+ S O L I + D E O + H O N O R I A +

Pure Nerd

2010-05-28T01:15:00.003+10:00

Apparently, I'm a pure nerd (specifically, 83 % Nerd, 22% Geek, 17% Dork).

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.

Yeah right... I *wish* I was a nerd.

Run Hon Run

2010-04-18T19:08:00.002+10:00

In an exiting interview of the ministry apprenticeship, someone remarked, "Hon hit the ground running". Let's see how far we can go with this metaphor.

The years before college were like a triathlon. A multi-challenge endurance event (Complicated by weather conditions: torrential rain.)

The years at college was like running the Kokoda trail, straight up for 'A Thousand Steps' which got steeper as you ascended. A cardiovascular workout. (With fog and falling rocks.)

The time after college has been a sprint. An adrenaline-fueled burst on a flat and clearly marked circuit, but it's fast and the minutiae matters.

Different types of running. But all that time, I only paused to catch my breath, take a drink or stop off the side of the road (excuse me). The triathlon segued into scaling a mountain, followed by a bolt.

... I don't even really like running, except for the sprints, which are exhilarating. The way I run is very bouncy. I expend a lot of energy which is not really suitable for long-distance running.

Recently, I've noticed some warning signs: twitching eye, broken sleep, return of a nervous cough, persistent muscle tension, negative thinking, nanna naps, bursts of crying, aversion to socialising, loss of enthusiasm about things I'm usually passionate about...

It's time to stop.

Cemetery Comedy

2010-04-18T19:01:00.005+10:00

(Forgive me.) The afternoon at the Necropolis yielded some irreverent musings. I refrain from posting the following Facebook statii about the City of the Dead.

Hon sees dead people, all the time.
Hon rested in peace (read: Hon fell asleep at the cemetery)
Hon had a little giggle at the epitaph, "Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away"

Peter Adam would appreciate that.

MaMa's Recipe for Congee

2010-01-28T00:26:00.001+11:00

Wash rice in rice cooker bowl.

Wash big chunks of lean meat and add to rice.

Coat both in oil and rub in some salt. Prepare at least an hour in advance.

Pour in boiling water. Optional: add dried scallops, lotus seeds.

Set rice cooker on congee setting.

Worse than Cancer?

2009-11-03T22:39:00.013+11:00

It was a solemn moment when my Gong Gong asked his daughter, two weeks after the event, "Did I almost die?"

"You almost died twice", came the reply. Gong Gong nods his head slowly, as a small explosion set off inside him. It's not just shocking to find out you almost fell off a cliff. It's shocking to find out you were actually standing on a cliff in the first place.

His last admission to hospital lasted 14 days (10 of which were spent intubated in ICU and involved a surgical drain of 1.2L of fluid from his pericardium). But just before to that admission, Gong Gong had gone to the hospital twice wanting treatment. Twice, the doctors turned him away because they couldn't find a cause of his symptoms. They couldn't see how close Gong Gong was to the edge of the cliff.

They had lots of trouble diagnosing him. We longed for a diagnosis. It was obvious that something was wrong, but it's terrible not knowing what that was. No diagnosis meant we were in limbo and couldn't pursue the course of treatment. The enemy is unknown.

Today, only days after being discharged, Gong Gong was readmitted to ICU with different symptoms. Doctors are still unsure what has caused his latest troubles. (Stroke? Pulmonary oedema? Decompensated heart? Malfunctioning heart valve?) Getting a diagnosis is a tricky business. The window to really fix the problem is closing and there's the unpleasant business of dealing with each new presentation. We would really appreciate some prayers.

But this post isn't really about Gong Gong, his treatment or his cardiologist, but about diagnosis.

----------------------------------

Imagine the worse disease ever. (Cancer? HIV/AIDS? Flesh eating bacteria?) Now imagine having that disease. What's worse than having that disease?

What's worse than having that disease is not knowing that you have that disease. No diagnosis. This means not being able to seek the right course of treatment. It's not understanding how the disease may develop. It's not knowing you need help. It's not knowing that you are about to fall off the cliff, teetering on the edge.

... I think Christians and non-Christians often have difficulty with "judgment" (here, I mean telling others about sin, about God's "capital-J Judgment" which finally condemns sin like a judge's court final pronouncements and about hell. Perhaps you have read one of the many judgment passages in the Bible, which point out how people don't live God's good way.).

Everyone sins but no one likes that pointed out to them. No one should take pleasure in saying a message of judgment to someone else. And no one enjoys being on the receiving end. It's all an unpleasant business.

But is the "judgment" a bad thing in itself? No, judgment is merely the diagnosis. It identifies the problem. This is the bad thing. Sin is the personal cancer that robs people of life. Sin is the debilitating illness and painful ailment. Sin ends in a horrible death, without fail. It's chronic and terminal. Sin is the worse problem imaginable.

Judgment is the diagnosis; it points out sin. If Christians see the sin and but do not acknowledge it, they are like doctors who withhold the diagnosis. Who sends sick people home with a clean bill of health. Who impedes treatment and healing. Who fails to warn patients of grave danger. This doctor is not only negligent, but contributes to the death of sick people. The silence is not kind but cruel.

Now, sin is the disease and judgment is the diagnosis. But the remedy is grace. In Jesus, people can have grace for free, the full strength and full spectrum remedy. It's the only remedy for sin and death. God's grace is the cure that he freely offers to people who acknowledge their sin. But...

If there is no diagnosis of disease, there is no remedy. Just death.
If there is no judgment of sin, there is no grace. Just death.

Doctors may not like breaking bad news to people. But not telling them is worse. They will miss out on the treatment they need to live.

Book Review: Onion Tears

2009-10-21T16:10:00.009+11:00

"Kids, we are halfway through this book. Do you want me to keep reading?" resigned the patient librarian, sensing great boredom. Her fingers kept the place two-thirds of the way into Diana Kidd's "Onion Tears".

"NOOOO!!" replied the emphatic and impatient chorus of 3rd graders. She interpreted their listening body language well - they were bored.

But I desperately wanted her to read on ~ she had been reading so beautifully. I wasn't Vietnamese like the main character, a primary school girl named Nam-Huong, but I was also an Asian migrant in Australia. I never risked a dangerous boat journey without parents to flee my homeland, but my family also had a recent and dramatic migration story. I was the only third grader who bawled in the library when the librarian read about Nam-Huong's grandfather sacrificing what he needed to to help his granddaughter arrive safely. Because mine would have done the same.

A shocking, powerful and heartful children's book with a hint of onions.

Gong Gong is better, but not super

2009-10-20T22:58:00.004+11:00

On Sunday night, Gong Gong had 1200ml drained from his pericardium in ICU. Today he got transferred to CCU. This is a step down in the level of care ~ a good sign that he's out of the immediate danger zone. He remains sedated, but was able speak to my Mum when she arrived in the US yesterday to be with him. What. A. Relief.

Doctors are investigating cause of all that fluid. We always knew that he had cardiac problems, but the speed of onset suggests another culprit. Need to rule out cardiac infection (which is hard to treat) and cancer before we can fully breathe out. Those tigers are going to have to wait.

Thank you so much to everyone who prayed for him and our family. Bless you! God has been kind to us by giving us extra time.

Picture of Gong Gong, mid 2009.

Super Gong Gong

2009-10-18T22:10:00.028+11:00

Growing up, my Gong Gong (my Mum's Dad) seemed invincible. Now, I've observed him all my life and have come to suspect that he is, in fact, a Superhero. Here are a few clues:

Always looks the same

Gong Gong's wardrobe is perennial. He's always in the same outfit, immaculate and wrinkle free. In block colours, black, white, grey.

Gong Gong has always had exactly the same Clark Kent hair. Jet black. Not a hair out of place.

Standard one-liners

Whenever I'd ask him how he was, he'd say, "Ho! I fought off 7 tigers today!". Gong Gong's standard greeting is "Hello Sing Sarng, Singapore!" (less superheroic, but a classic one-liner, nevertheless.)

Superhuman strength & movement

Gong Gong is built and shaped like He-Man. His muscles were the density of thick linoleum. I used to give him massages, but my puny fingers were no match for his solid trapeziums. They couldn't even make a dent.

He is lightning fast with the abacus, faster than my Dad's super maths brain and me on a calculator. *Click Click Click*!

In Tai Chi, Gong Gong defies gravity! He can hold, balance and maneuver his full weight calmly, slowly, effortlessly, agilely and gracefully, at impossible angles.

Super powers

It's incredible that Gong Gong never had an education, but taught himself how to read Chinese characters by reading newspapers. Being really thrifty, he didn't buy newspapers, but read over people's shoulders, or picked up discarded editions. A few years ago, he learned English in his 70s, to pass his US citizenship's test. This probably means he has learned his village dialect, Khmer, Cantonese and English.

Gong Gong's throat must be made out of cast-iron because he can drain a bowl of piping hot congee (rice porridge) in two goes.

Olives to Gong Gong, is what Spinach is to Pop-eye. Gong Gong likes the Asian variety, where you'd chew the olive and spit out the fibres.

Gong Gong also has the uncanny ability to be able to sleep any where.

When his six children were young, Gong Gong also worked three jobs to save money to help his family flee the arch-villain, Pol Pot. Incredible!

Both my Gong Gong and Mama overcame adversity in extraordinary ways, but we'll save those miraculous stories for another episode.

Protector of the vulnerable & innocent

Whenever us kids got into trouble (often), he would stand in front of us, facing the oppressor of our efforts. His defense always came swiftly. We wouldn't even have to call out "Rescue me, Gong Gong!!", and he would come to our aid. It was one of the rare occasions when the gentle giant would raise his voice in conflict. And suddenly, our despair and humiliation would turn into joy and triumph, safely hiding behind this immovable mass. Go get 'em, Gong Gong!

Timely arrival

Gong Gong would be able to find the time to look after us for long hours on Sunday afternoon, when the parentals were in meetings. Gong Gong'd pick us up from choirs, always ready and waiting, chewing on some olives and reading a newspaper. Basically, he's always there when you need him!

If there ever was a Superhero to come out of his home town, it would be my Gong Gong. But when my sister last visited my grandparents in June, she observed that he was literally about half his size, gaunt and weakened by years of cardiac complications. A few steps would take away Gong Gong's breath...

------------------

This post has been sitting in my "ideas" box since my sister's visit. And this morning we heard that Gong Gong is in ICU. If he doesn't wake up within 24 hours, he may never. His heart may have failed him for the last time.

Not sure how this episode is going to end and this cliffhanger has made me bawl. But I'm so glad that Gong Gong has a living hope (rare for a man in his generation). And that Jesus, the true and Immortal Saviour, is good for his word.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

~ Phil 3:20-21

Gender Analyzer

2009-04-21T13:52:00.001+10:00

Insert blog into Gender Analyzer and extract result:

We think http://solideohonoria.blogspot.com/ is written by a man (65%).

Books for 100th post!

2009-03-03T11:55:00.004+11:00

To celebrate the blog's 100th post, Desiring God Ministries are giving away books for free!

So kind...

Abandoned Student Profile Picture '09

2009-03-03T11:49:00.004+11:00

And here's a picture that didn't make it into the college magazine:

Mopping up the Mess

2009-03-01T15:19:00.010+11:00

My friendship crises are mostly passed its denouement ["haw haw haw"] and into its end stage. If you'll indulge me a little longer...

Like the proverbial janitor, I'm mopping up the mess. Part of this is involves looking at the unsettling things that have floated up to the surface.

Among them were my animate idols. The revelation of some friendships was shocking. It wasn't just the friends who turned out to be parasites who let me down. The good friends who whole-hearted offered help fell short of being an adequate support. I couldn't lay my burdens on any one person. This meant that of my loving friends, I went to one for sympathy, another for practical advice, one for wisdom, another for hugs, one for reality checks, another for comic relief, etc. I'm very thankful that God's generously surrounded me with true friends who love me so deeply. But I often felt very lonely. The friendship safety net wasn't strong enough for such a fall. As excellent and godly friends as they are, I relied on them more than I should. They are only humans, limited in understanding, time and power. It's a grave mistake and unfair to expect friends to be the "you" in Psalm 139. Only God can and should provide true comfort and satisfaction.

Another ugly thing that surfaced was my reaction. When I feel like a victim, I pretend that it's excuseable to do ungodly things: slander, whinge, be embittered, wallow in self-pity, love justice more than mercy, withhold forgiveness, be judge. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay", thus sayeth Honoria.

Trials show up what (still) needs to go. Oh, that God would take every thought captive (a la 2 Cor 10:5)!

Abandoned Student Profile '09

2009-03-01T14:42:00.004+11:00

For a year I planned to submit this profile to our college student magazine / yearbook / prayer list / ministry employment classifieds / dating catalogue. But I relented last minute.

Time to leave the salt shaker! To go where to places with a lower concentration of salt.

Salt is used to enhance taste, preservation, cleansing and healing. But most crucially, many people are dying of hyponatremia, in many states and countries.

On the other hand, a high concentration of salt can cause high blood pressure and cardiac complications, fragile bones, coma and death! Also, salinisation could devastate crop growth, reduce biodiversity and damage infrastructure.

"You are the salt of the earth!" (Matthew 5:13)

Time to leave the salt shaker?

Bacon Explosion

2009-02-16T16:05:00.002+11:00

This made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

Warning: contents may be offensive to vegetarians & vegans, Jews & Muslims and cardiologists.

Phoenix Talons & Ginseng

2009-01-06T16:07:00.002+11:00

Warren chatted cheerfully about my sister (his colleague) and his family's migration from South Africa, as I sat numbly in the spearmint green dental chair, open mouthed, open to the possibility of a painful or good extraction. You wouldn't have guessed by his light manner, but he's the best in the biz. But still, one cheek twitch from me, one instrument slip and I'd be a goner.

My top wisdom teeth had come through straight and were even being useful. Good wizzies can stay.

However, my two lower wisdom decided to grow diagonally, steadfastly head-butting the dignified molars in front, who stayed straight. A dormant dental danger. They crowded the joynt. They posed an infection risk. They had to go.

Warren started on the left one to loosen it up, his wrist tendons in perfect tension. But they put up a fight. Teeth can't dig in their heels, so they grow little hooks at the end the root to protest against extraction. His lovely assistant sent for a special instrument from CSSD. As he waited, he went to work, gripping the right tooth driving it in a circular motion with just a little tilt...

*Crack!*

That was on purpose.

The right one had to came out in pieces because of the 3 roots, a long, thick, curved root, and two shorter roots, one with a wiley hook. I dub thee: Phoenix Talon.

I meant to say "WoW! Thanks!!" to express appreciation, but it came out sounding like "OoO! Anfh!!" because of the utensils and anesthetics in my mouth.

Warren: 1
Wizzies: 0

The left tooth lost its nerve and conceded defeat. It came one in one piece minutes after the right. Lefty also had a thick root, and two others, but the little hook on it was less gripping. It shall be known as Ginseng (pictured).

South Africa had trained Warren well, with its high HIV infection rate and its frantic working schedule. Even formidable Phoenix Talon and great Ginseng took less than an hour.

The dental nurse gushed with genuine admiration. "He makes it look so easy!! He got it out without cutting bone, even though yours were really bad!" she beamed.

And because of that, my cheeks didn't puff up any more than usual. Also, I didn't lose any sleep. Within days I came off pain-killers and was onto exam study.

Thank you, Warren!

6 Things I've Learned This Year

2008-12-28T16:07:00.002+11:00

Following Jean, here are six things I learned this year. These things are not new, really. It's just a realisation of things that are already on board. Summary: God is excellent!

- God wants us to fear him, especially when things aren't right and when you suffer.

- Grace is better than judgment and far more difficult. Fairness is right but hard; you can be completely cold-blooded in justice. Mercy and forgiveness cannot be given without love; God is its only source. Justice is good, but grace is better.

- Everyone has a streak of narcissism, the difference between people is just a matter of degrees. We are chronically and terminally me-centred.

- Sin is awful horrible disgusting, and deserving of death. And it's significant that God hates falsehood so much.

- When a fool is in sight, the right thing for people to do is to point and laugh (Proverbs 26 is pretty funny). You don't have to fret ("Oh, no! They are acting foolishly"), you don't have to chase after them or try to stop them ("Wait, stop... Fool!!!") and you definitely don't have to expose them as fools. They are fools. And they will show themselves to be fools. True Christians don't have to be weighed down by others' folly. It's God's job to judge them.

- God gives us freedom in Christ! Freedom to obey him, to do good. In sin, we are bound, only able to sin. The weird thing is, humans tend to look for rules and to abide by them, even as Christians.

Toothy Torture

2008-12-28T15:17:00.006+11:00

On the professional recommendation of my sister, I'm getting my dormant wisdom teeth removed in January. I'm having local anesthetic. And I was ok about being conscious for it all...

Until recently.

I've been watching the first few seasons of Alias. In two torture scenes, there is a stern man of Asian extraction (pun intended), nicknamed "Suit and Glasses", with "an array of frightening instruments". His specialty is extracting information by performing root canals, creating cavities and tooth extractions without anesthetics.

