tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86523892334161272142024-02-07T14:15:19.107+11:00La bergère petite de LutèceOne little shepherdess, under whose fearful care the Chief Shepherd has placed some of His flock! (1 PETER 5:2.)Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-13805316014498414472019-03-30T19:33:00.002+11:002019-03-30T19:40:27.645+11:001 histoire: Rencontrer Jésus (et 1 photo)A little story for people who like such things.<br/>
Theme: "<b>Meeting Jesus</b>".
<br/><br/>
Transcript from sharing on Sun. 24/03/19 at St. Andrew's Cathedral 10:30 service.<i><br/>
{Thanks to Ruth S. who encouraged me to do it, and to my Christian sisters (women of the Wednesday morning Bible study) for their feedback.}</i><br/>
<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBsJA7IeOTFQkCZnjO6ROfJc5ru2XDfqtDfbs6l-WExQ2kiIs7SvbLZGq8xmxwkF_8WrVqDho2bKzvOJnmJ8_geiLgEBF4TzfnBUzrTcqmNy9obzdMHrRUpL2mqiEtWifMUpiS25ulgI/s1600/33596097_1756048161099614_2896077068800360448_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBsJA7IeOTFQkCZnjO6ROfJc5ru2XDfqtDfbs6l-WExQ2kiIs7SvbLZGq8xmxwkF_8WrVqDho2bKzvOJnmJ8_geiLgEBF4TzfnBUzrTcqmNy9obzdMHrRUpL2mqiEtWifMUpiS25ulgI/s320/33596097_1756048161099614_2896077068800360448_o.jpg" width="218" height="320" data-original-width="1088" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
<br/><br/>
<i>Photo: My Christian grandmother, pictured with her future sister-in-law.</i><br/><br/>
I’ll start by saying where I am from, because there is always someone who wants to ask..<br/>
I was born here in Sydney.<br/>
My father was also born here.<br/>
But my family is from China,<br/>
- and it is because of them that my story of meeting Jesus actually starts more than 100 years before I was born.<br/><br/>
Way back in the 1870s, God sent Christians from England into south China as teachers, doctors, hospital workers and ministers. These British Christians learned Chinese languages and told unsaved Chinese villagers and townspeople about Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Many southern Chinese people met Jesus in China, and believed in Him. And one such woman was my great-great-grandma.<br/><br/>
Great-great grandma was one of the first Christians in my family, and by the time my grandfather and grandmother were teenagers, they went to Christian schools in their town. Today that town is called Shantou (older Chinese people would have called it Swatow).
From what I know, as the Bible was taught at their school and churches, my grandfather and grandmother met Jesus too, and they followed Him.<br/><br/>
And when they married and moved here, to Sydney, in the 1930s, and when they had two boys and a girl, they introduced their children to Jesus - my father, my uncle and my auntie. So then, I met Jesus through my own father and mother, who taught me the Bible and took me to a Bible-teaching church in Milsons Point. Even as a very little girl, I could sing lines like this from Christian songs:<br/><br/>
<i>My sins are all forgiven,</i><br/>
<i>I’m on my way to heaven..</i><br/><br/>
By the time I was seven, I knew God was real. I never doubted what Jesus had done. He died on the cross to save us, and my sins were all forgiven. Jesus had risen from the dead and I knew I could have eternal life in heaven..<br/><br/>
But as I grew I didn’t always trust the goodness of God. Because when I was eleven we learned my father had cheated on my mother. He had a girlfriend and a new baby. My Christian father - who had first introduced me to Jesus. As a result, we saw how hurtful sin could be, in my father’s actions. Yet around the same time this happened, I was challenged at school and church camp to trust Jesus myself - more than just accepting what I’d been taught.<br/><br/>
Meeting Jesus in a fresh way at age twelve was a whole new ball game from when I was little. I was in high school, and - like many teenagers - what I found most hard was wanting to make friends and be accepted. Yes, I had accepted Jesus - but, like your average teenage girl, I wanted to be with people my own age as well. So knowing Jesus in high school was just like having a friend who’s always there, a friend who always accepts you. But you just take Him for granted.<br/><br/>
In God’s kindness, after disappointments in my last year of school and first year at university, I realised I needed to know Jesus better. He’d been with me all my life, as long as I could remember. But in most of that time I’d never really read God’s Word for myself. I actually think I only started growing as a Christian when I started reading the Bible properly at age nineteen. It was like taking my friendship with Jesus to the next level, as I met Him again and again through my Bible reading. I got to know God through His Word and to see for the first time how He’d worked through Bible history from creation up until now.<br/><br/>
And then, only 10 years ago, God opened a door for me to go overseas and meet Jesus in another new way. For the first time I realised fully what He wanted to do in His world, and how He might want me to play a part. I’d given and prayed for people in Europe before, that they might meet Jesus. But it was only when I went to France in 2009 that I understood how blessed we are to live in Sydney with many churches that teach the Bible well, and that help people meet Jesus. I was a French speaker hanging out with French Christian students and I saw the reality of how hard it was to introduce French people to Jesus. How little confidence French Christians had in using the Bible to share about Jesus.<br/><br/>
Since seeing what I saw in France I’ve been challenged to help whoever I can, wherever I can, in the task of introducing people to Jesus. And for me, having met and re-met Jesus at many times in life, I don’t think there is anything more important than knowing Him, or growing in Him, or telling others about Him.<br/><br/>
If Christians from England had never introduced my Chinese ancestors to Jesus, they might not ever have met Him. And so, nearly 150 years after those British Christians took the good news of Jesus into south China, I want to keep asking the questions:<br/>
Who else does God want me to introduce to Jesus?<br/>
Who could I help meet Jesus?<br/>
________________<br/>
<br/>L/T.
Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-8759706294007422572019-01-16T16:49:00.002+11:002019-01-16T16:50:31.675+11:002 amis; moins de 35 équipiers (un jeu de nombres){<i><b>En.</b> = 2 friends; less than 35 staff team workers (a numbers game)}</i><br/>
<br/>
Come and play a numbers game with me!<br/>
________________<br/>
<br/>Today I shall endeavour briefly [<i>hah!</i>] to introduce you to 2 of my friends, Isabelle V. and Yuya S.<br/>
<br/>
Isabelle is a French staff worker with Groupes Bibliques Universitaires (GBU) in France.<br/>
Yuya is a Japanese staff worker with Kirisutosha Gakusei Kai (KGK) in Japan.<br/>
<br/>
GBU and KGK, for those who don't know, are the IFES national student groups for the 2 countries noted above; the closest equivalent to each - where I live - is the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical students, or AFES.<br/>
<br/>
Isabelle lives in France.<br/>
She is one of between 30 and 35 GBU staff workers in her country.<br/>
That means no more than 35 French-speaking Christian staff workers nationwide<br/>
- for a population of 65 million.<br/>
<i>In effect, for France's 65m people<br/>
there are <b>up to 35 national staff </b>able to be engaged in GBU student work.</i><br/>
(And some of those staff workers, to my knowledge, are not even funded to serve the GBU full-time.)<br/>
<br/>
Yuya lives in Japan.<br/>
He is one of about 35 KGK staff workers across the country.<br/>
So, 35 Japanese-speaking Christian staff workers nationwide<br/>
- for a population of 126 million.<br/>
<i>That means, for Japan's 126m people<br/>
there are </i>(just as in France) <i><b>only 35 national staff</b> able to be engaged in KGK student work.</i><br/>
<br/>
Does that sound like it's spreading the student work out a bit thin?<br/>
I think so.<br/>
<br/>
When I look at Australia, when I narrow it right down to Sydney (where I went to university), I think it seems a bit unfair, actually...<br/><br/>
~<br/>
<br/>
Before continuing this post I paused to compile a quick list of all the people I could think of who are currently AFES staff workers in the Sydney metro area, including those from EU (Sydney Uni.), CBS and FOCUS (UNSW), ECU (Cumberland campus at Lidcombe) and CU and FOCUS at Macquarie. <i>I recalled and wrote down 15 current staff workers <b>just in the first fifteen minutes.</b></i> One CBS worker - whom I consulted the same day I was drafting this - reckoned there were at least 9 others on his staff team at UNSW alone; add those 9 CBS workers in, and it totals 24. Moreover, those 24 Australian-based staff workers are NOT the only 24 in Sydney, nowhere near it! If you joined in and helped me, we'd come up with a list of over 35 student workers quite easily, just for Sydney alone, and we'd still be counting...<br/>
<br/>
The point of what I am saying is this:<br/>
Right now in the city of Sydney alone there are well over 35 AFES staff workers.<br/><br/>
35(plus!) staff for Sydney's population of less than 5 million.<br/>
<br/>
In effect, that <i>means more than 35 staff <b>just for ONE. Single. Australian. CITY.</b></i>
<br/>________________<br/>
<br/>
We are a gospel-rich city, and country, generally. Even if we had only those 35 AFES staff workers for our whole population of 24 million Australians, we'd <b><i>still</i></b> be far better resourced than GBU France or KGK Japan. After all, we have only half of France's 65-million population and only one-fifth of Japan's 126-million.<br/>
<br/>
And yet I hope it's clear here that <i>there are more AFES workers based in Sydney alone</i> than <b>the total 35 national French or Japanese staff</b> currently serving with GBU in France or KGK in Japan.<br/>
<br/>
I wish you could feel the disparity I've tried to highlight above.<br/>
Isabelle in France and Yuya in Japan each represent a situation so very poorly resourced when I compare it with the AFES movement in Australia.<br/>
<br/>To me it's unjust, that in just one Aussie city <i>(pop. 5m.)</i> we have so many AFES workers serving campus Christian groups full-time<br/>
- whilst overseas in France <i>(pop. 65m.)</i> and in Japan <i>(pop. 126m.)</i>,<br/>
GBU and KGK respectively have no more than 35 staff workers - apiece! - currently serving in their national teams.<br/>
<br/>
These are situations that break my heart.<br/>
And they need our prayers<br/>
- that the Lord of the harvest send out workers into His harvest field, outside of Australia.<br/>
And maybe, they also need some of us to rethink.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Where might the Lord of the harvest use us, if we are willing & able to leave here, and go to the lands God will show us..?<br/>
<br/>
If, at this time, God has disabled us from going ourselves,<br/>
how can we be sharing what we have with our French, Japanese and other international gospel partners to see God's salvation reach to the ends of the earth?<br/><br/>
L/T.<br/>~
Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-11349210731600374492018-11-04T20:33:00.000+11:002018-11-04T20:40:01.088+11:0040+ heures dans le désert (2me partie)In my last blog post, O Theophilus - I mean, O Reader - I talked about one kind of desert, the genuine hot, dry and pretty much waterless version. A hard place for anything to grow or thrive without significant divine intervention. But that was only 1 of the 2 deserts I visited during my week overseas in September. After leaving the United Arab Emirates, it was time for a 3-day stopover in my other "desert" destination: Paris.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Désert #2</i></b><br />
Wait, what?<br />
<i>you say.</i><br />
How can Paris be a desert city?<br />
<i>you say.</i><br />
(And how could you only go there for 3 days?!
