Eternity in the Minutiae

  I need a day informed by eternity, eternity in the minutiae. The vastness of the universe and the expanse of eternity have to provide either tremendous significance or extreme insignificance to the human experience of hours and days and decades. And this is exactly the choice we face in the birth-incarnation of Jesus, called Immanuel ('God with us'): is eternity a sign of hope or of despair to us? Does the universe speak of nothingness or of the Transcendent? Are we statistically-induced specks or treasured creatures in a bountiful Creator's expression of majesty?


(image from Shutterstock)

Intervening in God's Judgment - Psalm 106

  Psalm 106 is a recital of the LORD's dealing with His covenant people, and it is a celebration of His steadfast covenant love towards them.  Part of the relationship between the LORD and His people is the actions of the people.  Psalm 106 explores this relationship in depth, starting with the blessedness of living as a righteous person who does justice (vs 3).  Yet by verse 6, the Psalmist acknowledges that the Lord's chosen ones have sinned and committed iniquity and wickedness. As he goes on to recount some of the rebellion of God's chosen ones, he also recounts different ways in which this rebellion was dealt with.

  The LORD's first response comes in verse 8 where He saves the people He chose from their rebellion by the sea 'for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power.'

  In verse 15, the LORD's second response is to send the people the thing they were begging for in their disregard for Him and to unleash judgment on them. Judgment follows again in verses 17-18.

 But in verse 23, after the people's most egregious breach of faith, the LORD speaks of destroying His own people, yet in response to Moses' pleading for the people, His judgment is turned away. This happens again in verse 30, where Phineas intervenes, and God spares the people further judgment. (Verse 31 notes that this was counted to Phineas as righteousness, just like Abraham!)

 In verses 32-33, an account is mentioned where Moses failed to intercede for the people because he himself was angered in sin.

 The final verses list accounts both of deliverance and judgment, specially focusing on God's steadfast love and His remembrance of His covenant.

 The thing that draws my attention here is the subplot, the part a couple individuals played in the grand narrative of God's mercy to an imperfect people. Moses and Phineas are allowed by God to act as true priests, standing between the great God and a sinful, rebellious people and pleading with God to have mercy on them. About Moses this is described as standing in the gap to turn away the Lord's wrath from destroying them. About Phineas, it is described as standing up and intervening. Strikingly, in verse 47, we find the psalmist himself begging for the LORD God's mercy on His people, too.

  This subtheme in the psalm is reminiscent of other passages where the righteous, but imperfect, believers act as priests for those living unrighteously. Abraham priests for Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah.  Ezekiel speaks of similar roles for the godly; in 22:30, he speaks of 'standing in the breach' like Psalm 106, as well as in 14:14, 20 where he speaks of the mercy which was extended to others through the priestly activities of Noah, Daniel, and Job. Notably, this priestly activity was not always for 'people of God,' at times it was for the unrighteous who did not acknowledge God as LORD.  

  PSALM 106

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise? Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them. When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD, the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD. Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness, and would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands. Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. And that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever. They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds. Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive. Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD! (ESV)

- Previous post on the topic

The reason to be progressive

Below is a quote from Chesterton which I find fascinating, granted some difference between the contexts for the terms 'conservative' and 'progressive,' the ideas should still be quite similar and therefore worth considering.

We have remarked that one reason offered for being a progressive is that things naturally tend to grow better. But the only real reason for being a progressive is that things naturally tend to grow worse. The corruption in things is not only the best argument for being progressive; it is also the only argument against being conservative. The conservative theory would really be quite sweeping and unanswerable if it were not for this one fact. But all conservatism is based upon the idea that if you leave things alone you leave them as they are. But you do not. If you leave a thing alone you leave it to a torrent of change. If you leave a white post alone it will soon be a black post. If you particularly want it to be white you must be always painting it again; that is, you must be always having a revolution. Briefly, if you want the old white post you must have a new white post. But this which is true even of inanimate things is in a quite special and terrible sense true of all human things. (Orthodoxy, emphases mine)

In other words, politically we can either believe in a Golden Age of perfect justice and righteousness in the past to which we must return, or we must seek a truer future. Was there a perfect society in the 1770s or 1780s or 1860s or 1940s or 1980s, or in looking towards the future should we also release much of the past? Anyways, while it is certainly not expressed here as a complete political theory, it is an interesting thought.

