May 31, 2012

  • Pilgrim's Progress bible study Pt 12: Meeting The Unaffected Ones

    19 years ago I gave a Bible study to a group of inmates that was based on the book "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.  Written in the 1600's, the book has been a helpful parable for many millions of Christians over time.  In working through this, I updated much of the King James English, concepts and even some of the characters --- because I wanted those I was studying with to understand not just the story, but the main point of what the Christian Life is like.  It's not always smiley faces, rose gardens, tea and crumpets.  Often, it's hard work, perilous temptations and doubts, and warfare.

    So here's the twelfth part of the study as I gave it --- 19 years ago.  Feel free to use this in your own group studies if you think it will help, just make sure you credit John Bunyan for the original story and me for removing the "Thee's", "Thou's" and "Wheretofore's".



    Part 1 Linked here --- Part 2     --- Part 3 --- Part 4 --- Part 5 --- Part 6 --- Part 7 --- Part 8 --- Part 9 --- Part 10 (Unfinished add on to the original story) --- Part 11 ---



    Narrator (Nar) --  As you may remember, I was telling of a dream concerning a man, named     Christian  (Chrs), and of his journey to rid himself of a heavy burden he had upon his heart.  I'd told of his leaving the City of Destruction for the Sheep Gate and of his difficulties along the way there.  I also told of his journey from there to the house of Interpreter and how he received counsel in the form of types and images, pictures and parables.  After seeing these things he left, bearing them upon his mind along the way, & soon how he'd come to the hill of the Cross.  Once there his burden was taken, his sins forgiven and a new life was given to him.  Shortly after this is where we begin.

    Now Christian went on his way, free from his burden and with a new-found joy in his heart.  On the other side of Mount Calvary he saw, a little off to the side, 3 men who were fast asleep and they were bound by chains on their ankles.  I perceived that these men's names were Simple, Sloth (Whose nickname was Sleepy) and Presumption.

    Christian, seeing these men here like this, went to them to see if by chance he might awaken them.  Once there he cried out ---

    Chrs -- You are like them that slept at the top of the rigging.  Beware, for the Dead Sea lies under you & it is a gulf that has no bottom.  (Proverbs 23:34)  Awake & come away, for if you are willing I will give you help with your chains.

    Nar  --  He also said

    Chrs  -- If our enemy, come comes and goes about like a roaring lion, should find you... you will most certainly become like prey to his teeth.  (1 Peter 5:8)

    Nar  --  With that they woke up, looked at him and said

    Simple --- I do not see any danger, what's to be afraid of?  (Proverbs 22:3)

    Sleepy --- I am still sleepy, leave me alone that I might rest.  (Proverbs 24:30-34)

    Presumption --- A man must stand on his own two feet, I need no help, for I can help myself.  (Psalm 49:13-15) (See Question #2)

    Nar  --  At that they all laid back down to sleep again.  Christian marveled that they could be so blind to their danger and chains, but seeing that they could not be reawakened, he presently went back on his way.

    While he went along the road, his mind kept thinking about those men and how they seemed so unaware of their situation.  It seemed to him very strange that though he offered help to them, they seemed to laugh at his kindness, both in regards to awakening them to their danger, and also as to offering to free them of their chains.  While he was thinking on these things, he saw two men come climbing over the retaining wall on the left hand side of the narrow way.  They, seeing him coming, waited until he had caught up to where they were & then ventured to travel with him.  I saw in my dream that the one man's name was Formalist and the other one's name was Hypocrisy.

    Chrs -- Gentlemen, where have you come from and where are you going?

    Formalist & Hypocrisy --- We were both born in the land of Vainglory and are going to gain praise for ourselves at Mount Zion.  (See Question #2)

    Chrs -- Why did you not come by the gate that stands at the beginning of the way?  Do you know that it is written that "He that does not come in by the sheep gate, but climbs up by some other way, this same man is a thief and a robber.  (John 10:1)

    Nar  --  Formalist and Hypocrisy both said that they Sheep Gate entrance was considered to far a journey by all their fellow countrymen.  Further, they added, it was the usual habit to make a short cut of it & just climb over the wall. 

    Chrs -- But will this not be seen as a sin against the Lord of the city for which we are going to?  Is this not in violation of His plainly revealed will?

    Nar  --  Formalist & Hypocrisy then said that, as for those points, He did not need to bother himself over them.  It was a usual custom, said they, of their townspeople, dating back thousands of years to take this shortcut.  They also said, they could produce the witness of hundreds of thousands who had gone this way before them.

    Chrs -- But will your custom stand the trial of law?

    Nar  --   Formalist & Hypocrisy replied that, the custom, being so observed by so many for so long, would doubtless be considered as a legal way by any impartial judge.  Besides, they said, so long as we just get into the way, what does it matter how we got there?  If we are in, we are in (Acts 8:13, 21-23).   You are of the way that came by the gate, we are of those that came by the wall, but are still here none-the-less.  How is your condition any better than our own?  (See Question #5)

    Chrs --  I walk by the rule of the Master and by the grace of His Son do I stand (Romans 5:2).  You walk by the crude imaginations of your own fancies and are counted as thieves already by the Lord of this way!  (John 10:8,10)  I doubt, therefore, that you will be found as men of truth when you arrive at the end.  Indeed, you came in without His direction and shall go by yourselves without His mercy.

    Nar  --    To this commentary they made only the remark that he should look to himself and his well being and they would look to their own..  I saw that as they continued, each man kept pretty much to himself without much talking, except at one point when they told Christian that as concerning to laws and the like, they were sure that they could keep them just as well as he could. 

    "Therefore", they said, "we do not see in any way wherein you differ from us, except in the way you are dressed, which we think was given to you by some of your neighbors.  Perhaps to hide the shame of your nakedness."

    Chrs -- By observing the Law you shall not be justified, since you did not come in by the gate.  (Galatians 2:16)   As for this coat that is on my back, it was given to me by the Lord of the Place where we are going for the very reasons as you stated.  I take it as a personal token of His kindness to me, for I had nothing but rags before.  I take comfort in knowing that surely, when I come to the gate of that city, the Lord will know me as one of His own since I have His coat upon my back, a coat that He, Himself, gave me freely on the day when He stripped me of my old filthy rags.  I have as well, a mark on my forehead that perhaps you have not seen.  This was put there by one of the Lord's most intimate associates on the day when my burden was taken from me.

    I will tell you one more thing, I have been given a letter from Him to comfort myself with on my journey.  I was told to present it at the Celestial Gate as proof that I may indeed enter.  I doubt, very strongly, that you have these things seeing as you came in by the shortcut and I likewise doubt that you shall enter into that place without them.  I would counsel you to turn back (Luke 15:18) and enter rightly lest you not attain this kingdom at all.

    Nar  --  Formalist & Hypocrisy just looked at him and laughed.  They said nothing more to him for they felt him to be nothing more than a religious fanatic.  They slowed their pace  and let Christian pull on ahead of them, not desiring his company.

    Christian, I saw, kept in the way, at times in sorrow for the 5 that he had now met and parted company with, and at other times in joy for the thought of his freedom from his burden.  I saw him, as well, reading often from the letter that one of the Shining ones had given him.  From it's words he took great comfort.

    About that time, Christian reached the foot of a steep hill, named difficulty, at the bottom of which ran a brook of clear water.  There was also at this same place two other roads, one to the left and the other to the right of the Narrow way.  These roads seemed to go around the hill, but the narrow one went straight up it.  Christian, then, sat down at the brook and refreshed himself a bit before continuing on up the Hill.  (Isaiah 49:10; Psalm 23:2-3)

    As He went up, he sang

    The Hill, though steep, I shall ascend
    the difficulty of it shall not be my end.
    for I know and see the way of life lies here,
    come, be joyful, Oh heart, do not faint or fear.  (Romans 3:3)
    Better, though difficult, the right way to go
    than wrong, though easy, where death is sown.  (Proverbs 14:12)

    Formalist & Hypocrisy, upon coming to the hill and seeing that it was quite steep, decided each to take one of the side roads, thinking that they both would meet on the other side of the hill.  As they each went forward, one to the right and one to the left, I noticed the names of these two roads.  The right side road's name was "Danger" and the one on the left was named "Death."  I saw them continue for a while and then saw that Death led straight to the pit of Hell and the road named Danger to a wide swath of mountains that were constantly enshrouded in darkness.  Both men died, each one on his own respective road, and were never heard from again.

    (1) Go back to Interpreter's House and look at the Portrait.  How is Christian now starting to imitate it?
    (2) Think about Presumptions statement.  What is wrong with it Scripturally?
    (3) Rethink through Formalist & Hypocrisy's first statement.  What is subtly wrong with it?
    (4) Quick -- give two verses off the top of your mind that describe "God's plainly revealed Will?   (John 3:16, 14:6; Romans 12:2; 2 Peter 3:9... just as a start...)
    (5) In speaking about "Customs and Traditions", who does Formalist and Hypocrisy sound like Scripturally?  What customs and traditions of men have you seen creep into the Church?  Discuss them.
    (6)  Name some "Difficulties" that you feel a Christian may face.  How does the Word of God respond to them?

  • Pilgrim's Progress bible study Pt 11: Christian at the Cross

    19 years ago I gave a Bible study to a group of inmates that was based on the book "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.  Written in the 1600's, the book has been a helpful parable for many millions of Christians over time.  In working through this, I updated much of the King James English, concepts and even some of the characters --- because I wanted those I was studying with to understand not just the story, but the main point of what the Christian Life is like.  It's not always smiley faces, rose gardens, tea and crumpets.  Often, it's hard work, perilous temptations and doubts, and warfare.

    So here's the eleventh part of the study as I gave it --- 19 years ago.  Feel free to use this in your own group studies if you think it will help, just make sure you credit John Bunyan for the original story and me for removing the "Thee's", "Thou's" and "Wheretofore's".



    Part 1 Linked here --- Part 2     --- Part 3 --- Part 4 --- Part 5 --- Part 6 --- Part 7 --- Part 8 --- Part 9 --- Part 10 (Unfinished add on to the original story) --- Part 12



    Narrator (Nar) --  As you recall I spoke of a dream concerning a man bound under a heavy burden in his heart who wanted to be released from it.   I also told you of his journey from the City of Destruction to the Sheep Gate and from there how he was told to seek counsel and rest at the House of The Interpreter     (Inter).  At the Interpreter's house Christian  (Chrs)  was shown many wonderful things in the form of types and images, pictures and parables.  After seeing these things and storing them upon his mind to dwell upon, he left to go onward.   This is where we begin.