<i>asked my ballet friend Emma, who was horrified to hear that I didn't even spend one whole week there.</i>)<br />
<br />
But Paris, glittering, glamorous, alluring and aristocratic capital of France - is, after all, part of Europe.<br />
<br />
Europe, where just over 500 years ago the Protestant Reformation brought religious & spiritual upheaval to nations or kingdoms that we know as England, Germany and Switzerland<br />
- BUT - <br />
this same Reformation, for God's own mysterious reasons, did not have much long-term impact in south-western regions such as Spain, Italy or (you guessed it) France.<br />
<br />
Europe, some areas of which were completely transformed by Protestant Reformed teaching from the Bible - at least for a time. But from then until now, there were still European nations (and their capitals) that missed out on this; regions that remained strongly Roman Catholic, suppressing or opposing Protestant Christian evangelism or church growth. Nations like France, where during and after the in/famous Revolution of 1789 the oppressive, non-egalitarian, Catholic-friendly monarchy was overthrown, then eventually replaced, by a sometimes militantly secular Republic.<br />
<br />
Europe, which English-speaking missionaries will tell you outright is now (mostly) a really tough place to be Christian, live as a Christian, or grow others in their Christian faith.<br />
<br />
And as someone who has been in modern Paris as a semi-competent (read: non-native
) French speaker, who has tried to talk with French university students about the good news of Jesus
, who has walked alongside local French ministry apprentices (we call our Aussie equivalents Howies at Sydney University or MTSers at CBS, etc.) and seen something of the challenges they face
...I would agree that France IS a hard place for Christians or Christian groups to grow or thrive.<br />
<br />
Like a desert environment, France is, in fact, a hard place for a believer, OR for a Christian student movement, OR for a local church to grow or thrive spiritually - without intervention or special provision from our merciful God. So places like Paris are much more like a desert (in a spiritual sense) than you would otherwise think.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
In 2011, I met with Australian believers who were living in Strasbourg. They'd started as cross-cultural missionaries in France over 10 years before I could even think about visiting. (My thinking started in 2008; they were serving in Paris with CMS pre-1995 before they moved out to Strasbourg during the 2000's.)<br />
<br />
Even before my 1st trip to Paris in late June 2009, I'd heard from these Aussies and from others like them how hard life was for French believers, the French church and French Christian groups around universities (<i>Groupes Bibliques Universitaires</i>, or <b>GBU</b>). Even then, they spoke about France as something of a spiritual desert. Along with a small, faithful handful of local French ministry workers and some other non-French IFES staffworkers, these Aussies had spent more than a decade within the French cultural context trying to assist with preaching, teaching and reaching out to a highly secular majority on the campuses of major French cities like Toulon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and (of course) Paris.<br />
<br />In partnership with their French colleagues, they had laboured at the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace and training French students to read the Bible, to lead Bible discussions and to share the hope they had in Christ as Lord and Saviour with their unsaved friends
. With quite limited success they had taken every opportunity to encourage French ministry trainees to consider continuing as GBU staffworkers in full-time Christian service with university students (instead of automatically joining the non-religious professional workforce)...<br />
<br />
That's how it would have happened <b><i>in Australia</i></b>, after all - the natural step from doing a ministry apprenticeship to thinking about applying for future full-time Christian service. Particularly in Sydney where I went to uni., I watched goodly handfuls of ministry trainees (<i>who, like those in France, served in Christian groups to reach university students with the good news of Jesus</i>) often continue on to study full-time at Bible colleges. Colleges like SMBC in Croydon, or Morling at Macquarie Park, or Moore at Newtown (where I was until end 2017)
. From finishing theological study in Sydney, many of these ex-apprentices then proceeded into full-time Christian ministry roles back in Australian university settings.<br />
<br /><i>An example.</i>
<br />Of the cohort I started/finished with (Moore 2014-2017), I can immediately tell you of 5 College couples and another 3 single girls who all went on to be staffworkers with uni. Christian groups after completing theological studies. That is <b><i>8 ministry worker "units"</i> from just one year group</b> at Moore - of whom only 3 units stayed to serve in Sydney. (The other 5 are working for student groups in Melbourne, Wagga, Toowoomba and Auckland.)<br />
<br />
<br />
But not so for their French counterparts...<br />
<br />
My 1st visit to France in 2009 saw God opening doors for me to join a GBU summer team in Paris.<br />
<br /><br />
We...<br />
* ran a week-long mission, Bible-stands outside campus property (French universities were unlike Australian ones in that religious clubs & societies have not been not permitted on the campus)<br />
* invited students to share what they believed (or didn't believe) about Jesus<br />
* invited them to evangelistic events where the good news was discussed (e.g. talking religious themes during a "<i>Life Is Beautiful</i>" movie night) or outright preached.<br />
<br />
Our mission team was half-international and half-French, with<i> at least <b>seven</b></i> of the French team members having done a minimum of 1 year as a ministry trainee (<i>un stage Relai</i>, or Relay apprenticeship like the Relay program in the UK, MTS or HGP here, etc.). <i>Yet of those 7 Relai trainees, <b>only one, Fabrice</b></i>, applied for further study at Bible college and has ended up in full-time ministry (to date).<br />
<br />
That's a comparatively discouraging retention rate compared to what we Sydneysiders might observe with our ministry apprentices here in my city. Fabrice - the only <i><b>one </b>out of 7 apprentices</i> to continue into full-time French/Francophone ministry.<br />Compared to 8 newly-graduated Moore College couples or singles who most likely started as MTS apprentices before going into English-speaking student ministry.<br />
<br />
It does seem such a natural progression to the Christians of urban Sydney like me; many of us owe at least some growth in our personal Christian faith to such ministry apprentices and staffworkers as encouraged us in our involvement with EU at Sydney Uni. (the Howies, or HGP trainees). Or with CBS/FOCUS at UNSW (MTS-ers). Or with ECU at the Cumberland campus in Lidcombe (also called MTS-ers). Or with CU/FOCUS at Macquarie (also called MTS-ers).. .. ..<br />
