... And I don't have a clue what will we be playing during games time. "God help me!" I cried. And from His mysterious, unapproachable light, He spoke to me.
Then I heard (sortof): "Go to Google... check about worldview questions..."
And specifically at today, March 1st 2007, 4:55 PM Melbourne time, I found myself basking again in my newly found favourite subject: worldview.
Here's a plethora of resources I found from the web:
- http://www.markroques.com/bigfive.htm
- http://www.probe.org/content/view/932/77/
- http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ETERQUES.html
- http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~faithact/WORLDV.HTM
- http://www.geocities.com/worldview_3/theism.html
And also... I found some other interesting sites from equally interesting guys...
check 'em out here:
- http://www.markroques.com/
- http://stevebishop.blogspot.com/
Oh man!... and this one here: http://www.freewebs.com/reformationalphilosophy/...
And many more coming up!!!
Praise the Lord!!!
And thank you, yes you guys, for serving the Lord with everything that you got!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Tired of being "confused"?
Well I am. I was writing an email to a colleague at work and found myself looking around inside my mental word bank to find a more *intelligent* word than mere "confused". Hence, I googled up the word and ended up in my favorite online English dictionary. So, if you are in the same boat, then feel free to use one of these words, courtesy of thefreedictionary.com.
Have a good day!
- Puzzled
- Baffled
- Bewildered
- Perplexed
- Confounded
- Vexed
- Dumbfounded
- Flabbergasted <-- never used it, won't act like I know it
Have a good day!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Contemplations on the "Kingdom of God" #1 - We Are At War!... Aren't we?
This blog was intended to be written quite some time ago. But not until I read the article titled The Battle of the Ages - Part 2: The Importance of the Word by Rev. Stephen Tong in Pillar #43 - February 2007 edition that I finally had the driving force to write this.
He's just remarkable. With that said, I know every man of God is... but Stephen Tong is just a something else. Reading that short article, the saying; "great minds simplify, small minds amplify" sounds more and more real to me. It's like he said everything that I would like to say to people (and by "everything" you can estimate quantification of 3-5 pages long) in less than three paragraphs. Well of course there are many aspects that I can cover and elaborate more on the subject in those 5 pages that I intend to write, but the bottom line and the whole spirit is there already... written down in three paragraphs.
And that bottom line is this: we are at war. You may not like the sound of it. The imagery and nuance that surrounds the word "war" itself arouses uneasiness inside of us. To some it resurrects painful memories of the past. To others it heats their head and fuels their heart that flames against injustice and inhumanity.
Now hold on just now. This is meant to be a draft... or to be more precise; a prelude to the real piece.
So I'll be short and concise. I'll close this blog with a bagful of questions that, I hope, will guide your mind to think deeper and harder about this issue.
- are we REALLY at war?
- what kind of war?
- is it our war?
- if not then whose? if yes, then why have we lived all our lives not realizing we're in one?
- when has this war started? how long has it been going on?
- is there any sign of when it will stop?
- why the war anyway? what or who caused it?
- what do we have to do in this war?
...And so much more.
I will not pretend I know all the answers. That's why I would like to elaborate the questions, search and learn the answers, to dig deep, and contemplate on what they really mean to our lives.
Stay with me on this.
He's just remarkable. With that said, I know every man of God is... but Stephen Tong is just a something else. Reading that short article, the saying; "great minds simplify, small minds amplify" sounds more and more real to me. It's like he said everything that I would like to say to people (and by "everything" you can estimate quantification of 3-5 pages long) in less than three paragraphs. Well of course there are many aspects that I can cover and elaborate more on the subject in those 5 pages that I intend to write, but the bottom line and the whole spirit is there already... written down in three paragraphs.
And that bottom line is this: we are at war. You may not like the sound of it. The imagery and nuance that surrounds the word "war" itself arouses uneasiness inside of us. To some it resurrects painful memories of the past. To others it heats their head and fuels their heart that flames against injustice and inhumanity.
Now hold on just now. This is meant to be a draft... or to be more precise; a prelude to the real piece.
So I'll be short and concise. I'll close this blog with a bagful of questions that, I hope, will guide your mind to think deeper and harder about this issue.