    Now I saw in my dream that the highway on which Christian traveled was bounded on either side by a high retaining wall, and that the wall's name was "Salvation"  (Isaiah 26:1) up this way Christian went, then ran, but still burdened on his heart heavily.

    He kept running until he reached a hill named Calvary and at it's crest he beheld a cross & on the bottom of it's other side was an open grave or tomb.  I saw in my dream that as Christian came to the top of that hill, where the cross stood, his heavy burden was lifted from his heart.  Moreover it became like a heavy boulder & rolled down the hill & sealed up the tomb.  As I watched the stone was then rolled away and was no more.

    Then did Christian, with joy and heartfelt laughter, sing a merry & glad song.  It's words were

    He has given me rest by his sorrow   (Isaiah 53:3-4)
    & given me life by his death    (Romans 6:4; John 10:10)
    I have found new hope for tomorrow   (Romans 5:5, 8:24-25)
    may my praises flow as naturally as my breath.   (Hebrews 13:15)

    He stood for a while in wonder, for it was quite surprising to him that the sight of this cross should make his burden fall away.  (Matthew 11:28-30)  As he stood there, he cried, for he could not contain the tears that came to his eyes.  (Zech 12:10)   Nor could he hold in his heart the depth of love that stood before him.  (Ephesians 3:18-19)

    I saw then, in my dream, 3 men in shining robes come to him with greetings and the first did say: 

    "Peace with You!"  (Luke 2:9,14)

    and then added  "Your sins are forgiven."  (Mark 2:5)

    At this, the second took off the dirty clothing, torn and filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) that Christian had upon himself and gave him a new set of clothing, as white as snow and more precious than gold.  (Zech 3:4; Rev 3:5, 7:14; Isaiah 1:18; 1 Peter 1:7)

    The third then came forward, set a mark on his forehead & gave him a rolled up letter that was sealed with a waxen seal. (Ephesians 1:13)  He told Christian to look at this when he went upon his way and that he should present it at the gate to the Celestial Kingdom. 

    With that being said they went on, and Christian, overjoyed, leapt into the air and sang

    This far did I come, burdened by sin,
    nothing could remove the guilt within
    Until I came here, Oh! what a place is this!
    That here would be the beginning of bliss!
    That here my burden would lift from my heart,
    That here the chains that bound my soul,
    would crack and break apart.
    O blessed Cross! O blessed Tomb!
    O blessed rather be,
    the man who there, bore the shame,
    that was surely meant for me!

    And with that Christian went on his way.  (John 8:11)

    Only one question for this chapter.

    Read Revelation 12:11, 1 Peter 3:15 & 1 Timothy 4:16.  Discuss with the group or think on your own --- what is your testimony?

May 30, 2012

  • If this was America...

    Can it really only have been 3 days ago?  I'm shocked beyond comprehension at the full speed of things here in Taiwan.  But I get ahead of myself.... let me back track.  What follows indented was my first experience with the Taiwan accident system. 

    3 years ago my first attempt to drive a scooter turned embarrassing when I managed to run into someone's car.  I didn't realize just how fast the handle you turn for gas would take me and..... pow.  A nice 2 foot scratch on someone's car door.

    The unfortunate part is it was at a gas station, Kai had just stopped for gas and decided to let me drive out of the station.  The car's owner was standing right there.  Total embarrassment.

    The fortunate part is that it only cost us $3000 NTD ($105 US) to cover... and Kai simply walked to an ATM with the car owner and paid him on the spot.

    Monday, after delivering Kai to school ---- and prophetically hear her warn me "Drive extra careful, it's raining and the road conditions aren't as easy as normal"  ---- I managed to lose track of a green light when it turned red and --- KA-POW!!!!  The time is now 7:30 AM.

    Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, the oncoming traffic pulled out on their now green light and as I tried hard to stop my car, it hydroplaned straight into a scooter at 30+ miles an hour.  I hit the poor guy so hard that I....

    • Knocked him off his scooter
    • he went flying through the air impacting my windshield
    • thus knocking one shoe right off his foot and sent that flying 20 feet
    • plowed his scooter under my car wheel... and...
    • dragged his scooter a full 10+ feet forward under nothing but momentum.

    When the guy hit the windshield was the worst moment for me.  I thought for sure I killed him.  The image of his helmeted face impacting my window stayed with me all day so that I constantly wanted to vomit from the anxiety of almost killing a man.  I mean I literally kept seeing his face hit my windshield in my mind over and over... and that image literally kept my nerves on edge all day to the point where I wanted to vomit.

    What follows are the pictures taken by my cellphone and my wife's cellphone.  After that, more detail on the whole incident.

         

    NOTE: There are more pictures in my Xanga photo album labeled Car Accident 5-28-2012.

    OK.   So first good break was that people from the school I attend and my wife teaches saw the accident.  One of them stopped immediately to help.   He was actually heading towards the school... so he pulled a U-turn and showed up almost as soon after I had gotten out of the car.  As I still can't speak Chinese very well, his being there was an act of God.  He talked to the cops, talked to the guy, talked to the guy's family when they got there (before the cops arrived His father, mother and brother all arrived on the scene).   He made sure things were kept civil and tried hard to calm me down.

    The Second break came when the cop arrived.  I ..... do.... NOT... have... an international Driver's License.  I simply have my Illinois state license.... which expires 5 days from now.  To legally drive in Taiwan I must have an International license.  The cop had never had to deal with a foreigner before... so he simply took my license and that was that.  No extra trouble caused by it not being what it legally should have been.

    The last break came when my wife arrived on the scene.  My wife has a great sense of humor and it's quite infectious.  Soon she had everyone laughing from the cop to the parents.  It helped break the tension considerably.  Until this point I had no clue what was going on.  People were asking me questions and ..... blank stare.  No comprehension. 

    This ties back to why the Chinese language is so difficult for me.  (A) It only has 401 basic sounds.  No more.  So there is a huge amount of repeated sounds for various words.  "Ma" can mean mother.  It can also mean horse.  It can also mean ride.  It can also mean lazy.  So Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma is a literal sentence saying "Mother rides the lazy horse."  (B) Chinese adds diversity to it's system by tonal inflection.  Meaning the above sentence has different tones: Rising, Falling, Flat, Short and falling then rising... quickly.   My problem... I don't hear tones, so everything sounds the same.  So my ability to listen to a conversation is horribly skewed.

    Any way... when my wife arrived I was finally able to figure out what was happening.  The only thing I had for comparison was American Jurisprudence (big word, means "Legal system") and from that.... I had more than ample reason to be scared.  An accident like this can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.... who out there doesn't know what I mean?

    Ok... that's where things were.  Here's where things are.

    The guy was taken by ambulance to the hospital to be checked up.  This happened before my wife arrived.  He limped to the ambulance... He wasn't able to move his left leg.  Since I hit him on his right side this was a mystery to everyone.  I think the final verdict here was that he dislocated his hip on his left side.  Not sure.

    My wife and I had to wait for over 90 minutes for the "Real Cop" to arrive.  What I mean is this.  The cop who initially showed up, who you see in the pictures, was a local guy from the local office.  But traffic accidents are handled by another office.... 2 towns away.  (It took my wife and I over an hour to drive to this station last night... so I can only imagine how hard it was for the cop to come through morning rush hour traffic to our accident.)  This also means that my car stayed parked in the middle of the road... on top of the scooter... the entire time till the "Real Cop" arrived.  You can see cars & scooters trying to go around us in some of the pictures.

    After I took my breathalyzer test... passing of course since I haven't touched alcohol since I was 18... and all pictures and graphs and charts and forms were filled out.... we drove ourselves off to the LOCAL police station.   This was about 10 AM.  2 1/2 hours later.  The cop didn't take me in cuffs.  I didn't ride in the back of the police car.  No ticket.... cause at this point we weren't sure who was at fault.  Did the guy jump the gun ahead of the green light... or did I have a red light and run it.  Traffic video cameras showed that it was my fault.... clearly.  They replayed the video 4 times and all the while I just wanted to throw up all over again.

    While we were at the Police Station, in walks the accident victim and his father.  The hospital is across the river in Danshui.  There is only one bridge to get there... and it's a long distance from the accident scene.  Call it 40 minutes drive time.    The guy had already seen a doctor, already been processed, and already been released and made back to the station.... in only 2 1/2 hours.  Nice Emergency Room!!!  His Breathalyzer showed the same results --- not drunk.  I am clearly at fault.

    Paper work was filled out.  Copies given to each of us.  And from here we were let go.  The guy had a check-up on Wednesday --- the Scooter was taken to a shop to be damage assessed --- and all medical bills (and all other bills) were to come out of Kai and I's pocket.   No insurance.  In Taiwan.... 90% of the time if you have an accident.... you pay out of pocket.

    Here's where things radically differ from America.  If this was America, the guy's Emergency Room visit would have been several hours long and had a battery of tests to verify his condition as stable.   While this was happening, I would have possibly been arrested and processed --- but most definitely ticketed.  Given a court date to show up for and thus prolonging the agony.  This whole part of the AMERICAN process would have taken two weeks.

    • The guys work place laptop was ruined, so we had to replace it.
    • Medical bills for the initial Emergency room visit and the follow up visits.  Physical Therapy, if required by the doctor.
    • Scooter repair bills.
    • Any missed time off from work... we paid for.  (Indirectly, red envelope.  I'll explain later)

    All of this was covered... paid for in full... in 3 days.  Last night we went to the guys house, gave him the money for the bills. (Receipts were given as proof of costs) Paper work was signed and Kai and I made the one hour trip to the REAL police station to file the paperwork signed.  3 days.... everything was finished.  No Lawyers, no long drawn out legal process, no tedious medical bills coming from every bruise and scratch.

    Pay.

    Sign.

    Deliver.

    Done.