Sedef Island / Adası

Looking from Sedef towards Büyük Island

  A few weeks ago, friends came and visited us and asked our family to join them an outing. So, because of them, we got to enjoy a great time at a small island among the Princess Islands near Istanbul.  We've been out to the islands before, but we'd never visited this little one, which is an easy extra boat ride (and free) from Buyuk Ada, the main one. Visiting Sedef Adasi is a day trip since there's just two main ferry rides there and back, although you can get there and back in other ways  that aren't free too.

Playing by the water's edge

 Anyways, there's not a whole lot to do on the island as far as we could tell, except enjoy the quietness and swim. Obviously there's food available too, and the prices are reasonable. There's not a sandy beach, but the place that's there really is enjoyable even if you have to climb over rocks in the water. All in all, this was a very enjoyable and very pretty discovery, and we will hope to visit it again in the future.

Beauty (again looking towards Büyük Ada)

Motivations in Education

  I commented a while back that I had a lot of potential things to share from my time in Gambia. Here I want to summarize some of the key thoughts that various teachers shared, either those on our EDGE Institute team or summit attendees.

  'We need to produce students of whom we can be proud.' A Gambian teacher-sage shared this with the group.  It's a penetrating thought - will I be happy for my students to go about for the rest of their life saying, 'He was our teacher'?  I should be seeking to produce students whom I will have no regrets claiming later in life, particularly in my subject area.  

  'Shepherding the future' as a description of teaching was new for me, although it is not actually new.  I am to seek to guide and strengthen a better future through the time that I have with each student.

  Both of these previous thoughts relate to something which Aristotle apparently recounted, "...Plato says, man needs to be so trained from his youth up as to find pleasure and pain in the right objects. This is what sound education means."

  Maybe the most insightful thought that was brought up was the question of whether we (as teachers, as well as the society at large) are creating Thought-Consumers or Thought-Producers. In other words, do we seek to build or enhance the pool of knowledge around us, or do we simply use the thoughts that others, whether nations or individuals, pass on to us?  How can a society or civilization* that does not produce original thought ever truly grow great? Sure, it can get better, but it will likely tend to be trapped by its own laziness or inability to pursue what it has into new and harder places. Since thinking is hard work, thinking new and original thoughts ought to be a key ingredient for the strengthening of any culture's mind and heart. 


* I am definitely speaking of civilizations, not nations incidentally.

Spurgeon, on prayer for our Children

He alone who has faith will pray for the redemption of his children, especially when they exhibit no signs of being in bondage but are hopeful and amiable. 

Spurgeon, 'Jacob Worshipping on His Staff,'  http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols22-24/chs1401.pdf

  This goes along with another helpful resource I was reminded of this week on praying for our children, "How we pray for our children" by JD Crowley.

Turkey Unveiled - a history

  I just finished reading Nicole and Hugh Pope's Turkey Unveiled; and as a history of republican Turkey it is quite informative. Not only is the book very readable, it has about it a sense of Turkey and Turkish thought, including using key Turkish words to highlight important cultural values. One of the beauties of the book is that it expresses a deep understanding of Turkish culture that is understandable to those from a Western culture at the same. A sample quote:

...Turkey is in a category all its own. One reason for the West's difficulty in coming to grips with the country is that Turkey was never colonized and has never truly shared its history with one of the great European cultures.

a Summary of Christian Divinity - my most recent project, finished

  This evening I completed a project that I have been working on for some time, editing a 250-year old Russian Orthodox systematic theology. It's now available on Amazon. I've been working on this in my spare time over quite a few months. Several factors joined together to push me towards this little project. First, I enjoy learning through editing - I've done this for 3 or 4 other books, though I've only put two of the others on Amazon's publishing platforms. This method allows me to get to know a book well. Second, I have been seeking to learn more about the Christian tradition (Orthodoxy) in the East since shortly over the last 2-3 years; I knew incredibly little about it before that.  Third, I have wondered if a theological system crafted in cultures more inclined towards an honor-shame paradigm would differ substantially from the legal/justification bent of Western theological thought.

 The answer to this final question seems to be that, yes, Orthodox theology makes greater use of biblical honor-shame themes than its Western counterparts, but it doesn't neglect the legal themes. For examples, 'Mediator' is used more often than 'Redeemer' when speaking of Christ (13 times to 6), yet 'reconciliation' is used somewhat less often than 'justification' in the text. 

