Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth." Isaiah 11:3,4
"Middling people are shocked at the wickedness of the wicked; Gibbie, who knew both so well, was shocked only at the wickedness of the righteous." George MacDonald [326]
Ironically, it was good intentions that led to the 19th century opium trade and the two Opium Wars that impoverished China and enriched the West.
Opium was forced on China at gunpoint so we could earn enough silver to pay for tea. And tea was popular in part because Christians had promoted it as a substitute for alcohol!
Tea Addiction Tea was not addictive but its profits were. And tea taxes were highly addictive to governments (they sparked the Boston Tea Party; the tea tossed into the sea was shipped from Xiamen; so no Xiamen, no USA!). And the tea taxes helped finance the armies that forced the opium trade on China to get the silver to pay the Chinese for tea, etc., etc.
Britain imported about 2 pounds of tea in the 1660s; this rose to 15 million pounds in the 1780s and 30 million pounds in 1830. Lots of tea, lots of taxes, lots of opium to pay for the tea to pay the taxes. Happily, America was the first Western country to make the opium trade illegal, and when the decision was made, the Chinese Viceroy said it was the first instance he'd seen of a "Christian country" acting in a Christian manner. (Sadly, the other nations kept up the trade for decades longer).
It was a vicious cycle, but in fairness to Britain, their entire Parliament opposed the 2nd Opium War! The Prime Minister simply dissolved parliament, told the common people they were fighting for the honor of the Queen, and the people supported him. Had they known it was over opium and not honor, I've no doubt the British common folk, like those in Parliament, would have opposed the wars, and the trade as well--and found something to drink besides tea--and alcohol. (In the 20th century, Britain's poor working class nobly sympathized with Gandhi, even though his fight for India's freedom cost many of them their jobs). It was a very small minority of Westerners who were behind the opium trade, but they made such immense profits that they wielded the political and military power to force the trade on Asia for a century.
The High Price of Low Cost I love tea but I would certainly not impoverish an entire nation to insure its supply. But are there other "teas" in my life? Consider the high price behind the low cost we enjoy in America. I marvel that I can buy something "Made in China" cheaper in the U.S. than I can here in China, where we make far less money to pay for those things.
And many of my friends back home complain that everything is made in China--yet our American companies make everything in China precisely so we can buy things more cheaply. We also complain that Chinese work for so little, but here's a news flash: Chinese would like to earn more! I've not met one Chinese who does not want to be paid a fairer wage, but they are paid next to nothing so we can continue to buy at the superstore that boasts "We sell for less" daily.
"When the harm is done and belongs to the past decades, when the sufferings and wrongs of the people are mere memories, pointing out mistakes is a luxury of the reminiscent historian whose voice is calm and tinged with an exquisite regret." Lin Yutang
As Lin Yutang wrote (back in 1943!), we can safely heave a sigh of regret over wrongs committed a century ago, but a thinking person should be able to see what is happening today as well--if the media did not distort world events. This is perhaps why the Prince of Peace will judge not by eyes and ears but heart and conscience.
In Isaiah 11, the "Prince of Peace," is described as judging not by what he sees or deciding by what he hears, but "with righteousness judging the needy." He judges by his heart, not his senses, because he knows what he sees or hears is but the tip of a very large iceberg--and given the nature of our media, probably only one side of the tip.
What is our tea today? And is it worth what we pay for it--or what we make others pay for it? It is no wonder that George MacDonald was surprised not by the wicked of the evil but by the wicked of the righteous--especially when the righteous commit evil in the name of good.
There are no easy answers but there is a correct answer. We must pray for wisdom and discernment, that we may not be driven by the rantings of either extreme Right or Left, but gently led from Within by that still, small voice that tells us that the price of tea or anything else is very important, because if we aren't paying, someone else most certainly is.
A Challenge: Read "Lords of Opium" (Opium Wars in China)
Very relevant quote from Lin Yutang, my favorite 20th century Chinese writer [Between Tears and Laughter, 1945, p.100]
"I am not convinced that all the idiots lived in the past and the great extraordinary minds live only in the present. History has repeatedly proved governments to have been stupid and wrong and the moral instinct of the people to have been right. If the governments could be wrong in the past decade, they can be wrong now. Be a gadfly, therefore,, and sting the governments.
But it is almost a law of human nature that we have all the rights and privileges to sting a dead statesman, like Neville Chamberlain, but not the living great of this earth. When the harm is done and belongs to the past decades, when the sufferings and wrongs of the people are mere memories, pointing out mistakes is a luxury of the reminiscent historian whose voice is calm and tinged with an exquisite regret. When the mistakes are being committed before our eyes, to point out the mistakes and errors of the living great is to arouse all the ire of the red-hot patriots.
www.amoymagic.com
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Jesus on Chinese Busses & Banquets
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
[Jesus said], "Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." Luke 13:30 13:30 [耶稣说]"只是有在后的将要在前，有在前的将要在后。"路加福音13:30
"So the sage wishing to be above men puts himself by his words below them, and wishing to be before them, places his person behind them." Lao Tse V. 66 道德经: "是以欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。"
Chinese have often remarked on my patience in board
ing the bus last, while everyone else fights to get on first. But as I watch the arcane Chinese art of bus packing, I respond, "It's not patience but logic. Jesus said, 'The first shall be last and the last shall be first.' Those who fight to get on first are pushed to the back and get off last, whereas I, in taking my time, will be the last one to board but the first one to get off the bus!"
And thus I dispel any illusions of my sainthood. I board last not because I'm patient but because I'm too impatient to fight the crowd, and I can think ahead far enough to know that if I let them fight it out, and I board last, I will be the first off--and have fewer black eyes and bruised knuckles.
What is true of boarding Chinese buses is true of life in general, as Jesus' taught by both his life and his preaching. His common theme was to put others first, and if we want to lead, we should first learn to follow, and to serve. Jesus very last act before he was betrayed and crucified was to act as a lowly servant and wash his disciples' feet. If he chose this as his final act, the point he was making must have been very important to him:
"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:12-15 耶稣洗完了他们的脚，就穿上衣服，又坐下，对他们说，"我向你们所作的，你们明白麽。你们称呼我夫子，称呼我主，你们说的不错。我本来是。我是你们的主，你们的夫子，尚且洗你们的脚，你们也当彼此洗脚。我给你们作了榜样，叫你们照着我向你们所作的去作。" 约翰福音13:12-15
Jesus and Chinese Banquets Jesus' "The first shall be last" sounds like good strategy for Chinese buses. But he also understood Chinese banquets, which have elaborate rules to decide who sits at the host' right hand, or left, or facing them. Jesus said Pharisees "love the place of honor at banquets" [Matt. 23:6], but he warned that when we attend feasts, we should not sit at the place of honor, lest the host move us to a lower place and we lose face. Rather, we should choose the lower place, and perhaps the host will move us to a higher place, for "those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" [Luke 14:8-11].
Low Seas, High Places Jesus was from Asia, not the West, so it is no surprise his thoughts and teachings remind me so much of ancient China's philosophy. Consider Lao Tse's comments on putting others first:
"Rivers and seas can receive the homage and tribute of valley streams because of their skill in being lower, thus they are kings of all. So the sage (ruler), wishing to be above men, puts himself by his words below them, and wishing to be before them, places his person behind them. In this way, though he is above me, men do not feel his weight, and though he is placed before men, they do not fee it an injury to them. Therefore all in the world delight to exalt him and do not weary of him. Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to strive with him."66 道德经: 江海之所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之，故能为百谷王。是以欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。是以圣人处上而民不重，处前而民不害。是以天下乐推而不厌。以其不争，故天下莫能与之争。
Standing on Tiptoes And in closing, Lao Tse also said that "He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk (easily). (So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged; he who is self- conceited has no superiority allowed to him." 道德经24 "企者不立；跨者不行；自见者不明；自是者不彰；自伐者无功；自矜者不长。"
Early Worms Today, whether boarding a Chinese bus, attending the banquet, or simply going about your daily job, put others first, because the first shall be last. And if that doesn't convince you, then don't forget that "The early worm gets eaten by the bird--so sleep in!"
Related Links:
Arcane Art & Science of Chinese Mini-Busing
Famished at the Feast
Turning the Tea Tables (a Cross-Cultural Confrontation)
www.amoymagic.com
[Jesus said], "Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." Luke 13:30 13:30 [耶稣说]"只是有在后的将要在前，有在前的将要在后。"路加福音13:30
"So the sage wishing to be above men puts himself by his words below them, and wishing to be before them, places his person behind them." Lao Tse V. 66 道德经: "是以欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。"
Chinese have often remarked on my patience in board
ing the bus last, while everyone else fights to get on first. But as I watch the arcane Chinese art of bus packing, I respond, "It's not patience but logic. Jesus said, 'The first shall be last and the last shall be first.' Those who fight to get on first are pushed to the back and get off last, whereas I, in taking my time, will be the last one to board but the first one to get off the bus!"And thus I dispel any illusions of my sainthood. I board last not because I'm patient but because I'm too impatient to fight the crowd, and I can think ahead far enough to know that if I let them fight it out, and I board last, I will be the first off--and have fewer black eyes and bruised knuckles.
What is true of boarding Chinese buses is true of life in general, as Jesus' taught by both his life and his preaching. His common theme was to put others first, and if we want to lead, we should first learn to follow, and to serve. Jesus very last act before he was betrayed and crucified was to act as a lowly servant and wash his disciples' feet. If he chose this as his final act, the point he was making must have been very important to him:
"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:12-15 耶稣洗完了他们的脚，就穿上衣服，又坐下，对他们说，"我向你们所作的，你们明白麽。你们称呼我夫子，称呼我主，你们说的不错。我本来是。我是你们的主，你们的夫子，尚且洗你们的脚，你们也当彼此洗脚。我给你们作了榜样，叫你们照着我向你们所作的去作。" 约翰福音13:12-15
Jesus and Chinese Banquets Jesus' "The first shall be last" sounds like good strategy for Chinese buses. But he also understood Chinese banquets, which have elaborate rules to decide who sits at the host' right hand, or left, or facing them. Jesus said Pharisees "love the place of honor at banquets" [Matt. 23:6], but he warned that when we attend feasts, we should not sit at the place of honor, lest the host move us to a lower place and we lose face. Rather, we should choose the lower place, and perhaps the host will move us to a higher place, for "those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" [Luke 14:8-11].
Low Seas, High Places Jesus was from Asia, not the West, so it is no surprise his thoughts and teachings remind me so much of ancient China's philosophy. Consider Lao Tse's comments on putting others first:
"Rivers and seas can receive the homage and tribute of valley streams because of their skill in being lower, thus they are kings of all. So the sage (ruler), wishing to be above men, puts himself by his words below them, and wishing to be before them, places his person behind them. In this way, though he is above me, men do not feel his weight, and though he is placed before men, they do not fee it an injury to them. Therefore all in the world delight to exalt him and do not weary of him. Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to strive with him."66 道德经: 江海之所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之，故能为百谷王。是以欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。是以圣人处上而民不重，处前而民不害。是以天下乐推而不厌。以其不争，故天下莫能与之争。
Standing on Tiptoes And in closing, Lao Tse also said that "He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk (easily). (So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged; he who is self- conceited has no superiority allowed to him." 道德经24 "企者不立；跨者不行；自见者不明；自是者不彰；自伐者无功；自矜者不长。"
Early Worms Today, whether boarding a Chinese bus, attending the banquet, or simply going about your daily job, put others first, because the first shall be last. And if that doesn't convince you, then don't forget that "The early worm gets eaten by the bird--so sleep in!"
Related Links:
Arcane Art & Science of Chinese Mini-Busing
Famished at the Feast
Turning the Tea Tables (a Cross-Cultural Confrontation)
www.amoymagic.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Teacher for Life in China
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." John 13:14 我是你们的主，你们的夫子，尚且洗你们的脚，你们也当彼此洗脚。 约翰福音13:14
"According to the custom of ancient China, a teacher was a master for life,a member of the Confucian trinity of "emperor, father, and teacher." Lin Yutang
A group of people in their mid-20s were posing for a photo in front of the 1,000-year-old temple on top of N. E. Fujian's beautiful Mount Taimu (in Ningde). When they told me they were on a class reunion, I asked, "What college?"
"Kindergarten!" they said. "Not college! "We're paying our respects to our kindergarten teacher who helped set us on the road to college!"
It is no wonder that Lin Yutang wrote, "According to the custom of ancient China, a teacher was a master for life,a member of the Confucian trinity of "emperor, father, and teacher."
I can't even remember my college professor's names, much less grade school, but this group was reuniting to show respect for a teacher they had not seen in almost 20 years!
Teacher's Day is celebrated the world over, but only in China is every day Teacher's Day. Only in China do stationery shops have rows of "For my Teacher" cards on sale twelve months out of the year.
But being a teacher incurs not only great rewards but also sobering responsibility. I receive letters from students I've not seen in fifteen years, and it is gratifying to know they are working on companies or universities everywhere from Australia to Finland. And judging by the letters, I had a good impression on many. But I also remember that, far too often, I was impatient with students. Some were, of course, lazy, but others that I thought were lazy or careless simply did not understand (or perhaps did not believe) the crazy foreign teacher's requirements, and his warnings of a slow death if they failed to finish their assignments. I hope that over the 21 years here I've mellowed somewhat (though I still make latecomers sing a song, regardless of their excuses).
Fortunately, my Chinese students have a forgiving nature, perhaps because they know that "once my teacher, always my teacher," so they'd better learn to put up with me, just as they put up with their parents (there is, in fact, an old Chinese saying that the teacher is like a father).
But over the years of teaching in China it has also become painfully evident that all of us are teachers for life, leaving and impression, for good or ill, on each person we encounter. I hope we can all become better teachers and students, both in and out of the classroom.www.amoymagic.com
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." John 13:14 我是你们的主，你们的夫子，尚且洗你们的脚，你们也当彼此洗脚。 约翰福音13:14
"According to the custom of ancient China, a teacher was a master for life,a member of the Confucian trinity of "emperor, father, and teacher." Lin Yutang
A group of people in their mid-20s were posing for a photo in front of the 1,000-year-old temple on top of N. E. Fujian's beautiful Mount Taimu (in Ningde). When they told me they were on a class reunion, I asked, "What college?"
"Kindergarten!" they said. "Not college! "We're paying our respects to our kindergarten teacher who helped set us on the road to college!"
It is no wonder that Lin Yutang wrote, "According to the custom of ancient China, a teacher was a master for life,a member of the Confucian trinity of "emperor, father, and teacher."
I can't even remember my college professor's names, much less grade school, but this group was reuniting to show respect for a teacher they had not seen in almost 20 years!
Teacher's Day is celebrated the world over, but only in China is every day Teacher's Day. Only in China do stationery shops have rows of "For my Teacher" cards on sale twelve months out of the year.
But being a teacher incurs not only great rewards but also sobering responsibility. I receive letters from students I've not seen in fifteen years, and it is gratifying to know they are working on companies or universities everywhere from Australia to Finland. And judging by the letters, I had a good impression on many. But I also remember that, far too often, I was impatient with students. Some were, of course, lazy, but others that I thought were lazy or careless simply did not understand (or perhaps did not believe) the crazy foreign teacher's requirements, and his warnings of a slow death if they failed to finish their assignments. I hope that over the 21 years here I've mellowed somewhat (though I still make latecomers sing a song, regardless of their excuses).
Fortunately, my Chinese students have a forgiving nature, perhaps because they know that "once my teacher, always my teacher," so they'd better learn to put up with me, just as they put up with their parents (there is, in fact, an old Chinese saying that the teacher is like a father).
But over the years of teaching in China it has also become painfully evident that all of us are teachers for life, leaving and impression, for good or ill, on each person we encounter. I hope we can all become better teachers and students, both in and out of the classroom.www.amoymagic.com
Monday, April 27, 2009
Our Spiritual Software & Hardware
Bill Brown ..Xiamen University
"For physical exercise is of some value, but godliness has value for all things..."1 Timothy 4:8 4:8 "操练身体，益处还少。惟独敬虔，凡事都有益处..." 提摩太前书4:8
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16 "岂不知你们是神的殿，神的灵住在你们里头麽。" 歌林多前书3:16
I just returned from my morning spiritual
exercise. It was not a Jesuit "Spiritual Exercise" but an hour walking the beautiful Xiamen Boardwalk with my best friend, Susan Marie. This is a daily ritual that does wonders not only in keeping body and soul together but also husband and wife!
Why Walk? Paul said that exercise was only of "some" value because in his day people did not live sedentary lives. Only athletes training for competition needed to push their bodies further than the demands of the day. But today, most of us engage in little physical activity, and it shows not only in our physical health but our spiritual as well, because the two are usually related.
We cannot compartmentalize spiritual and secular activities (being holy on Sunday and a holy terror Monday through Saturday). In the same way, we cannot nourish our spirit while ignoring our physical well-being, which influences our emotional and psychological outlook, which in turn can affect our spiritual walk. This is inevitable because our Father created us as spiritual beings but for now has encased our spiritual software within the hardware of a physical b
ody, and he expects us to care for both.
Heavenly Bodies Many people cling to Paul's "exercise profits little" comment as an excuse to neglect their bodies, but Paul also asked us, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16 "岂不知你们是神的殿，神的灵住在你们里头麽。" 歌林多前书3:16 If our body is ineed God's temple, then we had best be good caretakers of it, because in this life we only get one. And the best way to keep the body is to use the body.
Use it or Lose it. Scientists have shown that one of the greatest aids to combating cancer, heart disease, obesity, depression--just about everything!--is exercise. And it doesn't mean we have to join the Xiamen International Marathon! A simple daily walk will work wonders in keeping body and soul together--and keeping them functioning as our Father intended. But in today's world, it is so easy to give our physical temple the short end of the deal.
