For up till now we have been tackling the whole question in the wrong way and on the wrong level. The very question “Does prayer work?” puts us in the wrong frame of mind from the outset. “Work”: as if it were magic, or a machine – something that functions automatically. Prayer is either a sheer illusion or a personal contact between embryonic, incomplete persons (ourselves) and the utterly concrete Person. Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine. In it God shows Himself to us. That He answers prayers is a corollary – not necessarily the most important one – from that revelation. What He does is learned from what He is. -C.S. Lewis, taken from The World’s Last Night
the side of my house...the back of my car...the face of nostalgia
But do not forget this. At first it is natural for a baby to take its mother's milk without knowing its mother. It is equally natural for us to see the man who helps us without seeing Christ behind him. But we must not remain babies. We must go on to recognise the real Giver. It is madness not to. Because, if we do not, we shall be relying on human beings. And that is going to let us down. The best of them will make mistakes, all of them will die. We must be thankful to all the people who have helped us, we must honour them and love them. But never, never pin your whole faith on any human being: not if he is the best and wisest in the whole world. There are lots of nice things you can do with sand; but do not try building a house on it. -C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth forever: Psalm 146:3-6
Just some food for thought lest any of you out there would seem to have dropped your gaze from God to man when it comes to weighty and eternal matters of the soul.
In my conclusion, I'd like to say this: you graduates, indeed all of us, are growing, questioning life, and concerned over the future. The battle between good and evil, right and wrong, wise and unwise is not waged in the natural world, not in the situations we experience everyday, per se. Rather, the war for your eternal destiny lies within your heart, mind, and soul. For those who have obeyed Jesus, the battle is already won! It is important to love Jesus with every area of your life. As a painter who stands before a blank canvas creates whatsoever his heart and brush tell him, so too must you and the Lord paint the story of your life on the canvas of your heart. Go into your secret chamber of your heart, paint brush in hand and let God show you what colors to choose, what lines to make. Be not afraid of what others think of your rough draft. God will continually work with and in you. As you move into adulthood, take on jobs, families, remember who it is who gave you life, purpose, meaning. Forget not the simple things in life. Find God everyday: in the rising sun, in the cleansing rain, in the breeze that cradles the tree leaf. Transform your mind and heart to be sensitive to the spirit of God. As you decrease, Jesus will increase in your life and thus a beautiful picture painting will emerge. And on that day when we all stand before our most faithful and loving creator, the Lord Jesus, He will open the book of life and find an extraordinary picture of a beautiful, strong tree that symbolizes your life. And He will say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant." -Graduates speech written by db, copyright 2000
Where do your roots lie? At the end of all things it will be only you and God standing face to face. What picture will He see in the Book of Life on that day? A portrait born of your own hand? Will you cringe on that day when He shows you the picture that could have been? Will you weep at the gate of the place where just beyond tears will be known no more? Which choice in your life now stands in competition to the victory, the eternity, the magnificent wonder and promise of immortality with He who gave His life for yours?
Or...
Will there be a mutual smile on your face and His when all the painful sorrows, the shed tears, the seasons of turmoil and trama reveal themselves as the varied colors resident on the symbolic canvas of your life that God will present to you on that day? Will you today push aside all that you think you know, all that you thought you knew, and pursue Him who pursues you daily? Him who has you as the apple of His eye? Him who will never, ever, ever give up on you?
Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is only in the Law of Jehovah; and in His Law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivulets of water that brings forth its fruit in its seasons, and its leaf shall not wither, and all which he does shall be blessed. (Psalm 1:1-3)
Saturday, September 09, 2006
A note written to me on a piece of crumpled up notebook paper from one of the children in our kids church:
"Do not walk ahead of me, I may not know the way to follow... Do now walk behind me, I may not know the way to lead... Just walk with me...AS FRIENDS FOREVER."
(In the lower left corner I see a hand drawn picture of what I think to be a car with a headband and a smile.)