- are we REALLY at war?
- what kind of war?
- is it our war?
- if not then whose? if yes, then why have we lived all our lives not realizing we're in one?
- when has this war started? how long has it been going on?
- is there any sign of when it will stop?
- why the war anyway? what or who caused it?
- what do we have to do in this war?
...And so much more.
I will not pretend I know all the answers. That's why I would like to elaborate the questions, search and learn the answers, to dig deep, and contemplate on what they really mean to our lives.
Stay with me on this.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?
I couldn't stop humming this song on the way to work today. And even in the midst of the busy-ness of office work today, it stays inside my head. I just have to put it here in the blog.
You can get the MIDI and NWC score of this beautiful african-american spiritual song here
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
...
I've just finished "The Transforming Vision" and was really enlightened by it. More than just enlightening however, the book also gave me a renewed sense of purpose, and the impetus that I need to aspire to greater heights of pursuit of happiness in the Lord.
It was all very good, but the three months I've spent basking myself in all this worldview readings has left me a bit "dry" and "thirsting" - so to speak. And it's not because of the book, no not at all, but it's because of my horrible time management. My daily bible reading was neglected, and no more time to pick my guitar and sing hymns for my soul's hunger. I was going lower and lower but it felt like it all was inevitable.
Yet the Heavenly Father has noticed my 'pitiful estate' and gave me what I desire the most: He turned my eyes back to His Son, my King, my Savior, and his love for me that is poured out on the cross.
It took my breath away, and at the same time all the downcastedness of my heart. Now not only am I renewed in understanding, I am also rejuvenated in the spirit.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? If not, come then, bring your heart and come to Golgotha, and witness the cross. Let your heart see the vision of Him crucified, and let the blood that flowed from His pierced hands and side wash your heart anew.
When was the last time you tremble...
tremble...
tremble?
Let it be for Christ and His love on the cross.
You can get the MIDI and NWC score of this beautiful african-american spiritual song here
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
...
I've just finished "The Transforming Vision" and was really enlightened by it. More than just enlightening however, the book also gave me a renewed sense of purpose, and the impetus that I need to aspire to greater heights of pursuit of happiness in the Lord.
It was all very good, but the three months I've spent basking myself in all this worldview readings has left me a bit "dry" and "thirsting" - so to speak. And it's not because of the book, no not at all, but it's because of my horrible time management. My daily bible reading was neglected, and no more time to pick my guitar and sing hymns for my soul's hunger. I was going lower and lower but it felt like it all was inevitable.
Yet the Heavenly Father has noticed my 'pitiful estate' and gave me what I desire the most: He turned my eyes back to His Son, my King, my Savior, and his love for me that is poured out on the cross.
It took my breath away, and at the same time all the downcastedness of my heart. Now not only am I renewed in understanding, I am also rejuvenated in the spirit.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? If not, come then, bring your heart and come to Golgotha, and witness the cross. Let your heart see the vision of Him crucified, and let the blood that flowed from His pierced hands and side wash your heart anew.
When was the last time you tremble...
tremble...
tremble?
Let it be for Christ and His love on the cross.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The "Yes and No" game
"Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?" - 1 Corinthians 6:7 (New King James Version)
Just yesterday during our cell group meeting, I remember of a small "game" - or an activity to be more exact - that I played back in Indonesia. It was during a fellowship retreat, and the person who led us in that game is our then youth advisor.
In that game, we were divided to three groups; A, B, and C. Afterwards, we were told that we are going to play a game of economics. It was not an interesting subject at that time for me personally but since she (our advisor) had never disappointed us in anything, we just dug in and played.
The rules are not too complex: Each group is given 10 turns. In every turn, they are given an opportunity to "negotiate" with the other two groups separately. That means two opportunities per turn. What do they need the "negotiation" for? To get a share of the total pool of money available (let's say the sum is $100,000). How do they get the share? by committing to response either "Yes" or "No". What does this has to do with getting money? Now there's the twist of the game.
At the end of every turn, the "referee" (or judge) will then ask each group for their committed response. They will then have to answer "Yes" or "No". One thing to note is that whatever the result of the negotiation was, it doesn't matter. What matters is what the groups say to the referee at the end of that turn. The answers relate directly with the amount of money earned.