"Tell me who you work for!"

Mwa haha HA HA! HA ~ hahahah !! HA HA ha aha... ha... heh... ahem.

Update: Taiwanese spectacle man just tortured Marshall in series two! (He tortured Sydney and Will in series one. Marhshall's one of my favorite characters.)

Anger at Sin

2008-11-04T23:17:00.012+11:00

It may sound arrogant to claim to understand something of God because of human experience (especially when my motives are uniformly ungodly and un-other-person-centred). But I was really struck as I watched someone walk in foolish ways.

Sin makes you mad.

It makes you angry because of the sheer audacity of it. The defiance against God! They are walking towards darkness and have turned their back on truth. The fool closes their eyes and renounces God's ways - because they have full knowledge the act makes them all the more foolish. They justify perversion in the name of good things. The abandonment of goodness, counsel and fellowship of friends fires the temper. Embracing evil is revolting. They exchange wisdom for folly, friends for deceivers, safety for peril, wholesomeness for twistedness and the fear of the Lord for disregard. How dare you slap God in the face, who gave you wonderful blessings, opportunities and the Spirit to help you discern and choose? What have you thrown away?

All the while, pretending to be grown-up and claiming Christian virtues. It's sickening, saddening and maddening.

Isn't the Lord returning soon?

I wanted to take the foolish person across my knee and have very stern words with them, because that's an effective way of dealing with a naughty child. But since they wouldn't listen, I am giving them up to their folly.

... It's embarrassing to think that I often don't take my own sin all that seriously. Think of all the times that I've defied him and infuriated him! God takes my sin very personally. And he's got good reasons to be seriously and very angry whenever I've shoved things back in his face. I've treated God with contempt. So I'm thankful that Jesus died for me. I could never drink the cup filled with God's burning anger. Jesus, thank you for drinking my portion.

Perfect Match

2008-11-04T23:06:00.005+11:00

It's common for people to choose people of similar attractiveness to them. There's a natural justice when the gorgeous marry the gorgeous, then have uber-gorgeous children. The gorgeous marrying the average, on the other hand, may evoke inferiority complexes, insecurity or perennial public scrutiny. Until the time when age levels out their attractiveness, they will catch comments in the wind, along the lines of, "How did a 5 like him hook up with an 8 like her?"

Some may have other criteria and seek their educational, social or ambitional match.

Likewise, Christians tend to go out with people of a matched spiritual maturity. Mature Christians tend to look for another. So if a girl goes out with a non-Christian or an immature, ungodly Christian, it can indicate their own Christian maturity.

It's a pretty good gauge that their faith may be pretty on par with their mate's.

A Kingdom Wedding

2008-11-01T15:40:00.010+11:00

Photography by Esther T.

Carol married Pete this morning!

There were moments of gold. Like when Pete looked at nothing but the face of his bride. And how Carol smiled excitedly the whole time, looking back at the church to take it all in and commenting to Pete. Like when the pray-er said that it's a special wedding because "it's a kingdom wedding" and "in their oneness, may they serve Christ". Like when the minister started to say the vows, "Do you take Carol..." and Pete, in eagerness, came in too early with "with God's strength I will" which made Carol burst out laughing, slapping her thigh. Everyone laughed, too. They were clearly enjoying themselves. As soon as they walked up the aisle, I broke out into a little dance. A friend said later that they felt like they ought to be dancing (perhaps everyone finds the Beatley beats of "the Ancients" irresistible).

Two impressions were made:

Death

The non-Christians' ears must clang as the word "Death" enters a wedding service. But all through the service the Christians kept talking about how their marriage was only possible because of the death of Jesus. Oh, so true. What a wonderful death, which makes people alive and able to love.

Something else deathly ~ How do you get to The Ultimate Wedding? (Read the synopsis here.) Well, first you die. And after that, you walk down as a bejewelled bride towards the eternal King, to live together in paradise. But that's only if you want to commit your life to Jesus that way. I do... If you are going to be my obituarist, please don't say, "Honoria has gone to a better place", but "Honoria is at her wedding. So don't be sad for her sake."

(I'm trying to panel beat this thought into good shape:)
Jesus dies to have a glorious marriage to his bride, the church. We follow Jesus in death so we can take part in that glorious marriage. Jesus proposes, "come die with me and come live with me".

(It's quite natural if you don't get it because you're not a Christian. I'd be happy to tell you about the joy.)

Best

How lovely and special to give your best to another human being*! Or to be honored as a recipient of someone else's best. Your best isn't to be spent on your work or your friends, but given to the one with whom you share a "oneness". The best of your affections and time, the best of your gifts and personality, of your sexuality and intimacy... Wow.

Congratulations and blessings to you, Pete & Carol!

*of course, there's no one higher than Christ. So he deserves your all and your best. I'm just talking about the first human after your devotion to Christ... y'know what I mean.

[woken]

2008-10-25T12:34:00.005+11:00

A “domestic disturbance” at 4am
– the impersonality of the term
belies the shocking human rawness of the reality
of slamming doors and broken glass, shrieks and crashes and, eventually, police
and loud wailing cries splitting the stillness of the night

Oh, our street needs Jesus

This ugly underbelly of suburban life, briefly and embarrassingly revealed
So out of place in genteel Surrey Hills
where well-bred folks stifle their sobs into pillows
and grief and rage is concealed behind Laura Ashley facades
We keep our tombs very well whitewashed.

Yes, our street needs Jesus...

Grace to the Self-Centred

2008-10-21T15:22:00.007+11:00

If a person persists in being manipulative, abusive and destructive, how do we love them in a way that honors God? What does it mean to show grace to such a person? These are not rhetorical questions. I would love your input.

God hates sin, went to a lot of trouble to get us out of trouble and helps us escape his condemnation. Shouldn't we then be in one accord, keeping the Judgment Day in mind?

Give them chances to change
Repentance starts with identifying a problem. That may mean "having words" with them, which may not be a pleasant conversation (see Nehemiah's acts of 'persuasion'.) In Ezekiel 3, if the prophet failed to warn the wicked, God will hold him accountable for their blood.

It may (or may not) mean seeing them through the phases of acceptance / denial, working through the problem and relapse.

Offering other means of help (counseling, changes in lifestyle).

Remind them of the Day of Judgment, and help them work out whether they are storing up wrath or good works in heaven on their current course.

Take away chances for them to do more damage
Ultimately, one's actions are not anyone else's responsibility but one's own.

But you could help them by setting up appropriate boundaries with the person to help them act on that responsibility. (I saw an ad for self-defense once: "Learn how to stop your brother from sinning against you!")

It may also mean limiting harm done to others (tricky...)

Both of these might stop them incurring more of God's condemnation.

Do not sin yourself
It's easy to act like a victim if you feel victimised. It's easy to slander, to be bitter, to hate, to take revenge. But vengeance is the Lord's.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (ESV) says this about putting away falsehood and speaking truth, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil."

See that? Be angry. It's a command (The NIV is obscures the command, by rendering it incidental: "In your anger..."). It's ok to get angry, especially at sin.* It's not ok to sin yourself.

Wait for God
Commit the person to prayer to recognise that it's all God's work. The only agent that can effect change is the powerful spirit of God, who awakens consciences, pierces hearts, humbles, grieves people for their sinfulness.

He is in control. He know what they were like before you did. He is in the spheres of their life that you have no access to. Plus, he is more powerful and cares more about this whole thing than any human.

He sees and remembers everything. And in the end he will reward each of us for our folly or wisdom.

That's all I got. Ideas?

* My friend who worked in Child Protection for 7 years says that getting angry is a good response to child abuse. She says the day that social workers stop getting angry is the day they should get out of the job. (7 years! What stamina)

Really...?!

2008-10-13T14:33:00.004+11:00

Anonymous quote:

You click with the people you are sexually attracted to.

Really...?

Yes, you don't know yourself!

Really?!

Archie Quotes

2008-10-10T21:20:00.003+11:00

The cross presupposes the fact that we’ve got broken circuits (for instance: envy, how men view women). We are all broken at the foot of the cross.

It’s not that we need sex, but our marriages need sex. Our sexual desires do not need to be expressed, just because we have them.

Ephesians for teens

2008-10-10T20:23:00.003+11:00

Ever heard of Rod and Karen Morris' spicy ideas for Bible studies? They are so keen on the Bible that they wrote a book on leading better Bible studies and have saved many a study from dying a slow and painful death by a thousand Q&As...

Last term's Ephesians studies were inspired by them... (studies were more or less divided according to chapter divisions)

Chapter 1 - Timeline (Before the foundation of the world -> Jesus on earth -> Our time -> End of this age)

Paul pulls out the Imax Camera to show how God planned all of history around Jesus, with the intention of blessing us. (Application ~ Who's at the centre of the universe / history / your life? Does that match God's view?)

Chapter 2 - Divides (lists of contrasts, working in pairs)

How we used to walk and what our new walk looks like (1-10).
Who's in, who's out? How do you get in? (11-22)

Chapter 3 - Play Detective (gather clues)

What's the mystery? (1-6)
What's Paul's job? (7-13)
What does this have to do with the Ephesians & us? (14-21)

Chapter 4 - Patterns (discussion)

One
Body language & Church (unity and diverty)
Old and New Self

[Game: take turns naming a body part, when you repeat / get stumped, sit down]

Chapter 5 Walking (describe the pairs of people)

- Walking around & fill in lists (pinned up around the room) of how people are to behave.

Walking = conduct / practice.

[Game: adverbs game - The group decides to behave in a particular a manner (crazily, shyly, theatrically). The guesser asks any one of the group to do any action and has to guess what the manner is.]

Chapter 6 - Fashion Parade

Make Armour of God out of newspaper (2 teams). Someone narrates the model as they walk down the 'runway'.

How random!

2008-09-28T12:56:00.005+10:00

...apparently, people just can't get enough random facts!

In case you think you're seeing double, this is not a repeat of Honoria's post. I've been lured out of co-blogger-lurkdom by the irresistible invitation to rabbit on about myself. Here are 6 random facts about me:

1. Famous people I have met in my life include: Bob Hawke, Julian Lennon, Jimeoin, John Safran, and various stars of Neighbours. I am distantly related to Rex Hunt, though have never met him.

2. I lived the first 30 years of my life blissfully without a mobile phone, and often fondly yearn for those past innocent, carefree days...

3. Things I have collected at different times during my life include: stickers, stamps, erasers, sugar/salt&pepper sachets from planes & cafes all over the world, teaspoons, and (most recently, thanks to the Moodys) antique toy robots.

4. I have not vomited since I was in grade 6. This means I'm proudly running a current non-vomit streak of over 20 years! (though a memorable flight to Sydney in August brought me uncomfortably close to ending the streak)

5. The first album I ever bought with my own money was Bananarama "Wow!" (it was a toss-up between that and "Push" by Bros). First concert I went to was 1927 at the Tennis Centre, supported by Boom Crash Opera. Ahh the memories!!!

6. I learnt french for 6 years and piano for 14 years, and haven't really used either of those "skills" since.

Not tagging anyone else since just about all the bloggers I know have been tagged already!

What is Truth?

2008-09-23T22:03:00.003+10:00

Pontius Pilate's question adorned yet another mission T-shirt. But it's a good question...

Truth corresponds to reality.

When people speak the truth, we are making statements which reflect reality - the more real, the more true. Faith is acknowledging the reality that Jesus is the Lord.

The noetic effect of sin is the corrupting element in our perception of reality. In normal speak: the more sin we have, the more stuffed-up our view of reality and the more lies we speak. Especially revolving around God.

The Devil is a compulsive liar and God is a compulsive truth-teller. (Ask me about the puzzle sometime.)

God has no sin and can see reality completely (outside and inside of people). This means he's perfect in speaking and judging.

God's statements are so truth-full that when he speaks, reality becomes.

More Reflections on Narnia

2008-09-23T22:00:00.003+10:00

Function vs. Faith
Lucy is held up as the main heroine of the story. Lucy is almost useless in battle but she is commended because of her faith or keenness to see and follow Aslan. This conveys that God is not so much interested in results or efficiency but in attitudes and virtues.

Those who are evil are characterised by their selfishness and practicality. Being practical or pragmatic is a euphemism for unethical behaviour and caring about tasks / achievements over people. Those who predicated as "practical" are The White, the Ape (?) and, lastly and tragically, Susan.

Growing old vs. Maturing
Age is also inversely valuable. Youthfulness, or rather childlikeness, represents purity of faith and trust in Aslan. Lucy embodies this. This is contrasted with growing old, which mitigates faith. When the returned to Narnia a second time, they considered themselves more grown up, having ruled for many years already; so they trusted themselves over Aslan and got lost. Peter and Susan were turned away from Narnia because they got older (but didn't grow in faithfulness, it's not about their numerical age, since they grew much older in years in LW&W). Susan, who stops believing, was keen to "race on to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can". Maturity is measured by how big Aslan appears.

"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

Dignity & Speech
Speech is an defining characteristic. The Talking animals are the leaders of their kind. Speech is a privilege which makes the creature unique and precious (killing a dumb animal would not constitute murder). Aslan's leaders are truthful while the evil characters characteristically lie. (Maybe Lewis was making a statement about the role of language in our nature / imago deo / human dignity.)

The Lion is a gentleman
Aslan never forces loyalty. He may be firm (roaring) or even shake people up (literally, with Trumpkin the Red Dwarf), but he never makes people submit to his rule. In the end, he gives each person what they choose.

Universalism?
I suppose Lewis did leave himself open to the charge of universalism or pluralism (where people of different faith are finally incorporated into his kingdom). Aslan includes an ardent servant of Tash, Emeth (which means "Truth" in Hebrew), and accepted his worship to Tash as worship to him.

... Two clues against universalism. One. The Dwarfs, who once acknowledged Aslan, finally refused to see him or appreciate his gifts. It shows that Lewis didn't see heaven as having an open door. Two. Despite his prior commitment to a false god, Emeth still needed to recognise Aslan as the true God, repents and follows him, a la eleventh hour.

Freedom
Aslan is not a tame lion. It's always dangerous to liken God to something created. But this is a glorious description sanctioned by Isaiah, of God's freedom, power and unpredictability. He's not safe, but he is good!

Narnia & the Bible

2008-09-23T17:14:00.006+10:00

When I was a child, I was read picture books (in Cantonese? Mum particularly liked fables or stories with morals). When I was a teen I read paperbacks (Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High... then I got a toothache and switched to fantasy and darker stuff). When I became a Christian, I read theology. My reading repertoire has always been genre specific.

So I completely missed the classics and children's novels, including The Chronicles of Narnia. Happily, that was remedied this month.

Everyone seems to know the Narnia series so I've love to hear how you read it. I've noted a few parallels between the books and the Bible (with Wiki's help!).

The Magician's Nephew

Aslan is God, through whom all things are created.

Its an allegory on the creation narrative in Genesis. The other world represent the reality of the Spiritual world which parallels our world, where time corresponds inexactly.

The White Witch is sin, evil, the Devil. She can't actually make anything herself, but just steals (jewelery, food), kills (by turning others into stone by the Deplorable word) and destroys things (the carriage, the lamppost) that others make and offer. She has a reign of some sort but her powers are limited. She and lusts after power, being completely self-centred and only acknowledges people who may be of use to her. Some see her for what she is, while others are entranced and attracted by her.

King Frank and Queen Helen (a Cabbie and a maid in London) may be pre-fall Adam and Eve or the ideal Christian leaders. Frank loved listening to Aslan. They demonstrate the inverted values of Narnia, where personal attributes, rather than education or class, determine one's suitability for office.

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe

Aslan is revealed to be Jesus, who dies in the place of Edmund.

The-Emperor-Over-the-Sea is Father God.

Deep Magic is Scripture, binding and lasting.

The long winter is the deadening force which sin brings.

The Turkish Delight represents the worthless idols we pursue, and for which we willingly betray people and good pursuits. It's not at all substantial and a poor substitute for real food (ask SJ about the ingredients!), so consuming it is not satisfying, but only makes you crave more.

Edmund is Peter (the Apostle), whose initial betrayal and unfaithfulness is inverted.

The Horse And His Boy

Perhaps this book represents the Exodus.

Shasta, the exiled Narnian (who is revealed to be Prince Cor) is Moses. He's found in floating as a baby and adopted by a person of a hostile nation. But he's really a leader of God's people, and more ready to lead than his brother.

Calormen is Egypt, and with Telmar (Babylon?), it represents the other nations which are characterised by hardship and tyranny. They must cross a desert to return to. (Babylon is actually NE of Israel, but since a desert lies between them. Babylonians must come across the top and down to attack Israel. Therefore, they are a known as the force "from the North")

Bree represents the faithful whose character has been shaped (for the worse) by the enslavement of other nations, who then experiences difficulties returning to their own land.

The Wizard who looks into the pool to view action remotely represents the Old Testament Prophets.