<br />
But back in 2009, as I hope you can see, in Paris it was just not happening the same way.<br />
________________<br />
<br /><i>So - <b>has much changed in the spiritual desert between 2009 and 2018?</b></i>
<br /><br />
You will be thankful, as I was, to learn how the tide has somewhat turned since my first visit to Paris 9 years ago.<br />
<br />
In September 2018, just last month, I flew to Paris direct from Dubai. From one desert to another...<br />
<br />
<br />
Once again, I joined a GBU team (not a summer one, but run in a similar fashion).<br />
<br />
Once again, we...<br />
* ran a week-long mission (though I could only join in for one day this time),
<br />doing Bible-stands outside (or sometimes, on) campus property<br />
* invited students to share what they believed (or didn't believe) about Jesus<br />
* invited them to evangelistic events where the good news was discussed (e.g. talking religious themes during a "<i>Gran Torino</i>" movie night)
or outright preached.<br />
<br />
<br />
But this year<br />
- those on the mission team were mostly French or native-French-speaking!<br />
<br />
And - a great praise point!! - <i>at least <b>three</b></i> of the French participants were pursuing full-time ministry as staffworkers with the national GBU movement.<br />
<br />
Aside from their obvious passion to see French university students hear the gospel of Jesus, it was so encouraging for me to see these 3 ex-Relai trainees in action. Three ex-apprentices who had moved on into further service with the GBU in different locations around France. And such a contrast to 2009 <i>(when all one saw</i> - apart from Fabrice - <i>was Relai trainees doing their 1-2 years of apprenticeship without going any further towards full-time Christian service)</i>.<br />
<br />
That said, it's still a bit of a desert for these GBU staffworkers (and for other such friends, their French GBU colleagues in places like Nancy and Clermont-Ferrand).<br />
<br />
Their financial status (from prayer newsletters I receive) is a bit like mine was most of this year. Living from month to month.<br />
<br />
If they aren't fully funded to serve Christian students in the cities or regions where they live, they'll either have to give it all up, or work more in secular jobs that detract from the time they desire to spend teaching/discipling/training up the next generation of French believers.<br />
<br />
And the French funding base is a lot weaker and smaller than anything I've heard about in Sydney.<br />
<br />
<br />
To use Isaiah's words - they need<br />
<i>"..<b>water in the wilderness</b>,<br />
<b>rivers in the desert</b>,"</i><br />
in order that they might declare God's praise (ISA. 43:20-21).<br />
________________<br /><br />
<b>Dubai?</b><br />
It would be tough to survive in the desert places of the United Arab Emirates without the running water and the air-conditioning its cities have.<br />
Pretty much impossible for me.<br />
<br />
<b>Paris?</b><br />
It's tough to survive as a French believer, let alone as a French Christian in full-time service with the GBU, <i><b>anywhere</b></i> in the spiritual desert of France - without continued encouragement.<br />
Or without the necessary financial support.<br />
Is it really any more possible for them?<br />
<br />
Which is why I want to pray for them.<br />
<br />All the more now that there are more French GBU staffworkers than there ever were back in 2009.<br />
<br />
And why I would ask prayer from you, too.<br />
For them in France.<br />
But not only for them; there are other local staffworkers in similarly gospel-poor nations like Japan and Italy and Spain...<br />
<br />
Will you pray?<br />
For God to mercifully provide the needs of His chosen people,<br />
in places so much tougher to serve than here in Australia?<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"Behold, I am doing a new thing;<br />
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?<br />
I will make a way in the wilderness<br />
and rivers in the desert.<br />
The wild beasts will honour me,<br />
the jackals and the ostriches,<br />
for I give water in the wilderness,<br />
rivers in the desert,<br />
to give drink to my chosen people,<br />
the people whom I formed for myself<br />
that they might declare my praise."</i><br />
ISAIAH <b>43</b>:19-21<br />
<br />
L/T.Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-18539507538550885612018-10-27T20:01:00.002+11:002018-10-27T20:04:47.429+11:0040+ heures dans le désert (1re partie)Yes, the translators among you got it right. I did recently spend more than 40 hours in the desert. Literally.<br /><br />
...And yes, it's true, it was an actual, geographical desert.
<br />With a city in it.
<br />In the United Arab Emirates.<br />
________________<br />
<br /><i>...euh...en fait, dans <b>2</b> déserts.</i>
<br />
<br />If I want to be really technical (which regrettably for millennial readers I always do), the fact is that I had time off to wander not 1, but <b>2 deserts</b> last month. With the second one being more of a <i>metaphorical</i> desert...
<br />
<br /><b>Those of Protestant Christian faith </b>- like me - who know <i>or care</i> that there are countless places & people groups outside Australia where the Church struggles to persevere, grow or produce its own native-speaking local leaders - <b>may have heard about Europe.</b>
<br />
<br />That in spite of a long history of Christendom, the European Church is not doing very well spiritually or missionally (compared to the Australian Church esp. in Sydney).
<br />
<br />Western Europe in particular has been recently described as a <i>"<b>spiritual desert</b>"</i> by several Aussies who lived there as long-term cross-cultural missionaries (for 5-25 years). And this was, therefore, <b>the</b> other desert in which I wandered in early September. Of course, as friends would have expected of me, the bit I went to was in France.<br />
<br />Yes, while God's people in early Israel's history wandered <i><b>40 years in the desert</b></i> (cf. Exodus through to Deuteronomy in the Bible), I wandered in the desert (first one, then another) just for 40 hours - and then a bit more.<br />
But in a good way, if you can believe it!<br />
________________<br />
<br />After a challenging 8-month run of living between paychecks all year, feeling like I was scraping the bottom of the barrel, the arrival of my tax return in late August meant I finally had a chance to take a week's break from working and go on a proper holiday. And for the first time in 7 years, I could afford flights overseas on my own income (with plenty to spare for present & future utility bills. <i>Merci Seigneur</i> for tax returns!).<br />
<br />
So in early September I took the week off daycare and flew to my first desert destination: Dubai.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Désert #1</i></b><br />
A modern city financed with oil and built on the shores of the Gulf, Dubai has the kind of advanced air-conditioning that I shall recall with a mixture of great fondness and even greater envy on Sydney's next 34-degree-or-hotter Australian summer day.
