tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31678334864058772642024-02-20T00:41:58.483+08:00to really liveseeking, thinking, living, LIFE.jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.comBlogger347125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-83770137968981188502020-10-30T16:06:00.005+08:002020-11-12T21:47:52.041+08:00Notes from a Pandemic to help us To Really Live in 2021<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Ok, that's a tad of a bold claim.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">But that's the heart of this blog, of all I write, and this ebook experiment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVt-G5sb7oPshAG-Ev9vGfqikNfVQq32ng9W6XTSgeMciJnmqeVKPJYfeXKOz7h7ou6U0W8VA49l9m47-alU3XVNXmU8SjDeTzpv8scqcjtFa0H1-9a4NQQSlYWMBfc67gVy7DiQxec1ip/s1000/best_ebook_reader.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVt-G5sb7oPshAG-Ev9vGfqikNfVQq32ng9W6XTSgeMciJnmqeVKPJYfeXKOz7h7ou6U0W8VA49l9m47-alU3XVNXmU8SjDeTzpv8scqcjtFa0H1-9a4NQQSlYWMBfc67gVy7DiQxec1ip/w400-h225/best_ebook_reader.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">A bit of backstory about ebooks -</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2017 I felt my writing well was rather dry so I gave myself permission to write something fun. The result was MEWSINGS - which involved three things:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">(1) learning to self-publish</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">(2) helping an injured migrant worker with some income as he sketches from photos of Chats</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">(3) gifting copies to SPCA for their funders</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvtwWYT5KvxpxdBVcVgC7u5APcI-Vrja6lMJ6_T_fEc2IvoC5cNQICtCvtz36iN-i5PaEcxyDejbUb-1AJnuI44ix4aJkyEd3jOfUeCTGnQf2FeRn9-kyUGTrXUXBGvuJBvYyu6lebnuv/s960/Bag+n+Cat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvtwWYT5KvxpxdBVcVgC7u5APcI-Vrja6lMJ6_T_fEc2IvoC5cNQICtCvtz36iN-i5PaEcxyDejbUb-1AJnuI44ix4aJkyEd3jOfUeCTGnQf2FeRn9-kyUGTrXUXBGvuJBvYyu6lebnuv/w300-h400/Bag+n+Cat.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPUejXAfnZJrrGb_hi-Y_mXBhpFEgzAf4L6dn6LiaOnUUiDGEPRso6H-P_8iqln6zxgOkBKuNsGRpafuejrUI-D-gx5Iunhwci-0YEjti_EgPHA53B3kfQrzfIFOW4oHWBGsKgqvlhyjQ/s2048/Chats%25C2%25A0Sketches%25C2%25A0_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1338" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPUejXAfnZJrrGb_hi-Y_mXBhpFEgzAf4L6dn6LiaOnUUiDGEPRso6H-P_8iqln6zxgOkBKuNsGRpafuejrUI-D-gx5Iunhwci-0YEjti_EgPHA53B3kfQrzfIFOW4oHWBGsKgqvlhyjQ/w261-h400/Chats%25C2%25A0Sketches%25C2%25A0_2.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">2020 the year of Clarity everyone had opined, is really been forcing us to see many things we have rather ignored, distract ourselves from, swept under the carpet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout this year, and especially during the first two months as the reality of a Pandemic unfolded before a shocked world, quite unprepared for this scale of disruption, I wrote bits and bytes to make sense of it all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The result, among other things, is this little ebook: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QuHEE9CQPSvCNtYxrQZRaqeqfN3Q8GLm/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Notes From A PAN*IC ..*dem: getting ready for a new normal</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My hope is that it can be useful for you to take stock and make some choices that will help you to really live, free, fierce and joyously fiery into 2021.</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">And honestly, this is how I feel about it all --</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwaWfp4kAKN3Tzzkan9yPLSDxtz6sL7qblCOxIbo1QoWbsa2rQQIlYvnzbSzQPJJGpargmcLNBTNEMAYkAwPnHsZ8ml2zBwjW1x0AB4jNza_PeWuMbvo3vDNA72uxB-MQUNz0HPmBDpE3/s2048/chats+curled+up.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwaWfp4kAKN3Tzzkan9yPLSDxtz6sL7qblCOxIbo1QoWbsa2rQQIlYvnzbSzQPJJGpargmcLNBTNEMAYkAwPnHsZ8ml2zBwjW1x0AB4jNza_PeWuMbvo3vDNA72uxB-MQUNz0HPmBDpE3/s320/chats+curled+up.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PdavdUhCYnVzAwXfCecHWjZ5MgYuWwbOqxZ5Th05TuDpDcpF2YCR4KrG8cuiFTHEGUFPQ5KXvQzoGDMtpEAvRMrKHAfeAJXWiDs9lg7DbAP94AX-nATjFo67oLAevshkpGy8lqjzj7Ub/s1024/Chats+cover+eyes.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="766" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PdavdUhCYnVzAwXfCecHWjZ5MgYuWwbOqxZ5Th05TuDpDcpF2YCR4KrG8cuiFTHEGUFPQ5KXvQzoGDMtpEAvRMrKHAfeAJXWiDs9lg7DbAP94AX-nATjFo67oLAevshkpGy8lqjzj7Ub/s320/Chats+cover+eyes.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xJ9YvrSCSkb_e4VsstFyrnosR0jtnnN52QttbjGNM0q8N5YoX6oTNpEQiOOsFdmBEzOIXE-AzQUhShMUEvwot6gevgodVx0Fl4I6-g_M0r2TrVw99g2ZPJCH_P2NbHR5x1-0sTfvFpCU/s2048/IMG_1995.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1732" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xJ9YvrSCSkb_e4VsstFyrnosR0jtnnN52QttbjGNM0q8N5YoX6oTNpEQiOOsFdmBEzOIXE-AzQUhShMUEvwot6gevgodVx0Fl4I6-g_M0r2TrVw99g2ZPJCH_P2NbHR5x1-0sTfvFpCU/s320/IMG_1995.JPG" /></a></div></div><br /><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">stay well,</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">jenni </span></div></div>jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-71865029713490395422020-09-23T11:04:00.000+08:002020-09-23T11:04:01.957+08:00Me (you)? The (accidental) Proverbs 31 woman?<p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Proverbs 31 did not appeal to me.</span></h4><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was a mighty teen with grand dreams and staying at home layering out linen did not appeal to me. It felt too archaic and irrelevant as the bracing winds of feminism were blowing.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a young adult, I found myself studying my mom’s story and the woman in Proverbs 31 felt too much like her - overworked. Never mind that the closing verses speak of how her children honour her.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">But one day, when I read these words, I was astonished to recognise myself in it and feel that I could relate to her:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him:</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
<br /></i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight.</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar.
She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And portions to her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">She girds herself with strength</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>And makes her arms strong.
She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.
She stretches out her hands to the distaff, her hands grasp the spindle.</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">She extends her hand to the poor, </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">she stretches out her hands to the needy.</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
<br /></i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies belts to the tradesmen.
<br /></i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.
She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
<br /></i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
“Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.”
<br /></i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">How did I end up being the woman I was trying to avoid to become?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHbmBAbBlYzmC8CHuATMP2HLD8qrTEA4egBBh6u9uJ4XJOSTsVL8wib-5qZK5lYoLcpEyG6j9jyUHlIFhvK4J25t4TsH3IcJVJdsIHpinjJzYjTCqm0IPj6k7Pnp9ngsW_FYCm1B4fu6S/s1000/Unsplash+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1000" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHbmBAbBlYzmC8CHuATMP2HLD8qrTEA4egBBh6u9uJ4XJOSTsVL8wib-5qZK5lYoLcpEyG6j9jyUHlIFhvK4J25t4TsH3IcJVJdsIHpinjJzYjTCqm0IPj6k7Pnp9ngsW_FYCm1B4fu6S/w400-h265/Unsplash+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNU_hcOH0VDtdxynB3nYt_WiaEoyPhh-gZ-ZelRw7gB0GSDtHV8FQdv1GUMrFtRR82xxhSJSydOAM39Uxvcvj-v9K30qCb0wephyphenhyphenMQ5HSswkbAqjqU8oLfgmQRDlDPpsRph-ploVO2f4B/s1000/Unsplash+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1000" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNU_hcOH0VDtdxynB3nYt_WiaEoyPhh-gZ-ZelRw7gB0GSDtHV8FQdv1GUMrFtRR82xxhSJSydOAM39Uxvcvj-v9K30qCb0wephyphenhyphenMQ5HSswkbAqjqU8oLfgmQRDlDPpsRph-ploVO2f4B/w400-h272/Unsplash+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnhX1tAIX1E4D0BWU0yPcog6SPUCaGs06KATeGnQ4uv0Nlox7-QQ_1ZV_zcoRdmWF5xEB7Nd6Iu5rFhosIE5ZwxZbzZSHQyGWUHTzAj0dPJV8XZ3RYdw8VX5GRw_yDU5l4r7eBiPktUEP/s1000/Unsplash+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnhX1tAIX1E4D0BWU0yPcog6SPUCaGs06KATeGnQ4uv0Nlox7-QQ_1ZV_zcoRdmWF5xEB7Nd6Iu5rFhosIE5ZwxZbzZSHQyGWUHTzAj0dPJV8XZ3RYdw8VX5GRw_yDU5l4r7eBiPktUEP/w400-h266/Unsplash+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all images taken from Unsplash<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">God does not peddle in popular ideas or recommendations. God’s word offers us the truth. So while I did not like Proverbs 31, it is God's word about true femininity and <b>God in his love for us will take all of us who are willing to let him lead the way. </b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">I guess that's what happened to me.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">I bumped up against my femininity at two fronts: the church’s political structure, and marriage. While my church embraced and empowered me in my growing years, things became bumpy when I joined the clergy. From sexist comments by parishioners to a sense of alone-ness and discomfiture with my predominantly male collegiate, it felt like I had to account for and explain my personhood. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of it went unsaid, but the systems had been designed and led by men for so long that it was hard for the brothers to empathize and hard for me to vocalize. More strident colleagues have advocated that I resist the underlying patriarchy, but I did not feel at peace about it. My brothers, I felt, were not my enemies. But what is unsaid would go underground and surface, often at really bad times. So I studied and prayed myself to a place of acceptance and peace. To say it is no longer an issue would be a lie. But to know that my selfhood originated and will be sustained by the Maker grants immense assurance and agency.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">With marriage came the confusing journey of sexual interest, submission and surviving regular conflicts. It was not difficult to see that a good deal of all of this is gendered in origin, and that neither of us were well discipled beyond the ‘love your wife, submit to your husband’ rhetoric.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Too many marriage jokes abound around the stereotypes and caricatures, good for a momentary release of the valve of frustration, but can be unhelpful if they limit our growth. Stereotypes give us a false sense of knowledge and control, which is why they are so popular, but it can stop the innate fight in the human heart for that which is glorious and good.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">This bumpy journey could make me hardened, cynical and even bitter. Thankfully,<b> the Triune God met me repeatedly as the Father who cares, the Saviour and older brother who rescues and supports, and the sweet Spirit comforts and champions me.</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">At age thirty-three I became a mother. Due to my own longing for a permanent loving presence in my life, I chose to relinquish my clerical role to stay home. The decision would be tested many times, but it also bore much fruit.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even as I am fiercely committed to my family, especially my children, I discovered that God my Abba was faithful and fiercely committed to do me good. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">He helped me contest the stereotype of the dour housewife as He drew out my gifts, brought me cheerleaders and opened doors for me to be true to my convictions and to who I am.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Made in His image, I discovered my creativity and passion even as I served my family and the needs that came to my attention.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">God gave me the capacity to endure and many times enjoy the humdrum of daily life by helping me notice the sunrises and sunsets - how repetitively glorious they are! </p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">He chiseled away the idolatrous tendencies in my heart that drove me to fear and anxiety. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even as my boy swelled to home a life, God enlarged my heart for children (I can’t wait to be a grandma!). </p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">He established my gifts to the Body of Christ as a pastor and writer. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">My feminine self is woven thick through all of these varied seasons and experiences of growth. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>My femininity is not a liability. </b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>It is in fact, precisely the other half of who God is, and what the world needs to see, experience and be impacted by. </b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">The roads to fullness are many and I want to be wary of being prescriptive. However, as I worry about being too dogmatic to insist that women stay home when they become mothers, I am deeply convinced the women are uniquely shaped to do exactly that. Our brain circuitry, natural inclinations and abilities (read mental load bearing) enable us to envision and execute multiple roles.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">In some ways, <b>it may be good to examine if our sense of femininity has been attacked or reduced due to traumatic experiences or social pressure which we succumbed to.</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently I read this article by Scott Hubbard (<a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-proverbs-31-warfare" target="_blank">the warfare that is waged in the home</a>) who skilfully explains how <b>femininity is powerful, and the hearth is a unique space for that power to be honed.</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, to become fully woman in our identity and God's making of us, we have to take the home-front seriously.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">And you don't have to be a wife or mother to do so, really.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>"From beginning to end, then, the Proverbs 31 woman is not merely a homemaker. She is a victor on the feminine field of war."</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">We see the Bible explain how right from the beginning, in seeking to snuff out life, the enemy of life chose to attack the woman, causing a seismic loss of confidence in women and a bent to self-guilt (think of how easily we apologize even when it isn't our fault?).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus Christ's full forgiveness and celebration of the feminine calls us to regain our rightful confidence and freedom.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>"(T)he Proverbs 31 woman is not only countercultural now; she was countercultural then. A woman who fears the Lord always will be. If we cannot see the heroism in this homemaker, then, our ideas of heroism and womanhood may be shaped more by society than Scripture. As Alastair Roberts writes, “Our failure to see the heroism and strength of such a diligent and active woman is a failure to see the world as God does”</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>"G.K. Chesterton observed that all work outside the home necessarily turns us into specialists of one sort or another. It tends to make us narrow, not broad. ..e will find “marketing manager,” “insurance salesman,” “electrician,” or “mechanic.” Each of these jobs cultivates a person’s gifts, but only in a limited number of directions.</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>A wife and mother, on the other hand, is “generally shut up in the house with a human being at the time when he asks all the questions that there are, and some that there aren’t.... When a woman says she is a homemaker, she actually says she is a dozen things at once: teacher, interior decorator, cook, financial steward, craftswoman, cleaner, gardener, life coach, and so on. As such, she “does not ‘give her best,’ but gives her all.”</i></blockquote><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which woman does not relate? The mother easily does, especially the way who stays home. But women everywhere know this to be true too. In the office, who does the job of bringing beauty, refreshment (and clearing up afterwards) and tasked to buy gifts and generate community ideas typically fall to?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"And then, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman” (Galatians 4:4). And what kind of woman? Not a soldier or a judge, not a leader or a queen, but rather a woman who heard God’s word and received it, who treasured up the promise as she labored in her home, who fought the serpent through faith in God, and thereby welcomed into Bethlehem the Savior of the world.
In wars between nations, women at home think of their men on the frontlines. In the world’s cosmic war, mothers man the frontlines. Home is where the heroines are."</blockquote><p style="font-style: italic;"><br /></p><p>Just w-o-w.</p><p>I think i need to brew a cup of tea to savour what has happened to me. </p><p><br /></p><p>How does one hold a sense of gratitude, pride, humility, hope and joy all together? </p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">All is Grace.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">(and I think my late mom would agree)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What has been hard for you about being a woman?</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Does this post help you feel more excited and empowered? </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;">Share in the comments.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 23px; margin-top: 23px; transition: margin-top 0.1s ease-out 0s, margin-bottom 0.1s ease-out 0s; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 19px;" /></p>jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-8388158900623119292020-09-07T09:56:00.001+08:002020-09-07T09:56:00.312+08:00Loss and Lament - a reflection on doing something new<p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Death is harsh, and one can never fully be ready for it.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">
Grief is awkward - the kind of awkward that is the cumulative effect of feeling weak, sorry, guilty, vulnerable, being a sore burden and more.
Loss is universal, who has not felt it, even if we at first did not recognize it as such?
</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYi1R-2aYcJ5HNb2rn5eC7XpR20VIF6BBfM7GElH6eb3UnagPVtk6FUKoRDfVmK3y5fB2R-A1wIQNpNYMtxbBxwdjc8cKdoX0Z1hxIf0sBdfbN2Z9nYQ05VQ8XPQHdTgb2QBjsAKxe10Y/s1280/loss+pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYi1R-2aYcJ5HNb2rn5eC7XpR20VIF6BBfM7GElH6eb3UnagPVtk6FUKoRDfVmK3y5fB2R-A1wIQNpNYMtxbBxwdjc8cKdoX0Z1hxIf0sBdfbN2Z9nYQ05VQ8XPQHdTgb2QBjsAKxe10Y/w400-h225/loss+pic+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br />
Yet nothing disarms and connects us to God and each other as sharing in suffering. It is as if our souls have a wire that lights and burns a life-giving glow when the touchpoints of our pain connect. We feel validated, normal, understood.
I also know that many of us don’t grieve well and so never reach this gift of solidarity or find out that grief can be the soil of healing and fresh possibilities.
So, I decided to try a new thing that isn’t common in churches here: hold a Loss and Lament service.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpNfKn3UA7bkp5fQjkYMhGhTJZ7oM65Rd7OLEVBykBIzjVAZVLW6tsbdoLGnz_RHz0LOmAeXgERPGeEiZjtwAaste9gsO7XCKRGGHSSsYsoy1t6liZlbbWBzYxferFgC1eLz3j49AX5MO/s800/Loss+and+Lament+Publicity+Image+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="800" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpNfKn3UA7bkp5fQjkYMhGhTJZ7oM65Rd7OLEVBykBIzjVAZVLW6tsbdoLGnz_RHz0LOmAeXgERPGeEiZjtwAaste9gsO7XCKRGGHSSsYsoy1t6liZlbbWBzYxferFgC1eLz3j49AX5MO/w400-h265/Loss+and+Lament+Publicity+Image+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br />
As a pastor, I am familiar with sitting with the bereaved, organizing memorials and leading funeral services. I had to do a few of my own on four occasions due to the sudden deaths of my loved ones. But this is going to be different. It will be an entire service dedicated to coming to God with our pains, burdens and silent screams.
As I shared with a few and began scripting, I realised that Loss and Lament are parallel rivers that share tributaries and I needed to let each have its own flow.
<br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">So it became two services.
<b>Aug 22 2020</b>
The day began like any other except for the nervous excitement within me. I had put it out on email and social media and still did not have the final list that registered for the online zoom service.
With a few hours to go, I browsed the newspapers and saw this advert for a smart watch which my mother-in-law had asked for. It was not a good decision as it led me on a wild online purchase ride that rattled me quite a bit, not the least of which is to find that the shop is in France and basically operates in French.
Anyway, after some desperate attempts to clarify and block a double billing, I had to let it go and prepare myself for the service!
Then I received word that tech support guy had taken ill. (Let’s just say writing on Medium was already a tech feat for me.)
But the service must go on, and it did, even if I had to wave at my zoom host from across the room at several points and my camera froze at another point.
Thirty-four persons turned up.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I began the service with a memory that floated to my consciousness, about a time I fell from my bike and just sat on the grass, crying tears too large and many for an adult in an accident like this. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMjpwiqw7QQQKH1A7O8rttuhKxKSrKte_O4N9fjZBQPJTSRGJ5FJvEhEb8xyV0SXre3nHPDQN_TWOm8qmDYEhpNV9Gcki8qpDYTkLQvoSaWdrdsaVo3va9NxnmpfeNnJhZCHl644y0iar/s1280/loss+pic+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMjpwiqw7QQQKH1A7O8rttuhKxKSrKte_O4N9fjZBQPJTSRGJ5FJvEhEb8xyV0SXre3nHPDQN_TWOm8qmDYEhpNV9Gcki8qpDYTkLQvoSaWdrdsaVo3va9NxnmpfeNnJhZCHl644y0iar/w400-h225/loss+pic+3.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The tears were not because of embarrassment of the the fall and the pain it inflicted, they came from a deeper place. They were overdue tears, waiting for me to be ready to pay attention, to be weak enough to stop holding it all in, to be real. The tears was the stream that connected all I was carrying from the losses I had not properly grieved. As the waters gushed, things got surfaced.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I encouraged us to let the tears come, to mourn, to speak our losses.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">
In my breakout, I was surprised to see my old friend, and a man who in moments, broke into tears.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">We considered how God himself is familiar with loss. God's initial dream of Eden was dashed with a wrong exercise of free will. God's spectacular deliverance of a million slaves dissipated with the grumbling and politicking of these have-nots. God's pursuit was spurned again and again. O yes, God is familiar with Loss.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">And so we can come and sit with him in silent communion - who has words equal to any of this?</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><b>We come to the Father God of all comfort.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><b>We come to a Saviour who promised that as we mourned, we are blessed for we shall be comforted.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><b>We come to the activity of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">Slowly, we waded into our rivers of loss.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">Some got uncomfortable. Most dipped their toes. Many sat under the flow and were surprised it wasn't washing them away, but washing them clearer.
As the service progressed, words like these were shared on the chat:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><i>released</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><i>peaceful</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><i>thoughtful</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>lighter</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>calm</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>reassured</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>encouraged</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>unload</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>free</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>conscious</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>loved</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">Also,</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><i>dejected</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><i>mourning</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><i>pensive</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">A grief counselor, shared in the chat that she had just lost a newborn grand nephew.
None of us got back what we lost.
But you can lose through your loss, far more than you need to.
You can lose your zeal for life, imagination, loving feelings, faith in yourself, curiosity and hope.
While we can’t undo losses, we can grieve in a way that it does not bleed into all of our life and leave a dastardly stain.