There is a theodicy / explanation for suffering and trials (meetings with wild lions). They are all unhappily endured, but inflicted by Aslan and in the end, shown to be valuable and character building experiences that led them on the right path.

Prince Caspian

Maybe the Exile? Where the leader of God's people need to reclaim the land rightfully from powers that do not acknowledge Aslan.

The Narnians are scattered and in hiding, thought to be extinct as a people group.

Dr Cornelius represents God's people who have assimilated with the culture of foreign nations, but who remained true to Aslan. His knowledge and teaching about Narnia's history and the stars (prophecy) make him subversive and dangerous. But it is with knowledge that Prince Caspian defies the corrupt powers that have established themselves over the Narnians. I'm not sure about this... what part of the Bible does this resonates with?

The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

I wonder if this is Acts or the Epistles, because they go out to different countries. (Or maybe it's the seven churches in Revelation?)

Eustace is Paul. Initially an enthusiastic persecutor of God's people, he soon is constrained by scales / dragon exterior. Stuck as a dragon, Eustace mourns his behaviour and attitudes. The gold bracelet which bites into his dragon arm may represent a thorn in his flesh. Only with God's help is he freed from them. While he is humbled (in dragon skin), he is helpful more than anyone else (flying over vast territories) but he also finds himself doing things he hates doing (he finds his eating habits shameful). He occasionally tussles with Edmund (Paul and Peter?). Eustace is transformed and becomes considerate and courageous, suffering many injuries. The adventures of Narnia continue with him rather than the Pevensie children, like how Paul dominates most of the New Testament.

The Silver Chair

May describe the Christian experience.

Jill may represent those who are converted without a Christian upbringing, because she is not acquainted with Narnia's history, which is a detriment. She is slow to keep God's words.

Rilian represents the elect who are in enslaved to sin, who need to be freed by God's people. When he is under the spell, he inadvertently plots and strives to conquer a land which he rightfully has already. (Doesn't this sound like the silly striving of non-Christians for paradise, when God offers to give it to them anyway?) Once freed, Rilian must destroy the chair that kept him in bondage (Romans 6 style). Even then, it is easy for him to be ensnared again by the Green White.

Puddleglum represents the Anglicans (kidding!)

The Green Witch is the White Witch in another guise, but is still playing the same power game. Harfang is the new deception and lure away from the walk of faith. Like the long winter, the underworld is another place of anti-life and hardship imposed by sin.

The Last Battle

The darkest book in the series is probably Revelation, where many of God's people are deceived by the Anti-Christ. There is a climatic battle, Armageddon, of both physical and spiritual forces, where God's people are few and heavily persecuted. It is a battle for truth.

Shift, the Ginger Cat, Rishda Takaan represent the string of people who lead God's people astray from within with increasing cleverness and success.

It's very hard to escape the thought that Calormens represent Muslims, and Tash is Allah (a mask for evil). While both Tash and Aslan are powerful and inspire fear, Tash's fearfulness is untempered by loveliness and mercy.

At the end of time the creatures walk before Aslan, who judge and separates them to his left (to destruction) and right (to glory and real life). Not much allegory here.

The final reunion of all the main characters is the resurrection of the dead.

Aslan's mountain is heaven, after the world is remade new, where they will all dwell without sin.

Insecurity

2008-09-03T21:32:00.008+10:00

I used to see insecurity as something to be nurtured ~ like a baby: vulnerable, helpless, needy. How would you deal with insecure Christians? Well, you affirm and encourage the person, I'd've said.

My friend prescribed a different treatment. They suggested that insecurity, like arrogance, needs to be rebuked. Hmmmm...

Let's look at the varieties of Insecurus Doubtae. They may look:

· nervous, scared, timid, weak, anxious, untrusting, paranoid.
· proud, needing to look down others in order to feel better about themselves.
· envious, needing to compare themselves to others: elated to be doing better, dejected to be lagging.
· petty, needing to assert the very little power they have.
· defensive, needing to guard and protect what they have.
· stingey or selfish, needing to make sure they have enough for themselves.
· possessive, needing to claim things as their own.
· discontent, needing more, needing better.
· competitive, needing to prove they can beat others.
· powerful, needing to control and exercise power over others.
· stagnant and inflexible, needing stability and predictability for security.
· opinionated or critical, needing to show that they have superior knowledge and experience.
· like a bully, needing to intimidate and belittle people to gain a sense of power.
· like a control freak, needing to control themselves, their environment and others in trivial and big ways.
· like a manipulator, needing to control others in trivial and big ways.
· like a rebel, needing to subvert and throw off the established powers.
· like a corrector or authority, needing to show they know best.
· like a gossip, needing to control information because knowledge is power.
· like an attention seeker, needing other people's affirmation in order to feel valued.
· like an exaggerator, flatterer or liar, needing to blow out or take away from the truth.
· like an anorexic or bulimic, needing to control their food and bodies in order to have some control over anything.
· like a pioneer or high achievers, needing to achieve something significant in order to be someone significant.
· like a usurper, needing to take power away from the ones in higher positions.
· like a predator, enjoying the power of breaking the rules or taking what they shouldn't take.

All different of animals at this zoo. All with the same brokenness. All need the same treatment.

At its core, insecurity is disbelieving God is good + God is in control + God is enough.

Disbelief.

Doubt.

Introspection.

The remedy for insecurity is correcting and reminding about the security that is God. Perhaps gently, perhaps not. How you treat them depends on the type of animal. But the active ingredient is the same.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

~ Psalm 84:11-12

Click to see it bigger at Wordle.

Pastoral Conundrum

2008-08-30T23:58:00.003+10:00

So I chatted with this girl, right, because I was worried that she's leading a double life. Christian on Sundays and non-Christian when she's with non-Christians.

When I brought it up, she cries. She told me that there is a problem and she's talking to someone about it. I was blocked. And it left open the question of what the problem is. Is it a sad problem? Or a sinful problem?

What do I do? There may be nothing to worry about. And there may be something to worry about. My hunch is that it's a sinful problem. If I say something *just in case* there was something to worry about, it's ok, right? since a Christian should be able to understand that concern.

... So anyway, I hope to speak to her again and tell something she already knows. I'll going to tell her the gospel. It's a comfort if there's a sad problem and it's a rebuke if it's a sinful problem. If anything happens, I'll post!

What would you have done?

Love You, Long Time

2008-08-30T14:37:00.002+10:00

I like things that take time:

A well written and well delivered sermon.
Cooking.
Evolution of friendships.
Breakfast.
Unraveling of a mystery.
A baby.
God's kingdom.

Random Facts Meme

2008-08-30T14:28:00.006+10:00

I've been tagged by Nicole to do this meme. I'll get the 'rules' out of the way first!

1. Link to the person who ‘tagged’ you!
2. Post the rules on your blog!
3. List 6 random facts about yourself!
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post!
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by commenting on their blog!
6. Let the tagger know the entry is posted on your blog!

Here are my 6 random facts:

1. I spent my teenage years as a "dark child", rarely smiling because of braces hurt my mouth to smile, reading horror novels / watching horror movies and wearing black and grey.

2. I've worked as a piano teacher, English teacher, receptionist in an engineering firm, hair accessories demonstrator at Vic Market, check out chick, registered nurse (Wards / Medical Imaging / Operating Suite), agency nurse in the UK (Emergency / Plastics theatre in the famous Harley St), trainee staffworker.

3. I've been on national TV a few times. My sisters were playing in a hotel lobby once and ended up in an ad in China. I was in the Myer Music Bowls Carols by Candlelight choir for 2 years (looking like a giant, forgetful and unhappy elf because the robs were elf green; we weren't supposed to look down at the words very much and I have difficulty remembering beyond the first verses of most carols; it hurt to sing with braces)

4. I was born in the summertime and celebrated my birthday in the summer holidays for the first few years of my life.

5. I have a savoury tongue, rather than a sweet tooth, which betrays my Asian palate. I also like durian (which is a stench to some, a fragrance to others!).

6. It's very hard to get an accurate Myers Briggs thingy on me. My personality is a "form" that changes every so often. Like a gas.

Now, I tag: Bek, Diane, Andrea, Matt, Fletcher, Doug...

668

2008-08-30T14:21:00.001+10:00

The neighbour of the Beast

~ Gerald Bray's T-shirt

Breaking the Rules

2008-08-22T17:33:00.011+10:00

~ Spoiler Alert: Dark Knight ~

The Dark Knight is a horror movie. Slasher films or films with invading radioactive aliens carrying lasers of mass destruction are more likely to make people yawn or laugh, rather than scream. A true horror unpicks your sense of security. Dark Knight was profoundly disturbing because it is possible. There are no super-powers or supernatural forces - there are just average people and their capacity for evil. Gotham city is our world, our values in close-up. The movie forced us to face the real, underlying evil in each of us.

Some men aren't looking for anything logical
They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with.
Some men just want to watch the world burn.

~ Alfred, The Dark Knight

An excellent review on the excellent movie floated up some ethical issues I've been chewing over. The Joker doesn't subscribe to anybody's rules. He advances in his schemes by letting people choose: to break the rules that underpins society and benefit, or to hold fast to the rules and absorb the consequences? As people choose to break the rules, they participate in destruction and help The Joker win the game of exposing the society's rules as a farce.

The citizens of Gotham city let him down in the ferrie incident by making the nobler but riskier choice. But that was a squirt of Hollywood-flavored syrup! (I think the makers lost the nerve to quench the smoldering hope in the human spirit.)

Even its true, unsung hero barely emerges virtuous. When tested, the Batman almost-but-not-quite breaks his only rule not to kill. He only just subdued his murderous intent and engaged in a desperately unethical, Orwellian strategy to overcome evil. Gotham city's hero tottered on the edge of integrity, like Harvey and many of the citizens.

What do you do when your enemy doesn't play by the rules? Do you get to break your rules to overcome evil for the greater good? What's the point of keeping the rules when others don't and sell you out?

I wonder what the Joker would say if he went head-to-head with Jesus. No Comprehende? He'd feel a bit let down, I think.

Jesus, the mighty hero, makes the nobler choice, refuses to break God's rules and absorbs the consequences himself. Jesus emerges completely virtuous and victorious over his enemy! He overcomes his enemy, sin, by dying on the cross and comes out clean in his resurrection. What's more, he does this for the benefit of everyone else.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

~ John 1:9-13

Our world is less noble and more stuffed up than Gotham City. But we have a hero greater than Batman. If it wasn't for Jesus, wouldn't we just despair and wail for our society?

Brilliant film. Mighty Savior!

Happy Birthday to Blog!

2008-08-14T00:05:00.002+10:00

This wee blog is already one! Or two, if you count the Chinese way.

Anyway, welcome! Feel free to explore and leave your thoughts.

I know, I know... it looks like a blog. But it's actually a cleverly disguised list of lists (I love lists). There are a few post series but they are scattered throughout. Here's a list to help you get started.

Through a Glass Darkly
1 Corinthians 13:12
Film, Stories
Face to Face

Musings on Hell (from a college essay)
Lying about Hell
Because God is loving, Hell exists
Hellish Resources
Fear God, Escape Hell
The Ultimate Horror of God's Universe
Thinking about Hell is edifying

Family
Mum
Dad
Cantonese Idioms
Like?
Childhood Foods

Givers & Takers
Abuse
Wolves
Self or Other
Self and Other
Loving Self-centred People

... and after all that, remember!

The Silly One
Black Music
Quick Kip
Changing Platforms Hazards

It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us

2008-08-08T13:32:00.008+10:00

The alien moment always happens in the micro. Something mundane: an off-handed comment, a joke, a contortion of face muscles. A little gesture that disturbs the equilibrium of acceptance between friends. Why would she say that? Is there a secret world I don't see in which my friend dwells?

It would be too much to ask them to unpack all their mental luggage. What if they stuck their hand into one of the zipped pockets behind the lining to produce a decomposed and smelly old memory? Don't tell me about your childhood.

The alien sitting at my kitchen bench pulls at her earlobe, expertly mimicking the gesture of my beloved friend, as if to mask her alienness.

I change the topic casually, "What's happening with Mr Lee?". I hoped the question was pumped with enough mundane-ness to mask the identification verification.

"Poor uncle. Milk-bars aren't what they used to be. Now he's stuck with a tonne of lollies and tazos... " She dutifully supplied the slow news-day gossip. Identification was verified by the detailed knowledge of a peripheral character. Beloved friend's prattle trailed off, and she pulled at her earlobe again to denote boredom. The alien has been exorcised by the reality of her uncle's milkbar.

But it still wasn't safe, and may never be again. That little sign broke the innocent bond of trust and commonality.

This was written in 90 minutes at The Faithful Writers' conference last weekend.

Loving Self-centred People

2008-07-31T18:16:00.016+10:00

There are people who are draining. And there are people who are more than draining. They crave attention and any love you give will never be enough. Perhaps they are hard to love, needy, controlling or possessive. Perhaps they are in it for themselves and aren't considering your needs at all.

How do you love people who are very demanding or manipulative?

If you are kind and sensitive, you may respond by meeting their demands. If you not, or are already spent, you may disengage and hope someone else is able to help them! I sometimes find myself in one of these gears (i.e. giving until I'm empty or staying away from that person). I don't think either option is healthy or helpful.

A wise woman showed me little ways to love and serve people who are demanding or controlling.

Firstly, break the cycle of demand.

Giving into unreasonable demands reinforce their unhealthy behaviours. If they try to get affections, love, attention, help beyond what's reasonable or what you're willing to freely give, you don't have to meet that demand. You can say no gently. Show them that way of relating is not ok and will not work.

But show love or affirmation when they don't demand it. Then you are giving those things in freedom and not coercion. This helps them realise what they want is available without the having to employ unhealthy behaviors.

In other words, don't give them what they want when they demand it but give it to them when they haven't asked for it. Manipulation is not helpful for either parties involved. Breaking manipulative habits is hard work and can be unsatisfying. The wise woman said "It takes a big love to risk an anger response". But it's better for the person, because it helps them to relate normally in the long run. Don't play their game and maybe they'll lose interest in the game.

Secondly, if they behave in inappropriate ways which have affected you, it may be better to gently bring it up then and there. Talk about it immediately because they may not be able to handle the "big talk" three weeks after the event. Too much, too late, too abstract. But briefly pointing little concrete events and then moving on is more doable.

Thirdly, you don't have to give people your first available free time slot. If you had Monday, Wednesday and Saturday free, you can make yourself available on Wednesday. Most things (except for the very urgent), can probably wait til the next day. Some even the next week!

Fourthly, don't enter into gossip. This is just a general godliness thing and it helps curb jealousy or voyeurism.

People who engage in these behaviors are often crying out for love. But their ways of gaining love are actually pushing people away who could love them! They are unable to have equal friendships. Sigh. They have not yet really known how God loves them fully and completely. They don't really believe this.

But isn't God's love for needy and broken people lovely?

A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

~ Isaiah 42:3

Jesus loves you!

2008-07-31T18:05:00.004+10:00

Yes, you!

He really does.
Fully and deeply.
Don't ever doubt it.

Jesus loves you more than your Mum & Dad,
more than your fella / your girl,
more than your best friend,
more than your dog.

God Loves You!

~ wow ~

Childhood Foods

2008-07-26T15:54:00.007+10:00

When I got this wrapped tin from a generous 'Aunty', I suspected it contained almond cookies. Ble'ch! Almond cookies are like ground almonds held together by butter. Stick a whole almond on top, stick it into an oven for too long and voila! Simultaneously dry and too greasy. When you chew one, it forms a gluggy, almondy paste which coats your teeth and tongue. Ble'ch.

I thanked her politely and wondered how I might get rid of such an inferior baked good without wastage. I let the tin sit on my shelf unopened for a little while.

I didn't question my assumption until I picked up the tin a year or two later and shook it gently to see what sound the contents made. Left to right gave a sliding sound *shuuuk*. Front to back made no sound - the contents did not budge. Curious. Almond cookies would topple over each other, not slide. The contents had to be long-shaped.

[gasp!]

Egg rolls!!

Using my nail, I sliced through the sticky tape holding closed the square, outer lid and used a spoon to lever open the round, inner lid, as I had did many times as a child. One last obstacle before reaching the golden logs... Bubble wrap! Extra fun.

As I offered it to suspecting friends, I explained their unassuming delights:

"They taste like fortune cookies."

"They are as fun as other foods with a hole in them, like spaghetti!"

"You can pretend to smoke them like cigars," I demonstrate with an egg roll between two fingers, narrowing my eyes glamorously. "But they have to point to the sky, so when you bite into them, the crumbs fall back into your mouth". Even as children, we perfected this technique of eating egg rolls to leave my mum's floor clean.

Happy Birthday, Sandra!!

2008-07-23T19:45:00.005+10:00

Lots love, blessings, hugs, prayers, cupcakes & kisses!

Envy

2008-07-23T17:27:00.004+10:00

The green-eyed monster played a part in Jesus' death.