The Vicious Cycle I can easily spend ten hours a day in the classroom or at the keyboard and exercise only my mouth and my fingertips. But when I don't take time to exercise each day, I tire easily, lose energy and enthusiasm, and cannot sleep well. The lack of sleep only worsens the vicious cycle, and before long my teaching, writing, and relationships with my loved ones, and even my Father, are affected. The solution for me is a morning walk with my wife. And after enjoying the Xiamen Boardwalk's brisk sea air and scenery, or the trails or our home in Reedley, California, I can be much more confident that I will hit the day, rather than have the day hit me.
The Daily Road to Emmaeus. Today, go for a walk--but let it do double duty. Don't just look at the scenery. Look within, and listen, and let that daily walk become a daily road to Emmaeus, nourishing the soul even as it restores the body.
In closing, some of the greatest people in history were productive even well into retirement because they disciplined themselves to begin each day with a healing and restorative walk, followed by a time of quiet reflection and prayer. They also took mental breaks through the day. During the horrible height of World War II, Churchill still took time off in the afternoon to paint in his garden--and I know of a Chinese billionaire in Hong Kong that does the same,
www.amoymagic.com
"For physical exercise is of some value, but godliness has value for all things..."1 Timothy 4:8 4:8 "操练身体，益处还少。惟独敬虔，凡事都有益处..." 提摩太前书4:8
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16 "岂不知你们是神的殿，神的灵住在你们里头麽。" 歌林多前书3:16
I just returned from my morning spiritual
exercise. It was not a Jesuit "Spiritual Exercise" but an hour walking the beautiful Xiamen Boardwalk with my best friend, Susan Marie. This is a daily ritual that does wonders not only in keeping body and soul together but also husband and wife!Why Walk? Paul said that exercise was only of "some" value because in his day people did not live sedentary lives. Only athletes training for competition needed to push their bodies further than the demands of the day. But today, most of us engage in little physical activity, and it shows not only in our physical health but our spiritual as well, because the two are usually related.
We cannot compartmentalize spiritual and secular activities (being holy on Sunday and a holy terror Monday through Saturday). In the same way, we cannot nourish our spirit while ignoring our physical well-being, which influences our emotional and psychological outlook, which in turn can affect our spiritual walk. This is inevitable because our Father created us as spiritual beings but for now has encased our spiritual software within the hardware of a physical b
ody, and he expects us to care for both.Heavenly Bodies Many people cling to Paul's "exercise profits little" comment as an excuse to neglect their bodies, but Paul also asked us, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16 "岂不知你们是神的殿，神的灵住在你们里头麽。" 歌林多前书3:16 If our body is ineed God's temple, then we had best be good caretakers of it, because in this life we only get one. And the best way to keep the body is to use the body.
Use it or Lose it. Scientists have shown that one of the greatest aids to combating cancer, heart disease, obesity, depression--just about everything!--is exercise. And it doesn't mean we have to join the Xiamen International Marathon! A simple daily walk will work wonders in keeping body and soul together--and keeping them functioning as our Father intended. But in today's world, it is so easy to give our physical temple the short end of the deal.
The Vicious Cycle I can easily spend ten hours a day in the classroom or at the keyboard and exercise only my mouth and my fingertips. But when I don't take time to exercise each day, I tire easily, lose energy and enthusiasm, and cannot sleep well. The lack of sleep only worsens the vicious cycle, and before long my teaching, writing, and relationships with my loved ones, and even my Father, are affected. The solution for me is a morning walk with my wife. And after enjoying the Xiamen Boardwalk's brisk sea air and scenery, or the trails or our home in Reedley, California, I can be much more confident that I will hit the day, rather than have the day hit me.
The Daily Road to Emmaeus. Today, go for a walk--but let it do double duty. Don't just look at the scenery. Look within, and listen, and let that daily walk become a daily road to Emmaeus, nourishing the soul even as it restores the body.
In closing, some of the greatest people in history were productive even well into retirement because they disciplined themselves to begin each day with a healing and restorative walk, followed by a time of quiet reflection and prayer. They also took mental breaks through the day. During the horrible height of World War II, Churchill still took time off in the afternoon to paint in his garden--and I know of a Chinese billionaire in Hong Kong that does the same,
www.amoymagic.com
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tugging Rice Plants
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." Jesus, in John 15:5 我是葡萄树，你们是枝子。常在我里面的，我也常在他里面，这人就多结果子。因为离了我，你们就不能作什么。 约翰福音15:5
“Pulling rice plants to make them grow." Ancient Chinese Proverb 拔苗助长
Pulling Rice Plants In ancient times, an impatient Chinese farmer tried tugging his rice plants to make them grow faster. But the next day he found the plants withered and dead because he had pulled their roots loose from the soil. Ever since, Chinese have used the phrase "tugging rice plants".
Like the foolish farmer's rice plants, we must grow naturally from within, nourished and pushed up from the roots, rather than pushing ourselves, or allowing ourselves to be pulled prematurely from without. There are seasons for growth and seasons for bearing fruit, and we can't rush either one--though we may undergo some painful pruning if we forget that growth must be followed by bearing fruit.
Growth or Fruit? I fed and watered my fruit trees faithfully (peaches, plums, nectarines, oranges), and they sucked up all that I could give them, but they used it not on bearing fruit but on just increasing their own size. They were large, beautiful, and shady, but unlike a Chinese silkworm, I don't eat leaves, so after the third fruitless season I pruned them back almost to the trunk.
I could almost hear their woody whining of complaint as I whacked and hacked. When I finished they looked dead, and probably felt it. But the next year they came back fuller than ever, and the vibrantly green new branches produced more fruit than we and our friends and neighbors could eat. And so I learned that the trees not only need to be well rooted and well nourished, but that they also must be pruned, lest they expend everything I give them on themselves and give give me nothing in return.
We too must remain rooted and grounded, and centered on our purpose--which is not to grow for the sake of growth, but to grow that we may bear fruit. And if we fail to bear fruit, we may undergo a painful pruning to remind us of Why we are here.
Of course, unlike the rice plant or the grape vine, we can refuse the pruning, or even separate ourselves from the branch in our attempts to accomplish too much too quickly. But then we simply do to ourselves what the foolish farmer did to his rice plants--and with the same result.
Related: Sown in China (In Memory of Steve C.)
拔苗助长 ["Tugging Rice Plants"]
Click Here for Source: ICIBA Salon
古时候宋国有个农夫，种了稻苗后，便希望能早早收成。
每天他到稻田时，发觉那些稻苗长得非常慢。他等得不耐烦，心想："怎么样才能使稻苗长得高，长很快呢?想了又想，他终了想到一个"最佳方法"，就是将稻苗拨高几分。
经过一番辛劳后，他满意地扛锄头回家休息。然后回去对家里的人表白："今天可把我累坏了，我帮助庄稼苗长高一大截！"
他儿子赶快跑到地里去一看，禾苗全都枯死了。
www.amoymagic.com
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." Jesus, in John 15:5 我是葡萄树，你们是枝子。常在我里面的，我也常在他里面，这人就多结果子。因为离了我，你们就不能作什么。 约翰福音15:5
“Pulling rice plants to make them grow." Ancient Chinese Proverb 拔苗助长
Pulling Rice Plants In ancient times, an impatient Chinese farmer tried tugging his rice plants to make them grow faster. But the next day he found the plants withered and dead because he had pulled their roots loose from the soil. Ever since, Chinese have used the phrase "tugging rice plants".
Like the foolish farmer's rice plants, we must grow naturally from within, nourished and pushed up from the roots, rather than pushing ourselves, or allowing ourselves to be pulled prematurely from without. There are seasons for growth and seasons for bearing fruit, and we can't rush either one--though we may undergo some painful pruning if we forget that growth must be followed by bearing fruit.
Growth or Fruit? I fed and watered my fruit trees faithfully (peaches, plums, nectarines, oranges), and they sucked up all that I could give them, but they used it not on bearing fruit but on just increasing their own size. They were large, beautiful, and shady, but unlike a Chinese silkworm, I don't eat leaves, so after the third fruitless season I pruned them back almost to the trunk.
I could almost hear their woody whining of complaint as I whacked and hacked. When I finished they looked dead, and probably felt it. But the next year they came back fuller than ever, and the vibrantly green new branches produced more fruit than we and our friends and neighbors could eat. And so I learned that the trees not only need to be well rooted and well nourished, but that they also must be pruned, lest they expend everything I give them on themselves and give give me nothing in return.
We too must remain rooted and grounded, and centered on our purpose--which is not to grow for the sake of growth, but to grow that we may bear fruit. And if we fail to bear fruit, we may undergo a painful pruning to remind us of Why we are here.
Of course, unlike the rice plant or the grape vine, we can refuse the pruning, or even separate ourselves from the branch in our attempts to accomplish too much too quickly. But then we simply do to ourselves what the foolish farmer did to his rice plants--and with the same result.
Related: Sown in China (In Memory of Steve C.)
拔苗助长 ["Tugging Rice Plants"]
Click Here for Source: ICIBA Salon
古时候宋国有个农夫，种了稻苗后，便希望能早早收成。
每天他到稻田时，发觉那些稻苗长得非常慢。他等得不耐烦，心想："怎么样才能使稻苗长得高，长很快呢?想了又想，他终了想到一个"最佳方法"，就是将稻苗拨高几分。
经过一番辛劳后，他满意地扛锄头回家休息。然后回去对家里的人表白："今天可把我累坏了，我帮助庄稼苗长高一大截！"
他儿子赶快跑到地里去一看，禾苗全都枯死了。
www.amoymagic.com
Friday, April 24, 2009
Eternally Empty Jars of Clay?
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Cor.4:7 我们有这宝贝放在瓦器里，要显明这莫大的力，是出于神，不是出于我们。歌林多後书4:7
"Clay vessels' usefulness is in their emptiness. Doors and windows in the walls are useful for their empty space." Lao Tzu, Daodejing v.11埏埴以为器，当其无，有器之用。凿户牖以为室，当其无， 道德经:11
Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, had a good point when he said a clay vessel could be filled only when it is empty. The problem was that he urged us to empty the vessel of vain or useless philosophies, but then offered nothing to actually fill the empty vessel.
In his distrust of vain philosophies, Lao Tzu sounded somewhat like the Apostle Paul, who wrote in 1 Tim. 6:20, "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge." 提摩太阿，你要保守所托付你的，躲避世俗的虚谈，和那敌真道似是而非的学问。" 提摩太前书6:20
Eternally Empty Vessel? Lao Tzu, like Paul, warned us against filling ourselves with wrong knowledge, but unlike Paul, Lao Tzu lacked an alternative to fill men's hearts, so his solution for achieving peace and happiness throughout the country was to keep people's minds and hearts empty and their bellies full. He wrote,
"So the wise, in governing, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones. He tries to keep them empty of knowledge and without desire, and if some have knowledge, he keeps them from using it. Inaction brings universal good order." Dao Dejing v.3 道德经3: "是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹，弱其志，强其骨。常使民无知无欲。使夫智者不敢为也。为无为，则无不治。"
It may well have brought stability, but mindlessness and emptiness seems a heavy price to pay for it--and a waste of our 70 years of life.
Moving Full Vessels. Lao Tzu also said, "It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to try carrying it full." Lao Tzu Daodejing v.9 9 道德经: 持而盈之，不如其已； Again, he is correct. But if minds and hearts are empty, people would not be carrying the empty vessel anywhere because they lack purpose, goal and direction. So Lao Tzu's point is philosophically piquant but practically speaking rather irrelevant if the vessel is eternally empty.
Empty Vessels Going Nowhere. Lao Tzu was, needless to say, a brilliant man, with penetrating insights into humanity on both individual and social levels, but in the end he could counter the formalistic and deadening systems and rituals of Confucianism only with a philosophy of nothingness (which, however, has very many practical points to it--so I do not throw the baby out with the bathwater).
Full of ourselves. We often say an arrogant, self-centered person is "full of themselves". We do need to empty our vessel of ourselves, but then we need to be filled with a new self--a "new creation in Christ." And we will learn that a vessel filled with Light is not any heavier to carry than an empty vessel, and even if it were, we are not the ones carrying it.
Light Yoke As Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29,30 我心里柔和谦卑，你们当负我的轭，学我的样式，这样，你们心里就必得享安息。因为我的轭是容易的，我的担子是轻省的。 马太福音11:29,30
Empty Vessel or Full? Our threescore and ten years of life are too brief to pursue it without meaning, purpose or direction. Fortunately, we do not have to. Put your empty vessel to use; and discover that a vessel filled with light is truly useful, and easier to move towards the Goal than either an empty vessel or a vessel filled only with ourselves.
www.amoymagic.com
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Cor.4:7 我们有这宝贝放在瓦器里，要显明这莫大的力，是出于神，不是出于我们。歌林多後书4:7
"Clay vessels' usefulness is in their emptiness. Doors and windows in the walls are useful for their empty space." Lao Tzu, Daodejing v.11埏埴以为器，当其无，有器之用。凿户牖以为室，当其无， 道德经:11
Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, had a good point when he said a clay vessel could be filled only when it is empty. The problem was that he urged us to empty the vessel of vain or useless philosophies, but then offered nothing to actually fill the empty vessel.
In his distrust of vain philosophies, Lao Tzu sounded somewhat like the Apostle Paul, who wrote in 1 Tim. 6:20, "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge." 提摩太阿，你要保守所托付你的，躲避世俗的虚谈，和那敌真道似是而非的学问。" 提摩太前书6:20
Eternally Empty Vessel? Lao Tzu, like Paul, warned us against filling ourselves with wrong knowledge, but unlike Paul, Lao Tzu lacked an alternative to fill men's hearts, so his solution for achieving peace and happiness throughout the country was to keep people's minds and hearts empty and their bellies full. He wrote,
"So the wise, in governing, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones. He tries to keep them empty of knowledge and without desire, and if some have knowledge, he keeps them from using it. Inaction brings universal good order." Dao Dejing v.3 道德经3: "是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹，弱其志，强其骨。常使民无知无欲。使夫智者不敢为也。为无为，则无不治。"
It may well have brought stability, but mindlessness and emptiness seems a heavy price to pay for it--and a waste of our 70 years of life.
Moving Full Vessels. Lao Tzu also said, "It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to try carrying it full." Lao Tzu Daodejing v.9 9 道德经: 持而盈之，不如其已； Again, he is correct. But if minds and hearts are empty, people would not be carrying the empty vessel anywhere because they lack purpose, goal and direction. So Lao Tzu's point is philosophically piquant but practically speaking rather irrelevant if the vessel is eternally empty.
Empty Vessels Going Nowhere. Lao Tzu was, needless to say, a brilliant man, with penetrating insights into humanity on both individual and social levels, but in the end he could counter the formalistic and deadening systems and rituals of Confucianism only with a philosophy of nothingness (which, however, has very many practical points to it--so I do not throw the baby out with the bathwater).
Full of ourselves. We often say an arrogant, self-centered person is "full of themselves". We do need to empty our vessel of ourselves, but then we need to be filled with a new self--a "new creation in Christ." And we will learn that a vessel filled with Light is not any heavier to carry than an empty vessel, and even if it were, we are not the ones carrying it.
Light Yoke As Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29,30 我心里柔和谦卑，你们当负我的轭，学我的样式，这样，你们心里就必得享安息。因为我的轭是容易的，我的担子是轻省的。 马太福音11:29,30
Empty Vessel or Full? Our threescore and ten years of life are too brief to pursue it without meaning, purpose or direction. Fortunately, we do not have to. Put your empty vessel to use; and discover that a vessel filled with light is truly useful, and easier to move towards the Goal than either an empty vessel or a vessel filled only with ourselves.
www.amoymagic.com
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Prophet Within
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
[Mistakenly posted in "Off the Wall", and relocated here]
"I see that you are a prophet." John 4:16
"I give up! I've not yet met one person who could look within and see his own faults and accuse himself!" Confucius, Analects 5.27 子曰：“已矣乎，吾未见能见其过而内自讼者也。
The Samaritan woman at the well asked Jesus for his "living water" and Jesus replied, "Go get your husband and return." When she said she had no husband, Jesus shocked her by saying, "That is true. In fact, you've had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband. So what you've said is true." John 4:16
Deflecting the Spear. When the Samaritan woman asked for Jesus' living water," he tried to open the well within her by prodding her to look within.
But like many of us, she skillfully redirected the focus of the conversation. She replied, "I see you are a prophet....should we worship on this mountain, as Samaritans do, or in Jerusalem, like the Jews."
Like the woman at the well, we too often focus on other issues--perhaps "greater" issues--when we should be looking within. No wonder Confucius said in the Analects, "I give up! I have not yet met one person who could see his faults and accuse himself!"
We don't need prophets to help us see afar, because the root of our problems lies close at hand. We only need open eyes, hearts and minds to see within.
In responding to the Samaritan woman's question about whether to worship on the mountain or in Jerusalem, Jesus said, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem....Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:21-24
The Prophet Within Today, we do have a prophet at hand. The prophet is our conscience, and if we look within and listen, we will see the future, because we are writing our future today.
Today, I will not look afar for answers, but look within, and if I don't like what I see today, I'm quite sure I'll care even less for tomorrow--and I'll ask my Father to help me write a different future by what I do this day.
www.amoymagic.com
www.amoymagic.com
[Mistakenly posted in "Off the Wall", and relocated here]
"I see that you are a prophet." John 4:16
"I give up! I've not yet met one person who could look within and see his own faults and accuse himself!" Confucius, Analects 5.27 子曰：“已矣乎，吾未见能见其过而内自讼者也。
The Samaritan woman at the well asked Jesus for his "living water" and Jesus replied, "Go get your husband and return." When she said she had no husband, Jesus shocked her by saying, "That is true. In fact, you've had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband. So what you've said is true." John 4:16
Deflecting the Spear. When the Samaritan woman asked for Jesus' living water," he tried to open the well within her by prodding her to look within.
But like many of us, she skillfully redirected the focus of the conversation. She replied, "I see you are a prophet....should we worship on this mountain, as Samaritans do, or in Jerusalem, like the Jews."
Like the woman at the well, we too often focus on other issues--perhaps "greater" issues--when we should be looking within. No wonder Confucius said in the Analects, "I give up! I have not yet met one person who could see his faults and accuse himself!"