<b>Aug 29 2020</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">To lament feels too close to grumbling and complaining, so it feels wrong for the faithful to indulge it. But in truth, we all do it. We cannot help it. There is so much wrong with the world. We lament and wish for a simpler time gone by or hope for a different outcome despite the trajectory.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">The Bible realistically records this human need to lament. It's right in the middle with the Psalms, the prophets do it and journal it, and historical events tell of women especially, who lament and wait because of the evil that led to the death of their children and the destruction of their homes.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I urged us not to live half of our lives, just focused on polishing and projecting just the shiny side of us. I urged us to brave the dark and see the treasure hidden in places we rather avoid. I said we were not going to take an emotional shortcut.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus did not take the shortcut.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BdE9tQeIhkMcDa8tceQxIgWI-AOKVxwQmUycGL75J8vc5r86Zf8YUK7z8wIovB5YNUlZqXa6Zi6Qy2hyphenhyphenH89wBoJ-iBLan4rQtaNH94uQg1lPyS8KEmjSuc-bdeq4rDmbvxyJx7AEQ8d1/s1280/lament+2+jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BdE9tQeIhkMcDa8tceQxIgWI-AOKVxwQmUycGL75J8vc5r86Zf8YUK7z8wIovB5YNUlZqXa6Zi6Qy2hyphenhyphenH89wBoJ-iBLan4rQtaNH94uQg1lPyS8KEmjSuc-bdeq4rDmbvxyJx7AEQ8d1/w400-h225/lament+2+jesus.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">He lived the stuff of life, and he lamented the state of affairs, the hardness of heart and the dullness of mind.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">To help us lament well, in the spirit that Christ did, we stared for minutes at three art pieces that portrayed the Christ figure.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then we watched this seven minute news documentary about the world in 2019 - image after image of strife, violence, anger and destruction.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was hard to reckon that so much happened within twelve months, and we barely remember most of it, seeing that 2020 has hit us all with a gale-force of epic scale. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">O yes, we needed to lament -- but most of us were too tired, numbed and overwhelmed to do so.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But lamenting for the Christian is the necessary pathway to the eternal trifecta of faith, hope and love. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbbz1KGrvBVcuWGR80AFge0PuglPhczpFOiNrvQlWRtsSkFrDtGEcJVevUJsoA6lonrsNp_nRxUzVVhsqQJdyIUhpU8ogvi-qivhO35akCFfhsAwiL5aqHw7jHCDky8vpkw8d8F04icTi/s810/lament+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="810" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbbz1KGrvBVcuWGR80AFge0PuglPhczpFOiNrvQlWRtsSkFrDtGEcJVevUJsoA6lonrsNp_nRxUzVVhsqQJdyIUhpU8ogvi-qivhO35akCFfhsAwiL5aqHw7jHCDky8vpkw8d8F04icTi/w400-h294/lament+3.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Without lament, faith is often a wafer thin propositional position that we get all defensive about, hope is mostly an emotional state that requires positive circumstances to prop up, and love, that remains confusing and impossible for us.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In lament we have to face squarely the darkness that humans are capable of doing to each other and our precious shared planet. In lament, we have to confront the limits of good intentions and positive interventions. In lament, we have to admit that "</span></span><span style="font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, ... nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts”*.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;">Through Lament service I wanted to help us to lament well -- and so live stronger, truer and more committed to all that is good, true and beautiful.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHScvPdQw5vWF5x33RoNqHkvR2KsNmU-6BLdisx2tcKCQiiGqlJ2uleCGwv34ORNQ7P2ueM0BQsgBAwL6lCPuoC5cEUEnqnX6NrYrNMdlYBikCxkhTWoqKRJxvunIcK5J8BRO_2hAk2pE/s910/lament+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="910" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHScvPdQw5vWF5x33RoNqHkvR2KsNmU-6BLdisx2tcKCQiiGqlJ2uleCGwv34ORNQ7P2ueM0BQsgBAwL6lCPuoC5cEUEnqnX6NrYrNMdlYBikCxkhTWoqKRJxvunIcK5J8BRO_2hAk2pE/w400-h316/lament+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">On my way to host the Lament service, I slipped on a wet spot threw the two bags on my shoulder to the ground and broke my fall with my hands and knees. It had already rained most of the day, making it feel like the skies were weeping right along.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then we had three tech hiccups - enough for a minor lament of its own.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">---</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The two services are now done.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I shall yet lose more things along the way which may well be the only way to gain some things.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will continue to lament my own darkness as well as the dark around me.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But <b>comfort, communion with God, and the things that truly last: faith, hope and love, shall be my portion and legacy.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Droid Serif, serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;">These can be yours too if you allow yourself to grieve and lament.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>*Alexander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago</p>jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-39498527844749446412020-08-14T14:12:00.001+08:002020-08-14T14:12:05.426+08:00What Jesus Really Stood For (part 2)<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">“No one can serve two masters.</span></p><blockquote class="qh qi qj" style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgb(41, 41, 41) 3px 0px 0px 0px inset; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0px -20px; padding-left: 23px;"><p class="jn jo ko jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="79f4" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.</p><p class="jn jo ko jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="092d" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matt 6v24)</p></blockquote><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ed69" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">At first, we follow and go ‘uhuh, that makes sense…’</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dff6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But then, we begin to wonder if it really isn’t possible to have more than one affection.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="883b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Finally we are shocked that of all the things great and small, Jesus would choose to set up Mammon against God. Really, Jesus?</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1457" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Over the years, my own relationship with both Jesus and Mammon has been tumultuous, mostly, not having enough of either!</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="15dd" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I was born into a poor family and recall episodes such as my father doling out soulful advice to drink water to feel the hunger pangs less, and my mother’s excitement to come home a boil a pot of rice to eat with the packet of fried noodles that had extra lard pieces added in owing to the hawker’s generosity.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d74b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Some experience poverty’s sting and end up hoarders. Others feel it’s pain and develop empathy.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7ec9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I was somewhere in the mid-stream where I feel easily for the lack others experience, but often was tardy to respond in kind. For years, I asked God to make me rich so that I could just tell the poor dejected kid cleaning tables that I would pay for his education.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="28e5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Poverty, it turns out is a dimension reality embedded in systems of function (or malfunction). These systems include personal perception, familial dynamics, community support or lack thereof and larger cultural mores.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="80f0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This means the the solution isn’t more money, but hey, more money can’t hurt, can it?</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0e26" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">At university I studied Economics and Political Science. Money became even more complicated.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f16e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Keynesian or Communitarian? How mighty is the invisible hand or does it get manipulated by invisible strings?</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="269a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Economic realities and systems continue to evolve, often benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor. As the adage goes: it takes money to make money (which reminds me of how my mother resourceful adapted this principle by running what is known as a collective back in the day).</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9622" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Why did Jesus seemingly reduce the spiritual life to this strange either-or choice?</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="111f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The line drawn here is unmistakably clear.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="02e3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Before we dive into that, here’s a review of the <span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">4 principles</span> we found out so far regarding the spiritual life:-</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fdf6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">1.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fb98" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Spiritual truths are going to be highly uncomfortable, disruptive and demand a response.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="622a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">2.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5650" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">If you react and cling to a sliver of what you hear and hastily judge, you will probably turn away too soon.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bb0c" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">3.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7349" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Lines define but don’t have to confine.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="24e5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">4.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="22c9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Living by spiritual truths isn’t something we can do on our own.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="233b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">True enough, this is uncomfortable, to say the least. After all, God does want to bless us, doesn’t He?</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="411f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Perhaps we are narrowing the discussion down. Ok, step back and observe (which we are about to do).</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="da02" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Whatever we uncover is not meant to confine us and our ability to follow-through will need supernatural help.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d7ee" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">With these principles operating, let’s get back to Mammon vs God.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4c2a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Ready?</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cbc9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Mammon refers to wealth and the entire ecosystem that supports its power, centrality, influence and grip on humankind. So yes it is money. It is also greed, and profiteering, policies and people, practices and punishments.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c343" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It is the entire materialist philosophy that reduces the glory of being human to consumption and competition.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d8f6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It turns us away from each other, tempts us to abuse resources, and generates strife, waste and pollution.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d465" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">For the most part, our response is to claim that we exercise moderation. But moderation is easily the same space as compromise. What we need isn’t moderation, it’s self-control.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="35f8" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">At the personal level, being aware that we do live under a materialist philosophy, we can — if we are serious about the spiritual life — exercise self-control so as not to simply go with the flow of things.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5baf" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But it will take more than self-control.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fa4d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">According the principle 4, the spiritual life is always beyond our own ability. So while self-control is crucial to preventing one from being lulled into sharing a bed with Mammon (who is often personified as Caesar or even Beelzebub), we will need more.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c204" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We need a Saviour.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e125" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">In saying then that we have to awaken to the truth that we can only afford one allegiance, Jesus calls us to our need of Him, to save us from a power too present and consuming — Mammon — so that we can truly live, and so serve God.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c710" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It’s really not hard to see how right Jesus is.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4295" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The spirit of the age, all of our training, the bright lights and neon signs all send one singular message: serve your self first, and do it in the fastest, cheapest and most convenient way. It does not help us to ever pause to think if the speed, cost and ease comes at a far larger price in the end.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e432" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I think back to my simpler days.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b690" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">In our family kitchen, we had one kettle that doesn’t know how to whistle, a kwali for frying and cooking and a soup pot.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5dd1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">My mother and some days my father as well, cooked and fed us out of these few things, all nine of us.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8cf9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Food preparation involved one knife or a cleaver. Nothing separate for garlic, tuber or leaves. One implement but a myriad skills to wield it.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dcda" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The kitchen and meal preparation was part adventure part danger.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="901b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It also made cleaning up so much easier.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1249" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Our kitchens today are ridiculously cluttered.</p></blockquote><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="af57" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This image says a lot doesn’t it?</p><figure class="iq ir is it iu iv dr ds paragraph-image" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 56px auto 0px;"><div class="iw ix cc iy ai" style="box-sizing: inherit; cursor: zoom-in; position: relative; transition: transform 300ms cubic-bezier(0.2, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 680px; z-index: auto;"><div class="dr ds km" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 700px;"><div class="jd r cc je" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; box-sizing: inherit; margin: auto; position: relative;"><div class="kn jg r" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px; padding-bottom: 961.703px;"><div class="cb iz s t u ja ai bu jb jc" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 961.703px; left: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: translateZ(0px); transition: opacity 100ms ease 400ms; width: 680px; will-change: transform;"><img alt="Image for post" class="s t u ja ai jh ji ap tj" height="990" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/21/1*TcMVdMMTm_f7N_SIVf2jmg.jpeg?q=20" style="box-sizing: inherit; filter: blur(20px); height: 961.703px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: scale(1.1); transition: visibility 0ms ease 400ms; vertical-align: middle; visibility: hidden; width: 680px;" width="700" /></div><img alt="Image for post" class="nz sm s t u ja ai c" height="400" sizes="700px" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*TcMVdMMTm_f7N_SIVf2jmg.jpeg" srcset="https://miro.medium.com/max/276/1*TcMVdMMTm_f7N_SIVf2jmg.jpeg 276w, https://miro.medium.com/max/552/1*TcMVdMMTm_f7N_SIVf2jmg.jpeg 552w, https://miro.medium.com/max/640/1*TcMVdMMTm_f7N_SIVf2jmg.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*TcMVdMMTm_f7N_SIVf2jmg.jpeg 700w" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; height: 961.703px; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms; vertical-align: middle; width: 680px;" width="283" /></div></div></div></div><figcaption class="jj jk gn dr ds jl jm bh fb ca bj bm" data-selectable-paragraph="" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #757575; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 728px; text-align: center;">Consumer Me, Daniel Garcia</figcaption></figure><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bad3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I have the suspicion that if we all stepped away from the mad treadmill of consuming, we may actually live freer.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b3c7" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Definitely, Jesus linked it to something fundamental to our humanity. We were designed to worship and serve, as Bob Dylan sings:</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3bf3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="ko" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be the head of some big TV network,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be living in another country under another name</em></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ce46" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="ko" style="box-sizing: inherit;">You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be somebody’s mistress, maybe somebody’s heir</em></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="425e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="ko" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 21px;">But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="font-size: 21px;">You’re gonna have to serve somebody,</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="font-size: 21px;">Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="font-size: 21px;">But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><span style="font-size: small;">-Bob Dylan, from “Gotta Serve Somebody”</span></em></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5ecb" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="jp kl" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">So Jesus split reality as we know it down this line between the materialist reduction and the full-orbed life that begins in the depths of our being. The only way to cross from death to life as he puts it another time, is to trust in His saving Grace and to live as He did.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aa9a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Jesus did not just reference the materialist world here though. In at least two other places, he calls our attention to it. It’s important to look at these to fill out our understanding.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7cc3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">First, he expresses what we all feel: worry. Worry is of course linked to a fear of lack of threat.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2636" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">To this ever-present emotion for most of us, Jesus says the antidote is to lift up our faces and look outward at the natural world. Look at the birds and observe the flowers.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5b56" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Taking our eyes away from ourselves and our wants and taking time to absorb how life really operates, wild and gratuitously, is the healing we need for our aching souls.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7c2d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">When Jesus sends out his disciples to learn how to heal and serve, he reminds them not to take any extra clothes or shoes. No luggage really. Just what they have on their backs.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d64f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">More than what they can do, Jesus is letting them experience that the spiritual life is an adventure of seeing what God does, especially in caring for those who love him.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="27c5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">If more of us had the courage to stop serving Mammon, perhaps it won’t be so almighty.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="53c1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">What Jesus really stood for is Life. Again, he said it:</p><h1 class="kp kq bi bh ek kr ks kt ku kv kw kx ky kz la lb lc ld le lf lg cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e8c3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 36px; letter-spacing: -0.022em; line-height: 40px; margin: 1.95em 0px -0.28em;">I have come that you may have life, and life abundant.</h1><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq lh js jt ju li jw jx jy lj ka kb kc lk ke kf kg ll ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5310" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.86em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Now we have a better idea of this abundant life. It is the spiritual life, made possible by Jesus himself. It is a life that continues to unfold and matures as we learn to live all over again, freed from the clutches of Mammon.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0a68" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">A life that serves God because it is the kind of life God breathed into us to enjoy.</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4852" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Bible referenced:</p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1bf5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Matthew 6, 10. J<span style="letter-spacing: -0.003em;">ohn 10.</span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1bf5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.003em;"><br /></span></p><p class="jn jo bi jp b jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1bf5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.003em;"><span style="font-size: small;">{first published on Medium}</span></span></p>jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-11032261135221301002020-08-07T17:49:00.002+08:002020-08-07T17:49:46.502+08:00What Jesus Really Stood For<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnp5J9DNi2cmMS_XekUP26niJ_o-Bb2iZNo6KFkX1yWFC_r3Pqm3Arh_184b2gFm52LAp_D3VfYENi4ICsR4FImWcerh02jukzroVbgHxC94ZHfNMaaxRt2N8sPmGf_HC8hnaZIEsFdku/s1200/jesus-writing-in-sand-gettyimages-ginosphotos.webp" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1200" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnp5J9DNi2cmMS_XekUP26niJ_o-Bb2iZNo6KFkX1yWFC_r3Pqm3Arh_184b2gFm52LAp_D3VfYENi4ICsR4FImWcerh02jukzroVbgHxC94ZHfNMaaxRt2N8sPmGf_HC8hnaZIEsFdku/w640-h333/jesus-writing-in-sand-gettyimages-ginosphotos.webp" title="gettimages, Crosswalk" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gettyimages, Crosswalk<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">Jesus bent down and drew.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e798" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">In that instance, with a crowd baying for his blood, he scratched a truth so revealing, each of his accusers had no recourse but to step away and drop all their charges.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e522" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">And it isn’t just the opposition.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2ede" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Jesus had a knack for losing followers.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="649d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Crowds that followed him with fervour also stepped away.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="16e1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><i>“Eat his flesh and drink his blood?”</i></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9f9e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It does sound shockingly cannibalistic — when it’s all you hear and forget the larger story, the miracles, the amazing kindness and tenderness of the man from whom these words came.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9f9e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6c19" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Principle no 1.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6c19" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">Spiritual truths are going to be highly uncomfortable, disruptive and demand a response.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cedc" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Principle no 2.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a181" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">If you react and cling to a sliver of what you hear and hastily judge, you will probably turn away too soon.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d71e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">You cannot read anything in Scripture and fail to see that God draws lines.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="10f2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Israel vs other nations</em></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="faee" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Faith vs Unbelief</em></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fbbd" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Obedience vs Disobedience</em></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6baa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Lines are necessary in life. Without lines, without boundaries, things will fall apart. How would you know what’s your in heart, what has your allegiance, where your priorities lay if you don’t have lines and boundaries?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="624d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">As the 104th Psalm observed, even the seas observed a boundary as they seem to aspire to go beyond with each wave lapping against the shore.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="39f6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Lines give us definition. We know where the sea begins and ends.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bdb7" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Our physical bodies are lines, as are our geographical address, our social status and so on.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fd0b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">However, Jesus also precisely broke these lines! More on that later.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3636" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Before we learn to break lines the way Jesus did, which is always to give life, we have to observe how we mess up the lines.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c71f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">For one, we often confuse lines with dichotomy: either-or.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="acd3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This plays out in various ways today. We have the sacred-secular divide, where we evaluate something as holy or not.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="32cf" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We have the theological and doctrinal lines of correct-wrong, often draw too thick based more on the need for a sense of safety than truth.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1504" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We have the us-them line. This is so painfully obvious today. If my view differs from yours, we are on opposite camps and dialogue is not given a chance.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="acde" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Principle no 3.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a17b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Lines define but don’t have to confine.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9272" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I want to be friends and learn from you. I am sure we are different and disagree on a range of things.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="210b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Back to Jesus and line busting.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aedf" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I feel that too many of us have co-opted Jesus for our own purposes. This is a real temptation, especially in post-Christian West.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2782" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">So maybe let’s try a more careful read of what he did and said.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f5f8" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">A good way to do this is to use The Harmony of the Gospels by Robert Thomas and Stanley Gundry where they place the four gospels together to give you a possible chronological reading of the life of Christ.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1dca" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I have been reading the Gospels many times over the years and it still slaps and surprises me.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4ddc" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">One thing however stands out: <span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Jesus does call us to <u>both </u>draw lines and tow lines. </span>Here’s some of what he said:</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5fdc" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><i><span style="font-size: 21px;"> “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” </span><span style="font-size: small;">(Matthew 5v27)</span></i></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2e0c" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><i><span style="font-size: 21px;">“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” </span><span style="font-size: small;">(Luke 9v23)</span></i></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="73f5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Jesus contrasts the way we normally operate with the way He expects us to, holding us to impossible standards!</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8e36" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Jesus demands that we commit and tow the line where He leads and we follow — at cost to our habits, desires and preferences (again, quite impossible isn’t it?).</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f70a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Principle no 4.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cf8e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Living by spiritual truths isn’t something we can do on our own.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fd04" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We are heading towards a collision course. But first, let’s review the principles we found:</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f2b4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">1.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="850a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Spiritual truths are going to be highly uncomfortable, disruptive and demand a response.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a67a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">2. If you react and cling to a sliver of what you hear and hastily judge, you will probably turn away too soon, or miss the forest for the trees.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="08ad" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">3.