"... it was out of envy that the chief priests handed Jesus over..." Mark 15:10

Were they envious that people liked Jesus better? Were they that infantile? Perhaps.

In The Parable of the Tenants, the envy of the Jewish leaders has a murderous edge:
"But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him."

They wanted Jesus' inheritance.

We could point our fingers at the Bible's arch-villains and forget that we have roots of envy, too. Eve's enticement, which represents ours, is "You will be like God" in Genesis 3:5.

There's a subtle but crucial difference between admiration and envy. It's
"I want to be like you" vs "I want to be you".

And there's a difference between jealousy and envy. It's "desiring what rightly belongs to you", vs "desiring what belongs to someone else".

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be like God. God thinks this is a great idea and encourages his people to be transformed more and more into his image.

But there's definitely something wrong with wanting to be God ourselves. Sounds crass, huh? Who would dare take God's place? But don't we do it when we kick God out of the drivers' seat of life and drive off? Do we treat our words as more authoritative than his? Do you presume to enter heaven without asking him first, as if he didn't own the place?

Next to our grasping and selfish aspirations, Jesus is so amazing. He had all the entitlements to Goddiness, but gave it up to become a lowly human. He did the backwards of jealousy. Actually, it's probably us who has got it backwards! So it may be hard for us to get our heads around Philippians 2:5-11:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very natureGod, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Bring on the Grey Hairs!

2008-07-19T20:28:00.014+10:00

I'm really looking forward to being older than I am. At my next birthday, I'll be 30 if you count in the Chinese tradition (where you're 1 when you're born and turn 2 when you've lived for 12 months). I can't wait to be out of my 20s. It's been a decade of ups and downs. And in many ways, a big ol' mess. I'm grateful for how those things have developed me, but I will be glad to leave my 20s behind. It's not that I expect things to get better in my 30s. But I expect me to be different and more equipped.

I look forward to being stiller, more sure of God's truth and love, more truthful and loving, and letting Christ make his dwelling in me completely. I look forward to bearing old, closed scars having survived injuries and fought good battles. And I look forward to being softened by time and bearing the callouses of hard work. I look forward to being more sincere and teachable, evenhanded and evenminded, seeing that "it's not as simple as that" or "it's not the right time".

People often love people for their youthfulness: vitality, beauty, potential, but these things often don't last. When those things have been stripped away by time, you know if you're really loved.

I am looking forward to look older than I do now. People sometimes dismiss what I say until they find out that 1. I'm not a teenager. 2. I work for the church. 3. I'm studying theology after finishing undergrad studies. 4. I've worked as a nurse. 5. I've lived overseas. Why do these external things matter so much?

And I really look forward to being closer to being in paradise with my Lord. Eternity. No, it's not more of this! Who wants an eternity of this world?? No, he promises an unending day of joy. Let the day come quickly.

Job talk

2008-07-19T01:48:00.017+10:00

Here's a talk that I gave on Job. Feel free to download from the other site or ask me to email it to you (transcript in softcopy or audio file that's 14MB and a whopping 31 minutes!)

Before you listen...

- read God's speeches in Job 38-42 aloud, loudly!
- read Job 1 & 2, if you're keen
- and if you're really keen, soak up the rest of Job.

During the sermon... refer to this outline:

-----------------

Fear the Lord

1:1, 1:8, 2:3, 1:9, 6:14, 9:32-35, 13:9-11, 13:21-23, 21:6, 23:3-4, 23:6-7, 23:15-17, 27:2-6, 28:28, 31:23, 31:35-37

God answered Job – Mystery & Power of Creation

Wisdom & Folly

Creator & Creation

-----------------

After you listen to the sermon... read some 'blog extras' ~ outtakes, commentary, gag reel:

- I said "after"!

- 1 Peter makes a great reading companion to Job, as a book on suffering.

- the 62th version of the talk was going to consist entirely of questions to convey the bigness and perplexity of Job, and highlight the number of contemporary issues that it raises.

- Have you noticed that God asks a lot of questions in the Bible?

- The working title of the sermon was "Job, the Comedy of Wisdom". We often think of Job as a tragedy because it's filled with suffering. But as a genre in literature, Job would be classified as a comedy. Job, the hero fulfills the quest by continuing to "fear God for nothing". At the end, God does not retract his approval of Job as a righteous man. (c.f. A tragedy where the hero does not accomplish the task. Alternative, tragic endings: Job loses his fear of the Lord, Job charges God with wrongdoing, Job curses God and dies, Job stops waiting for God's vindication.) Plus, there's definitely a happy ending!

- It's interesting that Christians tend to shy away from suffering. We always pray for it to be taken away and are often surprised / indignant when it happens.

- Suffering weeds out those who are only "in it" for the blessings from those who are really in it for God. Job proved that he was only in it for God. God's shower of blessings at the end is a completely free and joyful gift (not a bribe as Satan insinuated).

- Job makes a cameo in Ezekiel 14:14 and James 5: 11 as one of God's favorites and a blessed man who persevered through suffering.

- a sermon on Job's friends could be called "Pity the Fool"

- I realised that a friend saw me as one of Job's friends when he said "Hon's got an answer for everything".

- an adapted therapy idea for people made deeply introspective from suffering: read God's speeches (Job 38-41) to them. Loudly and forcefully. So they feel pinned to the wall and stung by a bee. (And hopefully get shaken out of their despair and face God's bigness and power!)

- Job is as much about suffering as Ecclesiastes is about significance.

- An exploration of The Fear of God in the Bible hit the cutting room floor.

- Omitted illustration from King Kong to show how God's raw power might have inspired good fear and trust in God who loves you:

Jungle predators were no match for him. King Kong could not be subdued by natives, chemicals or chrome steel chains. Sheer brute force. There was a scene when Kong fights off a pack of dinosaurs who were attacking Ann. She gets away but then finds herself face to face with a hungry T-rex, who looked intent on eating her. Kong drops in behind her and… she steps back into his shadow… waiting for him to fight for her once more. Yes, he could still crush her with one hand, but he was using his power to protect because he cares for her. Raw power evokes blind terror, but power with love was her security.

- Ideas for a series on Job:

· Grace in Job

· Christ in Job, Emmanuel

· Theodicy & Morality in Job

· Our right responses to suffering

Quote for Matt

2008-07-17T21:24:00.005+10:00

I read this on a mug:

A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.

~ John Calvin (1545)

Roadtrip to see Lara

2008-07-14T14:59:00.015+10:00

"A tree in the wind" (no wait... the air was very still. Perhaps, "Wind-formed giant-bonsai")

A sea-weed tee.

"No really, it does with your top! It'll make a great fascinator."

Ta da-da!!

Yes, a surfer with an oar!

Some Easter eggs are hollow and some are solid.

Sandra, Lara & Hon

2. Self and Other

2008-07-14T14:16:00.020+10:00

Having said that people are primarily 'Self'-centred or 'Other'-centred, I should add that each of us are capable of being both 'Self' centred and 'Other' centred. We all possess both sets of attributes to varying degrees. A person can even be primarily 'Self'-centred but show 'Other'-centredness in particular contexts. For example, a person may be 'Self' centred at work, being an over-ambitious and overbearing towards their colleagues. The same person may be very 'Other' centred at home towards their spouse and children.

In the Bible, self-centredness is called "sin". And other-centredness is called "love". We are capable of both. Sometimes we sin and sometimes we love. The one thing in common is that we all start as hopelessly 'Self' centred people towards God. We have neglected to thank him, realise and say sorry when we offend him, we don't have time for him, think we're better than him, ignore him, just take from him, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Thankfully, God is radically different from people. He is utterly 'Other' centred and the root source of all love. He is totally worthy of our adoration and love because he is who he is. He is the exemplar of good, loveliness and excellence.

But instead of loving him, we sin against him by being 'self' centred people towards him. How blind and destructive!

We would've been stuck forever if Jesus had not come to love us by dying on the cross for our sake. He poured himself out for the sake of Others. His love and 'Other' centredness was so complete and abundant that it overwhelms our 'Self' centredness. Those who receive his love are filled to the brim to overflowing. It purges our self-centred, empty hearts of sin. The tide of Jesus' love and generosity overwhelms sin. How glorious!

A 'Self'-centred person becomes 'Other'-centred when they become 'God'-centred. In Christ, we are not hopelessly stuck in our deep seated 'self' centredness, but are transformed into people who love God, others and even those who don't love us back.

John puts it beautifully:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (v 7-12)

While D. B. Knox puts it like this (from Selected Works, Vol 1: The Doctrine of God, p155):

Personal relationship is ultimate reality. The basic requirement for the establishment and maintenance of true personal relationship is other-person-centredness, that is, genuine interest in the other person and his welfare and the forwarding of that welfare by every appropriate means at one's disposal. This means that absolute other-person-centredness is the most real thing in being a person.

There can be no trace of self-centredness in true personal relationship. The smallest degree of self-centredness diminishes the relationship. Complete self-centredness is the negation of any personal relationship. The complete absence of relationship between persons is hell.

Since God is actus purus (i.e. there is no mere potentiality in him), his other-person-centredness is complete, and active in conferring benefits on the other person all the time.

The authors quoted use the categories a little differently to me, but you get the idea.

1. Self or Other

2008-07-14T00:59:00.047+10:00

I feel like the Dr Nick Riviera of psychology. Hi, Everybody!!

Here are some hack observations. Most people will have no idea what I'm talking about. But some may nod your heads and recognise these traits.

Sometimes, people are 'Self' centred, to the detriment of their regard for 'Others'.

SELF

__________

other

Here are some characteristics of the 'Self' centred person:

laps up attention and adulation, needs constant affirmation
has an over-inflated ego
self-aggrandizing, has to be / do the best and thought of that way, name-drop and associate themselves with the best
gossipy
their time, opinion and plans are more important than others so they steamroll over others
has no time for other's problems and weaknesses
likes to tell people how it's really done
thinks they deserve special treatment
are competitive, engages in one-up-(wo)manship
gets envious easily
gets angry when they don't get their way
gets angry when they are criticised
finds help, explanation, concession and concern condescending
controlling
passive-aggressive
are bossy, bullying
if someone were to say sorry, they may want to reply "So you should be"
it would kill them to say sorry, thanks or pay a compliment properly
feels threatened by other people's success, happiness, achievement
gloats in the humiliation, failure of others
are guarded, self-protective and don't let people in into what they are really like
forges exclusive alliances, thrives on secrecy
tends to dominate over, manipulate or pressure people into doing what they want
plays 'water polo' (players push down on other players to go up in the air): may put others down, step over others, slanders
disregards insults or hurt to others
will act to benefit self even at the detriment of the other

May or may not come with: manners, charm, wealth, intelligence, achievement, religion, self-control, insight into reality, genuine affection and admiration.

It's ironic, or paradoxical, but the self-centred person is usually really insecure and do all these things in order to boost a low and fragile self-esteem. They project a (false) desirable image of themselves or appear a certain way to get people to doing what they want (even disguising themselves as their opposite, e.g. posing as the victim, the vulnerable), but the facade is lacking in genuineness and substance. They are empty.

At the other pole, people can be 'Other' centred, to the detriment of their regard for 'Self'.

OTHER

_______________

self

Here are some characteristics of the 'other' centred person:

sensitive, empathetic, can step into their shoes
affirming, supportive
good listener, attentive, reads people well
open
humble, servant hearted
considers others' needs, opinions and time first before their own
knows their friends more than vice versa
generous with time, energy and affection
sticks their necks out for others, put themselves 'out there'
looks out for the weak
gives people an “out” in an embarrassing situation
makes time for other's problems, opinions, weaknesses
can set aside their own feelings for the evening, so as to not 'ruin' other people's fun
gives people the benefit of the doubt, give second, third, seventy-seventh chances
covers for others, meeting their deficiencies
may need to set boundaries with 'self' centred people so they are not taken advantage of and used
are a magnet for others with multiple problems and issues
has many lopsided friendships (looks like counselor-client, carer-patient rather than peer-peer relationship)
may be acutely aware of everyone else's needs, but may have difficulty articulating their own feelings and needs
will act to benefit the other even at the detriment of self

May or may not come with: humour, happiness, unhealed wounds, gentleness, warm and fuzzies, self-respect, insight into reality, acknowledgment of being used, guilt, complaints, anger, self-deprecation, self-pity, endurance, tough love, appropriate boundaries.

Funnily enough, the latter may look like a doormat and may be abused by the former, but they are actually more internally robust. They genuinely have 'got it together' and have enough self-respect and love that they can care for others. They are filled.

Together, the Self-centred and the Other-centred person make a natural, but unhealthy relationship. They gravitate to each other because the attention is on the same person! The asymmetry is because of dependence (the self-centred person depends on the other-centred person to give them what they need) and power (the self-centred person needs to control the other-centred person).

Other-centred person often complies or enables the Self-centred person to behave and act how they want. They are exhausted of their resources and feel like their energy is being sucked out of them, vampire style. A relationship between 'self' and 'other' centred people is ultimately flawed and difficult to maintain unless this dynamic is corrected. A 'Self'-'Self' relationship is just destructive, but there's a natural justice in giving as good as they get! However, relationship between two 'Other' centred people is lovely. Their giving of themselves is reciprocated and replenished by the other - they are not exhausted.

Kudos to Mark and DBK who used the categories of 'Self' and 'Other-person' centredness.

Wolves

2008-07-08T01:37:00.015+10:00

If I were a pervert, I'd catch public transport during rush hour wearing my loosest pants. If I were a pedophile, I'd earn a role of responsibility around school children and watch Billy Elliot six times. If I were a parasite, I'd feed on people at Bible college. If I were a power-monger, I'd want to run a church. Why not, when people proffer so much benefit of the doubt, especially to predators who prey on Christian circles?

Jesus warned us (particularly about destructive deceivers), so we should not be surprised to find wolves in sheep's clothing among us.

Oh, we are *so* onto you!

off to Melbourne

2008-07-05T15:27:00.013+10:00

Going off to Melbourne next week for two weeks! I love Melbourne people very much and may post about them soon.

But this post is about my carbon footprint.

I'm a water-Scrooge: I shower every 1.5 days (at Karen's suggestion and gave up my daily hair wash for the first time ever) and am sad the half flush is ineffective in most toilet designs*. I have refused many kind car-sitting offers and walk or catch a bus. I try to eat things that are low on the food chain / not overly processed. The heater in my room has not been plugged in this year (its cord is too short anyway!). I'd rather fix clothes than create landfill. I go around flicking off lights and appliances in empty rooms. I handwash dishes in a small basin instead of using a dishwasher and scrape off solid fat in the rubbish bin instead of just running water to get rid of the greasy bits. Today, I used the clothes dryer for the first time, but maintain that it's wasteful and overrated (my clothes were still damp!).

But all that seems like "saving cents and loosing dollars" when I fly to Melbourne 2+ times a year (this year, to Thailand too, which consisted of 4 flights). What a total fuel guzzler! Someone told me if I don't use a car for a whole year and jump on a plane at the end of that year, my petrol savings would be spent before I reach the end of the runway.

* The best design I've ever seen was in an Austria toilet. Hygienic, very little splash and good use of flushing water.

Dear Reader

2008-07-04T01:30:00.006+10:00

Hi, to all five of you!

I hope to "launch" this blog soon. So I'd love to know what things you think I should tweak and pluck. For instance, a good friend helpfully said "You write well. But it's like trying to look at a lovely view while walking with a stone in my shoe", because my grammar is terrible to the point of distraction! I plan to make her sit down and edit with me. [laughs gleefully]

How do you think this blog should evolve? More pictures and personal stuff? Less internal torment / hell / death / judgment / sickness?

Thanks for reading and your encouragement! Would appreciate a prayer.

Honoria

Unique heads

2008-07-04T00:03:00.023+10:00

From the back of the lecture hall, I can recognise people by the back of their heads. It doesn't matter if they have had a haircut, or if their head is partially obscured by another. Their heads are noticeably different. Some heads are quite spherical, others have their bulbous part just above the neck. Some are egg-shaped, which is different to being pear-shaped or pumpkin-shaped. Then there are Lurch-lookalikes. Even if two heads' shape are similar, there its volume /mass and how it's set on the neck. People are identifiable by their heads.

When I was a kid, I thought our fingerprints were the only distinguishing feature. Stripes are unique to each zebra. Songs are unique to each whale.

But watching spy movies made me realise that your voice, retina, footprint, handwriting, gait and dental structures are all unique and therefore useful for security clearances. Then there's personality and face. When I get to that point, I ask: is there anything that isn't unique to each of us?*

You are unique compared to everyone else who's ever been. And even as you change, you remain completely special.

God, who is endlessly complex and wonderful, never runs out of creative energy. He doesn't mass produce but only does originals. He has a unique relationship with each of us. You can see the love, care and beauty he endows to each of us. And God even keep tabs on your hair count.

* maybe the DNA of identical twins? But even then they turn out different from each other.

Journaling

2008-07-03T14:32:00.005+10:00

I don't really have the patience for journaling. It takes too long!