<br />
<br />I'd hoped to visit this desert city since finishing College with my one-year Diploma. <i>(To much personal grief on my part, God has now made it clear that going to France to join French Christians long-term is not currently an option without a 3-year theology degree. I don't intend to explain this further right now, perhaps in the future I'll blog about it...)</i> When I knew that my September 2018 finances would stretch to overseas airfares, choosing Dubai as a break destination was a no-brainer. Part of going there was to survey, albeit briefly (I stayed only 3 days & 3 nights of my week off work), whether I might find the city personally liveable for up to 2 or 4 or 5 or even maybe 10+ years...<br />
<br />That's because I've never seriously considered remaining in Sydney after graduating from College. Because experiences I had nearly a decade ago - meeting and partnering with French Christian ministry trainees/workers who wanted to reach unsaved university students in Paris (visited 2009-2010) and Strasbourg (visited 2011) - challenged me to re-think my involvement as a mission supporter outside the English-speaking West. Now that studies are done with me, I've spent 2018 thinking through & exploring some options for serving gospel-poorer peoples - including French-speaking Europeans - away from my home city. Options like working as an expatriate in a foreign city, like Dubai, where churches are needier than almost anywhere here in Sydney. (Or even in Melbourne, where churches are, whilst less needy than in Dubai, <i>more</i> needy compared to Sydney.)<br />
<br />
Dubai.<br /><br />
One of the tourist guidebooks I read called it a <i>"jewel of the Arabian Desert"</i>.<br /><br />
All such tourist literature also supplied blatant warnings about climate extremes, reminding any careful reader of the city's location:
<br /><i>In. The. <b>Desert</b>.</i> (Read: HOT.)<br />
<br />It certainly sounded extreme enough on paper, yet until I got off the plane in Dubai, I could never have previously known or understood what <i>"desert"</i> really meant!<br />
<br />
The day I arrived in Dubai, the temperature alone was 46 degrees.<br />
(That's <i>13 degrees higher</i> than what I'm comfy with in Sydney!)<br />
<br />
It was late summer in Dubai, maybe even autumn - but still, gosh, was it <b>HOT</b>! And dry. And hot. And dry. And...<br />
<br />
Without its modern comforts - air-conditioning in every building, cheap but good/drinkable bottled water, or world-class city plumbing systems -<br /> Dubai really was, quite literally, in the midst of<br />
<i>"a dry and weary land where there is no water"</i>.
<br />(Quoting David the psalmist's sentiments about the desert of Judah in <b>PSALM 63:1</b>.)<br />
<br />Now if you ever want to experience - really experience - a true definition of what "desert" feels like, I highly recommend Dubai in summer!
<br />
<br /><i>As for me:</i>
<br />I left for Europe as scheduled after 3 days wandering about in Dubai. (Mainly because I had only a few days left of my week-long break before returning to work in Sydney.)<br /><br />
In terms of where I'm up to in my thinking, I feel fine about continuing to apply for work in Dubai, and remain open to any future leading from God into that city, in particular any educational/residential role that gives me adequate time to join other believers in reaching gospel-poor expatriate peoples (70% of Dubai's population). I would like to believe I would be happy to go, whenever the time comes...<br />
<br />
<b>So my stay in the desert ended up being time well spent.</b> I'm so thankful to God for the opportunity to be in Dubai. And for those first 4 days of rest from daycare work! Much more refreshing than one would have expected from a desert.<br />
<br />
And then, it was time to revisit the spiritual desert of Europe. Well, the bit of it in France I was going to. But that's for <i>next time</i>...<br />
<br />
L/T.
Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-77819864917484289792018-10-06T23:12:00.000+10:002018-10-06T23:32:53.828+10:005+ ans, 1 petite fille, 1 désir exprimé...From early September just up until now, God has provided some much-needed rest (after a very busy 8 months of working with babies and preschoolers and every age in-between). Time to stop and think has been provided, too.<br />
<br />
The last "holiday" event I attended before returning to the normal pace of work was a three-day camp with believing children, women and men. Most of the adults (to date) have had doors opened for them to serve God somewhere full-time.<br />
<br />That is, whilst I've spent most of the past year working with an excellent but secular early childhood company (where talking about Jesus - or other religious figureheads - all week long is just *<i>not done</i>*), the majority of my fellow campers have been working in church or para-church settings as paid ministers of the good news of Jesus. Assistant ministers, youth pastors, women's and/or children's ministers, staff-workers with university Christian student groups, all kinds of roles where they have the <i>freedom</i> - though not always the <i>opportunity</i>, or open doors - to point people to Jesus all week long (without needing to generate income externally as a few of us still do).<br />
<br />
I knew the campers from Bible college - we all started studying in the same year (2014), and I finished my part-time course the same time that most of them finished their 4-year theology degrees (we had graduation earlier this year). In the latter three years I got to know those of the cohort really worth knowing, particularly some who were mums and dads with children under five years old. (It helped that a large handful of the kids were in my preschool Sunday School class, saw/played with/clowned around with me during the week at College, and introduced me to all their other preschool-aged friends.) To this day I'd say it was they, as much as their parents, whose open and hospitable spirit made me feel most welcomed and at home in the College bubble.<br />
<br />
The camp was effectively a three-day reunion gathering for our College cohort. Songs, sharing, Bible talks or reflections, praying, catching-up, a little bit of weeping - and playing (more done by the children than the grown-ups). Camp for me was spent interacting as much with all my littlest friends (<i>read: playing - it's my job description at work. Yes, really!</i>) as with my grown-up friends (both married and singles).
<br /><br />
Leading to a rather moving moment on the last day of camp, when I was predictably among the kids (I work in early childhood, but not as an ECT, so focusing on play with children makes up much of my working days - and is a hard habit to break!).
<br /><br />
There was a lull in the rainy-day game that our group of little friends had made up collaboratively. At the time, 1 little girl was sitting with me. Aged 5, in Kindergarten, but still happy to be hanging out with the preschoolers (one being her 3 y.o. brother). As we watched the other girls and boys galumphing about and running in and out of the room, she turned to me and expressed this one wistful thought:<br />
<i><b>"I wish we could all live together in the same house, all the time."</b></i><br />
<br />
I knew what she meant.<br />I used to feel the same way as a teenager on the final day of youth camps with believers from my church.
<br />I knew a number of the mums were already feeling emotional about saying goodbye to each other that day. Knowing that friends and Christian sisters who really understood the struggles of ministry would soon be 2 or 3 or 14 hours' drive away. I'd seen the redness in their eyes, the tears on their cheeks, the sadness of their hearts reflected on their faces. While my little friend had obviously really enjoyed her time with the other children from the College cohort, while it felt like a little piece of heaven being together with our wider Christian family from the Moore community - she didn't like the idea of having to say goodbye.<br />
<br />
And neither did I.<br />
<br />
This little girl may have spoken only to me, and yet she speaks for all of us, in a way. Being in community with Christian families and singles can be great fun; sometimes it's a great encouragement to live cheek-by-jowl with your sisters and brothers and children in Christ. It was like that for many of us on this camp. In our hearts (just like this 1 little girl) we'd love to keep all being together, in the same house, all the time.<br />
<br />
And the good news is that, one day, we WILL be living together.<br />
In the same house.<br />
All the time.<br />
<br />
Because it's actually what Jesus promised His disciples, His believing friends.<br />
<br />In our time, that means us - any child or grown-up or family for whom Christ Jesus is Saviour and Lord.<br />
<br />
Here's the proof, in <b>John</b> chapter <b>14</b>, verses <b>1 to 3</b>:
<br /><br />
<i>"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.