 In many areas, particularly the central ones of Christ and salvation, Platon's words would be indistinguishable from a modern evangelical writer's. At the same time, in areas of church liturgy, he will often be less clear about the biblical basis for his assertions. Platon is very concerned about the practical dimensions of his theology; he often speaks pastorally, giving possible applications for real life as well as pointing out daily evils that he sees in the society he serves in. Below are some of my favorite thoughts from the work which I think any Christian may appreciate.      

"The love and mercy of God to all his creatures, but particularly to man, is greater than we are capable of comprehending." 

"For though we ought, by all means, to do good works; yet at the same time we are to place our hope of salvation alone on the mercy of the Savior." 

"He showed in what the real happiness of man consists; and this he placed in poverty of spirit, in tears and humility, in meekness and mercy, amid persecution and reviling, which was altogether contrary to the wisdom of this world." 

"The worship of God is the testifying of our internal subjection of spirit before God." 

After a discussion of the ten commandments:

"Notwithstanding, though we should make even so great advances in fulfilling the commandments of the Lord and whatever degree of progress we may make in virtue, yet, when we consider that all this is the fruit of divine grace and that all our virtues are mixed with imperfections, we have not the least cause of self-exaltation, but rather to keep in continual remembrance the words of the gospel, "When ye have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do." 

"However, some will perhaps say, what, are we then to fall into despair? Certainly, if you continue to look up to yourselves for help. But when we reflect on the inexhaustible goodness of God and on his infinite wisdom, then we are comforted by hope, and our fears are dispelled; and in this hope we ought frequently to join in the words of Isaiah, 'Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.'"

By the way, I'd be happy to send you a pdf of the book if you would like it.

Previous post about this book

humor from the young

'If math were food, I would never eat.' - a student

"There's not many things to forget about you." - a daughter, speaking to someone in an imaginary world [Is this an insult or a compliment?]

The evil silent ones, like 'sword'

 As I have taught English, and as I have watched my daughter try to learn to read English, I have become aware again of the ridiculousness of evil - and nearly omnipresent - silent letters lurking surreptitiously in the undergrowth of English orthography. I say 'again' because I am quite sure that I was very aware of these entrapping oddities years ago as I tried to aquire the art form called reading.

 I do not say that these letters have no purpose for certainly with sufficient instruction the English spelling system can be learned. Indeed, in the case of vowels often the silent letters can give clear meaning. For instance, plumber could become plumer, but then it would be pronounced differently - so, it would need to be plummer. So, some silent letters can make sense, but there are the other, too...

  So, in solidarity with those seeking to decipher the sinister silent-letter riddles, I submit these repeat offenders and request the improvement of the English language through the abandoning of this ridiculousness.

half

know

clothes

gnat

built

sword

answer

castle

comb

hour

subtle

debt

bee

plumber

island

four

caught

vineyard

could

psychology

Often more usefully, these may also be silent:

any vowel 

doubled letters 

'A world of languages' - VISUALIZED

  As a student of language, I'm not sure which statistics in the graphic below are the most amazing... (See all 4 charts.)

1.  Chinese as a larger language group than the next three largest ones combined.
2.  English having nearly 20 times the number of language LEARNERS as any other language.
3. India for having 5.5 of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
4.  America for having the fourth highest number of living languages in the world - still a nation whose strength is her immigrants.

Source: https://cdn3.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2015/05/27/languages.png (click to enlarge)

  I also didn't realize that Spanish was the second largest natively spoken languge in the world.

Reflections from my time in Africa

 My recent trip to Senegal and Gambia flooded me with many new, and old, experiences and gave me many potential ponderings for deeper learning and understanding.  At some level, it might be interesting to talk about the surface experiences that were so similar to my childhood in Suriname - crossing rivers by ferry, tropical architecture, delicious mangos and bananas, and even the same cookies, at times.  (In fact, they even had Zwan... in the little cans!)

Ferry Crossing to Banjul

 Then, there were the abnormal experiences that I got to have: seeing a canon from 1895 still guarding a river crossing, being on national (Gambian) tv and in the papers, drinking water out of bag, seeing the sky turn orange from the dust of the Sahara, etc.  But simply mentioning those and giving a few pictures, probably fulfills their usefulness in my life narrative.  

