Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 44

Vanhoozer Confronts Dualism Dramatically. Part 1

Kevin, J. Vanhoozer. 2014. Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press. (Goto part 2)

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

One of the most pernicious heresies in the church of our time is old fashioned Greek dualism which separates faith and action. This dichotomous thinking, however, is inconsistent with the biblical understanding where faith and action are inseparable. Jesus and his half-brother, James, both rail against hypocrisy, defined as a separation of faith and action.[1]

Introduction

In his book, Faith Speaking Understanding, Kevin Vanhoozer argues for a new look at the theatrical understanding of faith and action because Christians must both speak and do “Christian” in pursuing authentic discipleship (19). The theater provides an interesting way to live out the doctrine of the church because an actor must not only speak a part but also act it out which may at first seem unnatural but with practice may become instinctive, like learning to ride a bicycle or swim. Like a good actor will focus not on displaying an emotion, but really feeling it, the good Christian must put on the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16).

Relation of Doctrine and Discipleship

Vanhoozer uniquely emphasizes the role of sound doctrine in discipleship. Like a good actor must learn his lines, doctrine guides discipleship and avoids the trap of adopting a “performance mentality”. Sound doctrine is part of teaching people how to keep the faith and applying doctrine (or theology) to their daily lives (xiii-xiv). They learn by applying this doctrine in life, hence the special need to act it out.

Scriptural Interpretation

Vanhoozer sees scriptural interpretation playing a key role in theology. He writes:

“To be a follower of Christ is to be a follower of Scripture in all three senses of ‘follow’:

To understand the meaning of what Christ says in Scripture, To respond to his instructions with obedience, and To go after Christ or along ‘the way’ of Christ”. (1)

He sees the history of the church as virtually the same thing as the history of biblical interpretation (2).

It’s About

Vanhoozer describes his book with 9 “It is about” statements. It is about (1) being biblical, (2) theology, (3) church doctrine, (4) the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (5) life, (6) the reign of God, (7) the church, (8) public theology, and (9) reality (4-9). He writes in two parts where the first part lays out his theater model and the second part offers a detailed proposal for how it should work (9-10).

Theater Model

The remainder of part 1 of this review will examine Vanhoozer’s theater model while part 2 will focus on the details of how it works.

Vanhoozer offers four reasons for merging doctrine and drama, two intrinsically difficult topics:

The subject matter of the Bible is inherently theodramatic, saying what God has said and done in history.The language of the theater offers images and concepts to bridge the theory/practice dichotomy.The purpose of theology is to cultivate disciples where knowledge is static, but wisdom—lived knowledge—is dynamic and dramatic.Every Christian has a role to play (20-21)

This last point is critical. The uniqueness of the church as a theater is that the audience is invited into the play and helps to determine how the performance is played out. Vanhoozer writes:

“disciples obey the truth and the gospel when they take hold of what they behold and let the drama of the Christ serve as the metanarrative or control story of their own lives.” (40)

In other words, in this drama spectators do not remain spectators. And doctrine allows “disciples to fill empty spaces and empty moments with redemptive speech and action.” (47)

Assessment

Kevin Vanhoozer is a Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, Illinois. His degrees are from Westmont College (BA), Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv), Cambridge University, England (PhD). This book, Faith Speaking Understanding (2014), is designed as a more readable and pastoral version of an earlier book, The Drama of Doctrine (2005), which lays out a theological defense of the theater model.

For reviews of other books by Vanhoozer, see the list of references below.

References

Kevin J. Vanhoozer. 1998. Is There a Meaning in This Text:  The Bible, The Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan. (3-part review: Vanhoozer:  How Do We Understand the Bible? http://wp.me/p3Xeut-Yq, http://wp.me/p3Xeut-Yw, http://wp.me/p3Xeut-YB)

Vanhoozer, Kevin, J. 2005. The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox.

Vanhoozer, Kevin, J. and Owen Strachan. 2015. The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. (Review: VanHoozer and Strachan Argue Case for Pastor-Theologian; http://wp.me/p3Xeut-1us)

Footnotes

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”  (Matt 23:25-26 ESV) and “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (Jas 2:17 ESV)

https://divinity.tiu.edu/academics/fa....

Vanhoozer Confronts Dualism Dramatically. Part 1Also see:Vanhoozer: How Do We Understand the Bible? Part 1 Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:

Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net, Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.

Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/Holy_Week_2018

The post Vanhoozer Confronts Dualism Dramatically. Part 1 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Context: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 13, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Context of Jesus’ Life. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Context: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 13, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup
 

 

The post Context: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 13, 2024 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Context Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty Father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because you broke into salvation history and lived among us giving our own lives context and meaning.

Forgive us for downplaying your role in our lives and neglecting to study the context of the biblical witness.

We give thanks for your presence in our lives.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, be our guide, directing and leadings us in all that we do.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Context Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:

Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup

 

 

The post Context Prayer appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

The Context of Jesus’ Life

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, 

and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, 

and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. (Mal 3:3)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

A story normally begins with the author outlining the context. Before a character can step into a play, the stage must be set. Where and when does the story begin? In a screenplay, the writer normally paints a picture of the character in daily life before an inciting incident provokes a journey to begin. This external conflict stimulates growth in the internal life of the character.

From a narrative perspective, how do we see Jesus introduced in the Gospels? From a faith perspective, does the context tell us more about Jesus or the author? This question is interesting because in Greek theatre the gods were mostly passive observers, not active participants, in human events. Yet, Dorothy Sayers (1941, 51) wonders whether the author may somehow inhabit a favorite character. Similarly, Kevin Vanhoozer (2014, 20-21) sees the theatre model playing an upsize role in biblical interpretation and disciplining.

The Gospel of Mark

Assuming Mark’s gospel is the first to be written, his presentation sets the stage for the others. How does Mark present Jesus?

For Mark, Jesus is heralded by John the Baptist, the way a king’s coming would be announced. The allusion to Malachi 3:3 is odd because the text cites Isaiah, but it is significant for at least three reasons. First, the refiner’s image suggests that he changes the environment; the environment does not change him. This is not the hero’s journey so popular in literature and film. Second, the refiner’s fire is directed specifically at “the sons of Levi,” which were the priestly class after Moses. Third, Malachi is a prophetic book, suggesting that Jesus’ mission is an answer to prophecy.

Jesus is heralded by John and then baptized in the wilderness. This setting is both physical and metaphorical, but this baptism is unnecessary for a sinless messiah, but it begs the question: What is its purpose? In the Matthew account John asks this question, and Jesus answers: “to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt 3:15) The contextual answer is more interesting. Jesus’ baptism serves as a commissioning service blessed by God himself, reinforcing the kingly allusion: 

“When he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:10-11)

Mark describes this act as a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4), but full-immersion baptism serves as a symbolic death and resurrection. In Mark’s post-resurrection context, Jesus’ baptism serves a prophetic purpose that anticipates the crucifixion and resurrection.

The Gospel of Luke

Although John the Baptist is Jesus’ cousin, missing in Mark’s Gospel is the family context that we see  in Luke’s and Matthew’s Gospel. Luke’s account is more personal and many believe that Luke interviewed Jesus’ mother, Mary, in preparing to write. R.C. Sproul (2005, 14) reports that Luke offers a much broader picture of the role of individuals, especially women, and the Holy Spirit in the early church.

This family context in Luke is exemplified by the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. Their names are symbolic. Zechariah means The Lord Remembers and Elizabeth means My God is an Oath (Sproul 2005, 16,17). Again, we hear an allusion to Malachi in the words that angel speaks to Zechariah:

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Mal 4:5-6; See Luke 1:17)

Zechariah and Elizabeth are childless and advanced in age so the angel’s talk about children must have stung, but the angel prophesied that they would have a son—John—and he would be the person of Elijah prophesied.

The angel later visited Mary, who went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. When they met. Mary reported: “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1:44) This leaping of the baby Jesus in the womb—a happy baby—is the first reported act of Jesus in scripture.

The Gospel of Matthew

This personal, family account of Jesus’ arrival in Luke contrasts with the conflict in Matthew’s Gospel, which I will talk about in more detail later. Matthew introduces Jesus with a geneology, sometimes called a king list, and a family context, but it comes in the context of a battle for political succession. Jesus is born and King Herod almost immediately seeks to kill him, as an apparent contender for the throne. Jesus’ father Joseph is visited by an angel who warns him of the danger and the Holy family slips out in the middle of the night. They flee initially to Egypt and after Herod dies to Nazareth.

For us, the Matthew context is overtly political, but the American church has more typically portrayed it as a sentimental journey or scooted through it quickly. The liturgy typically places the slaughter of innocents the week after Christmas when many people skip church and pastors take vacation. We don’t normally associate babies with kings and politics.

Angelic visitations and midnight journeys connect well, however, with refugees who live with persecution, corruption, and death, as has been the history in Central America. For such folks, spiritual warfare is a thin veil over daily life. For us, the Matthew account provides an important interpretative guide to the New Testament social context. It also reminds us that the Bible was written for adults by adults.

The Gospel of John

The Gospel of John begins with a philosophical interpretation of the creation account—“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) The words in Greek—“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen 1:1)—for in the beginning are are the same. The implication is that the world itself was reborn in Christ. John’s extended is discourse on light (John 1:4-9) amplifies Genesis 1:3 and suggests a strong focus on ethics in interpreting Jesus’ life before a segue into the witness of John the Baptist.

Salvation History

In each of the Gospels, Jesus is introduced interpretatively within the context of salvation history. Even in Luke where this history begins in highly personal terms, as with the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the echo of Hannah’s song in the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55; 1 Sam 2:1-10) places Jesus’ life in this historical context far beyond the backroom of a carpenter’s shop. This salvation historical context takes the place of the people left behind with the person’s death or, alternatively, the role that the deceased played in those people’s lives, which we might see in a modern obituary.

References

Sayers, Dorothy. 1941. The Mind of the Maker. New York: HarperCollins.

Sproul, R.C. 2005. A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke’s Gospel. Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications.

Vanhoozer, Kevin J. 2014. Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.

The Context of Jesus’ Life

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com


Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup
 

 

The post The Context of Jesus’ Life appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Iglesias Focuses Authors on Emotions

Karl Iglesias. 2005. Writing for Emotional Impact: Advanced Dramatic Techniques to Attract, Engage, and Fascinate the Reader from Beginning to End. Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

An impatient world cries for stimulating images and direct speech, but yearns for furtive symbols and subtle inference. Pastors study body language to unpack the verbal ambiguities and deception. While women still read novels, men prefer movies, a medium that teases their eyes.

Introduction

Karl Iglesias introduced his thesis in Writing for Emotional Impact with these words:

“There are three kinds of feelings when reading a script—boredom, interest, and ‘WOW’. … This book is for writings who want to deliver that WOW, and who truly understand that great storytelling is about one thing only—engaging the reader emotionally.” (10)

And the reader that counts is the overworked, underpaid script-monkey who is tasked with summarizing your script, a report described as coverage (20-22).

He goes on to record two reasons for his book. First, to provide necessary information on how to evoke an emotional response, and, second, to avoid having to read more boring scripts (11). As an emotional delivery system, the screenplay should both tell a good story and tell it well (13-15).

Iglesias sees three types of story emotions—voyeuristic, vicarious, and visceral—that evoke curiosity, identify, and gut-wrenching emotions. We are curious about new information, worlds, and characters. We hopefully identify with the characters and feel what the characters feel (16). To emote is to disturb or agitate, as taken from the Latin (18).

Background and Organization

Karl Iglesias is a screenwriter, script doctor, and author. He is Cornell University graduate and earned a masters of fine arts at University of California at Riverside. He teaches writing with the UCLA Extension.

Iglesias writes in eleven chapters:

Introduction: The Emotion-Delivery Business
The Readers Your Only Audience
Concept: Unique Attraction
Theme: Universal Meaning
Character: Captivating Empathy
Story: Rising Tension
Structure: Engaging Design
Scenes: Mesmerizing Moments
Description: Riveting Style
Dialogue: Vivid Voices
Final Thoughts: Painting on the Page (vii-ix).

These chapters are preceded by acknowledgments and followed with an index.

Not the Usual Snipe Hunt

Fiction writing is harder than nonfiction writing. The complexity arises in fiction because the reader expects nonlinear elements to work together to produce emotionally satisfying storylines, characters, and themes. By contrast, the best nonfiction writing is a clear, simple, and linear exposition. Books on writing fiction often exhaust the reader with the spirit of a multifaceted snipe hunt. Ever wonder why so many writers become alcoholics?

Iglesias takes pity on young snipe-hunting writers by focusing their attention on the importance of reader emotional response in all aspects of writing. This focus lowers the complexity of the writing experience by offering a single performance measure. Writing is still hard, but it is not impossible—no alcohol required. Iglesias has done us all a big favor here.

Importance of Concept

Iglesias slips in a critical marketing tip: “A high concept script by a first-timer may sell, but it will often be rewritten by a seasoned professional … Nine times out of ten, if ta studio buys a script solely for its concept, they’ll get rid of you and hire a more established writer to rewrite the script.” (37) Because most of us have never sold a script, focusing on concept is the key strategy for breaking into the business of screenwriting.

So, what is a concept? Iglesias writes: “A great idea should be uniquely familiar, and it should promise conflict …. You could call the uniqueness of an idea a hook, gimmick, or a twist.” (26-27) I am reminded of “The Flying Nun” show (1967-70), but Iglesias’ mind runs to “Dinosaurs brough back to life for a modern theme park” the hook for Jurassic Park (27).

The importance of the concept comes as surprise for authors used to mooning over interesting characters and engaging plots, but it highlights the importance of commercializing a good screenplay. The cost of producing a film can run into the millions of dollars, which makes communicating an idea clearly a critical feature of the marketing process. Only this past week, a popular Hollywood star lost twenty million dollars of her own money on a project that flopped. What does that say about someone else buying one your scripts? Concept matters; it matters a lot.

 Assessment

Karl Iglesias’ Writing for Emotional Impact is an engaging read on a topic of critical importance to aspiring authors, especially screenwriters. While novelists often ignore books on screenwriting, this is a big mistake. As the number of readers declines day after day and the number of authors rises with the ease of self-publishing, novelists need to pay more attention to marketing. A good place to start is by looking over the shoulders of screenwriters who have always been more focused on the problem. Writing for Emotional Impact is a good place to start.

Footnotes

https://www.KarlIglesias.com.

For those unaware, a snipe hunt is a camp tradition where late in the afternoon new initiates are given an empty bag and encouraged to go into the woods to hunt a mythical bird, known as a snipe.

Iglesias Focuses Authors on Emotions

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup

 

 

The post Iglesias Focuses Authors on Emotions appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Timing: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 6, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Gospel Timing. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Timing: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 6, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup

 

The post Timing: Monday Monologues (podcast), May 6, 2024 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Template Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Beloved Lord Jesus,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, true and justice are yours because you came to us as a child and lived among us as a righteous person to show us the path to salvation.

Forgive our hardened hearts, our stopped up ears, our blinded eyes, and restless spirits that we might come to know you better.

Thank you for the witness of the saints, the testimony of those that traveled your path before us and taught us to pay attention to both your humanity and your divinity.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, enter our hearts, unstop our ears, open our eyes, and teach us patience that we might learn and in turn teach others.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Template Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup

 

The post Template Prayer appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Gospel Timing

that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, 

and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 

(Phil 3:10-11)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Life is normally experienced cloaked in the mystery of what has yet to be revealed. Uncertainty defines the experience of life. We buy insurance for our homes, our medical care, and care of our families—even our pets—in the face of an uncertain future. Uncertainty is woven into the fabric of life.

By contrast, the Gospels, like any obituary, record the life of Jesus knowing the end of the story. Much like Paul knew that Jesus is divine, the Gospels are written and begin with a resurrection subtext. This poses a serious problem for postmodern people who read the Gospels discounting Christ’s divinity and presuming that Jesus’ life unfolds more or less like our own, except without the uncertainty. The key claim of the New Testament (the divinity of Christ)—really the only reason to read it—is treated as fiction. 

The Pauline Path

While Jesus’ divinity was obvious to eyewitnesses of the resurrection and to Paul through his experience with the risen Christ, the implications for how to proceed in view of that knowledge were not obvious. Paul’s journey after his conversion is summarizing as:

“I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.” (Gal 1:16-18)

This brief account of Paul’s faith journey rings true because his transformation was so profound and he was a highly intelligent and educated individual. Really smart people cannot be told anything—they have to learn things for themselves. Today, three years of study sounds like earning a master’s of divinity in seminary.

While the Gospels take the form of an encomium (a Latin obituary form) amended to encompass the resurrection, at least two points in Paul’s writing suggests a theological reason to dial back and study Jesus’ life and ministry. The first is summarized in the Philippians 3 passage cited above. The second provides more detail:

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Rom 6:3-5)

The idea motivating both passages is the notion that Jesus’ life, ministry, suffering, and death form a template for achieving resurrection and eternal life.

Gospel Timing

If this template is God inspired, as the resurrection suggests, then knowing every detail of the template is theologically important. This theological imperative suggests why the Gospels followed rather than proceeded Paul’s writing. Normally, one would expect an encomium to immediately follow someone’s death, not be delayed until decades later. Thus, it is correct to infer that Jesus’ humanity, while not immediately important to eyewitnesses of the resurrection, became the key to understanding and living life under the new covenant in Christ.