<br /><b>In My Father's house there are many rooms</b>;
<br />if it were not so, I would have told you.
<br />I am going there to prepare a place for you.
<br /><b>And if I go and prepare a place for you,
<br />I will come back and take you to be with Me
<br />that you also may be where I am."</b></i><br />
________________<br />
<br />
For my 5-year-old friend, for her family, for all our friends on camp (both children and grown-ups), we have a sure hope that one day we will be with the Lord forever.
<br /><br />
And yet the reason we all trained for Christian ministry at theological college was<i> because Jesus didn't die only for "us"</i>.
<br /><br />Because the Father sent His Son to be the Saviour <b><i>of the world</i></b> (1 JOHN <b>4</b>:14).
<br /><br />We signed up for College (well, the grown-ups did) because we wanted to be better equipped to tell a lost and hell-bound world about hope and salvation and eternal life in Jesus.
<br /><br />Because we wanted to share His good news with others who don't know (or who do know, but don't want to really listen).<br />
________________<br />
<br />Yes, it would be great for all of us, who now believe, to be together with Jesus in His Father's house.
<br /><br />
<b>And yet we face a task unfinished</b>.<br />
The task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace to those who have never heard it, or those who have never listened. And the task of encouraging one another to keep trusting Jesus.<br />
To keep growing in knowledge and love of Him, to keep persevering when life is tough or we face disappointment, heartbreak, grief, illness, danger, death...
<br /><br />
There will come a day when our time on earth is done, and when (as desired, just a <i>little</i>, this past week) we<b> will</b> be together, in the same house, all the time.
<br /><br />But right now, whilst we live - in Sydney's west or east or north or north shore, in Melbourne, in Queanbeyan, in Toowoomba, in Shellharbour, in Hobart, Auckland, Christchurch, London, Singapore or even an unnamed but known East Asian megacity - and whilst we have the strength God gives us, and until Jesus takes us home to His Father's house, we share the good news about Him in the hope that many more will be saved.
<br /><br />
And that they will join us.
<br /><br />
REVELATION <b>7</b>:9
<br /><br />
L/T.Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-8550791401250921172018-08-28T12:59:00.001+10:002018-08-28T13:06:42.932+10:001 mot, tout petitOr <i>en anglais</i>, "one word, tiny."<br />
<br />
As tiny as an embryo...<br />
________________<br />
<br />
The Greek word is <b><i>βρέφος</i></b> [brephos]<i>, ους, τό</i>.
<br /><br />It means, BABY.<b>^</b><br />
<br />
In Luke's gospel, <b><i>brephos</i></b> is used not only for a newborn baby, but also an unborn baby.<br />
<br />
Any occasional stalkers of me on f’book <i>(or anyone un/fortunate enough to hear or see me in public for 30 min. or more)</i> will notice that I spend a lot of time engaging with little children. (My profile pic., for instance, is a dead giveaway. And currently, it's my job.) <br /><br />So hunting this word <b><i>brephos</i></b> up (in 2017), post-Doctrine 1 exam - after I picked an “infant-baptism” topic - was a rare and treasured pearl.<br />
<br />
First occurrences of this “baby” word in the NT?<br />John the Baptist, <i>in utero</i>.<br />
<br />For six months after conception, he's been growing inside the womb of his not-exactly-young mother Elizabeth. Though not yet born, John hears the voice of mummy's cousin Mary coming into the house and leaps, sir, <b>leaps</b> into action. Luke uses the word twice over four verses (“the <i>baby</i> in the womb” LK. 1:41-44, τὸ <b>βρέφος</b> ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ). <br /><br />Then there’s John’s cousin, Jesus, the Saviour born Christ the Lord, who is a sign by virtue of being a [newborn] baby, swaddled and mangered. <br />Again, Luke uses the word twice - this time over five verses (“you will find the <i>baby</i>...in the manger”, LK. 2:12-16, τὸ <b>βρέφος</b>.. ..ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ). <br />
<br />Which brings me to the bit of Luke I really, REALLY like… <br />
<br />
See how angry the grown man Jesus gets when His disciples rebuke those who bring babies to the Lord (in LUKE 18).<br />
<br />Yes, the word is the newborn/unborn baby word:<br />
People were “[bringing] also <i>babies</i> in order that He might place hands on them” (LK. 18:15 - καὶ τὰ <b>βρέφη</b> ἵνα αὐτῶν ἅπτηται). <br />
<br /> Jesus’ point? <br />
<br />Let the little children - <i>AND the <b>babies</b></i> - come to Him.<br />
And do not hinder or prevent them.<br />
Because the kingdom of heaven is to be received, as babies would receive it...and this kingdom, based on the context of the <b>brephos</b> word Luke has used so far, is <i>even for the <b>unborn</b></i>.<br />
<br />
In Mark's account of Jesus with the little children, the writer adds,<br />
"Then He took the children<b> in His arms</b> and blessed them." <br />
<br />I love that.<br />
<br />Because by association, aligning Luke's recount with Mark's one,<br />
this means that <i>Jesus took the <b>babies</b> in His arms</i>.<br />
Surely this means that He lifted them up from their parents' arms and cuddled them.<br />Like the Lord as a shepherd in ISAIAH 40, He gathered little ones in His arms and carried them close to His heart (ISA. 40:11).<br />
<br />That's what I do when I hold a baby, esp. at work - support and cuddle them nice and close so that they feel as secure as I can make them (considering I'm no replacement for their mums/primary carers!). I cannot think of a lovelier picture than the Lord Jesus doing this too - surrounded by little ones, holding babies close just the way that we do.<br />
<br />I've written up my thoughts/studies on this because I want you to know how much Jesus loves all of us and wants us to be in His kingdom. All of us - not only the tallest, biggest or oldest - but, from looking into Luke's gospel, even those who exist but are not yet born.<br />
<br />Even those who existed, but whose mothers miscarried and so they were never born.<br />
<br />Even those who were recently born, but lived for only hours or days or weeks after birth...<br />
<br />
<i>"For I am convinced that neither death nor life,<br />neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,<br />nor any powers, neither height nor depth,<br />nor anything else in all creation,<br />will be able to separate us<br />from <b>the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord</b>."</i>
<br />~ ROMANS 8:38-39<br /><br />
L/T.<br /><br />
<b>^</b><i>Ideas about this Greek word for newborn or unborn baby were first written in my f'book Note, titled, "<b>Greek of the Week</b>", 25/12/2017</i>.Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-59880509926678254762018-07-22T19:45:00.001+10:002018-07-24T17:27:21.509+10:00Citations bibliques au cimetière<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or, less poetically in English, <i>Bible quotes in the graveyard</i>.