Sahara in the Sky

Bag of drinking water

Canon at the Saloum River crossing in Senegal

Back end of the canon, marked 1895

 But, especially in light of current social topics in the USA, another point has caused me to ponder: the constant awareness of difference, created by skin tone. Often being white felt like a liability - particularly when it facilitated 'economic selection' towards us (higher prices). Yet the fact of the matter is that at the end of day, no matter how tight our budget was, it was able to deal with those prices. The disadvantage to us was minimal, though not marginal. But more disturbing than those higher prices was the fact that I was associated with a culture which is seen to be reaching over the globe and, intentionally or not, displacing older cultures and stirring trouble between the traditional and the modern - between values and self-gratification, morals and utility. Being automatically identified with this hegemony-grasping culture was far more troubling.

 With great honesty, a group of students dramatized for us the struggles they each face as they decide whether to follow older ways or not, to live within or abandon the morals and beliefs that have bound their cultures together for generations, or to respect or reject their elders. And the villain in the drama is a culture - maybe not a person or country per se, but a culture or system of thought that drifts in from the West and is most naturally identified with my country of birth.  So, now, simply because of skin tone, I am associated with a system which I largely reject.    

 What if these points had stretched on from 2-3 weeks into generations - different treatment, wrong assumptions? What if our ability to deal with the higher prices were stripped away, and we had to live more expensively simply because of who we are?  What if we were not honored guests of respected citizens? What then? Who would have spoken for us? Who would have cared for what we had to offer? Who would have listened to us?   

a view in Bakau, Gambia

Pessimist: one who sees the medicine in every spoonful of sugar

Pessimist: One who sees the medicine in every spoonful of sugar

Notes:
1.  These people often consider themselves realists.
2.  This definition arouse from accusations against this blogger.

Scatter together - thoughts on multiplication, image bearing and witness

  A series of connections arcing across the narrative of Scripture have caught my attention recently as I again read Genesis. In Genesis 1, God the Creator makes man and woman in His own image and charges them to 'be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth...' The idea being that God's image as reflected in the woman and man would be multiplied and magnified all across the creation. Obviously this purpose is not fulfilled by the couple who violate God's Law and are sent away from their specially-prepared home. At this point though, they do begin to multiply, but now it is a disfigured image which is spread.  And indeed, the corruption grows till the earth is 'filled with violence' (instead of with God's image). So God eradicates all but a single family whom He saves; they too are are tainted, however, they also look to His grace and promises of deliverance. (ch. 6)  After destroying the accumulated humanity, God commands this family to 'be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth' - again.  The point? Last time it was filled with the wrong thing - not people reflecting their Creator. 

  This pattern can be seen repeatedly through Scripture in small cycles and large; and indeed, we can see it continuing today in ways and with names both expected and unexpected. Because essentially this is the same task that Jesus Christ left to those who loved and followed Him when He left - 'Go everywhere, make more people who follow in my ways from every type of people there is...' And this command, like the original, is a communal command: no one goes everywhere or fills the earth by his or her self.  But a seeming paradox lies at the heart of this command - 'scatter as a community!'

Scatter together!

 Actually, we see this problem in the succeeding story in Genesis: after the great destroying flood and the re-creation, humanity decides to build a city and a tower to improve their own image and to prevent their being 'dispersed over the face of the whole earth.' (ch. 11) In other words, they were working aginst the very things they had been designed and commanded to do. As humans, we'd rather cluster and try to look good ourselves. And as God intervened this time, He used their word disperse instead of His word fill when He spread them on the earth. 

 Jesus' followers still have the same tendency towards anti-dispersal, collective-image-improving clustering instead of the communal, divine-image-reflecting earth-filling to which we have been called.

  If we are to carry out the original task, we must become like Abram who was told that he would become a 'great nation.' (Gen 12) This wasn't all that odd at the time (age 75), since his father had fathered at least one son at age 70. (Gen 11:26)  Yet as time went on, Abram's body and his wife's passed from possibility to impossibility; and while Abraham noticed, his faith in the promise not only didn't weaken, it grew, 'as he gave glory to God.' (Romans 4:18-21) If we would continue in this original work of filling the earth with image bearers, we will often have to look beyond what we see, like Abraham. We will have to look to the God who promised that it would be so someday, and we will have to trust that He can raise up image bearers from stony hearts - children to Abraham, 'the father of all who believe without being circumcised' and 'the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.' (Rom 4:11-12)

  May we together live the united, earth-filling life of reflecting the Creator's image, following His sent Savior. 

