Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14
"With my eyes fixed on the goal..." Phil. 3:14
Meixia Arts Company, Xiamen's first solely foreign-owned company, can use water to cut straight through glass, or even thick steel, because the water's powerful force is focused through a tiny diamond jet. Of course, even slow water can cut through rock over centuries but you and I don't have that long. If we want to be used to bring change, we need to focus like Meixia's water jets.
The Light and the Lense When Jesus said we are the light of the world, he did not mean that we ourselves are the light but that the world sees our Father's Light in us, or through us. We are the lense through which that Light shines, and we can diffuse that light so that it casts as many shadows as illumination, or we can be like the light of a laser, which like water is can cut through glass or rock or steel if it has direction, or focus. The key, as with water, is force and focus.
"Use the Force, Luke!" As least that's what Obi Wan told Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. But it is not an impersonal "force" but a personal Father, and we are not using him; he is using us--but we are not much use to him if we do not allow ourselves to be directed and focused to reach His ends.
"Use the Focus, Bill!" While the power is our Father's, the focus depends much on us. When Meixia first installed their water-cutter, someone installed the expensive diamond jet upside down, destroying it. The expensive machine and the power behind it was useless until they spent thousands replacing the diamond jet.
We need to be sure we are properly prepared, ready, and focused, in order that our Father may work through us. But it is hard to focus in this day of e-mail, cell phones and internet. We are busier and busier. There are so many good things that can be done, and need to be--but not all good things are the best things. Is is far better to do a few things well, and make a difference, than to do many things poorly, and make no difference.
Not even Jesus tried to do everything. He carefully picked only twelve to disciple. He preached to some crowds but avoided others, healed some people but not others. He chose his battles carefully, and walked away from those not in accord with his focus and purpose. He did not just pour himself out but focused his energy, thought and heart in those areas that were, too him, most important.
I know some will argue that we should not "narrow" ourselves, that we should be "instant in and out of season," and "be all things to all people." There is some point to that, of course--but that can also be an excuse for not putting in the effort and persistence to accomplish the things that our Father has specifically called us to. We each have special abilities and inclinations, and should use them. If we don't wisely focus and use what we have, it will be given to others. (Matthew 24:14-30).
www.amoymagic.com
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Road Outside My Front Door
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"You have made known to me the path of life..." Psalm 16:11
Psa 27:11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path Psalm 27:11
A Xiamen friend never imagined that when she kissed her husband good by, it was really good by. Just two hours later, while visiting their factory across Xiamen Bay in Haicang, he died of a heart attack. We just never know what waits outside our front door. Of course, the road beyond it is a lot smoother and faster nowadays, especially in our shrinking China, but even so the day will come when this road ends, and then the real journey begins.
Shrinking China In about an hour I will take the bus to Fuzhou (former Foochow) for 3 days of lectures. In Marco Polo's day the trip from Xiamen to Fuzhou took a week, and many never survived it. A century ago it took 5 days. Ten years ago it was a 10 to 15 hour drive. Today, it is 4 hours by bus. In a year the new train will cut it to two hours. But no matter how fast we go, one certainty that remains is I have no idea where the road will take me today--but that is okay. What matters is that 1), I'm ready for the day, and 2), I do go out that door (just getting out the door is half the battle sometimes!).
My Favorites During a radio interview with a Beijing radio station a couple months ago, I shared my "favorite book, movie and song". A favorite quote was Tolkien's:
"The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
1. Life is a Road. I have always loved the road. In the Air Force I bicycled and hitchhiked around Taiwan half a dozen times. I hitchhiked over 3000 miles around Mexico (with no money, living with peasants). In 1994 our family drove over 40,000 Km. around China, to Tibet and back. In 1995, to make sure our sons understood America at least as well as China, we drove over 40,000 miles around the U.S. But whether I'm on the road or at home, life itself is an exciting journey, with a destination, and each of us has a different path laid out before us.
2. Many Small Roads, One Larger Way. My own life and path is small and seemingly insignificant, but it does have a purpose as long as I have Direction. We are each a living thread, lovingly woven by our Father on the loom of life into a tapestry, but if we went our own way, or if we were all the same color and went the same direction, He'd end up not with a tapestry but a throw rug or a bedsheet. So I need to follow his direction, and the One Road he has prepared for me, and me alone. As Job said, "Will you keep to the old path that evil men have trod?" Job 22:!5
3. One step at a time. I might never have driven the 3-month, 40,000 km. trip to Tibet and back had I known what we'd face in Mongolia and the dunes of the Gobi Desert. The trip was tolerable and enjoyable (usually) 0nly because we focused on one stretch of road at a time, one day at a time, knowing that each mountain crossed or river forged (yes, in a van!) put us closer to Lhasa on the way out, or Xiamen on the way back. In the same way I take life a day at a time, and though I have no idea of what today may bring, I'm certain of Tomorrow because I know my ultimate destination, even I don't know all the twists and turns I'll take to get there.
4. Whither today? Regardless of what the road holds for me today, eventually our "many paths and errands meet" and if I complete today's journey, I shall be one step closer to that "larger way." So as Bilbo would have said, were he here today:
Whither today? I cannot say!
I've never been this way before.
But I in confidence can pray
for courage to go out my door,
and not just crawl, or walk, but run.
Not just endure but to have fun.
For brief the journey and light the load,
When traveling on my Father's road.
And when I finally reach the end,
yet greater journeys will begin.
Provided I survive driving in China, that is!
http://ourdailynoodles.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-favorite-book-movie-song.html
www.amoymagic.com
"You have made known to me the path of life..." Psalm 16:11
Psa 27:11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path Psalm 27:11
A Xiamen friend never imagined that when she kissed her husband good by, it was really good by. Just two hours later, while visiting their factory across Xiamen Bay in Haicang, he died of a heart attack. We just never know what waits outside our front door. Of course, the road beyond it is a lot smoother and faster nowadays, especially in our shrinking China, but even so the day will come when this road ends, and then the real journey begins.
Shrinking China In about an hour I will take the bus to Fuzhou (former Foochow) for 3 days of lectures. In Marco Polo's day the trip from Xiamen to Fuzhou took a week, and many never survived it. A century ago it took 5 days. Ten years ago it was a 10 to 15 hour drive. Today, it is 4 hours by bus. In a year the new train will cut it to two hours. But no matter how fast we go, one certainty that remains is I have no idea where the road will take me today--but that is okay. What matters is that 1), I'm ready for the day, and 2), I do go out that door (just getting out the door is half the battle sometimes!).
My Favorites During a radio interview with a Beijing radio station a couple months ago, I shared my "favorite book, movie and song". A favorite quote was Tolkien's:
"The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
1. Life is a Road. I have always loved the road. In the Air Force I bicycled and hitchhiked around Taiwan half a dozen times. I hitchhiked over 3000 miles around Mexico (with no money, living with peasants). In 1994 our family drove over 40,000 Km. around China, to Tibet and back. In 1995, to make sure our sons understood America at least as well as China, we drove over 40,000 miles around the U.S. But whether I'm on the road or at home, life itself is an exciting journey, with a destination, and each of us has a different path laid out before us.
2. Many Small Roads, One Larger Way. My own life and path is small and seemingly insignificant, but it does have a purpose as long as I have Direction. We are each a living thread, lovingly woven by our Father on the loom of life into a tapestry, but if we went our own way, or if we were all the same color and went the same direction, He'd end up not with a tapestry but a throw rug or a bedsheet. So I need to follow his direction, and the One Road he has prepared for me, and me alone. As Job said, "Will you keep to the old path that evil men have trod?" Job 22:!5
3. One step at a time. I might never have driven the 3-month, 40,000 km. trip to Tibet and back had I known what we'd face in Mongolia and the dunes of the Gobi Desert. The trip was tolerable and enjoyable (usually) 0nly because we focused on one stretch of road at a time, one day at a time, knowing that each mountain crossed or river forged (yes, in a van!) put us closer to Lhasa on the way out, or Xiamen on the way back. In the same way I take life a day at a time, and though I have no idea of what today may bring, I'm certain of Tomorrow because I know my ultimate destination, even I don't know all the twists and turns I'll take to get there.
4. Whither today? Regardless of what the road holds for me today, eventually our "many paths and errands meet" and if I complete today's journey, I shall be one step closer to that "larger way." So as Bilbo would have said, were he here today:
Whither today? I cannot say!
I've never been this way before.
But I in confidence can pray
for courage to go out my door,
and not just crawl, or walk, but run.
Not just endure but to have fun.
For brief the journey and light the load,
When traveling on my Father's road.
And when I finally reach the end,
yet greater journeys will begin.
Provided I survive driving in China, that is!
http://ourdailynoodles.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-favorite-book-movie-song.html
www.amoymagic.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Double Portion, Bigger Shoes
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. 2 Kings 2:9 NIV
"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but no vision." Hellen Keller (1880-1968, blind and deaf educator).
When Elisha learned that the powerful prophet Elijah was leaving, he knew he could not fill Elijah's shoes, so instead of even trying, he asked for a bigger pair of shoes! Elijah asked, "Tell me what I can do for your before I am taken from you?" And Elisha replied, "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit."
1. Taller With Time. It is inevitable that the stature of those who have gone before us will grow taller with time. Biographies magnify their virtues and gloss over the faults of great Christians, leaving them standing upon a spiritual pedestal that often serves more to discourage than encourage us (how can we be like that!). Thank God for the Bible, which lays bare the lives of "heroes" and saints, showing not just their great deeds but their great faults and failures as well. The Bible does this to remind us that even the greatest were people, like us. What made them great was not their own actions or insights but the Spirit within them--the same Spirit that desires to inhabit and animate us as well.
2. Passing the Torch. Someone asked me if I knew the mortality rate of 19th century missionaries in China. I said, "Yep, 100%! They're all dead now!" (Actually, they averaged 7 years in China before dying). Every spiritual "giant" in the Bible, except for Elijah, died, because God created them to serve for one generation. "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed." Acts 13:36 NIV
Every great early Christians had one thing in common: they died. But they also had another thing in common: successors. Had there been no one to inherit that same Spirit and carry on the work, that "great" Christian would have been forgotten. And even today, we are still only one generation from either embracing or forgetting God. We are always but one generation closer to the Kingdom, or further from it. It is our job, in this generation, to work to bring that kingdom closer.
3. Bigger Shoes. When Elisha realized Elijah was leaving him, he did not tremble at the knees or beg him to stay, but instead asked for a double portion of Spirit! Note that Elisha did not ask Elijah for a double portion of Elijah's own spirit. He wanted not a second-hand spirituality from a man but a double portion of God's spirit, straight from God. In the same way, today we must learn from our godly predecessors' examples, but our strength is not from them but from our Father.
It is easy to be intimidated by the overwhelming mess around us, and by our own inadequacies--by the knowledge that we are not "great." But no one in the history of mankind was "great." David, Joseph, Abraham, Esther, Peter, Martin Luther--every spiritual "giant" was in reality a spiritual weakling except when empowered by the Spirit that enabled them to serve in their own generation. Nothing has changed. We too can be empowered in the same way to serve in our generation.
Paul's Tomorrow, our Today. Paul wrote that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow." Heb. 13:8 NIV If Jesus is the same, then so is his Father, and we can still trust Jesus' promise, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13
Bigger Shoes, Straight Paths The greats of yesterday have gone to their reward, and tomorrow will take care of itself (Matt. 6:34). Our calling is this generation, and what we have been called to do, we will be equipped to do--if we ask. Don't just ask to fill others' shoes. Ask for bigger shoes--but before you take a step in those shoes, remember to, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov. 3:5,6 NIV
www.amoymagic.com
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. 2 Kings 2:9 NIV
"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but no vision." Hellen Keller (1880-1968, blind and deaf educator).
When Elisha learned that the powerful prophet Elijah was leaving, he knew he could not fill Elijah's shoes, so instead of even trying, he asked for a bigger pair of shoes! Elijah asked, "Tell me what I can do for your before I am taken from you?" And Elisha replied, "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit."
1. Taller With Time. It is inevitable that the stature of those who have gone before us will grow taller with time. Biographies magnify their virtues and gloss over the faults of great Christians, leaving them standing upon a spiritual pedestal that often serves more to discourage than encourage us (how can we be like that!). Thank God for the Bible, which lays bare the lives of "heroes" and saints, showing not just their great deeds but their great faults and failures as well. The Bible does this to remind us that even the greatest were people, like us. What made them great was not their own actions or insights but the Spirit within them--the same Spirit that desires to inhabit and animate us as well.
2. Passing the Torch. Someone asked me if I knew the mortality rate of 19th century missionaries in China. I said, "Yep, 100%! They're all dead now!" (Actually, they averaged 7 years in China before dying). Every spiritual "giant" in the Bible, except for Elijah, died, because God created them to serve for one generation. "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed." Acts 13:36 NIV
Every great early Christians had one thing in common: they died. But they also had another thing in common: successors. Had there been no one to inherit that same Spirit and carry on the work, that "great" Christian would have been forgotten. And even today, we are still only one generation from either embracing or forgetting God. We are always but one generation closer to the Kingdom, or further from it. It is our job, in this generation, to work to bring that kingdom closer.
3. Bigger Shoes. When Elisha realized Elijah was leaving him, he did not tremble at the knees or beg him to stay, but instead asked for a double portion of Spirit! Note that Elisha did not ask Elijah for a double portion of Elijah's own spirit. He wanted not a second-hand spirituality from a man but a double portion of God's spirit, straight from God. In the same way, today we must learn from our godly predecessors' examples, but our strength is not from them but from our Father.
It is easy to be intimidated by the overwhelming mess around us, and by our own inadequacies--by the knowledge that we are not "great." But no one in the history of mankind was "great." David, Joseph, Abraham, Esther, Peter, Martin Luther--every spiritual "giant" was in reality a spiritual weakling except when empowered by the Spirit that enabled them to serve in their own generation. Nothing has changed. We too can be empowered in the same way to serve in our generation.
Paul's Tomorrow, our Today. Paul wrote that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow." Heb. 13:8 NIV If Jesus is the same, then so is his Father, and we can still trust Jesus' promise, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13
Bigger Shoes, Straight Paths The greats of yesterday have gone to their reward, and tomorrow will take care of itself (Matt. 6:34). Our calling is this generation, and what we have been called to do, we will be equipped to do--if we ask. Don't just ask to fill others' shoes. Ask for bigger shoes--but before you take a step in those shoes, remember to, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov. 3:5,6 NIV
www.amoymagic.com
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Strengthen My Hands & Heart
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Strengthen my hands." Nehemiah 6:9b NIV
"If you stand straight, do not fear a crooked shadow." Chinese Proverb
Foreigners who visit Xiamen today invariably f
all in love with it and want to stay, but that was not the case in the late 1980s. (See "How we got here"). When we moved here in 1988, many well-meaning friends thought we were nuts, and tried to discourage us with, "What will you do there? What about your health, and your family's safety? What about the kids' education? What about... ?" All this was from our family and best friends. Just imagine how we'd have felt had we been discouraged by enemies--such as Nehemiah faced when he was rebuilding Jerusalem's walls.
Nehemiah's enemies first threatened and intimidated him, and then tried to frighten him into giving up by saying they had proof he was plotting to make himself king. Nehemiah was unfazed. He replied, "Luanjiang!" (Chinese for "nonsense"). He wrote, "They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, 'Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.' But I prayed, 'Now strengthen my hands.'" Neh 6:9 NIV
1. Fear kills vision and resolve. Nehemiah's enemies hoped fear would weaken his hands. The Hebrew yawd, for "open hands," infers "power, means, direction." In effect, they hoped fear would kill his vision and resolve. But Nehemiah was unafraid because 1) he knew he was doing the right thing, and 2) he had no secrets for his enemies to dig up and leverage against him. His motives were pure.
2. Truth fears no lies. Or as Sir Francis Bacon wrote, "The man who fears no truths has nothing to fear from lies." Because Nehemiah had no secret agenda (wealth, fame, power), he had nothing to fear from false accusations. Nehemiah responded simply, "You are making this up out of your head" (Neh. 6:8 NIV) and he persevered.
3. Fear is Darkness; turn on the Light. Dorothy Thompson wrote, "Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light." If we do fear, we may have impure motives, or we may not be confident in our calling and our Father's promises of protection and provision.
Nothing to Hide. Jesus said, "There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed." Nehemiah had nothing to hide, and he knew it. We too should allow the Light to illuminate the dark recesses of our heart and soul. What is our real motivation? Would it stand up to public scrutiny?
Confident in our Calling. Nehemiah also lacked fear because he had no doubts about what he was called to do--or that our Father would guide him to the end. As Pro 3:5,6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
4. Strengthen My Hands. Finally, though Nehemiah trusted God, he did not expect God to build the wall, or defend the city. Nehemiah trusted God but continued to work, and prayed for strong "hands." Nehemiah prayed for God's power, means and direction to fulfill what he knew was his God-given purpose. He trusted God but kept his sword sharp and his masonry trowel full.
I have often felt fear, or at least a lack of faith, over the years. When I do fear, I pray, read the Word, and examine my motives. And it has been very helpful for me to look back over the years and see how my Father has so clearly led us, even with a "a sign from the heavens" now and then, and He will do the same today and tomorrow.
If you are alive today (and if you aren't, the internet is far more powerful than I imagined), you have a purpose and a calling. Find it, follow it and nothing else, and banish the darkness of fear with confidence in the Light that will illuminate the path of all who follow and trust our Father.
Related Topic: Trust God but Keep your Sword Sharp (Nehemiah's 6 Steps):
How We Got Here (how we ended up in Xiamen)
www.amoymagic.com
"Strengthen my hands." Nehemiah 6:9b NIV
"If you stand straight, do not fear a crooked shadow." Chinese Proverb
Foreigners who visit Xiamen today invariably f
all in love with it and want to stay, but that was not the case in the late 1980s. (See "How we got here"). When we moved here in 1988, many well-meaning friends thought we were nuts, and tried to discourage us with, "What will you do there? What about your health, and your family's safety? What about the kids' education? What about... ?" All this was from our family and best friends. Just imagine how we'd have felt had we been discouraged by enemies--such as Nehemiah faced when he was rebuilding Jerusalem's walls.Nehemiah's enemies first threatened and intimidated him, and then tried to frighten him into giving up by saying they had proof he was plotting to make himself king. Nehemiah was unfazed. He replied, "Luanjiang!" (Chinese for "nonsense"). He wrote, "They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, 'Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.' But I prayed, 'Now strengthen my hands.'" Neh 6:9 NIV
1. Fear kills vision and resolve. Nehemiah's enemies hoped fear would weaken his hands. The Hebrew yawd, for "open hands," infers "power, means, direction." In effect, they hoped fear would kill his vision and resolve. But Nehemiah was unafraid because 1) he knew he was doing the right thing, and 2) he had no secrets for his enemies to dig up and leverage against him. His motives were pure.
2. Truth fears no lies. Or as Sir Francis Bacon wrote, "The man who fears no truths has nothing to fear from lies." Because Nehemiah had no secret agenda (wealth, fame, power), he had nothing to fear from false accusations. Nehemiah responded simply, "You are making this up out of your head" (Neh. 6:8 NIV) and he persevered.
3. Fear is Darkness; turn on the Light. Dorothy Thompson wrote, "Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light." If we do fear, we may have impure motives, or we may not be confident in our calling and our Father's promises of protection and provision.
Nothing to Hide. Jesus said, "There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed." Nehemiah had nothing to hide, and he knew it. We too should allow the Light to illuminate the dark recesses of our heart and soul. What is our real motivation? Would it stand up to public scrutiny?
Confident in our Calling. Nehemiah also lacked fear because he had no doubts about what he was called to do--or that our Father would guide him to the end. As Pro 3:5,6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
4. Strengthen My Hands. Finally, though Nehemiah trusted God, he did not expect God to build the wall, or defend the city. Nehemiah trusted God but continued to work, and prayed for strong "hands." Nehemiah prayed for God's power, means and direction to fulfill what he knew was his God-given purpose. He trusted God but kept his sword sharp and his masonry trowel full.
I have often felt fear, or at least a lack of faith, over the years. When I do fear, I pray, read the Word, and examine my motives. And it has been very helpful for me to look back over the years and see how my Father has so clearly led us, even with a "a sign from the heavens" now and then, and He will do the same today and tomorrow.
If you are alive today (and if you aren't, the internet is far more powerful than I imagined), you have a purpose and a calling. Find it, follow it and nothing else, and banish the darkness of fear with confidence in the Light that will illuminate the path of all who follow and trust our Father.
Related Topic: Trust God but Keep your Sword Sharp (Nehemiah's 6 Steps):
How We Got Here (how we ended up in Xiamen)
www.amoymagic.com
Monday, February 23, 2009
Pros & Cons of Conflict
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Be wise as serpents but harmless as a dove." Matt. 10:16
"...not to bring peace but to bring a sword." Matt. 10:34
"To see what is right and not do it, is want of courage or principle." Confucius
I asked my MBA students if conflict was good or bad and most said, "Bad, of course!" And conflict is of course often harmful--but so is the complete absence of conflict, because change and growth only follow conflict. This is one reason that Jesus, the "Prince of Peace," said he came "not to bring peace but to bring a sword." Matt. 10:34
Some say this verse shows that Jesus advocated violence, but look at the context. In Matt. 10, Jesus is warning his disciples that when they preach the Good News they will be persecuted, but to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." (Matt. 10:16 KJV). And in Matt. 10:10, Jesus said to not take a bag for the journey, or extra tunic, sandals, staff--much less a sword! So when Jesus spoke of "bringing not peace but a sword," he was saying that his message would stir up conflict from those who opposed him.
Jesus knew the only way to peace, both inner and outer, was conflict. We must confront our dark inner and outer realities before we may deal with them. Conflict brings change, which brings growth (or destruction). This is why Jesus, the man of peace, spoke such fiery sermons--to awaken, and failing that, to enrage, for either hot or cold is better than lukewarm (Rev. 3:16).
Five Approaches to Conflict There are times to not flee conflict but to embrace it as an escape from our debilitating lukewarm spirituality. And we need prayer, wisdom and discernment to determine how to face conflict
1. Confrontation: the "showdown." I confront some issues (cheating students), but not all battles are my battles As Prov. 20:17 says, to meddle in a quarrel not one's own is like grabbing a dog by its ears.
2. Cooperation: work together. I cooperate with members of the fellowship, or nonbelievers engaged in worthy purposes, but not with those who urge me to engage in lucrative but questionable pursuits.
3. Compromise: give and take. I would never compromise my beliefs or ideals, but I do compromise on issues that are major to others and minor to me (resolving a scheduling conflict, for example).
4. Avoid: not worth the bother I actively avoid some people who feel it their calling in life to stir up dissension, but I must also be careful that I do not avoid facing issues just because they are uncomfortable for me (injustice, for example).
5. Accommodate: give in. The better you get at what you do, the more demands people place upon you. I give in to some of these demands, but only if it does not place undue strain upon me, my family, or the work that I know is my priority. (God does have priorities for each of us; even Jesus did not do everything for everyone).
The problem with conflict is it always reflects a changing situation, but our personality (unlike our attitudes) is relatively unchanging, and usually leads us to handle all conflict in the same manner. Some battle every issue; some flee them. But our personality, and perceptions, may no longer be in step with the current situation--or with where our Father is leading us.
Anchored or Tossed We need to be anchored if we are to wisely cope with the chaotic, changing world around us, otherwise we will be "infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching..." Eph. 4:14
Pray daily, read the word (a "lamp unto our feet," guiding us when faced with forks in the road), meditate upon the truths for this day, and then trust for guidance in coping with today's conflicts--for if you're alive and breathing, you will indeed face conflicts this very day. The only folks free from conflict are dead, or residing in padded cells (and they face conflict as well but don't know it).
I will never seek out conflict, but I also know that only those who go upstream feel the current against them. Today, let us accept the conflicts that our Father allows into our lives as God-given opportunities for change and growth.
www.amoymagic.com
"Be wise as serpents but harmless as a dove." Matt. 10:16
"...not to bring peace but to bring a sword." Matt. 10:34
"To see what is right and not do it, is want of courage or principle." Confucius
I asked my MBA students if conflict was good or bad and most said, "Bad, of course!" And conflict is of course often harmful--but so is the complete absence of conflict, because change and growth only follow conflict. This is one reason that Jesus, the "Prince of Peace," said he came "not to bring peace but to bring a sword." Matt. 10:34
Some say this verse shows that Jesus advocated violence, but look at the context. In Matt. 10, Jesus is warning his disciples that when they preach the Good News they will be persecuted, but to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." (Matt. 10:16 KJV). And in Matt. 10:10, Jesus said to not take a bag for the journey, or extra tunic, sandals, staff--much less a sword! So when Jesus spoke of "bringing not peace but a sword," he was saying that his message would stir up conflict from those who opposed him.
Jesus knew the only way to peace, both inner and outer, was conflict. We must confront our dark inner and outer realities before we may deal with them. Conflict brings change, which brings growth (or destruction). This is why Jesus, the man of peace, spoke such fiery sermons--to awaken, and failing that, to enrage, for either hot or cold is better than lukewarm (Rev. 3:16).
Five Approaches to Conflict There are times to not flee conflict but to embrace it as an escape from our debilitating lukewarm spirituality. And we need prayer, wisdom and discernment to determine how to face conflict
1. Confrontation: the "showdown." I confront some issues (cheating students), but not all battles are my battles As Prov. 20:17 says, to meddle in a quarrel not one's own is like grabbing a dog by its ears.
2. Cooperation: work together. I cooperate with members of the fellowship, or nonbelievers engaged in worthy purposes, but not with those who urge me to engage in lucrative but questionable pursuits.
3. Compromise: give and take. I would never compromise my beliefs or ideals, but I do compromise on issues that are major to others and minor to me (resolving a scheduling conflict, for example).
4. Avoid: not worth the bother I actively avoid some people who feel it their calling in life to stir up dissension, but I must also be careful that I do not avoid facing issues just because they are uncomfortable for me (injustice, for example).
5. Accommodate: give in. The better you get at what you do, the more demands people place upon you. I give in to some of these demands, but only if it does not place undue strain upon me, my family, or the work that I know is my priority. (God does have priorities for each of us; even Jesus did not do everything for everyone).
The problem with conflict is it always reflects a changing situation, but our personality (unlike our attitudes) is relatively unchanging, and usually leads us to handle all conflict in the same manner. Some battle every issue; some flee them. But our personality, and perceptions, may no longer be in step with the current situation--or with where our Father is leading us.
Anchored or Tossed We need to be anchored if we are to wisely cope with the chaotic, changing world around us, otherwise we will be "infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching..." Eph. 4:14
Pray daily, read the word (a "lamp unto our feet," guiding us when faced with forks in the road), meditate upon the truths for this day, and then trust for guidance in coping with today's conflicts--for if you're alive and breathing, you will indeed face conflicts this very day. The only folks free from conflict are dead, or residing in padded cells (and they face conflict as well but don't know it).
I will never seek out conflict, but I also know that only those who go upstream feel the current against them. Today, let us accept the conflicts that our Father allows into our lives as God-given opportunities for change and growth.
www.amoymagic.com
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Save or Snare the Child?
Bill Brown .... Xiamen University
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Prov.22:6
"Things like that must come. But how terrible for those who cause them!" Matt. 18:7
The childhood memories that really stand out are those in which adults did or said something that, in their eyes perhaps, was insignificant, but to me meant the world--such as the Big Bertha tank.
It took dad a year just to pay off the $100 loan for his 1956 De Soto, so we had few toys, though they did scrimp to buy us an encyclopedia set, and telescope and microscope, which to me were better than toys. So I made my own toys, and cigar box guitar, and garden-hose flutes, and sock dolls for my sister. But when I was ten I fell in love with the gigantic green plastic Big Bertha tank in the Charles Town, West Virginia IGA store. On our weekly Friday night trips to town, I'd look at the tank, and imagine firing its big red plastic cannon balls. I knew my parents could not afford it and so never asked for it, so imagine my surprise to find it under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning! The manager had seen me looking at the tank, and gave it to my parents.
It was probably a small gesture for him, but it was one of the childhood kindnesses that I never forgot--an investment that I later multiplied in many other children because the IGA manager taught me how to have a giving heart.
Many small acts of kindness, or words of encouragement, literally built me up, and gave me hope. Yet I can also remember the times that an adult's careless or harsh words (or, worst of all, treating me unfairly) crushed my spirit as if it were an empty soda can beneath someone's heel, and implanted seeds of fear, mistrust, and resentment that are still a part of me today, even though the good memories far outweigh the bad.
Jesus loved children. He said, "Anyone who becomes as free of pride as this child is the most important in the kingdom of heaven." Mat 18:4 NRIV. Jesus encouraged us to receive Jesus as we receive Him. (Matt. 18:5). But he also warned that it would be better to be drowned in the sea with a millstone around one's neck than to cause a child to stumble (literally, to "trip up", "ensnare," or "entrap.").
Pretty strong words, because Jesus knew how easily these little lives can be either shaped for good or scarred for life. And though Jesus also admitted that, in this world, hurts are inevitable, he said woe to those through whom they come (Matt. 18:7).
Receiving Children We need to receive children as we receive Christ, and take care to build them up, not tear them down, because our world is never more than one generation away from total godlessness or anarchy. If we lose the children, we lose the future. But what children?
1. Our own children. It is a shame there is no training required to be a parent! My words and example tripped up my precious sons more times than I care to remember. Fortunately, my Father has been gracious in helping me to slowly change, slowly, and my sons are very forgiving. Still, I hope I do better with the grandchildren!
2. Our neighbor's children. Jesus said to "love your neighbor as yourself." Our neighbor is "anyone in need," and this includes their children. A kind word, gesture, or gift to the child of a needy person, or a day volunteering at the local orphanage, may sow a seed that reaps a great harvest in the generation to come.
3. The World's children. It is amazing that in an age of unsurpassed prosperity we still have unparalleled poverty and hunger. We may try to absolve ourselves by blaming poverty on ignorance or laziness--but the starving child cannot be blamed. Give to organizations like Samaritan's Purse or Red Cross.
Jesus prayed, "Thy Kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." Let us treat children carefully, for they are a precious gift, straight from our Father. Whether we save a child or snare it may help determine if we are one generation closer to our Father's kingdom, or one generation farther from it. Help a child today!
"Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." Matt. 18:5 NIRV
Note: Matt.18:7's "offences" is from the Greek skandalon, which is probably from the word kampto, for "bend " or "bow," implying "bent stick" or "snare."
www.amoymagic.com
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Prov.22:6
"Things like that must come. But how terrible for those who cause them!" Matt. 18:7
The childhood memories that really stand out are those in which adults did or said something that, in their eyes perhaps, was insignificant, but to me meant the world--such as the Big Bertha tank.
It took dad a year just to pay off the $100 loan for his 1956 De Soto, so we had few toys, though they did scrimp to buy us an encyclopedia set, and telescope and microscope, which to me were better than toys. So I made my own toys, and cigar box guitar, and garden-hose flutes, and sock dolls for my sister. But when I was ten I fell in love with the gigantic green plastic Big Bertha tank in the Charles Town, West Virginia IGA store. On our weekly Friday night trips to town, I'd look at the tank, and imagine firing its big red plastic cannon balls. I knew my parents could not afford it and so never asked for it, so imagine my surprise to find it under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning! The manager had seen me looking at the tank, and gave it to my parents.
It was probably a small gesture for him, but it was one of the childhood kindnesses that I never forgot--an investment that I later multiplied in many other children because the IGA manager taught me how to have a giving heart.
Many small acts of kindness, or words of encouragement, literally built me up, and gave me hope. Yet I can also remember the times that an adult's careless or harsh words (or, worst of all, treating me unfairly) crushed my spirit as if it were an empty soda can beneath someone's heel, and implanted seeds of fear, mistrust, and resentment that are still a part of me today, even though the good memories far outweigh the bad.
Jesus loved children. He said, "Anyone who becomes as free of pride as this child is the most important in the kingdom of heaven." Mat 18:4 NRIV. Jesus encouraged us to receive Jesus as we receive Him. (Matt. 18:5). But he also warned that it would be better to be drowned in the sea with a millstone around one's neck than to cause a child to stumble (literally, to "trip up", "ensnare," or "entrap.").
Pretty strong words, because Jesus knew how easily these little lives can be either shaped for good or scarred for life. And though Jesus also admitted that, in this world, hurts are inevitable, he said woe to those through whom they come (Matt. 18:7).
Receiving Children We need to receive children as we receive Christ, and take care to build them up, not tear them down, because our world is never more than one generation away from total godlessness or anarchy. If we lose the children, we lose the future. But what children?
1. Our own children. It is a shame there is no training required to be a parent! My words and example tripped up my precious sons more times than I care to remember. Fortunately, my Father has been gracious in helping me to slowly change, slowly, and my sons are very forgiving. Still, I hope I do better with the grandchildren!
2. Our neighbor's children. Jesus said to "love your neighbor as yourself." Our neighbor is "anyone in need," and this includes their children. A kind word, gesture, or gift to the child of a needy person, or a day volunteering at the local orphanage, may sow a seed that reaps a great harvest in the generation to come.
3. The World's children. It is amazing that in an age of unsurpassed prosperity we still have unparalleled poverty and hunger. We may try to absolve ourselves by blaming poverty on ignorance or laziness--but the starving child cannot be blamed. Give to organizations like Samaritan's Purse or Red Cross.
Jesus prayed, "Thy Kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." Let us treat children carefully, for they are a precious gift, straight from our Father. Whether we save a child or snare it may help determine if we are one generation closer to our Father's kingdom, or one generation farther from it. Help a child today!
"Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." Matt. 18:5 NIRV
Note: Matt.18:7's "offences" is from the Greek skandalon, which is probably from the word kampto, for "bend " or "bow," implying "bent stick" or "snare."
www.amoymagic.com
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Morning, Young Man!
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Careless words stab like a sword, but the words of wise people bring healing." Proverbs 12:18 God's Word Translation (1995).
"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it." Confucius
A couple weeks ago a man in Hong Kong made my day when he heartily clapped me on the back and said, "Good morning, young man!"
When I came to China in 1988 I was young, and looked it, and felt it. I even grew a full beard just to look older so my students would take me more seriously. But eventually Sue had me shave it off with the encouraging words, "You don't need a beard to look old now!"
Though I'm not exactly "old," I've been around over half a century now, and like many people my age, I can relate to whoever said "inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened."
Some say that youth is not years but attitude, and I still feel young, even in the face of mounting evidence against it. So what a joy to have someone that I thought was older than me (turned out he was younger) to call me "young man." I suspected he was not sincere, but it did not matter. It felt good.
In school we chanted, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." How wrong we were! Physical wounds and bruises heal, but emotional scars from wounding words go deep beneath the flesh to the heart and very soul, and can last a lifetime--or longer. So we should carefully steward our words.
1. Wounding Words--avoid them. If you can't say something good, remain silent--unless, of course, silence would create greater problems. Confucius said silence is always a friend--but it's not a friend if by remaining silent you allow a blond man to walk off a cliff.
2. Healing Words--make them a habit. Practice thinking of ways to encourage and heal people with your words. That's does not mean, of course, empty flattery, which is worse than silence. But look at those around you and think of ways to remind them that, in spite of circumstances, there is a Plan and a Purpose, and remind those who are struggling of Paul's reminder, "
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Rom. 8:28 NAS.
3. The Word. Read, daily, our Father's Word, and apply it not only to yourself but others. I've read the same passages perhaps a hundred times by now, but each time they are new, and fresh, because each day I am new, and facing new situations, and can apply them in different ways, for myself and for others. As the Psalmist wrote, "Rather, he delights in the teachings of the LORD and reflects on his teachings day and night." Psalm 1:2 GWT
And have a good day, young person--for you are young, and in our Father's eyes will always be a child. "Except you become as a child, you will not enter the Kingdom..." Matt. 18:3
Related: Healing Words Silence a Red Guard
www.amoymagic.com
"Careless words stab like a sword, but the words of wise people bring healing." Proverbs 12:18 God's Word Translation (1995).
"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it." Confucius
A couple weeks ago a man in Hong Kong made my day when he heartily clapped me on the back and said, "Good morning, young man!"
When I came to China in 1988 I was young, and looked it, and felt it. I even grew a full beard just to look older so my students would take me more seriously. But eventually Sue had me shave it off with the encouraging words, "You don't need a beard to look old now!"
Though I'm not exactly "old," I've been around over half a century now, and like many people my age, I can relate to whoever said "inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened."
Some say that youth is not years but attitude, and I still feel young, even in the face of mounting evidence against it. So what a joy to have someone that I thought was older than me (turned out he was younger) to call me "young man." I suspected he was not sincere, but it did not matter. It felt good.
In school we chanted, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." How wrong we were! Physical wounds and bruises heal, but emotional scars from wounding words go deep beneath the flesh to the heart and very soul, and can last a lifetime--or longer. So we should carefully steward our words.
1. Wounding Words--avoid them. If you can't say something good, remain silent--unless, of course, silence would create greater problems. Confucius said silence is always a friend--but it's not a friend if by remaining silent you allow a blond man to walk off a cliff.
2. Healing Words--make them a habit. Practice thinking of ways to encourage and heal people with your words. That's does not mean, of course, empty flattery, which is worse than silence. But look at those around you and think of ways to remind them that, in spite of circumstances, there is a Plan and a Purpose, and remind those who are struggling of Paul's reminder, "
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Rom. 8:28 NAS.
3. The Word. Read, daily, our Father's Word, and apply it not only to yourself but others. I've read the same passages perhaps a hundred times by now, but each time they are new, and fresh, because each day I am new, and facing new situations, and can apply them in different ways, for myself and for others. As the Psalmist wrote, "Rather, he delights in the teachings of the LORD and reflects on his teachings day and night." Psalm 1:2 GWT
And have a good day, young person--for you are young, and in our Father's eyes will always be a child. "Except you become as a child, you will not enter the Kingdom..." Matt. 18:3
Related: Healing Words Silence a Red Guard
www.amoymagic.com
Friday, February 20, 2009
Free Venus Lantern Tonight!
Bill Brown .... Xiamen University
"I am...the bright and morning star." Rev. 22:!6
"If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years, how man would marvel and stare." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ancient Chinese astronomers not only watched the heavens and tracked stars and comets longer than anyone else (they have records covering thousands of years), but also did so with such amazing accuracy that NASA has recently used 14th century B.C. Chinese astronomical records to calculate how much the earth is slowing down! And for the record, the earth's rotation is 47/1000th of a second slower today than 3,400 years ago, so don't forget to reset your watch .
All five "naked-eye planets" will be visible during the coming month, but for the next few days the morning and evening "star," Venus, will be so bright just after sunset that some have called this spectacular display the "Venus Lantern." So escape the couch and TV and go gaze upon the the Venus Lantern and the stars, which is the closest we can come, for now, to staring infinity in the face.
I am not surprised that many astronomers have a hard time believing that our amazing universe just popped out of nowhere from nothing. Virtually every week I read articles about scientists revising yet another theory of origins because it does not account for the complexity and sophistication of our cosmos. No wonder Emerson wrote that if stars came out only one night in a thousand years, we would marvel and stare. But we don't marvel and stare; we take for granted the stars by night, the sun by day--even our very life itself, claiming it somehow came together in a primordial soup.
A few weeks ago, a pet theory of planets' origins was demolished when scientists ran it through a computer model, and instead of coalescing into planets the primordial gases simply flew off into space. One scientist brilliantly concluded, "We're not sure how the planets formed yet, but we know that planets do form somehow because we're standing on one."
When I was a child I never ceased to marvel at the stars, and I still remember the night that the moon was red and I was certain it was the planet Mars. My youthful imagination ran away with me and I thought I could even see Jupiter, and ringed Saturn as well. I often dreamed of flying to those planets, and stars and galaxies--and believe that someday I shall.
For a few brief decades we are each bound to this small planet in the backwaters of our galaxy, and we see the stars only only from a distance, against the backdrop of night. But we can do more than just watch the stars. We can be part of it if we allow the morning star to rise within our hearts, as Peter wrote:
"Therefore we regard the message of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp that is shining in a gloomy place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." 2 Peter 1:19
Tonight, watch the free Venus Lantern show, and as the evening star sets, let that Morning Star rise in your heart. Shine within the darkness until the Day dawns and we no longer watch eternity but are one with it.
"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge." Psalm 19: 1,2 NAS
Photo Credit: the Venus photo is by Gabriel D. Velasquez and download from Wikipedia in accordance with their provisions.
www.amoymagic.com
"I am...the bright and morning star." Rev. 22:!6
"If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years, how man would marvel and stare." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ancient Chinese astronomers not only watched the heavens and tracked stars and comets longer than anyone else (they have records covering thousands of years), but also did so with such amazing accuracy that NASA has recently used 14th century B.C. Chinese astronomical records to calculate how much the earth is slowing down! And for the record, the earth's rotation is 47/1000th of a second slower today than 3,400 years ago, so don't forget to reset your watch .
All five "naked-eye planets" will be visible during the coming month, but for the next few days the morning and evening "star," Venus, will be so bright just after sunset that some have called this spectacular display the "Venus Lantern." So escape the couch and TV and go gaze upon the the Venus Lantern and the stars, which is the closest we can come, for now, to staring infinity in the face.
I am not surprised that many astronomers have a hard time believing that our amazing universe just popped out of nowhere from nothing. Virtually every week I read articles about scientists revising yet another theory of origins because it does not account for the complexity and sophistication of our cosmos. No wonder Emerson wrote that if stars came out only one night in a thousand years, we would marvel and stare. But we don't marvel and stare; we take for granted the stars by night, the sun by day--even our very life itself, claiming it somehow came together in a primordial soup.
A few weeks ago, a pet theory of planets' origins was demolished when scientists ran it through a computer model, and instead of coalescing into planets the primordial gases simply flew off into space. One scientist brilliantly concluded, "We're not sure how the planets formed yet, but we know that planets do form somehow because we're standing on one."
When I was a child I never ceased to marvel at the stars, and I still remember the night that the moon was red and I was certain it was the planet Mars. My youthful imagination ran away with me and I thought I could even see Jupiter, and ringed Saturn as well. I often dreamed of flying to those planets, and stars and galaxies--and believe that someday I shall.
For a few brief decades we are each bound to this small planet in the backwaters of our galaxy, and we see the stars only only from a distance, against the backdrop of night. But we can do more than just watch the stars. We can be part of it if we allow the morning star to rise within our hearts, as Peter wrote:
"Therefore we regard the message of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp that is shining in a gloomy place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." 2 Peter 1:19
Tonight, watch the free Venus Lantern show, and as the evening star sets, let that Morning Star rise in your heart. Shine within the darkness until the Day dawns and we no longer watch eternity but are one with it.
"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge." Psalm 19: 1,2 NAS
Photo Credit: the Venus photo is by Gabriel D. Velasquez and download from Wikipedia in accordance with their provisions.
www.amoymagic.com
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Not Used but Usable (3 Steps)
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age..." Luke 3:23
"The artisan who would do his work well must first sharpen his tools." Confucius
"Lord use me!" people pray. But how often must our Father respond, "What is there to use?!" Hudson Taylor wisely prayed not that he would be used but that he would be made usable. It was not just a pious turn of phrase but immensely logical and practical. To be used, we must first 1) prepare, 2) be in the right place, and 3) learn to wait for His timing.
I was dismayed when the U.S. Air Force sent me to Taiwan in 1976; the Cultural Revolution was just ending, and I knew nothing about China and had no interest in it. But I fell in love with Taiwan and decided to go to Mainland China--and every door was not only closed but barricaded. I did not make it to China until 1988--and a good thing, too. Had I come ten years earlier, neither I nor China would have been ready.
1. Are we usable? Even Jesus did not just rush right out of the manger to work. He grew up first, and waited until he was 30. This gave him more credibility with those he'd teach, but also enabled him to get some experience, and judging from his use of scriptures in his sermons, he had a good education as well.
When I wanted to come to China in 1978, I was young, inexperienced, and had nothing useful to offer. So after the Air Force I finished college, started a business to pay for school bills (and marriage!), and in 1988 the door to China opened and we were literally thrown through it (see "How I Got Here"). But by then I was older, had practical business and people experience, and most importantly, had Susan Marie, my blond, blue-eyed "made-in-Taiwan" wife (Read "China--our Matchmaker" to see how we met).
I regret that only in the last five years or so have I fully realized how incomplete I would have been without Susan Marie. Her temperament, inclinations and gifts are very different from mine, and sometimes drive me up the wall. But those very traits are what make her so valuable in China--and help balance me (I may not appear balanced but I'd be a lot worse off without her).
2. Right place? My first goal was Australia. I even filled out all the emigration forms. The Australian Embassy kindly replied that they welcomed me but to reapply in ten years because the minimum age was 18 and I was only eight. At least they were kind enough to send me a nice stack of children's books about Australia (I still remember the poem, "Now you can draw a kangaroo, a wombat and a black swan too...").
When I was nine I decided on Africa after seeing an ad for the Marion Fathers (I did not know yet that I was not Catholic). And in high school my dream was to help the poor in Latin America. And so of course I ended up in China--the one place I had no interest in. I still remember the Air Force orientation on China. They said that 1 in 4 people were Chinese and I said "Nonsense. Our family has 4 people and none of us are Chinese."
I'd have never chosen China, but with the greatest population, it had the greatest needs, and opportunities, and now I can't imagine serving anywhere else--especially after witnessing the country's great changes since we arrived in 1988. It was the right place--and also the right time...
3. Right time? 1978 would not have been a good time for either China or me. She was just starting her reforms and opening up, and things were still pretty chaotic. Even when we came in 1988, right after finishing my business degree, we were told that only English teachers could be Foreign Experts. But, providentially, we were led quite clearly (read "A Sign from the Heavens") right to Xiamen, and after we got here we learned that XMU was just starting an MBA program, and their one foreign teacher had to leave mid-year for a family issue. They knocked on my door, asked, "Will you teach MBA?", I said, "Let me think about it", and after thinking a second or two I said, "Yes!" MBA was not popular then, but we awarded China's first MBA degrees, and today it's the hottest thing going.
I could have never planned the preparation, place or timing any better than my Father did.
Want to be used? First ask to be made usable. Of course, F.B.Meyer was write when he wrote, "Surely more work is done by a blunt edge and divine power, than by a sharp edge and little power" (1894). But how much better to allow our Father's divine power to work through a sharp edge! As Confucius said, "The artisan who would do his work well must first sharpen his tools."
Divine Power. Sharp Edge Before asking to be used, ask to be made usable. Allow our Father to sharpen you a bit on the world, which is His whetstone for us, and then use you in the right place and the right time.
Related Links:
Blunt Axes and Whetstones:
http://ourdailynoodles.blogspot.com/2008/10/blunt-axes-and-whetstones.html
Arrogant Axes:
http://ourdailynoodles.blogspot.com/2008/10/arrogant-axe.html
How I Got Here (English):
http://offthewallchina.blogspot.com/2009/02/sign-from-heavens-how-i-got-here.html
How I Got Here (Chinese):
http://offthewallchina.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post.html
China-our Matchmaker (English):
http://www.amoymagic.com/matchmaker.htm
China--our Matchmaker (Chinese):
http://offthewallchina.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post_20.html
www.amoymagic.com
"And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age..." Luke 3:23
"The artisan who would do his work well must first sharpen his tools." Confucius
"Lord use me!" people pray. But how often must our Father respond, "What is there to use?!" Hudson Taylor wisely prayed not that he would be used but that he would be made usable. It was not just a pious turn of phrase but immensely logical and practical. To be used, we must first 1) prepare, 2) be in the right place, and 3) learn to wait for His timing.
I was dismayed when the U.S. Air Force sent me to Taiwan in 1976; the Cultural Revolution was just ending, and I knew nothing about China and had no interest in it. But I fell in love with Taiwan and decided to go to Mainland China--and every door was not only closed but barricaded. I did not make it to China until 1988--and a good thing, too. Had I come ten years earlier, neither I nor China would have been ready.
1. Are we usable? Even Jesus did not just rush right out of the manger to work. He grew up first, and waited until he was 30. This gave him more credibility with those he'd teach, but also enabled him to get some experience, and judging from his use of scriptures in his sermons, he had a good education as well.
When I wanted to come to China in 1978, I was young, inexperienced, and had nothing useful to offer. So after the Air Force I finished college, started a business to pay for school bills (and marriage!), and in 1988 the door to China opened and we were literally thrown through it (see "How I Got Here"). But by then I was older, had practical business and people experience, and most importantly, had Susan Marie, my blond, blue-eyed "made-in-Taiwan" wife (Read "China--our Matchmaker" to see how we met).
I regret that only in the last five years or so have I fully realized how incomplete I would have been without Susan Marie. Her temperament, inclinations and gifts are very different from mine, and sometimes drive me up the wall. But those very traits are what make her so valuable in China--and help balance me (I may not appear balanced but I'd be a lot worse off without her).
2. Right place? My first goal was Australia. I even filled out all the emigration forms. The Australian Embassy kindly replied that they welcomed me but to reapply in ten years because the minimum age was 18 and I was only eight. At least they were kind enough to send me a nice stack of children's books about Australia (I still remember the poem, "Now you can draw a kangaroo, a wombat and a black swan too...").
When I was nine I decided on Africa after seeing an ad for the Marion Fathers (I did not know yet that I was not Catholic). And in high school my dream was to help the poor in Latin America. And so of course I ended up in China--the one place I had no interest in. I still remember the Air Force orientation on China. They said that 1 in 4 people were Chinese and I said "Nonsense. Our family has 4 people and none of us are Chinese."
I'd have never chosen China, but with the greatest population, it had the greatest needs, and opportunities, and now I can't imagine serving anywhere else--especially after witnessing the country's great changes since we arrived in 1988. It was the right place--and also the right time...
3. Right time? 1978 would not have been a good time for either China or me. She was just starting her reforms and opening up, and things were still pretty chaotic. Even when we came in 1988, right after finishing my business degree, we were told that only English teachers could be Foreign Experts. But, providentially, we were led quite clearly (read "A Sign from the Heavens") right to Xiamen, and after we got here we learned that XMU was just starting an MBA program, and their one foreign teacher had to leave mid-year for a family issue. They knocked on my door, asked, "Will you teach MBA?", I said, "Let me think about it", and after thinking a second or two I said, "Yes!" MBA was not popular then, but we awarded China's first MBA degrees, and today it's the hottest thing going.
I could have never planned the preparation, place or timing any better than my Father did.
Want to be used? First ask to be made usable. Of course, F.B.Meyer was write when he wrote, "Surely more work is done by a blunt edge and divine power, than by a sharp edge and little power" (1894). But how much better to allow our Father's divine power to work through a sharp edge! As Confucius said, "The artisan who would do his work well must first sharpen his tools."
Divine Power. Sharp Edge Before asking to be used, ask to be made usable. Allow our Father to sharpen you a bit on the world, which is His whetstone for us, and then use you in the right place and the right time.
Related Links:
Blunt Axes and Whetstones:
http://ourdailynoodles.blogspot.com/2008/10/blunt-axes-and-whetstones.html
Arrogant Axes:
http://ourdailynoodles.blogspot.com/2008/10/arrogant-axe.html
How I Got Here (English):
http://offthewallchina.blogspot.com/2009/02/sign-from-heavens-how-i-got-here.html
How I Got Here (Chinese):
http://offthewallchina.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post.html
China-our Matchmaker (English):
http://www.amoymagic.com/matchmaker.htm
China--our Matchmaker (Chinese):
http://offthewallchina.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post_20.html
www.amoymagic.com
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Grandpa's Pearl Knife of Great Price
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test. So he gave them what they asked for..." Psalm 106:14, 15
When I was twelve I begged my mother to give me my grandpa
's pearl-handled pocket knife, which she'd been saving for me. But she insisted, "Not until you're older. Otherwise you may lose it, and this is our only memory of Grandpa." Mom said this because she knew better than me that, like most youth, I did lose everything--and some things cannot be replaced. But I had to have that knife.
Getting what we ask for. "Mom, it's my knife," I argued. "You said so! Besides, I'm almost a teen now!" (Teens are, after all, the epitome of wisdom and caution). Eventually mom gave me the knife, after extracting my solemn promise to be careful with it--and the next day I lost it on the beach.
Lost and Found I searched for hours, and days, but never found it. How I wept, and to this day the memory of Grandfather's knife rusting on the beach hurts, but in losing the knife I found something greater.
My mom gave me Grandpa's knife even though she well knew I'd lose it because she knew that in losing the knife I would find wisdom. I learned the hard way (which is the only way we really learn) 3 lessons:
1. To take care of what I already have. Jesus said that those who are faithful with a few things will be given more, and those who are not faithful will have even the little they have taken away from them. (Matt. 25:23).
2. To never ask for or expect more than I can handle. Many lottery winners have learned that wealth quickly earned is quickly burned. In the same way, if we "name it and claim it" before we're ready for it, we will not only be poor stewards but we will also receive far less than our Father wants to give us if we wait until we're mature enough not to lose Grandpa's pearl-handled knife in the sand.
3. To pray to be made ready to accept more. Hudson Taylor famously prayed not to be used but to be made usable. Our Father loves this prayer because He wants to give us far more than we can imagine--provided we are mature enough to accept it responsibly. So I don't pray for more, but to be made ready to receive more. But especially in today's age of instant gratification, the worst four letter word for most people is "WAIT."
No Money Down. Like the Israelites in the desert, we want our inheritance today--and our society has obliged. A car purchase used to require a large down payment, but dealers now finance 100% of the car, and then pay the buyer a several thousand dollar cash rebate right up front. To short-sighted folks, this is like getting a car (or a $5,000 plasma TV, or a backyard pool) for "free", and then being paid for buying it.
Our society has lived life "on time," as if everyone had won the lottery, but now that "time" has come for everyone from Wall Street to skid row, and Uncle Sam (which is us) is borrowing billions to dole out to everyone so we can spend our way out of debt and--I doubt that even Bush or Obama could intelligently finish this sentence.
An Apple or an Orchard? We've hated the 4-letter word "WAIT" ever since Adam and Eve ignored the tree of life (to our regret) and ate the only fruit that was forbidden. They did gain knowledge of a sort, but what a price to pay. They gave up the entire planet for one tree. How much more would they have learned had they continued to walk daily with our Father and Teacher?
Today's Deserts. The Israelites grumbled in the desert because they had forgotten God's promises, no longer trusted Him to fulfill them, and above all did not want to wait. Today, many of us are also in the desert, and we want out of it now. But it is in wandering amongst the desert sands, or in losing Grandpa's knife in the sands off Virginia, that we learn how to take possession of our Father's inheritance. And it is in the desert that our Father weeds out those who would not only lose the Pearl Knife in the sands but also trample the Pearl of Great Price beneath ungrateful feet.
www.amoymagic.com
"In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test. So he gave them what they asked for..." Psalm 106:14, 15
When I was twelve I begged my mother to give me my grandpa
's pearl-handled pocket knife, which she'd been saving for me. But she insisted, "Not until you're older. Otherwise you may lose it, and this is our only memory of Grandpa." Mom said this because she knew better than me that, like most youth, I did lose everything--and some things cannot be replaced. But I had to have that knife.Getting what we ask for. "Mom, it's my knife," I argued. "You said so! Besides, I'm almost a teen now!" (Teens are, after all, the epitome of wisdom and caution). Eventually mom gave me the knife, after extracting my solemn promise to be careful with it--and the next day I lost it on the beach.
Lost and Found I searched for hours, and days, but never found it. How I wept, and to this day the memory of Grandfather's knife rusting on the beach hurts, but in losing the knife I found something greater.
My mom gave me Grandpa's knife even though she well knew I'd lose it because she knew that in losing the knife I would find wisdom. I learned the hard way (which is the only way we really learn) 3 lessons:
1. To take care of what I already have. Jesus said that those who are faithful with a few things will be given more, and those who are not faithful will have even the little they have taken away from them. (Matt. 25:23).
2. To never ask for or expect more than I can handle. Many lottery winners have learned that wealth quickly earned is quickly burned. In the same way, if we "name it and claim it" before we're ready for it, we will not only be poor stewards but we will also receive far less than our Father wants to give us if we wait until we're mature enough not to lose Grandpa's pearl-handled knife in the sand.
3. To pray to be made ready to accept more. Hudson Taylor famously prayed not to be used but to be made usable. Our Father loves this prayer because He wants to give us far more than we can imagine--provided we are mature enough to accept it responsibly. So I don't pray for more, but to be made ready to receive more. But especially in today's age of instant gratification, the worst four letter word for most people is "WAIT."
No Money Down. Like the Israelites in the desert, we want our inheritance today--and our society has obliged. A car purchase used to require a large down payment, but dealers now finance 100% of the car, and then pay the buyer a several thousand dollar cash rebate right up front. To short-sighted folks, this is like getting a car (or a $5,000 plasma TV, or a backyard pool) for "free", and then being paid for buying it.
Our society has lived life "on time," as if everyone had won the lottery, but now that "time" has come for everyone from Wall Street to skid row, and Uncle Sam (which is us) is borrowing billions to dole out to everyone so we can spend our way out of debt and--I doubt that even Bush or Obama could intelligently finish this sentence.
An Apple or an Orchard? We've hated the 4-letter word "WAIT" ever since Adam and Eve ignored the tree of life (to our regret) and ate the only fruit that was forbidden. They did gain knowledge of a sort, but what a price to pay. They gave up the entire planet for one tree. How much more would they have learned had they continued to walk daily with our Father and Teacher?
Today's Deserts. The Israelites grumbled in the desert because they had forgotten God's promises, no longer trusted Him to fulfill them, and above all did not want to wait. Today, many of us are also in the desert, and we want out of it now. But it is in wandering amongst the desert sands, or in losing Grandpa's knife in the sands off Virginia, that we learn how to take possession of our Father's inheritance. And it is in the desert that our Father weeds out those who would not only lose the Pearl Knife in the sands but also trample the Pearl of Great Price beneath ungrateful feet.
www.amoymagic.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Other Tenants (unChosen)
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"...and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." Matt.21:41b NIV
"Jesus said to them [Jewish religious leaders], 'I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." Matt. 21:31
Many think the evil tenants in Jesus' parable were Jews in general, and the "other tenants" are Christians, but it is not so straightforward. When Jesus taught this parable, he was speaking to the common people, who quite likely would have sympathized not with the rich absentee landowner but the tenants (though they probably wound not have condoned the murder of the landlord's son). But among the crowd were also some religious leaders, many of whom were rich landowners. They were Jesus' target, for they not only oppressed the people with their burdensome and hypocritical religious rulers, but also economically, for many of the priests were wealthy landowners as well. And it was the landowners, not Jesus, who said the landlord would kill the evil tenants and give the land to others. But Jesus parable was aimed not just at the tenants but at the rich landlords as well, for their lack of justice.
Jesus adapted the vineyard parable from Isaiah, which says,
"The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed, for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field, till no space is left and you live alone in the land." Isaiah 5:7,8 NIV
Hanging Trees Last year in London we saw a "hanging tree," where during the 19th century, even children were hung for such small offenses as stealing bread. They stole because the wealthy had "joined land to land" to provide vast fields for their fox hunts, and the landless, starving English farmers moved to the cities, where they huddled in workhouses. Jesus parable was aimed at such injustice--then and now.
Stewardship and Justice. In the parable of the talents, Jesus chose three servants and gave one ten talents, one five talents, and another only one talent. The servant who wasted his opportunity had even the one talent taken from him. He who had been Chosen was then unChosen, just as in Matt. Jesus said the kingdom would be taken from the unjust Jewish leaders:
Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ... When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them." Matt. 41:45 NIV
Stewardship and Justice Jesus said repeatedly that the Kingdom of Heaven is about 2 things: producing fruit (stewardship) and justice. This is the theme throughout the entire old and new testament. We are to do invest our talents, to do business and to make money. But we are to do so with justice, trusting our Father to bless us for dealing fairly with others. Otherwise, He may yet again have to seek other tenants.
These difficult economic times offer us a good opportunity to put our faith to work, and to trust God to bless our just and wise stewardship of His vineyards, which after all are his, not ours, for we are but tenants--for now, anyway.
Note: justice does not mean "blind" redistribution of wealth. Granted, much wealth was ill-gotten, but not all; and some who don't work cannot work--but not all. Simply taking from those who work to give to those who do not is poor stewardship, and those who work will learn that it does not pay, and go on the dole with the rest.
Mao Zedong, in Dec. 1929, fully 20 years before Liberation, wrote the famous Communist slogan, "From each according to his work, to each according to his needs" (Anlao Fenpei 按劳分配). But somewhere along the line someone forgot the "according to work" part of it and they ended up with the Iron Rice Bowl, which failed because they didn't have Iron Teeth to eat from it. We in the West could end up in the same boat (or Bowl) if we do not approach the question of justice with God-given wisdom and common sense, as well as compassion.
www.amoymagic.com
"...and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." Matt.21:41b NIV
"Jesus said to them [Jewish religious leaders], 'I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." Matt. 21:31
Many think the evil tenants in Jesus' parable were Jews in general, and the "other tenants" are Christians, but it is not so straightforward. When Jesus taught this parable, he was speaking to the common people, who quite likely would have sympathized not with the rich absentee landowner but the tenants (though they probably wound not have condoned the murder of the landlord's son). But among the crowd were also some religious leaders, many of whom were rich landowners. They were Jesus' target, for they not only oppressed the people with their burdensome and hypocritical religious rulers, but also economically, for many of the priests were wealthy landowners as well. And it was the landowners, not Jesus, who said the landlord would kill the evil tenants and give the land to others. But Jesus parable was aimed not just at the tenants but at the rich landlords as well, for their lack of justice.
Jesus adapted the vineyard parable from Isaiah, which says,
"The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed, for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field, till no space is left and you live alone in the land." Isaiah 5:7,8 NIV
Hanging Trees Last year in London we saw a "hanging tree," where during the 19th century, even children were hung for such small offenses as stealing bread. They stole because the wealthy had "joined land to land" to provide vast fields for their fox hunts, and the landless, starving English farmers moved to the cities, where they huddled in workhouses. Jesus parable was aimed at such injustice--then and now.
Stewardship and Justice. In the parable of the talents, Jesus chose three servants and gave one ten talents, one five talents, and another only one talent. The servant who wasted his opportunity had even the one talent taken from him. He who had been Chosen was then unChosen, just as in Matt. Jesus said the kingdom would be taken from the unjust Jewish leaders:
Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ... When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them." Matt. 41:45 NIV
Stewardship and Justice Jesus said repeatedly that the Kingdom of Heaven is about 2 things: producing fruit (stewardship) and justice. This is the theme throughout the entire old and new testament. We are to do invest our talents, to do business and to make money. But we are to do so with justice, trusting our Father to bless us for dealing fairly with others. Otherwise, He may yet again have to seek other tenants.
These difficult economic times offer us a good opportunity to put our faith to work, and to trust God to bless our just and wise stewardship of His vineyards, which after all are his, not ours, for we are but tenants--for now, anyway.
Note: justice does not mean "blind" redistribution of wealth. Granted, much wealth was ill-gotten, but not all; and some who don't work cannot work--but not all. Simply taking from those who work to give to those who do not is poor stewardship, and those who work will learn that it does not pay, and go on the dole with the rest.
Mao Zedong, in Dec. 1929, fully 20 years before Liberation, wrote the famous Communist slogan, "From each according to his work, to each according to his needs" (Anlao Fenpei 按劳分配). But somewhere along the line someone forgot the "according to work" part of it and they ended up with the Iron Rice Bowl, which failed because they didn't have Iron Teeth to eat from it. We in the West could end up in the same boat (or Bowl) if we do not approach the question of justice with God-given wisdom and common sense, as well as compassion.
www.amoymagic.com
Monday, February 16, 2009
Weep for the child within
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul..." 1 Samuel 1:24 NIV
"Inside every older person is a teenager wondering, 'What happened?'" Anonymous
I marvel that David grieved over the death of one who had tried repeatedly to kill him. Yet David chose to remember not the crazed, jealous. murderous king Saul but the great, God-fearing warrior that David first met him as a youth. David mourned for the child that Saul had been.
Faithful Son. When Saul's father sent him to search for lost donkeys, he searched not just his own fields but also the hill country of Ephraim, and Shalisha, and Benjamin. He gave up only when he feared that his father would worry more about his son than his donkeys.
Humble. Young Saul was "an impressive young man among equal among the Israelites--a head taller than any of the others." 1 Sam. 9:2. NIV Yet it did not go to his head. When Samuel told Saul he was Israel's hope, Saul replied that he was just a member of the smallest clan of the smallest tribe. And when Samuel anointed him King in secret (1 Sam. 9:27), Saul did not boast but kept the secret. When Saul's uncle asked what Samuel had told him, Saul said nothing about the kingship. He said, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." 1 Sam. 10:16 NIV.
When Samuel later made God's choice for king public, no one could find Saul because he had hidden among the baggage. But most indicative of his character was that when troublemakers despised and ridiculed him, "Saul kept silent." (1 Sam. 10:27 NIV), and after his first great military victory, he would not let his grateful subjects execute his opponents. 1 Sam. 11:13.
42 Years. Saul was 30 when he became king and reigned 42 years. He was a mighty warrior, and much loved, but the fame, power and years went to his head, and the compassionate youth became the murderous king who tried to kill David, the very man who had saved his kingdom and loved Saul and his son Jonathan. Yet David still loved and respected Saul, and refused to harm him even when given the chance. David chose to see in Saul not the madman he'd become but the heroic Saul of his youth. David did not avenge himself upon Saul but grieved for him.
First Grade Photos. When hurt or angered by someone, I tend to want to "lay holy hands on them" (preferably around their neck). But quite a few times, I've counted to ten and gone away to look at childhood photos of people I love, and this sobers me quickly. The innocent joy in their youthful photos, and the knowledge of what came later, reminds me that all of us are victims. I cannot hel
p but grieve when I look upon a photo of my father as a schoolchild, and then as an injured soldier who suffered nightmares the rest of his life because of the atrocities he witnessed. And the knowledge that we are all victims helps shift my anger from those who hurt me to the enemy who, over the years, has systematically destroyed the child within all of us.
Become as children. Jesus said that except we become as children we shall not enter the kingdom. Matt. 18:3. He would not have said to become as children if it were not possible, but it can be done only in His strength, not ours, as we are Reborn into the Father's family.
Pray for the child in others. Even as we are called to become children, so should we weep and pray for the child in others--especially in our enemies. If we remember that those who wrong us are not the real enemy, we may still not feel overly inclined to love them, but it will be harder to hate the bruised child that cowers within them.
Become as a child again, and be reborn into our Heavenly Father's family. And like David, love the child within your enemy, and pray and work for their rebirth as well.
Related Link: Kiss of the Year (and "Up"); below the part about his marriage in Xinjie Church I write about Shannon as a child--the "lacquer plate ploy" and "Look Up".
http://ourdailynoodles.blogspot.com/2009/01/kiss-of-year-and-up.html
www.amoymagic.com
"O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul..." 1 Samuel 1:24 NIV
"Inside every older person is a teenager wondering, 'What happened?'" Anonymous
I marvel that David grieved over the death of one who had tried repeatedly to kill him. Yet David chose to remember not the crazed, jealous. murderous king Saul but the great, God-fearing warrior that David first met him as a youth. David mourned for the child that Saul had been.
Faithful Son. When Saul's father sent him to search for lost donkeys, he searched not just his own fields but also the hill country of Ephraim, and Shalisha, and Benjamin. He gave up only when he feared that his father would worry more about his son than his donkeys.
Humble. Young Saul was "an impressive young man among equal among the Israelites--a head taller than any of the others." 1 Sam. 9:2. NIV Yet it did not go to his head. When Samuel told Saul he was Israel's hope, Saul replied that he was just a member of the smallest clan of the smallest tribe. And when Samuel anointed him King in secret (1 Sam. 9:27), Saul did not boast but kept the secret. When Saul's uncle asked what Samuel had told him, Saul said nothing about the kingship. He said, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." 1 Sam. 10:16 NIV.
When Samuel later made God's choice for king public, no one could find Saul because he had hidden among the baggage. But most indicative of his character was that when troublemakers despised and ridiculed him, "Saul kept silent." (1 Sam. 10:27 NIV), and after his first great military victory, he would not let his grateful subjects execute his opponents. 1 Sam. 11:13.
42 Years. Saul was 30 when he became king and reigned 42 years. He was a mighty warrior, and much loved, but the fame, power and years went to his head, and the compassionate youth became the murderous king who tried to kill David, the very man who had saved his kingdom and loved Saul and his son Jonathan. Yet David still loved and respected Saul, and refused to harm him even when given the chance. David chose to see in Saul not the madman he'd become but the heroic Saul of his youth. David did not avenge himself upon Saul but grieved for him.
First Grade Photos. When hurt or angered by someone, I tend to want to "lay holy hands on them" (preferably around their neck). But quite a few times, I've counted to ten and gone away to look at childhood photos of people I love, and this sobers me quickly. The innocent joy in their youthful photos, and the knowledge of what came later, reminds me that all of us are victims. I cannot hel
p but grieve when I look upon a photo of my father as a schoolchild, and then as an injured soldier who suffered nightmares the rest of his life because of the atrocities he witnessed. And the knowledge that we are all victims helps shift my anger from those who hurt me to the enemy who, over the years, has systematically destroyed the child within all of us.Become as children. Jesus said that except we become as children we shall not enter the kingdom. Matt. 18:3. He would not have said to become as children if it were not possible, but it can be done only in His strength, not ours, as we are Reborn into the Father's family.
Pray for the child in others. Even as we are called to become children, so should we weep and pray for the child in others--especially in our enemies. If we remember that those who wrong us are not the real enemy, we may still not feel overly inclined to love them, but it will be harder to hate the bruised child that cowers within them.
Become as a child again, and be reborn into our Heavenly Father's family. And like David, love the child within your enemy, and pray and work for their rebirth as well.
Related Link: Kiss of the Year (and "Up"); below the part about his marriage in Xinjie Church I write about Shannon as a child--the "lacquer plate ploy" and "Look Up".
http://ourdailynoodles.blogspot.com/2009/01/kiss-of-year-and-up.html
www.amoymagic.com
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Light 1000 Candles
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." Matt. 5:14
"A candle can light thousands of other candles and not be diminished." Buddha
Fujian Firewalkers Our Province is famous among Chinese as the home of Mazu, the sea goddess, and Chinese firewalkers. A Chinese government official proudly told me,
"Pilgrims from temples all over Asia have lit their altar's flame four our temples' sacred mother flame. Every single flame can be trace to here."
Jesus said that we are the light of the world, and as Chinese say, "Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." But one candle can only dispel so much darkness. How much better if we light other candles.
1. The Right Light. Our light source must be the Right source, for not all that appears light is Light. Even Satan "masquerades as an angel of light." 2 Cor. 11:14. Even as the church is growing here, so are very strange cults. Their followers enthusiastically seek to enlighten others, but from personal experience I know that they are really offering not enlightenment but endarkenment (not a word, I know--but it should be). We need to have the Right Light.
2. Spark a Prairie Fire. Mao Zedong said, "A single spark can start a prairie fire"--but that spark will only flicker out unless it sets fire to its surroundings. In the same way, one life can change the world, but only by igniting other lives around it. Even Jesus needed others to carry on his work. But he did not pour himself indiscriminately into the crowds around him. He carefully chose and nurtured the 12 disciples, and the 70--and they in turn set the Roman prairie on fire. Jesus chose only 12 because he knew they would need time to mature, lest they shine not His light but their own, and simply burn out.
3. Refuel Daily "I'm burned out spiritually," people sometimes complain, but given that we have an inexhaustible Source, the only way for us to b
urn out is if we try to burn on our own strength. We must refuel daily through time with our Father and his Word, and fellowship with our Family. And in the same way we must nurture and disciple those flames that we have ignited until they are mature. Otherwise they become not blazing torches but feebly flickering embers that burn out.
Don't just be a light, start a prairie fire, one flame at a time.
Links
Fujian Fire Walker Site
http://www.amoymagic.com/tonganfirewalkers.htm
Mazu Sea Goddess Site:
http://www.amoymagic.com/templemazu.htm
www.amoymagic.com
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." Matt. 5:14
"A candle can light thousands of other candles and not be diminished." Buddha
Fujian Firewalkers Our Province is famous among Chinese as the home of Mazu, the sea goddess, and Chinese firewalkers. A Chinese government official proudly told me,
"Pilgrims from temples all over Asia have lit their altar's flame four our temples' sacred mother flame. Every single flame can be trace to here."Jesus said that we are the light of the world, and as Chinese say, "Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." But one candle can only dispel so much darkness. How much better if we light other candles.
1. The Right Light. Our light source must be the Right source, for not all that appears light is Light. Even Satan "masquerades as an angel of light." 2 Cor. 11:14. Even as the church is growing here, so are very strange cults. Their followers enthusiastically seek to enlighten others, but from personal experience I know that they are really offering not enlightenment but endarkenment (not a word, I know--but it should be). We need to have the Right Light.
2. Spark a Prairie Fire. Mao Zedong said, "A single spark can start a prairie fire"--but that spark will only flicker out unless it sets fire to its surroundings. In the same way, one life can change the world, but only by igniting other lives around it. Even Jesus needed others to carry on his work. But he did not pour himself indiscriminately into the crowds around him. He carefully chose and nurtured the 12 disciples, and the 70--and they in turn set the Roman prairie on fire. Jesus chose only 12 because he knew they would need time to mature, lest they shine not His light but their own, and simply burn out.
3. Refuel Daily "I'm burned out spiritually," people sometimes complain, but given that we have an inexhaustible Source, the only way for us to b
urn out is if we try to burn on our own strength. We must refuel daily through time with our Father and his Word, and fellowship with our Family. And in the same way we must nurture and disciple those flames that we have ignited until they are mature. Otherwise they become not blazing torches but feebly flickering embers that burn out.Don't just be a light, start a prairie fire, one flame at a time.
Links
Fujian Fire Walker Site
http://www.amoymagic.com/tonganfirewalkers.htm
Mazu Sea Goddess Site:
http://www.amoymagic.com/templemazu.htm
www.amoymagic.com
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Touched by an Angel--or God?
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."
"What are all the angels? They are spirits sent to serve those who are going to receive salvation." Heb. 1:14 God's Word Translation
"But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!" Isaiah 7:12 NAS
On first glance it looks like God is not very fair with Ahaz. When Jerusalem was about to be attacked, God had Isaiah tell the fearful King Ahaz to "Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights," (Isaiah 7:11 NIV). But Isaiah piously responded with the same argument that Jesus made when he was tempted in the desert to turn a rock into bread. Ahas said "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test: (Isaiah 7:12 NIV).
And how did God respond? In verse 13 Isaiah says, "Hear now, you house of David. Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?"
While Ahaz' lips said he did not need a "sign", his heart and actions spoke differently. He was afraid of the enemy, in spite of God's promise to protect him. God told Ahaz in Isaiah 7:9
B, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you wil not stand at all." Yet Ahaz did not stand firm, and rather than let him fall God offered a sign to bolster his courage. But God was not happy about it because had Ahaz truly trusted God he would not have needed signs and wonders.
Watch what you wish for. After I wrote the entry about the "angelic" intervention in Hong Kong last week, many people wrote about their own encounters, but some have said they wished they could have such experiences. We should be careful what we wish for, because such interventions usually come only in times of doubt, struggle or trouble, or in the lives of the younger and more immature believers.
My friends Jim and Judy wrote to me that many in America have their focus on angels (the ministering spirits sent to serve us in Heb. 1:14) rather than on the One who sends them. Perhaps that is true, given that many Americans who don't even believe in God believe in angels. And many people actively seek out "angelic" encounters, but an "angelic" encounter does not even begin to compare with the wonder of having a day-to-day Father-child encounter with our Creator!
I could make a list that even I find hard to believe (though it is documented) of amazing interventions over my lifetime. I even wrote about some in one of my books in China. I don't mention God or religion in it, but as in the book of Esther, which never mentions God, it is clear that my Father's hand was there, and I've had many Chinese readers say, "Wow! Your God was in that!"
Not strength but weakness But while some might boast in having such experiences, I know that, in reality, I've had them because I've been weak, fearful, or indecisive--or about to face trials that I was totally unprepared for and would rather not face. So while I am very thankful for such encounters, I realize they are not a measure of my spiritual strength but rather of my great spiritual weakness--and my Father's patience in continuing to put up with me.
Much is written about angels, and signs and wonders, but to me the greatest sign and wonder is awakening daily and knowing, without a doubt, that my Father has given me yet another day to walk and learn with Him. It can't get much better than that.
God told Ahaz, "If you do not stand firm you will not stand at all." If we fall, we know the angels are there to help pick us up, but how much better to just stand firm in the first place, trust our Father, and not fall!
Today, don't pray to be touched by an angel but to be touched by God.
Related:
How Sue and I met: "China-our Matchmaker"
"How we got here" (a "sign from the heavens").
www.amoymagic.com
"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."
"What are all the angels? They are spirits sent to serve those who are going to receive salvation." Heb. 1:14 God's Word Translation
"But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!" Isaiah 7:12 NAS
On first glance it looks like God is not very fair with Ahaz. When Jerusalem was about to be attacked, God had Isaiah tell the fearful King Ahaz to "Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights," (Isaiah 7:11 NIV). But Isaiah piously responded with the same argument that Jesus made when he was tempted in the desert to turn a rock into bread. Ahas said "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test: (Isaiah 7:12 NIV).
And how did God respond? In verse 13 Isaiah says, "Hear now, you house of David. Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?"
While Ahaz' lips said he did not need a "sign", his heart and actions spoke differently. He was afraid of the enemy, in spite of God's promise to protect him. God told Ahaz in Isaiah 7:9
B, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you wil not stand at all." Yet Ahaz did not stand firm, and rather than let him fall God offered a sign to bolster his courage. But God was not happy about it because had Ahaz truly trusted God he would not have needed signs and wonders.
Watch what you wish for. After I wrote the entry about the "angelic" intervention in Hong Kong last week, many people wrote about their own encounters, but some have said they wished they could have such experiences. We should be careful what we wish for, because such interventions usually come only in times of doubt, struggle or trouble, or in the lives of the younger and more immature believers.
My friends Jim and Judy wrote to me that many in America have their focus on angels (the ministering spirits sent to serve us in Heb. 1:14) rather than on the One who sends them. Perhaps that is true, given that many Americans who don't even believe in God believe in angels. And many people actively seek out "angelic" encounters, but an "angelic" encounter does not even begin to compare with the wonder of having a day-to-day Father-child encounter with our Creator!
I could make a list that even I find hard to believe (though it is documented) of amazing interventions over my lifetime. I even wrote about some in one of my books in China. I don't mention God or religion in it, but as in the book of Esther, which never mentions God, it is clear that my Father's hand was there, and I've had many Chinese readers say, "Wow! Your God was in that!"
Not strength but weakness But while some might boast in having such experiences, I know that, in reality, I've had them because I've been weak, fearful, or indecisive--or about to face trials that I was totally unprepared for and would rather not face. So while I am very thankful for such encounters, I realize they are not a measure of my spiritual strength but rather of my great spiritual weakness--and my Father's patience in continuing to put up with me.
Much is written about angels, and signs and wonders, but to me the greatest sign and wonder is awakening daily and knowing, without a doubt, that my Father has given me yet another day to walk and learn with Him. It can't get much better than that.
God told Ahaz, "If you do not stand firm you will not stand at all." If we fall, we know the angels are there to help pick us up, but how much better to just stand firm in the first place, trust our Father, and not fall!
Today, don't pray to be touched by an angel but to be touched by God.
Related:
How Sue and I met: "China-our Matchmaker"
"How we got here" (a "sign from the heavens").
www.amoymagic.com
Friday, February 13, 2009
A Valentine for our Father
Bill B. Click for Valentine for Amoy Sue
Happy Valentine's Day!
I was disappointed to be told, only one day in advance, that I had to be in Fuzhou, the provincial capital, this entire weekend. So Sue will celebrate tonight with Shannon and his new bride Miki, with dinner and a stroll amongst the magnificent display of lanterns by Xiamen's Yuandang Lagoon (left from Lantern Festival).
Fortunately for me, Sue does not mind celebrating Valentine's a couple days late because in our family we don't wait for holidays to say "I love you". We say it every day, several times a day. And if we call each other on the phone, we hang up with "Love you!" It is not just habit or ritual but purposeful. I say "I love you" many times a day to my wife and sons not just for their sakes but for mine.
Daily circumstances change, and I have ups and downs, but the one constant in my life is Love--my Father's and family's love for me, and my love for them. But it helps to express that love, aloud. When I say "I love you" aloud to my family, or my Father, it reminds them that, in spite of the joys or woes today, I love you. And if I'm having a bad day and just blew it, I still love you, and I want to do better.
Saying "I love you" also reminds me that, in spite of what is happening around me, or within me, that I love them, and they love me. This love between my Father, my family, and me, is the one constant in the swirling maelstrom of modern life.
Statistically, half of Americans divorce, so human love can also be fickle--but this is all th more reason for me to daily speak out and act out my love for Sue, and my sons, and not just wait for the annual appointed day to give flowers, a dinner, say "I love you," and go my way.
My wife and sons need to be told often that I love them, to reassure them, because human love changes. Fortunately for all of us, our Father's love is unchanging. God is love, and God does love, regardless. And yet he tells us over and over throughout his word that He love us, and he shows us through his daily care for us that He loves us.
Do we show, daily, our love for our Father? He does not "need" to be told, perhaps, but WE need to tell him daily, to keep those lines of communication between us free and uncluttered. Saying "I love you" to our Father reminds us that the Great Constant in a changing life and world is that HE is our Father, and we his chlidren, and we love one another. And this reminds us to avoid anything that hurts this relationship, or grieves the One who Loved us before we were created.
It is written that we can love only because we are loved. Today, and every day, say "I love you" to your family, and your Father. And don't just say it but live it.
And click "My Valentine for Amoy Sue" to read one of the many I've written for you.
www.amoymagic.com
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Boat in Enemy Nation
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
Proverbs 3:5, 6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight." NAS
"Boat in Enemy Nation" (Zhou Zhong Di Guo, 舟中敌国) Ancient Chinese saying
Happy Friday the 13th! Chinese predicted 2008 would be great because it ended in the lucky number "8." What a shock they had--and they fear 2009 will be worse. But our fortune, or lack of it, lies not in luck, or auspicious days and years. Rather, it depends entirely upon how we steward what our Father has entrusted to us--whether we invest our lives wisely or waste them--as illustrated by an ancient Chinese story.
During the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), young prince Wu Hou went boating with his Generals and other leaders. He pointed to the beautiful lake and the great mountains, and said to General Wu Chi, who had fought long and hard to secure what the prince had simply inherited, "Look at my beautiful kingdom. Deep waters and high mountains are my protection. I need fear no enemy from without." A political General may have taken this in silence, but not Wu Chi.
General Wu Chi was loved by his men because he lived as one of them, and shared their joys and sorrows. He was upright, and honest, and had too much integrity to allow his prince to imperil the kingdom by believing such a lie. He said, "A kingdom's strength lies not not in the lay of the land but the lay of the ruler's heart. Earlier dynasties have fallen because men of ability once in power turned tyrants, and lived lives of pleasure." He then gave a couple of historical examples, and concluded with, "If you, our Prince, do not use moral power to rule, it may not be long before even your subjects on this very boat turn against you and become the enemy."
Enemies in the Boat Wu Chi was a brave man! And ever since, Chinese have used the phrase "Zhou Zhong Di Guo" (Boat in Enemy Country) to show that people are likely to rebel if their leaders to not exercise moral integrity and power--a common theme in China, where through the ages the leaders are expected to obey the "Will of Heaven."
Our Own High Mountains and Deep Waters. A decade ago, who would have anticipated the economic calamities of "lucky" 2008? Like the spoiled princes and tyrants of ancient China and other nations, people and nations reveled in their wealth, and trusted in their high mountains and deep waters rather than their integrity. But apparently the folks holding our national purse strings were not models of integrity, and when they fell, they brought down one nation after another, because on our small planet most of us are in the same boat--though there is an alternative...
High Mountains, Straight Paths On this new day (Friday the 13th!), like Paul I will "forget what is behind and press on towards the prize." (Philippians 3:13). And I will do in the full confidence of Proverbs 3:5,6 which promises that if I put my trust in my Father rather than in myself, or my high mountains and deep waters, that my Father will make my paths straight--right through the high mountains and deep waters that impede the peoples and nations around us.
Enjoy the weekend. I'm off to Fuzhou!
P.S. Click here for the true story of a "Friday the 13th bus trip in China" about a decade ago. It was quite a trip. I hope someday to write about the Saturday the 14th experience as well.
www.amoymagic.com
Proverbs 3:5, 6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight." NAS
"Boat in Enemy Nation" (Zhou Zhong Di Guo, 舟中敌国) Ancient Chinese saying
Happy Friday the 13th! Chinese predicted 2008 would be great because it ended in the lucky number "8." What a shock they had--and they fear 2009 will be worse. But our fortune, or lack of it, lies not in luck, or auspicious days and years. Rather, it depends entirely upon how we steward what our Father has entrusted to us--whether we invest our lives wisely or waste them--as illustrated by an ancient Chinese story.
During the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), young prince Wu Hou went boating with his Generals and other leaders. He pointed to the beautiful lake and the great mountains, and said to General Wu Chi, who had fought long and hard to secure what the prince had simply inherited, "Look at my beautiful kingdom. Deep waters and high mountains are my protection. I need fear no enemy from without." A political General may have taken this in silence, but not Wu Chi.
General Wu Chi was loved by his men because he lived as one of them, and shared their joys and sorrows. He was upright, and honest, and had too much integrity to allow his prince to imperil the kingdom by believing such a lie. He said, "A kingdom's strength lies not not in the lay of the land but the lay of the ruler's heart. Earlier dynasties have fallen because men of ability once in power turned tyrants, and lived lives of pleasure." He then gave a couple of historical examples, and concluded with, "If you, our Prince, do not use moral power to rule, it may not be long before even your subjects on this very boat turn against you and become the enemy."
Enemies in the Boat Wu Chi was a brave man! And ever since, Chinese have used the phrase "Zhou Zhong Di Guo" (Boat in Enemy Country) to show that people are likely to rebel if their leaders to not exercise moral integrity and power--a common theme in China, where through the ages the leaders are expected to obey the "Will of Heaven."
Our Own High Mountains and Deep Waters. A decade ago, who would have anticipated the economic calamities of "lucky" 2008? Like the spoiled princes and tyrants of ancient China and other nations, people and nations reveled in their wealth, and trusted in their high mountains and deep waters rather than their integrity. But apparently the folks holding our national purse strings were not models of integrity, and when they fell, they brought down one nation after another, because on our small planet most of us are in the same boat--though there is an alternative...
High Mountains, Straight Paths On this new day (Friday the 13th!), like Paul I will "forget what is behind and press on towards the prize." (Philippians 3:13). And I will do in the full confidence of Proverbs 3:5,6 which promises that if I put my trust in my Father rather than in myself, or my high mountains and deep waters, that my Father will make my paths straight--right through the high mountains and deep waters that impede the peoples and nations around us.
Enjoy the weekend. I'm off to Fuzhou!
P.S. Click here for the true story of a "Friday the 13th bus trip in China" about a decade ago. It was quite a trip. I hope someday to write about the Saturday the 14th experience as well.
www.amoymagic.com
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Love, or Gongs and Cymbals?
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment." Proverbs 10:21
"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Cor. 15:31
"Chinese frustrate me!" an American told me. "They never say what they really think. But I'm not afraid to people a piece of my mind."
That was an understatement! This fellow had given so many people a piece of his mind that I was surprised he had enough left to think with. And he often prefaced his words with, "The Lord has given me a word for you...."
I wondered which Lord his words were from, because the effect of his words was usually to lift up himself, not others. I often wished he'd give us a piece of his heart rather than his mind, and speak the truth from love rather than pride. As Paul wrote, "...but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." Ephesians 4:15
Westerners have long been frustrated by the "inscrutable Oriental," and Chinese indirectness annoys me as well. But I've come to appreciate their discipline in not just verbalizing everything that comes to mind, and in speaking the truth in a way that minimizes their own loss of face, as well as mine.
Of course this can go too far. It is frustrating wh
en I'm trying to get an honest opinion about a problem and a Chinese colleague or friend refuses to be candid. I can't even get a simple answer to "Like a cup of tea?" without asking 3 or 4 times. "No, don't want to trouble you! "No, too much bother." "No, you're too kind"--all when they know I've already brewed the tea and its sitting on the teapot right in front of them.
In a magazine article entitled, "Turning the Tea Tables", I wrote about how I warned Chinese MBA students before they visited my home, "In my home you're in America, not China. So if I offer you tea and you're thirsty, you'd better accept it on the first offer, because I won't grow pushing it on you." The students laughed, but when they showed up everyone of them.... you'll have to read the article here to for the humorous but enlightening outcome.
There is, of course, a time for directness. Jesus was pretty straightforward when he told the hypocritical religious leaders that they were whitewashed tombs, and in Matt. 23:15 he accused them of crossing land and sea to make disciples who became twice the sons of hell as themselves! This did not endear Jesus to his audience.
But Jesus was "in your face" only with the hypocritical leaders who not only refused to listen to him but also were leading others astray, weighing people down under heavy burdens but not lifting a finger to help them. Jesus, by contrast, was gentle, speaking the truth not only in love but in parables that listeners could interpret according to their own experiences and needs. He did not drive the truth down their throats but said, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen." Mark 4:23. He offered not more burdens but rest. "Place my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls, because my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light." Matt. 11:29,30
When we speak the "truth," I hope our motive is to lift up others and not ourselves, and that we speak it in love and not pride. For as Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 13:1, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."
Noisy gongs and clanging cymbals? Evidently Paul also listened to Chinese opera!
Supplement: Chinese Indirectness, Macgowan, "Sidelights on Chinese Life," 1907, p.1,2
Note: 100 years ago, "Chinaman" was not deprecatory.
THE Chinaman's mind is a profound and inexplicable puzzle that many have vainly endeavoured to solve…..Any one who has ever studied the Chinese character must have come to the conclusion that the instincts and aims of the people of the Chinese Empire are distinctly the reverse of those that exist in the minds of the men of the West.
It may be laid down as a general and axiomatic truth, that it is impossible from hearing what a Chinaman says to be quite certain of what he actually means. The reason for this no doubt arises from the fact that a speaker hardly ever in the first instance touches upon the subject that he has in his mind, but he will dwell upon two or three others that he believes have an intimate relation with it, and he concludes that this subtle line of thought ought to lead the hearer to infer what he has all the time been driving at.
"The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment." Proverbs 10:21
"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Cor. 15:31
"Chinese frustrate me!" an American told me. "They never say what they really think. But I'm not afraid to people a piece of my mind."
That was an understatement! This fellow had given so many people a piece of his mind that I was surprised he had enough left to think with. And he often prefaced his words with, "The Lord has given me a word for you...."
I wondered which Lord his words were from, because the effect of his words was usually to lift up himself, not others. I often wished he'd give us a piece of his heart rather than his mind, and speak the truth from love rather than pride. As Paul wrote, "...but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." Ephesians 4:15
Westerners have long been frustrated by the "inscrutable Oriental," and Chinese indirectness annoys me as well. But I've come to appreciate their discipline in not just verbalizing everything that comes to mind, and in speaking the truth in a way that minimizes their own loss of face, as well as mine.
Of course this can go too far. It is frustrating wh
en I'm trying to get an honest opinion about a problem and a Chinese colleague or friend refuses to be candid. I can't even get a simple answer to "Like a cup of tea?" without asking 3 or 4 times. "No, don't want to trouble you! "No, too much bother." "No, you're too kind"--all when they know I've already brewed the tea and its sitting on the teapot right in front of them.In a magazine article entitled, "Turning the Tea Tables", I wrote about how I warned Chinese MBA students before they visited my home, "In my home you're in America, not China. So if I offer you tea and you're thirsty, you'd better accept it on the first offer, because I won't grow pushing it on you." The students laughed, but when they showed up everyone of them.... you'll have to read the article here to for the humorous but enlightening outcome.
There is, of course, a time for directness. Jesus was pretty straightforward when he told the hypocritical religious leaders that they were whitewashed tombs, and in Matt. 23:15 he accused them of crossing land and sea to make disciples who became twice the sons of hell as themselves! This did not endear Jesus to his audience.
But Jesus was "in your face" only with the hypocritical leaders who not only refused to listen to him but also were leading others astray, weighing people down under heavy burdens but not lifting a finger to help them. Jesus, by contrast, was gentle, speaking the truth not only in love but in parables that listeners could interpret according to their own experiences and needs. He did not drive the truth down their throats but said, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen." Mark 4:23. He offered not more burdens but rest. "Place my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls, because my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light." Matt. 11:29,30
When we speak the "truth," I hope our motive is to lift up others and not ourselves, and that we speak it in love and not pride. For as Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 13:1, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."
Noisy gongs and clanging cymbals? Evidently Paul also listened to Chinese opera!
Supplement: Chinese Indirectness, Macgowan, "Sidelights on Chinese Life," 1907, p.1,2
Note: 100 years ago, "Chinaman" was not deprecatory.
THE Chinaman's mind is a profound and inexplicable puzzle that many have vainly endeavoured to solve…..Any one who has ever studied the Chinese character must have come to the conclusion that the instincts and aims of the people of the Chinese Empire are distinctly the reverse of those that exist in the minds of the men of the West.
It may be laid down as a general and axiomatic truth, that it is impossible from hearing what a Chinaman says to be quite certain of what he actually means. The reason for this no doubt arises from the fact that a speaker hardly ever in the first instance touches upon the subject that he has in his mind, but he will dwell upon two or three others that he believes have an intimate relation with it, and he concludes that this subtle line of thought ought to lead the hearer to infer what he has all the time been driving at.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Snake or Fish?
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"There isn't a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there? Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn't give him a snake, would he? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give goo
d things to those who keep on asking him!" Matthew 7:9-11 ISV
Chinese father, perhaps? (Chinese eat snake!) Bill B.
About 1995 I was rowing a small boat on our campus' Lotus Lake with Mr. Kuang from Xiamen University's Foreign Affairs. Big fish were swimming beneath the surface, and I said, "I'd sure love to have one of those fish for supper!" Within a couple seconds a large fish flew out of the water and onto my lap, scaring me half to death. Mr. Kuang was shocked and said, "Wah! You have the luck of the Emperor!"
I rowed the boat to shore and handed the fish to the man responsible for stocking the lake, but when he heard the story, he laughed and said, "It jumped in your lap, it's your fish!" So...we had fish for supper!
Luck? Probably. These fish do jump a lot--but into my lap right after I was talking about them? Maybe their ears were burning...
Whether coincidence or not, at the time I could not help but think of Jesus asking what father would give their son a snake if they asked for a fish (excluding a Chinese father, perhaps, because Chinese love to eat snakes). And Jesus said that if we give good things to our children when they ask, how much more our Heavenly Father will give good things to his children if we ask. And sometimes we don't even have to ask. Nothing makes me happier than make my sons happy, and I often give them what they need or want before they ask. In the same way, our Father delights in giving to his children.
Still, I do expect my sons to ask--and I also hope they express at least a little gratitude. I hope that I show gratitude to my Heavenly Father, and don't take my Daily Bread (or fish!) for granted. As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God." And verse 7 promises that if we ask with thanksgiving, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
And next time I'm rowing my little boat on Lotus Lake I'll ask for a pizza....
www.amoymagic.com
"There isn't a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there? Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn't give him a snake, would he? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give goo
d things to those who keep on asking him!" Matthew 7:9-11 ISVChinese father, perhaps? (Chinese eat snake!) Bill B.
About 1995 I was rowing a small boat on our campus' Lotus Lake with Mr. Kuang from Xiamen University's Foreign Affairs. Big fish were swimming beneath the surface, and I said, "I'd sure love to have one of those fish for supper!" Within a couple seconds a large fish flew out of the water and onto my lap, scaring me half to death. Mr. Kuang was shocked and said, "Wah! You have the luck of the Emperor!"
I rowed the boat to shore and handed the fish to the man responsible for stocking the lake, but when he heard the story, he laughed and said, "It jumped in your lap, it's your fish!" So...we had fish for supper!
Luck? Probably. These fish do jump a lot--but into my lap right after I was talking about them? Maybe their ears were burning...
Whether coincidence or not, at the time I could not help but think of Jesus asking what father would give their son a snake if they asked for a fish (excluding a Chinese father, perhaps, because Chinese love to eat snakes). And Jesus said that if we give good things to our children when they ask, how much more our Heavenly Father will give good things to his children if we ask. And sometimes we don't even have to ask. Nothing makes me happier than make my sons happy, and I often give them what they need or want before they ask. In the same way, our Father delights in giving to his children.
Still, I do expect my sons to ask--and I also hope they express at least a little gratitude. I hope that I show gratitude to my Heavenly Father, and don't take my Daily Bread (or fish!) for granted. As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God." And verse 7 promises that if we ask with thanksgiving, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
And next time I'm rowing my little boat on Lotus Lake I'll ask for a pizza....
www.amoymagic.com
Monday, February 9, 2009
Plucked Eagles Soar
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it." Daniel 7:4
"You yourselves have seen...how I bore you on eagles' w
ings, and brought you to Myself." Exodus 19:4 NAS
Since childhood I have had vivid dreams of flying like an eagle, with broad wings outstretched, almost unmoving, soaring on the rapidly rising mid-morning thermals that would tear smaller birds apart, gliding for hours, soaring to 10,000 feet or higher, and diving at speeds approaching 200 mph.
In countless dreams I have been braced by crisp morning winds, and and soared and swooped with the slightest flick of a wingtip--and then awakened to find myself still earthbound in bed. What a bitter disappointment! I feel like the plucked eagle of of Daniel 7:4, which was made to stand on two feet. And yet that plucked eagle was blessed with something that eagles do not have--a human mind.
Soaring Minds Eagles are amazing creatures, but they have a very small brain, about an inch in size. But people are made in the image of our Father, and are blessed with brains and minds that allow us to soar mentally and spiritually, to be creative like our Father, and to grow and mature until the day that we have both wisdom and wings.
Borne on eagles' wings. Last year, a good friend let me soar around Los Angeles with him in his small plane. The most exciting part was when he let me take over the stick for a few minutes. But it wasn't as easy as it looked, and I was thankful that he was beside me to take over. It reminded me of Exodus 10:4, where God said to the Israelites, "You yourselves have seen ... how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself."
For now, my Father bears me on his wings, but when I have matured, I will soar on my own.
"They will mount up with wings like eagles..." Isaiah 40:31 NAS
Wait, renew, soar. Isaiah 40:31 promises, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (KJV--the best translation of this verse!)
I may be a plucked eagle for now but at least I can walk, run, and think, and I want to do the best I can with what I've got. After all, if I can't use my feet and head, if I can't walk and run, why should my Father give me wings to soar?
Today, I walk, run, and learn, and in my head and my heart and my dreams I soar, but my Father promises that soon I will mount up on my own wings as eagles, rising on thermals to heights even the eagles will envy.
My Favorite Flying Quotes
"It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill." Wilbur Wright
"According to classical aerodynamics, it is impossible for the bumblebee to fly." Doctor Who
"Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow." Proverb
"No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris...no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping." Orville Wright.
"One must learn to fall, if one would fly." Richard Bach
"Poetry is the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly into the air." Carl Sandburg
"Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly." Neil Gaiman
www.amoymagic.com
"The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it." Daniel 7:4
"You yourselves have seen...how I bore you on eagles' w
ings, and brought you to Myself." Exodus 19:4 NASSince childhood I have had vivid dreams of flying like an eagle, with broad wings outstretched, almost unmoving, soaring on the rapidly rising mid-morning thermals that would tear smaller birds apart, gliding for hours, soaring to 10,000 feet or higher, and diving at speeds approaching 200 mph.
In countless dreams I have been braced by crisp morning winds, and and soared and swooped with the slightest flick of a wingtip--and then awakened to find myself still earthbound in bed. What a bitter disappointment! I feel like the plucked eagle of of Daniel 7:4, which was made to stand on two feet. And yet that plucked eagle was blessed with something that eagles do not have--a human mind.
Soaring Minds Eagles are amazing creatures, but they have a very small brain, about an inch in size. But people are made in the image of our Father, and are blessed with brains and minds that allow us to soar mentally and spiritually, to be creative like our Father, and to grow and mature until the day that we have both wisdom and wings.
Borne on eagles' wings. Last year, a good friend let me soar around Los Angeles with him in his small plane. The most exciting part was when he let me take over the stick for a few minutes. But it wasn't as easy as it looked, and I was thankful that he was beside me to take over. It reminded me of Exodus 10:4, where God said to the Israelites, "You yourselves have seen ... how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself."
For now, my Father bears me on his wings, but when I have matured, I will soar on my own.
"They will mount up with wings like eagles..." Isaiah 40:31 NAS
Wait, renew, soar. Isaiah 40:31 promises, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (KJV--the best translation of this verse!)
I may be a plucked eagle for now but at least I can walk, run, and think, and I want to do the best I can with what I've got. After all, if I can't use my feet and head, if I can't walk and run, why should my Father give me wings to soar?
Today, I walk, run, and learn, and in my head and my heart and my dreams I soar, but my Father promises that soon I will mount up on my own wings as eagles, rising on thermals to heights even the eagles will envy.
My Favorite Flying Quotes
"It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill." Wilbur Wright
"According to classical aerodynamics, it is impossible for the bumblebee to fly." Doctor Who
"Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow." Proverb
"No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris...no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping." Orville Wright.
"One must learn to fall, if one would fly." Richard Bach
"Poetry is the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly into the air." Carl Sandburg
"Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly." Neil Gaiman
www.amoymagic.com
Sunday, February 8, 2009
One Hour U.S. Passport Angels
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"He shall give his angels charge over you." Luke 4:10
On Sept. 18, 2008, ABC News reported that over half of Americans believed they'd been watched over at one time or another by a guardian angel, and this included 1/5 of those who say they are not religious (though 92% of Americans believe in God, according to a June 2008 poll). And my own family has encountered a few--including one last Friday.
Last Friday afternoon I discovered that my passport had been stolen, and we were due to fly back to Xiamen the very next morning! Af 3:10 p.m. I phoned the U.S. Consulate on Hong Kong and was told to come in Monday, since I could not get a visa on the weekend. When I explained I did not need a visa for China, they said come in by 4 p.m.--but I was at least 90 minutes away by MTR (subway/train), on the very outskirts of the New Territories, near the border. It was hopeless, but I raced for the MTR anyway--my heart racing faster than my feet.
As I was about to enter the MTR station, a well dressed Chinese gentlemen who spoke excellent English was standing by the entrance, as if waiting, and he asked where I was going. I told him, and he said "I just happen to be going to the same destination. Wait two minutes while I get an MTR card and I'll take you."
With only 50 minutes for a trip that had taken 90 minutes two days earlier, I could not spare two minutes! I said, "That's okay," I know how to get there." But he was insistent. "I know a faster way," he said. "Just wait for me."
Well, it was already impossible, so what was another two minutes. But the man did indeed know a shortcut! He used part of the Hong Kong Disneyland line, stayed with me to the end of the line, and I ran in the Consulate at exactly 4 p.m.--to their surprise as much as mine!
During the trip I told my new friend what had happened. He said, "I don't know much about passports and Visas [which was odd, because he told me the many places he'd been], but for now you can't do anything about it, so just relax and enjoy the ride." I laughed, and told him, "You're my guardian angel today!" He just smiled.
Express Americans When I ran into the U.S. Consulate at 4 p.m.., they said I needed passport photos! I raced across the street to a photo kiosk, returned with the photos--and at 5 p.m. I was given my new one-year temporary passport!
I've heard a lot about American Express, but it was the first time I'd seen Express Americans.
I experienced 3 miracles within two hours:
1) I'd have not even noticed the passport was missing had I not gone to the bank to withdraw funds (I've done this in Hong Kong only half a dozen times in 20+years).
2) In almost 30 years of coming and going in Hong Kong, no one has ever helped me like this man. He did not just offer help but insisted I take it--but first told me to "wait a couple minutes" even when he knew I was so pressed for time. I obeyed, and by sowing two minutes I saved forty, and made it to the consulate on the dot.
3) The officials at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong were a godsend! The cashier was closing when I walked in, so they had me do the procedures out of order to be sure they were completed. Of course, Hong Kong U.S. Consulate staff are always courteous and efficient, but who has ever heard of a one hour U.S. passport?!
Why Me? I have never lost a passport before, and I was absolutely shocked. I envisioned waiting in Hong Kong several more days while Sue flew home alone, and having to spend a fortune for a room and a new flight (our budget flight could not be changed or canceled). But by 5 p.m. I was marveling at all that had happened in two hours. So why did my Father let it happen in the first place?
The Lesson. I am careful to the point of paranoia with my wallet and passport, and yet in spite of my caution (walking with my hands literally planted over my pockets), I was pickpocketed. But who knows how many times a day we are shielded from problems, perhaps even disasters? Perhaps I was taking things for granted, or trusting too much in my own caution. But after the one hour passport ordeal, I will not only be even more careful but also not take for granted the promise that "He shall give his angels charge over you."
Of course, it seems like I've already had this lesson a few times. I could write a book on just my failures, and my Father's miraculous interventions to fix them. (Maybe entitle it "My Leastmost for his Highest). A few years ago a Chinese professor complained he'd had 4 bicycles stolen in one year and I told him that I'd been riding the same bicycle for ten years. "Wow! That's a record!" he said. "You're so lucky!" I laughed, but I should have given thanks instead. I left the Chinese professor to get my bicycle--only to find it had been stolen while I was talking to him! My Father is not only patient but has a good sense of humor and timing.
A big thank you to my passport angel on the Hong Kong MTR, to the whole team of passport angels at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong--and to my Father for bringing it all together. I hope that I'm not just repeating the same lesson but also learning a little as I go.
HELP! I'm surprised by how many people e-mailed me about this to share their own "angel" stories!" Frankly, I'm generally quite skeptical about such things (especially when people emphasize the angels more than the One who sends them), but this one has sure surprised me, especially after the letter from the folks in Florida, which I wrote about in the "Comments" below. Please share your own story of Fatherly intervention, whether you think it was an angel or not, in the comment section below. Thanks! Dr. Bill
Related: Touched by an Angel or by God?
Link: ABC News Report on Angels
www.amoymagic.com
"He shall give his angels charge over you." Luke 4:10
On Sept. 18, 2008, ABC News reported that over half of Americans believed they'd been watched over at one time or another by a guardian angel, and this included 1/5 of those who say they are not religious (though 92% of Americans believe in God, according to a June 2008 poll). And my own family has encountered a few--including one last Friday.
Last Friday afternoon I discovered that my passport had been stolen, and we were due to fly back to Xiamen the very next morning! Af 3:10 p.m. I phoned the U.S. Consulate on Hong Kong and was told to come in Monday, since I could not get a visa on the weekend. When I explained I did not need a visa for China, they said come in by 4 p.m.--but I was at least 90 minutes away by MTR (subway/train), on the very outskirts of the New Territories, near the border. It was hopeless, but I raced for the MTR anyway--my heart racing faster than my feet.
As I was about to enter the MTR station, a well dressed Chinese gentlemen who spoke excellent English was standing by the entrance, as if waiting, and he asked where I was going. I told him, and he said "I just happen to be going to the same destination. Wait two minutes while I get an MTR card and I'll take you."
With only 50 minutes for a trip that had taken 90 minutes two days earlier, I could not spare two minutes! I said, "That's okay," I know how to get there." But he was insistent. "I know a faster way," he said. "Just wait for me."
Well, it was already impossible, so what was another two minutes. But the man did indeed know a shortcut! He used part of the Hong Kong Disneyland line, stayed with me to the end of the line, and I ran in the Consulate at exactly 4 p.m.--to their surprise as much as mine!
During the trip I told my new friend what had happened. He said, "I don't know much about passports and Visas [which was odd, because he told me the many places he'd been], but for now you can't do anything about it, so just relax and enjoy the ride." I laughed, and told him, "You're my guardian angel today!" He just smiled.
Express Americans When I ran into the U.S. Consulate at 4 p.m.., they said I needed passport photos! I raced across the street to a photo kiosk, returned with the photos--and at 5 p.m. I was given my new one-year temporary passport!
I've heard a lot about American Express, but it was the first time I'd seen Express Americans.
I experienced 3 miracles within two hours:
1) I'd have not even noticed the passport was missing had I not gone to the bank to withdraw funds (I've done this in Hong Kong only half a dozen times in 20+years).
2) In almost 30 years of coming and going in Hong Kong, no one has ever helped me like this man. He did not just offer help but insisted I take it--but first told me to "wait a couple minutes" even when he knew I was so pressed for time. I obeyed, and by sowing two minutes I saved forty, and made it to the consulate on the dot.
3) The officials at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong were a godsend! The cashier was closing when I walked in, so they had me do the procedures out of order to be sure they were completed. Of course, Hong Kong U.S. Consulate staff are always courteous and efficient, but who has ever heard of a one hour U.S. passport?!
Why Me? I have never lost a passport before, and I was absolutely shocked. I envisioned waiting in Hong Kong several more days while Sue flew home alone, and having to spend a fortune for a room and a new flight (our budget flight could not be changed or canceled). But by 5 p.m. I was marveling at all that had happened in two hours. So why did my Father let it happen in the first place?
The Lesson. I am careful to the point of paranoia with my wallet and passport, and yet in spite of my caution (walking with my hands literally planted over my pockets), I was pickpocketed. But who knows how many times a day we are shielded from problems, perhaps even disasters? Perhaps I was taking things for granted, or trusting too much in my own caution. But after the one hour passport ordeal, I will not only be even more careful but also not take for granted the promise that "He shall give his angels charge over you."
Of course, it seems like I've already had this lesson a few times. I could write a book on just my failures, and my Father's miraculous interventions to fix them. (Maybe entitle it "My Leastmost for his Highest). A few years ago a Chinese professor complained he'd had 4 bicycles stolen in one year and I told him that I'd been riding the same bicycle for ten years. "Wow! That's a record!" he said. "You're so lucky!" I laughed, but I should have given thanks instead. I left the Chinese professor to get my bicycle--only to find it had been stolen while I was talking to him! My Father is not only patient but has a good sense of humor and timing.
A big thank you to my passport angel on the Hong Kong MTR, to the whole team of passport angels at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong--and to my Father for bringing it all together. I hope that I'm not just repeating the same lesson but also learning a little as I go.
HELP! I'm surprised by how many people e-mailed me about this to share their own "angel" stories!" Frankly, I'm generally quite skeptical about such things (especially when people emphasize the angels more than the One who sends them), but this one has sure surprised me, especially after the letter from the folks in Florida, which I wrote about in the "Comments" below. Please share your own story of Fatherly intervention, whether you think it was an angel or not, in the comment section below. Thanks! Dr. Bill
Related: Touched by an Angel or by God?
Link: ABC News Report on Angels
www.amoymagic.com
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