Here's the combination (we'll use just A and B for illustration purposes):
1. If both A and B says "Yes", then both A and B gets $1000
2. If A says "Yes" and B says "No", then A gets $3300 while B gets none
3. If A says "No" and B says "Yes", then B gets $3300 while A gets none
4. If both A and B says "No", then both A and B gets $500
Easy isn't it? The winner is the one who collects the most amount of money after the tenth turn. And they can do so by whatever method of persuasion they choose.
It's a fun game. Try it. And you'll soon see how sly and tricky and selfish people can be. Even towards their own brothers and sisters.
"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." - Philippians 2:4 (New King James Version)
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Christian community - Our worldly fortress
Some of you may have known hove much I am enlightened, encouraged, and motivated by this book that I have been reading over the course of three months or so, namely: "The Transforming Vision" by Brian J. Walsh & J. Richard Middleton. I've now reached the last two chapters of this truly blessed book that contains such comprehensive biblical analysis on the world's modern worldview.
Just at the end of Chapter 10, "A Christian Cultural Response", I read something that truly demands our attention.
Cultural anxiety easily gives way to a sense of powerlessness. Convinced that the idolatrous forces of destruction are living an independent life of their own, we stand immobilized, watching our world view fall apart. It seems we can do nothing.
"How can I, one junior executive, begin to apply this Christian cultural vision in the multinational corporation for which I work?"
A doctor says, "I know that patients are treated as objects because the medical establishment has made gods out of the scientific method and technological efficiency. But what can I, one lonely Christian general practitioner, do?"
The answer? Nothing! By yourself you can do nothing in the kingdom of God. Just as our renewal in the image of God is communal, so our task of implementing a Christian cultural vision is communal. John Francis Kavanaugh has said that a Christian,
"in the face of our culture's dwarfing and isolating the individual, must turn to a community of shared life-experience which fosters committed faith and enables the individual to criticize and challenge the programming of the culture. The most effective means by which both goals are achieved is in a communally shared Christian life."
We need community not only because the problems are so big but because we are the body of Christ. We experience our individuality primarily in terms of our unique contribution to the body...
and finally, this paragraph ends the chapter:
What makes the Christian community Christian is its worship. A radical community, it subverts the dominant culture because it worships, serves and prays to a different God. Its worship sets the pattern for its whole life. Rather than being conformed to the world, it is a community being transformed by the renewing of its communal mind - its world view. Consequently its worship is not relegated to just liturgical activities, but it gives its whole life to God as a sacrificial offering (this is the point of Romans 12:1-2). Herein is the essence of a Christian cultural witness in a society in decline.
Brothers, how important is it to have a church for you to be in and to serve together as a community?
Well... I guess it's the same as to how important a fold is to a little lamb, or even more, how important a company is to a soldier. "Important" won't cut it any longer. Only "crucial" will do.
“The community is God's means of empowering people.”
And who, pray tell, can that "people" be?
Us.
Just at the end of Chapter 10, "A Christian Cultural Response", I read something that truly demands our attention.
Cultural anxiety easily gives way to a sense of powerlessness. Convinced that the idolatrous forces of destruction are living an independent life of their own, we stand immobilized, watching our world view fall apart. It seems we can do nothing.
"How can I, one junior executive, begin to apply this Christian cultural vision in the multinational corporation for which I work?"
A doctor says, "I know that patients are treated as objects because the medical establishment has made gods out of the scientific method and technological efficiency. But what can I, one lonely Christian general practitioner, do?"
The answer? Nothing! By yourself you can do nothing in the kingdom of God. Just as our renewal in the image of God is communal, so our task of implementing a Christian cultural vision is communal. John Francis Kavanaugh has said that a Christian,
"in the face of our culture's dwarfing and isolating the individual, must turn to a community of shared life-experience which fosters committed faith and enables the individual to criticize and challenge the programming of the culture. The most effective means by which both goals are achieved is in a communally shared Christian life."