But a friend who regularly writes in her journal said that there's good physiological reasons for doing it. The feelings centre in your brain is different from your writing centre, which is in the region of logic. So when you have lots of emotions and you write them down, you are processing it through your reason. That helps you sort through things you're going through.

My friend said "It's a bit like the Psalmist. In a Psalm, they start off in a bit of a mess and by the time they finish writing down it all down, it's sorted!"

Meaningless, Meaningless?

2008-07-02T19:55:00.017+10:00

That funny word that translators scratch their heads at is the refrain through Ecclesiastes and probably its key:

Hebel (Hebrew): heh'-bel, hab-ale' (English: havel). Often used as an adverb, emptiness or vanity, figuratively something transitory and unsatisfactory. Mist, vapour.

You get Meaningless (NIV), Vanity (KJV), Enigma (Lindsay Wilson, OT guy at Ridley). Others have gone with Smoke (The Message), Vapour (The Amplied). Fox has interpreted it as something like Absurdity, CEV says Nonsense, Useless (CEV), Holman's gone with Absolute Futility.

Someone said the point of it was 'transience'. Why not, since the literal sense is "mist", "vapour"? Earthly things are ephemeral.

"Hebel" bears an allusion to "Abel", who made a cameo at the start of the episode about the first family (he died at the hands of his brother, killer Cain, early in the piece).

The writer of Ecclesiastes is a wise and faithful follower of the true God. He throws himself into life, succeeds at everything and is still deeply frustrated. And in parts of the picture, he's despairing at how long things lasts. What's the point of building up an empire, when you'll have to give it over to someone when you die, who'll stuff it all up in a few days? It's like chasing the wind.

The transience of everything under the sun makes a good contrast to the Everlasting Lord and his eternal kingdom. We are like the grass of the field.

And here's where we readers can sober up. Whatever pleasures, riches, good things on earth won't last. So don't put your stock in them. Whatever sufferings, injustices, evils on earth won't last. So grieve over those things as those with hope. And be comforted that this too shall pass.

There is a day coming that will last forever. And in that day The Doorkeeper and The Prize is God himself. Ecclesiastes 12:13-4

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

Jean: if you're reading, I didn't mean for our blogs to cross-pollinate. I've been mulling over Hebel for a while, as a part of my thinking on theodicy. Your post on work was really stimulating.

Freebies to those who can afford it

2008-07-01T15:13:00.009+10:00

Drug reps practically throw things at doctors. Cool pens. Mouse pads. Drinks. Bags. Samples. Puzzles. Lunches. Tickets. Trips overseas. Freebies freebies freebies to those who really don't need more stuff and can definitely afford it.

Have you seen people give out free stuff on the street? They tend to hand things to people who are well put together. But they are reluctant to give out stuff to people who are poor (e.g. students, homeless).

Why so stingey? Is it really free?

Abuse

2008-07-01T12:14:00.025+10:00

I know of an older, dying woman who has separated from her abusive husband but still lives in the same house with him. Her friend called his behavior "psychological torture". Long ago, she stopped herself from taking care of him, since he just takes advantage of her. "He doesn't hit me anymore" she said plainly, "he just throws things". Now that he's showing signs of dementia, he'll get assessed by ACAT. But perhaps there was something else to be assessed years ago.

I know of a mature man who lived with a destructive wife for decades. It's very amazing how he remains soft and generous spirited. He still has good-will for his wife and grateful for how she brought up their children. But there is a raw agony that he cannot share, even though he'd like to. No one understands and he is all alone.

I know of two women who have had violent husbands. They are now both advocates for voiceless victims. They are strong women who spend a lot of time weeping and praying on their knees for those they minister to.

I know of a young woman who had a difficult childhood and had a close relationship with a manipulative and depressed woman. She is now very sensitive and caring of the needy, still giving of herself in dependent relationships.

I know of a young man with a history of abuse in his family who sees how the effects of verbal violence linger even after generations.

I know of a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

The ones who have had bad experiences with abusive people have a strange affinity to them. They often become 'rescuers' or 'protectors', who are nurturing and sensitive, offering sympathy and help. Yet, they are often the ones who are exploited and re-abused.

It shouldn't surprise us that those who are abused often repay their abusers in kind (having vendettas), or pay it forward (becoming abusers of others). This is completely unacceptable for Christians and it perpetuates a cycle of violence and destruction. But retaliation feels very natural. How should the abused react to abuse?

The following verses are very difficult. It's said by the one who was abused the worst and epitomised these words. He does not say it lightly, but soberly, holding out real hope in God to the abused. He also holds out kindness and mercy to abusers.

But I say to you who hear,Love your enemies,do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,pray for those who abuse you. To one whostrikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tuniceither... Butlove your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, andyou will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even asyour Father is merciful.

~ Luke 6:27–9, 35-6 ESV

I definitely think abused people should get help, keep themselves safe and seek the intervention of appropriate authorities. But notice how Jesus' way is so different from our litigious, self-protective society, which cries out "an eye for an eye" and "Get angry!" For those who don't know God, there's only so much justice they can scramble for. If this life is all there is, who wouldn't despair?

But Christians can take genuine comfort when they are abused. Jesus reminds us of two factors that our society leaves out: The role of God and the day of the Lord.

Firstly, God will do right. He holds out real warnings ("Woe..." a la Luke 6:23-6) but also the offer of mercy and salvation. It's constantly amazing that God loves his enemies and offers them an out in Jesus. God remembers his people's great suffering and will reward those who do not retaliate in their power. And God remembers the unrepentant abusers, too.

Secondly, timing. The sufferings of the world are temporary. Their comfort will be so great that even the worst evil is overwhelmed and obliterated. (This is not to belittle suffering and pain, but to magnify the glorious future. If your suffering is great, vast and deep, how much more will you rejoice!). For the unrepentant abuser who runs free today, there will be a reckoning on that day. When God comes back, he'll wipe out all sin and all people who sin.

There is a day coming when God will set everything right. "Though it linger, wait for it. It will certainly come and will not delay." (Hab 2:3).

Deh-Dee

2008-06-21T14:22:00.020+10:00

"Your Dad said six words to me", my then boy-friend reported back after bravely meeting my parents for 2 hours by himself, "and 2 of those words were 'Windows XP'." After ~3 decades, that was no surprise to me.

On the surface, my father is an archetypal Asian male. Monosyllabic. Whether his day was wonderful or terrible, he'd describe it as "Hmmm!" If you're lucky, Dad will discuss a small, but diverse range of subjects in depth (linguistics, literature, astronomy, opera, maths, engineering, transport). But often, you may never be privy to his ingenious internal workings. To steal a description about someone else:

so many languages, so few words.

People don't get to know Dad at dinner parties. You must read his actions and decisions over a long period to appreciate his character and values. I was delighted when Dad's young colleague said "Your Father is a gentleman. Very rare." (He might let out a sheepish giggle if she had said this personally.) His family, his close friends and underlings all know him to be helpful, thoughtful, diligent, loyal, enthusiastic, forgiving, light-hearted and selfless.

Dad's friend from uni described him as a "First-class husband and father". He marveled at how Dad gave up a prestigious position, relationships and cushy lifestyle in Hong Kong to migrate to Australia, facing long-term employment and language difficulties.

Dad has an excellent work ethic. Know your job and do it well. Overlook nothing. Follow through. Anticipate other people's short-falls. Do not abuse the system. Dad sets a very high standard and keeps himself accountable to himself. Because he's not so concerned to justify his actions to others, others may misunderstand him. He's a wonderful boss, gently nurturing and grooming his protégés without feeling threatened. He looks after newbies so well that they often affectionately call him "Big Brother". Dad's not happy unless he's useful. While other men his age are winding up their careers, he embraced a new challenge; taking on migration, significant job responsibilities and yet another language.

But Dad's primarily a teacher. He'd often wave me over, "Come here, Honoria. Look at this..." Dad taught me how to swim even though he couldn't swim himself (theorists...!). When I was a girl, he encouraged me to play with calculators (playing with + - X /). He's keen on pointing out how things work, helping you think through a better way of doing things, playing out all the scenarios. He's taught many subjects to a range of ages, in a variety of contexts. Even though Dad's a new faculty member, he took brand new teachers under his wing, showing them the ropes and potholes.

I always enjoy watching others enjoy my Dad's company, even when I have no idea what's going on. Sadly, my Cantonese is not good enough to appreciate his irreverent, razor sharp wit, and his love for puns and double / triple entendres. Meanwhile, people are laughing so hard they have to set down their drink. And if the joke doesn't translate so well in English, Dad is content to have amused himself.

You should see Dad's reflexes on the soccer field, badminton court or ping pong table. He really enjoys getting people together and being active. Although he loves stiff competition, he encourages children, women and the unsporty to have a go. His walking pace is permanently set to 'brisk'.

Dad's got a contingency plan for everything. Dad carries breakables on one side (e.g. vases), lest he falls straight on the object. He goes down stairs diagonally because he's less likely to trip. He inserts his fork diagonally just in case someone passing behind accidentally knocks him. (This is pretty funny, actually.) The thinking is, the fork would jam into his cheek rather than down his throat. Bet you never thought of that before!

Dad is mindful about the little things. Dad always let Mum have the window seat and walk curbside. In the time that Mum takes to whip up 5 dishes, Dad would perfect an omelet for one: a golden brown semi-circle, crisply outside, slightly runny inside, served hot, immediately. While other Cantonese parents chose cute sounding names for their babies, Dad picked meaningful names for us in Cantonese and English. Expectant couples often ask Dad to chose names for them.

Dad's discerning. I think that's why he's a Nippophile. He's more likely to buy one pricey, but well designed Japanese product, beautifully wrapped, than 20 cheap and nasty Chinese mass-produced products. He wouldn't buy the cheapest to save money. He'd do his research and choose the best value for money to save money. The clothes from his 20's are still in good shape and pill-free. According to said ex, Dad wore "cool threads".

Oh, and he was a killer tenor, before radiotherapy. Now he's a bass.

A puzzle

2008-06-21T14:22:00.018+10:00

What do Primal Fear, The Bourne Identity and Romulus My Father have in common?

The Single Gal

2008-06-17T14:16:00.022+10:00

Recently, I have been very thankful to be unmarried and free. This is true, even when my friend remarked last night that many tears have been shed in this building (a single female residence) over guys and out of the sadnesses of being single. Yes, singleness can be a real stumbling block for a gal's contentment and thankfulness. But there are many real blessings!

You have wider circles of friends.
You get to travel by yourself without asking for permission. And then you meet new and interesting people.
When the fella you fancy disappoints you, you are free to admire a different fella. You're not stuck.
You have heaps more time to do whatever you like.
Here at college, most women are single. I wonder how many married women out there would like to study, but can't because of responsibilities to their spouse or family.
With your extra time, you are free to serve (a la 1 Corinthians 7). It's nothing for a single girl to take a few hours to babysit, but a whole night out is absolute luxury for a parent. A friend is making the most of her singleness by being a missionary to Muslims.
You get to have deep, intimate relationships with single women. I've never been a guy, but it seems that strong, deep and significant single guy-guy friendships are much rarer than that for girls. Married person often say it's hard to have deep relationships with people outside their immediate family.
When you're married, you have a whole other set of school reunions, family functions, birthdays to remember, etc.
You can listen to the whole sermon without straining to hear over the noises of the crying room, as mums do.
You can go ahead with your long-term plans.
You're not obligated to regularly watch movies or sports you don't like.
You can make / change your plans last minute without consulting anyone or a common calendar.
It's easier to be welcomed into another family (in my case, the Simmons), as an honorary member.
You can sleep whenever you want.
You make fewer trips to the doctors, compared to parents.
I enjoy the close friendships of guys without worrying if anyone is (rightly) jealous.
Your finances are freer and you have fewer responsibilities, like mortgages.
You are less likely to fall into the trap of thinking that some person (like your spouse or your children) is the love of your love, when only Jesus deserves that honor
In the loneliness of singleness (a sad thing), you long and ache for the day when your true bridegroom arrives (a great thing!)

Yes, some days are hard. There are more u-turns, givesways, near-misses, missed exits, handbreak-stops and starts when you're singles. But it's better to be single and wish to be married, than to be married and wish to be single. Most days I'm very glad I'm single. So don't be surprised if this list grows.

Earth has nothing I desire besides You

2008-06-14T16:34:00.010+10:00

We chatted with Catholic women, asking what she believes and what her big questions are. She said she felt the injustice of her protracted pain and suffering (from an accident which left her with broken legs, a damaged spinal column and a brain injury), while others have an easy, trouble free life.

Having done months of thinking about Job, I found myself uselessly dumb stuck. What on earth do I say?! My friend pointed her to Psalm 73, where the despairing Asaph voiced those sentiments exactly. Why do the wicked prosper? The woman nodded and "hmmm"ed the Psalm unfolded. Asaph's turning point came when he saw God in his sanctuary, and realised the destiny of the wicked. And then he turned his eyes on God again and realised that he already has the most precious thing of all.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

Everything fades into the background. Asaph no longer longed for comfort, wealth and health. These goals are not worth comparing to being with God.

It's a very unconventional way of addressing questions of suffering. God comforts us in this: having God's nearness and favor trumps everything else. He has sent Jesus as a permanent reminder of this ~ his name is Immanuel, God with us. Even if God's people suffer from pain and poverty, we are infinitely better off than rich scoffers whose "bodies are fat and sleek" who will face God's judgment.

We thanked God that "... afterward you will take [us] into glory" (v.24) where there is no more pain, broken legs, but our bodies made new. And we will see Jesus in the flesh.

Dying well

2008-06-12T13:33:00.021+10:00

Eliz spoke at her mother's memorial service a few weeks ago. After a very long battle with cancer, June died well. Eliz's thanksgiving speech is a glowing example of doctrine being the most amazing comfort.

--

She was very very ill and in hospital for 10 days. One day as I was sitting beside her bed she said, "I worry that when I get to heaven Jesus will be disappointed with me."

I looked at her and said, "No! That is simply not possible!"

I moved and sat on the bed with her and held both her hands and looked her in the eye. I said, "You will be absolutely perfect."

She wasn't convinced. I said, "Mum, You will be as perfect as Christ's work on the cross. If there was to be anything about you that God could find disappointing, then Christ's redeeming work and his offering of his blood for your sins was not sufficient. But we know that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient because God raised him from the dead and exalted him in heaven. You are IN Christ, so you will be as perfect as Christ's work on the cross was perfect!"

--

How wonderful! Christ's perfection, death and resurrection is of critical importance at the most important time. What a glorious application of a doctrine often overlooked, being "in Christ".

Eliz closes by saying:

--

So it is amazing what you see when your eyes are open -- God's hand held mum's through everything - he never let her go - and she was fully aware of it.

And then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, that hand of God scooped her up. June is glorified --absent from the body but present with the Lord (Paul: 2 Corinthians 5:8) - in heaven with her Saviour and saints from every tribe, language people and nation - where there is no sickness or suffering or sin or heartache or tears - all because of the everlasting love of God, cross of Jesus Christ and the resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit.

Let's pray:

We give thanks to God the Father who chose June in love before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him.

We give thanks to to God the Son, Jesus Christ who redeemed June and gave his body to be broken for her, and poured out his blood for her so that all her sins could be forgiven and she could be united to Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit.

We give thanks to God the Holy Spirit who faithfully ministered to June, empowered her through her life, sustained her in her death, and now has raised her to be with God.

We give thanks to God for his everlasting love, mercy and faithfulness - for the way he ministered to June by his Spirit to her heart and mind, and through his appointed servants at every turn.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

~ Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV

Amen.

Two Things are True

2008-06-09T10:30:00.011+10:00

My Staffworker used to say this a lot, to describe two truths that co-exist, but are seemingly contradictory, irreconcilable or paradoxical. Things that are held in tension and unresolved in Scripture.

1. The immortal (God)
2. ... dies

1. Christians' 100% assurance of salvation because of Christ, who holds us in his hands from start to finish (John 17)
2. Working out your faith in fear and trembling / Warnings about falling away

1. The goodness of God
2. The broken and intrinsically flawed world

1. The unchangeable, eternal God
2. ... who is born, suffers and is affected by humans.

In the one event:

1. God's good intentions / purposes / complete control, which does not attract blame, but worship
2. People's evil intentions / actions / complete responsibility, which is culpable

(e.g. the cross = God's best intervention in the world and most glorious manifestation of his goodness + the thoroughly evil act of humans and the worse sin ever committed)

These things scream "Does not compute!!!" Much ink and blood has been spilt to explain how two things might fit together (this is often called theology). And Scripture often loses out when thinkers deny one truth in order to uphold another.

It's important to note that God doesn't resolve these things for us. I think he would have been able to explain how these things go together if he wanted to. But he doesn't. He's just made it clear that two things are true.

Piano

2008-06-07T11:41:00.008+10:00

For some, the piano belongs to the Keyboard family of musical instruments, for obvious reasons. Others say pianos are from the String family, because they have strings (or classify it as a chordophone... I'm not sure what that is). And for some, they are a part of the Percussion family, because sound is made with a striking action of little felt hammers (or spoons, in Manny's case).