<br />________________
<br />
<br />Yes, at the moment, I have not yet either left Sydney or worked out where I will be - though I'd prefer to be outside it in the long run, now that my College studies are completed. (The gospel-poverty of anywhere outside this city means I'm not really very interested in staying here long-term). After nearly ten years, my heart remains with French-speaking Europe, although it has proven a hard door to walk through...<br />
<br />That said, whilst I remain in this generally gospel-rich city, God has mercifully given me many opportunities to witness to gospel-poor individuals and families - churched and unchurched peoples, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, ex-believers.<br />
<br />One recent opportunity was helping out some friends at an Anglican church in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs, in their running of a 5 day holiday program on their church grounds.<br />
<br />Would we like a cemetery with that?
<br />Well, even if we'd said no, the cemetery was there over 150 years before my friends started ministry at the church.
<br />And so, during the afternoons, we took the children (grades Kindergarten to Year 5) to play in the cemetery.
<br />
<br />As you do.
<br />________________<br />
<br />
<b>The gospel in the graveyard...</b><br />
<br />
Whilst it sounds weird (if not possibly also a bit creepy!), walking and talking with the children amongst the gravestones and memorials during afternoon playtime was my favourite part of the week. Being on this church day camp gave us (myself, my friends and other camp leaders) constant open doors, all day long, to share with kids about the Lord Jesus and the salvation He achieved through His death and resurrection.<br />
<br />I had the youngest children - mainly Kindergarteners and Year Ones whose exploration of the crumbling, overgrown burial plots involved great curiosity about the personal details, epitaphs and Bible verses carved on the gravestones or accompanying mounted plates.<br />
<br />As emergent readers, they would walk around asking for help in reading the words they saw - many of which were Bible quotes. One tombstone, for example, cited <b>ROMANS 8:18</b>,<br />
<i>"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us"</i>.<br />
<br />
Reading out the Bible verses quote led to conversations about why people buried there (or their families who organised the memorials) would have wanted citations from God's Word carved or etched over their graves.<br />
<br />Naturally this progressed to talking about Jesus, His words, His life, death and rising from the dead, His ultimate victory over death, and the hope not only of salvation but of eternal life to be found through trusting in Him as Lord and Saviour.<br />
<br />
I loved it. I loved the freedom of sharing the good news of life in Christ - especially in the midst of the dead. I loved being able to talk about Jesus with the children there. Why His words were so important. Why people might have wanted His words quoted over them, or their loved ones, in their final earthly resting place. The living hope, sure and certain, that all Christians can have in Him as our Saviour.<br />
<br />
For me, the Bible passage that summed up my numbered days in that eastern suburbs cemetery was <b>ACTS 20:24</b>:<br />
"<i>I consider my life worth nothing to me;<br />
my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me<br />
– the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.</i>"<br />
<br />
I’d aspire to have that on my gravestone.<br />________________<br />
<br />
L/T.</span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-12666357451279660002018-06-03T20:08:00.001+10:002018-06-03T20:23:27.425+10:004 mois dans le désert - mais de l'eau du rocher(cf. EX. 17 and NUM. 20)<br />
<br />
The last 4 months have felt like a bit of a wilderness journey. Mainly because as I continue to explore what doors might open this year for cross-cultural service (particularly among French-speaking Europeans), I have been working a fair bit as a childcare professional in order to make basic ends meet.<br />
<br />
My living-between-paychecks existence this year so far has been a humbling experience (though I would shrink from thinking I am actually humble, and oh how my ballet teacher Miss Olivia would laugh if she heard me call myself humble!). However, it has taught me to keep praying in light of Biblical texts such as PHILIPPIANS 4:19 and 1 PETER 5:7, and to be asking friends, both in person and here on f’book, to be praying with me.<br />
(If you are reading this and were praying, thank you for your faithfulness and for walking with me through this.)<br />
<br />
Just in the past 2 weeks I have seen some amazingly merciful answers to prayers recently prayed. So here are a couple of little stories that I want to share with anyone who will read. Water-from-the-rock vignettes, to encourage you to keep seeking God also...though I know for certain that the path God is leading you down probably looks very different to mine.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
<i>2 birds, 22.5 hours work unpaid, but 6 too many offers!</i><br />
<br />
A fortnight ago a friend had to move in with me very suddenly.<br />We'd met & made friends at church about 6 years back, when she was a new believer. Life choices took her away from church about 4 years ago, and around 2 years ago the *trouble* started.<br />
<br />
In what ended up being my final winter at College, she contacted me out of the blue to seek refuge from a manipulative male friend-with-benefits. (I say "friend", using the term <i>*very*</i> loosely indeed.) She stayed with me - and away from him - less than a week, but then, instead of taking up a new job offer and accommodation far from the *trouble*, she returned into the problematic situation. Which, predictably, worsened. Into not 2, but 3 kinds of abuse - perpetrated by the "friend-with-benefits".<br />
<br />
And so, this year (10 months after), she got in touch again. And of course I wanted her to be safe and separate from the *trouble*, so of course she moved in with me, knowing of nowhere else to go. Financially though, our combined circumstances were poor. She had minimal savings because of up to 10 months' financial abuse. Meanwhile, I'd received from my casual employer only 20 hours' pay of the total 42.5 hours I'd actually worked in preschools/daycare over 14 days - then used this meagre underpayment up for basic bills/utilities. With the little I had left, I had no idea about how the 2 of us would survive as I barely had enough spare to buy food for 1 person (let alone 2).<br />