We don't need prophets to help us see afar, because the root of our problems lies close at hand. We only need open eyes, hearts and minds to see within.
In responding to the Samaritan woman's question about whether to worship on the mountain or in Jerusalem, Jesus said, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem....Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:21-24
The Prophet Within Today, we do have a prophet at hand. The prophet is our conscience, and if we look within and listen, we will see the future, because we are writing our future today.
Today, I will not look afar for answers, but look within, and if I don't like what I see today, I'm quite sure I'll care even less for tomorrow--and I'll ask my Father to help me write a different future by what I do this day.
www.amoymagic.com
www.amoymagic.com
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Secret of the Universe in 3 E-Z Steps
Bill Brown ... .Xiamen University
Life in 3 Easy Lessons?
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17 各样美善的恩赐，和各样全备的赏赐，都是从上头来的。从众光之父那里降下来的。在他并没有改变，也没有转动的影儿。雅各书1:17
Life is a class, the earth is our classroom, and we are here to learn and grow--but as the days, years and decades fly by, it is easy to forget just what we are here to learn--and that the Final Exam is fast approaching.
Life in 3 Easy Steps Although our cultures, languages, and individual lives and experiences are endlessly diverse, we are all learning the same lessons. Unfortunately, many who would be our earthly "teachers" have complicated the course beyond all recognition. It reminds me of my wife's book, "Flatten Your Belly in 3 Easy Steps." The author spent over 300 pages describing those 3 easy steps. And I have a book that, right on the front cover, promises to teach me piano "in no time at all." Yet I had to read 180 pages of history and technical details before I even reached the page that said, "And now, we will learn to play a song on piano."
Likewise, many claim to have the E-Z Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but they couch that E-Z answer in endlessly verbose volumes of philosophy, religion and science. Even as a child, I read volumes on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, and Islam. How often I wished I could find a simple summary of what it was all about, but usually I just found myself even more confused. Even the very name of God was puzzling.
Laozi, founder of Taoism, said, "The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. Having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth." [道德经:道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。无名天地之始.]
The "I Am" Moses actually asked God his name. God's answer would not have surprised Taoists. God gave no name! He simply said, "I am that I am." Exocus 3:14 ["我是自有永有的。"出埃及记3:14], and told Moses to tell the Jews, "I AM has sent me." But those two words, "I am," summarized all that the ancient philosophers could learn about the eternal, unchanging, and unknowable principle. That, of course, did not stop the Taoists, Buddhists, Jews and everyone else from writing endlessly about God. Much more can be written about the unknown than about the known and verifiable.
Back to Basics. It is interesting that Jesus reserved his strongest words (and anger) not for the cruel Roman occupiers, or even the sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors, but for the so-called spiritual leaders who complicated God all out of recognition and laid heavy religious burdens upon people. Jesus said God is unchanging Light, and Love. And most importantly, Jesus said that God not only can be known but wants to be known because we are his children.
Perhaps Jesus made things too simple, because for 2,000 years we've been trying to complicate it, but for Jesus, life boils down to 3 E-Z steps.
The Secret of the Universe in 3 E-Z Steps
1. Know the "I am." Lin Yutang said finite minds cannot grasp the infinite, but that is okay because we don't have to understand God to know and love him, even as a baby can love and trust its father without understanding him.
2. Love God. The Bible says "God is love," and He wants our love not for his sake but our own, because we cannot receive love unless we ourselves learn to love. [There is a paradox here, for it is also true that we cannot love unless we have been loved; love must grow]. And how do we love God? Not through religion and rites and sacrifice but through obedience, and step 3:
3. "Love Others." God wants us to love Him, and love others as ourselves. This, of course, assumes that we love ourselves too (not because of what we are, but because of Whose we are).
Great Works, Small Mind I still reread the great religious and philosophical works because each offers interesting insights, but they can be bewild.ering. So as I am tossed daily on the seas of a very busy and often perplexing life, my compass is simply Jesus' 3 E-Z Steps: Know God, Love God, Love Others as Myself.
Not that I live up to any of those, but it is a start. And that is all that this life is anyways--a start.
www.amoymagic.com
Life in 3 Easy Lessons?
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17 各样美善的恩赐，和各样全备的赏赐，都是从上头来的。从众光之父那里降下来的。在他并没有改变，也没有转动的影儿。雅各书1:17
Life is a class, the earth is our classroom, and we are here to learn and grow--but as the days, years and decades fly by, it is easy to forget just what we are here to learn--and that the Final Exam is fast approaching.
Life in 3 Easy Steps Although our cultures, languages, and individual lives and experiences are endlessly diverse, we are all learning the same lessons. Unfortunately, many who would be our earthly "teachers" have complicated the course beyond all recognition. It reminds me of my wife's book, "Flatten Your Belly in 3 Easy Steps." The author spent over 300 pages describing those 3 easy steps. And I have a book that, right on the front cover, promises to teach me piano "in no time at all." Yet I had to read 180 pages of history and technical details before I even reached the page that said, "And now, we will learn to play a song on piano."
Likewise, many claim to have the E-Z Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but they couch that E-Z answer in endlessly verbose volumes of philosophy, religion and science. Even as a child, I read volumes on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, and Islam. How often I wished I could find a simple summary of what it was all about, but usually I just found myself even more confused. Even the very name of God was puzzling.
Laozi, founder of Taoism, said, "The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. Having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth." [道德经:道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。无名天地之始.]
The "I Am" Moses actually asked God his name. God's answer would not have surprised Taoists. God gave no name! He simply said, "I am that I am." Exocus 3:14 ["我是自有永有的。"出埃及记3:14], and told Moses to tell the Jews, "I AM has sent me." But those two words, "I am," summarized all that the ancient philosophers could learn about the eternal, unchanging, and unknowable principle. That, of course, did not stop the Taoists, Buddhists, Jews and everyone else from writing endlessly about God. Much more can be written about the unknown than about the known and verifiable.
Back to Basics. It is interesting that Jesus reserved his strongest words (and anger) not for the cruel Roman occupiers, or even the sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors, but for the so-called spiritual leaders who complicated God all out of recognition and laid heavy religious burdens upon people. Jesus said God is unchanging Light, and Love. And most importantly, Jesus said that God not only can be known but wants to be known because we are his children.
Perhaps Jesus made things too simple, because for 2,000 years we've been trying to complicate it, but for Jesus, life boils down to 3 E-Z steps.
The Secret of the Universe in 3 E-Z Steps
1. Know the "I am." Lin Yutang said finite minds cannot grasp the infinite, but that is okay because we don't have to understand God to know and love him, even as a baby can love and trust its father without understanding him.
2. Love God. The Bible says "God is love," and He wants our love not for his sake but our own, because we cannot receive love unless we ourselves learn to love. [There is a paradox here, for it is also true that we cannot love unless we have been loved; love must grow]. And how do we love God? Not through religion and rites and sacrifice but through obedience, and step 3:
3. "Love Others." God wants us to love Him, and love others as ourselves. This, of course, assumes that we love ourselves too (not because of what we are, but because of Whose we are).
Great Works, Small Mind I still reread the great religious and philosophical works because each offers interesting insights, but they can be bewild.ering. So as I am tossed daily on the seas of a very busy and often perplexing life, my compass is simply Jesus' 3 E-Z Steps: Know God, Love God, Love Others as Myself.
Not that I live up to any of those, but it is a start. And that is all that this life is anyways--a start.
www.amoymagic.com
Monday, April 20, 2009
In Heaven's Way or Ours?
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"...Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." Acts 5:38,39 "...不要管这些人，任凭他们吧，他们所谋的，所行的，若是出于人，必要败坏。若是出于神，你们就不能败坏他们。恐怕你们倒是攻击神了。"
"Those who follow Heaven are preserved; those who rebel against Heaven perish." Mencius "顺天者存，逆天者亡。" 孟子,高楼句上
When furious Jewish leaders hauled Peter and the apostles into the synagogue, and wanted to kill them, the Pharisee teacher of the law, Gamaliel, wisely urged caution. He reminded them that Theudas had claimed to be great and gathered 400 followers, but after he was killed, his followers had dispersed. Judas of Galilee also gathered followers for a revolt, but was killed, and this too came to nothing. Gamaliel urged the leaders to leave the Christians alone, for if they were not of God, nothing would come of it, but if they were of God--then the Jews would be guilty of fighting God.
Ironically, of the countless militant Jewish revolutionaries came and went, Few left any mark upon history. But Jesus was a revolutionary who refused to fight because the battle is within us, not between us. He entered Jerusalem triumphantly not on a war horse but on a donkey of peace, and he is still changing the world 2,000 years later. As Zechariah 4:6 says, "not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty." [万军之耶和华说，不是倚靠势力，不是倚靠才能，乃是倚靠我的灵，方能成事。 撒迦利亚4:6
When Confucius was detained in Kuang, he said, "As long as Heaven does not let truth perish, what can the people of Kuang do to me?" ["天之未丧斯文也，匡人其如予何"] That was assuming, of course, that Confucius was following Heaven's Way.
A few centuries later, Paul wrote in Romans 8:31. " If God is for us, who can be against us?" "神若帮助我们，谁能抵挡我们呢." 罗马书8:31
Going His Way? What was true for Confucius, or Paul, is true for us today. If we are following our Father's Way, in the long run nothing can stop us. But if we're going our own way, in the long run there is no long run. Even if we appear successful, our brief lives are but writings in the sand at low tide. As James, my favorite New Testament author, wrote,
"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:13, 14
[你们有话说，今天明天我们要往某城里去，在那里住一年，作买卖得利。其实明天如何，你们还不知道。你们的生命是什么呢。你们原来是一片云雾，出现少时就不见了。 雅各书4:13,14]
Our days are brief; use them well, wisely, and in His Way, not ours.
"Ask not to be used but to be made usable." J.H. Taylor
www.amoymagic.com
"...Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." Acts 5:38,39 "...不要管这些人，任凭他们吧，他们所谋的，所行的，若是出于人，必要败坏。若是出于神，你们就不能败坏他们。恐怕你们倒是攻击神了。"
"Those who follow Heaven are preserved; those who rebel against Heaven perish." Mencius "顺天者存，逆天者亡。" 孟子,高楼句上
When furious Jewish leaders hauled Peter and the apostles into the synagogue, and wanted to kill them, the Pharisee teacher of the law, Gamaliel, wisely urged caution. He reminded them that Theudas had claimed to be great and gathered 400 followers, but after he was killed, his followers had dispersed. Judas of Galilee also gathered followers for a revolt, but was killed, and this too came to nothing. Gamaliel urged the leaders to leave the Christians alone, for if they were not of God, nothing would come of it, but if they were of God--then the Jews would be guilty of fighting God.
Ironically, of the countless militant Jewish revolutionaries came and went, Few left any mark upon history. But Jesus was a revolutionary who refused to fight because the battle is within us, not between us. He entered Jerusalem triumphantly not on a war horse but on a donkey of peace, and he is still changing the world 2,000 years later. As Zechariah 4:6 says, "not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty." [万军之耶和华说，不是倚靠势力，不是倚靠才能，乃是倚靠我的灵，方能成事。 撒迦利亚4:6
When Confucius was detained in Kuang, he said, "As long as Heaven does not let truth perish, what can the people of Kuang do to me?" ["天之未丧斯文也，匡人其如予何"] That was assuming, of course, that Confucius was following Heaven's Way.
A few centuries later, Paul wrote in Romans 8:31. " If God is for us, who can be against us?" "神若帮助我们，谁能抵挡我们呢." 罗马书8:31
Going His Way? What was true for Confucius, or Paul, is true for us today. If we are following our Father's Way, in the long run nothing can stop us. But if we're going our own way, in the long run there is no long run. Even if we appear successful, our brief lives are but writings in the sand at low tide. As James, my favorite New Testament author, wrote,
"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:13, 14
[你们有话说，今天明天我们要往某城里去，在那里住一年，作买卖得利。其实明天如何，你们还不知道。你们的生命是什么呢。你们原来是一片云雾，出现少时就不见了。 雅各书4:13,14]
Our days are brief; use them well, wisely, and in His Way, not ours.
"Ask not to be used but to be made usable." J.H. Taylor
www.amoymagic.com
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Mencius' Bent Men
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Seek and you will find; knock and the door will open for you." Jesus, in Luke 11:9 我又告诉你们，你们祈求就给你们。寻梢就寻见。叩门就给你们开门。路加福音11:9
"It was written of old, "Seek and you will find; neglect and you will lose it." Mencius, Gaozi 1 告子上:孟子曰：故曰：‘求则得之，舍则失之。’
When Jesus said, "Seek and you will find," he opened a door that Chinese had been struggling with for centuries. Three hundred years before Christ, Mencius wrote about the tragedy of man's loss of heart, purpose and direction. And both the Chinese and the Jews sought answers by creating ritualistic religions and ceremonies that served, if anything, to deaden the heart, rather than awaken it.
Jesus deliberately healed a man on the Sabbath, and when the Jewish leaders complained about his breaking their religious rules, he replied, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Matthew 12:11,12
Mencius was attacking the same blind hypocrisy in China when he wrote that men will seek lost fowl and dogs, but not seek their own lost heart and soul:
'Benevolence is the heart of man, and righteousness man's path. How tragic to lose the path and not pursue it, to lose the heart and not seek it again. When men lose fowl and dogs they seek them, but when they lose their heart, they do not know to seek it. The great end of learning is nothing else but to seek for the lost heart." Mencius, Gaozi 1 告子上: 孟子曰：“仁，人心也；义，人路也。舍其路而弗由，放其心而不知求，哀哉！人有鸡犬放，则知求之；有放心，而不知求。学问之道无他，求其放心而已矣。”
Seek & Find; Neglect & Lose Jesus said, "Seek and you shall find", and Mencius wrote, "Seek and you shall find; neglect and you shall lose." We must seek because we have lost, and because we are lost. As Mencius said, we have not only lost the path but do not even seek to regain it. This may have been in part because they had no guide to lead them back to the path.
Bent Men on Straight Paths Both Confucius and Mencius wrote of their inability to change themselves, much less change others. As Mencius wrote in Teng Wen Gong, "Never has a bent man made others straight." "枉己者，未有能直人者也。”
Fortunately for us, Jesus was the unbent man, and he said that he can make us, and our paths, straight. And like Mencius, Jesus said "Seek and ye shall find," but better yet, he also said "Ask and it shall be given to you." The answering to straightening our bent lives lies not within other people, or philosophies or religion, but in "asking" for help from the one unbent man.
Ask and it shall be given.
www.amoymagic.com
"Seek and you will find; knock and the door will open for you." Jesus, in Luke 11:9 我又告诉你们，你们祈求就给你们。寻梢就寻见。叩门就给你们开门。路加福音11:9
"It was written of old, "Seek and you will find; neglect and you will lose it." Mencius, Gaozi 1 告子上:孟子曰：故曰：‘求则得之，舍则失之。’
When Jesus said, "Seek and you will find," he opened a door that Chinese had been struggling with for centuries. Three hundred years before Christ, Mencius wrote about the tragedy of man's loss of heart, purpose and direction. And both the Chinese and the Jews sought answers by creating ritualistic religions and ceremonies that served, if anything, to deaden the heart, rather than awaken it.
Jesus deliberately healed a man on the Sabbath, and when the Jewish leaders complained about his breaking their religious rules, he replied, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Matthew 12:11,12
Mencius was attacking the same blind hypocrisy in China when he wrote that men will seek lost fowl and dogs, but not seek their own lost heart and soul:
'Benevolence is the heart of man, and righteousness man's path. How tragic to lose the path and not pursue it, to lose the heart and not seek it again. When men lose fowl and dogs they seek them, but when they lose their heart, they do not know to seek it. The great end of learning is nothing else but to seek for the lost heart." Mencius, Gaozi 1 告子上: 孟子曰：“仁，人心也；义，人路也。舍其路而弗由，放其心而不知求，哀哉！人有鸡犬放，则知求之；有放心，而不知求。学问之道无他，求其放心而已矣。”
Seek & Find; Neglect & Lose Jesus said, "Seek and you shall find", and Mencius wrote, "Seek and you shall find; neglect and you shall lose." We must seek because we have lost, and because we are lost. As Mencius said, we have not only lost the path but do not even seek to regain it. This may have been in part because they had no guide to lead them back to the path.
Bent Men on Straight Paths Both Confucius and Mencius wrote of their inability to change themselves, much less change others. As Mencius wrote in Teng Wen Gong, "Never has a bent man made others straight." "枉己者，未有能直人者也。”
Fortunately for us, Jesus was the unbent man, and he said that he can make us, and our paths, straight. And like Mencius, Jesus said "Seek and ye shall find," but better yet, he also said "Ask and it shall be given to you." The answering to straightening our bent lives lies not within other people, or philosophies or religion, but in "asking" for help from the one unbent man.
Ask and it shall be given.
www.amoymagic.com
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Why Pray?
Bill Brown Xiamen University
"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray..." Jesus, in Matthew 6:8,9 "你们不可效法他们。因为你们没有祈求以先，你们所需用的，你们的父早已知道了。所以你们祷告，。。"马太福音
Why Pray? When Jesus said that our Father knows what we need before we ask him, he could have said, "So no need to pray," but instead he taught how to pray, for Jesus himself prayed often. But why ask God for what he already knows we need, and is willing to give him? Because prayer is more than asking; prayer is conversation with my Father.
Sadly, we call God our Father, but rarely talk to him except when we need something or are in trouble--like the child off in college, perhaps. He's less a Father than a rescuer, or a Heavenly Santa Claus. But we need to do more than just ask for things. We need to converse with Him. So our Father waits for us to ask before giving because prayer is two-way communication with our Father, our Creator. It is the time to turn inwards, for as Christ also said, "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you."
How Not to Pray In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said to not pray like the pagans, who "think they will be heard because of their many words." We don't need to talk loud and long arguing our case like a lawyer before a court, or like the elderly lady in Nanputuo Temple endless bowing and mumbling, hoping to placate an ancestor or deity or demon. We don't need to worry about using the right words or forms or rites and rituals. Simple, heartfelt communication (which includes listening) is sufficient.