Gambia, observations in life and beauty

The Gambian students that I have gotten the chance to interact with and teach in the last three days have impressed me (positively) more than any other class I've ever been in. They were selected by their schools to come for extra training, and the twelvish schools have been beautifully represented. Dozens of high school students living, studying, learning, and teaching together with little more than some teacher guidance and peer accountability.

While they were selected primarily for their academic abilities, the students displayed really strong leadership qualities, an unexpected depth and breadth of life skills, and, maybe most significantly, the motivation to continue pushing forward in their education. With just a few days of experience in The Gambia, I have caught the students' contagious expectation that they will be able to help their country grow and achieve greatly - their dreams are big, but their work ethic, consistent focus and passion for creating a chain of positive change makes me dare to dream with them.

At the same time, the two organizations that organized this summit have worked together beautifully. The EDGE Institute from the US partners with various organizations to help bring educational tools to bear in places where they would usually be unavailable. The point of this is to catalyze improved education, not simply to provide a bit of help nor alternatively to be an indefinite prop. Thus, the second part of this year's summit in The Gambia is sharing with teachers here. Sharing is the key word, for as I tried to express above, the students were really significant contributors to the summit, so we can expect the same from their teachers.

EDGE's Gambian partner in this summit was Side by Side Organization. It has been great getting to work with their members both individually and as an organization. They have been incredibly gracious in their help to us, but more significantly we have seen the value that they provide to students here and the great respect they are given in return. As an organization of young people, run by young people, and for young people, they showcase a beautiful model of servant leadership raising up more servant leaders.

In this first 20% of our trip, I have found myself to be deeply privileged to be here, getting to keep learning my teaching craft in this very different setting. If this all sounds like a promotional bit, that's perfectly ok (though not necessarily the point) because I'd be more than happy to recommend The Gambia, EDGE or Side by Side.

Afraid of what?

  I came across this poem again tonight, and was reminded of it.  Soon the one who introduced me to this poem will 'feel the spirit's glad release' and 'pass from pain to perfect peace.' As he so often reminded us, those who have gone before have said, 'NOT AFRAID!'

Afraid? Of What?

by E. H. Hamilton

Afraid ? Of What?

To feel the spirit's glad release?

To pass from pain to perfect peace,

The strife and strain of life to cease?

Afraid - of that?

Afraid? Of What?

Afraid to see the Savior's face

To hear His welcome and to trace

The glory gleam from wounds of grace?

Afraid - of that?

Afraid? Of What?

A flash, a crash, a pierced heart;

Darkness, light, O Heaven's art!

A wound of His a counterpart!

Afraid - of that?

Afraid? Of What?

To do by death what life could not -

Baptize with blood a stony plot,

Till souls shall blossom from the spot?

Afraid - of that?

Recent quotes on Learning and Education (+bonus)

'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.' (A whole Gambian class quoted the second half when a speaker said the first half.)

Teaching is about helping someone learn.  Education is about learning, not 'teaching' or spoonfeeding information.

"Remember that if the other students are learning, they won't tolerate others disrupting their class, so you can expect help from them."

Bonus quote on leadership:

'I don't believe in future leaders, we are leaders starting now.' Ebrima, Gambian student youth leader

The Vow

The Vow

For better or worse,

For riches or loss,

Through joy and sorrow,

Through illness or health,

Through safety and danger,

We're bound,

By Christ's love.

Nor can life - beginning, continuing, or ending;

Nor power of this world or another - arising, descending;

Nor strength or depth or length -

Indeed, nothing at all,

Unbinds

Christ's love.

(Romans 8:31-39)

Classical - My Little Ones are loving it more than I do

I don't know if anyone would suggest that either of the two composers below (Camille Saint-Saens or Dmitri Shostakovich) are 'classical' musicians, but they are introducing my daughters to listening to instrumental, classical-style music with enjoyment and imagination. They beg to watch these two animated compositions over and over again. Hopefully soon we will add 'Peter and the Wold' to this repertoire for them! Please, enjoy...

Camille Saint-Saëns - The Carnival of the Animals

Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano concerto No.2 

  In January, an essay that I read by Kevin Bauder pointed me toward thinking about this topic and particularly some of these musical pieces. I especially enjoyed finding 'The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra' through that essay, "Start Them Young." My daughters are a bit young to 'get' the music without the animation, but because of the way it's presented even they can benefit from this rendition as they begin learning about the various musical instruments and their sounds.

  

Hiccups

Hiccups

Hici hici cups.