What a magnificent instrument! "Piano" is actually an abbreviation of "Pianoforte" (literally, "slowly-strongly"), named for its capacity for a wide range of volumes and timbres. The piano crosses many genres of music, over many eras. It plays well with other instruments or hold the stage all on its own. It can lead or accompany. And it's great fun to play with its harmonics, lid up! The piano the instrument you'd turn to if you were to reduce an orchestral score to be playable for one. It's the best teaching tool for music theory and it's great in composition. But you can't play it around a bonfire.

Mah-mee

2008-06-02T20:02:00.010+10:00

This, this, this, this and that post made me think of my Mama. My Mother has always appeared in my ever-changing testimony, because she has been the prime shaper of my life.

Early memories consist of Mum teaching us very patiently, instilling in us strong senses of principles, rightness and other-person-centeredness. When we'd talk about everyday events, people, things, Mum would draw our attention to all the good, the adorable, the true. Whether it's flowers ("Look! Look!... ai yor ~ so many colours!" ) or kindness ("See, Daddy lets you have the bigger piece because he loves you"). In ourselves and others, character and conduct are more important than fashion and fanfare. Mum appreciates the hand of God in the little and big things. Counter-culturally, Mum encouraged us to be distinct, rather than conform, because Christian faith is so alien to the world. She would never blind us to society's evils, but tried to equip us for it. (Ask me about Mum's "stranger danger" preparation!).

I'm very grateful for the discipline we had. Reinforcement, fairness and following-through. Punishments for misdemeanors were very consistent (She'd ask "How many smacks does that deserve?". If we said "two" when it was actually three, she'd ask "Really?" and we'd concede. Both parties knew that 3 smacks are a comin'.). We were rarely indulged. If we sulked or were sobbing out of control, Mum would warn us, count to 3, inflict a smack and wait for us to control ourselves ~ Repeat, as needed. This takes a lot of patience and tenacity. If Mum has set rules, no amount of coercion, cuteness or begging would budge them. We are far from perfect now, but I'm so grateful as a Christian that Mum broke our autonomous spirit; it's far easier to submit to a Heavenly Father when we already submit to an earthly parent. The level of discipline would be considered stern in Australian society. But I consider it quite fair and aspire to bring up my children similarly. I lose respect for both the children throwing a tantrum in the supermarket aisle over cereal flavors and the passive parent looking on hopelessly.

Mum treats her children far more generously than herself. Her actions and priorities are marked by sacrifice and considerateness. If anyone would miss out, lose sleep, go last, have the dregs, be left in the kitchen, carry the heaviest load, it's Mum. Habitually, Mum sweeps through household chores so we'd be freed up to study. Even if her calloused hands has a cut, she'd continue single-handedly before interrupting your work. My parents swapped a very comfortable existence in Hong Kong for a very difficult and foreign one in Australia, which gave us opportunities and freedoms.

Mum is in her element in times of strife. If you're in trouble, you may or may not receive sympathetic words and fussing. But come to Mum for strength, time-tested wisdom, practical help and words spoken in plain truth. She'll do the right thing by you, whether you ask for it or not! I sometimes find evidence of generous donations to ministers or missionaries, but she would not tell us about her giving. Both Mum and Dad taught us to manage money, but they would never burden us with financial difficulties, even though our family must have had significant financial issues. Mum doesn't whinge or wallow in self-pity, but bears pain and difficulties with grace and fortitude without fuss. The observant may catch her in acts of quiet service.

Mum loves fun and her family. She treasures each person and sees times and opportunities as precious. Mum would save up treats to have together, one for everyone, so no one would miss out or eat greedily, leaving none for others. Mum maintained our family's prayer life. After reading the Bible or recapping events on my parents' bed, the youngest to the oldest take turns praying for something every night.

For the extended family reunion in 2001, Mum planned for years, literally. When our relatives arrived, nothing was unforeseen, lacking or done poorly. Mum catered to the needs of our relatives, provided more than enough and anticipated problems three steps before they occurred. My aunts were laughing and weeping as Mum recounted stories from their difficult and poverty-stricken childhood. There's a string of strong woman on my mother's side.

Mum modeled the importance of being ministry-minded, in migration, in school, in the home. For many years we had an open-house policy. When we bought a new house, Mum had in mind dimensions to accommodate church groups for dinners, Bible studies. My Mum could quickly knock up extra food for unexpected visitors. Bags of clothes, cut flower, shopping, food and household goods stood by the door, waiting for Mum to deliver them. I used to resentfully think I shared my Mum with everyone else.

A friend commented that Mother-daughter relationship is one of the most significant in life. Amen. Amen. I can see her influence in my everyday ethics and career choice (even though she discouraged me from entering ministry vocationally!). The relationship has its share of friction and disagreements, but there is no substitute.

Recently, I had an Anne of Green Gables / Jo March moment. I was joking with a friend about my first book, entitled, "Contraband: Absinthe, Bibles, Cigars". But he protested, "You should write about your family!" after listening to me prattle on about the amazing women and events in my family. The unmistakable figure that dominates the picture is my Mother.

Daniel 5

2008-05-29T08:21:00.011+10:00

Maybe George didn't think that anyone'd take it up when he challenged us to "do" Daniel 5 creatively. But we did and the results from various groups were almost Eurovision worthy!

Rob, Glen Geoff, Alan, Tim had:

gods of PVC
Elton John (the "Queen's") rendition of "Daniel"
Daniel adaptation of 2W2L

Ivan, Akos, Candy, Alby, Wazza, Carlson had a "Skip / Wog" BBQ (very tongue in cheek... apologies) complete with CGI and sound effects. "Oh my gods!"

Rowan, Paul (and I) rewrote OMC's "How Bizarre", entitled "Balshazzar, How Bizarre!"* What's the modern equivalent of the most ridiculous and extravagant party animals? Rap stars, of course!

Hardy Har Har.

*The film version may feature a car with license "YHWH 01", driven by Balshazzar with his concubines dripping in gold chains heavy with Star of David pendants.

References to pants and incontinence are attributed to Wolters' interpretation of Dan 5. (Wolters, A. ‘Untying the Knots of the King: Physiology and Wordplay in Daniel 5’, JBL 110.1 (1991), 117–22.)

Thinking about Hell is edifying

2008-05-26T22:09:00.007+10:00

My friends tilt their heads and give a vacant expression when I make the above statement. So I thought I'd write a little blah about how an thinking about hell could be edifying. I also wanted to reassure you that I don't think about hell because I'm morbid, sadistic or generally hate people.

But thinking about hell tells you a lot about God.

- he is holy.

- he means what he says (promises to condemn sin and make retribution for wrongs)

- he hates sin (hell shows how bad sin is to God. Hell is a terrible, awful, fearful... and it's the punishment that fits the crime. Since sin is eternally offensive to God, hell is an eternal punishment.)

- he is loving, in wanting to punish the wrongdoers who have hurt his people

- he is loving, so it's appropriate that he is angry at his children who have gone bad. (The more a father loves his children, the more he hates in him the drunkard, the abuser, the gambler.)

- he's really restraint in not "giving it to us" as soon as we deserve it.

- he's really generous in giving people on this death row life, relationships, taste buds, sunshine, opportunities, music, fun.

- he is really gracious in offering us an out when we really deserve something so terrible.

- his graciously and sternly warns people who are just rolling down the hill towards hell.

- he has graciously given us time to turn back to him in this life.

- his son took our punishment for us (still not exactly sure how this works)

- what Jesus bore on the cross for us was wrath, and such great wrath for the sins of the whole world (Rev 14). He drank the cup of wrath - not just one person's share, but everyone's.

- he loves and welcomes the repentant into his family when they really deserve hell!

In the Scriptures we find a God who dignifies our lives by caring enough to be angry at our rebellion and destrive choices, yet meets our desperate need with kindness and compassion. God will not allow evil to triumph...

~ from Gibbo's chapter, "Lactantius on Anger" from Consolations of Theology, 2008.

Isn't our Father gracious, good, more than fair, loving, powerful, amazing?? Isn't his gospel glorious?? Isn't his Son ... ?!?!?!?!

Two friends said, "If people really understood how much God loves them and the lengths he'll go to to have them, they'd be Christian".

Godly Attributes

2008-05-26T11:21:00.010+10:00

Another unformed thought. God is interested in our attitudes primarily. What's going on inside is of more interest than what your hands are doing. Some big examples...

In contrast to sinful behavior, God points us to godly attributes (in Galatians 6:19-26)

... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (v 24)

Look at the Beatitudes.

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What about the show-stopper in 1 Corinthians?

And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

God cares about your unseens, unmeasurables. He's pointing at a picture of a healthy heart. He lifts our eyes to excellent things and it's exhilarating! Things too wonderful for this earth...

How is it that none of us have set eyes on this perfect loveliness, yet long for it? And how is it significant that God alone has these attributes perfectly?

How ought we live?

2008-05-26T10:58:00.010+10:00

When we "do" ethics, what level are we operating on? Are we concerned about actions (i.e. weighing up an action to see if it's ethical) or about virtues (e.g. It's ok to lie to the Nazis about Jews in the basement because you're a compassionate person).

What is your measuring stick? What are we measuring?

How about doing ethics based on GOD's virtues? (I.e. God's own character is the measuring stick). It's just an idea that I'm throwning out there. The Bible seems to say God himself is the motivation for right living.

Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

~ Lev 19:2

Christian conduct, it seems, is based on God's character. Because we are made in God's image and have the imprint of his character, we ought to behave accordingly.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

~ Col 3:5-10

And his character doesn't just change individuals' conduct. The Corinthian church should organise their church in orderly manner. Why? "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." (1 Cor 14:33)

In Paul's letter, all people are indictable because they knew God's character but didn't give him due worship (resulting in sinful attitudes and behaviors).

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

~ Romans 1:19-23

That is, God's attributes were clear and therefore people should have responded by shunning sinful living. I'm still not sure how God's character relates to the way we live.

But somehow, God himself is the measuring stick and goal of our behavior.

Cantonese Idioms

2008-05-23T22:40:00.008+10:00

My Cantonese relatives have a quiver full of idioms that are incisive and visceral. Some are even onomatopoeic.

1) Many knives but not one is sharp

Akin to "Jack of all trades but master of none". But a dull knife is a dangerous, unpredictable instrument, since it's hard to control. It's deprecating: You can do a lot. But you could do damage.

2) An 8 beat rhyme, literally:

You cry, You laugh,
Peeing wherever in the street

It's something to say when your kid's throwing a tantrum, all over the place or getting out of control in a hissy fit. I think the sardonic edge is supposed to counter and defuse the anger. The mockery is there so you'd take yourself less seriously. "Don't be ridiculous" just doesn't have the same effect.

3) Stick it on top of your head!

Meaning, I've run out of cupboard space. Wear it yourself!

Tough love, Cantonese.

Like?

2008-05-23T22:23:00.006+10:00

Cantonese is a potent language. My sister explained the simple profundity of the question "Do you like it?" The Cantonese equivalent is a compact, two character phrase: Jong Yee.

First Character

Jong

means on target. If you are an archer and your arrow struck the middle ring it's JONG

Second Character

Yee

means ideal. Your dream.

Together, the phrase is "Have I targeted your ideal?"

It's a phrase that gets bandied around daily. You could ask your children "Jong Yee Mah?" over the dinner table. If the phrase was a piece of furniture, it'd be a kitchen stool.

Understanding the Bible

2008-05-23T21:02:00.021+10:00

The Bible is an outstretched palm. An invitation to know its author. God graciously and wisely gave his word to humans.

The illustrations in the Bible shows God wants to connect with the Common Man: shepherds, servants, security guards, soldiers, accountants. The vast majority of people, until recent centuries had very little education. A thoughtful grandmother, who never sat through a tertiary philosophy class, should hear the message of the Bible and nod at its rightness and feel its sound truthfulness in her guts.

I think God knew his audience and wrote so they would "get" him. I'm guessing he's far too generous to tuck precious truths away in the obscure, to lock its profound secrets in numerology. I doubt that the goal was to confound and bewilder. And even though there are mysteries too wonderful for us to understand, I suspect his aim in letting us know about it is to enlighten and to reveal. Display the most sparkling gems in the most prominent spots.

A friend wisely advised me on working out difficult bits of the Bible. He said "What's the most natural explanation? That's probably what the right answer is." If a theologian's body of work is really inaccessible and cumbersome, you got to ask what the value of it is.

So why bother with detailed studies like verbal aspect, text-critical analysis? I think they are tools like a jewelers' lens. Everyone can admire an Argyle diamond with the naked eye. But how of the glorious, subtle colours and brilliance can you take in with a magnifier? God has created beauty for us to appreciate on every level.

I LOVE COLLEGE. It's a delight to that the faculty, like master jewelers and gem collectors, show off the beauty of the word in different aspects, on many levels, from various angles.

Fear God

2008-05-19T20:05:00.015+10:00

The Bible frequently gives a triad of godly responses to God. Fear. Love. Obey. The last two get a lot of press. But not so much fear...

The command is heavily signposted in high-traffic areas. The first proverb in Proverbs is,

The fear the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline (1:7)

and it ends with,

a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (31:30)

Ecclesiastes is a quest for wisdom (1:13) and the search concludes in 12:13-14,

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

The first lot of instructions in the Psalms is in 2:11

Now there, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

If for the rulers, how much more for us peasants? And it’s not just the wisdom books. At the giving of the law, God reveals himself to the Israel as a nation for the first time (?). And they are literally scared to death of him. (Deut 5:24-8) Completely freaked out. Amazingly, God commends this!

O that there was a such a heart in them that they would fear me always and keep all my commandments that it might be well with them and with their children forever. (Deut 5:29)

Fear of God means you’ll live in a way that pleases him and stay faithful. I think "Fear of God" is the key to understanding the book of Job. He's the exemplar, "a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil" (Job 1:1, 1:8, 2:3... it's interesting to trace Job's fear of God through the book).

And it's not just "an Old Testament thing". Jesus tells his own friends

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should hear: Fear him who after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. (Luke 12:4-5)

Yes, you Christians. Yes, fear. Not a “'reverential fear' whatever that means”, says Broughton Knox, who calls this the most neglected command of Jesus.

The two thieves on the cross both say something about Jesus that’s true (Luke 23:39-43). One says “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” He’s got a good point. Jesus is the Christ. He’s doing the job of saving. But the other thief rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God...?”

Who gets it right?

Jesus commends the second thief “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”. Your attitude to God counts, not just whether you understand who he is.

Anyone who didn't shudder when they read about Jesus in Revelation didn't read it properly.

Perhaps we don’t fear God enough? And why do Christians keep presenting God as a tame lion?

2W2L is great but...

2008-05-19T16:30:00.005+10:00

Walk-up evangelism can get pretty formulaic and phoney-sounding. How to do it, in a true, engaging and loving way? I'm keen to not always resort to 2W2L, as good as it is. Afterall, what's Bible college for?

I may answer "oh, no thanks" if someone said "We would like to talk to you about Je-sus"... and I'm a Christian! "Yes" is too committal, too eager for someone who's curious. So "no" is the only real option. Not a good opener.

How about, "We're Christians and we were wondering what people know about Jesus. What do you think of Jesus?"? It opens the conversation, builds relationship and is valuable for knowing where people come from. But I feel like this is sometimes a tactical move in order to know how to make our approach (or to establish which 2W2L box people are in!)

Should you lead with grace / forgiveness first or do you talk about judgment / sin first? The former gives God's priority (God's message is essentially about Grace and not condemnation), but the latter gives the logical sequence (it makes sense to name the offense before saying God offers a pardon). People can tune out of either. The former sounds like some fairy-tale ~ *yawn*. The latter can feel like a slap across the face (and they don't stay to listen for the grace bit).

Maybe a parable? Today, a friend said he tells older people the parable of the eleventh hour (which has nothing to do with elephants). Parables immediately draw people into an accessible context (e.g. families, farmers). God often makes the invitation in that form. Then perhaps we can ask what people think...?

Michael Moore (who ran the music conference, quoting Carson) said that Christian music is often evangelistic. It carries the message and the affectional impact of the gospel (Christ died and rose again ~ we are so moved that we sing about it!). Perhaps we should go around Unis offering to sing to people!

The Devil loves secrecy

2008-05-19T11:42:00.005+10:00

That gem was a throwaway comment from Archie.

When I'm really struggling with some sin or nurturing some unhealthy attachment, its hold is loosed when I just name it with a Christian friend. Isn't it funny?

The Lord your God will rejoice over you with singing

2008-05-19T11:08:00.005+10:00

Went to a cool music conference over the weekend. Amongst all the Bible's songs about our singing to God and each other, here's a little gem from Zephaniah 3: 14-17:

Sing, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
"Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

God will sing over us! How lovely.

A friend commented, "I bet he has a great voice".