How to Pray In Matthew 6:6. Jesus said, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." "你祷告的时候，要进你的内屋，关上门，祷告你在暗中的父，你父在暗中察看，必然报答你。" Prayer is not a time for public display of our piety or spiritual ascendancy (though there are of course times for public prayer), but the opportunity for one-on-one time with our Father. Prayer is the eye of calm in the midst of the maelstrom of modern life.
When you Pray... After discussing why and how to pray, Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer. Even this men have reduced to a magic formula, and repeat it as if in and of itself it will cover all bases and guarantee our success. But Jesus did not say to pray those words. He said "this is how you should pray."
Of course, there is great wisdom and beauty behind the Lord's Prayer (first addressing God not as some spirit or power or principle but as our personal Father, and going on from there!), but it is a guideline, not a formula.
All These Things... Our Father knows what we need before we ourselves know, or ask--but we still need to ask, because we need that time of communion with our Father--and He wants it as well. And it does not have to be prayer on our knees or in the closet. We can, like the 17th century French monk Brother Lawrence, converse with our Father throughout the day as we go about our Father's business, for this in itself is a form of prayer. But we still need the "quality time" alone. So do take time during the day to find a quiet place, look within, and listen to the still, small voice who knows us, and our needs, better than we do. And Jesus promised that if we seek Him first, "all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 "你们要先求他的国，和他的义。这些东西都要加给你们了。" 马太福音6：33
Why Should It [Prayer] Be Necessary?
George MacDonald (from C.S. Lewis' Anthology)
"But if God is so good as you represent Him, and if He knows all that we need, and better far than we do ourselves, why should it be necessary to ask Him for anything?" I answer, What if He knows Prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God's idea of prayer be the supplying of our great, our endless need-the need of Himself? . . . Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of that prayer. ... So begins a communion, a taking with God, a coming-to-one with Him, which is the sole end of prayer, yea, of existence itself in its infinite phases. We must ask that we may receive: but that we should receive what we ask in respect of our lower needs, is not God's end in making us pray, for He could give us everything without that: to bring His child to his knee, God withholds that man may ask.
www.amoymagic.com
"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray..." Jesus, in Matthew 6:8,9 "你们不可效法他们。因为你们没有祈求以先，你们所需用的，你们的父早已知道了。所以你们祷告，。。"马太福音
Why Pray? When Jesus said that our Father knows what we need before we ask him, he could have said, "So no need to pray," but instead he taught how to pray, for Jesus himself prayed often. But why ask God for what he already knows we need, and is willing to give him? Because prayer is more than asking; prayer is conversation with my Father.
Sadly, we call God our Father, but rarely talk to him except when we need something or are in trouble--like the child off in college, perhaps. He's less a Father than a rescuer, or a Heavenly Santa Claus. But we need to do more than just ask for things. We need to converse with Him. So our Father waits for us to ask before giving because prayer is two-way communication with our Father, our Creator. It is the time to turn inwards, for as Christ also said, "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you."
How Not to Pray In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said to not pray like the pagans, who "think they will be heard because of their many words." We don't need to talk loud and long arguing our case like a lawyer before a court, or like the elderly lady in Nanputuo Temple endless bowing and mumbling, hoping to placate an ancestor or deity or demon. We don't need to worry about using the right words or forms or rites and rituals. Simple, heartfelt communication (which includes listening) is sufficient.
How to Pray In Matthew 6:6. Jesus said, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." "你祷告的时候，要进你的内屋，关上门，祷告你在暗中的父，你父在暗中察看，必然报答你。" Prayer is not a time for public display of our piety or spiritual ascendancy (though there are of course times for public prayer), but the opportunity for one-on-one time with our Father. Prayer is the eye of calm in the midst of the maelstrom of modern life.
When you Pray... After discussing why and how to pray, Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer. Even this men have reduced to a magic formula, and repeat it as if in and of itself it will cover all bases and guarantee our success. But Jesus did not say to pray those words. He said "this is how you should pray."
Of course, there is great wisdom and beauty behind the Lord's Prayer (first addressing God not as some spirit or power or principle but as our personal Father, and going on from there!), but it is a guideline, not a formula.
All These Things... Our Father knows what we need before we ourselves know, or ask--but we still need to ask, because we need that time of communion with our Father--and He wants it as well. And it does not have to be prayer on our knees or in the closet. We can, like the 17th century French monk Brother Lawrence, converse with our Father throughout the day as we go about our Father's business, for this in itself is a form of prayer. But we still need the "quality time" alone. So do take time during the day to find a quiet place, look within, and listen to the still, small voice who knows us, and our needs, better than we do. And Jesus promised that if we seek Him first, "all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 "你们要先求他的国，和他的义。这些东西都要加给你们了。" 马太福音6：33
Why Should It [Prayer] Be Necessary?
George MacDonald (from C.S. Lewis' Anthology)
"But if God is so good as you represent Him, and if He knows all that we need, and better far than we do ourselves, why should it be necessary to ask Him for anything?" I answer, What if He knows Prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God's idea of prayer be the supplying of our great, our endless need-the need of Himself? . . . Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of that prayer. ... So begins a communion, a taking with God, a coming-to-one with Him, which is the sole end of prayer, yea, of existence itself in its infinite phases. We must ask that we may receive: but that we should receive what we ask in respect of our lower needs, is not God's end in making us pray, for He could give us everything without that: to bring His child to his knee, God withholds that man may ask.
www.amoymagic.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
No Painfree Thorns
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"It is hard for you to kick against the prick." Jesus to Paul in Acts 26:14 [耶稣对保罗说] 你用脚踢刺是难的。使徒行传 26:14
"Others influence, but don't control, your advance or failure to advance." Mencius [孟子曰：“行或使之，止或尼之。行止，非人所能也。]
Head-on with Thorns. In English we say a "thorn in the side," but never a "thorn in the front," because most people with brains don't walk head-on into thorns. We get stuck in the side when we try to ease our way around thorns, and then we may pray, "Lord, deliver me from these thorns!" But maybe we aren't supposed to be in the thorn patch in the first place.
Once the Israelites had entered the land God had promised to them, they immediately broke their own promises to serve God, and to not worship idols or ally with the locals. So God said in Judges 2:2,3, "You want them, you can have them--but they will be thorns in your sides."
"Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides..." Judges 2:2,3 “。。。你们竟没有听从我的话。为何这样行呢。因此我又说，我必不将他们从你们面前赶出。他们必作你们肋下的荆棘。。。” 士师记2:3,4
The Israelites repeatedly disobeyed God and waltzed straight into the thorn patch--and repeatedly begged God to save them. And He did help them, over and over, only to have them walk right back into the thorn patch.
If we have more punctures than a pin cushion, we may be in the wrong place. Our Father will help us out if we ask him, but if we refuse to leave the briar patch, He's not going to bless us with painless thorns because the thorns have a purpose--to goad us back into the right direction. As Jesus said to Paul, when he was persecuting Christians, "It is hard to kick against the goad" (a sharp thorn=like stick used to prod oxen; they hurt enough already without kicking them!).
We can keep kicking the thorns, or we can get out of the thorn patch. If we choose the thorn patch, we have only ourselves to blame, as Mencius noted of the sidetracked Chinese prince.
Sidetracked Prince When Mencius heard that a prince coming to see him had been sidetracked by a court favorite, he commented, "others may influence where you go, but ultimately no one has the power to control you. You make the decision."
Of course, not all adversity comes from disobedience. Jesus said, "In this world you will have troubles." John. 16:33 But we don't need to multiply our troubles through disobedience.
Today, I might get scratched up a bit, but before I kick against the goad, I'm going to find out who's holding the other end!
www.amoymagic.com
"It is hard for you to kick against the prick." Jesus to Paul in Acts 26:14 [耶稣对保罗说] 你用脚踢刺是难的。使徒行传 26:14
"Others influence, but don't control, your advance or failure to advance." Mencius [孟子曰：“行或使之，止或尼之。行止，非人所能也。]
Head-on with Thorns. In English we say a "thorn in the side," but never a "thorn in the front," because most people with brains don't walk head-on into thorns. We get stuck in the side when we try to ease our way around thorns, and then we may pray, "Lord, deliver me from these thorns!" But maybe we aren't supposed to be in the thorn patch in the first place.
Once the Israelites had entered the land God had promised to them, they immediately broke their own promises to serve God, and to not worship idols or ally with the locals. So God said in Judges 2:2,3, "You want them, you can have them--but they will be thorns in your sides."
"Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides..." Judges 2:2,3 “。。。你们竟没有听从我的话。为何这样行呢。因此我又说，我必不将他们从你们面前赶出。他们必作你们肋下的荆棘。。。” 士师记2:3,4
The Israelites repeatedly disobeyed God and waltzed straight into the thorn patch--and repeatedly begged God to save them. And He did help them, over and over, only to have them walk right back into the thorn patch.
If we have more punctures than a pin cushion, we may be in the wrong place. Our Father will help us out if we ask him, but if we refuse to leave the briar patch, He's not going to bless us with painless thorns because the thorns have a purpose--to goad us back into the right direction. As Jesus said to Paul, when he was persecuting Christians, "It is hard to kick against the goad" (a sharp thorn=like stick used to prod oxen; they hurt enough already without kicking them!).
We can keep kicking the thorns, or we can get out of the thorn patch. If we choose the thorn patch, we have only ourselves to blame, as Mencius noted of the sidetracked Chinese prince.
Sidetracked Prince When Mencius heard that a prince coming to see him had been sidetracked by a court favorite, he commented, "others may influence where you go, but ultimately no one has the power to control you. You make the decision."
Of course, not all adversity comes from disobedience. Jesus said, "In this world you will have troubles." John. 16:33 But we don't need to multiply our troubles through disobedience.
Today, I might get scratched up a bit, but before I kick against the goad, I'm going to find out who's holding the other end!
www.amoymagic.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Chinese Prince's Foundation
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." John 21:21,22 [彼得看见他，就问耶稣说，主阿，这人将来如何。耶稣对他说，我若要他等到我来的时候，与你何干。你跟从我吧。 约翰福音21:21,22]
"What does the great end result have to do with you, Prince? That is Heaven's business. Your business is just to be strong to do good." Mencius ["若夫成功，则天也。君如彼何哉？强为善而已矣。”]
Peter and the other disciples often asked Jesus about the future, and what part each person would play, partly because they were vying with each other for positions of importance in what they thought would be Christ's coming earthly kingdom. But Jesus' replies were basically 1), you must first serve if you are to lead, and 2), just do your own job, and leave the rest to the Father, who will weave it all together. Jesus' view reminds me of what Mencius said to a a Chinese prince:
"A prince lays the foundation of the inheritance, and hands down the beginning which he has made, doing what may be continued by his successors. As to achieving the great end result, that is Heaven's business. What is that to you, O Prince? Be strong to do good; that is all your business."
Foundations & Final Results. Mencius said that the "prince" lays the foundation for those who follow. In our case, Christ laid the foundation for us, his Family, and we are expected to carry on the work. Sometimes, of course, we may wonder just what is the point of what we are doing! But our job, for now at least, is not to understand how it all fits together but to be like Mencius' Prince, whose only job was to "do good" (just as our job is to do the best we can at the specific work our Father has given us).
My work may not seem very important, but I know that
1. My work is a small but integral part of the big picture.
2. Only those faithful in small tasks will ever be given greater tasks. Luke 16:10 [人在最小的事上忠心，在大事上也忠心。在最小的事上 不义，在大事上也不义。 路加福音16:10]
3. What I do today may help lay the foundation for those who follow--or it may weaken that foundation. I trust that today I am building up, not tearing down.
Today, as the shoe ad says, "just do it," with full confidence that if our Father gives us a task to do, it is not "busy work" but important, and he will "work out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." Ephesians 1:11
www.amoymagic.com
"When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." John 21:21,22 [彼得看见他，就问耶稣说，主阿，这人将来如何。耶稣对他说，我若要他等到我来的时候，与你何干。你跟从我吧。 约翰福音21:21,22]
"What does the great end result have to do with you, Prince? That is Heaven's business. Your business is just to be strong to do good." Mencius ["若夫成功，则天也。君如彼何哉？强为善而已矣。”]
Peter and the other disciples often asked Jesus about the future, and what part each person would play, partly because they were vying with each other for positions of importance in what they thought would be Christ's coming earthly kingdom. But Jesus' replies were basically 1), you must first serve if you are to lead, and 2), just do your own job, and leave the rest to the Father, who will weave it all together. Jesus' view reminds me of what Mencius said to a a Chinese prince:
"A prince lays the foundation of the inheritance, and hands down the beginning which he has made, doing what may be continued by his successors. As to achieving the great end result, that is Heaven's business. What is that to you, O Prince? Be strong to do good; that is all your business."
Foundations & Final Results. Mencius said that the "prince" lays the foundation for those who follow. In our case, Christ laid the foundation for us, his Family, and we are expected to carry on the work. Sometimes, of course, we may wonder just what is the point of what we are doing! But our job, for now at least, is not to understand how it all fits together but to be like Mencius' Prince, whose only job was to "do good" (just as our job is to do the best we can at the specific work our Father has given us).
My work may not seem very important, but I know that
1. My work is a small but integral part of the big picture.
2. Only those faithful in small tasks will ever be given greater tasks. Luke 16:10 [人在最小的事上忠心，在大事上也忠心。在最小的事上 不义，在大事上也不义。 路加福音16:10]
3. What I do today may help lay the foundation for those who follow--or it may weaken that foundation. I trust that today I am building up, not tearing down.
Today, as the shoe ad says, "just do it," with full confidence that if our Father gives us a task to do, it is not "busy work" but important, and he will "work out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." Ephesians 1:11
www.amoymagic.com
Monday, April 13, 2009
Marmalade Tomorrows
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
"I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor." D. H. Lawrence
I can easily be overwhelmed if I brood over my weekly schedule. In addition to teaching over 200 grad students, I have numerous other activities and responsibilities, in spite of my efforts to escape the contemporary cult of busyness. The trick is to schedule the week, but then take it one day at a time.
Don't worry, but Plan. When Jesus said to not worry about tomorrow, he did not mean to not even think about it. I would be an irresponsible father if I did not plan ahead in caring for my family. Jesus was simply warning against continually wallowing in worry. We should plan ahead, but not worry ahead. Take life as our Father gives it to us--a day at a time.
Getting Away From It, or Getting Into It Like Jesus, we need quiet times away from the crowds and tasks to recharge. We can approach it two ways. We can either get away from it all, or we can get into it with a different perspective. We can seek a peaceful place for prayer, or reading. Or, like D.H. Lawrence, we can take our minds off of the "big" worrying activities by immersing ourselves, for a time, in the "small" routine activities that make up our daily lives--the activities that brought a 17th century French monk closer to his Father.
Another Lawrence, Brother Lawrence (birthname Nicholas Herman), had a unique perspective on work and peace, and the excellent little book, "Practicing the Presence of God", was compiled from his quotes. He left military service to enter a monastery and chose to spend the rest of his life as a simple kitchen worker, and repairing sandals in his later years. Though not well educated, he attracted many people, even those of influence and power, because of his wisdom and profound sense of peace.
Leafless Lives Lawrence's life had been transformed when, as a soldier, he had seen a leafless tree in the cold of winter. He was struck with the vivid realization that this barren tree was simply waiting out the winter for God to breathe life into it in the spring. This simple site supernaturally impressed him with the insight that he too was waiting for God to breathe life into his own soul, and later he entered the monastery.
Work for God, or God in Work? Lawrence's days in the monastery were packed from dawn to dusk with work, as well as rites and rituals and spiritual practices for drawing near to God. But this simple man decided that the best way to experience God's presence and peace was not through artificially contrived ceremonies but through doing everyday routine tasks for God, and with God. Lawrence lived life as if there were only Him and God, and did everything, from kitchen work to picking up a piece of straw, for the love of God. And this focus brought Lawrence both purpose and peace.
Marmalade for God. Today, when I get stressed out, I'll take a break, clean up a bit (not too much, lest I shock my wife), trim a hedge, play my guitar a bit, and then go back to work. And whether I'm wielding hedge shears or keyboard, I'll do it with my Father, for my Father, not worrying overmuch about the pile of tasks I have ahead of me tomorrow. I will enjoy today, and if I'm going through a leafless winter, I know Spring is coming.
www.amoymagic.com
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
"I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor." D. H. Lawrence
I can easily be overwhelmed if I brood over my weekly schedule. In addition to teaching over 200 grad students, I have numerous other activities and responsibilities, in spite of my efforts to escape the contemporary cult of busyness. The trick is to schedule the week, but then take it one day at a time.
Don't worry, but Plan. When Jesus said to not worry about tomorrow, he did not mean to not even think about it. I would be an irresponsible father if I did not plan ahead in caring for my family. Jesus was simply warning against continually wallowing in worry. We should plan ahead, but not worry ahead. Take life as our Father gives it to us--a day at a time.
Getting Away From It, or Getting Into It Like Jesus, we need quiet times away from the crowds and tasks to recharge. We can approach it two ways. We can either get away from it all, or we can get into it with a different perspective. We can seek a peaceful place for prayer, or reading. Or, like D.H. Lawrence, we can take our minds off of the "big" worrying activities by immersing ourselves, for a time, in the "small" routine activities that make up our daily lives--the activities that brought a 17th century French monk closer to his Father.
Another Lawrence, Brother Lawrence (birthname Nicholas Herman), had a unique perspective on work and peace, and the excellent little book, "Practicing the Presence of God", was compiled from his quotes. He left military service to enter a monastery and chose to spend the rest of his life as a simple kitchen worker, and repairing sandals in his later years. Though not well educated, he attracted many people, even those of influence and power, because of his wisdom and profound sense of peace.
Leafless Lives Lawrence's life had been transformed when, as a soldier, he had seen a leafless tree in the cold of winter. He was struck with the vivid realization that this barren tree was simply waiting out the winter for God to breathe life into it in the spring. This simple site supernaturally impressed him with the insight that he too was waiting for God to breathe life into his own soul, and later he entered the monastery.