Put right out of your head the idea that these are only fancy ways of saying that Christians are to read what Christ said and try to carry it out as a man may read what Plato and Marx said and try to carry it out. They mean something much more than that. They mean that a real Person, Christ, here and now, in that very room where you are saying your prayers, is doing things to you. It is not a question of a good man who died two thousand years ago. It is a living Man, still as much a man as you, and still as much God as He was when He created the world, really coming and interfering with your very self; killing the old natural self in you and replacing it with the kind of self He has. At first, only for moments. Then for longer periods. Finally, if all goes well, turning you permanently into a different sort of thing; into a new little Christ, a being which, in its own small way, has the same kind of life as God; which shares in His power, joy, knowledge, and eternity.
-C.S. Lewis, "Let's Pretend", from Mere Christianity
Something is very wrong here. One cannot tell if she thinks the jelly looks good to eat...or the hands. This child is never coming to my house to play with my kids.
I was Poopsie Liverface and proud of it! How can you be an elementary school teacher surrounded by 6~11 year olds all day and not get kooked-out? Below is one of the many lessons I (the student) learned from my teachers (my students). Find your name and share....IF YOU DARE. Muhahaha...
Ok, here's how it works:
Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = poopsie b = lumpy c = buttercup d = gadget e = crusty f = greasy g = fluffy h = cheeseball i = chim-chim j = stinky k = flunky l = boobie m = pinky n = zippy o = goober p = doofus q = slimy r = loopy s = snotty t = tootie u = dorkey v = squeezit w = oprah x = skipper y = dinky z = zsa-zsa
Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:
a = apple b = toilet c = giggle d = burger e = girdle f = barf g = lizard h = waffle i = cootie j = monkey k = potty l = liver m = banana n = rhino o = bubble p = hamster q = toad r = gizzard s = pizza t = gerbil u = chicken v = pickle w = chuckle x = tofu y = gorilla z = stinker
Use the fourth letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = head b = mouth c = face d = nose e = tush f = breath g = pants h = shorts i = lips j = honker k = butt l = brain m = tushie n = chunks o = hiney p = biscuits q = toes r = buns s = fanny t = sniffer u = sprinkles v = kisser w = squirt x = humperdinck y = brains z = juice
We were shameless in Room 108 (my first homeroom class)! We were silly at times, and we knew it. Lots of laughs kept our hearts light, but plenty of love kept our feet on the ground.
*sniff*....My second ever edited video from the same Deep Calleth Deep conference in 2003. A wee bit longer with many more cuts. Boy, I was on a roll. :-)
The Holy Spirit continues to work, even today. Unbeknownst to many, the book of Acts is the only book of the bible that doesn't have an ending. Chew on that.
So my mother and I were watching the extended version of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King the other night. (She's so cool...watching one of my favorite movies of all time with me mums...haha!)
Majestic dialogue, fantastic imagery, and eternal themes of honor, courage, friendship, sacrifice, endurance, and the age old battle between good and evil all play out with vivid music and color in Mr. Jackson's 9 hour (*phew*) masterpiece. Although I am partial to fight scenes and war-themed films, one of my favorite (if not my favorite) scenes in Return of the King is after Frodo and Sam finally destroy the ring and have, not by choice but rather by circumstantial default, resigned themselves to death upon a lonely rock on the sides of volcanic Mordor. Surrounded by lava which, by their judgment would soon engulf them, they talk of the Shire and life before their terrific journey to do battle against the forces of evil. Their task now completed, they close their eyes and, major thumbs up to Peter Jackson(!), the scene fades to a black screen for about 6 seconds...very, very long and unsettling for the viewers. Then it fades back in to the same rock surrounded by lava with Frodo and Sam laid out on the rock. Off to the right out of bursting white clouds eagles fly in to rescue them with Gandalf riding one. They gently pick up the unaware Frodo and Sam and bring them to safety elsewhere. It is a satisfying scene, one of hope and faith that when a person has done all they know, with all the power they know, in the end they will survive even if not by their own will or power.
