Hovering thought - be bold

"We don't know when he [i.e. Aslan] will act. In his time, no doubt, not ours. In the meantime he would like us to do what we can on our own."

C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (New York: HarperTrophy, 1951), p.183

Peter the High King is helping Prince Caspian fight the battle to free Narnia from evil in the above story. Aslan, the lion, never fails to show up to help, rescue them, and render victory for Peter and his army at the right time. Yet, rather than doing nothing and waiting passively for Aslan, Peter wisely plans and fights as best as he could, because he knows very well that Aslan "would like us to do what we can on our own."

As I'm re-reading the Narnia series these few weeks and came upon the above excerpt, these words keep hovering in my mind. Then a few days later, I heard similar words coming from a friend over the phone. It was as if lightning struck, and I feel that God's telling me that's how He wants me to operate at this moment of life.

Little man or great man?

"Little men with lots of time find it easy to discover faults in great men with little time."

~Hershael York

This seems to be so true.

超市入貨

很 久 沒 有 去 超 級 市 場 好 好 的 買 東 西. 暑 假 (其 實 並 非 真 的 放 假) 多 是 買 便 當, 或 是 隨 便 吃 點 東 西 填 肚。 反 而 因 為 下 星 期 大 學 開 課﹐ 就 趕 快 去 超 市 入 貨, 充 實 我 家 雪 櫃。

Thank God that I can afford to buy everything that I need and want to eat in the supermarket. Precious blessing!

Yesterday I went back to school to check on a few things: does the bookstore have in stock the textbooks I have ordered for my classes? Has the library processed the reserved materials? Is the computer still working ...etc. Not done yet.

I'll be teaching the same undergraduate series as last year, plus a graduate seminar in the evening*, an individual study session with a Master student, and possibly some administrative work. Thank God for the experience and the job for another 9 months.


* If the enrollment is too low, the class may get cancelled. But looks like the class will take place. Teaching evening seminar is challenging for me, 'cuz I haven't done a 4-hour session before. I'm not worried about the content as much as keeping the students awake and engaged. Imagine these students come after a full day of work. Who can stay awake and focused for 4 hours? Even if I give them a 30-min. break in between of have the class end early, we're still talking about 3+ hours!

becoming beautiful

"And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it."

1 Timothy 2:9-10 (The Message)

"... for those who want to be servants in the church.... No exceptions are to be made for women -- same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be .... diligent in looking after their own affairs."

1 Timothy 2:8-13 (The Message)

Joy & suffering

Got this from ablogaday and his family on my birthday:

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."

~Henri Nouwen

Things were mostly rosy before I reached 30. Sky was blue and life was smooth. In fact, I remember myself as most carefree during ages 20-30. From when I was 30-40, life got tougher and hit obstables more often. Things got tougher still after I turned 40, with a couple of major events marking that segment of my timeline already. Not that I'm suffering anything like people who're under persecution or living in the developing countries. But if the reality of life is only beginning to unfold, then I find help in messages on suffering like this set.

Quoting from Desiring God:

Joy in the Bible is the means by which we’re sustained in suffering and that for which suffering is preparing us. Here’s a litany of verses where joy and suffering are linked:

• Romans 5:3 – we rejoice in our sufferings
  
• James 1:2 – count it all joy when you meet trials
  
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 – gladly boasting in weakness
  
• 2 Corinthians 8:1 – in severe affliction their abundance of joy and supreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of liberality

When God calls us to suffer he is not calling us away from joy but into joy. We need to examine how this works. How are we sustained by joy? How does suffering lead to joy? How does joy shape suffering? God has woven suffering into our lives in such a way that it looks bright and shining to the world around us .... (to read more).

失禮

今 晚 去 教 會 周 三 祈 禱 會 真 失 禮﹐ 唱「這 世 界 非 我 家」半 分 鐘 唔 駛 就 bill 眼 淚。D 傳 統 聖 詩 之 嘛﹐ 又 唔 係 唱 D 現 代 感 性 詩 歌﹐ 卻 令 我 諗 起 第 時 返 天 家 就 會 見 到 親 人,﹐覺 得 呢 個 世 界 真 係 唔 係 永 恆, 唔 係 我 屋 企, 所 以 就 ...咁 失 禮 loh.

好 彩 旁 邊 既 Betty 冇 輕 舉 莽 動﹐ 又 冇 問 三 問 四 。 叻 女﹗

又 諗 起 Faithful One 這 首 歌 le.

我的逍遣 - 睇韓劇

屈 指 一 算﹐ 我 同 韓 劇 所 結 的 情 緣, 也 有 六﹐ 七 年 之 久。 起 先 係 Helen 給 我 送 上《愛 上 女 主 播》 (still my favorite). 之 後 從 ebay 買 了 兩 套 碟: 《冬 之 戀 曲》﹐ 同 埋 《All In》. 再 之 後 就 係 睇 18台﹐ 44台﹐ 大 大 話 話 都 睇 左 二﹐ 三 十套 。話 多 唔 多, 因 為 兩 個 電 視 台 的 播 放﹐ 除 左 有 周 一 至 周 五 播 既 連 續 劇 之 外, 逢 周 一﹐ 二 每 晚 再 播 一 套 韓 劇﹐ 逢 周 三﹐ 四 就 播 另 一 套﹐ 而 周 五 再 連 播 另 一 套 劇 兩 集, 周 六﹐ 日 就 另 計。

兩 個 電 視 台 各 有 各 選 片。咁 多 選 擇, 你 都 咪 話 唔 盞﹗

My personality profile - II

This's the second (and last) part that I find quite accurate, as its result agrees with all the character/temperament tests that I've taken in recent years.

You are generally a modest and private person. You most likely have a number of good friends and you enjoy spending time with them. But even with your friends you tend not to be terribly outgoing. When it comes to your social life you are more comfortable with deeper, well nurtured friendships. Whether at work or in social situations, you neither need nor particularly like the spotlight.

This isn't to say that you don't want to be around people or that you aren't good in relationships and in social situations. In fact, you need the companionship of people, you just prefer quiet conversations with a friend or a small group. Your social encounters balance out the side of you that likes your own company and having enough time to think and reflect. But you do find that life has a better rhythm for you when there is enough quiet time to deliberate on your own so that you are refreshed for your next encounter with friends and colleagues.

I used to think of myself being an extrovert because I talked a lot and loud! That view was revised about 5-7 years ago. There're other parts of the personality analysis, but I have yet to decide if the test result is inaccurate or my understanding of self errs.

My personality profile - I

Just did a test and got a report. Here's part of what I believe an accurate assessment of myself:

When someone needs your help, you think before you act. You believe deeply in personal freedom and individual responsibility. You think it is vital that people learn to take care of themselves so that they don't become dependent upon others. You believe that actions have consequences, and people need to accept the consequences of their actions if they are to learn from their mistakes and grow. You believe that if you keep rescuing people out from trouble, they will never learn to do it themselves.

You believe that compassion has a role to play in life, in a structure of values that encourages people to take care of themselves. Uncritical tenderheartedness does as much harm as good. In an emergency, of course, you're there to offer help and if someone has helped you out in the past there is no question about your loyalty. But whenever it is realistic, you are convinced people should take care of themselves.

You devote adequate time to take care of your own needs and wants, in part because it makes you happy with your life. You cherish personal independence for yourself and others.

There's more than one template

I was talking with a friend over dinner a couple weeks ago -- there're more than one template to narrate one's religious conversion. Both my friend's and my conversion experiences happen to not fit in the traditional mold that pinpoints a specific date/time/occasion during which one accepted Christ and which then defines the watershed of one's born-again experience. It's true that many people came to know Christ like that. Yet, I'm so glad to read the sharing of a rising Christian figure, knowing that more people would be aware of the "exceptions" and won't pressure or be pressured by other Christians unncessarily.

Below is a question asked during an interview with Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of New City Presbyterian Church and the grandson of Billy Graham.

When your prodigal journey ended and the Lord brought you to himself, do you consider that your conversion or had you just been in a period of backsliding, having been converted before your rebellion?

I actually address this issue in the book because for so long it bothered me. I grew up in a church that pressured people to identify a particular time and place when they became Christians. In fact, I grew up believing that if I could not recall the moment God saved me, then I was at best a second-class Christian or at worst not a Christian at all. I really wrestled with this about seven years ago. My mom told me that I prayed and asked Jesus to come into my life when I was five years old, but I don't remember anything about it. What I do remember is how drastically my life changed when I was twenty-one. It frustrated me not knowing for sure whether my relationship with God began when I was five and "prayed the prayer" or when I was twenty-one and my life clearly changed. Did I become a Christian when I was five and then simply rebelled until I was twenty-one, at which point I "rededicated" my life to God? Or did I become a Christian for the first time at twenty-one? I didn't know, and it really bothered me. I wanted to pinpoint the time and place. My spiritual life depended on it, or so I thought. About that time I had lunch with Arnie, one of my wisest, most godly friends. As I shared my struggle with him, he looked at me and said, "Tullian, does it really matter? The Bible has a lot more to say about how the Christian life ends than how it begins." I dropped my fork. He was right. I thought about all those places in the Bible that speak about finishing the race, obtaining the prize, pressing on, and straining forward. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. Pinpointing the time and place I became a Christian didn't matter, ultimately. What did matter was my daily pursuit of God. What did matter was my need to continue in the faith from that day forward. John Stott said, "He who stands firm in the faith to the end will be saved, not because salvation is the reward of endurance, but because endurance is the hallmark of the saved." Arnie helped me see that my ongoing endurance, not my ability to isolate a moment when my relationship with God began, is what helps me be certain about my relationship with God today.