Hiccups after tea cups.

Hici hici ups.

Diaphragm jump ups.

Lung and chest bounce up.

Hici hici ups.

Giggle after sup.

Everyone cracks up.

Hici hici ups

Backwards gulping cup

Waters flowing down

Hici hici- stops!

by Julide, 2015

(poetry assignment on topic of personal interest)

The Herald's Voice

The only path

To flee God's wrath

Is 'Repent, in the wilderness;

Direct steps, to righteousness.'

O snaky brood!

Where is your fruit

That would show true sincerity?

Change starts internally.

Mt 3:1-10

Shame, Fame, and Honor Today

Andy Crouch's recent article in CT, called "The Return of Shame" is well worth reading in full.  He deals with important cultural and theological ideas about shame and salvation.  Here's a couple excerpts: one cultural insight, one theological application.

The personal screen, especially with its attached and always-available camera, invites us to star in our own small spectacle. [...] But having attracted us with the promise of approval and belonging, the personal screen can just as easily herald exclusion and hostility...

---

In the pastoral letters of the New Testament, we see Paul and other church leaders reframing the traditional categories of honor and shame. The task of the early church, as Mischke puts it, was to free its members from “honor competition” and give them high “shame resilience.” This would enable them to endure low status in the Roman world while reaching out to those no one else would touch. At the same time, the apostles followed Jesus in drawing clear, if countercultural, boundaries for inclusion and exclusion, calling members of this new community to the holiness that brought honor to God.

tidbits of interest from the Metropolitan

1.  A useful summary of the various sections of Scriptures and how they point to Christ in the great Story:

"There are different things contained in the Holy Scriptures, as the commandments of the law, rules of morality, prophecies, accounts of different revelations which God made of himself to man, miracles, and promises, together with many accounts of the transactions of men. However, all these tend to nothing else but to the revelation of the eternal counsels of God, concerning the salvation of mankind through our Savior Jesus Christ. Thus, for instance, the Law, by bringing us to the knowledge of our guilt before God, leads us to seek for a Deliverer; the prophecies proclaim his approach; the sacrifices point him out; the different revelations which God made of himself, either prepare us to receive the faith of Christ or illustrate more clearly the acts of our Savior. And all the promises of God, in assuring us of the mercy of our heavenly Father, rest on Jesus Christ, as our Mediator with God." (in Section 2, 'On the substantial contents of the Holy Scriptures')

2. An interesting theological speculation, 'If humanity had not fallen, then...'
"From this we conclude that if man had not broken the union by which he was closely connected with God, he would have enjoyed a most happy life on earth, and at last, according to the determination of his Maker, would have been translated to heaven, to enjoy God eternally. Of this, we have an example in the person of Enoch. (Gen. 5:24)"

from A Summary of Christian Divinity, by Platon Levshin 

Maybe for a good guy?

  As a teenager, I remember reading an account of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan; one of the most stunning aspects for me to think of was a bodyguard (or three) intentionally throwing himself across the President's body to act in a positive way as a human shield. (video here, a little blood shown) We've heard about 'taking a bullet for someone'... But what if President Reagan had seen the danger to one of his guards or aides and thrown himself across them to protect them instead? Rash, huh?  Wrong priorities, etc...

 The incredible thing about the God of the Bible is that He does just that: God's love was demonstrated to us when Christ died, not for good and righteous people, but for ungodly sinners.  Metaphorically, Jesus took our bullet; He threw His body across ours as a shield - when we were still His enemies. (Romans 5)  

 God our Shield: Genesis 15:1; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 7:10; Proverbs 30:5, etc.

Istanbul Modern: an abstract day

  Today involved my first visit to Istanbul Modern, one of the main modern art museums in our city.  A variety of interesting works are exhibited in the museum, though few that I would care to hang on my wall.  Having read with benefit some of Francis Schaeffer's thoughts on art and worldview, I was looking at some of the paintings and considering what they might reflect in the artist's thoughts.  In the description of one of Mübin Orhon's works, it is commented that his art is 'based entirely on a use of color from which all form has been purged.'   