Work for God, or God in Work? Lawrence's days in the monastery were packed from dawn to dusk with work, as well as rites and rituals and spiritual practices for drawing near to God. But this simple man decided that the best way to experience God's presence and peace was not through artificially contrived ceremonies but through doing everyday routine tasks for God, and with God. Lawrence lived life as if there were only Him and God, and did everything, from kitchen work to picking up a piece of straw, for the love of God. And this focus brought Lawrence both purpose and peace.
Marmalade for God. Today, when I get stressed out, I'll take a break, clean up a bit (not too much, lest I shock my wife), trim a hedge, play my guitar a bit, and then go back to work. And whether I'm wielding hedge shears or keyboard, I'll do it with my Father, for my Father, not worrying overmuch about the pile of tasks I have ahead of me tomorrow. I will enjoy today, and if I'm going through a leafless winter, I know Spring is coming.
www.amoymagic.com
"I Love You" in almost 200 Languages
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
When I met Susan Marie, I could say "I love you" in 27 languages, but now I've forgotten most, which is sad, because after so many years with her, I should know more ways to say this most necessary of phrases. So from www.phrasebase.com , here is how to say "I love you" in every language from Arabic and Chinese (我爱你) to Vulcan! (I'll leave out McDonald's 'I'm lovin' it,' because I doubt they really do).
Afrikaans : Ek is lief vir jou
: Ek het jou lief
Akan (Ghana) : Me dor wo
Albanian : Te dua
: Te dashuroj
: Ti je zemra ime
Alentejano(Port.) : Gosto de ti, porra!
Alsacien (Elsass) : Ich hoan dich gear
Amharic (Aethio.) : Afekrishalehou
: Afekrischalehou
: Ewedishalehu (male/female to female)
: Ewedihalehu (male/female to male)
Apache : Sheth she~n zho~n (nasalized vowels like French, '~n' as in French 'salon')
Arabic (formal) : Ohiboke (male to female)
: Ohiboki (male to female)
: Ohibokoma (male or female to two males or two females)
: Nohiboke (more than one male or females to female)
: Nohiboka (male to male or female to male)
: Nohibokoma (male to male or female to two males or two females)
: Nohibokom (male to male or female to more than two males)
: Nohibokon (male to male or female to more than two females)
Arabic (proper) : Ooheboki (male to female)
: Ooheboka (female to male)
Arabic : Ana behibak (female to male)
: Ana behibek (male to female)
: Ahebich (male to female) : Ahebik (female to male)
: Ana ahebik
: Ib'n hebbak
: Ana ba-heb-bak
: Bahibak (female to male)
: Bahibik (male to female)
: Benhibak (more than one male or female to male)
: Benhibik (male to male or female to female)
: Benhibkom (male to male or female to more than one male)
: Nhebuk (spoken to someone of importance)
Arabic (Umggs.) : Ana hebbek Armenian
: Yes kez si'rumem
Assamese(Indien) : Moi tomak bhal pau
Basque
: Nere maitea (means: my love)
: Maite zaitut (means: I love you)
Bassa : Mengweswe
Batak (Nordsumatra) : Holong rohangku di ho
Bavarian : I mog di narrisch gern
: I mog di (right answer: i di a)
Bemba : Ndikufuna
Bengali : Aami tomaake bhaalo baashi
: Ami tomay bhalobashi
: Ami tomake bahlobashi
: Ami tomake walobashi
: Ami tomake vhalobashi
Berber
: Lakh tirikh
Bicol (Philippinen) : Namumutan ta ka
Bolivian Quechua : Qanta munani
Bosnian : Volim te
Braille : :..:| ..:| |..-.. .::":.., :.:;
Brazilian/Portuguese : Eu te amo (pronounced 'eiu chee amu')
: Amo-te
Bulgarian : Obicham te
: As te obicham
: Obozhavam te ("I love you very much")
Burmese : Chit pa de
Cambodian : Kh_nhaum soro_lahn nhee_ah
: Bon sro lanh oon
Canadian French : Sh'teme (spoken, sounds like this)
: Je t'aime ("I like you")
: Je t'adore ("I love you")
Catalan : T'estimo (Catalonian)
: T'estim (Mallorcan)
: T'estime (Valencian)
: T'estim molt ("I love you a lot")
Cebuano (Philippi.) : Gihigugma ko ikaw.
Chamoru (or Chamorro) : Hu guaiya hao
Cheyenne : Ne mohotatse
Chichewa : Ndimakukonda
Chickasaw (USA) : Chiholloli (first 'i' nasalized)
Chinese : Goa ai li (Amoy dialect)
: Ngo oi ney (Cantonese dialect)
: Wo oi ni (Cantonese dialect)
: Ngai oi gnee (Hakka dialect)
: Ngai on ni (Hakka dialect)
: Wa ai lu (Hokkien dialect)
: Wo ai ni (Mandarin dialect)
: Wo ie ni (Mandarin dialect)
: Wuo ai nee (Mandarin dialect)
: Wo ay ni (Mandarin dialect)
: Wo ai ni (Putunghua dialect)
: Ngo ai nong (Wu dialect)
Corsican : Ti tengu cara (male to female)
: Ti tengu caru (female to male)
Creol : Mi aime jou
Croatian (familiar) : Ja te volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim te (used in common speech)
Croatian (formal) : Ja vas volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim vas (used in common speech)
: Ljubim te (in todays useage, "I kiss you", 'lj' pronounced like 'll' in Spanish, one sound, 'ly'ish)
Croatian (old) : Ljubim te (may still be found in poetry)
Czech
: Miluji te (a downwards pointing arrowhead on top of the 'e' in te, which is pronounced 'ye')
: Miluju te! (colloquial form)
: Mám te (velmi) rád (male speaker, "I like you (very much)", often used and prefered)
: Mám te (velmi) ráda (female speaker)
Danish : Jeg elsker dig
Dusun : Siuhang oku dia
Dutch : Ik hou van je
: Ik hou van jou
: Ik bemin je (old fashioned)
: Ik bemin jou (old fashioned)
: Ik ben verliefd op je
: Ik ben verliefd op jou
: Ik zie je graag
: Ik hol van die (Gronings a Hollands dialect)
Ecuador Quechua : Canda munani
English : I love you
: I adore you
: I love thee (used only in Christian context)
Esperanto : Mi amas vin
Estonian : Mina armastan sind
Ethiopian : Afgreki' (one of the Ethipians dialects, there are over 80 - see also under "Amharic")
Farsi (old) : Tora dust mi daram
Farsi : Tora dost daram ("I love you")
: Asheghetam
: Doostat daram ("I'm in love with you")
: Man asheghetam ("I'm in love with you")
Filipino : Mahal ka ta : Iniibig kita
Finnish (formal) : Minä rakastan sinua
: Rakastan sinua
: Minä pidän sinusta ("I like you")
Finnish : (Mä) rakastan sua
: (Mä) tykkään susta ("I like you")
French (formal) : Je vous aime
French : Je t'aime ("I love you")
: Je t'adore ("I love you", stronger meaning between lovers)
: J' t'aime bien ("I like you", meant for friends and family, not for lovers)
Friesian : Ik hou fan dei (sp?)
: Ik hald fan dei
Gaelic : Ta gra agam ort
: Moo graugh hoo
Ghanaian (Akan, Twi) : Me dor wo.
German (formal) : Ich liebe Sie (rarely used)
German : Ich liebe dich : Ich hab dich lieb (not so classic and conservative)
Greek : S'ayapo (spoken "s'agapo", 3rd letter is lower case 'gamma') : Eime eroteumenos mazi sou ("I'm in love with) : Eime eroteumenos me 'sena(you", male to female) : Eime eroteumeni mazi sou ("I'm in love with) : Eime eroteumeni me 'sena (you", female to male) : Se latrevo ("I adore you") : Se thelo ("I want you", denotes sexual desire)
Greek (old) : (Ego) Philo su ('ego', for emphasis) Greek (Arhea/Ancient) : Philo se
Greenlandic : Asavakit
Guarani' : Rohiyu (ro-hai'-hyu)
Gujrati (Pakistan) : Hoon tane pyar karoochhoon. : Hoon tuney chaoon chhoon ('n' is nasal, not pronounced)
Hausa (Nigeria) : Ina sonki
Hawaiian : Aloha wau ia 'oe : Aloha wau ia 'oe nui loa ("I love you very much")
Hebrew : Anee ohev otakh (male to female)
: Anee ohevet otkha (female to male)
: Anee ohev otkha (male to male)
: Anee ohevet otakh (female to female) ('kh' pronounced like Spanish 'j', Dutch 'g', or similiar to French 'r')
Hindi : Mai tumase pyar karata hun (male to female)
: Mai tumase pyar karati hun (female to male)
: Mai tumse pyar karta hoon
: Mai tumse peyar karta hnu
: Mai tumse pyar karta hoo
: Mai tujhe pyaar kartha hoo
: Mae tumko peyar kia
: Main tumse pyar karta hoon
: Main tumse prem karta hoon
: Main tuze pyar karta hoon ('n' is nasal, not pronounced)
Hokkien : Wa ai lu
Hopi : Nu'umi unangwáta
Hungarian : Szeretlek
: Te'ged szeretlek ("The one I love is you:)
: Szeretlek te'ged ("It's you I love, you know, you", a reinforcement) (The above two entries are never heard in a normal context.)
Ibaloi (Phil.) : Pip-piyan taha Pipiyan ta han shili (I like/love you very much)
Interglossa : Mi esthe philo tu.
Icelandic : Eg elska thig (pronounced 'yeg l-ska thig')
Ilocano : Ay-ayaten ka
Indonesian : Saya cinta padamu ('Saya', commonly used)
: Saya cinta kamu ('Saya', commonly used)
: Saya kasih saudari ('Saya', commonly used)
: Saja kasih saudari ('Saya', commonly used)
: Aku tjinta padamu ('Aku', not often used) (tjinta is the old written version influenced by Netherlands)
: Aku cinta padamu ('Aku', not often used)
: Aku cinta kamu ('Aku', not often used) (cinta is the modern written version since 1972; same for saya and saja)
Italian : Ti amo (relationship/lover/spouse)
: Ti voglio bene (between friends)
: Ti voglio (strong sexual meaning, "I want you" referred to the other person's body)
Irish : Taim i' ngra leat
Irish-Gaelic : t'a gr'a agam dhuit
Japanese : Kimi o ai shiteru
: Aishiteru
: Chuu shiteyo
: Ora omee no koto ga suki da
: Ore wa omae ga suki da
: Suitonnen : Sukiyanen
: Sukiyo
: Watashi wa anata ga suki desu
: Watashi wa anata wo aishithe imasu
: Watashi wa anata o aishitemasu
: A-i-shi-te ma-su
: Watakushi-wa anata-wo ai shimasu
: Suki desu (used at the first time, like for a start, when you are not yet real lovers)
Javanese : Kulo tresno
Kankana-ey (Phil.) : Laylaydek sik-a
Kannada (Indien) : Naanu Ninnanu Preethisuthene Naanu Ninnanu Mohisuthene
Kikongo : Mono ke zola nge (mono ke' zola nge')
Kiswahili : Nakupenda : Nakupenda wewe
: Nakupenda malaika ("I love you, (my) angel")
Klingon : bangwI' SoH ("You are my beloved")
: qamuSHá ("I love you")
: qamuSHáqu' ("I love you very much")
: qaparHá ("I like you")
: qaparHáqu' ("I like you very much!") (words are often unnecessary as the thought is most often conveyed nonverbally with special growlings)
Korean : Dangsinul saranghee yo ("I love you, dear")
: Saranghee
: Nanun dangsineul joahapnida ("I like you")
: Nanun dangsineul mucheog joahapnida ("I like you very much")
: Nanun dangsineul saranghapnida
: Nanun dangsineul mucheog saranghapnida ("I love you very much")
: Nanun gdaega joa ("I like him" or "I like her")
: Nanun gdaereul saranghapnida ("I love him" or "I love her")
: Nanun neoreul saranghanda
: Gdaereul hjanghan naemaeum alji (You know how much I love him/her.) : Joahaeyo ("I like you")
: Saranghaeyo (more formal)
: Saranghapanida (more respectful)
: Norul sarang hae (male to female in casual relationship)
: Tangsinul sarang ha yo
: Tangshin-ul sarang hae-yo
: Tangshin-i cho-a-yo ("I like you, in a romantic way")
: Nanun tangshinul sarang hamnida
Kpele : I walikana
Kurdish : Ez te hezdikhem : Min te xushvet
: Min te xoshwet (Southern dialect)
Lao : Khoi hak jao : Khoi hak chao
: Khoi mak jao lai ("I like you very much")
: Khoi hak jao lai ("I love you very much")
: Khoi mak jao (This means "I prefer you", but is used for "I love you".)
Latin : Te amo
: Vos amo
Latin (old) : (Ego) Amo te ('Ego', for emphasis)
Latvian : Es tevi milu (pronounced 'es tevy meelu') ('i in 'milu' has a line over it, a 'long i')
: Es milu tevi (less common)
Lebanese : Bahibak
Lingala : Nalingi yo
Lisbon lingo : Gramo-te bue', chavalinha!
Lithuanian : Tave myliu (Ta-ve mee-lyu)
: Ash mir lutavah
Lojban : Mi do prami
Luo (Kenia) : Aheri
Luxembourgish : Ech hun dech gär
Maa : Ilolenge
Macedonian : Te sakam (a little stronger than "I like you")
: Te ljubam ("I really love you")
: Jas te sakam ('j' sounds like 'y' in May)
: Pozdrav ("Greetings")
Madrid lingo : Me molas, tronca!
Maiese : Wa wa
Malay : Saya cintamu
: Saya sayangmu
: Saya sayang anda
: Saya cintakan mu (grammatically correct)
: Saya sayangkan mu ( " )
: Saya chantikan awak
: Aku sayang kau
Malay/Bahasa : Saya cinta mu
Malay/Indonesian : Aku sayang kau
: Saya cantikan awak
: Saya sayangkan engkau
: Saya cintakan awak
: Aku cinta pada kau
: Aku cinta pada mu
: Saya cinta pada mu
: Saya sayangkan engkau ('engkau' often shortened to 'kau', 'engkau' is informal form and should only be used if you know the person _really_ well)
Malayalam : Ngan ninne snaehikkunnu
: Njyaan ninne' preetikyunnu
: Njyaan ninne' mohikyunnu
Malaysian : Saya cintamu
: Saya sayangmu
: Saya cinta kamu
Marathi : Mi tuzya var prem karato
: Me tujhashi prem karto (male to female)
: Me tujhashi prem karte (female to male)
Marshallese : Yokwe Yuk (sort of multi-purpose, like Aloha, literally Love to you, my friend)
Mohawk : Konoronhkwa
Mokilese : Ngoah mweoku kaua
Mongolian : Be Chamad Hairtai (very personal)
Moroccan : Kanbhik (both mean the same, but spoken)
: Kanhebek (in different cities)
Navajo : Ayor anosh'ni
Ndebele (Zimbabwe) : Niyakutanda
Nepali : Ma timi sita prem garchhu (romantic)
: Ma timilai maya garchhu (less emphatic, can be used in a non romantic conext, too)
Norwegian : Jeg elsker deg (Bokmaal)
: Eg elskar deg (Nynorsk)
: Jeg elsker deg (Riksmaal: outdated, formerly used by upper-class and conservative people)
Nyanja : Ninatemba
Op : Op lopveop yopuop
Oromoo : Sinjaladha
: Sinjaldha
Osetian : Aez dae warzyn
Pakistani : Mujhe tumse muhabbat hai
: Muje se mu habbat hai
Papiamento : Mi ta stimábo
Pedi (related to Tswana) : Kiyahurata. (pronounced as: Kee-ya--hoo-rata)
Pig Latin : Ie ovele ouye (pronounced as: I-ay ov-lay u-yay.)
Pilipino : Mahal kita
: Iniibig kita
Polish : Kocham cie ("cie" is slangy polish and not commonly used)
: Kocham ciebie
: Ja cie kocham
Portuguese/Brazilian : Eu te amo (pronounced 'eiu chee amu')
: Amo-te
Punjabi (Indien) : Main tainu pyar karna
: Mai taunu pyar Karda
: Main teri fudi marni chauda ha.
: Mera lun ik huth lamba hai.
: Par fudi chari de vich marni hai.
Quenya(J.R. Tolkie) : Tye-meláne
raetoromanisch : te amo
Romanian : Te iubesc
: Te ador (stronger)
Russian : Ya vas lyublyu (old fashioned)
: Ya tyebya lyublyu (best)
: Ya lyublyu vas (old fashioned)
: Ya lyublyu tyebya
Samoan : Ou te alofa outou. : Ou te alofa ia te oe. : Talo'fa ia te oe. ("Hello, from me to you") : Fia moi? ("Would you like to go to bed with me tonight?")
Sanskrit : Anurag (a higher love, like the love of music or art)
Scot-Gaelic : Tha gr`adh agam ort
Serbian (formal) : Ja vas volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim vas (used in common speech)
: Ljubim te (in todays useage, "I kiss you", 'lj' pronounced like 'll' in Spanish, one sound, 'ly'ish)
Serbian (familiar) : Ja te volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim te (used in common speech)
Serbian (old) : Ljubim te (may still be found in poetry)
Serbocroatian : Volim te
: Ljubim te
: Ja te volim ('j' sounds like 'y' in May)
SeSotho : Kiyahurata. (pronounced as: Kee-ya--hoo-rata)
Shona : Ndinokuda
Singhalese (Ceylon) : Mama oyata adarei
: Mama oyaata aadareyi
Sioux : Techihhila
Slovak : Lubim ta
Slovene : Ljubim te
Spanish : Te amo : Te quiero
: Te adoro (I adore you)
: Te deseo (I desire you)
: Me antoj้s (I crave you)
Srilankan : Mama oyata arderyi
Suaheli (Ostafrika) : Ninikupenda
Swahili : Nakupenda
: Naku penda (followed by the person's name)
: Ninikupenda : Dholu'o
Swedish : Jag älskar dig. (pronounced: "Yag alskar day")
Syrian/Lebanese : Bhebbek (male to female)
: Bhebbak (female to male)
Tagalog : Mahal kita
Tahitian : Ua Here Vau Ia Oe
: Ua here vau ia oe
Tamil : Naan unnai kadalikiren
: Nan unnai kathalikaren
: Ni yaanai kaadli karen ("You love me")
: N^an unnaki kathalikkinren ("I love you") : Nam vi'rmberem
Telugu (Indien) : Neenu ninnu prámistu'nnanu
: Nenu ninnu premistunnanu
: Ninnu premistunnanu
Thai (formal) : Phom rak khun (male to female)
: Ch'an rak khun (female to male)
: Phom-ruk-koon (male to female)
: Chun-ruk-koon (female to male)
Thai : Khao raak thoe (affectionate, sweet, loving)
Tswana : Ke a go rata
Tshiluba : Ndi mukusua (I love you)
: Ndi musua wewe (I want you)
: Ndi ne ditalala bua wewe (I have love for you)
Tunisian : Ha eh bak
Tumbuka : Nkhukutemwa
Turkish (formal) : Sizi seviyorum
Turkish : Seni seviyorum
: Seni begeniyorum ("I adore you") (g has a bar on it)
Twi (Ghana) : Me dowapaa
: Me dor wo
Ukrainian : Ya tebe kokhayu
: Ja tebe kokhaju (real true love)
: Ja vas kokhaju
: Ja pokokhav tebe
: Ja pokokhav vas
Urdu(Indien) : Main tumse muhabbat karta hoon
: Mujhe tumse mohabbat hai : Mujge tumae mahabbat hai
: Kam prem kartahai
Vai : Na lia
Vไrmlไndska : Du är görgo te mäg
Vietnamese : Anh yeu em (male to female)
: Em yeu anh (female to male)
: Toi yeu em
Volapük : Löfob oli.
Vulcan (Mr.Spock) : Wani ra yana ro aisha
Walloon : Dji vos veu volti (lit. I like to see you)
: Dji vos inme (lit. I love you)
: Dji v'zinme
Welsh : Rwy'n dy garu di.
: Yr wyf i yn dy garu di (chwi)
Wolof : Da ma la nope
: Da ma la nop (da málanop)
Yiddish : Kh'hob dikh lib
: Kh'ob dikh holt
: Ikh bin in dir farlibt
Yucatec Maya : 'in k'aatech (the love of lovers)
: 'in yabitmech (the love of family, which lovers can also feel; it indicates more a desire to spoil and protect the other person)
Yugoslavian : Ja te volim
Zazi (kurdisch) : Ezhele hezdege (sp?)
Zulu : Mina Ngithanda Wena. (rarely used; means: "Me, I love you.")
: Ngiyakuthanda (pronounced as: NGee-ya--koo--tanda)
Zuni : Tom ho'ichema
www.amoymagic.com
When I met Susan Marie, I could say "I love you" in 27 languages, but now I've forgotten most, which is sad, because after so many years with her, I should know more ways to say this most necessary of phrases. So from www.phrasebase.com , here is how to say "I love you" in every language from Arabic and Chinese (我爱你) to Vulcan! (I'll leave out McDonald's 'I'm lovin' it,' because I doubt they really do).
Afrikaans : Ek is lief vir jou
: Ek het jou lief
Akan (Ghana) : Me dor wo
Albanian : Te dua
: Te dashuroj
: Ti je zemra ime
Alentejano(Port.) : Gosto de ti, porra!
Alsacien (Elsass) : Ich hoan dich gear
Amharic (Aethio.) : Afekrishalehou
: Afekrischalehou
: Ewedishalehu (male/female to female)
: Ewedihalehu (male/female to male)
Apache : Sheth she~n zho~n (nasalized vowels like French, '~n' as in French 'salon')
Arabic (formal) : Ohiboke (male to female)
: Ohiboki (male to female)
: Ohibokoma (male or female to two males or two females)
: Nohiboke (more than one male or females to female)
: Nohiboka (male to male or female to male)
: Nohibokoma (male to male or female to two males or two females)
: Nohibokom (male to male or female to more than two males)
: Nohibokon (male to male or female to more than two females)
Arabic (proper) : Ooheboki (male to female)
: Ooheboka (female to male)
Arabic : Ana behibak (female to male)
: Ana behibek (male to female)
: Ahebich (male to female) : Ahebik (female to male)
: Ana ahebik
: Ib'n hebbak
: Ana ba-heb-bak
: Bahibak (female to male)
: Bahibik (male to female)
: Benhibak (more than one male or female to male)
: Benhibik (male to male or female to female)
: Benhibkom (male to male or female to more than one male)
: Nhebuk (spoken to someone of importance)
Arabic (Umggs.) : Ana hebbek Armenian
: Yes kez si'rumem
Assamese(Indien) : Moi tomak bhal pau
Basque
: Nere maitea (means: my love)
: Maite zaitut (means: I love you)
Bassa : Mengweswe
Batak (Nordsumatra) : Holong rohangku di ho
Bavarian : I mog di narrisch gern
: I mog di (right answer: i di a)
Bemba : Ndikufuna
Bengali : Aami tomaake bhaalo baashi
: Ami tomay bhalobashi
: Ami tomake bahlobashi
: Ami tomake walobashi
: Ami tomake vhalobashi
Berber
: Lakh tirikh
Bicol (Philippinen) : Namumutan ta ka
Bolivian Quechua : Qanta munani
Bosnian : Volim te
Braille : :..:| ..:| |..-.. .::":.., :.:;
Brazilian/Portuguese : Eu te amo (pronounced 'eiu chee amu')
: Amo-te
Bulgarian : Obicham te
: As te obicham
: Obozhavam te ("I love you very much")
Burmese : Chit pa de
Cambodian : Kh_nhaum soro_lahn nhee_ah
: Bon sro lanh oon
Canadian French : Sh'teme (spoken, sounds like this)
: Je t'aime ("I like you")
: Je t'adore ("I love you")
Catalan : T'estimo (Catalonian)
: T'estim (Mallorcan)
: T'estime (Valencian)
: T'estim molt ("I love you a lot")
Cebuano (Philippi.) : Gihigugma ko ikaw.
Chamoru (or Chamorro) : Hu guaiya hao
Cheyenne : Ne mohotatse
Chichewa : Ndimakukonda
Chickasaw (USA) : Chiholloli (first 'i' nasalized)
Chinese : Goa ai li (Amoy dialect)
: Ngo oi ney (Cantonese dialect)
: Wo oi ni (Cantonese dialect)
: Ngai oi gnee (Hakka dialect)
: Ngai on ni (Hakka dialect)
: Wa ai lu (Hokkien dialect)
: Wo ai ni (Mandarin dialect)
: Wo ie ni (Mandarin dialect)
: Wuo ai nee (Mandarin dialect)
: Wo ay ni (Mandarin dialect)
: Wo ai ni (Putunghua dialect)
: Ngo ai nong (Wu dialect)
Corsican : Ti tengu cara (male to female)
: Ti tengu caru (female to male)
Creol : Mi aime jou
Croatian (familiar) : Ja te volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim te (used in common speech)
Croatian (formal) : Ja vas volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim vas (used in common speech)
: Ljubim te (in todays useage, "I kiss you", 'lj' pronounced like 'll' in Spanish, one sound, 'ly'ish)
Croatian (old) : Ljubim te (may still be found in poetry)
Czech
: Miluji te (a downwards pointing arrowhead on top of the 'e' in te, which is pronounced 'ye')
: Miluju te! (colloquial form)
: Mám te (velmi) rád (male speaker, "I like you (very much)", often used and prefered)
: Mám te (velmi) ráda (female speaker)
Danish : Jeg elsker dig
Dusun : Siuhang oku dia
Dutch : Ik hou van je
: Ik hou van jou
: Ik bemin je (old fashioned)
: Ik bemin jou (old fashioned)
: Ik ben verliefd op je
: Ik ben verliefd op jou
: Ik zie je graag
: Ik hol van die (Gronings a Hollands dialect)
Ecuador Quechua : Canda munani
English : I love you
: I adore you
: I love thee (used only in Christian context)
Esperanto : Mi amas vin
Estonian : Mina armastan sind
Ethiopian : Afgreki' (one of the Ethipians dialects, there are over 80 - see also under "Amharic")
Farsi (old) : Tora dust mi daram
Farsi : Tora dost daram ("I love you")
: Asheghetam
: Doostat daram ("I'm in love with you")
: Man asheghetam ("I'm in love with you")
Filipino : Mahal ka ta : Iniibig kita
Finnish (formal) : Minä rakastan sinua
: Rakastan sinua
: Minä pidän sinusta ("I like you")
Finnish : (Mä) rakastan sua
: (Mä) tykkään susta ("I like you")
French (formal) : Je vous aime
French : Je t'aime ("I love you")
: Je t'adore ("I love you", stronger meaning between lovers)
: J' t'aime bien ("I like you", meant for friends and family, not for lovers)
Friesian : Ik hou fan dei (sp?)
: Ik hald fan dei
Gaelic : Ta gra agam ort
: Moo graugh hoo
Ghanaian (Akan, Twi) : Me dor wo.
German (formal) : Ich liebe Sie (rarely used)
German : Ich liebe dich : Ich hab dich lieb (not so classic and conservative)
Greek : S'ayapo (spoken "s'agapo", 3rd letter is lower case 'gamma') : Eime eroteumenos mazi sou ("I'm in love with) : Eime eroteumenos me 'sena(you", male to female) : Eime eroteumeni mazi sou ("I'm in love with) : Eime eroteumeni me 'sena (you", female to male) : Se latrevo ("I adore you") : Se thelo ("I want you", denotes sexual desire)
Greek (old) : (Ego) Philo su ('ego', for emphasis) Greek (Arhea/Ancient) : Philo se
Greenlandic : Asavakit
Guarani' : Rohiyu (ro-hai'-hyu)
Gujrati (Pakistan) : Hoon tane pyar karoochhoon. : Hoon tuney chaoon chhoon ('n' is nasal, not pronounced)
Hausa (Nigeria) : Ina sonki
Hawaiian : Aloha wau ia 'oe : Aloha wau ia 'oe nui loa ("I love you very much")
Hebrew : Anee ohev otakh (male to female)
: Anee ohevet otkha (female to male)
: Anee ohev otkha (male to male)
: Anee ohevet otakh (female to female) ('kh' pronounced like Spanish 'j', Dutch 'g', or similiar to French 'r')
Hindi : Mai tumase pyar karata hun (male to female)
: Mai tumase pyar karati hun (female to male)
: Mai tumse pyar karta hoon
: Mai tumse peyar karta hnu
: Mai tumse pyar karta hoo
: Mai tujhe pyaar kartha hoo
: Mae tumko peyar kia
: Main tumse pyar karta hoon
: Main tumse prem karta hoon
: Main tuze pyar karta hoon ('n' is nasal, not pronounced)
Hokkien : Wa ai lu
Hopi : Nu'umi unangwáta
Hungarian : Szeretlek
: Te'ged szeretlek ("The one I love is you:)
: Szeretlek te'ged ("It's you I love, you know, you", a reinforcement) (The above two entries are never heard in a normal context.)
Ibaloi (Phil.) : Pip-piyan taha Pipiyan ta han shili (I like/love you very much)
Interglossa : Mi esthe philo tu.
Icelandic : Eg elska thig (pronounced 'yeg l-ska thig')
Ilocano : Ay-ayaten ka
Indonesian : Saya cinta padamu ('Saya', commonly used)
: Saya cinta kamu ('Saya', commonly used)
: Saya kasih saudari ('Saya', commonly used)
: Saja kasih saudari ('Saya', commonly used)
: Aku tjinta padamu ('Aku', not often used) (tjinta is the old written version influenced by Netherlands)
: Aku cinta padamu ('Aku', not often used)
: Aku cinta kamu ('Aku', not often used) (cinta is the modern written version since 1972; same for saya and saja)
Italian : Ti amo (relationship/lover/spouse)
: Ti voglio bene (between friends)
: Ti voglio (strong sexual meaning, "I want you" referred to the other person's body)
Irish : Taim i' ngra leat
Irish-Gaelic : t'a gr'a agam dhuit
Japanese : Kimi o ai shiteru
: Aishiteru
: Chuu shiteyo
: Ora omee no koto ga suki da
: Ore wa omae ga suki da
: Suitonnen : Sukiyanen
: Sukiyo
: Watashi wa anata ga suki desu
: Watashi wa anata wo aishithe imasu
: Watashi wa anata o aishitemasu
: A-i-shi-te ma-su
: Watakushi-wa anata-wo ai shimasu
: Suki desu (used at the first time, like for a start, when you are not yet real lovers)
Javanese : Kulo tresno
Kankana-ey (Phil.) : Laylaydek sik-a
Kannada (Indien) : Naanu Ninnanu Preethisuthene Naanu Ninnanu Mohisuthene
Kikongo : Mono ke zola nge (mono ke' zola nge')
Kiswahili : Nakupenda : Nakupenda wewe
: Nakupenda malaika ("I love you, (my) angel")
Klingon : bangwI' SoH ("You are my beloved")
: qamuSHá ("I love you")
: qamuSHáqu' ("I love you very much")
: qaparHá ("I like you")
: qaparHáqu' ("I like you very much!") (words are often unnecessary as the thought is most often conveyed nonverbally with special growlings)
Korean : Dangsinul saranghee yo ("I love you, dear")
: Saranghee
: Nanun dangsineul joahapnida ("I like you")
: Nanun dangsineul mucheog joahapnida ("I like you very much")
: Nanun dangsineul saranghapnida
: Nanun dangsineul mucheog saranghapnida ("I love you very much")
: Nanun gdaega joa ("I like him" or "I like her")
: Nanun gdaereul saranghapnida ("I love him" or "I love her")
: Nanun neoreul saranghanda
: Gdaereul hjanghan naemaeum alji (You know how much I love him/her.) : Joahaeyo ("I like you")
: Saranghaeyo (more formal)
: Saranghapanida (more respectful)
: Norul sarang hae (male to female in casual relationship)
: Tangsinul sarang ha yo
: Tangshin-ul sarang hae-yo
: Tangshin-i cho-a-yo ("I like you, in a romantic way")
: Nanun tangshinul sarang hamnida
Kpele : I walikana
Kurdish : Ez te hezdikhem : Min te xushvet
: Min te xoshwet (Southern dialect)
Lao : Khoi hak jao : Khoi hak chao
: Khoi mak jao lai ("I like you very much")
: Khoi hak jao lai ("I love you very much")
: Khoi mak jao (This means "I prefer you", but is used for "I love you".)
Latin : Te amo
: Vos amo
Latin (old) : (Ego) Amo te ('Ego', for emphasis)
Latvian : Es tevi milu (pronounced 'es tevy meelu') ('i in 'milu' has a line over it, a 'long i')
: Es milu tevi (less common)
Lebanese : Bahibak
Lingala : Nalingi yo
Lisbon lingo : Gramo-te bue', chavalinha!
Lithuanian : Tave myliu (Ta-ve mee-lyu)
: Ash mir lutavah
Lojban : Mi do prami
Luo (Kenia) : Aheri
Luxembourgish : Ech hun dech gär
Maa : Ilolenge
Macedonian : Te sakam (a little stronger than "I like you")
: Te ljubam ("I really love you")
: Jas te sakam ('j' sounds like 'y' in May)
: Pozdrav ("Greetings")
Madrid lingo : Me molas, tronca!
Maiese : Wa wa
Malay : Saya cintamu
: Saya sayangmu
: Saya sayang anda
: Saya cintakan mu (grammatically correct)
: Saya sayangkan mu ( " )
: Saya chantikan awak
: Aku sayang kau
Malay/Bahasa : Saya cinta mu
Malay/Indonesian : Aku sayang kau
: Saya cantikan awak
: Saya sayangkan engkau
: Saya cintakan awak
: Aku cinta pada kau
: Aku cinta pada mu
: Saya cinta pada mu
: Saya sayangkan engkau ('engkau' often shortened to 'kau', 'engkau' is informal form and should only be used if you know the person _really_ well)
Malayalam : Ngan ninne snaehikkunnu
: Njyaan ninne' preetikyunnu
: Njyaan ninne' mohikyunnu
Malaysian : Saya cintamu
: Saya sayangmu
: Saya cinta kamu
Marathi : Mi tuzya var prem karato
: Me tujhashi prem karto (male to female)
: Me tujhashi prem karte (female to male)
Marshallese : Yokwe Yuk (sort of multi-purpose, like Aloha, literally Love to you, my friend)
Mohawk : Konoronhkwa
Mokilese : Ngoah mweoku kaua
Mongolian : Be Chamad Hairtai (very personal)
Moroccan : Kanbhik (both mean the same, but spoken)
: Kanhebek (in different cities)
Navajo : Ayor anosh'ni
Ndebele (Zimbabwe) : Niyakutanda
Nepali : Ma timi sita prem garchhu (romantic)
: Ma timilai maya garchhu (less emphatic, can be used in a non romantic conext, too)
Norwegian : Jeg elsker deg (Bokmaal)
: Eg elskar deg (Nynorsk)
: Jeg elsker deg (Riksmaal: outdated, formerly used by upper-class and conservative people)
Nyanja : Ninatemba
Op : Op lopveop yopuop
Oromoo : Sinjaladha
: Sinjaldha
Osetian : Aez dae warzyn
Pakistani : Mujhe tumse muhabbat hai
: Muje se mu habbat hai
Papiamento : Mi ta stimábo
Pedi (related to Tswana) : Kiyahurata. (pronounced as: Kee-ya--hoo-rata)
Pig Latin : Ie ovele ouye (pronounced as: I-ay ov-lay u-yay.)
Pilipino : Mahal kita
: Iniibig kita
Polish : Kocham cie ("cie" is slangy polish and not commonly used)
: Kocham ciebie
: Ja cie kocham
Portuguese/Brazilian : Eu te amo (pronounced 'eiu chee amu')
: Amo-te
Punjabi (Indien) : Main tainu pyar karna
: Mai taunu pyar Karda
: Main teri fudi marni chauda ha.
: Mera lun ik huth lamba hai.
: Par fudi chari de vich marni hai.
Quenya(J.R. Tolkie) : Tye-meláne
raetoromanisch : te amo
Romanian : Te iubesc
: Te ador (stronger)
Russian : Ya vas lyublyu (old fashioned)
: Ya tyebya lyublyu (best)
: Ya lyublyu vas (old fashioned)
: Ya lyublyu tyebya
Samoan : Ou te alofa outou. : Ou te alofa ia te oe. : Talo'fa ia te oe. ("Hello, from me to you") : Fia moi? ("Would you like to go to bed with me tonight?")
Sanskrit : Anurag (a higher love, like the love of music or art)
Scot-Gaelic : Tha gr`adh agam ort
Serbian (formal) : Ja vas volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim vas (used in common speech)
: Ljubim te (in todays useage, "I kiss you", 'lj' pronounced like 'll' in Spanish, one sound, 'ly'ish)
Serbian (familiar) : Ja te volim (used in proper speech)
: Volim te (used in common speech)
Serbian (old) : Ljubim te (may still be found in poetry)
Serbocroatian : Volim te
: Ljubim te
: Ja te volim ('j' sounds like 'y' in May)
SeSotho : Kiyahurata. (pronounced as: Kee-ya--hoo-rata)
Shona : Ndinokuda
Singhalese (Ceylon) : Mama oyata adarei
: Mama oyaata aadareyi
Sioux : Techihhila
Slovak : Lubim ta
Slovene : Ljubim te
Spanish : Te amo : Te quiero
: Te adoro (I adore you)
: Te deseo (I desire you)
: Me antoj้s (I crave you)
Srilankan : Mama oyata arderyi
Suaheli (Ostafrika) : Ninikupenda
Swahili : Nakupenda
: Naku penda (followed by the person's name)
: Ninikupenda : Dholu'o
Swedish : Jag älskar dig. (pronounced: "Yag alskar day")
Syrian/Lebanese : Bhebbek (male to female)
: Bhebbak (female to male)
Tagalog : Mahal kita
Tahitian : Ua Here Vau Ia Oe
: Ua here vau ia oe
Tamil : Naan unnai kadalikiren
: Nan unnai kathalikaren
: Ni yaanai kaadli karen ("You love me")
: N^an unnaki kathalikkinren ("I love you") : Nam vi'rmberem
Telugu (Indien) : Neenu ninnu prámistu'nnanu
: Nenu ninnu premistunnanu
: Ninnu premistunnanu
Thai (formal) : Phom rak khun (male to female)
: Ch'an rak khun (female to male)
: Phom-ruk-koon (male to female)
: Chun-ruk-koon (female to male)
Thai : Khao raak thoe (affectionate, sweet, loving)
Tswana : Ke a go rata
Tshiluba : Ndi mukusua (I love you)
: Ndi musua wewe (I want you)
: Ndi ne ditalala bua wewe (I have love for you)
Tunisian : Ha eh bak
Tumbuka : Nkhukutemwa
Turkish (formal) : Sizi seviyorum
Turkish : Seni seviyorum
: Seni begeniyorum ("I adore you") (g has a bar on it)
Twi (Ghana) : Me dowapaa
: Me dor wo
Ukrainian : Ya tebe kokhayu
: Ja tebe kokhaju (real true love)
: Ja vas kokhaju
: Ja pokokhav tebe
: Ja pokokhav vas
Urdu(Indien) : Main tumse muhabbat karta hoon
: Mujhe tumse mohabbat hai : Mujge tumae mahabbat hai
: Kam prem kartahai
Vai : Na lia
Vไrmlไndska : Du är görgo te mäg
Vietnamese : Anh yeu em (male to female)
: Em yeu anh (female to male)
: Toi yeu em
Volapük : Löfob oli.
Vulcan (Mr.Spock) : Wani ra yana ro aisha
Walloon : Dji vos veu volti (lit. I like to see you)
: Dji vos inme (lit. I love you)
: Dji v'zinme
Welsh : Rwy'n dy garu di.
: Yr wyf i yn dy garu di (chwi)
Wolof : Da ma la nope
: Da ma la nop (da málanop)
Yiddish : Kh'hob dikh lib
: Kh'ob dikh holt
: Ikh bin in dir farlibt
Yucatec Maya : 'in k'aatech (the love of lovers)
: 'in yabitmech (the love of family, which lovers can also feel; it indicates more a desire to spoil and protect the other person)
Yugoslavian : Ja te volim
Zazi (kurdisch) : Ezhele hezdege (sp?)
Zulu : Mina Ngithanda Wena. (rarely used; means: "Me, I love you.")
: Ngiyakuthanda (pronounced as: NGee-ya--koo--tanda)
Zuni : Tom ho'ichema
www.amoymagic.com
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Mencius' Muddy Pool--or Living Spring?
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Jesus, in John 4:14 [耶稣说...我所赐的水，要在他里头成为泉源，直涌到永生。 约翰福音4：13，14]
"Wash cap in clear water, feet in dirty water." 沧浪之水清兮,可以濯吾缨; 沧浪之水浊兮,可以濯吾足 Mencius
Mencius wrote of the futility of counseling princes who destroyed their own lives, families and kingdoms, and then years later complained that life was unfair to them when they "reaped what they sowed." As Mencius put it, "We muddy our own water."
The Muddy Water Parable Mencius wrote of Confucius' tale of a boy singing,
"When the Canglang waters are clear,
they are good for washing my cap strings.
"When the Canglang waters are muddy,
they are good for washing my feet."
Mencius said clear and dirty water had different uses--but we determine how we are used because we muddy our own water ourselves. If others despise and misuse us, Mencius wrote, it is because we despise and misuse ourselves first. Mencius quoted a passage from the Tai Jia, "When Heaven sends down calamities, we may still escape them, but when we cause them ourselves, we have no hope of life."
UnMuddying the Water? The great Taoist Zhuangzi said, "I lost sight of my real self. Gazing at the muddy water, I lost sight of the clear abyss." The Taoist solution to clearing up the muddy water is to be perfectly still, even as the Bible says, "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 [你们要休息，要知道我是神。诗篇46:10] But is being still enough?
Even Confucius and Mencius confessed their inability to live up to their own standards. In today's hectic age, can any of us be still enough to settle the mud today, much less keep it settled tomorrow? If anything, our frenetic pace just muddies the pool more with each passing day. But even if we could, by superhuman effort, still the mud--what keeps our little pool from stagnating?
Muddy Pool or Living Spring? The only way to clean the pool and keep it clean is to continually wash out the stagnating, muddy pool with a fresh, clear endless spring of living water. Jesus said, "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13, 14 [耶稣回答说，凡喝这水的，还要再渴。人若喝我所赐的水就永远不渴。我所赐的水，要在他里头成为泉源，直涌到永生。 约翰福音4：13，14]
Our Choice. The child sang that clear water was good for washing his cap, and dirty water was good for washing his feet. What are we good for? Today, we can try to still the pool of stagnant muddy water that we have churned up over the years, or we can flush out the entire pool by tapping into the Source--the endless spring of living water.
Original Source for above Mencius quote:
离娄上: 孟子曰：“不仁者可与言哉？安其危而利其灾，乐其所以亡者。不仁而可与言，则何亡国败家之有？有孺子歌曰：‘沧浪之水清兮，可以濯我缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯我足。’孔子曰：‘小子听之！清斯濯缨，浊斯濯足矣，自取之也。’夫人必自侮，然后人侮之；家必自毁，而后人毁之；国必自伐，而后人伐之。《太甲》曰：‘天作孽，犹可违；自作孽，不可活。’此之谓也。” Mencius, Li Lou 1
www.amoymagic.com
"the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Jesus, in John 4:14 [耶稣说...我所赐的水，要在他里头成为泉源，直涌到永生。 约翰福音4：13，14]
"Wash cap in clear water, feet in dirty water." 沧浪之水清兮,可以濯吾缨; 沧浪之水浊兮,可以濯吾足 Mencius
Mencius wrote of the futility of counseling princes who destroyed their own lives, families and kingdoms, and then years later complained that life was unfair to them when they "reaped what they sowed." As Mencius put it, "We muddy our own water."
The Muddy Water Parable Mencius wrote of Confucius' tale of a boy singing,
"When the Canglang waters are clear,
they are good for washing my cap strings.
"When the Canglang waters are muddy,
they are good for washing my feet."
Mencius said clear and dirty water had different uses--but we determine how we are used because we muddy our own water ourselves. If others despise and misuse us, Mencius wrote, it is because we despise and misuse ourselves first. Mencius quoted a passage from the Tai Jia, "When Heaven sends down calamities, we may still escape them, but when we cause them ourselves, we have no hope of life."
UnMuddying the Water? The great Taoist Zhuangzi said, "I lost sight of my real self. Gazing at the muddy water, I lost sight of the clear abyss." The Taoist solution to clearing up the muddy water is to be perfectly still, even as the Bible says, "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 [你们要休息，要知道我是神。诗篇46:10] But is being still enough?
Even Confucius and Mencius confessed their inability to live up to their own standards. In today's hectic age, can any of us be still enough to settle the mud today, much less keep it settled tomorrow? If anything, our frenetic pace just muddies the pool more with each passing day. But even if we could, by superhuman effort, still the mud--what keeps our little pool from stagnating?
Muddy Pool or Living Spring? The only way to clean the pool and keep it clean is to continually wash out the stagnating, muddy pool with a fresh, clear endless spring of living water. Jesus said, "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13, 14 [耶稣回答说，凡喝这水的，还要再渴。人若喝我所赐的水就永远不渴。我所赐的水，要在他里头成为泉源，直涌到永生。 约翰福音4：13，14]
Our Choice. The child sang that clear water was good for washing his cap, and dirty water was good for washing his feet. What are we good for? Today, we can try to still the pool of stagnant muddy water that we have churned up over the years, or we can flush out the entire pool by tapping into the Source--the endless spring of living water.
Original Source for above Mencius quote:
离娄上: 孟子曰：“不仁者可与言哉？安其危而利其灾，乐其所以亡者。不仁而可与言，则何亡国败家之有？有孺子歌曰：‘沧浪之水清兮，可以濯我缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯我足。’孔子曰：‘小子听之！清斯濯缨，浊斯濯足矣，自取之也。’夫人必自侮，然后人侮之；家必自毁，而后人毁之；国必自伐，而后人伐之。《太甲》曰：‘天作孽，犹可违；自作孽，不可活。’此之谓也。” Mencius, Li Lou 1
www.amoymagic.com
Friday, April 10, 2009
Hewing the Heart of a Child
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Jesus (Luke 18:17 NIV) "我实在告诉你们，凡要承受神国的，若不像小孩子，断不能进去。路加福音18:17
"Great is he who has not lost the heart of a child." Mencius 孟子曰：“大人者，不失其赤子之心者也。”
Both Mencius and the modern Chinese writer Lin Yutang would have heartily concurred with Jesus' warning that only those with the heart of a child would enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In "The Importance of Living," (p.98) Lin Yutang wrote, "The ideal character best able to enjoy life is a warm, carefree and unafraid soul." And who is more warm, carefree and unafraid than a child!
A child awakens each day to a world of wonder, but over time the curiosity becomes caution, the wonder becomes worry, the carefree becomes careful, the warmth becomes aloofness, the fearlessness becomes fear. It is no wonder that as we age, we tend to become nostalgic for a past that time has dimmed and idealized. What happened to the child within us?
Hewing the Heart of the Child In "The Importance of Living," Lin Yutang wrote, "Mencius regards the effect of the artificial life of civilization upon the youthful heart born in man as similar to the deforestation of our hills:
'There was once a time when the forests of the Niu Mountain were beautiful. But can the mountain any longer be regarded as beautiful, since being situated near a big city, the woodsmen have hewed the trees down? The days and nights gave it rest, and the rains and the dew continued to nourish it, and a new life was continually springing up from the soil, but then the cattle and the sheep began to pasture upon it. That is why the Niu Mountain looks so bald, and when people see its baldness, they imagine that there was never any timber on the mountain. Is this the true nature of the mountain? And is there not a heart of love and righteousness in man, too? But how can that nature remain beautiful when it is hacked down every day, as the woodsman chops down the trees with his ax? To be sure, the nights and days do the healing and there is the nourishing air of the early dawn, which tends to keep him sound and normal, but this morning air is thin and is soon destroyed by what he does in the day. With this continuous hacking of the human spirit, the rest and recuperation obtained during the night are not sufficient to maintain its level, and when the night's recuperation does not suffice to maintain its level, then the man degrades himself to a state not far from the beast's. People see that he acts like a beast and imagine that there was never any true character in him. But is this the true nature of man?"
Not Childish but Childlike We need to recapture the inner child not just to enter the Kingdom but to live life, here and now, as our Father intended for us to live it. When Jesus' said "you must be born again", he meant a spiritual birth, but given his repeated emphasis upon regaining the heart of a child, it is clear that he also meant we need to be reborn not just spiritually but emotionally and mentally as well. Though a word of caution is in order. Jesus did not say for us to become children, but to be like children.
Snake Handling We should be childlike but not childish, because our Father does expect us to grow up. We of course need the experiences and maturity of adulthood to accomplish our purpose in life--and to survive. As Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 13:11, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." [我作孩子的时候，话语像孩子，心思像孩子，意念像孩子。既成了人，就把孩子的事丢弃了。歌林多前书13:11]
When I was seven, I picked up a Texas diamond-back rattlesnake, thinking it was a giant worm. That is how I learned to fear snakes, but it was not healthy fear but debilitating terror. I even had nightmares of snakes. So during my teens I studied about snakes, learned to appreciate their beauty and purpose (they kill rodents, for one thing), and even forced myself to handle harmless snakes--though I use common sense, of course. Some rural Appalachian churches have snake handling in the services! (Chinese also handle snakes in some Fujian temples --and other Fujian folk even
walk on fire!)
My Father's Hand As long as I use the common sense and experience that my Father has given me, the world is a much less fearful place, because I know that I am in my Father's hand--and that too is part of having the heart of a child.
As a small boy, I was fearless as long as my father was right beside me. If my father said to do something, I implicitly trusted that 1) it was safe; 2) I could do it if he said I could, and 3) he would be pleased with me if I obeyed. But though my father loved me, and wanted only the best for me, he made mistakes, and errors in judgment. But I am infinitely more secure today as a child in my Heavenly Father's hand because he not only made me but everything else, and knows clearly the purpose he has for me. Above all, I know that I am loved--the "bright pearl in his hand" (掌上明珠；Chinese equivalent of "apple of my eye", from the Bible). With such child-like confidence and sense of security, the world once again becomes a place of wonder, and I can do anything my Father calls me to do. And that is when we truly have the heart of a child--when we truly trust our Father.
Our Father's Child--or Orphan? The world has hewed our heart like Mencius' woodsmen denuded the mountains of forests, but we can regain that childlike heart--but not if we go it alone. The world's a dangerous place, for children and adults, but it is forever a place of wonder when we walk it with our Father.
130 Common English Phrases from the Bible
Scientific Proof that Adam and Eve were not Chinese! In 2007, when I spoke to groups of Chinese in the Philippines (Rotary Clubs, Anchor Club, schools, seminaries, etc.), I told them that scientists had proven that Adam and Even were not Chinese, because if they'd been Chinese, Eve would have tossed the apple and eaten the snake. One Chinese business lady replied, "Not true! If Eve had been Chinese, she'd have eaten the snake and sold the apple!"
Oh well, everyday I learn something new--but that is part of having the heart of a child!
www.amoymagic.com
"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Jesus (Luke 18:17 NIV) "我实在告诉你们，凡要承受神国的，若不像小孩子，断不能进去。路加福音18:17
"Great is he who has not lost the heart of a child." Mencius 孟子曰：“大人者，不失其赤子之心者也。”
Both Mencius and the modern Chinese writer Lin Yutang would have heartily concurred with Jesus' warning that only those with the heart of a child would enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In "The Importance of Living," (p.98) Lin Yutang wrote, "The ideal character best able to enjoy life is a warm, carefree and unafraid soul." And who is more warm, carefree and unafraid than a child!
A child awakens each day to a world of wonder, but over time the curiosity becomes caution, the wonder becomes worry, the carefree becomes careful, the warmth becomes aloofness, the fearlessness becomes fear. It is no wonder that as we age, we tend to become nostalgic for a past that time has dimmed and idealized. What happened to the child within us?
Hewing the Heart of the Child In "The Importance of Living," Lin Yutang wrote, "Mencius regards the effect of the artificial life of civilization upon the youthful heart born in man as similar to the deforestation of our hills:
'There was once a time when the forests of the Niu Mountain were beautiful. But can the mountain any longer be regarded as beautiful, since being situated near a big city, the woodsmen have hewed the trees down? The days and nights gave it rest, and the rains and the dew continued to nourish it, and a new life was continually springing up from the soil, but then the cattle and the sheep began to pasture upon it. That is why the Niu Mountain looks so bald, and when people see its baldness, they imagine that there was never any timber on the mountain. Is this the true nature of the mountain? And is there not a heart of love and righteousness in man, too? But how can that nature remain beautiful when it is hacked down every day, as the woodsman chops down the trees with his ax? To be sure, the nights and days do the healing and there is the nourishing air of the early dawn, which tends to keep him sound and normal, but this morning air is thin and is soon destroyed by what he does in the day. With this continuous hacking of the human spirit, the rest and recuperation obtained during the night are not sufficient to maintain its level, and when the night's recuperation does not suffice to maintain its level, then the man degrades himself to a state not far from the beast's. People see that he acts like a beast and imagine that there was never any true character in him. But is this the true nature of man?"
Not Childish but Childlike We need to recapture the inner child not just to enter the Kingdom but to live life, here and now, as our Father intended for us to live it. When Jesus' said "you must be born again", he meant a spiritual birth, but given his repeated emphasis upon regaining the heart of a child, it is clear that he also meant we need to be reborn not just spiritually but emotionally and mentally as well. Though a word of caution is in order. Jesus did not say for us to become children, but to be like children.
Snake Handling We should be childlike but not childish, because our Father does expect us to grow up. We of course need the experiences and maturity of adulthood to accomplish our purpose in life--and to survive. As Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 13:11, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." [我作孩子的时候，话语像孩子，心思像孩子，意念像孩子。既成了人，就把孩子的事丢弃了。歌林多前书13:11]
When I was seven, I picked up a Texas diamond-back rattlesnake, thinking it was a giant worm. That is how I learned to fear snakes, but it was not healthy fear but debilitating terror. I even had nightmares of snakes. So during my teens I studied about snakes, learned to appreciate their beauty and purpose (they kill rodents, for one thing), and even forced myself to handle harmless snakes--though I use common sense, of course. Some rural Appalachian churches have snake handling in the services! (Chinese also handle snakes in some Fujian temples --and other Fujian folk even
walk on fire!)My Father's Hand As long as I use the common sense and experience that my Father has given me, the world is a much less fearful place, because I know that I am in my Father's hand--and that too is part of having the heart of a child.
As a small boy, I was fearless as long as my father was right beside me. If my father said to do something, I implicitly trusted that 1) it was safe; 2) I could do it if he said I could, and 3) he would be pleased with me if I obeyed. But though my father loved me, and wanted only the best for me, he made mistakes, and errors in judgment. But I am infinitely more secure today as a child in my Heavenly Father's hand because he not only made me but everything else, and knows clearly the purpose he has for me. Above all, I know that I am loved--the "bright pearl in his hand" (掌上明珠；Chinese equivalent of "apple of my eye", from the Bible). With such child-like confidence and sense of security, the world once again becomes a place of wonder, and I can do anything my Father calls me to do. And that is when we truly have the heart of a child--when we truly trust our Father.
Our Father's Child--or Orphan? The world has hewed our heart like Mencius' woodsmen denuded the mountains of forests, but we can regain that childlike heart--but not if we go it alone. The world's a dangerous place, for children and adults, but it is forever a place of wonder when we walk it with our Father.
130 Common English Phrases from the Bible
Scientific Proof that Adam and Eve were not Chinese! In 2007, when I spoke to groups of Chinese in the Philippines (Rotary Clubs, Anchor Club, schools, seminaries, etc.), I told them that scientists had proven that Adam and Even were not Chinese, because if they'd been Chinese, Eve would have tossed the apple and eaten the snake. One Chinese business lady replied, "Not true! If Eve had been Chinese, she'd have eaten the snake and sold the apple!"
Oh well, everyday I learn something new--but that is part of having the heart of a child!
www.amoymagic.com
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Ancient China Awaited the Prince
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles..." 1 Corinthians 1:22,23
"People flock to a benevolent ruler as water flows downhill, or wild beasts flee to the wilderness." Mencius [民之归仁也，犹水之就下，兽之走圹也]
Jesus was opposed by Jews, who wanted miracles and a political reformer, and by the Gentiles, who delighted in endless debates even while the world fell apart around them. But Jesus' message that "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you" would have been warmly welcomed in China because this was the central theme of ancient Chinese philosophers.
The Way of Heaven is spoken of in almost every ancient Chinese book. Upright and benevolent governments put in place by the one Emperor of Heaven led the people to live moral and fruitful lives. When the governments became corrupt, the people and the country fell--but the people continued to hope for a benevolent prince to restore their country and lives.
Waiting for the Prince China's ancient Book of History recorded, "We have waited for our Prince! When he comes he will deliver us from our punishment [for guilt, sin, etc.] [《书》等待我的王！ 王来了，我们使不再受罪了]. Centuries before the Jews crucified Jesus, the Chinese were hoping for a Prince who would change their country by changing people's hearts Mencius wrote that kingdoms were won or lost by winning or losing people's hearts, and he said, "If there was one prince who loved benevolence, all the other [corrupt] princes would drive the people to him, and he could not help but become Emperor."
Conquering Prince Not just the Chinese but all peoples have sought peace, hope and purpose, and Jesus came to offer hope--though not in the way that the Jews expected. The Jews demanded miracles, but Jesus downplayed miracles, even warning those he healed to tell no one about it [Luke 5:14], because he knew that miracles did not change hearts. And Jesus avoided politics, saying to "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar" [Luke 20:25], because like Confucius and Mencius, he knew that political change did not guarantee a change of hearts. Jesus kept his focus on "the kingdom within us," and in so doing brought change that has lasted 2,000 years.
Peaceful Entry, Triumphal Exit Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, when Jesus made his "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. Jesus was careful to ride not a horse of war but a donkey, which symbolized peace. But the cheering crowd did not want a "Prince of Peace," and when he refused to be king, their adoration turned to hate and they crucified him instead. Yet in choosing a cross over a crown, Jesus exemplified the ancient Chinese ideals of the benevolent Prince who would, by his example, deliver the nation not only from their punishment but from the ultimate punishment as well--death.
The Prince of Confucius, and Mencius, and countless others around the world, has come--and his kingdom is within you.
www.amoymagic.com
"Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles..." 1 Corinthians 1:22,23
"People flock to a benevolent ruler as water flows downhill, or wild beasts flee to the wilderness." Mencius [民之归仁也，犹水之就下，兽之走圹也]
Jesus was opposed by Jews, who wanted miracles and a political reformer, and by the Gentiles, who delighted in endless debates even while the world fell apart around them. But Jesus' message that "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you" would have been warmly welcomed in China because this was the central theme of ancient Chinese philosophers.
The Way of Heaven is spoken of in almost every ancient Chinese book. Upright and benevolent governments put in place by the one Emperor of Heaven led the people to live moral and fruitful lives. When the governments became corrupt, the people and the country fell--but the people continued to hope for a benevolent prince to restore their country and lives.
Waiting for the Prince China's ancient Book of History recorded, "We have waited for our Prince! When he comes he will deliver us from our punishment [for guilt, sin, etc.] [《书》等待我的王！ 王来了，我们使不再受罪了]. Centuries before the Jews crucified Jesus, the Chinese were hoping for a Prince who would change their country by changing people's hearts Mencius wrote that kingdoms were won or lost by winning or losing people's hearts, and he said, "If there was one prince who loved benevolence, all the other [corrupt] princes would drive the people to him, and he could not help but become Emperor."
Conquering Prince Not just the Chinese but all peoples have sought peace, hope and purpose, and Jesus came to offer hope--though not in the way that the Jews expected. The Jews demanded miracles, but Jesus downplayed miracles, even warning those he healed to tell no one about it [Luke 5:14], because he knew that miracles did not change hearts. And Jesus avoided politics, saying to "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar" [Luke 20:25], because like Confucius and Mencius, he knew that political change did not guarantee a change of hearts. Jesus kept his focus on "the kingdom within us," and in so doing brought change that has lasted 2,000 years.
Peaceful Entry, Triumphal Exit Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, when Jesus made his "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. Jesus was careful to ride not a horse of war but a donkey, which symbolized peace. But the cheering crowd did not want a "Prince of Peace," and when he refused to be king, their adoration turned to hate and they crucified him instead. Yet in choosing a cross over a crown, Jesus exemplified the ancient Chinese ideals of the benevolent Prince who would, by his example, deliver the nation not only from their punishment but from the ultimate punishment as well--death.
The Prince of Confucius, and Mencius, and countless others around the world, has come--and his kingdom is within you.
www.amoymagic.com
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Mencius' Mysteries Revealed
Bill Brown 。。。 Xiamen University
"...according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed...." Romans 16:25
"From the birth of humanity until now, there has been no one more complete than Confucius." Mencius, 372-289 B.C. [自生民以来，未有盛于孔子也]
Cows & Feathers
Mencius was the most brilliant of Confucian scholars, perhaps even surpassing Confucius himself. He was also brave, and not afraid to confront kings and princes with their own hypocrisy. In King Hui of Liang Part 1, when Mencius heard the king had pity on a bull being led to the sacrifice, and switched with a sheep, he told the king, "Many say you did this because the sheep was cheaper, but I think you did it out of compassion for the bull." The delighted king replied, "How right you are! People don't understand me."
Mencius then said, "You had pity on the bull, which you saw, but not on the sheep, which you did not see." The king was silent, because he well knew Mencius logic could take him down some slippery slopes he'd rather not traverse. Mencius continued, "Would you believe someone who claimed they could lift 3,000 cattle but not one feather? Or had eyes sharp enough to see the point of an autumn hair but could not see a wagon-load of wood?"
"Of course not!" the king replied.
Mencius then said, "The king has compassion on a cow but not on his people. The feather is not lifted because the strength is not used; the wagon is not seen because the eyesight is not used; the people not loved and protected is because kindness is not used."
I marvel that Mencius was not beheaded! In 213 B.C., only 76 years after Mencius' death, Emperor Qin, who first unified China, built the Great Wall, and created the Terra Cotta Warriors tomb, did burn books, and philosophers with them, to avoid such criticism.
Mencius was brilliant, and brave, and yet this great man said that, from the beginning of history until his age, no man was more complete than Confucius. Mencius claimed this even though he knew that Confucius himself regretted that he preached the highest ideals while failing to attain the simplest standards. Confucius said a scholar who worried about comfort, food and clothes was not worth talking to, and yet Confucius himself was fastidious about his food, clothing and ceremony.
Yet Confucius admitted his faults and failures because he was wise enough to know that all men fall short, and no man has an answer. Confucius and Mencius both spoke of the Way of Heaven, but they both felt no man could well understand life, much less the mysteries of Heaven.
The more I read Chinese classics, the more I admire these ancients' struggle to follow the Way of Heaven by perfecting themselves, but they admitted that there was no way for finite man to grasp the Infinite. And that is why our Father sent a man to live amongst us--not to philosophize about life, or develop doctrines, but to live the Infinite life within a finite form, and to teach us to do the same.
Today, we face the same struggles as the ancients, and we are as powerless as Confucius and Mencius to change ourselves. Change must come not from external philosophies and religions but from an internal relationship with One who has been through it before us, and will lead us.
Many say, "Christ is a crutch," and many others retort, "Cripples need crutches." But Jesus is not a crutch propping us up from without, but a power lifting us from within, changing people in ways that still challenge the understanding of psychologists, doctors, scientists, and even the religious people (for Christ preached not religion but relationship with the Father).
The infinite remained a mystery to both Confucius and Mencius, but it has been revealed to us. What will we do with it?
www.amoymagic.com
"...according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed...." Romans 16:25
"From the birth of humanity until now, there has been no one more complete than Confucius." Mencius, 372-289 B.C. [自生民以来，未有盛于孔子也]
Cows & Feathers
Mencius was the most brilliant of Confucian scholars, perhaps even surpassing Confucius himself. He was also brave, and not afraid to confront kings and princes with their own hypocrisy. In King Hui of Liang Part 1, when Mencius heard the king had pity on a bull being led to the sacrifice, and switched with a sheep, he told the king, "Many say you did this because the sheep was cheaper, but I think you did it out of compassion for the bull." The delighted king replied, "How right you are! People don't understand me."
Mencius then said, "You had pity on the bull, which you saw, but not on the sheep, which you did not see." The king was silent, because he well knew Mencius logic could take him down some slippery slopes he'd rather not traverse. Mencius continued, "Would you believe someone who claimed they could lift 3,000 cattle but not one feather? Or had eyes sharp enough to see the point of an autumn hair but could not see a wagon-load of wood?"
"Of course not!" the king replied.
Mencius then said, "The king has compassion on a cow but not on his people. The feather is not lifted because the strength is not used; the wagon is not seen because the eyesight is not used; the people not loved and protected is because kindness is not used."
I marvel that Mencius was not beheaded! In 213 B.C., only 76 years after Mencius' death, Emperor Qin, who first unified China, built the Great Wall, and created the Terra Cotta Warriors tomb, did burn books, and philosophers with them, to avoid such criticism.
Mencius was brilliant, and brave, and yet this great man said that, from the beginning of history until his age, no man was more complete than Confucius. Mencius claimed this even though he knew that Confucius himself regretted that he preached the highest ideals while failing to attain the simplest standards. Confucius said a scholar who worried about comfort, food and clothes was not worth talking to, and yet Confucius himself was fastidious about his food, clothing and ceremony.
Yet Confucius admitted his faults and failures because he was wise enough to know that all men fall short, and no man has an answer. Confucius and Mencius both spoke of the Way of Heaven, but they both felt no man could well understand life, much less the mysteries of Heaven.
The more I read Chinese classics, the more I admire these ancients' struggle to follow the Way of Heaven by perfecting themselves, but they admitted that there was no way for finite man to grasp the Infinite. And that is why our Father sent a man to live amongst us--not to philosophize about life, or develop doctrines, but to live the Infinite life within a finite form, and to teach us to do the same.
Today, we face the same struggles as the ancients, and we are as powerless as Confucius and Mencius to change ourselves. Change must come not from external philosophies and religions but from an internal relationship with One who has been through it before us, and will lead us.
Many say, "Christ is a crutch," and many others retort, "Cripples need crutches." But Jesus is not a crutch propping us up from without, but a power lifting us from within, changing people in ways that still challenge the understanding of psychologists, doctors, scientists, and even the religious people (for Christ preached not religion but relationship with the Father).
The infinite remained a mystery to both Confucius and Mencius, but it has been revealed to us. What will we do with it?
www.amoymagic.com
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Salt-Free Christians
Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Jesus (Matt. 5:13)
Duke Ye asked about good governance. Confucius replied, "Those near are happy, those far away are attracted." 叶公问政。子曰：“近者说，远者来。” (Analects 13:16)
Jesus was very specific when he told his disciples they were the "salt of the earth." He said, very specifically, you are the salt. And he did not say "a" salt but "the" salt. But most importantly, he said they are salt, rather than becoming salt.
Being, not Becoming In his book, "Matthew," Frederick Dale Bruner wrote: "The Christian ethic is an ethic of "become what you are" rather than the Greek or Confucian ethic of "become what you should be."
I'm thankful that, on my own, I don't have to try to become something, because even great Sages like Confucius lamented that they failed to live up to even their most basic rules of conduct (and Confucius certainly did not measure up to his 3,300 codes).
I feel badly about breaking annual New Year resolutions, but the apostle Paul said that he "died daily" and started over again daily. Paul confessed, "What I want to do, I do not do, and what I don't want to do, that I do!" [Rom. 7:15]. No matter how "good" we are, our actions and deeds will not make us become salt, but fortunately our saltiness does not depend on what we do but Whose we are. Right actions do not make us salt--though if we are salt, it should lead to right actions. As Jesus said, "You shall know them by their fruit." [Matthew 7:20]
The disciples were not salt because of who they were or what they did but because of Who they served--and how. Morris wrote that the main thing about salt is that it is "different" from that around it. He wrote, "[Christians'] power in the world lies in their difference from it." But if Christians cease serving Christ, and cease being different from those around them, they have "lost their saltiness", and as Christ said, are worthless.
Salt-Free Christians I've heard many complain that about people who are anti-Christian, but does this mean they are against Christ as well? It is interesting that Jesus was rejected only by the religious leaders of his day, but warmly welcomed by the rabble--the drunkards, tax collectors, prostitutes. I suspect that today's common folk would also embrace him if they met him face to face. If Christ is rejected today, it may be because people do not see him in us. They are rejecting not Christ but salt-free Christians who have lost their saltiness because they are no longer different from those around them.
People need salt in their lives as much as in their food. Don't give them vinegar, or MSG. Walk in Christ, be different, and be salt. And then perhaps those around us will be like those of whom Confucius said, "Those near rejoice, those far away are attracted."
www.amoymagic.com
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Jesus (Matt. 5:13)
Duke Ye asked about good governance. Confucius replied, "Those near are happy, those far away are attracted." 叶公问政。子曰：“近者说，远者来。” (Analects 13:16)
Jesus was very specific when he told his disciples they were the "salt of the earth." He said, very specifically, you are the salt. And he did not say "a" salt but "the" salt. But most importantly, he said they are salt, rather than becoming salt.
Being, not Becoming In his book, "Matthew," Frederick Dale Bruner wrote: "The Christian ethic is an ethic of "become what you are" rather than the Greek or Confucian ethic of "become what you should be."
I'm thankful that, on my own, I don't have to try to become something, because even great Sages like Confucius lamented that they failed to live up to even their most basic rules of conduct (and Confucius certainly did not measure up to his 3,300 codes).
I feel badly about breaking annual New Year resolutions, but the apostle Paul said that he "died daily" and started over again daily. Paul confessed, "What I want to do, I do not do, and what I don't want to do, that I do!" [Rom. 7:15]. No matter how "good" we are, our actions and deeds will not make us become salt, but fortunately our saltiness does not depend on what we do but Whose we are. Right actions do not make us salt--though if we are salt, it should lead to right actions. As Jesus said, "You shall know them by their fruit." [Matthew 7:20]
The disciples were not salt because of who they were or what they did but because of Who they served--and how. Morris wrote that the main thing about salt is that it is "different" from that around it. He wrote, "[Christians'] power in the world lies in their difference from it." But if Christians cease serving Christ, and cease being different from those around them, they have "lost their saltiness", and as Christ said, are worthless.
Salt-Free Christians I've heard many complain that about people who are anti-Christian, but does this mean they are against Christ as well? It is interesting that Jesus was rejected only by the religious leaders of his day, but warmly welcomed by the rabble--the drunkards, tax collectors, prostitutes. I suspect that today's common folk would also embrace him if they met him face to face. If Christ is rejected today, it may be because people do not see him in us. They are rejecting not Christ but salt-free Christians who have lost their saltiness because they are no longer different from those around them.
People need salt in their lives as much as in their food. Don't give them vinegar, or MSG. Walk in Christ, be different, and be salt. And then perhaps those around us will be like those of whom Confucius said, "Those near rejoice, those far away are attracted."
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