My heart leapt at that scene! How like we, the people of God, ought to have the courage and faith of these two little dudes on the side of a blown up volcano! Before they reached Mordor they, especially Sam, were certain they'd return home in a flash. But reaching the outer plains of that most wicked place they saw themselves walking to certain death. They still journeyed forward in spite of all the odds against them. (Deut 31:6) They had no idea of the struggles, the battles, the tears, and the overwhelming hopes that everyone else on the outside had for them. (1 Peter 5:9) It was pure faith and hope that kept both Frodo and Sam going and their friends (all the other good guys and gals in the movie) fighting. It was all for the same cause: to eliminate evil from the world.
The point here is simple: when all had been said and done and Frodo and Sam were on the brink of death, salvation came. They were borne on the "...wings of eagles..." (Isaiah 40:31) out of harms way. Had they given up, had they retreated in fear, had they wallowed in defeated thoughts and frustration I dare say they would have died before they ever reached the inside of Mordor. All would have been lost.
We must have the same fight in us, the same tenacity about our salvation, the same hope that in the end good will triumph over evil. Sam and Frodo had, at the last, given up their lives to the hot lava flowing around them. Yet they gave their all because of the cause they believed in. We have a greater cause: the redemption of mankind. (2 Corinth 5:18) We know the ending of our story....sweet and eternal victory! (Rev 22:12-14) How dare we even think to give in, to let go, to compromise, to entertain weak imaginations!
Alas, we, being human, do so, and this I personally know right well. :-( We may find ourselves many a day on the side of a volcano surrounded by situations so pressured that our daily lives become the great Struggle with moments of Freedom. (Psalm 69:1-3) We may find ourselves closing our eyes as the circumstances, the people, as our minds hem in on us. "I've done all I know to do, Lord. Oh Jesus, I can no more endure this! My heart and strength have fallen below where I cannot see. I shall lie here and wait for an end to come." But it isn't over. When a child of God does the work of their eternal Father, our Lord Jesus, the story is never over when we think. Nay, it is just beginning. (Gal 6:9) Do not lose heart! Do not give up! Do not stay your sword within your bosom! Take courage! Take hold of faith! Never, ever give up! Keep wielding your sword (the Word of God) with relentless fervor! Speak out the Word full of faith! Pray! Believe Jesus' words and promises for your life and the lives of those dear to you...and even those not dear! Become the change which you desire to see in the world! Become the sacrificial offering fit for the Master's use. Become that which you already are in the bosom of Christ....a fearless warrior prince or princess bound eternally to a fate of glorious habitation and reign in heaven with the only true God of this universe: Jesus Christ. Believe it...live it.
Fight for your King and Kinsman-redeemer who, through suffering, learned obedience and thus gained eternal victory for we, His children! (Hebrews 5:8) Fight for your family who presently may turn aside to false persuasions, but, as you rejoice in faith for their redemption, will soon see the light of Christ! (Matthew 5:16) Fight for your brothers and sisters in the Lord who, while they may not know your struggles as you journey to your "Mordor" play their much needed role as the body of Christ in this great battle that is called Life! (1 Corinth 12:12-27) Fight for your own soul which to this world may be as a vapor and passing folly, but Jesus is more precious than His own life! (John 3:16)
This war rally by Aragorn brought me to tears when I re-read it word for word:
"Hold your ground, hold your ground. Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"
Re-written and re-morphed by db ;-)
"Hold your ground, hold your ground. Sons and daughters of the Most High God, of the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world, my family. I see in your eyes the same fear that indeed takes the heart of me at times. A day may come when our courage fails, when we forsake our faith in the goodness of our Redeemer and follow our own devices, but it is not this day. A day may come when with furrowed eyebrows we wonder if God really cares of the very hairs of our head, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and forgotten dreams, of far off visions and cold love. A moment of ease in this battle of destiny, when our very breath of praise runs dry and our eyes dim in the grip of doubt, but it is not this day....