Changing Platforms Hazard

2008-05-16T21:00:00.007+10:00

As the train pulled away, I ambled down the stairs to cross to the next platform. Click-click click-click tapped my new boots. There was a young man at the bottom step, looking back fondly on the steps. Our eyes met and he looked away.

I slowed my pace to allow him to go forward, but he dawdled so much that I unavoidably caught up with him. So I hastened to overtake him. Click-click click-click. But when we were level I heard him say "Hey, do you wanna get a pie or something?"

I tossed back casually "Oh, no thanks."

The young man turns to me, clutching a mobile phone to his ear and scowled "I wasn't talking to you!"

Why is talking about Women's Ministry so hard?

2008-05-16T20:00:00.007+10:00

That question kicked off our mixed chaplaincy group discussion.* Forty-five minutes later, we were still giving reasons for why Women's ministry is such a thorny issue... there's little consensus even among faithful theologians, what chance have I got to resolve it... it's so personal... it's integrally linked with identity... the terms and concepts are loaded... there's lots of painful history (in church, in society, often with abuse and oppression)... it's tacitly considered something for the women to work out... even if you work out the theology, the application is tricky... politics and cultural norms exacerbates problems... we don't bring it up for fear of causing offense and ruining a pleasant lunch.

There was something that was lurking in the background. Rarely is a topic so divisive and guaranteed to cause upset as Women's ministry. We could say the above for a range of theological topics. Who agrees on the nature of the Trinity? How do you do church meetings? Other topics affect us personally and deeply. As we disagree about other topics, we still walk side-by-side, negotiating the way forward together.

But for women's ministry, men and women assume opposite sides. Backs go up. Our words betray our thinly veiled accusations "I don't have a problem with...". That is, YOU have the problem. Touchy, touchy...

Why so belligerent? This is THE topic that is inextricably linked with the curses in Gen 3:16. It is the only curse which involves men and women ~ and they are locking horns. Like it or not, we are more likely to sin with this one.

*Should say that this precursor discussion wasn't the least bit upsetting for anyone. It was a nice way to acknowledging the 'elephant in the room'. We didn't get much further than this beginning, but it was a very good beginning.

Christian community is a wonderful gift from God.

Later that night, I had a wonderful opportunity to "run around the paddock", chase all the questions, air heresies to see how far we could take them and bounce off each other without hurting other kids. Some beautiful women training for a lifetime of ministry and I were exploring the territory together. One had the very tricky situation of being hardwired for academia. All in all, I felt like we got somewhere.

Wise Women

2008-05-12T11:52:00.013+10:00

I attended an excellent seminar on Suffering at Equip over the weekend. The cuds are still tasty after two days of rumination. Judith Nichols was a vessel of sympathy, Biblical wisdom, real-life-experience and practical advice without nonsense. She handled the topic with a firm and warm hand, masterfully waded through the ethical and spiritual landmines.

Couldn't help being struck by how important it is to be an older woman to carry that off.* Yes, being old doesn't equate to having wisdom gleaned from life experience, nor even to godliness (I've added it to the list)! But there was something about Judith's graceful age that contributed to the gravitas and richness of the seminar. The deep pitch of her voice testifying to her years of living, the lines testifying to the ranges of expressions that have adorned her face and her stillness stripped of youth's fidgeting. They say: this woman has lived and she knows what she's talking about.

I've been writing a sermon on Job and I have somethings to say about suffering which are quite tough to hear. But I'm anticipating that those hard truths will sound trite, unfounded and unsympathetic if they are delivered by someone who is young and looks like a teenager. This is the criticism of Elihu. (Sometimes Asian genes aren't a help!)

Titus 2 gives a teaching model that is often neglected by a society which greatly values youth and qualifications. It is distinct from the peer-mentoring and the profession-lay models. The ideal is that the older women shall teach the younger.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

~ Titus 2:3-5 (NIV)

Older women's prior experience and a life worthy of imitation are assumed. God gives a growth model that prizes goodness, relationships, personal conduct and practicalities. These things are to be taught by older women so that no one will malign the word of God. Is this not a lovely collision of love and truth in the practice of Christian community?

Perhaps we place too much emphasis on the qualifications and activities of the "senior" woman of the ministry to the programs. Meanwhile, we often overlook the value of older women of the group, whose wisdom and experience can encourage godly living which testifies to the goodness of God's word.

*I sincerely hope she doesn't mind this post!

The Ultimate Horror of God's Universe

2008-05-05T16:36:00.014+10:00

Certainly, hell is the ultimate horror of God’s universe. The other difficulties of the Bible and of Providence are real enough, but however appalling they may be, their seeming harshnesses and injustices are only temporary, cut short at death. The terrors of hell, on the other hand, belong to the world which lies beyond death.

Wenham’s quote [1] captures how the notions of hell and eternal punishment are the ultimate case study in the goodness of God in light of human suffering. For some, if God “satisfied his thirst for revenge so implacably” as to punish the unsaved eternally, he would be “insatiably cruel” and a “bloodthirsty monster”. This an idea is “morally repugnant” they claim. [2]

This abhorrence of the horrors of hell betrays the degree of distortion in our views on anthropology. We live in an age where human rights are paramount. Societies claim humans have a right to life, free from suffering. We may not explicitly state that God is obligated to show us kindness and mercy, but tacitly humans generally expect to be comfortable and often blame God when we are not. Our rights to comfort has eclipsed God's right to judge.

However, Scripture critiques our views and shows us the reverse is true. The offense of sin deserves the penalty of death (Roman 6:23). We all sin. And our sinfulness earns us a place in hell. We are on death row. As those deserving of the ultimate penalty, we have no rights to life, comfort or blessing. We have no claims! And God is not bound to show mercy.

Scripture asserts God’s right to judge, vindicate his name, to seek retribution for sins committed against him. He is just in bringing humanity under condemnation. God is exercising his right as the just judge by sending sinful humans to hell.

Since God is under no obligation to give blessings, we ought to be stunned that he restrains his wrath, choosing instead to bestow kindness on us. Prisoners on God's death row may live a luxurious life on earth, enjoying good health and relationship. And to some, God even extends a pardon from condemnation, eternal life and a place in his family! In doing all this, God shows himself to be lavishly gracious and unspeakably merciful.

It is preposterous and obtuse then to accuse God of being unjust or lacking mercy when he has already granted condemned sinners earthly life and delayed punishment. It shows the depths of human ingratitude, especially in the light of the fact that God has sent his Jesus Christ to take the punishment in our place, gives us repeated warnings of the impending judgment and grants extra time to turn back to him.

The accusation that God is unfair in sending people to hell reveals how warped our thinking is. We cannot see what is really detestable. What's worse: the murder or the life sentence? What does God find abhorrent? It is sin, not hell, that is the ultimate horror of God’s universe. [3] The severity of the penalty ought to impress upon us the severity of the offense.

[1] John W Wenham, The Enigma of Evil, Surrey: Eagle, 1994, p 68.
[2] Clark H. Pinnock, 'The Nature of Hell', Ex Audity 20 (2004), 55.
[3] Christopher W. Morgan, 'Annihilationism: Will the Unsaved be Punished Forever', in Hell Under Fire, eds. C.W. Morgan and R.A. Peterson. Michigan: Grand Rapids, 2004, p 210.

Black Music

2008-05-05T14:41:00.025+10:00

What should I do with Black Music? T Pain, feat. Francisco's "Apple Bottom Jeans" brought this question to the fore again.

I have to hop out of the hiphop closet.

Musically, Black Music can be passionate, cheeky and infectious. Watch people walking by a shop pumping out R&B and note the involuntary shoulder thrust, the disguised booty-slap and the slowing of walking pace to the tempo. Anyone can be a dawg.

I've always taken it as OTT, clever satire. It's fun and funny. I give you Exhibit A:

You got me trippin', stumblin', flippin', fumblin'
Clumsy cuz I'm fallin in love, in love
You got me slippin', tumblin', sinkin', fumblin'
Clumsy cuz I'm fallin in love, in love
So in love with you

~ Fergie

You can let out your inner drama queen (oh, don't go there gf!). I defy you to "shake it like a Polaroid picture" (Outkast) without giggling. But aren't the artists taking themselves seriously? Would they be insulted if I wrote them off as parody?

The lyrics can be more than a little bit naughty and uber-sexualized. I'd be irresponsible for introducing it to under-aged people. A friend repeated the rapidly rapped sections of ABJ to me and I was shocked (and I've worked with engineers!).

So, can I take it as just frivolous fun? And label it "parody" in iTunes?

Or do I give it up? How much of it is soaking through my skin into my brain?

At which level am I participating? (this question can be asked of movies, social activities...)

I'd like to pay tribute to musicians who write funny songs (most of whom are clean).

Respect.

P.D.Q. Bach
The Lucksmiths
Hugh Laurie (clip)
Flight of the Conchords (aka the Hiphopoptamus and the Rhymenoceros)
The Idea of North
Weird Al Yankovic (clip)
Cake (clip)
Ben Beilharz
Robert Martin
and Ebb and Kander, writers of the musical 'Chicago' which has the honor of being both comedy and 'noir'.

Teaching kids

2008-05-02T17:23:00.005+10:00

Here are some on-line resources for Bible-centred ministry to children:

Sandy Galea

EMU (CDs and the Bible in 10 easy lessons)

Christian Focus

Christian Education Publications

Youth Works

Matthias Media - 6 year Sunday School syllabus

Matthias Media - other resources

Show and Tell

Oasis

and there are more from Jean's post

Thanks to my friends who ministering to children for this list and their faithful work. I'm afraid I can't elaborate on it myself.

On Mission, we were challenged to think of children's ministry as families' ministry, men's ministry and new-comers ministry.

Porn for Women

2008-04-29T15:37:00.017+10:00

I stole the title of this blog from the photographic book by Susan Andersen (don't google the title - Covenant Eyes will getcha!)

Keith preached on Ps 101 in Chapel today, about living the ideals of a blameless life. In true Keith fashion, he made incisive comments about men and women, starting with the eyes.

It's quite natural for men to be fascinated with form and physicality of women. Sometimes the "vile thing" before our eyes (v3) is beauty. In other words, sin often looks beautiful and attractive. Eve's apple and David's Bethsheba both looked pretty good. And beauty and its appreciation aren't inherently sinful, but anything good can be perverted to be something evil.

Even though he, along with everyone else, is "over" the whole internet pornography thing, he said it would be remiss of him to pass over it when dealing with sins of the eyes.

So what about women?

Keith remarked that women can also have "a haughty eye and a proud heart" in their internet use. This includes:

- prying into people's lives (e.g. insatiably searching through cavernous Facebook)
- projecting a desirable (and fake) image of themselves on a webpage

At the root of this is covetousness, jealousy, rivalry, deceit and one-up-man-ship (one-up-woman-ship).

My friend has been putting off Facebook for sometime, because she didn't want to make an e-shrine of herself. Not only is projecting a positive image a temptation, but envy of others can also ensnare her. I've been trying to sell FB to her, saying that she doesn't have to fall into that trap, and there are many social advantages, yadda yadda yadda... But perhaps she knows what is good for her and I should let her conscience direct her actions. My friend thinks that she'll probably be ok dealing with Facebook, but isn't that the beginning of being sucked in? Doesn't everyone think they are immune?

It's been said that men might fantasize about the physical attributes of women. And women just fantasize (daydream about the perfect man, a certain situation, how conversations might go, make negative comparison between real people and fictional characters: "Darcy would never have done that..." or any form of romanticising reality).

I guess the e-pitfalls for women are a little less apparent, a little more respectable but just as binding and insidious.

Near the end of the sermon, Keith gave this exhortation (via Piper): it's not the fact of the pornography or perversion of sex that's sad. But what's sad is Satan using it to disqualify us for service, laying a huge burden of guilt on us that we are unable to carry out ministry. We are Christians are to take our sin seriously, but remember that Jesus' yoke is light.

As I was absorbing all this, I thought about the purpose of this blog. I don't feel the need to keep a diary, public or private. I post to reveal the world of theological training to others. So this blog isn't a representative sample of the contents of my head in electronic form. It's just the ideas and experiences that have impacted me that I think are worth mentioning to people. But this image of a God-centred life, of lofty thoughts or worthy deeds, is more concentrated than it really is. Does the purpose of the blog justify its disproportionate goodness? Or is it vanity disguised?

Fear God, Escape Hell

2008-04-28T15:53:00.005+10:00

People want to do away with hell because they want to present God as less fearsome. They act as God's PR people, moving away from the image of a "angry, vengeful God" which causes distance and makes God more unapproachable. You can't love and respect a God who'll torment people in hell forever, they say.

But Jesus commands us to fear God!

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

~ Luke 12:5

This fear is not the terrorising fear for tyrants and evil forces. Instead, it is the right way for corrupt humans to relate to the powerful authority of a just God. (Similarly, it's good when a criminal to fear the police and law courts.) Fear in God yields obedience which pleases God and helps us to take the warnings in Scripture seriously.

So ironically, changing God's image to one less fearful makes people more susceptible to God’s wrath ~ you are removing the impediments to hell. Our fear safeguards us from pride and immorality that brings destruction and God’s judgment of a life sentence in hell. If you tell people not to fear God, they'll stop respecting his commands and living to please him. And so they may actually end up in hell! The abolition of the fearful threat of hell has the ironic effect of evoking God's wrath which leads to the realisation of the threat.

The Sleep of a Chatechist is Sweet

2008-04-28T14:21:00.007+10:00

Sundays is a huge day for student ministers, from about 8am to 10pm. We'd often have one or two services in the morning and an evening one. We may be invited to a relaxed Sunday lunch. Even though there may be church prep or even college work to do, we'd often spend the block of free time in the afternoon having a little rest.

Friend 1 siestas in her car parked outside the church, often bursting onto unsuspecting musicians who are waiting to get into the church.

Friend 2 likes to kip on the carpet in the church photocopy room.

I often nap on the grass on the side of the church, outside the boys' toilets. If it's raining, I might sleep in the library / crying room which smells of children.

Resources on Hell

2008-04-25T16:08:00.012+10:00

hear a sermon series by Wayne Schuller, given at Holy Trinity Doncaster 2008:

Jesus on Hell ~ Matthew 5:21-30

Jesus on Hell ~ Matthew 26:26-46, 27:45-50

Jesus - Gatekeeper of Heaven and Hell ~ Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus Over Hell ~ Revelation 20:1-15

read a sermon by:

Jonathan Edwards

Read posts by:

Pyromaniacs (quoting Spurgeon)

Gordon

One Night Only (Dreamgirls)

2008-04-17T16:58:00.016+10:00

Dreamgirls was an enjoyable chick-flick. I was wowed by the talents of Jennifer Hudson (from American Idol), the evergreen Beyonce and Eddie Murphy (who seems to play Donkey in every movie). After a few lulls, the strongest part of the movie came in the last ~20 minutes, featuring two of the best songs: Listen and One Night Only.

The movie was based on a Broadway production. And it subscribes to the musical theater tradition of cleverly manipulating lyrics by having two versions of One Night Only. A simple change from "I" to "you" reverses the song's sentiments.

Effie sings of heart-break:

You want all my love and my devotion
You want my loving soul right on the line
I have no doubt that I could love you forever
The only trouble is, you really don't have the time

Bitter-sweetness, of fleeting love, is a flavor of soul.

In Deena's rendition, she sings:

You want all my love and my devotion
You want my loving soul right on the line
I have no doubt that I could love you forever
The only trouble is, I really don't have the time

It's a shagging song! Unrequited devotion becomes gettin' it on in a one night stand.

This subtle variation captured the contrast between Soul music (represented by Effie) and Disco (represented by Deena).

Because God is loving, Hell exists

2008-04-17T15:27:00.012+10:00

People say hell doesn't sit well with a God of love. They tend to pit God's love against his wrathful judgment, as if the two were diametrically opposed. But precisely because God loves, he judges and is wrathful towards evil.

God’s judgment precedes from his love. Because he loves the world, he is grieved and angry when they rebel and are corrupted by sin. An human analogy illustrates this point: the more a father loves his son, the more he will hate in him the drunkard, the murderer. Because he loves the world, he is grieved and angry at evils done against those he loves. In the same way, a loving earthly father will have righteous angry for his daughter’s rapist. God's righteous anger at sin is an expression of his love.

Oddly enough, when you eclipse God’s judgment by his love, you render him evil. The opposite of love is not anger, but indifference (in this case, it would be the tolerance of evil). If God does not condemn sin by bypassing the punishment on perpetrators, it is not mercy but injustice and immorality. The ultimate judge would become evil. He would no longer be just or loving, but immoral and complicit in evil. Therefore, promoting God’s love by abandoning his judgment, perversely comes at the cost of his love, justice and goodness.

His wrath and righteous judgment are expressions of his deep, vast love and justice.

Lying about Hell

2008-04-17T15:07:00.010+10:00

I'm writing an essay about hell and eternal punishment. And I've got a few unformed thoughts on the cutting room floor that I'd like to explore more. So don't be surprised if I post a sequence of hellish tid-bits.