Gospel Timing

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup

 

The post Gospel Timing appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Morris: Overcoming Adversity through Resilience

Photo by FreeFik

Guest Blogger, Julie Morris

Julie Morris (read more) is a life and career coach. She thrives on helping others live their best lives. It’s easy for her to relate to clients who feel run over by life because she’s been there. After years in a successful (but unfulfilling) career in finance, Julie busted out of the corner office that had become her prison. Today, she is fulfilled by helping busy professionals like her past self get the clarity they need in order to live inspired lives that fill more than just their bank accounts. When Julie isn’t working with clients, she enjoys writing and is currently working on her first book. She also loves spending time outdoors and getting lost in a good book.

Introduction

Life’s challenges often feel overwhelming, pushing us into corners we never knew existed within us. Yet, it’s precisely these moments of adversity that hold the power to catalyze personal transformation and nurture resilience. As we navigate through these trials, we’re able to reflect, learn, and ultimately grow stronger.

This article, courtesy of T2Pneuma.net, delves into the idea that the hurdles we face aren’t merely obstacles to overcome but essential components of our journey toward becoming more resilient and self-aware individuals. Through embracing these challenges, we discover not just our ability to endure but to thrive, transforming our lives in ways we never imagined possible.

Forge Resilience

Through life’s trials and tribulations, you develop a resilience that becomes your mental armor against the challenges of life. Each challenge you overcome acts as a lesson in perseverance, teaching you that the strength to overcome future obstacles lies within.

Moreover, this journey of overcoming imbues you with the confidence to tackle new challenges, knowing you’ve weathered storms before. This newfound resilience allows you to face life’s ups and downs with a steadier heart and clearer mind, ready to confront whatever comes your way with grace and determination, and propels you towards personal growth and transformation.

Cultivate Creativity and Flexibility

Adversity prompts you to explore beyond traditional solutions, fostering your creativity and flexibility. These newfound skills prove essential, enabling you to adjust and prosper in a constantly changing world.

You learn that the end of one path can lead to the creation of another, unlocked by your inventive thinking. This realization opens your eyes to possibilities previously unseen. As a result, you discover unique opportunities at every turn, guided by your resilience and ingenuity.

Reassess Your Priorities

Challenges often compel you to take a hard look at your life, urging you to reassess what truly matters. In this process of deep reflection, you may discover that certain ambitions or pursuits no longer align with your core values, prompting a necessary shift in direction.

This introspection leads to a clearer understanding of your values and goals, guiding you toward a life that reflects what you genuinely cherish and aspire to achieve. This realignment with your true self is a powerful outcome of facing adversity, catalyzing meaningful change and personal fulfillment.

Spark Change

Facing life’s challenges often prompts us to reevaluate our current paths and consider bold moves that shake up the status quo. Taking charge of your destiny might mean venturing into uncharted career territories, spurred by the realization that growth lies in change.

The proliferation of online degree programs has significantly lowered the barriers to education, making it easier than ever to pursue new knowledge and skills in fields we’re passionate about. Whether it’s aiming for a promotion by focusing on business degrees or pivoting entirely with a bachelor’s in a novel discipline, the resources at our disposal empower us to take the leap.

Venture Beyond Your Comfort Zone

Adversity’s discomfort serves as a potent motivator, compelling you to venture beyond your comfort zone. It spurs you to welcome uncertainty and embrace risks, paving the way for personal growth and self-discovery. As you move past the known, your horizons widen, introducing you to fresh experiences.

These experiences mold you into a more versatile and well-rounded individual. Through this process, you become adept at adapting to change and prepared for the diverse challenges life presents.

Enhanced Empathy

Adversity enriches your empathy, drawing you closer to the struggles of others. This deeper insight cultivates a compassion that transforms you into a more empathetic companion, relative, and community member.

Your personal trials teach you the value of human interconnectedness, reinforcing your relationships. Through challenges, you gain a unique perspective on the shared journey of life. Consequently, your ability to empathize strengthens, bridging gaps between you and those around you.

Life’s challenges, though daunting, present opportunities for growth, resilience, and transformation. Embracing these moments allows you to gracefully navigate obstacles, becoming stronger, wiser, and more resilient. Adversity is not merely a hurdle but a gateway to a more fulfilling and enlightened existence. Through these trials, you uncover strength and wisdom that lay dormant. Thus, each challenge faced is a step closer to the profound self-discovery and fulfillment you seek.

Morris: Overcoming Adversity through Resilience

The post Morris: Overcoming Adversity through Resilience appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Partners: Monday Monologues (podcast), April 29, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Paul’s Ministry Partners. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Partners: Monday Monologues (podcast), April 29, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup
 

 

The post Partners: Monday Monologues (podcast), April 29, 2024 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.