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4f92" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Lines define but don’t have to confine.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="06b5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">4.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="665f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Living by spiritual truths isn’t something we can do on our own.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3b44" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This is is why the church has always taught these concepts called ‘sin’, ‘regeneration’, ‘justification’, ‘sanctification’ — words we desperately need to re-introduce to our vocabulary. These are deep theological ideas with practical consequences that were truly woke in their time.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="55e3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We need to awaken to them for they convey and educate us with the net effect of allowing us to cancel the lines that hold us hostage so that we can tow that life-giving line called following Christ.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e84e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Right in the middle of the word sin is the letter ‘I’ expressing the nub of our problems: we are confused, broken, battered, yet something lingers within that wants more light, hope and a future. That is sin — a complete and irreversible disconnect within ourselves and with others as a result of our severed link to God who is our Source.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="75d3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Remember the impossible standards Jesus set?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e9d9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">If you met someone who told you something was available but totally impossible to you, you would be piqued to ask ‘how’ if you really wanted that thing.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1716" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Jesus is helping us reveal our true desire.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ca8f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Do we <em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">really</em> want the spiritual life?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="586a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">If we do and we bump up against his words and look honestly at our lives, we will have to admit defeat. Frederick Buechner’s brilliant book <em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The Magnificent Defeat</em> describes Christian conversion as heading home for -</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aa5c" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“Like Adam, we have all lost Paradise; and yet we carry Paradise around inside of us in the form of a longing for, almost a memory of, a blessedness that is no more, or the dream of a blessedness that may someday be again.”</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="743d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Having left home for so long and adapted to a different way to live, it then takes time for us to unlearn and relearn what is important, of value, truly worthwhile.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e759" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This process of ongoing conversion, where we are being restored to who we are and how we are meant to live — in love — brings each of us closer to the nature and mission of Jesus, which is to live and offer life:</p><blockquote class="wx wy wz" style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgb(41, 41, 41) 3px 0px 0px 0px inset; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0px -20px; padding-left: 23px;"><p class="iw ix pk iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ac4b" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span class="bi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal;">“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b8aa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b8aa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The abundant life. Don't we all want it. But Jesus had to go and say this:</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8b50" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><i><span style="font-size: 21px;">“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” </span><span style="font-size: small;">(Matt 6v24)</span></i></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0823" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The line drawn here is unmistakably clear.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="33ba" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Meanwhile, I borrow Buechner’s words,</p><blockquote class="wx wy wz" style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgb(41, 41, 41) 3px 0px 0px 0px inset; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0px -20px; padding-left: 23px;"><p class="iw ix pk iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b931" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“If you have never known the power of God’s love, then maybe it is because you have never asked to know it — I mean really asked, expecting an answer.”</p></blockquote><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ecb4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">So, do you really <em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">want</em> the spiritual life?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ecb4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ecb4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">-------------------------------------------------------------------</p><blockquote class="wx wy wz" style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgb(41, 41, 41) 3px 0px 0px 0px inset; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0px -20px; padding-left: 23px;"><p class="iw ix pk iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="244b" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“No one can serve two masters.</p><p class="iw ix pk iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="79f4" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.</p><p class="iw ix pk iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="092d" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matt 6v24)</p></blockquote><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ed69" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">At first, we follow and go ‘uhuh, that makes sense…’</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dff6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But then, we begin to wonder if it really isn’t possible to have more than one affection.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="883b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Finally we are shocked that of all the things great and small, Jesus would choose to set up Mammon against God. Really, Jesus?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1457" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1457" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Over the years, my own relationship with both Jesus and Mammon has been tumultuous, mostly, not having enough of either!</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="15dd" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I was born into a poor family and recall episodes such as my father doling out soulful advice to drink water to feel the hunger pangs less, and my mother’s excitement to come home a boil a pot of rice to eat with the packet of fried noodles that had extra lard pieces added in owing to the hawker’s generosity.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d74b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Some experience poverty’s sting and end up hoarders. Others feel it’s pain and develop empathy.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7ec9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I was somewhere in the mid-stream where I feel easily for the lack others experience, but often was tardy to respond in kind. For years, I asked God to make me rich so that I could just tell the poor dejected kid cleaning tables that I would pay for his education.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="28e5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Poverty, it turns out is a dimension reality embedded in systems of function (or malfunction). These systems include personal perception, familial dynamics, community support or lack thereof and larger cultural mores.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="80f0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This means the the solution isn’t more money, but hey, more money can’t hurt, can it?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0e26" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">At university I studied Economics and Political Science. Money became even more complicated.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f16e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Keynesian or Communitarian? How mighty is the invisible hand or does it get manipulated by invisible strings?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="269a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Economic realities and systems continue to evolve, often benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor. As the adage goes: it takes money to make money (which reminds me of how my mother resourceful adapted this principle by running what is known as a collective back in the day).</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9622" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Why did Jesus seemingly reduce the spiritual life to this strange either-or choice?</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="111f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The line drawn here is unmistakably clear.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="02e3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Before we dive into that, here’s a review of the <span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">4 principles</span> we found out so far regarding the spiritual life:-</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fdf6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">1.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fb98" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Spiritual truths are going to be highly uncomfortable, disruptive and demand a response.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="622a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">2.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5650" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">If you react and cling to a sliver of what you hear and hastily judge, you will probably turn away too soon, and miss the forest for the trees.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bb0c" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">3.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7349" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Lines define but don’t have to confine.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="24e5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">4.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="22c9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Living by spiritual truths isn’t something we can do on our own.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="233b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">True enough, this is uncomfortable, to say the least. After all, God does want to bless us, doesn’t He?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="411f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Perhaps we are narrowing the discussion down. Ok, step back and observe (which we are about to do).</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="da02" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Whatever we uncover is not meant to confine us and our ability to follow-through will need supernatural help.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d7ee" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">With these principles operating, let’s get back to Mammon vs God.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4c2a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Ready?</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cbc9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Mammon refers to wealth and the entire ecosystem that supports its power, centrality, influence and grip on humankind. So yes it is money. It is also greed, and profiteering, policies and people, practices and punishments.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c343" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It is the entire materialist philosophy that reduces the glory of being human to consumption and competition.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d8f6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It turns us away from each other, tempts us to abuse resources, and generates strife, waste and pollution.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d465" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">For the most part, our response is to claim that we exercise moderation. But moderation is easily the same space as compromise. What we need isn’t moderation, it’s self-control.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="35f8" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">At the personal level, being aware that we do live under a materialist philosophy, we can — if we are serious about the spiritual life — exercise self-control so as not to simply go with the flow of things.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5baf" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But it will take more than self-control.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fa4d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">According the principle 4, the spiritual life is always beyond our own ability. So while self-control is crucial to preventing one from being lulled into sharing a bed with Mammon (who is often personified as Caesar or even Beelzebub), we will need more.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c204" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We need a Saviour.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e125" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">In saying then that we have to awaken to the truth that we can only afford one allegiance, Jesus calls us to our need of Him, to save us from a power too present and consuming — Mammon — so that we can truly live, and so serve God.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c710" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It’s really not hard to see how right Jesus is.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4295" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The spirit of the age, all of our training, the bright lights and neon signs all send one singular message: serve your self first, and do it in the fastest, cheapest and most convenient way. It does not help us to ever pause to think if the speed, cost and ease comes at a far larger price in the end.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e432" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I think back to my simpler days.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b690" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">In our family kitchen, we had one kettle that doesn’t know how to whistle, a kwali for frying and cooking and a soup pot.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5dd1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">My mother and some days my father as well, cooked and fed us out of these few things, all nine of us.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8cf9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Food preparation involved one knife or a cleaver. Nothing separate for garlic, tuber or leaves. One implement but a myriad skills to wield it.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dcda" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The kitchen and meal preparation was part adventure part danger.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="901b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It also made cleaning up so much easier.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1249" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Our kitchens today are ridiculously cluttered.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="af57" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This image says a lot doesn’t it?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnluPpcFOczWAs7jnPMHuwCLi0DSSQiSTKgP7xSUhr1_8uOYdDfBuV6CSGGOc-TBBFgCnbeQLA3YeffM2IKmHqFhmvKOXr_GSKLJy17gT3PUgtO33F2-K9_r7c1QFtkjMcCTBmADVYRl59/s557/daniel+Garcia+Consumer+Me+75percent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; display: inline !important; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnluPpcFOczWAs7jnPMHuwCLi0DSSQiSTKgP7xSUhr1_8uOYdDfBuV6CSGGOc-TBBFgCnbeQLA3YeffM2IKmHqFhmvKOXr_GSKLJy17gT3PUgtO33F2-K9_r7c1QFtkjMcCTBmADVYRl59/d/daniel+Garcia+Consumer+Me+75percent.jpg" title="Consumer Me, Daniel Garcia" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Consumer Me, Daniel Garcia<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><figure class="id ie if ig ih ii fr fs paragraph-image" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 56px auto 0px;"><figcaption class="is it ft fr fs iu iv bh fz cm bj bm" data-selectable-paragraph="" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #757575; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 728px; text-align: center;"><br /></figcaption></figure><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bad3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I have the suspicion that if we all stepped away from the mad treadmill of consuming, we may actually live freer.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b3c7" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Definitely, Jesus linked it to something fundamental to our humanity. We were designed to worship and serve, as Bob Dylan sings:</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3bf3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be the head of some big TV network,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be living in another country under another name</em></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ce46" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You may be somebody’s mistress, maybe somebody’s heir</em></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="425e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="pk" style="box-sizing: inherit;">But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />You’re gonna have to serve somebody,<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />-Bob Dylan, from “Gotta Serve Somebody”</em></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5ecb" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="iy wm" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">So Jesus split reality as we know it down this line between the materialist reduction and the full-orbed life that begins in the depths of our being. The only way to cross from death to life as he puts it another time, is to trust in His saving Grace and to live as He did.</span></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aa9a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aa9a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Jesus did not just reference the materialist world here though. In at least two other places, he calls our attention to it. It’s important to look at these to fill out our understanding.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7cc3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">First, he expresses what we all feel: worry. Worry is of course linked to a fear of lack of threat.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2636" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">To this ever-present emotion for most of us, Jesus says the antidote is to lift up our faces and look outward at the natural world. Look at the birds and observe the flowers.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wNpIqtDKQNFaN13rh1bfxmEOq40PJcGpuIOvTsYtESfOIPRfmDG4BCmKWUaKRZwlFNeuOf5qhtoBVw7FHbVzv2fMoqQK4rfYwDXtE1YcAoVLRPREiCKmPKg5Aww72DzPSfqvVrotp3Ke/s960/bird+Niltava+Michelle+Tan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="960" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wNpIqtDKQNFaN13rh1bfxmEOq40PJcGpuIOvTsYtESfOIPRfmDG4BCmKWUaKRZwlFNeuOf5qhtoBVw7FHbVzv2fMoqQK4rfYwDXtE1YcAoVLRPREiCKmPKg5Aww72DzPSfqvVrotp3Ke/w400-h399/bird+Niltava+Michelle+Tan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelle Tan<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3TDDEbg1PIZtDJCSNTj__9A6fZ8cLbcfxAjiiwhg85WLqDLve8V5F-XRIwrj5SiEAdLLg1bq5z8IZ85S5RdQIsbSeIy8EGhmQrLadJqyW0LqY8Bc7IUZ-z9ptaP_b39lh7gIdM7erzhJ/s960/bird+Leiothrix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="960" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3TDDEbg1PIZtDJCSNTj__9A6fZ8cLbcfxAjiiwhg85WLqDLve8V5F-XRIwrj5SiEAdLLg1bq5z8IZ85S5RdQIsbSeIy8EGhmQrLadJqyW0LqY8Bc7IUZ-z9ptaP_b39lh7gIdM7erzhJ/w400-h399/bird+Leiothrix.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leothorix<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2636" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5b56" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Taking our eyes away from ourselves and our wants and taking time to absorb how life really operates, wild and gratuitously, is the healing we need for our aching souls.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7c2d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">When Jesus sends out his disciples to learn how to heal and serve, he reminds them not to take any extra clothes or shoes. No luggage really. Just what they have on their backs.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d64f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">More than what they can do, Jesus is letting them experience that the spiritual life is an adventure of seeing what God does, especially in caring for those who love him.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="27c5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">If more of us had the courage to stop serving Mammon, perhaps it won’t be so almighty.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="53c1" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">What Jesus really stood for is Life.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Again, he said it:</span></p><h1 class="xi xj bi bh eu xk xl xm xn xo xp xq xr xs xt xu xv xw xx xy xz cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e8c3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 36px; letter-spacing: -0.022em; line-height: 40px; margin: 1.95em 0px -0.28em;">I have come that you may have life, and life abundant.</h1><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ya jb jc yb je jf yc jh ji yd jk jl ye jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5310" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.86em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Now we have a better idea of this abundant life. It is the spiritual life, made possible b Jesus himself. It is a life that continues to unfold and matures as we learn to live all over again, freed from the clutches of Mammon.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0a68" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">A life that serves God because it is the kind of life God breathed into us to enjoy.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0a68" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0a68" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0a68" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4852" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Bible referenced:</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1bf5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">John 6</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1bf5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Matthew 6, 10.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="372f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">John 10.</p><p class="iw ix bi iy b iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo gf cw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ecb4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">{originally published on my Medium}</span></p>jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-66962189562281550942020-07-16T16:03:00.003+08:002020-07-16T16:04:54.364+08:00How Are You? {and why we should keep asking it}<p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="eb66" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Yes, I do want to know.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ac0f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I get that you doubt me. Experience has taught me to skim this question and offer up the expected responses:</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8c28" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“Good, and you?”, “Couldn’t be better!” and the more local one, “Ok la, coping”.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4b16" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I did once attempt to actually answer the question, and started launching into some detail about what I was going through. The poor person looked at once flummoxed and frustrated.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4b16" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Right now, everyone seems to be going through the same thing in a billion variations, and we can well be too tired to ask.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7f8a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Historically, this question has been asked for more than three hundred years, its earliest use traced to Anglo-Saxon origin and often related to an inquiry about one’s state of health and had variants including:</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f620" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><i>How is it with you?</i></p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8883" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><i>How do you today?</i></p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a030" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><i>How goes the world with you?</i></p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c647" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Mockery becomes humans, so we have this record of an exchange between a man and his dog from a <a class="cf di ji jj jk jl" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=H-oNAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA45&dq=%22how+are+you%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjt8JOmlczKAhVBx2MKHdG2B2oQ6AEILTAD#v=onepage&q=%22how%20are%20you%22&f=false" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg preserveAspectRatio=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 1 1\" xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(41, 41, 41, 1)\" /></svg>"); background-position: 0px 50%; background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">1748 translation of <em class="jm" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Terrance’s Comedies</em></a>:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote class="ph pi pj" style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgb(41, 41, 41) 3px 0px 0px 0px inset; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin: 0px 0px 0px -20px; padding-left: 23px;"><p class="ip iq jm ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="845b" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="bi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal;">Gnat[ho]. </span>Gnatho<span class="bi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal;"> greets his dearest dear Friend </span>Parmeno<span class="bi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal;"> with his best Wishes: </span><span class="ir jn" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span class="bi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal;">how are you?</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote class="ph pi pj" style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgb(41, 41, 41) 3px 0px 0px 0px inset; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin: 0px 0px 0px -20px; padding-left: 23px;"><p class="ip iq jm ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="65c2" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="bi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal;">Par[meno]. On my Legs.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote class="ph pi pj" style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgb(41, 41, 41) 3px 0px 0px 0px inset; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin: 0px 0px 0px -20px; padding-left: 23px;"><p class="ip iq jm ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2744" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="bi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal;">Gnat[ho]. Pshaw, I know that : — — but dost thou see Nothing here that thou dost not like ?</span></p></blockquote><blockquote class="ph pi pj" style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgb(41, 41, 41) 3px 0px 0px 0px inset; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin: 0px 0px 0px -20px; padding-left: 23px;"><p class="ip iq jm ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f10a" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="bi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal;">Par[meno]. Yes, you.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bed3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bed3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Understandably, you and I have both thought and heard it said that this question should be tossed. Really, why bother asking if we aren’t interested.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b423" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I disagree.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fdef" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We have to keep asking this question.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d4cb" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Here’s why.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fe95" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The person asking it gets a chance to interrupt the typical self-absorbed heart-brain circuitry. Sure it is a fetch to claim this will develop the needed quality of empathy, but it does help force us to focus, even if only so momentarily briefly, on another person.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0175" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Secondly, homo sapiens need meaningful emotional connection. While this question may be posed as one is passing another along the corridor, and probably won’t lead to a lengthy discourse and disclosure, it is far better than an icy non-recognition of a fellow human being.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6064" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">As an Asian where words aren’t the currency of interest, where affection is more often expressed in acts of service, I remember feeling so good the first time I traveled to Australia and was greeting everywhere by total strangers.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6064" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="eaf2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But yes, we have reasons to be cynical.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="130e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Why expect anyone to ask since everyone is fighting some battle?</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="af56" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Why get asked if the asker isn’t really going to wait around for a proper answer?</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="224d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Why ask If i am not genuinely interested?</p></blockquote><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3964" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">These are all valid.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4a97" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="ir jn" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">But rather than toss out a good thing which we haven’t learnt to do well, perhaps we can learn to do it better?</span></p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fa35" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Today, I asked this question of several persons I cared about — via text — this way:</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c86b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“How are you? I know it’s not an easy one to answer. So why not give me a one-word response that comes most promptly to mind?”</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9408" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I got replies.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d2a5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">And — I got asked back!</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="34d4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">If you actually know the person some, and have figured out how not to live your life at blur-speed, then variants of this question can be employed:</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c06f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“How is {something specific} lately?”</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e8bf" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“How is your health?”</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="31e8" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“How are you with working from home?”</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3480" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">“How are the kids/dog/cat/plants/parents?”</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c646" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Every bit of connection with another living, breathing being touches Life. It may be in our time where there is so much noise and people engage in shouting matches, this question, softly posed, could be a harbinger of better days.</p><figure class="jp jq jr js jt ju dr ds paragraph-image" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin: 56px auto 0px;"><div class="jv jw cc jx ai" style="box-sizing: inherit; cursor: zoom-in; position: relative; transition: all 300ms cubic-bezier(0.2, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 680px; z-index: auto;"><div class="dr ds jo" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 3840px;"><div class="kc r cc kd" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; box-sizing: inherit; margin: auto; position: relative;"><div class="ke kf r" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px; padding-bottom: 382.5px;"><div class="cb jy s t u jz ai bu ka kb" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 382.5px; left: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: translateZ(0px); transition: all 100ms ease 400ms; width: 680px; will-change: transform;"><img alt="Image for post" class="s t u jz ai kg kh ap sj" height="2160" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/30/1*kzGsXq7u34P0xRaBuLWWUQ.jpeg?q=20" style="box-sizing: inherit; filter: blur(20px); height: 382.5px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: scale(1.1); transition: all 0ms ease 400ms; vertical-align: middle; visibility: hidden; width: 680px;" width="3840" /></div><img alt="Image for post" class="mq sh s t u jz ai ki" height="306" sizes="700px" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3840/1*kzGsXq7u34P0xRaBuLWWUQ.jpeg" srcset="https://miro.medium.com/max/276/1*kzGsXq7u34P0xRaBuLWWUQ.jpeg 276w, https://miro.medium.com/max/552/1*kzGsXq7u34P0xRaBuLWWUQ.jpeg 552w, https://miro.medium.com/max/640/1*kzGsXq7u34P0xRaBuLWWUQ.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*kzGsXq7u34P0xRaBuLWWUQ.jpeg 700w" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; height: 382.5px; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: all 400ms ease 0ms; vertical-align: middle; width: 680px;" width="544" /></div></div></div></div></figure><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="95ca" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I go to my journal often and ask myself this Q. After all, the greatest discovery I am responsible for, is the knowledge of myself.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c55b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">As I rant and ramble, spilling ink on paper, sense and nonsense jostle for space. Me, a convoluted summation of feelings, sensations, thoughts and ideals, pains and regrets, prayers with and without words…</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="81e5" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">How am I?</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="27cc" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I guess it does depend on which part of me you would like to know for each bit is a story of its own.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="83f2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The stories interlace and sometimes the plot gets stuck. At other times, one story seems to runaway and all I am catching my breath trying to make sense of it. Most times though, the stories make me feel like I am living multiple lives.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9404" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">So perhaps, my answer depends on whether there’s a dominant story playing and whether I can find the words to explain it to you. Or perhaps, it’s mostly a flimsy answer that says, “I am trying to live my stories out”, and since I am alive, yea, ‘I’m good’ will be an accurate answer.</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cb22" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">What about you?</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ffb0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">How are you?</p><p class="ip iq bi ir b is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh fd cs" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d6b4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">(share a one-word answer in the comment, and let’s see the responses)</p>jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-27502452301957294752020-06-24T11:59:00.000+08:002020-06-24T11:59:15.496+08:00Re-Opening: but are our souls ready?<p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3ed3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I guess we are all trying to find our way and make it out alive.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3ed3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1LOfkjA63qiY4IOwHnWRj4XWXQaxGA4RDVzbLL9g0qc5VuPoPD4-faGsfpxrajOL2Qufq_TUBCszqnWki-8GtHY4O3YRn5r2kX7iRc61ohFy4C5rSc2Vd63Lm1v45575y3aOVXGflT6b/s639/missy-fant-w8c7zzaqkh8-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="639" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1LOfkjA63qiY4IOwHnWRj4XWXQaxGA4RDVzbLL9g0qc5VuPoPD4-faGsfpxrajOL2Qufq_TUBCszqnWki-8GtHY4O3YRn5r2kX7iRc61ohFy4C5rSc2Vd63Lm1v45575y3aOVXGflT6b/w489-h350/missy-fant-w8c7zzaqkh8-unsplash.jpg" title="missy-fant Unsplash" width="489" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy Fant | Unsplash<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3ed3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.003em;">We are re-opening.</span></p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Here in Singapore, we are doing it in Phases, hoping to avoid a dreaded second-wave of infection.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">And we are going about this at surface level. This is the level of "how" - and we are incredibly good at it. There is a rumour that Singaporeans are renowned for our "gunghow". The joke goes that when the Singapore delegation enters an international pow-wow meeting, everyone cheers because now finally things are going to happen.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I love the rumour but also not.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We all know the "how" of things while important can in fact be the enemy of the "why". When things run efficiently, we reach a state of satisfaction that lulls us into thinking all is well. It works, doesn't it?</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The "it works" argument is in fact a very weak one. We can make many things work. But to what ends?</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Because we did not have the painful conversations in the past, we had a massive crisis recently with the migrant workers. We were not wise or mature enough to dig into the "why", and settled for the "how" by building these large dormitories which on hindsight, were easy to abuse and open to degradation.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">A good number of us actually feel ambivalent about the end of our circuit breaker. But I am guessing, we have not had the time to access our deep emotions and convictions about it. </p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">With everyone so excited about re-opening, and having missed our previous habits, the much needed exercise in asking "why" may once again be the one we tossed in the KIV bin.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But friends, we have just gone through months of:</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cbfd" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="kr" style="box-sizing: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">watching our organised-just-so world unravel, each day bringing new information about a tremendous losses and looming uncertainty</em></p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1b92" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="kr" style="box-sizing: inherit;">fears, falsehoods and frenzied efforts pile and tumble as we try to explain and expunge disease and death</em></p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e1fb" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="kr" style="box-sizing: inherit;">finding ourselves stuck with the same landscape and experiencing life as ‘zoombies’</em></p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="58d7" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Our souls are struggling to breathe as its roots reach for water where the regular streams of religious habits have run dry, its petals curling and drying out as fatigue overcomes us and emotions choke the xylem and phloem of things-once-managed just so.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5ff7" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">My body has had to stay home, but my soul reached and strained — for comfort, for truth, for love.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b7bd" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">When I read the rare piece of good news, of neighbourliness and a decline in infections, when I could treat myself to world class ballet for free online, when funny memes and so many gratuitous videos put out distracted me, my soul felt consoled.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a976" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But swiftly, came the bad news, and too often. The finger-pointing and the fire-fighting at every corner… my soul convulsed.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="88e0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">What have you noticed about your soul?</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d62f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It is all well and good should we resume our activities and restore our economy.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a8ab" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But surely you admit that the real currency of life is love, and that all our tactics to restore normalcy faces the formidable enemy of division should our souls pull away from each other in fear, suspicion and strife?</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2401" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="ka ks" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">So how are our souls re-opening?</span></p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cd9d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This Pandemic revealed for me a privilege I did not enjoy deeply before.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cd9d" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Like most, my work and income was impacted and life changed as we all worked from home. But my family life is largely peaceable even though my Enneagram Four self will always be a little edgy. I have savings and my children do not have expensive consumer habits. I live in a nation where our government can draw down reserves to help us. Finally, I have a contemplative side that makes me able to delight in my living space and not struggle with boredom or cabin fever.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2405" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">So unlike many, staying home has not at all been a strain for me. The only sign that this isn’t completely normal for me is how my extroverted self behaved in a recent time when I left the house to do an on-site recording, where I talked to every human in sight!</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="48aa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">In fact, the re-opening troubles me a little.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="21ef" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">This Pandemic Pause has created a unique time in our history to reconsider many things, indeed life itself. I worry that this important work has only barely begun.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fbae" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It is like when you go on a vacation, and find that it takes some time to leave it all behind, for your body to relax, for your emotions to calm and for your soul to begin to feel free to explore. In fact, many of us don’t know what it means to reach this point of rest and being present, which explains why we return from vacations feeling like we need a break to recover from the break!</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c513" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Like most every one else, I am not sure where everything is headed.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ebd8" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But I noticed that my soul felt safe, stable and generative in certain moments. Those moments yielded a calm, courage and creativity that I needed to love, pray and work. It gave me a sense of certitude despite the looming reality of uncertainty.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4cea" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">As I recount those times, I realised that my soul sought Solitude, Solace and Solidarity.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9c26" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="ka ks" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Solitude</span></p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a9a4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">In modern life, most of us dread being by ourselves. The Pandemic enforced solitude on many of us. But in truth, solitude needs to be chosen. To fail to choose it is to default to what seems a similar state, but is vastly different: aloneness.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e91e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Aloneness churns a sense of loneliness and with it, many doubts and fears.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8c0e" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But solitude is a state of desiring and delighting in one’s own company.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6d9a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">It is soul-space. It is where we can become curious about our complex selves. It is where we can challenge our complacent selves. It is where we can comfort our contentious selves.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4ab2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="ka ks" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Solace</span></p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9f26" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">What we find out about ourselves don’t always feel positive. What we discover about our journeys don’t always feel productive.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a59f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">We have this self-sabotaging habit called ‘exceptionalism’, where we believe that no one in the wide world understands or has experienced what we are undergoing.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="90f3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">There is a kernel of truth in this in that we are each truly unique beings. Yet this habit has led many to a degree of isolation that is psychically risky.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4c74" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">The soul needs solace.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="132a" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">To be comforted by another that is Stronger and more stable.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dc24" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Many during this Pandemic have noticed the needs of the poor and at risk. But most of us have not considered that our very own souls need care too.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8dd6" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span class="ka ks" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Solidarity</span></p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9e6b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Since my late teens, more than two decades ago, I have dreamt of a peace-loving community that would serve society. It was at best a vague notion, and I sounded like an existentially-angst teen seeking utopia.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2954" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">But this Pandemic has revealed how our systems are overwrought and encumbered, narrow and near-sighted.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bb01" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">With industry halted, the fresh air becomes a metaphor for what our souls want: to breathe well so as to thrive.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f2c7" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">There is no way we can reinvent, renew and restore our world unless we find creative and generative ways to collaborate, redesign and work out new ways to produce, consumer, shape and steer.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="356c" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">Family, education, politics, economy, industry, and art — every arena can be re-imagined, if we dare to.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3daf" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">You and I have to find our way and make it out alive.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ba96" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">I recommend your tools include: solitude, solace and solidarity.</p><p class="jy jz ap bx ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq fq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9147" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;">See you on the other side.</p>jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-83858924191494623182020-05-28T16:53:00.004+08:002020-05-28T16:53:53.619+08:00You are the Best Parents For Your Child(ren): even when they are as tall as you and more!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Life has been reduced to our starting places: the home, where life begins for all of us. Good homes, struggling homes, rich homes, suffering homes...<br />
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<b>Each of our lives is a story of home.</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPuLpGZJULhwasEmzrMfU95cOq_YtyEvwnj6DT9Bt_R42tQVIbK9tfe3vXm1UCIpAvnx8MeV2ZzAbcBuaeyXtvxDSacxshQ-UrMLrMRhy4vOdjXCdEpdRVUX7KUgN8JBd_7w9T9Frq0cy/s1600/pict0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPuLpGZJULhwasEmzrMfU95cOq_YtyEvwnj6DT9Bt_R42tQVIbK9tfe3vXm1UCIpAvnx8MeV2ZzAbcBuaeyXtvxDSacxshQ-UrMLrMRhy4vOdjXCdEpdRVUX7KUgN8JBd_7w9T9Frq0cy/s400/pict0032.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boo at age 2+</td></tr>
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Being at home so much, with my newly minted Young Adult Daughter, I thought we could do a series of videos - because it dawned on me: talking to a YA child isn't always easy.<br />
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Actually in my case, I found it hard to talk to her when she hit her teen years.<br />
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So I thought that some honest videos of us talking may be helpful and fun.<br />
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Here is the first one. We call it <b><i>MaBoo </i></b>(Boo is my term of endearment for her after we watched Monsters' Inc, yup).<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/%3Ciframe%20src=%22https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjenni.hohuan%2Fvideos%2F10158504570234789%2F&show_text=0&width=560%22%20width=%22560%22%20height=%22293%22%20style=%22border:none;overflow:hidden%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20allowTransparency=%22true%22%20allowFullScreen=%22true%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E" target="_blank">Conversations with your YA child video #1</a><br />
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All the videos go up on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jenni.hohuan" target="_blank">Facebook ;D</a><br />
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Feel free to watch, share & comment with your thoughts and Qs.<br />
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jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-61970661974203516232020-04-11T15:00:00.000+08:002020-04-11T15:00:09.258+08:00Running Into the shadow of death: Holy Saturday reflections<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
We are all avoiding the plague of our times: the Covid-19.<br />
<br />
But what if the entire purpose of this pandemic is to force us to face up to things we have avoided, ignored, neglected, feared -- so that we may all truly live?<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
This Holy Saturday, we can learn from the experience of the disciples as we consider their journey, and find courage to run into the shadow of death.<br />
<br />
Jesus began sharing about his impending death with his disciples months before the dreadful event came to pass. It is understandable that they neither expect nor want to face that reality. Perhaps they chose to hear it as a parable, one that did not seem to directly impact them as yet.<br />
<br />
In the final week, these disciples would both enjoy and endure a complex of emotions and thoughts beginning with the raucous welcome of the crowds as they entered Jerusalem, a positivity that would soon be become an alchemy of confusion, anger, cowardice and despair.<br />
<br />
Eventually, as the inevitable reality hit them that their beloved Teacher and Friend was overcome by the political machinery of the day and had died, the only thing they could do was flee for their lives, huddling together in fearful trepidation. They had chosen to follow this Rabbi and were expecting a bright future, but what they were left with was complete vulnerability and uncertainty.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
We too plan our lives and choose to follow bright light and great ideas we expect would lead to good outcomes: that promotion, that expansion, that success, that accolade.<br />
<br />
Along the way, our overriding passion invariably run roughshod over lesser matters, like relationships, the environment, the next generation, our faith.<br />
<br />
As millions of us live this way, we create ecosystems of illusions where we focus on our bubble of security and success, consumption and comparison.<br />
<br />
Covid-19 has burst our bubbles.<br />
Covid-19-19 has shown up the cracks of our ecosystems.<br />
Clovis-19 has revealed the hearts of leaders and followers alike.<br />
<br />
This virus with a crown, like the Saviour with His crown, forces us to confront our illusions and realities.<br />
<br />
For the longest time, those who are able and privileged, educated and trained, knew about the cracks.<br />
<br />
The disciples were taught to be humble, serve, trust, and live in missional faith. But there were deeper issues they need to face up to. There were clues when they jostled for favour and when they continued to speak before they truly heard.<br />
<br />
But they were the chosen.<br />
We were the middle-class and rich who lived comfortable (even if stressful) lives.<br />
<br />
But they had the Master who calmed seas and feed thousands.<br />
Our crazed chase for the next Instagrammable moment, fancy meal and exotic destination (and these can be ‘spiritual’), gave us an invincibility cloak of sorts.<br />
<br />
God let it all come apart at the seams, forcing us to look at how weak our stitching of rationale, practice and soul are.<br />
<br />
All the issues that this created world and its poorest inhabitants face as an ongoing reality now confronts us: food security, freedom, choices, mortality.<br />
<br />
You see, the poorest in our world live literally moment by moment. They won’t know when cholera, measles, an auto accident, a work accident, or a fist fight can change their lives forever.<br />
<br />
This level of human vulnerability is foreign to most of us.<br />
Even with this pandemic, some of us have governments that nanny us so well, that things are mitigated.<br />
<br />
What if you did not have healthcare?<br />
What if a lockdown is activated in a few hours and your home is 300 kilometres away?<br />
What if social distance isn’t quite possible because you share a dormitory with fifteen others?<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Holy Saturday is the day the Bible has no record of. Nothing happened — it seems - except for a lot of soul search.<br />
<br />
Did the disciples accuse each other?<br />
Did they look back and try to trace for clues to make sense of things?<br />
Did they confess their sins to each other and seek forgiveness?<br />
<br />
In all probability, they did all of that and more.<br />
<br />
For one thing, each of them decided to remain with the others.<br />
<br />
Who are the people who have been in your journey?<br />
How can you take the conversation deeper - to the level of your soul?<br />
What traveling companions will you pick for your onward journey?<br />
<br />
<br />
The prophet Isaiah helped us see this -<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>But the LORD was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief…. (54v10)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<br />
For God, <b>there is a necessary pain He allows because of the greater good that can come out of it.</b><br />
<br />
From climate crisis to corruption to mental health issues, God sees a greater good coming out of this Pandemic.<br />
<br />
Do we?<br />
<br />
Let us not merely hope for things to go back to the way things were. That is going back. No, we need to go forward.<br />
<br />
To do so, we have to search our souls, rend our hearts, change our minds.<br />
To do so, we have to relinquish our ‘rights’ to a way of life we designed for our maximum comfort and minimum cost.<br />
To do so, we have join with others to create new ecosystems and continue to reimagine life so that others may flourish too.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
It is Holy Saturday.<br />
<br />
We are awashed with a complex of emotions.<br />
<br />
Personally, my WhatsApp is filled with a array of messages filled with memes, anger about the government, information about where to get help etc etc.<br />
<br />
My own life has taken a jolt. Even as I already work from home, there are nonetheless adjustments with the loss of income, the limitation of movement and of course, home-based learning. Life goes on too, with one parent hospitalised and my own health being investigated.<br />
<br />
I have to deal with these. But more importantly, I have to grief for our world - that God loves and gave His Son for - and search my own soul, <b>for how things should be. </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The future is being built in the present, and real change comes when we are desperate enough for it.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
May this Holy Saturday find us desperate enough for a whole new world.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Eventually, the women decided to visit the tomb. Once the Sabbath was over and movement was allowed, these women headed towards the site of death. It is a surprising move that they had the courage to face the soldiers guarding it. It is a strange development for women to want to bring their emotional wreckage to a closure. Or perhaps, used to the earthy tasks of preparation, they simply did what they would normally have done…<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But O what awaited them!</span><br />
<br />
This pandemic is giving us an extended Holy Saturday. God knows our soul search needs to be extensive and intensive.<br />
<br />
Will we brave it and walk right into the shadow of death?<br />
The death of our old ways?<br />
The death of our cherished habits?<br />
The death of our values?<br />
<br />
This kind of courageous soul-searching requires solitude: set times to reflect, think and pray.<br />
<br />
Head over to <a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/p/a-quiet-morning.html" target="_blank">Quiet Morning </a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">{click here}</span> where I provide a resource for us to learn to do that.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>May we be desperate, brave and intentional — — so as to be surprised by the Resurrection!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[this was first written and published on Medium]</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-53142310856730430862020-03-30T14:40:00.004+08:002020-03-30T14:42:47.541+08:00Turn your Isolation into a Gift: Quiet Morning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Isolation is hard.<br />
<br />
While some joke about how this time of distancing and staying home suits Introverts, the truth is we all need meaningful connection.<br />
<br />
And possibly <b>the most meaningful connection to have is with oneself and with God.</b><br />
<br />
Too many people are strangers to themselves - what makes them tick, why some things perturb them so much, what can help them move forward, how to stop the endless loops...<br />
<br />
Too many who claim faith struggle to trust God - the Unseen One.<br />
<br />
This is why (and thanks to friends who egged me on) I am making<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Quiet Morning </span></i></b></h4>
<br />
more widely available.<br />
<br />
I realise that the simple decision to set aside time, to lean towards Being rather than Doing, to slow down and open our entire selves before God and to relish a morsel of truth is so transformative.<br />
<br />
I hope many will join this and experience something we do desperately need in this world: peace within ourselves, peace with God... which enables us to become peacemakers - and this Pandemic has shown us how far from peace: creation damage, discrimination, weak healthcare systems, mangled political realities that hurt the poor and weak...<br />
<br />
In God's mercy, He has sent Light so we also do see good being done by many during this Pandemic. But overall and understandably, this has also aroused a sense of <i>PAN</i>(dem)<i>IC</i>.<br />
<br />
I would admit that it has not been easy. Different ones of us find different parts of it hard. From work to family life, to developing fastidious hygiene habits and ensuring that there are groceries... it is easy to go overboard with the news, go under the sense of helplessness, go round and round with all that needs to be done! Even as one who has worked from home for so long, I find this prolonged season of unfolding bad news wearisome.<br />
<br />
This made me believe that all the more, we have to seek out space to calm our fears, understand what is going on and <b>sow into a way of life that can bear much fruit both now and in the future.</b><br />
<br />
I believe in a Life-giving God, who painfully allows this to awaken us to what Life is truly about, and is drawing us towards a way of life that will be more peaceful, truthful and bountiful.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As I started this post, I saw a picture of a seed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5MSD5uK8OfKA7mbw7b8BxgYWvh_-VPsqaKwugtfZAoBF4mgVSJPXLx_2q-Zk_ZgyOcmx_mcA6hmpGqPwoo6VtSUulS87ShVvlbDNWRcncsmbnFfnKlK_RX5myZ2K9p4huXsivKdxNB7B/s1600/artur-luczka-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5MSD5uK8OfKA7mbw7b8BxgYWvh_-VPsqaKwugtfZAoBF4mgVSJPXLx_2q-Zk_ZgyOcmx_mcA6hmpGqPwoo6VtSUulS87ShVvlbDNWRcncsmbnFfnKlK_RX5myZ2K9p4huXsivKdxNB7B/s400/artur-luczka-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo by Artur Łuczka on Unsplash</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Unless we stop to think of it, it's easy to forget that a seed is so full of promise and potential. In each seed is the possibility of an Orchard!<br />
<br />
But <b>the seed</b> must endure isolation, loneliness, and apparent death, to all it has known. It needs to be broken open, risk, to allow it's generative ability to play out as it lets go, endures a change and stretches towards the sun.<br />
<br />
Yes, this feels like a season of great loss, and I do not diminish the real loss of jobs and security that many do face. But it can be a good and necessary loss, one that if we are willing to endure may lead us to a way to both empathise and act on behalf of those who are at the brink of losing everything.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It is also a season of <b>wilderness.</b> All our highways are empty and streets and squares are quiet*...and we feel collectively sent out into the wilderness where things are stripped down to a sense of survival.<br />
<br />
But again, this imagery and experience holds another dimension. The wilderness in Scripture is a very special, appointed place for divine exchange. It is where Abraham encounters God the Promise Maker, Moses gets his commission and experiences God as the Deliverer, where countless battles are fought and won... and where Jesus drew the line of his ultimate loyalty to God his Father.<br />
<br />
Down through the ages, the wilderness is sought by those who are spiritually serious. We have to learn to welcome it as God brings it. For He is there waiting, for us to show up,<br />
<br />
If you dare get up and go forth to meet God, you will find that His Word is true, powerful and even accurate, and you will also meet and know yourself much better.<br />
<br />
And my dear friend, we need you in our world.<br />
<br />
<br />
I have much more to share, but for now, this should suffice.<br />
<br />
Here, would you take a look at this:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/jenni.hohuan/videos/10158484427879789/" target="_blank">Facebook Video</a><br />
<br />
Then, I hope you will hop over to this page to get started: <a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/p/a-quiet-morning.html" target="_blank">Quiet Morning Details</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFZZF39fgWM&app=desktop" target="_blank">Empty now: a 5 min video of major cities today</a><br />
<br /></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-22006875586454321612020-03-04T10:26:00.002+08:002020-05-04T14:51:50.793+08:00Toilet Paper Run: is there more than fear at work?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
It began in Hong Kong. Then it happened in Singapore. The story then darkened when armed gangs resorted to thievery, no doubt believing that the once humble toilet paper will soon fetch a handsome sum.<br />
<br />
Most recently, as the incidence of the Coronavirus infection begin to spot more places in the world, we see the same behaviour. Apocalyptic purchasing has existed for a while in the once CHristian United States, where the Christian narrative of the End Time is woven into the cultural narrative in thick and thin strands.<br />
<br />
But Japan surprised us. Orderly, organised, lawful Japan.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmdSLhb7MJ6w8VcU8I0OvbZNK9R_njSrgtivPB904po78cwPFMFLmEgCSe0eALktLbXMIt3kV2UEpnzngu4NDp3xCYzPdvF7VYCS4jdR0DnbIv02BZ8IBdTUZ7M6tKHOeJZbsIDu4YeUK/s1600/Kentaro+Takahashi+Bloomberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmdSLhb7MJ6w8VcU8I0OvbZNK9R_njSrgtivPB904po78cwPFMFLmEgCSe0eALktLbXMIt3kV2UEpnzngu4NDp3xCYzPdvF7VYCS4jdR0DnbIv02BZ8IBdTUZ7M6tKHOeJZbsIDu4YeUK/s400/Kentaro+Takahashi+Bloomberg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kentaro Takahashi, Bloomberg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Not only did their shelves empty, measures such as this had to be taken even:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4WiN966zSP5G8nhd16L6hlkfXQPB_txKI7i7rPXeNeyOmQ9t5K5sevuIKLbZbhnXhkLzwAsqHjGT9xLTcGhT9UH8yhpR_CXZGbcoj64zCKLrKAgnvKcKcTyCwFdsE81qj60NkhoTcdfD/s1600/toilet+paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="900" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4WiN966zSP5G8nhd16L6hlkfXQPB_txKI7i7rPXeNeyOmQ9t5K5sevuIKLbZbhnXhkLzwAsqHjGT9xLTcGhT9UH8yhpR_CXZGbcoj64zCKLrKAgnvKcKcTyCwFdsE81qj60NkhoTcdfD/s400/toilet+paper.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://soranews24.com/2020/03/02/people-in-japan-are-now-stealing-toilet-paper-in-midst-of-coronavirus-crisis/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Everyone wants to know: WHY toilet paper?<br />
<br />
The virus’ effects do not include diarrhoea. This prompted Youtuber NileRed to release this<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-mWK_kcZMs">'scientific video'</a>, funnily suggesting that it was for moonshine!<br />
<br />
<br />
What's your theory?<br />
<br />
My puzzlement led me back to a theory I read a few years back: Rene Girard’s Mimetic Theory. It isn’t too huge a stretch to say that it is the theory that explains everything – psycho-social. Girard's astounding observation is that human behaviour is mostly us copying each other.<br />
<br />
Here is a brief video that explains it: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgB9p2BA4fw">The Mimetic Theory in brief</a><br />
<br />
The question is why? At the heart of it ---<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>We are beings of Desire</b>. But we inevitably get our cues for what is desirable by watching and aping us. Remember the Joneses and the commandment given by smoke and thunder to ‘not covet’? Both the idiom and the command cuts right at the heart of how we desire and what it can drive us to do.<br />
<br />
Why toilet paper? Because if someone else is doing it with zeal, we are safer off doing it too, just in case. Yes, herd mentality. But more than herd mentality, it is our desire, to be safe, to be right. So, just -in-case.<br />
<br />
For all our loud prognostications about progress and enlightenment, access to information and advancements in technological abilities, we are still basically lost little creatures hoping to get something right.<br />
<br />
That’s our pulse. The fear of losing, losing out, and being lost.<br />
<br />
Girard is right. I see it in my own life and countless others I observe. We have a deep inward drive to reach for something to slake the thirst of Desire, but we don’t really know how to, because the Desire is lost under layers of parental training, folk wisdom, modern science, personality preferences, and favourable as well as unfavourable life experiences. Our feelings, brains, and circumstances conspire to point us in certain directions. Our agency is severely compromised.<br />
<br />
<b>So yes, there is a virus of fear, but its host is our restless, aimless hearts.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
The profundity in this little phrase is often missed:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Perfect love casts out all fear</b>*</i></div>
<br />
Fear is resident, it dwells, stalks, lingers… and has to be cast out. The only force strong enough isn’t information - “we assure you there is enough". To cure this primordial, existential fear requires something far stronger. It takes Love.<br />
<br />
But O how our views and experiences of Love are so broken, inadequate and tainted.<br />
<br />
Who really loves me, we ask in quiet desperation when we are stark honest. Is there a way to be loved without the burden of guilt - that sense that we aren't really measuring up, or worth it?<br />
<br />
Is it possible to know such a Love that we can rest and believe that we will make it through another day, even sans toilet paper?<br />
<br />
Such a Love cannot be rooted in emotion. It cannot rise from the soil of accomplishments. It certainly isn't found in our wanting it, no matter how mighty we fantasize.<br />
<br />
We get glimpses of it in kindness, faithfulness, affirmation, support, and understanding. These are important signposts that such a Love exists, but in the long road of life, we long to walk towards what these signposts point towards: a Being of Love.<br />
<br />
So really, the fear is a symptom, of our Desire.<br />
<br />
<b>We desire to find out and be found by this Being of Love. </b><br />
<br />
But who has time to seek, search and scour? So despite the needle of our heart's compass pointing true north, it flings wildly as we throw ourselves into work, relationships, causes and a thousand lesser lodes of magnetism.<br />
<br />
<b>What if this Being of Love not only waits for us at journey's end, but is present and involved in our lives now?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yes, right now, in the middle of it all, of the mess, of the mistakes, of the morose reality of our times.<br />
<br />
We need to encounter this Being of Love, and we need an experience that creates a way for us as mimetic beings to fashion our lives after a worthy model.<br />
<br />
<b>We need a Whole Love and a Wholesome model.</b><br />
<br />
Perhaps this is why God had to send his son Jesus to live as a fully human being, to suffer hunger, deprivation, disappointment, loneliness, opposition and even betrayal. Even a cursory look at what he lived through leads to an inescapable conclusion: this guy is relatable (even as a woman, I can say that).<br />
<br />
More than that, we find Jesus desirable. He is the One we want to be like.<br />
<br />
The way he stands his ground, speaks with authority, and act with compassion. The way he can relate to children, authority figures, the old and marginalised. His confidence, composure and convictions. His sense of purpose and passion. The light in his eyes as he tells another parable laced with humour. His gentleness.<br />
<br />
The perfect human.<br />
<br />
<br />
So<b> the great Christian truths that God has made a way to set us free, to restore our agency, to start us on a homeward journey towards Desire is the answer to the toilet paper run, or rather to stop running after metaphorical toilet paper.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
And if you are willing, Jesus has made it all possible.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*1 John 4v18<br />
<br />
This phrase is found in a larger text:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.</i><i><br /></i><i>This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.</i><i><br /></i><i></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.</i></blockquote>
<br />
In the contemporary Message version :<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.</i></blockquote>
<br />
And this powerful song, which I learnt when I lost my beloved brother, reminds me that my worst fears are swallowed up in Love:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd6J6Wgnv4M">Blessings</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Note:<br />
Mimetic Theory has another important dimension: the Scapegoat theory. Again, we find this happening - the blame game. The Chinese, the government, the neighbour - are all convenient scapegoats for us because agency is painful and hard for us who are wandering and wondering. A good summary article: <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2018/11/16/evolution-rene-girard">https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2018/11/16/evolution-rene-girard</a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-18179498699985391782020-02-26T09:17:00.000+08:002020-02-26T09:19:10.393+08:00There's a Question knocking on your door. Mine today: what to do about kids and phones?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Questions<br />
<br />
I live with questions all the time. I suspect you do too. The kind we know cannot really be answered by Google.<br />
<br />
These sorts of questions come knocking, and we have to decide if we will open the door and let them in. It’s a real risk because they may look shabby and smell worse. It’s a real hassle because sometimes they come with minors in tow - questions that beget questions.<br />
<br />
But until we open the door, pull out a chair, offer a cup, take a seat, and listen, really listen, they never go away.<br />
<br />
And by going away, it does not mean new ones won’t arrive. It means that <b>our homestead, our soul has grown larger to accommodate and even enjoy their presence. For in time, we realise that these questions originated from us, and the need to come back home to us, where they are welcomed and integrated into our lives.</b><br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
I woke early today while it was dark. It’s a practice I like to began a little more than a year ago but have had trouble keeping this year. This morning I was very surprised to find how fresh and even happy I felt to be sitting, waiting for the day to arrive.<br />
<br />
As we know, each day is packaged by us in time slots and events and do-items. But this scaffold is hardly what the day is really about. It’s the messages, impressions, interactions and questions they pose that really make our day, because these are the things that actually shape us.<br />
<br />
Annie Dillard famously said they how we spend our days is how we spend our lives.<br />
<br />
She is of course referring to what we fill our days with. What goes into the blocks of moments and hours. What preoccupies us and more.<br />
<br />
But <b>what is this life we have that we are able to spend? Or expend? What do we lose as we spend it, what do we gain as we expend it?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoHp8HAlsnm3VZtwPhu63eaRXVQIJysFfR5K6c-kURCSwGH02rpMnwLjM9iQX55K6uyycyRlESUTTXWGbJafqemzeMnJJrnFkODVFYgXOJkquLYw3rtcUInHw0-x4vRd_Ld53b5r3J3gG/s1600/The+window+seat+Julian+Alden+Neer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="736" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoHp8HAlsnm3VZtwPhu63eaRXVQIJysFfR5K6c-kURCSwGH02rpMnwLjM9iQX55K6uyycyRlESUTTXWGbJafqemzeMnJJrnFkODVFYgXOJkquLYw3rtcUInHw0-x4vRd_Ld53b5r3J3gG/s400/The+window+seat+Julian+Alden+Neer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julian Alden Neer</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
I stood by the window, focusing on the bird calls to block out all the ubiquitous construction noises (welcome to Singapore - the island that every builds).<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Like many parents, I struggle with how children adore their devices and spend inordinate amounts of time on it. We have done all the talking, structuring, threatening, rewarding and more… mine are not addicted by any stretch, but there is a pain in my heart to see that it’s such a default mode for them.<br />
<br />
I admit that not being a fan of tech (and having severe worries about its effects, having being a student of philosophical positions of Ellul and Muggeridge) did propel towards a offensive-defensive game about it, with me mostly being sent to the bleaches in time out. Yes, it’s hard to win. You end up being the loser parent, who’s stuck in ‘her time’, unreal about things as they presently are… especially when your kids are plugged into a system that forms them for most of their waking hours, which uses tech with little careful thought.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Children bored after exams? Show them a movie or funny videos.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hard to explain that concept? The entertaining explanatory Youtube vid to the rescue.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Too much to juggle? Update them via whatsapp.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Keep up with the times! Let every kid use a laptop (necessitating an entire IT dept to police their use)</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I tried to understand that these are ‘digital natives’. Machine learning is fine. At one time, it’s as if all kinds of craft and trade were enhanced - when the hairdresser or the architect can simulate, calculate, postulate.<br />
<br />
But so much is plain mindlessness now.<br />
<br />
So this morning, a question bubbled to my consciousness: <b>are we losing entire generations to a soul numbing, mind dulling, relationship-starving way of life?</b><br />
<br />
I realise this is what bothers me about it all.<br />
<br />
Life is such a precious gift and we squander it, spend it, expend it so foolishly.<br />
<br />
I ask my son, “don’t you want to explore anything? how about build something” go someplace?“<br />
<br />
The answer is invariably no.<br />
<br />
This is a kid I took to museums, maker faires, baked with, had long conversations, read poetry and made videos with. Where did he go?<br />
<br />
Then something else hit me.<br />
<br />
<b>The phone and all it promises is way too easy, and our kids are way too tired.</b><br />
<br />
So there is something corroborating here: adults, who build systems.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Parents who build systems in the home usually described in two words: busy and functional.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Educators who build systems our kids embed in: competitive and crowded.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The larger societal systems our kids whiff: dangerous and difficult.</blockquote>
<br />
Don’t you want to hide too?<br />
<br />
<br />
My son will say I over-psychologise. I can and do. But almost always, I am also on to something. My questions are trying to serve me.<br />
<br />
At this point, I wonder then if my children are really media literate? What am I modeling with my use of tech? How else can I build a family culture that really serves the generation entrusted to me? Is there a rallying call here for parents to arise to intercede and take back lost ground? Should we push back and get schools to really examine their methodologies?<br />
<br />
It’s a big question. I just made a cup of coffee.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What question is knocking on your door?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">notes:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Annie Dillard - American author, famous for her powerful nature prose. Quotable: <i>"A schedule defends from chaos and whim."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jacques Ellul - French philosopher and aly theologian, Quotable: <i>"The goal of modern propaganda is no longer to transform opinion but to arouse an active and mythical belief."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Malcolm Muggeridge - British journalist and social critic. Quotable: <i>"Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message."</i></span></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-3785194908325920382020-01-29T16:57:00.000+08:002020-01-29T16:57:46.734+08:00Discipleship: today, yesterday, forever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It feels like this.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVOlroVxUl_4fwwjBHXMeB5eexnPAfyy7G_cj8JAEikvEPM0nGy5rGJrvGZdIsTofWbehgyIrHYqSuJr5RdwPGHl1Bsqd1uPPZMv16rrf2QaYOIBR6RzLII9R8JjEQJuk_Nr-T6J2TwjL/s1600/emma-frances-logan-PVIbUkN_wCQ-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVOlroVxUl_4fwwjBHXMeB5eexnPAfyy7G_cj8JAEikvEPM0nGy5rGJrvGZdIsTofWbehgyIrHYqSuJr5RdwPGHl1Bsqd1uPPZMv16rrf2QaYOIBR6RzLII9R8JjEQJuk_Nr-T6J2TwjL/s400/emma-frances-logan-PVIbUkN_wCQ-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Frances Logan</td></tr>
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<br />
Let’s see. It’s 2020. This means that I have known about, know and still continue to know Jesus … for more than forty years. Nearly all those years I have been a leader of sorts. I started standing in front of the rest of the children to lead songs, tell stories…then I was in committees, task force teams, ministry teams.<br />
<br />
All this time, one word never ever went away, out of fashion, or became redundant.<br />
<br />
Discipleship.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9fGzqAKD5S82d-Y5FU8SO5JHnbCatWDz26mQj4uFxyw-WmOX_uCrHotCe1n6jJFzUM_zes0GQXy2mN4L1juhvKf4OT_D6DeFDeIUIGvamv5DlVOJpwCyf4HFlSEntCns2kJqpmOq0uzY/s1600/justin-kauffman-a8lTjWJJgLA-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9fGzqAKD5S82d-Y5FU8SO5JHnbCatWDz26mQj4uFxyw-WmOX_uCrHotCe1n6jJFzUM_zes0GQXy2mN4L1juhvKf4OT_D6DeFDeIUIGvamv5DlVOJpwCyf4HFlSEntCns2kJqpmOq0uzY/s400/justin-kauffman-a8lTjWJJgLA-unsplash.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin Kauffman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwM4MW9KSzKAyGTZ0-vc03qNsK-p-yUJ9wR2XwPuDl2r92zlhuGmtvyM4gJQbX0wl4-0v7AVAiBfFMLkfDdIe7ayM6xjblYi9IaCi2UxUVEwLc82iBiLUbiVfDscMiCd1Fbw-HeA_zavno/s1600/gary-butterfield-ZUHsSKfI4pE-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwM4MW9KSzKAyGTZ0-vc03qNsK-p-yUJ9wR2XwPuDl2r92zlhuGmtvyM4gJQbX0wl4-0v7AVAiBfFMLkfDdIe7ayM6xjblYi9IaCi2UxUVEwLc82iBiLUbiVfDscMiCd1Fbw-HeA_zavno/s400/gary-butterfield-ZUHsSKfI4pE-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary Butterfield</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8la-JzOYp_n21M6u67vANwIl0OtlbW8XcyLRVsZpEvmRN9ODBCcv55zsP3v8BOFo-eEZ35lQ3ZGfQRg-LLgyRgWN-ro4xSkI0QizjztdexglMmR3-sFkV6a_Rfp1P4JvcAdkabo-NOXVZ/s1600/massimo-sartirana-TZ5uKxH2H7U-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8la-JzOYp_n21M6u67vANwIl0OtlbW8XcyLRVsZpEvmRN9ODBCcv55zsP3v8BOFo-eEZ35lQ3ZGfQRg-LLgyRgWN-ro4xSkI0QizjztdexglMmR3-sFkV6a_Rfp1P4JvcAdkabo-NOXVZ/s400/massimo-sartirana-TZ5uKxH2H7U-unsplash.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massimo Satirana</td></tr>
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<br />
We took it apart, looked at its nuts and bolts, studied, argued, wrote papers, tried programs, saw some ‘success’ and almost an equal amounts (it feels*) of ‘failure’.<br />
<br />
We got frustrated, distracted, impatient, and reached impasse at times. We then set it aside…but soon, the word invariably found it way to lips, conversations, pulpit and meeting minutes.<br />
<br />
In all of this,<b> our human tendency to seek a silver bullet did not serve us well. </b><br />
<br />
Such marvelous fare we tried (and so important we did) -<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">TNet | NewLife | SonLife | 2:7 | Roots and Wings | Willow | Saddleback</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
We Navigated, Crusaded, Rallied, 'Seminared' <i>ad nauseam.</i><br />
<br />
We used:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Small groups </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cell groups</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Affinity groups</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mission groups</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Age Groups (kidschurch, youthchurch etc.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Online</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Offline</span><br />
<br />
<br />
And still, the haze persists.<br />
<br />
<br />
So I hid myself indoors more, and hope to offer something to clear the air.<br />
<br />
Here are 2 thoughts to help us forward.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>1. Forget Trying To Be Successful At Discipleship, Instead Urge The Next Right Step</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>(a) the uniqueness of each life</b><br />
<br />
Each person is a story, journey and unfolding. Each life is layered, complexed, nuanced.<br />
<br />
This means that discipleship will be hard and hardly successful, if we take a cookie-cutter approach.<br />
<br />
When I look back at my own development, and as I hear stories of others, there is never a simple, straight trajectory. I started out Presbyterian. We had an Pentecostal preacher who filled the pulpit frequently. Then I encountered the Charismatics, as well as the Bible-Presbyterian. In Bible college, I met Catholic theologians, went to retreats led by Catholic sisters…and the story continues to unfold..<br />
<br />
The Gospel is deep. The church is wide. God is finally, incomprehensible.<br />
<br />
Our hearts have alleyways and backroads that cannot be educated, inspired, equipped into Christlike fullness. All our best efforts to fill up with Bible, sharing, service are like set-ups for the real deal.<br />
<br />
Discipleship is each unique human life being yielded, one day and one moment at a time, so that the life becomes Cruciform. It is shepherding heartaches, distilling values, training willpower, championing obedience.<br />
<br />
And -<b>we have to learn to do this in our own lives first.</b><br />
<br />
Then, as Jesus said to Peter, “turn around and strengthen your brothers”.<br />
<br />
It is a lifelong journey of ongoing ‘yes’ to God being God, who knows better and cares more intimately then we dare dream.<br />
<br />
This also means that –<br />
<br />
<i>Children can be discipled</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Youths can be discipled</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Adults, married, single, old, aging, ill, dying - we can all be discipled, for what we are is not yet clear to us, but it exists, and is real, and God wants to lead us homeward (1 Cor 1312)</i><br />
<br />
I think God is really serious about diversity.<br />
<br />
So, leaders, by all means use all means. Dream. Design. Deliberate. Definitely model it. But don’t fret overly over the outcomes. Chill and Christ both start with the letter ‘C’, see?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>(b) the reality of social context</b><br />
<br />
I let out a small moan even as my mind veered in my exasperation and let slip the words “when I was your age…”. Sharing our life story is one thing, but this stupid diatribe is totally futile.<br />
<br />
The generation after us did not ask to be raised in their context. My daughter insightfully pointed out that my generation may well be the most privileged. We did not experience the war and we are not inheriting a time bomb. We have to stop wishful thinking and put our brains to better use.<br />
<br />
At the heart of human existence and flourishing is our similar need to feel secure, have an identity and derive satisfaction from our contribution.<br />
<br />
<b>Think: what is trying to give our kids a sense of security, identity and satisfaction?</b><br />
<br />
If we believe that God is the true and only lasting answer to the three primal needs of our lives, then how do we model and communicate that? What is garbling the signals, causing static, confusing them?<br />
<br />
For as long as I can remember, we work really hard at ‘adapting to our culture’ - and we over-adapted, losing our bearings over time…. such as when we did age-group services and were left with a huge issue of transiting people from youth service to adult service.<br />
<br />
We should wake up and realise that by focusing on the ‘spiritual’ and becoming ‘experts’ isn’t the best way. <b>God designed life around truth and we have to learn to find God in all of life. </b><br />
<br />
We have to ask tough questions such as: how do people learn, encounter truth, experience change? We ought to hear from educators, sociologists and counsellors.<br />
<br />
Yet,<br />
<br />
there will always be fundamentals that we never ought to neglect.<br />
<br />
<b>The spiritual life is life</b> - thus there must be<b> Input, Interaction and Output. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
(i) What Inputs do we have available today?<br />
<br />
Netflix is so ahead in its game that its CEO recently said that it’s only real competitor is sleep (yes, people sacrifice sleep to catch the stuff they purvey).<br />
<br />
<b>We need to create and convey good content.</b><br />
<br />
(ii) What sorts of interaction is happening?<br />
<br />
In homes and in churches? Is there safety for real exchange? Is there support for stragglers? The threat of death (not just bodily) lurks close by in the forms of distraction and distress today. Relationships are becoming strained and many feel unsafe.<br />
<br />
<b>We need to teach life skills that are being quickly lost today: listening, manners, disagreeing or questioning with respect.</b><br />
<br />
(iii) Output.<br />
What ways are there for people to exercise and express their faith? We need to crucify our culture’s absorption with ‘success’ so that the fear of failure is disempowered and in doing so, unleash all that time and resource (a billion dollars in the tuition industry!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>At the centre of it is the Cross, and Jesus.</b><br />
<br />
My own prayer is that Jesus would be so dazzling, attractive, powerful, engaging, complete in my estimate and experience - so that those around me can catch a glimpse of it and desire it too.<br />
<br />
<b>Leaders -</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
-if the gospel becomes too familiar, tired and lack lustre, revisit it until it becomes the pearl of great price for you. Or you will sell short. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
-make friends with a broad range of people who can provide insight into the human condition and the social contexts of our flock </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
-watch that you are not capitulating to popular culture. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
-go deep and gather a few for life-on-life, the way Jesus did. Trust me, you cannot do better than Jesus.</blockquote>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>2. Focus On The Irreducible Minimum</b><br />
<br />
Some churches have a lot of moolah and can do fancy parties. Most are rather basic. If God said we can make disciples of all nations, the approach has to something that can be transplanted into all cultural contexts. This is called the Irreducible Minimum.<br />
<br />
The following will not make the list:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Starbucks coffee<br />
Music that is branded<br />
Certain versions of the Bible<br />
And whole barrels of programs we have tried in the first world, middle class church.</blockquote>
<br />
But here is what will work:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Genuine welcome</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Spiritual hunger </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Prayer </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Practical love </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Scripture - taught, discussed, meditated, memorised, applied </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Sacraments of Baptism and Communion </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sacrificial Familial love</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Just look at this amazing list that isn’t exclusive to the rich, educated or even seminary-trained!<br />
<br />
So maybe, just maybe, we ought to start growing in these things and see where the marvelous Holy Spirit takes us!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Finally, a confession is in order, one I prayed many times:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>O God, you offer humanity goodwill and Good News of Great Joy. </i><i><br /></i><i>I am so sorry I lose sight of it, prefer to get sated on other lesser pleasures, and often busy myself with things that are far removed from Your Holy Will.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>Forgive the way I preach, teach, counsel, lead and on and on… often more marked by an anxiety to live up to expectations or worse, ambition - than out of a fear of You and a love for the ones You entrusted to me.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>If there is any way, undo the damage where your shepherds and leaders have cause more hurt, confusion and been an overall bad witness.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>Do a work in my life that cannot be explained except for the mighty Grace and Mercy of God, and in turn, let me lead others to this same stream to drink fully of it.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>Whether I lead a few or a few thousand, let me never get beyond the adventure, excitement and dream that is your Kingdom - of lives touched, transforming and true.</i><i><br /></i><i>For Christ’s sake, Amen.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*the brain remembers this stuff more readily, possibly a preservation instinct - an instinct I posit is post-Fall.</span></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-41184542592106127802019-12-03T13:21:00.000+08:002019-12-04T16:32:32.922+08:00 You, beloved, are an answer (in this dark, bad world), but not the usual way you think.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"Bad news sells".<br />
"You need an arc, with a rising tension.."<br />
"The hero must meet a challenge so great, he must risk death..."<br />
<br />
It turns out, these are true, in news reporting, in movie-making, in our experiences.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6BU_QIyjosuDZD9xh4sd3axCowBTzv_SOrPJ__VNc3gZ343zsv3dKZxJLYujMYhhvHAG4kB9j_kRrWE56YmNVzIEWUS7_HCicyGui_vRsXsVZ3Sjc1i-HcTDtlJ0NVwmN5Hoq78ryHn_/s1600/homeless+koala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="570" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6BU_QIyjosuDZD9xh4sd3axCowBTzv_SOrPJ__VNc3gZ343zsv3dKZxJLYujMYhhvHAG4kB9j_kRrWE56YmNVzIEWUS7_HCicyGui_vRsXsVZ3Sjc1i-HcTDtlJ0NVwmN5Hoq78ryHn_/s400/homeless+koala.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">homeless Koala</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Still, we dream, yearn and often naively imagine life can be smooth-sailing. Which explains why prosperity gospel succeeds, why disciples hike off, why so much continues to break around us - from friendships to partnerships, marriage to parenting. We refuse to be heroic. We reject our villainy.<br />
<br />
Yes - we are both heroes and villains. Light and Dark. Life and Death.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m4tZDL6Mf8ahOJiFam9rEZOwwMreBbU_vPEc0EXB_YXgKS0EkppZVrY9QG5c7SrzLtETQE-djmeHx28rjBS0tck7hqCXCT4z0tM0QNdiJ_5uUNsmYPmNqYpeL92zR1i_zm83YN4wL54j/s1600/ginny+sheller+2+opposite+bunnies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m4tZDL6Mf8ahOJiFam9rEZOwwMreBbU_vPEc0EXB_YXgKS0EkppZVrY9QG5c7SrzLtETQE-djmeHx28rjBS0tck7hqCXCT4z0tM0QNdiJ_5uUNsmYPmNqYpeL92zR1i_zm83YN4wL54j/s400/ginny+sheller+2+opposite+bunnies.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
And the typical advice given is to grow the light, starve the dark (yes that tale about the old man with two dogs, one good, the other bad)... focus on the good, do more good....<br />
<br />
<br />
Jesus tells us plainly:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>No one is good—except God alone.</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">{Mark 10v18}</span></blockquote>
<br />
You know, Jesus gets pretty absolute about things. We, prefer to hedge and fuzz.<br />
<br />
Goodness is a God quality. We aspire, pretend, and at times achieve some good. Sometimes, even astounding good. But, our good acts aren't the same as us being <b>good in essence</b>. Because, honestly, our motives are rarely a hundred percent without self-interest.<br />
<br />
God, on the other hand, is Goodness - because he really, does not need us or anything from us - but he considers our needs and cares for us.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJRj9HX6T2aXjNIzb5k8megWnhc-oEuF2hQG6n9JnKaElWR_Ctjn4ES5K9PCHV-CvwN0DevLDk7ZtiSh-_yTcOHoCf6U1bSFip_maVtdCGxHdnl4auKDhJhe3YSHcqWer03xY4YGi__v8/s1600/Mothers-goodness-by-phyomoe-Myanmar-Phyo-MoeAGORA-images-5d6fc664da378__880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="880" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJRj9HX6T2aXjNIzb5k8megWnhc-oEuF2hQG6n9JnKaElWR_Ctjn4ES5K9PCHV-CvwN0DevLDk7ZtiSh-_yTcOHoCf6U1bSFip_maVtdCGxHdnl4auKDhJhe3YSHcqWer03xY4YGi__v8/s400/Mothers-goodness-by-phyomoe-Myanmar-Phyo-MoeAGORA-images-5d6fc664da378__880.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PhyoMoe Agora Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
So I am going to suggest Another Way Altogether that will take the strife, comparison and hard edge off doing good. A way that enables us to honestly acknowledge our villainy and at the same time, arouse our heroism.<br />
<br />
<b>It is called Blessedness.</b><br />
<br />
Blessedness is not an intrinsic or earned quality. It is bestowed, given, offered - and there is great power when we realise our blessedness.<br />
<br />
Blessedness is not about avoiding pain, skirting hardship, being protected from loss, confusion, regrets or even recurring struggles.<br />
<br />
It has very little in fact, to with the externals of your life: from relationships to possessions, realities to potentialities. Rather, is is a depth-experience of being wanted, being a great idea, fearfully and wonderfully crafted. It's the truth of your life as being valid, precious, unique...of you being sensed, felt, loved...<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It is a truth that gets infused into the sinews and molecules of your being when ordinary life is touched by the Transcendent, when the temporal shimmers with the eternal, when the wind from angelic wings whiff close..., what Paul described as "<i>being seated in the heavenly realms </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">{Ephesians 1v3}</span> --- a Position, a Posture, and a Potential that you cannot bargain for, access by force or sneak by scheming.</blockquote>
<br />
Instead, you are led to such a place, with royalty, with God, because you dared to follow...and you find yourself coming...Home. The one Home you have been searching for all you life!<br />
<br />
In this Home-space, feel safe, it's bounteous, and full of Life -- even though not a bit of your circumstances may have changed... yet.. --<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvbDtUe-7Prmjd0Shq2cvdtrIRceQTt2AJum0gjm7zFRDM5TRzgKOe3PXjMtcEekHdhLkKpRw28gEp6pHsGZjlRbpR6VETHehjT3kaZ0ilexeAGc5d9UdF8sHzS7HA4DrxV7d8Nlle1so/s1600/Mesia+bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvbDtUe-7Prmjd0Shq2cvdtrIRceQTt2AJum0gjm7zFRDM5TRzgKOe3PXjMtcEekHdhLkKpRw28gEp6pHsGZjlRbpR6VETHehjT3kaZ0ilexeAGc5d9UdF8sHzS7HA4DrxV7d8Nlle1so/s400/Mesia+bird.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
From here, you regard everything with a strange sense...like invincibility: 'how can anything ever really hurt you, again?'. At the same time, you have a ready vulnerability, where you are no longer afraid and feel the need to hide your darker shades of your story.<br />
<br />
Both the Light and the Dark become stark and real, and you know a Greater Truth embraces and encompasses both.<br />
<br />
Your power of choice is pressed upon your soul and you find yourself choosing again, and again, for the Light.<br />
<br />
<br />
At Home, in God's courts, which are held by the pillars of righteousness and faithfulness, there's no falsification, pretense or role-play. Rather, there's an inverted sense of abandonment. Whereas life in general reinforces our loneliness and weaknesses, often causing us feelings of rejection and abandonment, here, we can release our efforts and masks and rest in a security and safety that makes -no - demands of us, yet gently compels us to be the best versions of ourselves.<br />
<br />
Home is where we belong, where we are beloved and come to see our Blessedness. Home is being with God in complete honesty and surrender.<br />
<br />
And so, we can do the most good because we have come Home to Goodness.<br />
<br />
<br />
The way home is a mixture of large, determined, upward strides, as well as small, consistent steps. These involve three trails.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Jk-p9Y5pIn9OS1DgUNul5iBQrfRvYYgLUtzQifPaWJhBBvlcs16AvPFvDt6D1O7cqk7bdqIa0r859WuDkybGiI5fOlFBkO5FrjCtfzu1goFUFscS0qMFhE7r1sXmQz2u2elwp8t28hQb/s1600/funny-walking-bird2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="660" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Jk-p9Y5pIn9OS1DgUNul5iBQrfRvYYgLUtzQifPaWJhBBvlcs16AvPFvDt6D1O7cqk7bdqIa0r859WuDkybGiI5fOlFBkO5FrjCtfzu1goFUFscS0qMFhE7r1sXmQz2u2elwp8t28hQb/s400/funny-walking-bird2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>(1) Detachment - to free us</b><br />
<br />
This is not to become some unfeeling glob please! Rather, it's about refusing to be fooled into thinking that our identity and worth depend on people, possessions and pains. We can define ourselves in so many ways. Some choose family, others choose achievements, yet other still, frame themselves in their pains.<br />
<br />
Things that are a part of our lives shape us, and may even confine us. But they don't have to define us.<br />
<br />
Yes, every day, something, someone, your past or your future can threaten to cloud over the truth of your Blessed Belovedness.<br />
<br />
But, if you step away from it all for a bit, and sit with the deeper truth that you are Blessed and Beloved, that in the midst of the hard and nasty, God is with you and offers you Life and Light.... in time, the veil is torn and you find that you are Home.<br />
<br />
Try it and see.<br />
<br />
Cry when you need.<br />
Rant when you need.<br />
Then, silence your rancour and let Scripture's cleansing and renewing power do its work.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>(2) Contentment- to anchor us</b><br />
<br />
Life cannot be savored in retirement. It has to savored now. (In fact, if you cannot taste life's goodness now, you may not later, and..what about.. heaven!).<br />
<br />
Money loses its charm after a time, and can turn around to be a mean and demanding master.<br />
<br />
Jesus used very graphic language:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>the pagans <u>run </u>after these things.</i>.. <span style="font-size: x-small;">{Matt 6v33}</span></blockquote>
Running is a strenuous activity. It demands a lot, engages a lot, and leaves us winded. Running can also be rather addictive and during a second wind, you can feel rather powerful. But you cannot run forever.<br />
<br />
When do you stop running? When you wisely consider and realise that there isn't even a race. Or when you are finally exhausted? Which state would you rather be in?<br />
<br />
The practical way to develop contentment is of course, to practise gratitude*, which is well supported by health and brain science to have enormous benefits to our overall well-being.<br />
<br />
When we are not busy asking -<br />
"where is the good deal?"<br />
"how come he has more?"<br />
"when can I have ...?"<br />
<br />
We can slow our pace to anchor.<br />
<br />
A ship cannot anchor while sailing at twenty-give knots. It has to slow. Modern consumerism's evil is that we are being 'eaten' alive while we think we are 'happily consuming'. We have eschew the insatiable needs consumerism generates in us, slow down, and anchor.<br />
<br />
We have to face the dark of our fears that we won't be noticed, known or celebrated. We need to soak up the Light that we are noticed, known and celebrated -- and by One who doesn't change His view of us because He is in a funk!<br />
<br />
It is only when we anchor that we can be ready to be an answer to the many cries and questions that are churning all around us.<br />
<br />
- Stock-take your consumer habits (turn off notifications perhaps)<br />
- Design and live within a budget (it's a thing that works and is great for training kids)<br />
- Make giving a regular habit (for eg. if you plan that each time you buy an item, you will buy a second to give away)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>(3) Attentiveness - to liven us</b><br />
<br />
Most of us live in the past (stewing over what went wrong or what could be better) or in the future (imagining what could be). Often, in the present, we are fretting about our responses and how others view us.<br />
<br />
Where are we actually? Rather absent.<br />
<br />
Attentiveness opens our eyes to notice and marvel at Life and Light. It makes complaining harder. Striving feels like such a waste of the moment. The wonder and giftedness of so much begins to dawn on us. Details present themselves to us and creates bold relief for us to recognise that we are hidden glory.<br />
<br />
We take ourselves both lightly and seriously at the same time, knowing when to do which.<br />
<br />
<br />
So friends,<br />
<br />
Continue to bend towards the Light<br />
Do all the good you can<br />
<br />
But - follow the Spirit's call to walk into your Belovedness, where you touch the shimmering Goodness of God, and let it find its expression in and through you.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>We can change the world we are a part of - through this deep, total revolution with us.</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When we are attentive, we may be better listeners (and that will heal so many broken hearts and even help in the restoration of those who are suffering mentally) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When we are anchored, we may be better givers (and how much inequality and injustice needs addressing) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When we are freed, we may be better lovers (and how that will save so many relationships)</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Dark is real. It lodges in hearts. It connects on and off-line. It embeds in systems. The news, movies and our experiences magnify it. It can intimidate us. It can overwhelm us. It can unsettle us. But you know, systems are after all, practical frameworks and protocols established according to values we uphold.</blockquote>
<br />
Every heart<br />
Every mind<br />
Every life<br />
<br />
that begins to sense, believe and live in the Truth of being Beloved and Blessed -- also connects and embeds and can be magnified, to the praise of His Glory.<br />
<br />
So, our world needs -<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
goodness<br />
serious answers<br />
you.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
*<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2015/04/start-keep-that-gratitude-journal-heres.html">How To Be Grateful</a></blockquote>
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2016/01/what-links-new-years-resolutions-to.html">How To Grow Up Spiritually</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2014/02/lost-setback-and-feeling-your-faith-is.html">How To Press Past Setbacks</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[I chose animal photography for this post, because animals are impacted by whether we are good or selfish... And birds of course, were used by Jesus to remind us to trust in our Belovedness and Blessedness].</span></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-45924309620127568672019-09-21T11:58:00.002+08:002019-09-21T11:58:45.261+08:00The Future Is Here<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It is, because it first exists in our minds and hearts.<br />
<br />
Yes, the future is here, lurking between the spaces of want-dream-pain avoidance-ambition-expectations ----- and it is propelling you.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Jesus told us plainly, "<i>where your treasure is, there your heart will be also</i>" <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Matt 6)</span></blockquote>
<br />
How many years have I known these words from the Gospel? Several decades. But it's a living, present word because -<br />
<br />
what we treasure changes with time<br />
often what we treasure is a reflection more of a pain we want to avoid than a dream we dare to own<br />
God wants to be our always-treasure<br />
<br />
When I was a teen, I had visions of success (have I shared the story about the sports car, the light rain and the handsome dude?)...which shifted with the years. As a leader and pastor, I had ideas of what should be valued, fought for, stressed out about. As a parent, how my children turn out is a huge chunky preoccupation!<br />
<br />
I also learnt that sometimes I treasure something (way too much) because somewhere along the way, it became a part of who I am (the cool lady pastor perhaps? not really, but it nearly did). Certainly, there was a time God has to awakened me to how I idolised a 'perfect' marriage, simply because I was in pain that my parents did not have that.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So now that my children are growing way too fast, with one at (gasp!) marriageable age even -- I realised that I have so far prayed vague, right-sounding prayers for their future. You know the stuff of 'I surrender them to You', 'You have a future' type thing, only occasionally daring to foray into what their future may actually be about.<br />
<br />
Just exactly ten minutes ago, the Holy Spirit whumped me on the head and I went 'oof!'. A clarity I am not capable of flashed before the screen of my mind and a truth surfaced: the future is hazy <span style="font-size: x-small;">(this word always shows up in my post when the haze is around, hmm).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
So try a simple exercise with me. Visualise the future, where your kids are adults:<br />
<br />
What are they pursuing?<br />
What are their priorities?<br />
How will they relate to you?<br />
What role will you play?<br />
<br />
Wow. I have to admit that I am not fully ready for these questions.<br />
<br />
There is a part of me that wants them to have commercial success (money is so useful)... I consider the young adults I know who have such success and must admit I see this: working long hours, escaping on vacations, developing costly hobbies, obsessing over online shopping, Netflix...<br />
<br />
Well, ok, my children probably won't be like this. Of course they will be serving in church, possibly in leadership... but then I hit a ...haze.<br />
<br />
It's not like I need to know, and God forbid that I try to control anything.<br />
<br />
<br />
But I feel the Holy Spirit is inviting me to have a conversation about this.<br />
<br />
It's an important conversation because I need to examine my treasure.<br />
It's an important conversation because there are things I can put in place to support the unfolding.<br />
It's an important conversation because God wants me to anticipate and grow my trust.<br />
It's an important conversation because I need to shield their destiny with prayer.<br />
<br />
<br />
I am quite certain the conversation and prayer will not end up with me being able to visualise the details. But it will do these three things:<br />
<br />
keep my heart tender to what God wants (faith)<br />
help me be positive to developments I witness in them (hope), and<br />
be a constructive and empowering presence in their lives (love).<br />
<br />
The Bible says these things last - treasures indeed. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(1 Corinthians 13)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
What about you?<br />
What conversation are you having with God over the children He has called you to steward?<br />
<br />
<br />
Here are some related reads:<br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2016/05/you-are-best-parents-helping-our.html">Helping our children 'beat' the competition</a><br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2015/11/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html">3 Anchors for your child's bright future</a><br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2016/05/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children_25.html">Raising children who Contribute</a><br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2016/02/future-ready.html">Are we Future Ready?</a><br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2018/05/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html">Maid In Singapore Kids</a><br />
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jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-3377771464929986162019-07-15T09:46:00.000+08:002019-07-16T11:53:39.921+08:00When My Soul Flaps Over The Church<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I suppose it’s because you can’t take the pastor out of me.<br />
<br />
But I have these tendencies - of a mother hen. Before you genderise this, remember Jesus referred to himself similarly!<br />
<br />
Just that I am not mothering a specific local congregation right now. But my pastoral-mother-hen heart clucks up a notch at news of those who are lost, burdened, and struggling to grow in the LORD.<br />
<br />
Here’re some scenarios that get my soul flapping:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1. news that spiritual babies are not being fed a proper basic diet to establish their health</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
2. that children, the elderly and non-mainstream folks don’t have a place at the table, the worship order and the missions expression.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
3. another leader doing what other leaders are doing (especially traveling overseas) and it smacks of “look, I am successful”</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
4. when we take our western diets and without taking time to learn, love and live with a different culture, tell them this is the christian life, spiritual progress…</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
5. turning to triumphalistic story-telling as our main way of gospel sharing which leaves many struggling in the dust</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
6. failing to love the whole person - body, soul, spirit + past, present and future - not doing the hard work of seeing with God’s eyes</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
7. hoarding souls rather than sending them soaring</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
8. pride: disguised, veiled, ugly and on display (including mine, especially mine).</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
9. going over the same debates (worship styles, women etc) as if the church has made no progress on these weighty matters - because we did not bother to read, think, dialogue.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
10. impatience: it’s everywhere, in city-living, and it colours our own walk, and the way we do and evaluate everything.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
11. refusing to learn from wider wisdom, do research and practise discernment which leads to all sorts of poor decisions, esp the decision to promote and appoint based on oftentimes very worldly values.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
12. consumer faith (this is huge and I have written on it <a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2007/07/eating-in-church-consumers-in-pews.html">here (back in 2007!)</a> ) - which promotes not simple, but simplistic faith.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
These are serious issues that weaken our faith life, communities and witness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Singapore loves how her smallness can contain so much. It is true. Our miraculous nature is pretty obvious. So we are excited, excited that God has something special in store for us (actually, He has something special for every nation)… and this label that we are Antioch is such a great shorthand for us to park everything under.<br />
<br />
Antioch represents a fresh wind - away from Jerusalem - where the buzz of global missions outreach and the site where we first got our IDs as ‘christians’.<br />
<br />
Just that, we are now 2000 years away, in a very different world. The term ‘christian’ now means very differently to what it meant then. Since globalisation and the internet, the world is also both closer and more polarised than it ever was.<br />
<br />
So we have a lot of hard- thinking and heart-searching to do.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I also found, that it is easy to complain.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But<b> God has called us to edify</b>. So this is what I decide to do these days:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- I talk to people who may share these concerns and have answers (and it is very heartening to find that the Spirit is stirring and people are doing things about some of these*)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- I use my platforms to raise them when I can (such as here and <a href="https://www.cathedral.org.sg/podcast">here </a> )</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- I pray, for God Almighty reminds me this old truth I learnt in my youth: “more things are wrought by prayer than… (EM Bounds I believe it was)”</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Share in the comments:<br />
<i>Do you share any of these concerns?</i><br />
<i>What do you do when your soul flaps over the church?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">And here's <b>some cheer</b> --</span></i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">*Areas people are acting on - already and upcoming for points:</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">2. several churches now have teams that look into this (check The Cathedral Podcast where I speak to a few such folks!)</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">4. we have think-tanks...and there will be work to link, strengthen and maybe have our own version of Gallup or Barna!</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
I looked up some images of churches in Sg (of course, home churches and those in industrial estates etc won't turn up...) Look at the lovely architecture. God is building a thing of beauty, our call is to be pillar of truth in society (1 Tim 3v15). Ain't very often we pause to give thanks, appreciate and savour what we have!<br />
<br />
See if you can recognise these few (selected randomly):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhKo_y_oAungj_0_Aeo03D2TxpsOH-uo-7eTaAkMWOvD4F_-Z1ewWyihPbk0h70lCPAEk5pno-OwUGsDnCYJ8IJhiQ64Sgd1pee1UDg5I2ts_UmQshbHY6mh8Tg-qoVubdvC1VhCsbbrm/s1600/church+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhKo_y_oAungj_0_Aeo03D2TxpsOH-uo-7eTaAkMWOvD4F_-Z1ewWyihPbk0h70lCPAEk5pno-OwUGsDnCYJ8IJhiQ64Sgd1pee1UDg5I2ts_UmQshbHY6mh8Tg-qoVubdvC1VhCsbbrm/s400/church+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-69712508327482525742019-05-20T12:23:00.000+08:002019-05-23T17:50:41.457+08:00God's Amazing Plan of Motherhood (and Sp Parenting)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Fearlessness is faith unleashed.</b><br />
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<br />
Mothering ignites faith.<br />
You have to believe.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That breastmilk is best and so time, pump, feed, store (Olympic athelete Montana pumps, stores and ships her milk across the globe!).</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That your child is unique and worth protecting, nourishing, nurturing.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That sacrifices are a holy exchange of life when you lose sleep and develop a whole new lifestyle so that a new life can be birthed and raised.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That while the system is good, it isn’t perfect and you have to many times, stand up for your child.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That your words, hugs, look of love, meals, stories, prayers make a difference.</blockquote>
<br />
And<b> faith unleashed, makes you a fearless warrior, fighting for what truly matters: life.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Any good warrior tells you there are<br />
<br />
boring routines<br />
<br />
necessary and often painful disciplines to gain muscle and develop strength<br />
<br />
sacrifices of comfort and ease<br />
<br />
the need to develop a mindset and a tough heart<br />
<br />
because there is a battle worth fighting for.<br />
<br />
And the warrior is made, not born. He began as a recruit, a legionary, a simple soldier reporting for duty.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There are many ways to see and do life.<br />
<br />
The most common is to go with the flow.<br />
<br />
You move from one stage of life to the next, because you are ‘old enough’, ‘it’s time’, ‘expectations and body clocks kick in… This does not mean you don’t plan. In fact, you plan quite well, from thinking through options, weighing pros and cons, consulting others, doing the Math and so on… The question is whether these ways are life-giving ways, wise ways, enduring ways.<br />
<br />
Another way to go with the flow is takes a ‘come what may’ approach and hate to plan, it’s a moment-by-moment flow. This is highly popular with the younger set, who eventually give to the need to forecast and therefore to endure the dread of discipline grudgingly.<br />
<br />
Following the flow isn’t morally wrong, but it is easily driven by FOMO (fear of missing out) and by sheer fear (of change and taking ownership). It is easy to see how one can drift or become indistinguishable from the crowd.<br />
<br />
This is the soldiering part of life.<br />
<br />
At some point, life presents you with the opportunity to become a warrior.<br />
<br />
You choose battles<br />
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You train<br />
<br />
You fight<br />
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You win and you lose<br />
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Along the way, faith is built and fear is banished.<br />
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This is God's design, where he invites us to give up what we hold so tightly on to, and trust him for something better. Perhaps our success-to-date, our comfortable lifestyles, our well-planned ideals... which wrap within them a whole lot of fears and anxieties, aspirations and disappointments. We grasp on afraid to let go...<br />
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But if we only will!<br />
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The journey of leaning into a new journey, unfamiliar experiences, stuff we don't think we can do... that how we get to feel in our bones and our sinews the deep truth that even if our battles are similar or related, each of us is a unique individual with a destiny.<br />
<br />
A journey that requires maturation - a dedicated process that works.<br />
<br />
<br />
The guys have their journey from motley solider to unique warrior.<br />
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For women, mothering is the unique journey.<br />
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As I have yielded my body to God’s wondrous design to host life. As I have let my heart soften to the coos and cries of my child. As I have given up sleep, entertainment, a whole familiar and comfortable way of life. As I have made choice after choice to be the adult, grow myself and be at my best for my child(ren).... I have done the equivalent of digging trenches, countless marches, sweat-soaked training, even arming myself. (and hence we have asked a Minister once to pay SAHMs coz it's like national service).<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The trench of going over the same thing, feeding, diaper changing, repeating that story for a hundredth time… these repetitive acts dig a trench of safety for us to huddle in. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The march back and forth to soothe and quieten, fetch another drink, patiently guide unsteady hands to pick up another toy. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The days when there is hardly time to get a proper shower (and thankfully bub never ever minds it) much less have a slow go at the throne. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Picking up my weapons of prayer and intercession….polished to a shine from use.</blockquote>
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It’s so common to hear moms say they are surprised by how they can sacrifice, and how they now realise the depth of what their moms went through. But that’s merely scratching the surface.<br />
<br />
Motherhood is deep stuff.<br />
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God carves capacities in us that cannot come another way.<br />
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The capacity of faith lies at the heart of it.<br />
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Mothering (and Sp Parenting) is hard. It can be unpredictable. It’s been said there are no guarantees (but that’s most of life anyway). You recognise the limits of control... yet -<br />
<br />
If we accept that this is God’s wisdom and lean into it, we can become warriors who are fearless.<br />
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We know what it’s like to sleep two hours and still function.<br />
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We know our bodies mend and heal.<br />
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We know we can think deep and talk simple.<br />
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We know we can invent solutions and face crises (from meal planning to stretching the dollar to averting accidents).<br />
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We know we can adjudicate, negotiate, persuade, coach.<br />
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We know we can serve joyfully.<br />
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We know we can appreciate the present moment and find delight in simple things.<br />
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We know we can speak up and stand up for what we believe in.<br />
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Tell me, is this not maturity, a growing fullness in our humanity, a <i>carpe diem</i> seizing of our lives to make it count, and a confident way to leave a legacy?<br />
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I remember a young mom who was abjectly frustrated for her style in life is to plan to the hilt and enjoy the control she had. Mothering shattered this false illusion for her. Hopefully, more than merely soldiering on and hoping things ease up, she dug in and transformed into a warrior!<br />
<br />
Soldiers become warriors when they quit pining for life outside the camp, but dig into life in the camp and take the battle seriously.<br />
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<br />
The ‘wisdom’ of the world is to lie to you that it is all about loss. Sniff out this false narrative quickly. That’s the world’s favourite presentation: you are going to lose out.<br />
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And sure, perhaps you may never get that job (or your figure) back.<br />
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But is that truly a loss? Really, is your life the work you do and the shape of your body?<br />
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The world isn’t operating on God’s agenda, but is reeling from a determined rebellion against God. How can it offer you and I what is truly life-giving and eternal?<br />
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God’s ways are going to be inconvenient and counter-cultural in such a world.<br />
<br />
Caring for someone else, being generous, ‘wasting’ time going over the same “why?”, not having full control over life (you cannot even control bodily functions of your baby ok) - is how <b>God designed life so that he can delight us with His care, provision, wisdom and strength.</b><br />
<br />
Mothering and all forms of parenting is God’s marvelous design to build life into us as we follow our faith.<br />
<br />
When I decided to prioritise my family, I wasn’t able to foresee much of anything. But I knew enough to know that it’s an illusion anyway to think we can shape outcomes so easily. But the true north of this priority unfolded in marvelous ways.<br />
<br />
Today I continue in my pastoral calling (although it isn’t a very conventional ‘format’), I have embarked on a writing journey and authored six books. I have had to face up to my many skeletons and heal! Along the way, I have found so many wonderful women soul sisters. Now that my children are more grown, and I am warrior-like, I feel so excited about what faith will unleash next!<br />
<br />
This is the other way to live: go with the faith.<br />
<br />
What do you really believe in?<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-46398164738064857932019-05-09T14:04:00.000+08:002019-05-09T14:04:02.605+08:00How A Mother and Daughter-In-Law Can Teach us Hope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently I spoke about a mother and a daughter-in-law at a women's conference. More than six hundred women gathered to hear stories, and I was given the privilege to wrap up the conference.<br />
<br />
But for me, the conference did not wrap up. This pair of women lingered on in my consciousness. I have thought about the story of this mother and her daughter-in-law for years now...but they surprised me by granting me keener insights.<br />
<br />
<br />
The story of Naomi and Ruth is told in the Bible is four short chapters. It's not a pretty story when we take time to linger over what happened... .<br />
<br />
Naomi had left her ancestral home with her husband and two sons to a foreign land. This may not strike us as tough today due to our movements. Yet if we sit with it for a while, we all know that moving is tough. There is so much to adjust to. Modern city-to-city move may seem relatively bearbable since our cities have many similar features with global culture today, but the realities are lives are abjectly lonely in crowded, busy cities.<br />
<br />
Her sons mature and reach marriageable age, and they take on foreign wives. This is particularly significant for ancient Israeli culture as God had wanted them to keep their genealogy pure. But even today with cross-cultural marriages becoming more commonplace, it is easy to see the difficulties that attend it.<br />
<br />
The story is told from Naomi's perspective and these bare facts are laid out quickly, and then it quickly goes south!<br />
<br />
Naomi's husband and both sons die, too soon, leaving her a widow and childless, with two foreign daughters-in-law. Then famine hits.<br />
<br />
In a fix, Naomi decides that her best option is to return to her ancestral land and relatives. But her daughters-in-law could be a real liability. They will be a living testament to Naomi's earlier decision to leave and the tragic outcomes of that choice. So Naomi tries to persuade them to go home. It sounds sensible too, as the women were still young and could potentially remarry and secure a future.<br />
<br />
Then the story throws us a real spanner, for one of them, Ruth, not only refuses to leave, she makes this strange exclamation about her conviction that she actually shares Naomi's faith and sees herself as a part of the Jewish people:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> “Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!”</i> ~ <span style="font-size: x-small;">Ruth 1v16f</span></blockquote>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYIR6dmJPZsDZs8bv-VWWpe-bbShNmz-x6a7XQBVylMiU831oOKDq7TGLl_xSvrkl3hceSh6SrHyT6r6LVlBVhbVbB1xed4GVilppMhX6fbaxyHEMEdyZ4c0eHTwyTbJReRYrv7rmEp22/s1600/beringfamily.org+RUTH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYIR6dmJPZsDZs8bv-VWWpe-bbShNmz-x6a7XQBVylMiU831oOKDq7TGLl_xSvrkl3hceSh6SrHyT6r6LVlBVhbVbB1xed4GVilppMhX6fbaxyHEMEdyZ4c0eHTwyTbJReRYrv7rmEp22/s400/beringfamily.org+RUTH.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beringfamily.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Many have speculated as to how Ruth came to hold such a view. Some suggested that Naomi must have been a shining example of faith.<br />
<br />
But the story hints otherwise. The story records this heartbreaking revelation that many of us can identify with. Naomi laments over her life, where she tells those around her to call her 'bitter'. She saw the trajectory of her life as one that is afflicted and filled with misfortune. And don't we like her, sometimes run out of tears and find our lives in the valley too?<br />
<br />
The thing is, Naomi actually means 'pleasant'.<br />
<br />
This is a powerful literary cue for us.<br />
<br />
All of us long for a pleasant, trouble-free life.<br />
<br />
But Naomi's rather basic expectation from life was totally upended as her life basically fell apart.<br />
<br />
<br />
So if it wasn't Naomi's shining example, we are left with a mystery as to RUth's faith and loyalty. The only clue we have is found in her name: friend.<br />
<br />
Providentially, through this unsuited union, Naomi has been given a friend. And what do we most need in our darkest times? A reliable friend who would go the distance with us.<br />
<br />
There is a palpable sense of hope - at least Naomi is no completely alone and desolate, having to fend for herself. Two women traveling miles to get anywhere would still be a dangerous idea, but it's far superior to a lone, old woman!<br />
<br />
The two then reaches home safely and Ruth proceeds, with initiative to seek out a living for them by doing what she could: picking up grain that is being dropped during harvesting. From here on, the story unfolds with flow upon flow of Providence and Grace.<br />
<br />
Eventually, Ruth is married to a rich relative who treats her honourably and they have a son who would become the ancestor of Jesus Christ!<br />
<br />
<br />
1. <u>When God sends a lifeline, take it.</u><br />
We can say that Naomi is the Christian while Ruth appears not to be. Christians often feel the weight of being the ones to bless others. But there may be seasons when we are in dire need, and God will send us a lifeline that may seem unlikely. I hope we learn to reach for it.<br />
<br />
Is there some uplifting resource, encouragement or direction that God is sending you? He can use a bird on a branch, the sunset, a poster, an article, music, solitude, or a human (even a stranger).<br />
<br />
Never insist God serves you an answer the way you want it at the time you need it.<br />
<br />
Provision and Timing are God's sovereign domain, and it is what builds faith and develops our relationship of trust in God.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2. <u>What God has established, work within it.</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
In her desperation, Naomi could have begged, manipulated and stayed a victim. But as her circumstances clue her in to God's activity, she chose to trust afresh in God's order. One of which is that in ancient Israel, legal decisions are made by men. But she needed to communicate her need and sense if God has indeed opened a door. So she waited to sense what kind of man Boaz was, and then she tutored her DIL to seize the opportunity to convey the message of their need.<br />
<br />
In our individualistic and fast-paced culture, it is hard to wait and see how others may be involved in the larger tapestry of what God is seeking to do. Also, we are often too impatient to understand what is truly going on and rush into our own solutions. Our solutions are often quite limited in wisdom and scope. But God's perspective and help is vastly different.<br />
<br />
Are you under authority? Is there a channel for communication? Have you been given a word from Scripture (which God will not contradict!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
3. <u>Witness God move you from your ideals to His destiny</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
Naomi could never engineer becoming related to Jesus Christ! Her ideal was a life of safety and relative ease. But God's destiny for her was different. Yes, it needed her to go on a path filled with sorrow - and it is not that God sends those sorrows. Life will hand us sorrows. But God kindly provided Ruth to help her transition to a whole different future - which included what she longed for: safety and security!<br />
<br />
Naomi moved from pleasant, through the vale of bitterness and emerged hence:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The town women said to Naomi, “Blessed be God! He didn’t leave you without family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He’ll make you young again! He’ll take care of you in old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she’s worth more to you than seven sons!”</i> ~ <span style="font-size: x-small;">Ruth 4v13-15</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlPYoocTXujt7YIp6PAV2jlIfvKJlXRgLmwGaiSEDJ83nYvrUzM4RpJC681fbx-lgRM0mnxi81REE0OVvBb9ExLKe5QFoDx3J-67B_d3ByQhd3idwxBmpizAkcShahbg1_1e2jMfnEeI2/s1600/Pinterest+Ruth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="639" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlPYoocTXujt7YIp6PAV2jlIfvKJlXRgLmwGaiSEDJ83nYvrUzM4RpJC681fbx-lgRM0mnxi81REE0OVvBb9ExLKe5QFoDx3J-67B_d3ByQhd3idwxBmpizAkcShahbg1_1e2jMfnEeI2/s400/Pinterest+Ruth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These thoughts fuel me with an equanimity and confidence, and gives me Hope.<br />
<br />
I offer this Hope to you my friend.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-12668427344104882132019-04-29T14:16:00.001+08:002019-04-29T14:16:29.739+08:00A letter from God, first week after Easter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Why my child, do you live as if I did not understand your life?<br />
<br />
<br />
That you are scrambling, anxious, frantic, sleepless?<br />
<br />
<br />
Did the sun not rise this morning?<br />
<br />
And when you least expected it, a reprieve or a kindness came?<br />
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Or did you fail to notice how the birds sing on despite the heat and their infringements of their habitats?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPIMILhYlab3ZDVUtM_SCQ_XRzVHqwvaL6v1K5gAUK-i9Zy1j8duQkbNxKjbxrMOeo2lsNMToVvMhXOkEjAPmnnV0nJn4ea6PkcPWq7v7borNKaXBHblj_F6zZduc_m-r7_YGTlQLByRr/s1600/Early-Birds-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPIMILhYlab3ZDVUtM_SCQ_XRzVHqwvaL6v1K5gAUK-i9Zy1j8duQkbNxKjbxrMOeo2lsNMToVvMhXOkEjAPmnnV0nJn4ea6PkcPWq7v7borNKaXBHblj_F6zZduc_m-r7_YGTlQLByRr/s400/Early-Birds-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As the world careens towards its implosion, the prime of my creation will suffer the most, while the rest of creation will do the best they can - hunting, mating with flair and flourish, resting and repeating it all over.<br />
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Men and women will do far worse. Some of the specimen will no doubt plod on, even doing their utmost to avert catastrophe and inject goodness into the decay. But most will be out for themselves, heaping hurt and scars on souls and all forms of terrain, physical, psychosocial and eternal.<br />
<br />
My child, I am not at all blind to how the world is. My son, Jesus the Christ, came to live like one of you. He had a human body that was tired, hungry, stirred and tempted. He had the full range of emotions and he had plenty of expectations from all ranks and file. He lived a real life.<br />
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He also died a real death, and an excruciatingly painful one, the details of which I don’t want to repeat.<br />
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Why, is the real question.<br />
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<br />
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He lived a real life because life is holy, special and precious. Your life is.<br />
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You can see in his life, how it was easy for him to be someone else, to submit to the powerful systems of the day, to play along or to turn into a coward. Those are actual options, for him, as for you.<br />
<br />
Some of you feel you have no choice. No, you do. You always do.<br />
<br />
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You can see in his death - even in all the injustice – how you can die angry, reluctant, frightened, or at peace.<br />
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So <b>my son came to show you life, and how to live it.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>and he died so you can see how to die, in a world that may demand your life and cause your death.</b><br />
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He came to show you that Life is more than living, that even death cannot take Life away.<br />
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So I want you my child to wake up each day, and breathe large lungfuls of Life into your being.<br />
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Look at that never-ending do-list, the unresolved conflict, the eye bags and even the lightly lined purse - and say, even so, I shall LIVE.<br />
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Then you shall no longer just know that I number your hairs and supplies your needs. You shall experience it!<br />
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I have saints whose lives showcase Life -<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
their diets will appall many of you in the first world.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
their solitary lives will shock many of you in the connected world.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
their fruitfulness will overturn your ideas of productivity and fulfilment.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
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Yes, you are quick to protest that you are not one of these saints.<br />
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Well, I mean you to be.<br />
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Because <b>I am Life and that’s what I want for you.</b><br />
<br />
Most of you won’t need to leave where you live or stop what you do.<br />
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Some of you won’t require major changes to your lives.<br />
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But many of you must consider if you are truly, really, living - the Life - Jesus modeled, and died so you may have…. a life of freedom -<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
from lust and shame</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
from abusing others and being abused</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
from fear </blockquote>
<br />
In considering, you will come to see that your ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Parents may have to give up their careers to be home with the ripening lives entrusted to them.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Professionals may have to reconfigure their work vision to notice that in the end, their work is about life: staff meetings, colleagues, products, datelines… are about actual, real lives. You may have to change your agendas, tone your expectations, extend your timelines.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Pastors may have to learn to speak up for those whose lives and work conditions reduce their humanity.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
I know the future is so uncertain and feels bleak. But I am GOD and I hold the world in my hands. I especially hold my saints.<br />
<br />
Again, if you hang on to your life (small ‘l’), my Son told you that you would lose it.<br />
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So stop building the life (small ‘l’) you want.<br />
<br />
<b>Start praying for a desire for Life</b>, and if you have asked Jesus to be your Saviour and LORD, it is there already, like a seed ripening….<br />
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Protect and nourish that seed, and see Life springing up - in spite of the second law of thermodynamics and all of everything going downhill. It’s a paradox, a surprise and a mystery. Life.</div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-57972848241299671582019-04-22T10:59:00.000+08:002019-04-22T11:11:14.716+08:00You are the best parent(s) for your child(ren): #5 Legacy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Mastery.<br />
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<br />
Without mastery, we are a short step away from madness.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Exaggerated<br />
Excessive<br />
Impulsive<br />
Divisive<br />
Extreme</blockquote>
<br />
We turn any way today and we find these are true. From Instagram to news, from the private to the public sphere. Within borders and beyond.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Debt (from weddings to lifestyle)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Family breakage (from our way to my way)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Brexit (complicated, but the unmeasured words are a huge contributing factor)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bombings (Sri Lanka, New Zealand…)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Assault (bloody chop-up at hawker centre)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Violation (voyeuristic videoing at a tertiary institution)</blockquote>
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<br />
We love being masters. We long to be. Masters of wealth, the dream relationship, vacation…of the universe (albeit of the screen variety). But we are not meant to be masters. Masters own their success too keenly and often break apart when that goes away... Although we got the idea when we crown those at the pinnacle of their game, masters. But let that teach us it is all about mastery, a posture and a commitment, not a position.<br />
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We are meant to develop mastery.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>“Let us make man in our image….and let them rule…”</i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ~ Genesis 1v26</span></div>
<br />
To rule, we have to know the rules.<br />
<br />
So God gave us minds to inquire, observe, study, make connections.<br />
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<br />
To rule, we have to reign.<br />
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So God gave us abilities, gifts, opportunities to grow in knowledge, discipline, strength, resolve and resilience.<br />
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<br />
To rule, we have to relate.<br />
<br />
So God situated us in an interdependent ecosystem.<br />
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<br />
This calls for us to develop mastery -<br />
<br />
<b>where we own our agency and submit that to a higher vision of a flourishing world.</b><br />
<br />
We need to master our weaknesses -<br />
so that they we don’t give in to sloth, compromise, convenience (plastic is a case in point), blaming.<br />
<br />
We need to master our strengths -<br />
so that we don’t detach from others and the larger vision of life, and start using people and commodifying everything.<br />
<br />
We need to master our emotions, thoughts, impulses and choices -<br />
by submitting them to a higher Authority so that they are revealed for what they are, and in trading in truth, we walk free.<br />
<br />
And what better to illustrate than this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ" target="_blank">entertaining and o-so-true experiment with marshmallows!</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free”</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Psalm 119v32</span></div>
<br />
This verse has a dialectic to it - where one leads and reinforces the other. Both are bound together: obedience and freedom.<br />
<br />
Freedom is not being a master - getting your way. Today, that’s the message sold to us.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Self-care!<br />
Express yourself<br />
Change the laws that limit you<br />
Change anything about yourself</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
There is no <b>respect </b>for the ecosystem. People can hurt, forests can burn, oceans can be poisoned.<br />
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There is no<b> rest </b>as we cast off our boundaries and limits, constantly coveting what others have.<br />
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There is no clear<b> result</b> of what we are pursuing as we break the rules and head towards anarchy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>It’s important we return to the mandate given to us in creation, which requires us to develop mastery.</b><br />
<br />
Tragically,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There are grown married men who remain selfish and neglectful of those he’s meant to take care of.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There are mothers who abandon their children for ‘love’ and ‘a better life’. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There are leaders aplenty who line their pockets and are blind to the suffering of the people who elected them.</blockquote>
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<br />
And mind you, <b>mastery doesn’t come with big strokes of genius. It is developed through the small stuff.</b><br />
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And here’s where Parenting comes in, and our worst fears too.<br />
<br />
Where are the parents who are willing to develop and model and teach mastery because they can<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
budget, simplify and live by their values - which if you chose to be a parent - means you value life itself (not it’s accessories such as grades, fancy food and costly vacations)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
do the hard thing of losing sleep, endless rounds of diaper changing, answering the hundredth “why”, sound like a broken record with “you cannot have that now…”</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
slow down to help the child grow his bodily, emotional and mental muscles when you know a mess is waiting, a meltdown is coming, a demand and a pout are moments away, all of which we would rather not deal with (have the maid feed and clean, give in, shut them down with your anger).</blockquote>
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Heck, I would love to see parents stop using their phones when they are with their little ones! That would be mastery!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJV270X6kWyM5A-4PLwAft0gVHHzvUOqeJ5ed1UR6ktGy4IqUYaB1Y4BFF2DT7uE555ziVknj8L_DP7SmUqvUXwXFT6x1hqyUGJmWOcr88Xvu6AiHPqkgV-zHvWZO8L0Lw_ZIuA2JSrCc/s1600/mobile+dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJV270X6kWyM5A-4PLwAft0gVHHzvUOqeJ5ed1UR6ktGy4IqUYaB1Y4BFF2DT7uE555ziVknj8L_DP7SmUqvUXwXFT6x1hqyUGJmWOcr88Xvu6AiHPqkgV-zHvWZO8L0Lw_ZIuA2JSrCc/s400/mobile+dad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Parents, we need to <b>stop worrying about the kids making it the future. They are designed to make it - if they have seen you model mastery and find they can too.</b><br />
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I have a plan (vague I admit) for every stage of my child’s growth. It starts with:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
What is a reasonable thing that my child should be able to do at this time?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I believe the first thing was pausing to give thanks before drinking (after the bfeeding routine settled). Then came holding his bottle. Then came listening to instructions, and obeying them promptly (this is still ongoing ya).<br />
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Not so much to score your kid, but I found it fascinating as it helps me take note of his growth, give thanks for it and envision what is coming and work with it.<br />
<br />
<b>What is more life-giving than to witness growth?</b><br />
<br />
The paradox is parenting is the most tiresome and yet most rewarding thing there is.<br />
<br />
The boss may toss your proposal into the bin. Your best output may never be measured or commended even. But children - it’s pretty instant feedback! You get short shifts to stay on your toes, dig into your creative reserves, and draw on every ounce of energy, motivation, prayer and help there is.<br />
<br />
Children plug us back in the truths:<br />
<br />
Ecosystem<br />
<br />
Growth through discipline<br />
<br />
Rules exist<br />
<br />
--- which lead us down strange paths of freedom.<br />
<br />
And remind us that there is a vision called Life, which is Legacy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Countdown to the 5 things a parent MUST do:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/2019/04/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html" target="_blank">#4 Let Them Grow You</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/2019/03/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html" target="_blank">#3 Build Competence</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/2019/02/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html" target="_blank">#2 Give Them Safety and Security</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/2019/01/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children_23.html" target="_blank">#1 Build Emotional Bonds</a><br />
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<br />
If you have time, save this link where other aspects of <a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/search?q=mastery" target="_blank">Mastery</a> are talked about: from faith-life to sex.<br />
If your emotions need a bit of help, then save this link: <a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/search?q=emotions" target="_blank">Mastering Emotions ++</a><br />
<br /></div>
jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-86734248124008124102019-04-11T17:09:00.000+08:002019-04-11T17:09:50.386+08:00You Are the Best Parent(s) for your child(ren): #4 Let them grow you<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently I came across an article about Toxic Parenting.<br />
<br />
'Toxic' seems to be the word of choice these days: toxic BGR, toxic workplace etc.... It's a harsh word, and I want to avoid it -<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"containing or being poisonous... capable of causing death or serious debilitation"<br /> "extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful"</blockquote>
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But alas, I have seen that humans are capable of being toxic. We may not murder a child but we can certainly kill their aspirations. We may not set out to be malicious, but being careless with our words and often too tired to really listen, we can do serious hurt to their souls. We may even set up life to veer them towards success or protect them from heartache only to find that we have hurt rather than helped them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The human soul is fragile, vulnerable and invincible all at once.</b><br />
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We just need to know when it is which - and respond appropriately.<br />
<br />
Much has been said about allowing them to develop according to their pace, and meting out expectations and consequences that fit their age and behaviour. But there is a piece that is often overlooked.<br />
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<b>In order to grow under our shade, we need to be a growing tree ourselves.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitOllP7B5HyiWTd2kT4NYet2MTrqL8kmD3Tt-CUQ1KLkqk4_QTYZXWhMUtIol8cSqxU9mztLV5tJrv_7LU0KAQxTem04fCOph2pPcd-Nw4Ri8kDIhLtnDiOm3vfztWgD2podW-4G1olDx/s1600/oak+tree2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitOllP7B5HyiWTd2kT4NYet2MTrqL8kmD3Tt-CUQ1KLkqk4_QTYZXWhMUtIol8cSqxU9mztLV5tJrv_7LU0KAQxTem04fCOph2pPcd-Nw4Ri8kDIhLtnDiOm3vfztWgD2podW-4G1olDx/s400/oak+tree2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3-fTMk8N8HK9e0g3rrLTSvjxW5uaRFR4ZsS9FiABMEOFd2GH0NoAzHcrt3kgTTle8HFWwxVIo6v82EH5u4ghyX2GRw9xh3ZbtxV_oHnGSV8ZmAymzelI-5-8EJiShFa1rOzCeka-voMy/s1600/oak-trees-1523368954-4192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="800" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3-fTMk8N8HK9e0g3rrLTSvjxW5uaRFR4ZsS9FiABMEOFd2GH0NoAzHcrt3kgTTle8HFWwxVIo6v82EH5u4ghyX2GRw9xh3ZbtxV_oHnGSV8ZmAymzelI-5-8EJiShFa1rOzCeka-voMy/s400/oak-trees-1523368954-4192.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pics from TreeNation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
One form of toxicity in parenting that happens commonly, especially in Asian families is the 'father knows best', 'mother has it all under control' mantra. This form of parenting can occur quite subconsciously in a few ways:<br />
<br />
- we are too busy to really listen and discuss things over with our children<br />
- we are too impatient with the issues which feel unimportant to us, so we brush them off<br />
- we are nervous that we don't have an answer, so we offer one too soon<br />
<br />
A vivid way to see this happening is what I call the distraction tactic that so many use. When a young child fusses, we turn to a distraction - offer them a toy, point to an invisible airplane, promise them some goody later...There is a place for this with a young toddler who may not be able to manage their impulses. But some parents continue to use this even as the child grows! We change the subject, take them shopping, plan a vacation.... all the while, the pain point is not addressed.<br />
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<b>Adults always think we are rather done with growing up, and fixate on not growing old. </b><br />
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In truth, each of us is such a complex being that there are always areas and facets of us that need to mature. We may hold a post-graduate degree but be pretty infantile about some matters. We may run a successful business but struggle with anger outbursts. We may even be a religious leader but go weak in the knees when we have to manage a conflict.<br />
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This is where the children come in so wonderfully.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
They grow us in generosity when we save the best piece of chicken for them.<br />They grow us in simplicity as we embrace the humdrum of simple days in their earliest years.<br />They grow us in patience when we have to repeat the same instruction which seems to slide off their teen teflon brains<br />They grow us in character when we have to help them navigate choices that are right for them.<br />They grow us in clarity when we watch as our cherished dreams come crashing as their unique personalities blossom.<br />They grow us in grit when we have to be the adult and model the behaviour we want to see in them.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
They also grow us in courage when we may have to stand up for them and with them.<br />They also grow us in faith when we recognise that our parenting season has a limit, and we have to wait to see the full flower in years to come.<br />The list goes on...</blockquote>
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<b>How has your child(ren) grown you?</b><br />
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One thing I like to do on their birthdays is to thank them for how they are helping me to grow. The very first time I did it, their eyes were like saucers, surprised as they were that they have agency and can impact another life!<br />
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There is in fact a perfect listing of life virtues, traits of Christ that goes like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBfF58o6PwF3CLzyyXr9Lql4joCZ51iW9FhPMxL_A8j-wTepxu36qNmbWP4VhDqpz8tzTm5IeY_xmgDBd4NUqdasenS5Dtl3mYAdDxmuEuYKChA6BxTuVhZbMPU2KV9PVNiOpVAR3DVEN/s1600/FOS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="800" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBfF58o6PwF3CLzyyXr9Lql4joCZ51iW9FhPMxL_A8j-wTepxu36qNmbWP4VhDqpz8tzTm5IeY_xmgDBd4NUqdasenS5Dtl3mYAdDxmuEuYKChA6BxTuVhZbMPU2KV9PVNiOpVAR3DVEN/s400/FOS.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BibleStudyTools</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
- and you tell me that your children don't present you the opportunity to grow in these!<br />
<br />
<b>In fact, which one of these is wanting to develop in you right now?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
In order to let your child(ren) grow you, 2 things are needed:<br />
<br />
1. accept your child<br />
<br />
Not a single one of us is totally satisfied with our child(ren). I regret to inform you that this is a no-return policy! We love to play games guessing who was responsible for what gene component, which seems somewhat harmless when they are two and we want to know where the curly hair came from. But soon enough, we are talking about personality traits, habits and even automatic responses that trouble and upset us.<br />
<br />
To just get a glimpse of my journey with these surprises, you can check these out:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2017/09/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html" target="_blank">When You Don't Feel Very Confident</a><br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2018/08/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html" target="_blank">When Your Kid Marches To A Different Drum And You Feel Beat</a><br />
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Thankfully, we are more than a bundle of nerves predetermined by our genes. There is the power of prayer and nurture to both call forth and even reverse genetic predispositions! In this, our children present us ongoing opportunities to grow as we search our hearts for what to pray and how to nurture.<br />
<br />
The God of the generations marvelously sets us up to grow into and with each other. I winced when I see parents wishing their kids were different and inadvertently convey that!<br />
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If you find your child difficult, it means you expect something easier. Question that expectation. Then dig into your soul and pray for your heart to shift. The tussle must give way to a dance, for dancing is what brings momentum, joy and movement.<br />
<br />
<br />
2. acknowledge your fears<br />
<br />
FOMO much? Yes! I am afraid we live in an age of anxiety now. If you use distraction (shopping, socialising, travel) to avoid confronting your own fears, you really won't have much to cushion or process the fears of your children. I regret to inform you this factoid: coitus means you are an adult. Our world has made pleasure such an idol and narrowed its vision to a self-seeking version, that all forms of responsibility seem devoid of pleasure, which is a lie.<br />
<br />
There is a satisfaction and quiet joy that comes from doing what is right, staying the course, being the adult.<br />
<br />
But those fears, they will sneak up on you. Like the good adult you are, turn and say, "I call your bluff".<br />
<br />
To be fair, we can have rational, legitimate fears, like Math (haha)! These too we must face and deal with. I am never going to be a Math whiz, but my children have certainly seen me nearly die trying!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0xUlXv8nQxXMFlsQjCf5Auq5MVsA1uloH5TzAnotf2T_CdG6gvC2HyLq6SdjsVvCPzB4dB0AxN5QOT_RGfU5N-2FYjC7x8cNIH0GqCeKZZRcjnbXFTpPxkDBLKgC7obIocK4kn7KyEJI/s1600/freepik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="338" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0xUlXv8nQxXMFlsQjCf5Auq5MVsA1uloH5TzAnotf2T_CdG6gvC2HyLq6SdjsVvCPzB4dB0AxN5QOT_RGfU5N-2FYjC7x8cNIH0GqCeKZZRcjnbXFTpPxkDBLKgC7obIocK4kn7KyEJI/s400/freepik.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What Kind of Tree Are You? ~FreePik</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
I grew up in an era when we thought that the best thing we could do for our parents was study hard and get a great job. When I sensed God call me to become a pastor (what my mom considered a poor church mouse), her heart was quite broken, as was mine. The future of security and financial enjoyment I felt was the repayment for her sacrifice and love for me vanished.<br />
<br />
But God shifted both our hearts in this matter.<br />
<br />
Her mother love overcame her disappointment. My filial love made me determined to set up a savings account for her. In a sovereign tick-tock moment, my mother openly and cheerily said she was ready to go to church and was baptised within a few months. Our bond of human blood was thickened and strengthened by the Saviour's. We were now able to talk about many more matters, and pray together. We were looking in the same direction towards our eternal hope.<br />
<br />
My mother did not have a chance to go to school. She grew up with great deprivation, even toxicity by our standards. But in the amazing Providence of God, she had a quality that shone: she allowed us to grow her. Instead of diminishing her authority or influence, we knew she stood her ground where certain values were concerned (I had cane marks to prove it), while at the same time, being willing to interact with our crazy growth journeys by accommodating and adjusting her schedule, priorities and resources around us. She was reliable but not rigid. She was committed but not controlling. She was encouraging but not enmeshed.<br />
<br />
She was our oak of righteousness, and we had such a sense of safety and contentment under her large shade.<br />
<br />
She showed us that life comes with hard things and we are not to run.<br />
She showed us that a growth mindset primes us to overcome and succeed.<br />
She showed us that one can always keep growing up, even as one grows older.<br />
<br />
<br />
So yes, 5 things you must do as a parent. It's not the best childcare centre, not the cord blood, not the vacation...it is:<br />
<br />
#1 build emotional bonds<br />
#2 provide safety and security<br />
#3 build competence<br />
#4 let them grow you<br />
<br />
and watch for the last one: I won't reveal what it is yet...<br />
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jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-25655165462138828642019-03-28T09:24:00.000+08:002019-04-10T12:10:49.128+08:00Celebrating Hope Together (and a podcast!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Perhaps you share some of my initial reactions to the idea of a rally where Christians gather in the nation's only and massive stadium...for evangelism.<br />
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“Can we, really fill the stadium...with friends?”<br />
“Mass things are so passe though”<br />
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These thoughts lasted a few minutes. A huge reason is because the person speaking to the few hundred of us pastors gathered for our annual prayer Summit was the Bishop of the Anglican church, a man I have huge regard for. He is known for his shining pastoral heart and prayerfulness. So I know this has nothing to do with grandeur.<br />
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Then I honestly struggled with the state of churches and Christianity in Singapore. We are far from a celebratory hope-filled people. I remember how as a young pastor I had to admonish my congregation about our obvious lack of joy, the way we come to church and leave as if by rote with low engagement and impact.<br />
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Not being a local church pastor who can rally the people, I also felt hamstrung about how to participate in this (leaders tend to think mobilisation, we can't help it).<br />
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My next huge concern was how the next generation, many of whom are now schooled in a postmodern milieu would take to this. They prefer more intimate settings which feel more authentic to them.<br />
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This in turn led to the issue of my age. For a few years now I have wondered about my role as an inter-gen person. In my fifties, and not being a senior pastor, I don’t belong to the older ranks of leaders. But I am certainly not a ‘young adult’ any more, no matter how much I feel like being a millennial trapped in a time warp, captured in this post: <a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2015/09/searching-for-my-peers-observations-of.html" target="_blank">searching for my generation</a>, in which I share about how the word ‘bridge’ came to mind. Clearly, I can be a bridge between the generations. I have grown up with the days of one guitar and praise songbooks, the overhead projector and cyclostyling stencil machines (you may need to google this), to donning a pager as a pastor (which my kids merrily drowned when they threw me in the pool once), and am now on social media et al.<br />
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My concerns began to be addressed!<br />
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First, there was an inter-gen session where we listened to four older brothers talk about their experience of the Billy Graham Crusade back in 1978 (I was twelve then!). All of us present witnessed the warmth between the men, two of them biological brothers… how the memories of those heady days of faith and sheer gargantuan hardwork to get a national level rally going in a mere eleven months, shone as they spoke. Most of all, all four of them still blazed with a fiery zeal for the Gospel. To say we were educated, humbled and inspired is an understatement.<br />
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(You can read about this gathering here: <a href="https://saltandlight.sg/faith/40-years-after-the-billy-graham-crusade-two-generations-ask-whats-next/" target="_blank">two generations talk about the BG crusade</a>)<br />
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As I prayed and met with more people, I felt a genuine sense of conviciton and excitement growing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XlG0xjWBO3NIF2nKaP0Y2qYRlNKZJhXpd6tamGTbFl-CNHo5Xm2raJoxnWdSoQ-g5vjZPyv5iNLWmB69kTXVK60b0kONzlxHqROw0K9bxwFFtbMKgacZz9Yr6XsZiG1Mc0BDFFezKS4B/s1600/COH.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1080" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XlG0xjWBO3NIF2nKaP0Y2qYRlNKZJhXpd6tamGTbFl-CNHo5Xm2raJoxnWdSoQ-g5vjZPyv5iNLWmB69kTXVK60b0kONzlxHqROw0K9bxwFFtbMKgacZz9Yr6XsZiG1Mc0BDFFezKS4B/s400/COH.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We are not working towards an event. We are letting this vision of a people gathered in celebration catalyse us to ask hard questions, such as what is Hope to you?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJZBLuWuVyuKXk1MBPbQzGvk2ysWDcLYgXgx6A5_SgOGJuWkW8E53ZrpbMhPvBbGnTdNZFaiAElDJrhFBdvxEA7LGbm9KXDb5eoVk5jOeTTtOgPLgaeafxWAgDQ74BnBqLBhDaFkseP-O/s1600/COH+Q.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="88" data-original-width="572" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJZBLuWuVyuKXk1MBPbQzGvk2ysWDcLYgXgx6A5_SgOGJuWkW8E53ZrpbMhPvBbGnTdNZFaiAElDJrhFBdvxEA7LGbm9KXDb5eoVk5jOeTTtOgPLgaeafxWAgDQ74BnBqLBhDaFkseP-O/s400/COH+Q.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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As the gravity of our holy calling to seek and to love, to pray and to care dawns, may our spiritual poverty lead us to seek training, to pray, to believe afresh, and o unite deeper.<br />
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It is a beautiful journey that is propelling us towards our destiny, if we would see with eyes of humble faith.<br />
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A huge piece was this <a href="https://cathedral.org.sg/podcast/celebrating-hope" target="_blank">podcast conversation</a> <b> with Bishop Rennis and Rev Tony Yeo</b>. Their affable and genuine answers help capture a sense of all that God has in store for us through this! Be sure to listen.<br />
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Really, what is Hope to you?<br />
Who around you needs Hope, and how can this Celebration be a part of sharing Hope with them?<br />
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jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-54129409144348666982019-03-14T17:53:00.000+08:002019-03-14T17:53:11.853+08:00You are the best parent(s) for your child(ren): #3. Build Competence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">S</span>top and think about the things you are able to do.<br />
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<i>Clean up after yourself</i><br />
<i>Make your way around</i><br />
<i>Find/make/cook/serve meals</i><br />
<i>Maintain hygiene</i><br />
<i>Laundry</i><br />
<i>Converse with others, even strangers</i><br />
<i>Find information</i><br />
<i>Resolve conflicts</i><br />
<i>Make plans and set goals</i><br />
<i>Self-reflect</i><br />
<i>Pray</i><br />
<i>Write</i><br />
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and on and on... Life requires us to have a wide range of competencies! We cannot always be there for our children, and so they must develop and master these competencies.<br />
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It's true that when they are older (assuming the Net remains relatively safe), they can learn most things from Youtube. But, they must find the impetus to learn, and there are only two ways: you desire to learn, or you get desperate. One will probably lack joy and lustre.<br />
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When it comes to helping our children to learn and master skills,<b> there is this fine middle - it has to be a little hard or nothing new is accomplished, but it has to be do-able.</b><br />
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I went by the rule when the kids were little, that 'as soon as they can todd, they can tidy". Going further back, as soon as they discover their hands, they can jolly well hold their bottles, lift the spoon to their mouths and even do simple wiping.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25uqTbA5bjKRFdrDn__DpVpgKkLTkjUQP4N9ZKzwf2Uip4ysaIza3wE-m8fARG6Xm8TEkUZ0mNg5U0Ewy8t1Tm0iTgvdV1ODCsX0j7pVOwV0v4zlR3c463WNo044IePnBMllieSxwYNYR/s1600/chores1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="867" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25uqTbA5bjKRFdrDn__DpVpgKkLTkjUQP4N9ZKzwf2Uip4ysaIza3wE-m8fARG6Xm8TEkUZ0mNg5U0Ewy8t1Tm0iTgvdV1ODCsX0j7pVOwV0v4zlR3c463WNo044IePnBMllieSxwYNYR/s400/chores1.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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Young children find all of this fascinating and fun, mostly. Of course, they can also get tired and frustrated if they aren't the most co-ordinated (and will most certainly give up if they are criticised!)<br />
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<b>This is where your power as a parent comes in: you offer them the meaning by the story that you spin.</b><br />
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<b>Your story will either enable them or disable them.</b><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>So clumsy</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I don't have time for this mess</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>How old already...</i></blockquote>
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are possible storylines, as are these:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This is hard for you, but we can try it again</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>You will get better</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Your muscles will grow and you will be stronger to do this</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It's alright, I can just clean this up</i></blockquote>
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<b>A sense that I am able to learn, grow, and develop competencies must undergird life, or we become inflexible, frightened and mediocre.</b><br />
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Even as adults, we need others to believe in us and cheer us on. We need a mentor, a good book, a promise from Scripture or a good friend to tell us we are on the right track and that we can trek through a new terrain. We need emotional boost and a sense of safety that even in failure, we won't completely crumble. (see earlier posts on #1 Emotional Bonds #2 Safety and Security).<br />
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<b>We can think our private thoughts of panic, but as parents, we need to have enough self-control to speak upbuilding and empowering words. We won't do it perfectly, but we can do it adequately that it becomes the dominant message. After all, when they start going to school (part of a society that will measure and often give them feedback without the emotional ballast) the prevailing message will become internalized if they do not have a stronger, more embedded belief that they are able.</b><br />
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I wonder if this may be the reason that kids who do well at school tests and so forth, sometimes crumble when they face the occasional failure.<br />
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<b>This leads me to another set of competencies we need to intentionally teach: the ability to be self-aware, to reflect, to choose the stories we tell ourselves, and to embed our lives onto something larger, grander and stronger.</b><br />
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Being self-aware requires us to let kids have space to share their thoughts and feelings with us.<br />
Being reflective means we have to let them meander for a bit and guide them towards helpful conclusions.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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When my son was bullied at school, I was naturally very upset and it was easy to stick to a story of victimhood where I basically tell him to be wary, to avoid and to report. Those bits are wise, but they are incomplete. I needed to first hear how he is processing it. This helps him to know himself, the running commentary in self-awareness. I let him share how he feels threatened, unsure, and at the same time hopping mad and wanting to get back (if he was bigger). </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Next I pull back back from his version of the story to consider other points of view: what the other student may be feeling and thinking. How teachers tend to perceive and respond to such incidences. We talked too about how God has called us to be forgiving and loving.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Finally, we talk about options and which he felt he was able to do. Then I told him what I would do for him. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I wish I could say it did not happen again, but it did. Each time, the experience though broadly similar had unique elements. He had to learn where he was being vulnerable, how he may be attracting unwanted attention, and how to deflect them.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A few months later, at a bedtime conversation, he told me he had a plan! In his words, "I must have a group". I heard it as 'gang' (my Hokkien, poor-town background kicking in) and gasped a bit, but listened on. He realised that being isolated rendered him susceptible, and that the answer was to be proactive about making friends. It is much harder to bully someone who is moving merrily in a group! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We thanked God for our brains and prayed for the strategy to bear fruit. </blockquote>
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This ability to reflect, think from various angles and come up with solutions is a critical life competency. It's good not to feel nervous about your kids when they are in new situations because you know that they can bear with stuff or make sense of it then or later.<br />
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The conversation I had which included the moral dimension was central to this.<b> We live in a moral universe and competencies without a moral compass will not be adequate. In fact, having a sense of what is right and wrong, what is expedient and what is loving, provides the scaffold for sorting through the options. </b><br />
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Payback is a human instinct. But as the old saying goes, "an eye for an eye, and the world goes blind", we cannot afford to give in to this instinct. The only way is to tutor and tame it with a moral value, a greater truth we believe in.<br />
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I want my kids to be able to navigate the world, their world.<br />
I want them to be positive, contributing members of humanity.<br />
I want them to love themselves and appreciate others.<br />
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They need life competencies, and it is up to me, the parent, to <b><i>enable</i></b> them.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Q: </span>What competencies do you want your children to have? What is your plan to enable them?<br />
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More <span style="font-size: x-small;">{click on the link to read related posts} ~</span><br />
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At times, we will bump up against the monster called <a href="https://jennihh.blogspot.com/search/label/anger" target="_blank">Parental Anger</a>, where we are hopping mad at our kids, but the anger can fizzle out and become the energy to do better.<br />
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Or perhaps we are anxious about having our kids ready for a future we cannot envision! Are our kids <a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2016/02/future-ready.html" target="_blank">Future-ready?</a> They can be, if you have these <a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2015/11/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html" target="_blank">3 Anchors for their bright future!</a><br />
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jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-11850573382158011512019-02-25T21:23:00.000+08:002019-02-25T21:23:32.683+08:00The First Christian Podcast in Singapore, possibly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Let me guess. You have experienced this:<br />
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You pause and you wonder ... why?<br />
You face a new challenge and you ask... is this really the way?<br />
You are dog-tired and your heart whispers.. what options are there?<br />
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<b>Questions. We all have them. As rational beings, we want answers.</b> This is why there will be no end to "the making of books" as the sage reminds us.<br />
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There are questions when left un answered, probably won't impact or define our lives significantly:<br />
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why did the chicken cross the road<br />
what's the next big ice-cream flavour<br />
who is cranking up the new fried chicken wave<br />
when is the next blockbuster and what will it be about<br />
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But there are questions that can suck the life out of us if we don't grapple with them, even if we may not arrive at a completely knowable answer, such as<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?<br />
Does God actually have anything to say about work and how I manage my finances?<br />
What do I do with my motley and at times morose emotions?<br />
Is faith and science in conflict?<br />
What is church, really?</blockquote>
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Come March, join me in a fortnightly <b>Podcast </b>where I will talk with different individuals, share stories, discern trends, explore Scriptural notions and more.<br />
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Why am I doing this?<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. God made me a talker and thinker</b><br />
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This podcast comes at a time when God has called me, now that my children are more grown, to pastor the city with my gifts. I have noticed that when God calls me, it often comes with a backstory that makes me chuckle at how he has prepared me. Here's the story.<br />
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When I was in Primary 1 ( yes 1!), my form teacher told me at the end of the school year that she hoped I would not be in her class the following year. I wasn't traumatised, just bewildered. I skipped off...and two months later, skipped right into her class! She put up with me for another year and triumphantly sealed my fate with these remarks in my report book: ... 'is talkative and busybody'.<br />
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As far as I can remember, I was always asking questions. I wondered about the aunties in the neighbourhood, the injections I witnessed my Indian neighbour gave herself, the rows upon rows of books in the library, and twice I was so lost in my thoughts I was hit by the swing! Two gashes to remind me not to stop in the middle of potentially dangerous movement while I got lost in my thoughts.<br />
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As a pastor, I was even labeled a firebrand for asking questions at a denominational AGM.<br />
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So I guess I am meant to do this.<br />
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<b>2. God made us all to think</b><br />
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We all think, and there's plenty of fodder to fill our heads each day and there's a desperate need for correctives. There is so much politicised spiel, profit-driven messaging, destructive input...that we need to hear some good, provocative stuff to get our brains hitched to a more productive gear.<br />
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And our thoughts are really the gateway to our lives. We act because we think. We continue to act the same way because we believe (rightly or wrongly). And our thoughts can become trails, and patterns in our heads and our hearts.<br />
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So it is critical to look at our thoughts and to have fresh ones.<br />
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In one of my first sermons, about the Holy Communion, I adjured the small family congregation at All Saints that the 'unreflected life is not worth living' (that got us off to a great start as a church).<br />
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Thinking is part of our design and destiny as imago Dei. We have to think our way through to responsible stewardship of the earth, a productive life, a deepening communion with God.<br />
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This we have to do, each of us. My mother who never had any formal education, showed me that being reflective, honest and value-driven, really has little to do with any certification.<br />
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<b>3. The nation/church maturing needs to think</b><br />
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We are at a powerful juncture nationally. We need to think about what kind of society we want. We need to think about how our attitudes, commitments and participation is helping or hurting the society we want.<br />
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It is a tremendous time for us as we are storyboarding for the coming generations. There have been many voices calling for us to be more thoughtful, gentle, resilient, united...<br />
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Equally the church needs to think. We need to decouple from being so dependent on answers (especially from the West) as we grapple with a social changes. We need to figure how intergenerational partnerships. We need to be ready to re-examine and dismantle certain things that just won't' work any longer.<br />
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At the same time, some persistent questions which we did not answer too well in the past (like, 'aiya, just believe, ask so much for what' or, 'see what Deuteronomy 29 says') require stronger answers today.<br />
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<b>The Cathedral Podcast </b>became a reality after Vicar Terry Wong from the Cathedral spoke to me about it in 2018. Over our meetings, another story returned to my memory. Many of you know that I go to the Cathedral grounds once a month to facilitate personal solitude. I prayed several times for this historic church to impact our city and beyond. Now it seems God is asking me to participate in the answer. So I said, 'yes'.<br />
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Join me in the Podcasts and write me with your questions! Let's think it through together - to a more vibrant, earnest and winsome faith!<br />
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<a href="https://cathedral.org.sg/" target="_blank">The Cathedral website</a><br />
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jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167833486405877264.post-17596785453679592592019-02-13T11:11:00.000+08:002019-02-14T09:42:13.175+08:00You are the best parent(s) for your child(ren): Give them a sense of safety and security<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Safety and Security?<br />
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This is Singapore! Yes, it is, and we are very grateful for the amazing degree of safety we experience here. Our children can walk to the store, take public transportation, use the school bus, visit the toilets -- once they are able, without a lurking fear of imminent danger to their lives and safety.<br />
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But there is more to safety and security.<br />
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Maslow's hierarchy places it as the very first item we need to live. Of course he was thinking of actual straw-wood-brick homes and most of us would not be struggling with this.<br />
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But there is more to safety and security.<br />
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To help us understand this need, that we all have through life, consider the following questions through the seasons:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Will I have friends?<br />
Can I do this?<br />
What grade will I get?<br />
How do I know if I have done my best?<br />
Does my colleague dislike me?<br />
When will my boss appreciate my work?</blockquote>
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These are real questions and concerns we have, and yet, most of us do not know who to share these concerns with or get help for them.<br />
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I imagine then that if we stretch this same concerns back to the earliest days of life, even a baby may experience such existential angst, just that all it can do is cry or fuss or fail to settle or become very clingy (wait, I know many adults who still do these!).<br />
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What can we do?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">enter life, but are they ready? (Erin@Pinterest)</td></tr>
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The phrase 'strawberry generation' was coined to refer to the kids who grew up in the 80s, but the term has stuck. Why do we have a strawberries growing in our yard? They bruise easily -- because underlying this sensitivity is a fear, an insecurity, a lack of safety. It's easy to be mad at them because they grew up in a time when we were prosperous. It feels like they turned soft and are entitled (we still say that now of the millenials). But perhaps as we consider the tips below, we will see how we indeed can raise such a generation when we are not careful.<br />
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<b>For infants - </b><br />
have a stable routine, have a safe, clean, peaceful home environment where her needs are attended to as soon as possible. You cannot spoil an infant. Shuttling an infant between homes, keeping them up and tiring them out is a bad idea unless you enjoy a cranky child.<br />
Infants come with genetic dispositions and some are more sensorial, sensitive and easily startled even. A good clue to this is to look at yourself and some close relatives. There is no point in complaining, just embrace that you chose to pass some genes down!<br />
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The good news is a secure child, with strong bonds (see previous post) becomes more teachable and resilient which makes growth and change more welcome. Thanks to neuroplasticity and the power of prayer, genetic dispositions are only half the story.<br />
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<b>For children - </b><br />
stay within the safe zone for what fills their young minds and hearts. This means take your fights outside the home (yes, nearly impossible, but worth the attempt. Have date nights to keep track of your souls). This means be proactive about reading and watching good material with them.<br />
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A foundational quest of all children is to know if the world is safe, and if there are adults who will be there for them. Be with them and teach them how to navigate life in real-time. I am sorry that unlike work, children cannot process things with you at the end of the day. They just cannot live by an agenda like that. They have to learn what think, have words for their feelings, understand that they can overcome their own natural compulsions (to snatch that toy). Just saying "no", "it's wrong", or worse, labeling them "why you so selfish" is not helping them feel safe enough to grow.<br />
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Another area is to discipline your conversation. If you go complaining about everyone, bad-mouthing every authority, dissing others, or discussing apocalyptic news where your own fears are leaking, the child will find the world a scary place and will be inhibited from exploring its treasures. Young children can handle some of the stuff in the world and if they are at school, they will get to hear of it. But I can still remember how once when we were talking about ISIS, that my son grew suddenly very quiet. Unlike my daughter who is more logical, he is a creative and tends to be very graphical. I realised I needed to consider what purpose lay behind the discussion of world news and beware if they were ready to handle it.<br />
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Never give a child a smartphone with internet access. Install parental controls. You see, before the internet era, children had fears about imaginary ghosts, the fierce uncle or the weird person in the neighbourhood. All of these can be managed with a clear reminder from an adult or with the presence of an adult. With the internet, a child is standing on a highway with traffic coming from all directions! All they need to do is google. If you are not there, and you have told them to go to the internet for answers, they will, and a little information is a dangerous thing. They can learn nearly any wicked thing there.<br />
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I remember that when my children were less then eight, I banned the word 'stress' from my household. It's true we feel stressed, but it's so easy to become a shorthand they can use to escape from thinking harder about what they are feeling, and it tempts them to magnify their difficulties so that they are less likely to overcome them. Adults alas routinely use it as a cop-out.<br />
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<b>For Teens -</b><br />
You won't want to hear this, but teens consider us a kind of threat. Please don't get upset. If you pray for a jolt in memory, you will realise you felt the same. Teens need to explore their identity, and it requires them to challenge us. If our bond with them is good, it sits beneath all the storms like a safety net, so it's ok.<br />
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Teens feel unsafe and insecure when they cannot get answers. They also feel that way when they are socially inept. The antidote to this is extremely hard for parents at this point: we must not just love them, we must like them. Hard it is - we miss our cherubic younguns, they are hard to talk to, manage, relate with... yet - we have to look past their hormonal surges, changing bodies, voices and sucky attitudes to the person we always loved and always will.<br />
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My best ideas for this: cook their favourite food, keep up the hugs, have that regular awkward meal with them, welcome their friends home, find an activity you can do together and give them space to chill.<br />
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Teens are literally doing battle each day with their self-image, performance, friendships, infatuation, expectations laid on them, God... it is a tiring season of life. They will choose distraction any time. Yet they have to confront these issues in a way that is kind to themselves. Help them make their own choices and experience the consequences with them. This is to prepare them for life. Also, as a parent, sometimes the best thing you can do is to surround them with other young adults and adults.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">judy foo</td></tr>
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"<i>He will be the sure foundation for your times,</i></div>
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<i> a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;</i></div>
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<i> the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure</i>" ~ <span style="font-size: x-small;">Isaiah 33v6</span></div>
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"<i>Do not tremble, do not be afraid.</i></div>
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<i> Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?</i></div>
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<i>You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?</i></div>
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<i> No, there is no other Rock; I know not one</i>." ~ <span style="font-size: x-small;">Isaiah 44v8</span></div>
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<b>The bedrock of all stability and safety is God Himself. </b><br />
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I don't have all the answers.<br />
I get lazy.<br />
I am inconsistent.<br />
I struggle with my own insecurities, doubts and fears.<br />
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So I model for the children that there can be safety and security - because God is real and living, active and working in my life.<br />
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So I gather them for prayer, family devotions, Advent and Lent - because a deep well is needed for such parches times.<br />
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So I talk to them and pray with them as they leave the home, when we snuggle in bed, when the doors finally open after they were slammed shut.<br />
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So I pray for them and record the God immortal, always wise, coming to save us and help us feel safe again.<br />
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And this song comes to me:<br />
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<a href="https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/immortal-invisible-god-only-wise/" target="_blank">Immortal Invisible - hymn background & contemporary version</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_VwA4d44g&gl=SG&hl=en-GB" target="_blank">Immortal Invisible trad hymn version</a><br />
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God loves you and your parenting journey.<br />
God loves your children.<br />
And He is Strong, and Safe to go to.<br />
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Further reads:<br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2017/10/you-are-best-parents-for-your-children.html" target="_blank">PSLE!</a><br />
<a href="http://jennihh.blogspot.com/2016/01/those-teen-years-blessing-or-what.html" target="_blank">Those Tough Teen Years</a><br />
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jenni ho-huanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08796911486955606093noreply@blogger.com0