    As long as the family involved is satisfied with the payments given to cover expenses, in Taiwan, the matter is settled.  We were settled the very night after his follow-up doctor visit.  He's still limping, but he's got nothing but scratches and bruises from all of it.  Amen.

    What a radical difference from America where Lawyers eek out "Emotional Damage" payouts and processing fees.  Where Courtrooms play a huge factor and the "Legal system" isn't there for any other purpose than to assign blame.

    As of last night... the matter is over.

    3 days after it started.

    Wow.

    It still cost us a good chunk of our savings, but not nearly as much as it could have.  Ambulance rides are free in Taiwan.  Hospital costs are minimal thanks to National Health Care.   Even the Scooter repair was less than $200 US.  The Laptop was the priciest bit, set us back $800 US.  We still have to repair our car... but whereas 2 days ago I was imaging Kai and I broke and eating macaroni & cheese for months on end to cover this whole affair... God covered things greatly and then some.  I am honestly humbled.

    I am honestly humbled.

    All told my wife and I are out about $35,000 NT or roughly $1,172.  For us that is a lot of money --- 4 months worth of savings --- but still... compared to the American system... this was a blessing indeed.

    I am very glad it's over... already.

    6-14-2012 Footnote

    Our car damage came to $12,500 NT or roughly $550 US.  Thus the whole total of this was about $1,600 US.... out of our pocket.

    Just today God provided in another fashion to take care of the costs of this.  We were able to inexpensively purchase a collection of CDs on Ebay which will in turn re-sell around Christmas.  We're hoping that this will cover the costs and allow us to re-capture our lost savings.  We were trying to save up for a home over here... God is indeed gracious and merciful.

May 24, 2012

  • Worship isn't Just merely Praising God

    A friend of mine said recently that she felt sorry for Calvinists who said they couldn't worship with Armenians, after all worship is just praising God.  I mean my friend no disrespect, but she couldn't be further from the truth --- and that really is the heart of the matter.

    The single greatest verse regarding God --- and Worship --- was said from the lips of Jesus himself.  It's a verse that we are all familiar with, but it wouldn't hurt to bring it back into focus.

    John 4:24 says

    God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

    Now before I start dissecting the verse, it would benefit us to back up for a second to see the context to what Jesus was talking about cause it bears serious implications on our whole topic.  Jesus was saying this as a reply to a Samaritan woman, you remember, the woman at the well.  

    John 4:19-20 states

    “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

    This woman was looking for an answer to a profound question that separated Jews from the Samaritans --- where is the proper place to worship?  Have you ever wondered what the difference between the Jews and Samaritans were?  It wasn't merely that they were inter-racially married as so many say today.  The difference really is far deeper than that.  It goes all the way back to the separation of Judah and Israel after King Solomon's rule --- back when Israel followed King Jeroboam and Judah followed King Rehoboam.  First, let me show you one verse regarding this whole separation.  You need to see this in order to understand who was ultimately behind it.

    1 Kings 12:22-24

    But God said to Shemaiah, the man of God, "Say to Rehoboam.... "This is what the Lord says:  Do not fight against your relatives, the Israelites.  Go back home for what has happened is my doing!"

    The separation of Israel and Judah served God's purpose --- he brought it about for reasons of His own Sovereign design.  God rules and runs the nations (Daniel 5:21), knowing long beforehand what will occur and happen under them.  (Think about this the next time you want to complain about our current president...) The split of Israel and Judah came as no surprise --- it had purpose.

    It's what happened next which is of great importance..

    1 Kings 12:25-29

    Jeroboam then built up the city of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and it became his capital. .....  (he) thought to himself, "Unless I am careful, the kingdom will return to the dynasty of David.  When these people go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple of the lord, they will again give their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah.  They will kill me and make him their king instead.

    So on the advice of his counselors the king made two gold calves.  he said to the people, "It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem.  Look, Israel, these are the goods who brought you out of Egypt!"

    He placed these calf idols in Bethel (Hebrew: means "House of God".... makes you wonder what 'god' they are talking about now, eh?) and in Dan --- at either end of his Kingdom.

    OK, so that is the set up.... Israel divided, and in order to foster loyalty, Jeroboam gave the people a new place to worship.  It was under a future king (Omri, 1 Kings 16:24) that the place of worship was moved from Bethel & Dan to Samaria and under Omri's famous son was the temple for worship built.... King Ahab!!!!  (1 Kings 16:32)

    So ---- Samaria was the capital of the original 10 tribes of Israel when they separated from Judah.  And they were taught --- by tradition --- that their place of worship was in Samaria.  Do you understand now why the question of so important to the Samaritan woman?  Jerusalem --- Samaria --- what's the difference?  Why can't we worship at both places?  It's still the same God, right?  Wrong.

    John 4:21-22 says

    Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain (See footnote following) nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know....

    Stop right there for a second.  Jesus states to this woman --- you attempt worship, but your worship is false.  You worship what you --- DO --- NOT --- KNOW.

    They thought they worshiped God.  They were worshiping God in the manner they had been taught, by tradition!!  It was the way they had always worshiped God, all the way back to the time after King Solomon.  And Jesus said they were worshiping falsely, that their worship was in point of fact vain. 

    John 4:23 says

    Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

    True Worshipers --- which implies defacto that FALSE worship exists --- are the kind of worshipers that the Father seeks.

    Stop right there --- God only accepts TRUE WORSHIP.  If you seek to worship in your own way, by your own manner, under your own terms and conditions --- God rejects your worship and rejects you.  This is nowhere clearer than Proverbs 28:9

    Those who refuse to listen to God's Word, even their prayers are an abomination to God.  (See also Psalms 66:18; Isaiah 1:15, 59:2)

    If you turn your ear away from the law --- you have no place in God's family.  The Samaritans created their own center of worship for the true God.  They knew the Old Testament... had the prophecies... and yet they ignored that God had chosen Jerusalem as His home.  (All through Deuteronomy you find statements like this: Your Passover sacrifice may be from either the flock or the herd, and it MUST be sacrificed to the Lord your God at the designated place of worship --- the place He chooses for His name to be honored. Deut 16:2)

    So fine, you say, that was Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman --- what has that got to do with us today?

    EVERYTHING.

    Jesus was laying down specific principles of worship that had universal ramifications.  What He said to that woman applies to every person, every where, through all time.  If you seek to worship God --- there is a right way and a wrong way.  Those that do so wrongly --- worship what they do not know, in affect they have created a idol named "God".  They do not KNOW God, no matter how loudly they may claim to.  They, therefore, are not worshiping God in spirit or in truth.

    Calvinism focuses on God’s sovereignty, stating that God is able and willing by virtue of his omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, to do whatever He desires with His creation. Calvinism takes a very high and strict view of scripture as it has been set forth by God and sees in Scripture the following principles:

    For the sake of easy memorization, they're called "TULIP".

    T: Total Depravity of Man --- mankind is evil, to it's core.  (Psalm 51:4-5; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Matthew 7:11; John 3:19; Romans 3:10-19)  (I Think the John 3:19 passage is the clearest representation of this.)

    U: Unconditional Election --- God Chooses those he deems to save.  (Romans 9:11-12; John 1:12-13; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 John 4:19)   (I think that John 1:12-13 is the clearest representation of this.)

    L: Limited Atonement --- Jesus only died for the elect.  (Matthew 13:24-30, 25:31-46; John 17:9)   (I personally think that the parable of the Wheat and the Tares or the Sheep and the Goats should settle the matter --- both groups were "IN CHURCH", but only one found it's way into Heaven.  Christ's death was for the purpose of building His Church... which comprises of "the Redeemed" alone.) 

    I: Irresistible Grace --- The call of salvation goes out to all men, it is universal, but those whom God has chosen, the call of Grace is irresistible to their hearts.  It will move them to His Presence in it's proper time.  Not one soul that God intends to save will be lost.  Simple as that.  (Romans 9:16; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13; John 6:28-29; Acts 13:48; and again John 1:12-13 where salvation isn't by man's efforts, but by God's purpose and design.)  (I personally think Philippians 2:12-13 is clearest --- it is God who works IN YOU to will and to act according to His Good purpose.)

    P: Perseverance of the Saints --- That those whom God calls --- HE WILL SAVE.  This is also known as "Once Saved / Always Saved".  (John 10:27-28; Romans 8:35-39 --- what part of "NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US" is hard to understand? --- Philippians 1:6; 1 John 1:9 / 1 Corinthians 10:13 / 2 Timothy 2:13 and any other passage which reminds us of the Faithfulness of God in preserving us as His Children.)

    Arminianism, on the other hand, maintains that God predestined, but not in an absolute sense. Rather, He looked into the future to see who would pick him and then He chose them. Jesus died for all peoples' sins who have ever lived and ever will live, not just the Christians. Each person is the one who decides if he wants to be saved or not. And finally, it is possible to lose your salvation (some Arminians believe you cannot lose your salvation).  (See footnote following)

    I have to say this of Arminians --- if Jesus died for every person's sins.... if His death was effective for all people... then what's the point of judgment?  What's the point of Hell?  What point is there to Jesus dying to cover their sins.... and yet their sins still remaining to the point of being judged by God?

    Now all that said and stated, and the passage in John 4 spelled out ---- How hard is it to understand that a believer ---- someone who stands upon God's Truth --- could not "worship" with a non-believer, someone who denies the clear teachings of Scripture?  To a Calvinist, Arminian teaching represents a complete denial of scriptural truth.

    And how do we worship God?

    In Spirit...

    and...

    in TRUTH.

    You reject the Truth of God as presented in Scripture and no matter how loudly you call yourself a believer in "God" --- you've merely created an idol named "God" and your are in fact His enemy until you humble yourself before him and accept that what God says is the Truth by which He demands worship.

    Cain --- He had heard the stories time and again.  God, Garden, snake, fall, sin, grace & redemption promised.  He knew that God had sacrificed a life for a life.  An animal died for the lives of his parents, that they might be covered by it's skin.  Yet for all that.... he chose to worship God in his own way.  He wanted to show God just how good he was.

    Abel --- He, too, had heard the stories.... only Abel listened.  A Life for a Life.  Thus Abel came to God obeying the only picture God had given man after the fall.  A life for a life.  Abel understood.

    And God accepted his worship.  It's been that way ever since the beginning.

    I end this with my life-verse because it really does sum up all that I am trying to say, namely, proper doctrine does matter... to us and more importantly, to God.

    Watch your life AND your doctrine carefully.  Persevere (Continue, keep faithful to, don't be diverted from) these things and you will save both yourself and your hearers.  (1 Timothy 4:16)

    Lord, may my own worship be found in pursuing you in Spirit and in Truth as you desire.  Not coming to you with bloodstained hands trying to show you how wonderful I am.  Not in clever attempts at twisting Your Word to say what it doesn't mean. And not in vain attempts at seeking some form of unity with merely anyone who names your name but rejects the Truth of Your Word.  Allow me to come humbly, broken-hearted over my own sinfulness --- just as You desire.  (Psalm 51:17; James 4:6,10)  Allow me to come earnestly, bowing before the truth of Your Word in desire to lay aside my own thoughts in favor of what you teach.  (John 17:17; Psalm 1:1-3, 119:1)

    Lord, this prayer comes off as bland or vapid .... as though I am trying to preach further those points I just wrote on.  Please... let it be heard as the honest cry of my heart before you.  And please.... teach me to worship... in spirit and in Truth.

    FOOTNOTE:  Here's something you probably didn't know.

    John 4:21-22 says

    Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know....


    That Mountain Jesus refers to is Mount Gerizim.  The Samaritans actually re-wrote the book of Genesis so that instead of Isaac being nearly sacrificed on Mount Moriah --- Where the Temple was situated in Jerusalem --- they have him being sacrificed on Mount Gerizim.  Thus why the Mountain was so important to them.... it tied them back to Abraham by their own revised versions of the Scripture.  Talk about "You worship what you do not know...."  wow.

    Likewise, I would like to pass credit on to the website "Calvinist Corner" for their fine explanation of TULIP and Arminianism.  I borrowed their work, edited it for my use, but I would like to credit them for the work.

May 23, 2012

  • Biblical Reductionism

    Legend: This is to help those who want to understand my color coding of Scripture, it is a separate Key apart from what I post below merely to help give understanding of why I highlight things the way I do, namely so as to bring out greater clarity from the Word of God.  Here's the Key:

    • Any shade of BLUE = Judgment of God on or over sin.
    • Any shade of GREEN = grace, forgiveness, salvation, redemption.
    • Any shade of RED =  sin, lawlessness, transgression, evil
    • Any shade of ORANGE = the Character or Nature of God --- Who God is.
    • Any shade of PURPLE = commands to obey, passages that speak with authority on how a Christian should live.
    • White on Black is merely there for emphasis.  Kind of zeroing in on the key part of a passage.

    Please likewise note, this only applies to Scripture passages.  What I write of my own is merely off-colored to give greater emphasis to certain thoughts.  Sometimes this highlighting does follow my themes.... just as often it doesn't.

    Lastly, let me say, that I originally started this post in December.  I wrote quite a bit of it, but did not have time to finish so I privatized it until I could do so.  Today just happened to be the first opportunity I have had since then to actually put time to completing my thoughts.  Thus if I seem to talk at one moment about seemingly current events, and then later lapse into past tense... understand this is why.

    Lately I have been encountering a new kind of Christian online.  One that I don't believe I have encountered outside of my own brother some 30+ years ago, who in a now infamous step of boldness (or audacity, depending on how you view it) said to me....

    I don't follow Paul, I follow Jesus.

    The occasion was an argument regarding sleeping with someone before marriage, I quoted from Paul to make the point and my brother pointed out that Paul wasn't his personal cup-o-tea.  A point of ironic humor which my brother missed --- I was quoting 1 Corinthians 7:1 to him.... the same book where Paul writes of schisms arising and people saying

    "I follow Paul!"

    "well.. I follow Apollos"

    "Yeah? Well, I follow Peter!" 

    "well, so what, I follow Jesus, that trumps you all." (1 Cor 1:11-13)

    And thus Paul showed us how petty the church at Corinth had become.  And here we were walking down the same path.

    These last few weeks I have had some bizarre encounters which make my brothers statement seem pretty tame.  I have seen two extremes in thinking which I really don't know how to label except as "Biblical Reductionism" --- The idea that some, part or most of the Bible has no application and thereby can be written off as unnecessary, inapplicable or worse, merely personal opinion of the writer which can be entirely ignored as such.

    The first case scenario in this twist of extremes was someone who posted on Facebook that the Old Testament held no value to today's Christian.  That the Old Testament was all about the Law and thus it really should not even be considered in our Christian Walk for we are purely under grace and that doesn't even connect with the Old Testament. 

    When I countered that the Old Testament, and more specifically the Law, was a perfect reflection of the Character and nature of God, and that as Christians we shouldn't shun that but embrace it.  When I quoted from both Old Testament and New Testament sources on how the Law is beneficial to us (Paul calls it an example for our benefit in 1 Cor 10:6,11 and James says that it's the "Perfect law that gives freedom" in James 1:25) this person responded by De-Friending me and sending me the following statement (via Email) in closure:

    I just surrender to Jesus every morning and He works in me and through me. I went through the junk your talking about the first time I was trying to be a Christian...it just makes you angry and frustrated....like you appear to be. Today I'm at peace and Jesus is with and in me 24hrs and using me. We can't do anything...it's all Him.

    I have to say that this sounds very close to the "Let Go, Let God" mentality which forgets that our Christian walk is a struggle (Ephesians 6:12), a race, a marathon  (1 Corinthians 9:24-26) or a battle (1 Timothy 6:12).  It seems people want to read "We Wrestle Not...." and stop right there, forgetting that the rest of the verse and what follows sets up our battle armor and outline of attack.  "STAND FIRM!" (Ephesians 6:13,14) 

    Nevertheless, this person has the wrong idea about Christianity.  He assumes we can write off half of the books God gave us and grow up big and strong without them.  Wasn't it Paul that wrote "Take up the WHOLE counsel of God."  (Acts 20:27) and wasn't it Jesus who affirmed "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."  (Matthew 4:4)  (Which, at the point that He said this was ONLY the Old Testament... the New hadn't been written yet.)

    This next instance really packs a punch.  It came from a Revelife post that I just linked here. from several months ago.  I am not going to reprint everything that was said, I will merely summarize with direct statements quoted as succinctly as I can without destroying the original thought.

    The Revelife article was regarding wives submitting to their husbands in light of domestic abuse.  In the article, an author (Debi Pearl) was cited who wasn't basically calling wives into husband submission --- but rather wives to God submission.  Consider this quote:

    Has your husband reviled you and threatened you? You are exhorted to respond as Jesus did. When he was reviled and threatened, he suffered by committing himself to a higher judge who is righteous. You must commit yourself to the one who placed you under your husband’s command. Your husband will answer to God, and you must answer to God for how you respond to your husband, even when he causes you to suffer.

    Many folks took exception to this statement and further to Paul's calling of wives to submit to your husbands.  None, though, took it as personal as did TiredSoVeryTired from here at Xanga.  She first ranted that Paul had no bearing upon women of today.  She then proceeded to discredit Paul as an authority.  She stated

    Clearly God's intended role for Paul was to spread the Gospels, not for Paul to create what Paul believed to be necessary rules and regulations.  Though Paul freely spoke his mind to the people he came into contact with.  Let us not forget we are Christians... who follow Christ and his teachings, not Paul's.  Paul was a product of his time.  His writings were his thoughts on how things should be, not necessarily direct commandments from God to be practiced for all time.  That was the job of Jesus. 

    Many took up to respond to her and she rebutted them every time with her personal opinion that Paul was NOT called to create doctrine.

    Paul himself said that he thinks he has the spirit of God.  Only thinking isn't good enough for me.  He wrote letters to various churches offering up his advice, some of that advice is good and some is bad.

    At this I jumped into the fray with a very long and very pointed defense of Paul's writings... and Peter's and James & Jude's.  I daresay the Apostles were handpicked by Jesus to "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17) --- and that includes, in the words of Acts 2:42, ...devoting ourselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (context changed to "US" -- today, here, now --- not "THEY" --- then, there.)

    I likewise pointed out that she had also missed a single word in her quoting of Paul which changed the meaning of his statement entirely and dramatically.  Here's that excerpt from my comment.

    Read the verse in context please and then tell me you think Paul has not the spirit. For you carefully omit ONE WORD which changes the whole context away from your argument. 

         and I think that I TOO have the Spirit of God.  (1 Corinthians 7:40)

    Paul is defending himself against people who, like you, would state that he has no business addressing the Church with any authority.  By omitting the word "Too" (which is in the Greek, by the way) you change the thought of the verse from the sense of defending himself to something sounding like he's questioning his own position in Christ.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

    I carefully laid out the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 7 and showed how Paul wasn't questioning his position --- he was actually affirming it, strongly.  He placed his teachings on the par with Scripture.... just as Peter did of Paul in 2 Peter 3:15-16.  She countered again with this....

    My faith in God does not waiver.  Paul's job was to spread the gospel and he did.  I believe Jesus was the one meant to teach God's word, not a list of other people.  I will decide what makes sense of Paul's teachings and what seems to be more a product of his time.  I am free to do that and God hasn't struck me down yet.

    .....

    If God stood before me now and said that I should submit to my husband, I'd have more than just a few words to say to Him.  Because I believe in Him and trust in Him doesn't mean even He (God)has a right to doom women as subservient and submissive.  It would be about time He changed His mind on that!  And God created me, so He already knows.

    This was my response:

    WOW.... I had heard tell as a joke of people looking for vacancies in the trinity, but man... to actually meet one?  That's a pretty big ego you have there to arrogantly suppose that you can tell God what to do with His own creation... yourself included.  How's pride treating you these days?  Perform any noteworthy miracles oh mighty prophetess?

    No, sarcasm aside, your reply was the worst case of arrogance I have encountered in my 35 years journey as a believer.  To presume that you could tell God off as to what he decides is or isn't truth.... that just takes the cake.

    Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.

    I guess that part follows submission in your hack & slashing of which verses to keep, eh?

    My brother wrote off the works of Paul because they directly affected his personal lifestyle.  He did not want to have to deal with his sin, thus Paul was "X'd" out of his Bible in order that he might have his "christianity" and his sin likewise.

    This woman, though, would actually tell God to His face that she despises the fact He commands her to obey.  She would demand that He change His Holiness to suit her fancies.  This is the worst form of arrogance there is --- to presume to sit in judgment over God.  (Romans 9:20)

    I'm not one to say I understand everything that God shows us about himself.  I accept the words of Isaiah

    For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
        neither are your ways my ways,”
    declares the Lord.
     “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
        so are my ways higher than your ways
        and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (Isaiah 55:8-9)

    I likewise find Paul sometimes hard to understand, just as Peter states (2 Peter 3:15-16)..... But that doesn't give me the right or inclination to throw away what doesn't fit my personal imagination of who God is.  There is a word for those who tend to build up personalized gods --- Idolators. 

    Idolatry pretends to know God.  Pretends to have God wrapped up in nice fancy ribbons and bows.... to present to you packaged and wrapped and ready to rub like the genie of Aladdin.  Idolatry says to God, "I can do better, I don't need you telling me what is what".  And Biblical Reductionists do just that.  They say that God is to limiting, so we must reconstruct him (after our own image) into something far more accepting of who we are and the sins that represent us.

    Is it any wonder Paul wrote:

    The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.  (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

    I have a finger that has no feeling at it's tip.  I severed a major nerve in my teen years and ever since that time I can bite down on that finger with full force and feel nothing.  My fingertip has lost all sensation to pain --- all because it was seared.   These "Teachers" (So-called) likewise come to us with no moral conscience.  They have calloused themselves to sin so greatly that they stand in the place of the Israelites who were calling Evil good and good Evil. (Isaiah 5:20)  They don't care to know about the Holiness of God:

    Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  (Hebrews 12:14; likewise 1 Peter 1:15-16 & Matthew 5:48)

    Because to them, God isn't about being Holy, Holy, Holy.... but Love, Love, Love (read that: Tolerance, Tolerance, Tolerance and you see the clearer picture).

    We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe in.  It doesn't work that way.  When the Spirit spoke through Paul, it was just as binding as Jesus teachings themselves.  White men in long robes who were trying to wrestle Church Authority away from oppressed women did not pick or choose which books to include in the Bible.  When the Council of Nicea was called --- they didn't vote on which Books to include --- the consensus was already there from 2 full centuries of use!!!  The books that Ireaneus used in 100 AD and that Justin Martyr used in 200 AD were the same books we use today.  There is no difference.... the main intent wasn't to subvert women's roles within the church --- the main intent of the Council of Nicea was to codify the Scriptures in order to prevent Gnostic Heresies from taking ahold of the Church in it's new found religious freedom.

    What I mean is this --- and I speak as one who took the time to study the issues long before Dan "Da Vinci Code" Brown used his fanciful imagination to reinterpret the Council through heretical eyes --- In the passing of the Edict of Milan which granted freedom to Christians from former religious persecution under the Roman Empire... people started coming to Church with no comprehension of what it meant TO BE Christian. 

    They started carrying their personal baggage with them.... creating christianity to suit their passions. (Notice, small "c" on "christianity".)  To these newly christianized pagans, there was no difference between Christ Jesus and the Roman deities.  None.  Simply slap Mary, Mother of Jesus name over the goddess "Isis" and you now have a new christianized idol to worship.

    Mind you, 2 points before I continue:

    (A) that isn't God's way.  We are never called to make idols of our own fashion, that breaks the first commandment.  

    (B) this was going on even before the Council of Nicea --- long before.  Mark this: Every New Testament letter save only one was written AGAINST HERESIES CREEPING INTO THE CHURCH!

    So these new Pagan christians brought with them ideas of how things should be run and how the Church should be governed.  To back up their idolatry, they simply created new Scriptures and started passing them around as though they should be taken seriously.  What followed was chaos, and a Bishop named Arius started passing around the idea that Jesus wasn't God --- merely a created being who had God-like powers and authority. 

    It became imperative for the Church to Canonize Scripture, if for no other reason than to know what was full and honestly......

    THE TRUTH

    We had to know what God approved and disapproved.... consider Jesus own words:

    Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.  (John 4:23-24) 

    So the whole point before the Council wasn't

    How do we prevent women from having power in the Church?

    but rather:

    How do we know what God has truly said and spoken?

    27 books in the New Testament were shown to have the Spirits work in them.  2 (Hebrews and Revelation) were questioned because of Authorship and meaning... but beyond those two, every book chosen was clearly shown ---- BY GOD ---- to have His truth at their heart and core.  These weren't chosen arbitrarily.... they honestly took months to question, debate, assess and make sure what was Divinely Written was represented.

    And consider this --- 2,000 years have nearly passed showing nothing but God's approval on the matter.  Scriptures.... in the words of Paul... came to us directly from God for the express purpose of teaching us, correcting us, rebuking us and training us in righteousness.

    But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.   All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

    Those who try to deny the use of Scriptures --- Old Testament or New --- are not Christians.  They can call themselves that all they want.... but by attempting to sit in judgment over God himself.... they show no humility, no holiness... they show the pride and arrogance of their hearts which leaves no room for God.

    This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  (1 John 1:5-6)

    Sanctify them (US!!!!) by the truth; your word is truth.  (Jesus, in prayer, John 17:17)

May 20, 2012

  • My ESL Students and my 4th wedding Anniversary

    I have about 6 ESL students weekly (aside from a Cram School which I give one hour a week to) and every so often I like to pull back and make English fun.

    Now most of my ESL Students are girls.  Don't know why this is, but over the years the majority have been girls or women.  So, for them I love to pull back and cook.  About every 6 weeks or so we'll have a cooking class and I will teach them the secrets of making moist brownies (it's all about timing) or nachos (an uncommon thing here in Taiwan) or Burritos (likewise).  It makes for a really fun class and to be sure, the kids L-O-V-E it.  Most parents no longer teach cooking, so my cooking classes are treats they look forward to.

    As well, we will occasionally go out for a trip.  This doesn't happen often, like maybe once every 3 months.  (Except with Cindy who gets to travel out every 6-8 weeks or so.... she just likes to tag along)  It's often a trip to the Danshui Night Market, sometimes a trip to CostCo, with one student we went out to feed stray cats .... because she's deathly scared of all animals, and we were doing what we can to help her overcome her phobia.

    Lastly on this list of fun ESL classes --- about 2-4 times a year we will pull way back and have a party.  All my ESL students are required to come, and there's usually some American occasion involved.  By this I mean we'll celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter.  But we'll do it in a non-conventional way with a movie (in English) and a meal.  (Cooked by me & the girls, of course.)  These movie parties are a treat that really help make English fun.

    Since our last party time was Christmas, I decided that it was time to have fun with Kai and I's 4th wedding anniversary.  We were married here in Taiwan on January 25th, 2008 (in a civil ceremony) and again on May 24th, 2008 (in a Church ceremony).  I can honestly say that I had the privilege of marrying the woman I love.... twice. 

    One of my students, Queenie by name, loves steak.  It's her favorite food.  But her family isn't rich, so she doesn't get to have it often.  In December I promised that we would make our next "Party" a steak party --- and Queenie's been patiently waiting ever since.

    What follows are the pictures of our day of fun --- a steak dinner at one of the very few American steak-houses in Taiwan.  Frank's Texas BBQ has been here for over 20+ years now, Frank is a Texas American who knows good food.  (Mostly.... we'll critique the chili in a little bit.)  Kai and I come here about 3 times a year, the meal is a little pricy ($25 US for a 24oz steak & a side of Nachos) but the steak is so big that it makes 3 meals for my wife and I --- which is reasonable.  I mean that literally --- the steak is so big (pictures below) that it becomes 3 meals for my wife and I.  And it's the baby brother of the Frank's Texas BBQ family!!!!  There's also the 40oz steak and the 48oz steak.  wow.

    Here's our crew for the event.

    This is Queenie.  12 yrs old (13 in Asian terms, they add the nine months of gestation to your age) and trying hard not to be car sick.  The little bag in her hands is her car-sick medicine... ouch.

    This ---- is Oskar.  Oskar is Queenie's mother, she is also my student.  The two of them are hysterically fun to teach, as they will pick on each other in class... make fun of each other... tease each other... They have an incredible mother / daughter relationship and it's great to have them in class together.

    I have to honestly say that their classes are some of my favorites.... cause everyone in the room winds up laughing at some point in the night.

    Ok... Andy and Jenny are brother and sister.  They are 13 and 15. Jenny is wearing the hat and sitting in the middle.  I have known these two kids since my very first visit to Taiwan in January of 2008.... when they were 8 and 10 respectively. Time flies.

    Their mother and father were along for the meal, but sadly wound up at a different table.  (We had a party of 15 people!!)  Their mom and dad run a local restaurant --- one of my favorite places to eat here in Bali --- and we often do things together with them.  I teach them some English, but there is no specific class time.  The kids work at the restaurant after school.... every day, 6 days a week.  They are given time (at the restaurant) to do homework... but they are expected to work. 

    Cindy - sitting on the end  in the picture above, and pictured by herself here.  She is Andy & Jenny's father's sister.  She is 16 or 17.... I am never quite sure, she tells me differently every time I ask.  She is a 10th grade student, and has been a student of mine for nearly 2 years now.

    Of all my students, Cindy is my favorite.  She's funny, silly, and just plain great to talk to.  She has a vast vocabulary in English --- but she doesn't focus well, so she's constantly making the same mistakes.  (I.E.  "I am arrived" .... *sigh*  I have corrected her on that one for months now)

    Cindy is funny in other ways.  When trying to remember an English word, she will very often spell the word with her right finger... on her left palm.  It's very funny to watch.

    This is Kano, 28 and his sister (age unknown).  Kano is my student, he is learning business English from me in hopes for passing his TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) test next week.

    Kano is a earnest student, who seems to really enjoy digging down into what things mean.  He went to college in Australia, so his English isn't all that bad.  His classes are some of my favorites, as we focus on something more than just basic grammar and spelling.

    Kano's sister is also Muu's wife.  Muu is Japanese, in his early 30's (I think...) and also learning English with me.  Muu's Chinese is pretty decent, so when we have to define a word we often will dig around through Chinese & Japanese to come to a fuller understanding. 

    Muu's classes are interesting, as we tend to bounce all over the place.  Our last class had us discussing American music and pulling out my Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Victor Borge Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty DVDs so as to give a feel for various styles and types of music. 

    Queenie & Oskar joking around before the meal arrives.

    The wall behind them.

    Clint Eastwood and the American Flag... That about says it all.

    The meal ---

    What is a dinner out without a good appetizer?  The French Fries at Frank's are the best fries in all of Taiwan.  I will stake my reputation on that.  I've tried them all over... and Franks beats the competition hands down.  The cheese dip is bonus... the fries work well alone.

    We also had nachos... with a homemade salsa... but they went to fast for pictures to be taken.

    Salad.... not typical for before a Taiwan meal.  This was ... OK.  Salad's are never meant to be the main focus of a good meal ....

    Andy's Hamburger is almost as big as his head.  Cindy had ordered a burrito (After teaching her how to make them, she now loves them) and managed to eat it before I could get my camera out.  She then managed to eat some of Andy's hamburger and fries...  This is one growing teen.

    I love the look on Jenny's face.... like "How am I supposed to get that into my mouth???"

    This was Kai and I's steak.  Well Done.

    With each steak came this..... joke.  Why anyone... especially a Texan... would ever try to pass Hormel Chili off to their customers is beyond me.  I have tasted Hormel's ... I know it's the worst chili in America... so to find it here in Taiwan is a severe injustice.

    Kano, Muu and his wife's steak.... Medium Well.  Unfortunately, it came Medium Rare. 

    I really wanted to see the baby pick it up and try to chew it... I was wanting a picture of that soooooo badly.

    Queenie's Face:  "Umm... since when did steak become so thick?" 

    (Taiwan steaks are about 1/2 inch thick, sitting on top of spaghetti and usually smothered in gravy.  This was Queenie's first look at an American steak.)

    A four handed steak.  Oskar & Queenie's steak was supposed to be Medium Rare (yeah, Kano & Muu got Oskar & Queenie's steak by accident...) but it came out very rare instead.  Rare enough that the white plate was blood red by the end of the meal.  Ouch.

     

    Ok, yeah, we were there too...  The cake was bought at CostCo the night before.  The flowers were from Muu & his wife.  Check out the name card... "Whyne"... I love it.  I think I am going to change my name to that from now on.


    Most everyone remembers their waitress during a nice meal like this... why not, you see them every 3 minutes or so. 

    I decided that since the cooks delivered a good meal (it was the waitresses who messed up who got which steak) that we should include them in the party.  So 5 of us marched plates of cake back into the kitchen and totally surprised the 8 cooks on duty. 

    You can see the cake on the table.... and already being enjoyed by some.

     

    After Frank's Texas BBQ... we went to a DanShui pet shop to pick up new (BIGGER) litter boxes for our cats... and when we got home, I asked Queenie if she wanted to cook with me.  You can tell by the smile on her face that she totally jumped at the opportunity.

    Making Cranberry Brownies.

    We also made a very decent Tuna Casserole, which didn't get pictured... it was eaten almost as soon as it got out of the oven. ROFL.

    Queenie stuck around till 9:30 PM  --- 9 hours with Kai and I.  It was a total blast from the party to the shopping to the cooking and finally ended it by watching Matrix Reloaded... which had Queenie's rapt attention.  She loves good Kung-fu movies... so seeing Matrix was a treat, even if she didn't understand much of it.

May 9, 2012

  • Xanga Friends laid to rest

    Wow.  This is not the way I intended to start my morning.

    I've made many friends here on Xanga.  It's been a wonderful ride, and a great many wonderful people have joined me as I try to express the inexpressible love of Christ.  Plumb the depths of a fathomless grace.  Take grand measure of an immeasurable God. 

    Along the way I've met the likes of Jim Exley (xcellee), a Pentacostal brother who constantly had the Word of God on his lips.  His family --- 6 children... all with Xanga sites  --- were a sheer joy to encounter, spread as they were across the globe.  (One of them is in India as a full time missionary)  Jim passed away 2 years ago, and the vacuum he left sill fills my heart.  Jim had a wonderful gift of encouragement.  I may not have always agreed with him theologically, and he surely said the same of me, yet we had quite a close friendship in Jesus.

    I've seen many Xanga-Friends just get lost along the way.  Move away from Xanga and never left a forwarding address.  A dear friend in Mexico (BeautifulSerendipity) who's faith was precious to me.  A sister in Christ in Michigan (SilvrLoreena)who had such a grand sense of humor.... just stopped posting in 2007 and never told us why.  Some friends, like Roxann (Imnrdh -- sorry, her sites been shut down) and Luann (Likewise, her site was shut down) just moved over to Facebook and left the blogging world behind.

    Today I find out that another friend has passed away, quite unexpectedly.  I mean she literally just posted about her daughter 4 days ago, and today her sister blogs to tell us her funeral arrangements.  Wow.  What happened?  She had an asthma attack... and couldn't make it fast enough to her medication.

    Pray for the family of Stacey, esp. her 2 year old daughter and her husband.  This is going to be brutally rough on them.  Stacey had a great faith in God, and it was constantly a pleasure to read her adventures in life.  Now.... she is on the grandest adventure of all, praising and worshiping at the feet of her savior.

May 3, 2012

  • Pilgrim's Progress bible study Pt 9: Interpreter's House Pt 3

    19 years ago I gave a Bible study to a group of inmates that was based on the book "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.  Written in the 1600's, the book has been a helpful parable for many millions of Christians over time.  In working through this, I updated much of the King James English, concepts and even some of the characters --- because I wanted those I was studying with to understand not just the story, but the main point of what the Christian Life is like.  It's not always smiley faces, rose gardens, tea and crumpets.  Often, it's hard work, perilous temptations and doubts, and warfare.

    So here's the ninth part of the study as I gave it --- 19 years ago.  Feel free to use this in your own group studies if you think it will help, just make sure you credit John Bunyan for the original story and me for removing the "Thee's", "Thou's" and "Wheretofore's".



    Part 1 Linked here --- Part 2 Linked here     --- Part 3 Linked here --- Part 4 Linked here --- Part 5 Linked here --- Part 6 Linked here --- Part 7 Linked here --- Part 8 Linked here --- Part 11 linked here (Note: part 10 was something I worked on adding to the story, unfinished and thus privatized.  It doesn't add anything major, just gives a view of those who come TO the cross but not beyond it.)



    Narrator (Nar) --  Now as you recall I was telling you of a dream I had concerning a man who had a heavy burden in his heart and wanted to be released from it.   I told you of his journey from the City of Destruction to the Sheep Gate, a place where he was told he might be shown where he could find release.  Once at the gate he met Mr Goodwill who asked him of his Journey and then pointed him on his way to go.  Mr Goodwill also told him of a house along the way where he might find rest and learning.  This was     Interpreter's (Inter) house.  Once there, Interpreter started showing him many wonderful and thoughtful things.  Here we begin anew.

    Christian  (Chrs)  started growing impatient and wanting to renew his journey he asked to leave.  Interpreter, though, bid him stay just a while longer so that he might show him just a few more things.  He led him then to a very dark room where sat a man, alone, in an iron cage.

    Now this man appeared to be very sad.  he sat with his eyes looking down to the ground, his hands folded together and sighing deeply as though his heart were broken.  Christian asked:

    Chrs  -   What is the meaning of this?

    Nar -- To which Interpreter told him to talk to the man himself, so Christian approached the man to do so.

    Chrs  -   What are you?

    Backslider (Bcks) - I am what I was not once.

    Chrs  -   And what were you once?

    Bcks - I was once a fine and scholarly believer, both in my eyes and in the eyes of others.  I was once, or so I thought, destined for the Celestial City and had joy even at the thoughts that I would one day get there.  (Luke 8:13)

    Chrs  -   But what are you now?

    Bcks - I am a man of despair and am shut up in that despair as in this iron cage.  I cannot get out, oh, I cannot.

    Chrs  -   But how did you come to be in this condition?

    Bcks - I did not soberly watch and guard myself, (Hebrews 2:1) I let myself go to my passions & sinned against the light of the word and the goodness of God.  (Hebrews 10:26; John 8:12; Romans 2:4)  I have grieved the Spirit and he is gone.  (Eph. 4:30)  I tempted the devil & he has come to me.  I have provoked God to anger & he has left me.  (James 4:4-5)  I have so hardened my heart that I cannot repent.  (Proverbs 28:14; Romans 9:18)

    Nar -- At this Christian asked Interpreter "Is there no hope for a man such as this?"  to which Interpreter answered "Ask him."

    Chrs  -   Is there no hope for you?  Must you be kept in an iron cage of despair?

    Bcks - No, none at all.

    Chrs  -   Why?  The Son of the Blessed God is surely full of pity and will forgive.

    Bcks - I have crucified him to myself again (Hebrews 6:16), I have despised him in my heart (Luke 19:14), and as well have despised His Righteousness by turning back to those things I once walked away from --- by seeking righteousness again through the law.  (Galatians 2:18-19)  I have counted His blood as an unholy thing & insulted His Spirit of Grace.  (Hebrews 10:26-29)  Because of this I have turned myself from all of his promises and there only remains for me the expectation of certain judgment to come and presently fearful threatenings because of His fiery indignation.  He sahll certainly devour me as an adversary.  (Hebrews 10:30-31)

    Chrs  -   What was it you did that left you like this?

    Bcks - I pursued the lusts, pleasures & profits that the world had to offer me, thinking that in them I would find enjoyment & delight.  (Hebrews 11:25)  Now I find all those things are bitter to my soul and hateful to me.  (1 John 2:15-17; Proverbs 14:12)

    Chrs  -   But can you not even now repent and turn?

    Bcks - God has denied me repentance.  His Word gives me no encouragement to believe.  It was Him, Himself, who shut me up in this cage, & not a man in the whole world can get me out.  Oh! Eternity, Eternity, how I struggle with the misery that I shall meet in eternity.  (See Footnote #1 below)

    Inter - let this man's misery be a warning to you, remember it constantly while on your way.

    Chrs  -   This indeed is fearful, may God help me to watch and be sober minded in my pursuits.  I pray as well that he bears it on my heart to shun the reason of this man's misery.  Sir, is it time for me to be leaving yet?

    Inter -  Stay and I will show you one more thing before you go.

    Nar -- At this Interpreter led him to a bedroom where he saw a man arise from his sleep & put on his clothing, shaking & trembling all the while.  Christian then asked:

    Chrs  -   Why does this man seem so scared?

    Inter - Unready, please speak and answer the question.

    Unready - This night as I was asleep, I had a dream in which I saw the heavens grow exceedingly black.  I also saw & heard thunder & lightning that scared me so deeply as to run terror through my soul. 

    I looked  up in my dream at the skies & saw the clouds roll back fiercely, at that time I also heard the sound of a trumpet, and saw a man riding upon a cloud & followed by millions from Heaven. (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 11:15) They rode, as it were, in a flaming fire as though the heavens themselves had burst into flame.  (2 Thessalonians 1:7)

    I heard then a voice cry out 'Arise you dead and come to judgment' and at that the very Earth broke open and and the graves were emptied and the dead shot forth into the skies.  (John 5:28; 1 Corin 15:12-58; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Jude :15; Revelation 11:18, 20:11-14)   Some of them looked very glad and raced through the air with their arms wide open as though expecting a lover's embrace.  Others, though, were terrorized in fear and tried to claw their way back down to the Earth to try to hide underneath the rocks and hills.  (Revelation 6:15-17)

    Then the man who sat upon the cloud opened a book and called out to all to come near.  (Isa 26:21; Micah 7:16-17)   Yet, though due to a flame that came out before Him, they were separated from Him as like criminals before a judge. (Matthew 25: 31-32,46; Psalm 50:3-6; Dan 7:9-10; Mal 3:2-3,5)  I heard it also said to those who attended to the man "gather together the tares, the chaff & the stubble & cast them into the burning lake.'  (Psalm 1:5-6; Matthew 3:12; Malachi 4:1; Revelation 20:12-15)  With that announcement a bottomless pit opened up just about where I stood.  Out of it's mouth came thick, arid smoke, large flames of fire & the most hideous screams of pain and agony my ears have ever heard! 

    Then those who attended to the man were told "gather up my wheat into the barn."  (Luke 3:17; Matthew 13:30)  At that I saw many caught up into the clouds (1 Thess 4:17) but I was left behind.  (Luke 17:34-35)  I then sought to hide myself, but I could not for the man who sat upon the cloud kept His eyes upon me.  (Psalm 139:7-12)  My sins also came to my mind & my conscience did accuse me on every side.  (Romans 2:14-15)  Upon this I awoke from my sleep, shuddering at the very thought of my dreams.

    Chrs  -   But what, sir, was it that made you so afraid of this sight?

    Unready - Well, I thought the day of Judgment had surely come &  that I was not ready for it.  Of it all, I was frightened most that the angels would take some, but left me behind.  (Matthew 24:36-42; Luke 17:30-35)  Also that the pit of hell should open her mouth just where I stood.  My conscience also tortured me, esp. when I could not escape the eyes of the Judge upon the cloud and the fiery indignation of his look that showed upon His face.

    Inter - Have you then considered these things?  All of them?

    Chrs  -   Yes, and they have put in me both hope and fear.

    Inter - Keep all these things on your mind so that you will stay on the straight and narrow path, pushing forward. 

    Nar -- Christian then packed up his things in preparation for his journey.  At this, Interpreter said:

    Inter - The Holy Comforter will be with you always, Good Christian, to guide you in the way that leads to the Celestial City.

    Nar -- At this I saw Christian leave and as he went along, I heard him sing this song.

    Chrs  -  

    Here have I seen things that to my soul are profitable
    Pleasant things, dreadful things, all intent to make me stable
    & in this journey I take under hand
    may I think on them, and understand
    the reasons they were shown to me; o let me be, please,
    thankful, O good Interpreter, for your counsel to me.


    Footnote #1 In light of 1 John 2:19 which states

    They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that they had never belonged to us.

    and likewise in the understanding that nothing can tear those away from God whom He has brought to salvation.  (John 10:28; Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 1:6)   Wait... let me actually give you those verses and pose this as a question.....

    John 10:28-29 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

    Romans 8:28-30  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

    Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

    Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

    So let me pose a simple question: Who is more powerful than God, to be able to remove us from his care once we have entered into His grace?

    I disagree with Backslider's position in this story: stating that he was "once a believer, but now is not".  I would actually say --- he was never saved, never a believer.  He was simply one of those who heard the gospel and responded "for a little while", but for whom it was finally proven that his heart was instead rocky or thorny soil.  Jesus did say that there would be those who would fall away because of persecution or the cares of this world.  (Matthew 13:20-22; Mark 4:16-19; Luke 8:13-14)   It is far more likely that Backslider was one of these two soils than he "had faith, then lost it." 

    If you seek to question me on the Hebrews 6:1-6 passage, it can be easily understood if looked at from exactly what the writer of Hebrews is doing throughout the entire letter.   He is showing JEWISH followers that turning back to JEWISH legalism does not bring any man to God.  All the "Basics" he speaks of are not "basics of becoming a believer" but the basics of knowing the Jewish Messiah.  Every point he makes in Hebrews 6:4-6 doesn't fit a believer gone bad, but rather a Jew who is sitting on the fence about which position to take: standing by grace through faith in Christ or working for God's approval under the law.

    To prove this one point --- take a look at a simple proposition.  Hebrews 6:4-6 says that "To bring such a person back to repentance would be IMPOSSIBLE..." (Paraphrased)   That means if we ever sin.... even only once... we've lost all hope for salvation because this passage would then indicate we could never again come back to God --- Ever.  Period.  Final Statement.  Impossible.  Repentance is a ONE TIME event, if this passage is understood in it's literal sense.

    And yet, Jesus said of God's Forgiveness that 70x7 doesn't even account for it's abundance.... when we ask for God's forgiveness in repentance.

    Final conclusion --- Backslider is was never a "Christian" he merely went along for the ride, naming the name but never really walking the walk.  Jesus did say many would come saying "Lord, Lord...."  (Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 2:6; 2 Timothy 2:19) 

    Believe it or not --- I have no questions written in my original notes for this lesson.

    As I just spent 7 hours working through it, and preparing my thoughts another hour for the footnote rebuttal --- I will ask some time for me to address the questions for another day.

    Thanks.

May 2, 2012

  • Pilgrim's Progress bible study Pt 8: Interpreter's House Pt 2

    19 years ago I gave a Bible study to a group of inmates that was based on the book "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.  Written in the 1600's, the book has been a helpful parable for many millions of Christians over time.  In working through this, I updated much of the King James English, concepts and even some of the characters --- because I wanted those I was studying with to understand not just the story, but the main point of what the Christian Life is like.  It's not always smiley faces, rose gardens, tea and crumpets.  Often, it's hard work, perilous temptations and doubts, and warfare.

    So here's the eighth part of the study as I gave it --- 19 years ago.  Feel free to use this in your own group studies if you think it will help, just make sure you credit John Bunyan for the original story and me for removing the "Thee's", "Thou's" and "Wheretofore's".



    Part 1 Linked here --- Part 2 Linked here     --- Part 3 Linked here --- Part 4 Linked here --- Part 5 Linked here --- Part 6 Linked here --- Part 7 Linked here --- Part 9 linked here



    Narrator (Nar) --  Now as you may recall, I told of a dream, of a man who carried a heavy burden in his heart and wanted to be released from it.  If you will also recall, I told of his journey from the City of Destruction to the Sheep Gate, a place where he was told he might be shown where could find release.  Once there he met Mr Goodwill, who asked him of his journey and pointed him to the way he should go.  Mr Goodwill told him as well of a house along the way where he might find rest and learning and at that house Mr Christian  (Chrs) met Interpreter (Inter) who showed him many wonderful things.  First a portrait that came with instruction, then a room that gave learning.  Just after this is where we begin anew.

    Interpreter then took Christian to a little room where sat two children, each upon a chair, and told him that the oldest child's name was "Passion" and the other "Patience".   now Passion seemed rather hurried and unruly, but Patience was calm and sitting quietly as if waiting.  The sight of this made Christian ask

    Chrs  -   What is the reason for Passion's discontent?

    Inter - His Father would have him wait for a treasure that was promised to be given next year, but Passion wants it now.  Patience on the other hand does not mind the wait.

    Nar -- Then I saw someone come to Passion holding a bag of treasure and he gave it to him, which caused Passion to become even more uncivil and start mocking and laughing at Patience.  Patience, though, still sat quietly and did not return his brother's scorn.  With the passing of time, though, I saw Passion's treasure dwindle down to nothing as he spent it freely and unwisely and in the end he was reduced to poverty.

    Chrs  -   Tell me more of what this means....

    Inter - These two children are representative: Passion, of the men of this world and Patience of the men who wait for a better yet to come.  For just as you saw Passion would have all things now, this year, that is to say "in this world", so are the men of this world.  They must have all their good things now.  They are not willing to wait one moment for that which they set their eyes upon and these things are that which disappear quickly, for they are things of this world.

    To that man the proverb "A Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" is clearly spoken.  For to him, the things in the here and now are of more worth than any other thought of a world that is to come, or any testimony to that fact, divine or otherwise. (Psalms 14:1, 53:1; Proverbs 14:12; 1 John 2:15-16; James 4:4)   As you saw, though, his treasure quickly reduced to nothing and in the end left him with less than he had to begin with. (Luke 15:12-14)  So it will be with all of them who love this world.  (Mark 8:36; Matthew 16:26)

    The folly of his maxim "He who dies with the most toys wins" is this, that in death they will be passed along to someone who did not endeavor to receive them and will in the end comfort neither one's soul.  (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)   It is vanity to think that by mere money or possessions one could in fact be happy, when one knows not the day he shall die, and all of his "toys" will do him no good, nor keep him from the grave where he is going.  (Luke 12:13-21, 15 esp.)

    Chrs  -   Now I see that Patience has the best wisdom, for several reasons.  

    1. Because he waits for better things to come, and does not set his heart on what he already owns so that it would rule over him.
    2. Because he will enjoy his for all eternity, while the other is left without even a shirt on his back.

    Inter - You may as well add a third 3) the things he waits for will not fade or reduce, but stay completely stable throughout eternity, while on the other hand "possessions" will one day be gone; by rust, by theft, by neglect, or by poverty --- all the things he seeks will not endure.  For this he had no reason to mock or scorn Patience just because he got his treasure first.  Truly Patience shall have the last laugh, for he waited for the better things to come.  The things that come first are subject to present decay and corruption, but those things that come after.... when this present world has been done away with and the new one has come... those things shall endure for eternity. (See Footnote #1 below)

    He, then, who seeks his portion first, must have time to spend it, but he who seeks for it to come last, will have it everlastingly.  Therefore it is said of the rich man "in your lifetime you received all your good things and likewise, Lazarus his bad, but now he is comforted while you lay in torment."  (Luke 16:25)

    Chrs  -   Then I realize that it is best not to be greedy for the things of this world, but to wait for those things which are to come.

    Inter - You have seen rightly, "For the things that are seen are temporary, but those which are not are eternal."  (2 Corinthians 4:18; Colossians 3:1-4)   But even though this is the case, since things present and our worldly desires are so close to one another, and because things to come and our Earthly frame of mind so distant form each other, we find that the closeness makes us friendlier because we can see, touch, taste, and possess the Earthly things that makes it easier to be drawn to them --- even though the promise of the other is no less real.  Rather, they must be had by faith and patient hope.  (Galatians 6:7-9; Hebrews 11:1, 6)

    Nar -- This being said, Interpreter took Christian to another room and there he saw a fire place with a fire on the hearth.  And there came someone who stood by it and constantly poured water on the fire, to kill it.  Even still , the flames grew hotter and brighter.  At this Christian marveled and said:

    Chrs  -   What is the meaning of this?

    Int - This fire is the Work of grace that comes on a believing heart.  he that casts water on that fire to put it out is the devil, but as you see that even still the fire burns higher and hotter.  Follow me and I will show you the reason for this.

    Nar -- And so Christian followed him and he took him to a corridor that lead behind the fireplace.  There he saw a man sitting next to the fireplace from behind and in his hand was a flask of oil that he constantly and secretly poured into the fire from behind.   He likewise saw that flask of oil did not run dry.  Christian again marveled and asked:

    Chrs  -   What is this?

    Inter - This is Christ who continually maintains the work of His grace that has been begun in a man's heart.  (Philippians 1:6)  By this means, no matter what the devil tries to do, the souls of his people maintain their grace.  Also shown in this is that, because you see Christ standing behind the fireplace, is to point out that it is hard for one being tempted to see how this work of grace is being continued, even through trials and tribulations.

    Nar -- At this, Interpreter lead him away to a new place altogether, and in front of him stood a majestic palace that was a beauty to see.  At this sight, Christian was greatly delighted and as he looked further, he saw people dressed in gold walking around inside.  At this he asked:

    Chrs  -   May we, too, go inside?

    Nar --  And so Interpreter took him to the door of the palace.

    Near the door stood a great many men that desired to go in, but dared not to.  A little ways from them I saw a little man at a table, with a ledger spread out before him.  His job, I perceived, was to take the name of all that should enter.  I also saw standing at the doorway a great company of knights in armor, who seem ready to battle with any and all who would dare try to enter.

    This sight puzzled Christian until one man came forward from the crowd, who had his face set towards gaining entry.  he walked up to the man with a ledger and said "Put my name down, sir."  Once he had done this he put on a magnificent helmet, took up a shield and sword (Ephesians 6:11-17), and rushed towards the door wholeheartedly.  The battle that followed was long and bloody, but in the end this, man made it through to the door and gained entrance.  (Acts 14:22) 

    At this a voice was heard from those inside the palace that said "Come in, Come in, Eternal glory shall you win."  So he went in and was clothed with garments just like those inside already.  Then Christian smiled and said:

    Chrs  -   Truly I think I know the meaning of this already.

    Footnote #1  Since in the story Christian isn't looking for an "Earth to come" --- hasn't mentioned this once thus far ---  the interpretation I gave this passage sort of doesn't work.  My original translation for this was 

    They that seek theirs first will give way to those who wait, for the last must have its time upcoming, but the last things do not give way to anything for there is nothing to succeed them.

    Which, as you can see, really doesn't really help to give meaningful comprehension.  Leave my new passage to stand, despite it's story flaws.  At least it works on a theological level and gives specific understanding to what the original author was trying to say. 

    1. When Passion received his treasure, he became very prideful & even more mocking.  What was it about getting his way do you suppose made him like this?
    2. How are you like Patience?  And how are you like Passion?
    3. Read James 4:4 and 1 John 2:15-17.  Discuss how one might "love the world" (Colossians 3:1-4 also gives insight) How might Luke 12:15 apply as well?
    4. Interpreter speaks of the nearness of things making them dearer to us because we can see them.  how might this apply less in your life?  Is there a Heavenly promise that you keep near to you?  What and why?
    5. Interpreter spoke of sin earlier, how do water and dust mix?  (what do they become?)  How does speak for Satan's attempts on the believer?  Where does he attempt to muddy you?
    6. How does Christ use grace in your life?
    7. What do you think was the meaning of the Palace?
    8. Read over the weapons of warfare in Ephesians 4:11-18, which ones do you use regularly?  Sometimes?  Not at all?  Which ones do you think may help you struggles with Satan's attacks?  (The answer is in the text, simply discuss how faith works to defend us from Satan.)

April 30, 2012

  • Avengers: Greater than the sum of it's parts

    DISCLAIMER: I am a DC fan, raised on Superboy the Legion of Superheroes.  To me, X-men, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, and yes, even the Avengers are second rate heroes.  Give me Lightning Lad, Karate Kid (yes, before the movie there was a hero by that name), Duo Damsel, Tyroc (I'm dating myself on that one), Wildfire, Dawnstar and nearly 30 others.  Team-work without the constant bickering, in-fighting and friction.  That was my youth.

    So, that said, I have to say up front that Avengers caught me off guard in many ways.  Let's take a look at it's constituent parts:

    1. Hulk = 2 movie attempts, both rather lame.  I am a huge fan of Edward Norton, and I did like his Bruce Banner, but the movie failed because the character Hulk came off as unbelievable.  We'll not even discuss the Ang Lee version.  It's not worth mentioning.
    2. Captain America = When my sister and I saw this in the theaters last year, my comment as we were walking out has stuck with me.  "Now there was an action movie that needed more action."  The movie was a lot of fluff and buff and not much stuff.  When you did get into a fight scene it was a flash here, a flash there, no follow through, no choreography of movement --- just like Batman in the 60's... FLASH!  BAM! POW! and not a single connected punch.  Even the chase scenes were mostly like this.  (Not the first one when he becomes Captain America... that was the highlight of a rather dull movie.)
    3. Thor = a god.  Right.  A god who has flaws. double right.  A god who makes mistakes.  Ummmm, yeah.  Overall the movie was worth the $2 Kai and I spent to rent it, but the only really good part of the movie was Loki.
    4. Iron Man = take your pick, 1 or 2... either one were one of the best Superhero movies in the last 5 years.  I said this before walking into the theater last night ---- Every movie carries a new way for Robert Downey Jr to don "The Suit" --- and each time is more stunning than the last.  Both movies are good.  Each one has merit in it's own right.  And ultimately Robert Downey Jr shines as Tony Stark.... hero and yet flawed.

    The other characters in this movie have showed up either as teasers or not shown up at all thus far.

      1. Samuel Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D agent Nick Fury has been in closing credits for Marvel movies nearly 5 years now.  We finally get to see him kick butt.
      2. Natasha "Black Widow" Romanoff showed up sparingly in Iron Man 2 and only got to shine in one scene.
      3. Clint "Hawkeye" Barton --- hasn't shown up to date til now.

    So there's our list of main players in the grand adventure --- and aside from Iron Man, not one of our players really has had an exceptional movie.

    SIDE-NOTE: Samuel Jackson only plays one role -- Angry Black Man.  He does it well, granted, but it's seriously limiting as you already know how Samuel Jackson's gonna act.  Thus, Samuel Jackson, as Nick Fury, ---- pick any Samuel Jackson movie and super-over-impose his character there here --- you get the picture.

    But....

    I got to say that I had not followed the buzz on the Avengers Movie.  So when we were watching the closing credits and Joss Whedon's name lit up the screen --- I about shouted "NO WONDER!!!"   Joss Whedon's track record thus far is superlatively impressive.  He's written for the Comic industry, created, written and produced TV Shows for the Television industry (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and my personal favorite, Firefly) and likewise he's had a hand in writing and directing movies on the big screen.  Joss has even written music. 

    Thus having someone who (a) understood comic books (b) understood how to tell a story on the big screen and (c) understood Sci-fi --- having someone like this take the director's seat.... it's no wonder the movie shines.

    And shine it does.  You basically get two movies for the price of one.  The first nearly 90 minutes of the movie shows the bickering, in-fighting and friction that I said I was turned off by in my youth.  Here, it works.  To see constant friction between the main heroes only lends to give them deeper character in a way.  It also adds to the movie as you see them strive to overcome these frictions and build something more of a team.

    The second half of the movie is all the action that Captain America lacked and then some.  Just when you think something is the worst thing they could possibly face --- in walks something tougher.  Loki makes a good villan throughout, he's cunning, crafty, and just pure evil.  Given the opportunity to joint-rule Aasgard with Thor --- he chooses to stick with plotting revenge. 

    The actual war to save the planet Earth is intense.  There is a lot of flash and fluff --- but this time you actually get what's going on.  It makes sense.  it's not a shot here of Captain America making a punch, cue next shot "Kick", cue next shot somewhere else in same war, cue next shot on airplane... and that's just 5 seconds of the movie.  You see Hulk jumping here to go there.  You understand that Hawkeye actually can calculate airspeed (and resistance), wind velocity, and then pull off the perfect shot with total accuracy.   (ok, even in the comic books that was a stretch, but heroes are heroes.... we cut them some slack.)  And even Thor Vs Loki comes off believable because the punches connect.  We aren't asked to merely connect the dots.

    I'm still a DC fan when it comes to comic heroes.  But I honestly have to say that Marvel's doing a good job of winning me over. 

    Is it worth seeing?  Yes.

    Is it worth seeing twice.

    yes.... most definitely.  This is one movie you honestly don't want to miss this year.