Untitled, 1968

  It was interesting to me to notice that the vast majority of these works still had two major, direct uses of form in each work: obviously, the frame, but less obviously the artist's signature.  In the above case, the artist even left the work untitled. Yet, while communicating formlessness, artists still apparently thought it important to bind their identities to the works'.  Does this communicate anything more than simple commercialism?  Likely so, but I will leave the observation here.

from the bottom left side

note on Orhon's work

a work by H. Anlı

Luminous substances... another quote from Platon, on Creation

  In light of a couple recent blog posts about creationism, I looked specifically to see what Platon said about 'creation'; none of it was particularly unusual, but I thought this comment was interesting.

On the fourth day, the luminaries of heaven were created, the sun, the moon, and the stars, probably from the luminous substance which was created on the first day.  

(Platon, 51)

  'Luminous substance'... I've never heard of that before per se, but it generally sounded like Platon understood a 24-hour day, 7-day week understanding of Genesis 1-2.

Orthodox: mercy, justice and a Redeemer

  I've been reading in an old Russian Orthodox systematic theology.  The purpose is to learn, specifically about what has been believed by those who have lived in this area under Christ's name longest.  In this particular instance, the quotation also speaks to the majority beliefs locally. So here, from the sections about sin and salvation is a beautiful expression:

In regard to repentance also, it can never be sincere in the corrupt and unregenerate heart; because, to the end of life, the perpetual commission of sin proves it to be weak and ineffectual; for former acts of repentance, are ever violated by present transgressions. I do not mean evangelical or Christian repentance; it is of another kind: and why it is effectual, we shall soon show.

Let no man, however, suppose, that because God is infinitely merciful, or rather mercy itself, he can, without regarding men's imperfections and their falling into sin, out of his mere goodness, pardon men, and render them fit to be partakers of his blessedness and glory. Such reasoning is base and sinful; it makes the mercy of God blind; it presupposes a God not possessed of eternal and inviolable rectitude. It obliges him to regard the righteous and the wicked alike, a supposition which it is dreadful to apply to the living God. 

Does any one ask, by what way then can man be saved? By that way, I answer, which infinite wisdom has devised, and in which the mercy of our God is united with a full satisfaction of his justice, in the work of our salvation. And what this way is, the word of God has particularly revealed to us. (pg128)

(...)

The love and mercy of God to all his creatures, but particularly to man, is greater than we are capable of comprehending. How could that Being then, whose goodness transcends our comprehension, suffer man, the chief among the creatures, to perish; and who, according to the design of God himself, was created for eternal happiness? But the justice of God is no less real than his mercy, and could not suffer the least violation. Thus, if anywhere, more especially here, we must use the words of the gospel: "The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God." (Luke 18:27) What can be hid from the infinite wisdom of God? To it, the most secret means are all open and revealed. It beheld, that on the part of man there was no way by which he could obtain salvation; because every individual stood in need of this for himself. The angels were not possessed of adequate powers to execute this great work, which required nothing less than infinite might. There remained no hope but in God himself. And hence, in the most secret counsels of the Holy Trinity, which are impenetrable to the powers of angels, it was appointed, that the most exalted Son of God should himself become the Redeemer of the human race, and this office he assumed.

(pg 130)

- Platon, A Summary of Christian Divinity 

("Man is unable to deliver himself" and "For the salvation of man, God himself became incarnate" sections)

Self-swindlers & Daily needs

  I didn't mention one of the books, Dangerous Calling (by Paul Tripp) that I am reading, when I wrote my list of recommended books from last year.  I am about a third of the way through it, and it has been incredibly helpful. Convicting and encouraging and challenging..

 Here's a series of quotes regarding Hebrews 3:12-13 that I thought would be helpful. ("Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.")

Every person still living with sin inside is a very skilled self-swindler. I think we do this way more often than we are aware. 

...

But spiritually blind people are not only blind; they are blind to their own blindness. They are blind, but they think that they see well. So the spiritually blind person walks around with the delusion that no one has a more accurate view of him than he does. 

...

The blinding ability of sin is so powerful and persuasive that you and I literally need daily intervention. What the writer of Hebrews is crushing with this warning and call is any allegiance we might have to an isolated, individualized, “Jesus and me” Christianity. He is arguing for the essentiality of the ministry of others in the life of every believer. 

...

The author argues here that personal spiritual insight is the product of community. It’s very difficult to get it by yourself. 

...

This self-righteous blindness also means that they will not deal very well with opposition and accusation. They will not see these things as tools of uncomfortable grace sent by a God who is continuing his work in them. Because they are content with who they are, they will wonder why God has singled them out for this particular difficulty, in moments giving way to questioning the goodness and wisdom of God.