Revelation describes the final experience of the unsaved as the “second death” (Rev 20:14) in the lake of fire without “rest day or night” (Rev 14:11).

People who deduce that there is no hell or eternal punishment seem to be buying a variation of Satan's original lie:

"You will not surely die," the serpent said... (Genesis 3:4)

Their claims that sin does not have devastating consequences, i.e. no "second death", echoes Satan's first statement which trivializes or nullifies the consequences of defying God.

It shouldn't be surprising, then, that theologians who deny hell often deny / subvert God's revelation or blatantly call God a liar.

Scholars who say this may be committing negligence to their hearers, like doctors who fail to advise patients of the adverse effects of an illness / treatment or one who gives the all clear when the prognosis should be terminal. But more that, they are (wrongly) judging God's judgment, and I fear for them on that count. Umm-mah...!

Attributes people often mistake for godliness

2008-04-11T17:21:00.010+10:00

a quiet demeanor
being well-educated
being theologically astute
intelligence
elegance
physical attractiveness
having an aversion to confrontation (or if I were to be less kind, cowardice)
oratory prowess
knowing how to pray in a fancy way
having good social skills
spending money freely
being old
cleanliness
indignation
being critical

Can you think of others?

Sickness & the timing of the Shalom

2008-03-22T11:43:00.013+11:00

How healthy can Christians expect to be? Is Isaiah talking about physical wellness in his fourth Servant Song? Can we claim full healing as one of God’s promises?

My friend and I have asked these questions of each for a little while now. He’s a doctor who is Charismatic Christian. I am an Evangelical Christian and a nurse. We both trust in Jesus’ mercy and power, and see sickness all around. But we approach these questions very differently.

My friend reckons Jesus offers total wellness to those he saves, and Christians with enough faith should claim this blessing from God. He sees sickness as an evil to be cast out in the name of Christ. I reckon Jesus offers Christian total forgiveness, but we may or may not be blessed with physical wellness. I see sickness as part of this fallen world and something which God gives us sometimes, in his wisdom, goodness and purpose. But sickness is not inherently a good thing and, ultimately, God will abolish it in the new heaven and the new earth. How should Christians think of sickness and healing? What does the Bible say?

Translating Isaiah's Servant Song
Isaiah 53:4-6 is very interesting:

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows
yet we considered him stricken by God,
Smitten by him and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
The punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep have gone astray
each of us has turned his own way
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

(If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, you may want to crack open a Bible and read all of the Servant Song in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The song is about God’s chosen man, The Servant. The New Testament reveals Jesus to be that man. So when we read the Old Testament, we are trying to work out what it’s saying about Jesus and his life.)

Is this song about Jesus bringing physical healing?

Translators of 53:4 have to make a tough call. Should they go with:

Surely he took up our infirmities

… as they did in the NIV? That is, Jesus came to relieve us of our physical ailments.

or:

Surely he has borne our griefs

… as they did in the ESV? That is, Jesus came to relieve our sufferings.

Either translations are possible from the Hebrew word. The word primarily means sicknesses, but it can also mean general suffering (our “groanings”!). The more specific or the widely encompassing? The difference may seem small, but if you go with the “infirmities” you’d be expecting physical healing from God.

What's the Servant Song about?
The whole Servant Song gives us more clues (52:13-53:12). First, it introduces Servant’s role (52:13-15). Secondly, it goes through Jesus’ life (53:1-12): from the start (“he grew up like a tender shoot” 53:2), to how he was treated through life (“he was despised and rejected by men” 53:3), to the significant events of his life, focusing squarely on his death (53:4-9). Thirdly, it explains why those things happened (53:10-12). Overall, the Servant Song is about Jesus’ life of suffering and death.

Why did Jesus live and die? The main thing Isaiah sings about is Jesus’ death on the cross: “he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted” (52:13). This is a Bible way of talking about the cross which was raised in crucifixion. Other verses enrich this theme: stricken for the transgression of my people (53:8), his soul makes an offering for sin (53:10), he shall bear their iniquities (53:11). The end of the song throws all the emphasis on his death: “he poured his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (53:12). The song crescendos and climaxes in Jesus’ sufferings and death. The song is mostly about Jesus suffering and dying to deal with our sin.

... Sickness or Sufferings?
Back to our question. How does our sickness / sufferings fit in the overall picture of Jesus’ carrying other people’s burdens and death? How are we to understand, “By his stripes we are healed” (53:5). Which translation is better?

Amazingly, the Bible itself tells us!

In Matthew 8:14-17, Jesus goes around Capernaum, casting out demons and healing people. Matthew points out that, “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” (v17). (My Charismatic friend graciously showed me this verse when I had my ‘atonement’ blinkers on and failed to see the fuller picture).

So here’s our answer! Matthew reads Isaiah 53:4 as physical healing. That is, Christ’s coming has brought physical healing, casting out of evil and forgiveness of sins. Negatively, Isaiah shows that Jesus has taken on all the rubbish that was on us and dealt with it all on the cross. Positively, the Servant Song points to how Jesus brings about our fullness by taking care of all our rubbish.

Jesus brings the “Shalom”! This Hebrew word means wholeness, wellness, full health, abundantly blessed, wealth, prosperity, joy, peace between two parties (e.g. man to man, God to man, country to county). So for Christians, we have every blessing in Jesus. He fills our cups to overflowing. And he brings this fullness to us in his life and death.

What can we expect?
But do we see these things fulfilled now? We can fully enjoy one of the aspects of the Shalom today. As we’ve said, his life and death’s focus was on our sin and Jesus’ climatic death on the cross was to deal with our sin and its consequences. Jesus offers forgiveness of sins here and now, when we trust that Jesus has died for us. (Romans 3:21-24) Wow ~ he deserves all our praise for fulfilling our deepest need!

But what about illness? Even Christians get sick. If Jesus has taken on that burden in his life and death, shouldn't we expect to be healed?

Our question is actually one about timing (it’s an ‘eschatological’ question). We should add one more question: “When are we going to be completely well?”

When can we see God's promises fulfilled?
Before Jesus became flesh, human history was marked by suffering and death. The Bible announces that when Jesus first came to earth, he begun a period called the ‘new age’. At the end of this period, Jesus will return to judge and renew all things on the “last day”. That will be the end of human history and we will see the fulfillment of all of God’s promises. But at the moment, we are living at a time when these two ages overlap: we see both the suffering / death and some of the promises fulfilled.

Living in the overlap of the ages is a bit strange. There’s a “now and not yet” tension. We have Christ and his promises now, but they are not yet in their fullness. We have some healing, but we don’t have a full physical restoration (i.e. we are still waiting to get new, perfect bodies).

What now? The bad news is that we can expect things to get much worse. In fact, things are going to go straight down hill before Jesus comes back to renew all things and set things right. (Mark 13) So, it’s unrealistic to expect things to be perfect now, you’ll just be disappointed. God asks us to hope for the future. That’s how we are to express our faith (Romans 8:18-25 is helpful on this point).

What about now?
Some say healing can be yours, for those who have enough faith. That physical illness is a sign of weak faith or sin. I’m not sure that this is what the Bible says. Lots of godly people with strong faith in Bible suffer from illnesses (e.g. Paul the apostle and Timothy). We shouldn’t be quick to say that illness is the result of sin (as Job’s friends did, who were condemned by God. When my mum was diagnosed with cancer, someone said that it’s because of her sin or weak faith. This kind of comment only adds to the sick person’s sufferings, and fuels their daughter’s wrath!).

God will do away with sickness and death on the last day (Revelation 21:4). Hooray!! But to get there, we have to follow Jesus’ footsteps. The path to blessing is a narrow and steep road, filled with suffering and hardship. We cannot take a short cut. But we can take comfort in knowing that we are going with Jesus. Isaiah's Servant Song takes us down this path which leads to the glorious end.

…it was the Lord’s will to crush him
and cause him to suffer
and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering,
He will see his offspring and prolong his days,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.

~ Isaiah 53:10-11

Kimono Red

2007-11-13T22:52:00.001+11:00

My first pair of Birkenstocks! Buying them was a risk since I have very wide, pronating, flat feet and I'm not sure if they will get along with "The Gizeh". Jacqui-O (an amateur personal shopper) ordered them on the Internet. Asians love a bargain! I'll miss Jacqui next year. The hangers will be full and Oxford Street labels will go unrecognised and unappreciated at Grapevine.

Big Daddy's Rap

2007-11-13T20:41:00.000+11:00

Yo, Big Daddy upstairs,
You be chillin
So be yo hood
You be sayin' it, I be doin' it
In this ere hood and yo's
Gimme some eats
And cut me some slack, Blood
So's I be doin' it to dem dat diss me
Don' be pushin' me into no jive
And keep dem crips away
'Cause you always be da man,
Straight up

(thanks to O.K.)

* sigh *

2007-11-01T11:54:00.000+11:00

I loved you – and my love, I think, was stronger
Than to be quite extinct within me yet;
But let it not distress you any longer;
I would not have you feel the least regret.
I loved you bare of hope and of expression,
By turns with jealousy and shyness sore;
I loved you with such purity, such passion
As may God grant you to be loved once more.

---Pushkin

How to make the perfect cup of chai

2007-09-05T17:46:00.000+10:00

A good brew of chai is an elusive thing. It’s a gentler but longer-lasting stimulant than coffee, which makes it the perfect afternoon drink for flagging spirits, and (if made with proper [not decaffeinated] tea leaves) can help you stay awake through hours of nighttime study.

For brewing chai, a metal teapot you can use on the stove is ideal – otherwise use a saucepan you can pour out of without making a mess.

(To make 2 cups)

Start by heating 1 heaped dessertspoonful of sugar, 1 heaped dessertspoonful of chai* and 1 cup of milk together in pan on the stove, stirring constantly. (This step is important – the milk and sugar caramelize, which adds to the flavour, but you must be careful not to let it boil over suddenly.) Have 1 cup of cold water on hand and add it when the milk starts to boil. (If you prefer a creamier result, you can omit this step and use twice as much milk from the start.) Stir frequently until it comes to the boil again. Turn the heat to low and simmer for a couple of minutes (or until colour looks strong enough for your liking). Sweeten with honey and strain into cups.

*Pre-mixed bought chai is fine, but if you are making your own chai mix from scratch, here is a rough guide:
good quality tea leaves
cardamom pods
cloves
cinnamon stick
ginger
Throw it all together until the mix looks about right; you can experiment and personalise your own blend to taste!

Birthday Bible Passages

2007-08-20T17:51:00.000+10:00

In Christian birthday cards, little gems like this often turn up:

I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his descendants begging bread.
All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his descendants are a blessing.

~ Ps 37:25-26 (NASB)

Double-edged encounters

2007-08-18T14:43:00.000+10:00

At college, visiting missionaries were asked about difficulties of ministering in the Middle East. They told a story about an encounter at a university.

A young Austrian woman, dressed with long sleeves with her head covered, was coming out of a lecture on Sharia law. She saw a Muslim woman making her way towards her, who was covered from head in black with only her eyes showing. She reached the Austrian woman and said, "God showed me in a dream that we would meet here. I know your name and that you a Christian. We will talk about our faiths. After we talk, I will become Christian or you will become Muslim."

So the women met again few days later to talk about their beliefs. Now the Austrian woman was no slouch, she had a masters in Theology and doing a more post-graduate studies. As they talked, the Austrian woman reflected later on how she could feel the strong spiritual forces at work. It's a high stakes encounter.

We live in a post 9 11 world. As the rest of the world investigate the claims of Islam, they will hear the Muslims present their faith. Muslims are articulate, well educated and evangelistic. They work hard at commending Islam to others.

There will more encounters to come, like that of the Austrian woman. How will these encounters turn out? As people engage many will be won over to Islam and to Christianity.

To do mission work in the Middle East, the missionaries said, "we need the soundest minds, the strongest wills and the most courageous of hearts."

Stirring words.

Who will dare pray, "Lord, if it's your will, send me"?

Good Bible Reading

2007-08-18T14:30:00.000+10:00

Hints from "Mr Anderson":

- Vary the speed / tone / pitch of voice, slowing down for the important bits

- Emphasise contrasts

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but man is tested by the praise he receives.

(Proverbs 27:21 NIV)

Here, you emphasise man, not tested, since man is contrasted with silver and gold. The idea of testing is already there in the "crucible" and "furnace". You can emphasise praise to bring out the other contrast.

- Bring out the force of the passage

In short, the Bible reader needs to understand what's going on in the passage and highlight its meaning. Reading well is not just about having good public speaking skills, but about being a good exegete.

Through a Glass Darkly III

2007-08-17T20:31:00.000+10:00

In Ancient Greek, the language "person" is from the domain of Theatre. Drama was pantomime, so persons on stage were masked, whether that character was human or symbolic. So the Early Church resisted adopting "person" language for the Trinity since it seemed to be saying that they wore masks (i.e. the heresy of modalism [hiss! boo!], where God dons a "Father" mask in the Old Testament, a "Son" mask in the New and the "Spirit" mask after Pentecost).

Does 1 Cor 13:12's notion of "face" suggest this idea of masks?

For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known.

"Face" here cannot mean "mask" ~ in fact, it's the opposite of mask. For now we see through a glass darkly (obscured view) but then, we will see each other face to face (true unveiling ~ perfect vision).*

More than that, we will know as we are fully known. I scratched my head over this bit ~ What? Who?

It'll help to see how Paul splits up time: now and future in verses 8-13. Paul oscillates between what remains now and a future time when perfection comes. Since love endures beyond the now, love is greatest (13:13) (we won't need faith and hope when Jesus comes back). Love in personal relationships are permanent, and span beyond this life.

"... even as also I am known". Who am I known by? God is the implied subject. He already sees and knows us truly and fully. In the future when all is revealed we will see clearly face to face. Then shall we know God and each other fully.

What a glorious promise for a world, whose cry is so often:

I don't want the world to see me,
'Coz I don't think that they'd understand
Well, everything's made to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am
("Iris" by Goo Goo dolls)

*Kudos to Gerald Bray for the above discussion from MTC Doctrine 2 lectures.

Through a Glass Darkly II

2007-08-16T19:58:00.000+10:00

Others have played with ideas from 1 Cor 13:12.

In the Bergman's movie, the expression carries the theme of distorted reality induced by schizophrenia (in its adaption, the Scanner Darkly, the delusions are secondary to psychotropic drug use).

I'm not sure if C.S. Lewis was conscious of 1 Cor 13:12 when he wrote "Till We have Faces" . But it interlocks the themes of masks, blurred perceptions and reality. It is a re-interpretation of Lucius Apuleius Platonicus' Metamorphoses, the Greek myth about Psyche and Cupid. Its working title was originally "Bareface" (according to Wiki).

Lewis veils his characters and they are blind to certain truths. The narrator, Orual, cloaks her ugly face from the world and her self-justifications to the gods have an undercurrent of self-delusion. Cupid initially hides his face from his beautiful lover Psyche, visiting her only at night. When Orual visits her sister Psyche's stately palace, the finery and splendors were invisible to her mortal eyes. C.S. Lewis writes in a letter to Dorothea Conybeare:

How can they (i.e. the gods) meet us face to face till we have faces? The idea was that a human being must become real before it can expect to receive any message from the superhuman; that is, it must be speaking with its own voice (not one of its borrowed voices), expressing its actual desires (not what it imagines that it desires), being for good or ill itself, not any mask, veil, or persona.

”

[cited at Constance Babington Smith, Letters to a Sister from Rose Macaulay, 1964, 261; also at Hooper, Companion (see IX) 252] (Wiki)

Through a Glass Darkly

2007-08-16T17:19:00.001+10:00

It's interesting to see how different translators render 1 Corinthians 13:12, which sits near the end of the 'Lurve chapter' of the Bible.

~ 21st Century King James Version

For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known.

~ New International Version

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

~ English Standard Version

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

~ Holman Christian Standard Bible

For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

~ Darby Bible

For we see now through a dim window obscurely, but then face to face; now I know partially, but then I shall know according as I also have been known.

~ Weymouth New Testament

For the present we see things as if in a mirror, and are puzzled; but then we shall see them face to face. For the present the knowledge I gain is imperfect; but then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

The traditional and contemporary KJV versions sound beautiful and poignant: "For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. " So much so that the expression "Through a Glass Darkly" has been borrowed by film, music and literature.

So why have other translations opted for less poetic turns of phrase?

Is it for ease of understanding? Is "through a glass darkly" less comprehensible and accessible than "through a mirror dimly" or "indistinctly, as in a mirror"?

Why "mirror" instead of "glass"? Are translators able to choose things of the same nature (i.e. since mirrors are made of glass, they are interchangeable terms)? When "mirror" supplants "glass", is a different point being made (about self-reflection rather than perception or blurred vision)?

Here it is for Greek geeks:

βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι δι᾿ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον· ἄρτι γινώσκω ἐκ μέρους, τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην,