufferings, persecutions, tribulations, or any other trials in this present life are nothing when contrasted to the joy set before us. What can compare to beholding the Lord of glory face to face? How can we evaluate an eternity of fellowship with the Lord? What will it be to be partakers of His glory and to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light?

Through His suffering and death, the Lord Jesus has opened the way for us to enter into the joys of knowing Him, and of living with this blessed hope of seeing Him soon, and then dwelling with Him forever. What a glorious hope!

By Ian Taylor

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA.

Website: www.gtpress.org

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