We need community not only because the problems are so big but because we are the body of Christ. We experience our individuality primarily in terms of our unique contribution to the body...
and finally, this paragraph ends the chapter:
What makes the Christian community Christian is its worship. A radical community, it subverts the dominant culture because it worships, serves and prays to a different God. Its worship sets the pattern for its whole life. Rather than being conformed to the world, it is a community being transformed by the renewing of its communal mind - its world view. Consequently its worship is not relegated to just liturgical activities, but it gives its whole life to God as a sacrificial offering (this is the point of Romans 12:1-2). Herein is the essence of a Christian cultural witness in a society in decline.
Brothers, how important is it to have a church for you to be in and to serve together as a community?
Well... I guess it's the same as to how important a fold is to a little lamb, or even more, how important a company is to a soldier. "Important" won't cut it any longer. Only "crucial" will do.
“The community is God's means of empowering people.”
And who, pray tell, can that "people" be?
Us.
Another day to seize
It has been a week since I last posted. I am having a bit of a "paradigm shift" with this entire blogging thing...
Why? well, you see, after I really put some thought in it, I realized that -unconsciously- my image of a "blog" actually resembles an "essay" that are, naturally, supposed to be well-thought and well-presented... and hence my concept of "blogging" is practically the same with "essay writing" - which I won't have time to do not only due to lack of personal bandwith but also lack of knowledge and literature skills.
Consequently, some of you would then *naturally* ask why I actually had one setup in the first place, right? Answer is: I don't know. It's one of those things that struck you as "good and serviceable" and then you would impulsively just do it. Setting up a blog so that people may read and be aroused by the many crazy ideas popping in my head. Hah.
That is really the pits. That's my dead end. After my common sense hit me, now I'm left with a project that cannot continue since I am the lone owner and manager, and I myself has acknowledged that I cannot sustain it.
As with every story in history though, fortunately someone told me this: "just write. Make it a habit. Jot down every thing that pops in your head as soon as you have the chance to. Don't delay. Don't worry too much for being incorrect or inaccurate in your discernment for the Lord will bestow His wisdom upon You over time, in His own good time. Don't worry too much about your writing presentation skills; you'll get it better over time. Practice makes perfect."
Bottom line is: just do it. The Holy Spirit arouses us to do His bidding every day. But we do need to respond in obedience, with self-sacrificing spirit, and with consistency. And I know that if I do, then Jesus' promise of a "full and abundant" life will truly be felt - fully and abundantly.
And so that's my prison break! No longer do I need to be held back by my unhelpful preconceptions! From now on, I am going to write write write (or type type type, for that matter) and write whatever comes to mind.
Seize the day! - for today is only today ;)
Why? well, you see, after I really put some thought in it, I realized that -unconsciously- my image of a "blog" actually resembles an "essay" that are, naturally, supposed to be well-thought and well-presented... and hence my concept of "blogging" is practically the same with "essay writing" - which I won't have time to do not only due to lack of personal bandwith but also lack of knowledge and literature skills.
Consequently, some of you would then *naturally* ask why I actually had one setup in the first place, right? Answer is: I don't know. It's one of those things that struck you as "good and serviceable" and then you would impulsively just do it. Setting up a blog so that people may read and be aroused by the many crazy ideas popping in my head. Hah.
That is really the pits. That's my dead end. After my common sense hit me, now I'm left with a project that cannot continue since I am the lone owner and manager, and I myself has acknowledged that I cannot sustain it.
As with every story in history though, fortunately someone told me this: "just write. Make it a habit. Jot down every thing that pops in your head as soon as you have the chance to. Don't delay. Don't worry too much for being incorrect or inaccurate in your discernment for the Lord will bestow His wisdom upon You over time, in His own good time. Don't worry too much about your writing presentation skills; you'll get it better over time. Practice makes perfect."
Bottom line is: just do it. The Holy Spirit arouses us to do His bidding every day. But we do need to respond in obedience, with self-sacrificing spirit, and with consistency. And I know that if I do, then Jesus' promise of a "full and abundant" life will truly be felt - fully and abundantly.
And so that's my prison break! No longer do I need to be held back by my unhelpful preconceptions! From now on, I am going to write write write (or type type type, for that matter) and write whatever comes to mind.
Seize the day! - for today is only today ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