...THIS DAY WE FIGHT." And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. -Jesus (Luke 9:23) He fought and won. Let us follow in His footsteps. We cannot lose. The gates of hell will in no wise prevail against us. Fight, I say, fight!
Not the Lady of Perelandra, just a cool pic I found
The Lady of Perelandra is a depiction of another Eve on another planet in another creation story that parallels the biblical account of our own Eve, planet, and creation story. She, in C.S. Lewis’ mind, is the epitome of innocence, all that was before self-centeredness and willful disobedience molded our present world. That is all I will say about this most wonderful story I am in the midst of reading now lest I spoil it for those who dare tread its pages. A good read it is…C.S. Lewis is a wonderful theologian.
Some of her responses to the main character, Ransom, when he lands on “her” world, are to die for. Here we see a fallen, experienced human being talking with a woman – the Mother of the planet God (Maledil) has made – yet untouched by anything but the Good Lord’s goodness, love, and providence. That which was to be, in the plan of God talking with that which became, in the plan of man. Some of her conversations with him and another character, the Lord’s antithesis, Satan himself who also finds his way into “her” world, are very, very good. Excerpts:
EXCERPT #1: The Lady and Ransom (Piebald) “Perhaps my world is wrong about this,” said Ransom rather feebly, for he was dismayed at what he had done. “It is not so,” said she. “Maledil Himself has told me now. And it could not be so, if your world has no floating lands. But He is not telling me why He has forbidden it to us.” “There’s probably some good reason,” began Ransom, when he was interrupted by her sudden laughter. “Oh, Piebald, Piebald,” she said, still laughing. “How often the people of your race speak!” “I’m sorry,” said Ransom, a little put out. “What are you sorry for?” “I am sorry if you think I talk too much.” “Too much? How can I tell what would be too much for you to talk?”“In our world when they say a man talks much they mean they wish him to be silent.” “If that is what they mean, why do they not say it?” “What made you laugh?” asked Ransom, finding her question too hard. “I laughed, Piebald, because you were wondering, as I was, about this law which Maledil has made for one world and not for another. And you had nothing to say about it and yet made the nothing up into words.”
How often I do that…
EXCERPT #2: The Lady and Weston, presently inhabited by Satan (see Genesis 3:1-5 for parallels) “I am wondering,” said the woman’s voice, “whether all the people of your world have the habit of talking about the same thing more than once. I have said already that we are forbidden to dwell on the Fixed Land. Why do you not either talk of something else or stop talking?” “Because this forbidding is such a strange one,” said the Man’s (Weston’s) voice. “And so unlike the ways of Maledil in my world. And He has not forbidden you to think about dwelling on the Fixed land.” “That would be a strange thing – to think about what will never happen….this goes beyond all. Stepping out of what is into what might be and talking and making things out there…alongside the world.” …. “It is not from the making a story that I shrink back, O stranger, “she answered, “but from this one story that you have put into my head. I can make myself stories about my children of the King. I can make it that the fish fly and the land beasts swim. But if I try to make the story about living on the Fixed Island [which is forbidden by Maledil] I do not know how to make it about Maledil. For if I make it that He has changed His command, that will not go. And if I make it that we are living there against His command, that is like making the sky black and the water so that we cannot drink it and the air so that we cannot breathe it. But also, I do no see what is the pleasure of trying to make these things.” “To make you wiser, older,” said Weston’s body. “Do you know for certain that it will do that?” she asked. “Yes, for certain,” it replied. “That is how the women of my world have become so great and so beautiful.” “Do not listen to him,” broke in Ransom; “send him away. Do not hear what he says, do not think of it.” ----------------------------- One wonders if the Eve of our world had heeded those wise words of Ransom whether or not things would be different in our world today. Alas, such speculation is vain and pointless.
Would to God we all could heed those words. Therein lay our victory over our age old enemy.
For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, pulling down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ; and having readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. (2Co 10:4-6)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Jam 4:7)
A picture I took in St. Louis, Missouri (during a PAW convention) with a little point-n-shoot when I was...oh, about 14 years old. I think this is the photo that started my love for photography cause it's exactly how I remembered it...both in eye and in heart.
