Friday, June 27, 2008
Tianjin, China - My humble take
It has been nearly two weeks now since our return from China and I’ve had plenty of time let the experience soak in.
Among all the sights and smells, cultural nuances, customs, mannerisms, styles and way of life altogether the thing that impacted me the most took place internally.
I could sit here and write about what a kick I got of the chaotic flow of traffic that boasted of driving lanes shared with passengers, pedestrians and bicycles in a near perfect harmony. I could also tell you about the intriguing resting pose of many as you could see “retailers” and common folk “resters” take their little break by squatting as if sitting or hovering over their heels. Some of these fellas were even napping! Though I imagine such muscles have been developed during a lifetime, the staggering amount of leg strength required to develop such muscles is most impressive. Sure, I wasn’t in Tianjin, China for the Olympics but man!!
I loved being able to see Mom and Mark in their purest form. Whether on the bike weathering the influx of traffic darting in and out from all angles in all shapes and sizes (remember cars, bikes and people share the road) to sharing the good news in its simplest form to those who have never heard.
Pollution is not a culturally exclusive phenomenon to Tianjin, so I wasn’t disappointed, frustrated, or agitated by the prevalence of it. It was a dead issue. So I guess there is no real need to expaciate on that one (look mom I used it right!)
I really enjoyed playing the tourist role as Bethany and I unabashedly paraded our western selves around the souvenir-loaded, haggle-friendly, hot spots of Tianjin. However even these remarkable brain-weary negotiations that could take a good 15 minutes per item though an immediate highlight of the trip were not the most meaningful thing I flew away with.
So yeah, let me get on with it!!!!!! ----- what I learned about China is that besides its thousands of rice fields and vast farming countryside the most important harvest of all is ready to be picked. Please note that I am extremely humbled as I write this because I have been so moved by the people of Tianjin and their way of life that I have been challenged to rethink or re-strategize my approach to sharing the gospel altogether. Let me explain.
(I know tons of articles, books, journal entries and publications have already been written about this, but here is my take - overly simplistic but my take nonetheless …. )
A lot of bad things can be said about Communism, but I will not even try to make this is a political piece. My mind takes snapshots of life, chews on them and then regurgitates the incoming data into a simple form where I can learn a life lesson from it. With that in mind let me just tell you that one thing I learned or witnessed was that the mind numbing propaganda and media controlled society has mightily affected the entry and propagation of the Gospel. Think about it, you are accustomed to living as a machine and your life is limited to simply existing, working (or trying to make a living) for your country to make her great. At an individual level you cling to the hopes and dreams that your kids get a good enough education (in an extremely competitive educational system) that will land them a good enough career to support you and themselves, their wife and their one child (under the one-child policy). One must understand that the prospects to this outlook can become pretty mundane and in turn a mindless, asinine, vacuous existence. If you are a machine working for the greater good that is Papa Government then your only true hope is surviving. Bearing that in mind think about the implications the Good News could (and does) have on such a culture?!?!??!!?
You tell someone that they have been created long enough they start believing you. Even though you and I (us westerners I mean) know that that, creation, is a fact (more to come on that one). If you are created then the Creator had a purpose in mind when he created you. Do you understand what this means to a person that has, up to this point just been surviving this thing we call life? It means several things.
1) If I am created, my life is not my own.
2) If I am created I have a purpose. Because if someone creates something he has a purpose for his creation no?
3) If I am created my life has meaning because I am a created being.
4) If I am created, what then should I live for now ? or for whom should I live for?
I am not just a survivor anymore. There is a reason for all of this!
Brothers and Sisters is this not exciting? Do you not see that China is ready to hear, receive and accept the Gospel? (Which already has been for years – I don’t presume to be unveiling anything new) Do you realize why they are more ready/open to the Good News than say a culture that doesn’t really need a God anymore?
What this meant for me is that I ought to simplify my life more. I have had a renewed awareness and strengthened passion to be counter-cultural, at least here in the United States. That means give up distractions that can easily become stumbling blocks. There is a movement in Spain among young adults called "contracorriente" (lit. means against the current) which too is also something worth getting excited about. To me it means using my time for more productive things like studying the Bible more and meditating on it as well as spending more time in prayer. That means that many habits need to change, starting with time management. Cable is out, Netflix subscription is reduced, internet time must take a substantial cut, and money spending ought to be directed into more kingdom-building activies. Sharing a meal with those who have not heard maybe, or spending my time hanging out with real life people again! Jesus and his life and his truth would then begin to re-conquer my heart as I empty myself of those “distractions”. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us: “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” I like what English Standard Version has to say “lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely.”
Please pray for me that this not be a “church camp” experience but that it will serve as a turn around the corner with a better understanding of complete abandonment and sacrificial giving of myself to those who need to hear about Jesus the Christ, the Son of God the Creator.
Soon I plan to write more about the blessing and refreshment of meeting my new brother and sister,Murphy and Nichole, and what they mean to my life as well as the “English Corner” experience and the meeting of the University students.
For now let me leave you with this sugary love song I have dedidated to my precious wife given the context. Hope you too can enjoy!
Among all the sights and smells, cultural nuances, customs, mannerisms, styles and way of life altogether the thing that impacted me the most took place internally.
I could sit here and write about what a kick I got of the chaotic flow of traffic that boasted of driving lanes shared with passengers, pedestrians and bicycles in a near perfect harmony. I could also tell you about the intriguing resting pose of many as you could see “retailers” and common folk “resters” take their little break by squatting as if sitting or hovering over their heels. Some of these fellas were even napping! Though I imagine such muscles have been developed during a lifetime, the staggering amount of leg strength required to develop such muscles is most impressive. Sure, I wasn’t in Tianjin, China for the Olympics but man!!
I loved being able to see Mom and Mark in their purest form. Whether on the bike weathering the influx of traffic darting in and out from all angles in all shapes and sizes (remember cars, bikes and people share the road) to sharing the good news in its simplest form to those who have never heard.
Pollution is not a culturally exclusive phenomenon to Tianjin, so I wasn’t disappointed, frustrated, or agitated by the prevalence of it. It was a dead issue. So I guess there is no real need to expaciate on that one (look mom I used it right!)
I really enjoyed playing the tourist role as Bethany and I unabashedly paraded our western selves around the souvenir-loaded, haggle-friendly, hot spots of Tianjin. However even these remarkable brain-weary negotiations that could take a good 15 minutes per item though an immediate highlight of the trip were not the most meaningful thing I flew away with.
So yeah, let me get on with it!!!!!! ----- what I learned about China is that besides its thousands of rice fields and vast farming countryside the most important harvest of all is ready to be picked. Please note that I am extremely humbled as I write this because I have been so moved by the people of Tianjin and their way of life that I have been challenged to rethink or re-strategize my approach to sharing the gospel altogether. Let me explain.
(I know tons of articles, books, journal entries and publications have already been written about this, but here is my take - overly simplistic but my take nonetheless …. )
A lot of bad things can be said about Communism, but I will not even try to make this is a political piece. My mind takes snapshots of life, chews on them and then regurgitates the incoming data into a simple form where I can learn a life lesson from it. With that in mind let me just tell you that one thing I learned or witnessed was that the mind numbing propaganda and media controlled society has mightily affected the entry and propagation of the Gospel. Think about it, you are accustomed to living as a machine and your life is limited to simply existing, working (or trying to make a living) for your country to make her great. At an individual level you cling to the hopes and dreams that your kids get a good enough education (in an extremely competitive educational system) that will land them a good enough career to support you and themselves, their wife and their one child (under the one-child policy). One must understand that the prospects to this outlook can become pretty mundane and in turn a mindless, asinine, vacuous existence. If you are a machine working for the greater good that is Papa Government then your only true hope is surviving. Bearing that in mind think about the implications the Good News could (and does) have on such a culture?!?!??!!?
You tell someone that they have been created long enough they start believing you. Even though you and I (us westerners I mean) know that that, creation, is a fact (more to come on that one). If you are created then the Creator had a purpose in mind when he created you. Do you understand what this means to a person that has, up to this point just been surviving this thing we call life? It means several things.
1) If I am created, my life is not my own.
2) If I am created I have a purpose. Because if someone creates something he has a purpose for his creation no?
3) If I am created my life has meaning because I am a created being.
4) If I am created, what then should I live for now ? or for whom should I live for?
I am not just a survivor anymore. There is a reason for all of this!
Brothers and Sisters is this not exciting? Do you not see that China is ready to hear, receive and accept the Gospel? (Which already has been for years – I don’t presume to be unveiling anything new) Do you realize why they are more ready/open to the Good News than say a culture that doesn’t really need a God anymore?
What this meant for me is that I ought to simplify my life more. I have had a renewed awareness and strengthened passion to be counter-cultural, at least here in the United States. That means give up distractions that can easily become stumbling blocks. There is a movement in Spain among young adults called "contracorriente" (lit. means against the current) which too is also something worth getting excited about. To me it means using my time for more productive things like studying the Bible more and meditating on it as well as spending more time in prayer. That means that many habits need to change, starting with time management. Cable is out, Netflix subscription is reduced, internet time must take a substantial cut, and money spending ought to be directed into more kingdom-building activies. Sharing a meal with those who have not heard maybe, or spending my time hanging out with real life people again! Jesus and his life and his truth would then begin to re-conquer my heart as I empty myself of those “distractions”. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us: “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” I like what English Standard Version has to say “lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely.”
Please pray for me that this not be a “church camp” experience but that it will serve as a turn around the corner with a better understanding of complete abandonment and sacrificial giving of myself to those who need to hear about Jesus the Christ, the Son of God the Creator.
Soon I plan to write more about the blessing and refreshment of meeting my new brother and sister,Murphy and Nichole, and what they mean to my life as well as the “English Corner” experience and the meeting of the University students.
For now let me leave you with this sugary love song I have dedidated to my precious wife given the context. Hope you too can enjoy!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
What to expect here
Hello friends,
A few months (September 2007 to be excact) ago I decided to create a blog unsure of what the nature of it would be. From time to time I get very analytical and ponder on several issues that I believe demand our attention. Those issues span from the implication of what we believe about certain biblical topics. These topics may include the thing like what Genesis meant when it read "In the beginning", or understanding the finality of absolute statements in the Bible like "As it written" or "Thus says the Lord" or " It is finished". I also would like to consider the early Church in Acts and what the heart of their ministry was and how they intentionally carried out Jesus' last instructions/promises including the need for a Holy Spirit. I have also set out to present my humble defense for the authority and historical accuracy of the Bible as well as the confirmation of Jesus as our only hope. This one is gonna step on some toes right out of the gate but I am willing to set out to prove, that Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven (Bible being my primary resource). Not only because the Bible says so but because ..... well for many reasons. You'll see, I'm especially excited about this one.
Yeah I know, hot topics! I believe they have been hot topics for far too long and that have been left to the Christian scholars to figure out and for our evangelical heavyweights to explain. I suggest we take to heart the Good Book that has been passed down to us over the past 2,000 or so, and study it. What is the Word of God telling us? Let's be careful to read those translations that have been translated from the original texts and not the most recent cultural-friendly ones. I suggest we use one of thsese: KJV, NIV, NAS maybe even NLT or ESV. Though The Message is exciting as well as maybe other versions I humbly ask that we discuss these topics stemming from versions closer to the greek and hebrew manuscripts.
Phew! so I put it out there. Now you have it; now you have a clear idea of what to expect, look forward to, or ignore. All are viable courses of action or inaction and my feelings will not be hurt, I promise. Seriously guys, at the end of the day these are my thoughts grounded in what the BIBLE has to tell us and what my exegetical findings show. These thoughts have absolutely nothing to do with what I feel or what I think or even what I believe to be held as truth. The Bible is TRUE independent of a what I perceive cognitively,what I feel in my heart or even what I sense in my spirit.
Let this blog serve as a thought-provoking, self-examining, discussion-prompting and sometimes even emotionally provocative slice of your time surfing around the murky waters of our beloved web.
Let's talk about the issues, opinions, ideas, principles or topics that are presented. Just like one of my favorite professors in college once said "Can we do that?"
The only thing I ask when commenting on an issue is that you limit your thoughts or opinions to a maximum of 2 inches of screen space (to all those English majors I don't know how much of a word count that would be) regardless of the font or format you use. Though I am willing to put myself out there and am ready to receive criticism and disagreements, let your conversation be void of any bad language, misleading tangents and defamatory remarks or ideas. However, please bring on the discussion!
A few months (September 2007 to be excact) ago I decided to create a blog unsure of what the nature of it would be. From time to time I get very analytical and ponder on several issues that I believe demand our attention. Those issues span from the implication of what we believe about certain biblical topics. These topics may include the thing like what Genesis meant when it read "In the beginning", or understanding the finality of absolute statements in the Bible like "As it written" or "Thus says the Lord" or " It is finished". I also would like to consider the early Church in Acts and what the heart of their ministry was and how they intentionally carried out Jesus' last instructions/promises including the need for a Holy Spirit. I have also set out to present my humble defense for the authority and historical accuracy of the Bible as well as the confirmation of Jesus as our only hope. This one is gonna step on some toes right out of the gate but I am willing to set out to prove, that Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven (Bible being my primary resource). Not only because the Bible says so but because ..... well for many reasons. You'll see, I'm especially excited about this one.
Yeah I know, hot topics! I believe they have been hot topics for far too long and that have been left to the Christian scholars to figure out and for our evangelical heavyweights to explain. I suggest we take to heart the Good Book that has been passed down to us over the past 2,000 or so, and study it. What is the Word of God telling us? Let's be careful to read those translations that have been translated from the original texts and not the most recent cultural-friendly ones. I suggest we use one of thsese: KJV, NIV, NAS maybe even NLT or ESV. Though The Message is exciting as well as maybe other versions I humbly ask that we discuss these topics stemming from versions closer to the greek and hebrew manuscripts.
Phew! so I put it out there. Now you have it; now you have a clear idea of what to expect, look forward to, or ignore. All are viable courses of action or inaction and my feelings will not be hurt, I promise. Seriously guys, at the end of the day these are my thoughts grounded in what the BIBLE has to tell us and what my exegetical findings show. These thoughts have absolutely nothing to do with what I feel or what I think or even what I believe to be held as truth. The Bible is TRUE independent of a what I perceive cognitively,what I feel in my heart or even what I sense in my spirit.
Let this blog serve as a thought-provoking, self-examining, discussion-prompting and sometimes even emotionally provocative slice of your time surfing around the murky waters of our beloved web.
Let's talk about the issues, opinions, ideas, principles or topics that are presented. Just like one of my favorite professors in college once said "Can we do that?"
The only thing I ask when commenting on an issue is that you limit your thoughts or opinions to a maximum of 2 inches of screen space (to all those English majors I don't know how much of a word count that would be) regardless of the font or format you use. Though I am willing to put myself out there and am ready to receive criticism and disagreements, let your conversation be void of any bad language, misleading tangents and defamatory remarks or ideas. However, please bring on the discussion!
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