I love quotes. But it is good to run across some quotes with the context surrounding the creation of the quote itself. Some of my favorites follow.
"This isn't right, this isn't even wrong." - Wolfgang Pauli, upon reading a young physicist's paper
"We're going to turn this team around 360 degrees." -Jason Kidd, upon his drafting to the Dallas Mavericks (I'm sure they loved his strategy)
"Ask her to wait a moment - I am almost done." - Carl Friedrich Gauss, while working when informed his wife was dying
"I don't feel good." - The last words of Luther Burbank (great lasts words for anyone I'd say...)
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1953
I saved him from being crushed by two big double decker buses a couple of weeks ago while on the way to school early one morning. Running out into the road, I stopped the buses and grabbed the little guy.
Near my school there is a small complex of houses. I decided to put him way back...far from the road. I left him there. On my way back to the school I kept regretting that decision.
After school I went out to look for him. Gone.
If I ever see him again stray on the road again, he's mine. There are few moments in life where one gets a chance to do something out of the ordinary...to make snap decisions without thinking. I think I thought too much about this one. Next time, no thinking...action.
A dog I must have one day. I grew up with one for about 12 years...that's a long time for a dog.
I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him. –Napoleon
Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of school, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times. –Philip Schaff
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the Child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His Divine manhood. While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a Cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying—and that was His coat. When He was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Such was His human life—He rises from the dead. Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the Centerpiece of the human race and the Leader of the column of progress. I am within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life. --James C. Hefley
Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God. Buddha simply said, "I am a teacher in search of the truth." Jesus said, "I am the Truth." Confucius said, "I never claimed to be holy." Jesus said, "Who convicts me of sin?" Mohammed said, "Unless God throws his cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope." Jesus said, "Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins." --Unknown
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.--C.S. Lewis
How was it that, even in the common tasks of an ordinary life, Jesus drew the praise of heaven? At the core of His being, He only did those things which pleased the Father. In everything, He stayed true, heartbeat to heartbeat, with the Father's desires. Jesus lived for God alone; God was enough for Him. Thus, even in its simplicity and moment-to-moment faithfulness, Christ's life was an unending fragrance, a perfect offering of incomparable love to God. --Francis Frangipane
I helped someone move from their old house to their new one today. Working with my hands. Nothing complicated about it...here to there. Simple. There was a task, a group of people got the job done. Manual labor is a good thing...a very good thing. Clears the mind, works the body, ends with a "whew, a good day's work." Pencil pusher, I am not. Today's move was a welcome change of pace of life here...
I went home and did some work on my computer. Made a DVD for someone, emailed some peeps, cleaned me apartment up. Chatted with my sister for a while. She's dying to see me, and I her. But she retorted that because of the heat, cockroaches, and smells over here (of which I described to her in vivid language), she won't come. So she thinks...
Prayed for a while and learned that the name of God, which is Jesus, is only effective when we speak it out with the faith of the One whom the name represents. Speaking the name of Jesus over a situation does nothing if we think of it as a "magic" formula. Rather, we must know that when we invoke the name of the LORD, His presence is there immediately. But only if we act in faith and obedience.
Played an old Debussy song on my keyboard. My favorite one. Was lost for a moment there...forgot I was here. My fingers remembered the keys. Must practice more...
Finally watched an episode of the Cosby Show...my family's favorite family. I've forgotten what used to make me laugh...and still does. Watching the show, I heard the chuckle of my uncle, the smile of my cousins and aunt, the frowns and warmth of my mom and dad and sis, the many idiosyncrasies of black culture that I long to hold on to and not forget, the way "we" are. "Have I lost my identity, my culture, my personality all these years I've been away from home?" I questioned after the episode ended. Indeed, it's been a long time....a long time indeed to hear and see those who I can identify with. *sigh*....alas, they are behind a glass wall doomed to imagination once I click the "STOP" button. haha...
Today...I felt like myself again. It's been a long time.
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his lifefor my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. (Mar 8:34-35)
...I'm still trying to figure the full meaning of these verses. Is losing one's identity in this world full of different cultures, mindsets, lifestyles, traditions, etc. included? hmmm...inquiring minds want to know.
The other day, this woman met me on my elevator while we were both going to work. She was frantic! "Too busy, ah...so much to do. Singapore life very busy, ah. Everyone multitasking must do...too busy." (a short moment of silence ensues as our elevator goes from floor 6 to 1. She is carrying many bags, dressed very business like, but sweating and had eyes darting all over. We reach the bottom.) "The economy is very big now, so what to do except multitask? Very busy...to much to do." (the elevator opens and she rushes out) "bye bye!" I tried at every sentence to say, "Well, I suppose we all need to find that inner peace when going through our day." I never got a chance to finish my sentence. I tried about 7 times...7. Every single time she interrupted with how busy, stressful, and tired life is in Singapore now.
It's not the first time someone has expressed these things in my presence. I refuse to allow my life to become so stressful, busy, and whatever like that. I'm beginning to understand why people in Singapore say, "Relax, relax" so much. I've never heard that word used like this in my life! There was a little boy about to come on an elevator today and the doors began to close. He was about to get hit by it, so I let out a yelp and quickly blocked the door saying, "whoa, whoa! Come on little guy!" I couldn't believe it: his parents and some other people in the elevator told me to relax. I was like, "Relax?? I'm the one safe in the elevator, your kid was about to get crushed and you tell ME to relax? Ok, next time i'll let the doors slam on him and we'll see who's relaxed." ( I literally spoke those words as I was so taken aback at their reaction to me!) Somehow, I get the feeling that the usage of that word has different connotations over here than other places. Americans don't use it in this way, I never heard the word used in Japan like this. Well, I suppose Osim is doing their best. (btw, Osim is a company that makes Starship Enterprise looking massage chairs. They are awesome...a fellow bro and I sat in one for about 15mins a couple of weeks ago. $8000 sing dollars though. ahhh..)
I put my headphones on and walked towards my bus stop in the opposite direction. Inside my heart I wept for her. We weren't made for this kind of life...stress, fast-paced, busy, busy, busy, go, go, go...
Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. (Phi 4:6-7)
No rhyme or reason to this post. Just a time and season I suppose. (dude, that was supposed to rhyme...)
~ten points to whoever can guess whose eye this is~
On Friday May 16th, our pastor taught a bible study about waiting. It was a long time coming...
A few notes:
1. "It [waiting] may be the hardest thing we are called to do." How revolutionary in understanding! So many of us are caught up in our calling, our destiny in life. We pray, fast, and go to classes that help us find our shape. We experiment in ministry and service, both inside and outside the church to help groom our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. And so we should. But to say that we are called to wait is something none of us are comfortable hearing. In fact, it sounds almost contradictory in a way. "I'm calling upon you to sit there and wait," the soccer coach tells his youngest player as he sits on the bench watching the game. Game after game, week after week, this young man sits and waits and watches the other team members out there on the field playing the game he so loves. But his coach says...wait. He longs for the day when all the skills, training, and passion he has can be unleashed upon that pigskin! In his waiting he grows frustrated, torn between thoughts of bitterness at his coach, jealousy at his team members, and short-changed in life at all the years wasted. But one day, his coach says, "Now go and play." During the game he realizes that he's moving, passing, shooting, and reacting in ways he never dreamt of before. Why? Because while he was waiting he watched and studied every move of his team mates and the other teams so much that he had internalized it. Soon, he was the best player on the team. His coach knew what he was doing, the player (at first) didn't. So many times I myself am that player...waiting on the bench as it were. And while I'm not an impatient person, I do wonder at times what good am I doing just sitting on the bench? Is my coach mad at me? Have I done something wrong? Am I really called to be a soccer player? Why are my team mates "soaring" while I'm not even walking?! (or so it seems) Which brings me to another point of the lesson:
2. "It is a hard thing to be a walker when you are surrounded by eagles. But sometimes walking is the best we can offer God. WALKING COUNTS TOO. Keep walking, because what we wait for is not more important than what happens to us while we are waiting. Now it is just a matter of time.” Considering the plethora of experiences I’ve had in my life, it never ceases to amaze me that I feel like I know so very little about life itself. I suppose if I flew like the eagle from day one in the Lord I might quickly pass by the “stuffs” of life without much reflection or consideration or experimentation. I might crash, or bypass some elementary truth that produces great foundational strength, or I might aquire an attitude that says, “hmpf, you are beneath me [because I am soaring]…why should I come down to help you?” Yet I feel that because I have walked most of my way in the Lord I’ve had time to learn, to observe, to meditate, to be still…silent……to wait. However, it is this arrival of maturity in understanding the blessed assurance of “waiting on the Lord” coupled with the contradictory behavior to this truth that sometimes manifests itself in my life that is of extreme frustration! One knows to do right, one knows the lesson, the moral of the story, the wise thing to do…and yet one continues to do or act the opposite! “Well, God is faithful…I know this situation is working for my good and is a blessing,” the woman said. Yet in the next breath she is complaining or has a downcast countenance about her current position in life. Her confession and her actions our out of sync. She is waiting for things to get better, but she is not waiting well…
It’s like this: a duck is a duck is a duck. The duck knows it’s a duck. Everyone knows it’s a duck, but the duck says, “Cluck, cluck” [for those of you who are scratching your head…chickens say “cluck”, ducks say quack. Yes, kindergarten WAS helpful.] In other words, when the duck acts like a chicken, it isn’t acting according to what it was born to be. Hence frustration…both for the duck and for those around the duck.
I come to this conclusion based on sporadic life events that have shown this conclusion to be true….for me at least. When I would act, say, or react in a manner that was a weak manifestation of my character or personality – living in fear basically – then the people or situation around me would look at me with otherworldly eyes as if to say, “Dude…why are you acting like that? Get a grip! Be strong! The reason I’m reacting to you like someone who has no respect for you, like a child, like crazy, is because YOU are not living up to your full potential in this moment.” To put it another way with an example:
A son rebels against his father. The father can’t understand why. The son WANTS boundaries, WANTS rules, WANTS warnings, etc. The son fears the power of his own self-will and free choices…he knows that if left to himself the road to destruction will be swift and unmerciful. But alas! because the father is not fulfilling his role as father – because he is acting different, contrary, or weaker than his calling as that father figure – the son rebels. In truth, the son’s rebellion is a cry for help, but because the father cannot seem to pull things together, rebellion continues. Irritation and frustration on both sides.
Wow…I think I hit on like 3 or 4 things in that last one. *sigh*…so much to say, so little time…so little outlets… anyhoo :-)
Ok, at this point I’ve lost all 5 or 6 of the points I originally intended to write. Suffice it to say this: (the moral of the story kids)
The Lord Jesus loves us so much that He will keep us in the crucible of whatever situation will bring about His character in us. We must learn to wait with patient trust, confident humility, and unquenchable hope in our savior. Ahhh…but what is it we are to wait for? For different people it may be different things. But one thing is for sure, one thing we must all attain, one thing we must all strive for. We must wait until the reflection of our Lord’s image is formed within our lives. The ultimate destination of the Christian is Christ-likeness. It is Christ’s goal to renew our minds and lives until we are found to be as He originally intended: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (gen 1:27)
That’s what he wants folks. And it will take the waiting, the tears, the sweat, the adventure of faith, the labor of love, and the endurance of pursuing truth to get there.
I for one have traveled on this journey in pursuit of my God for a very long time. This I say to you: Do not walk behind me, I may lead you the wrong way. Do not walk in front of me, I may not follow. Walk beside me, and let us together follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life and wait with great expectant patience for Him to guide us along our life. See you at the finish line...
Singapore when feeling European...a little.