<br />So, as a daughter of the Heavenly Father and a servant of the King, I asked Him for help according to promises like <b><i>PHIL. 4:19</i>^</b>. This is something I've had to do a lot between 2015 and now when I felt I had little or nothing left - and that was quite often! I also asked a lot of friends via social media outlets & groups to pray <b>that God would provide our needs</b>. <i>(Because when I likened the 2 of us to "chickens scratching in the dirt", I wasn't kidding.)</i><br />
<br />
<b>God</b>, being the kind and merciful Father that He is, and the King to whom the earth and everything in it belongs, <b>answered through moving His church to action.</b><br />
Within 48 hours of asking friends to pray with me (mainly via text messages and f'book), I had <b><i>7 of my sisters & brothers in the Lord</i></b> reach out with offers of financial support.<br />
<i>Yes, not 1, but <b>7</b>.</i><br />
<br />
Bear in mind, I hadn't asked <b>anybody</b> for such support - I had simply asked for them to join in praying (not giving).<br />
But suddenly, in the blink of an eye, there we were - myself and my chook friend (<i>*wink*</i>) with 7 people showing great love and care for us. Even though none of them knew my friend. {<b>PHILOXENIA!^^</b>} And we only needed 1 person to give us practical help out of the 7 who offered!<br />
<br />
<i>Disclaimer: </i>I am only human, and still subject to the bondage of sin and its desires (including the desire not to trust God completely), so it wasn't as if I felt fully confident when asking for God to supply our needs.<br />
<br />
That said, I was blown away by God's answer in the form of 6 more offers of help than the 2 of us actually needed.<br />
<br />----------------<br />
<br />
<i>1 electronic device, 2 older brothers, 0 unhelpful conflicts</i><br />
<br />
One way I agreed to help my friend *not* to go back to her abuser a 2nd time, was to return an electronic device he claimed as his property. As far as she told me (initially), this device handover would involve going to where she, the abuser/friend-with-benefits and some others had been living in a share-house situation. By implication there was every chance that the abuser would confront whoever arrived to hand over the device, and possibly become dangerous or threatening.<br />
<br />
This was not something I was afraid of for my sake - but anyone who has known me more than 4 years will know that my berserker moments (read: when I *<i><b>really</b></i>* get angry) are legendary and to be avoided at all costs. <i>(I try to avoid my fits of rage myself, in fact - but with limited success!)</i>
<br />
<br />
But I digress. So that any trouble or conflict would be minimised on the day of device handover - I prayed <b>for God to make available some of my Christian brothers who could go along with me that day and help defuse whatever trouble might arise.</b><br />
{Or who could calmly hold me back and reason with me if the absolute worst happened (<i>read: if I lost my temper!</i>).}<br />
<br />
And again - God's answer to prayer was more than could have been asked or imagined.<br />
<br />
2 of the 7 people who had originally offered support were able to join me the day I went to hand over the abuser's device - 2 of my brothers from Moore College.<br />
<br />
And, in the end, God orchestrated the time so that we never actually saw/encountered the abuser at handover. <i>{Although even if we had met him, the 2 brothers who came with me were men of the moment - being in my age bracket, looking significantly older, of Anglo appearance (where I am dainty, short and Asian), and having had some challenging life experiences prior to us all starting at college - meaning they would have probably handled any conflict much more wisely than me or other younger friends.}</i><br />
<br />
In short, pretty much the exact provision needed!<br />
<br />
----------------
<br />The point I want to make is about God's gracious answers to the prayers I mentioned above.<br /><br />
How He was pleased to answer by doing immeasurably more than all I could have asked or imagined (or what you prayed for me, if you partnered with me in praying over the past 14 days).<br />
<br />
I wanted to share my experience so that you, or anyone else reading these words, might see the kindness and mercy of God and His faithfulness in answering little prayers. Also, how His loving provision was unwavering in the face of my flashes of personal doubt. Like Moses and the people of Israel in the desert, sometimes it was hard to believe that God could bring water out of a rock<b>^^^</b>. And yet, in these circumstances, where an undeserving person or people were hard-hearted, unbelieving, grumbling about being left to die - God, the same God then as now, cared for them. And has cared for me - and for my prodigal friend.
<br /><br />
________________
<br />
<br />
What kinds of prayers and requests will you take to our Heavenly Father, according to what He promised in His Word?<br />
<br />
L/T.<br /><br /><br />
<b>^</b> "My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (PHILIPPIANS 4:19)<br />
<br />
<b>^^</b> See previous 2 posts from 2018 for an explanation of the Greek word PHILOXENIA.<br />
<br />
<b>^^^</b> See the Exodus and Numbers story references at the top of this post.<br />(Bible.)Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-8248920270146266252018-02-17T19:28:00.000+11:002018-02-17T19:28:09.706+11:001 adjectif + 1 nom (2e partie)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the preceding blog post, I introduced 2 words, <b><i>philoxenos</i></b> (adjective) and <b><i>philoxenia</i></b> (noun).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I am going to say next will not make a shred of sense unless you've looked at what I've already written - and I hope, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, that you might take time to read it if He has given you some free time (and you're on the internet right now!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to give some real-life examples, experiences I've had, to illustrate what I think IS this true hospitality, this idea of <b><i>philoxenos</i></b> or <b><i>philoxenia</i></b>. This word group that highlights showing the love of a friend to a person that we might be least comfortable with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Example 1: </b>Pre-existing group of Christians (around 8 girls).</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A group of believing girls are standing around chatting after the Christian meeting. None of them are close friends of mine, though as an extreme extrovert who loves people I'm always happy to talk to or get to know any of my sisters in Christ a bit more. I join their conversation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happens next has got to be what <b><i>philoxenia</i></b> is all about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst the girl currently speaking doesn't necessarily stop talking, she and all others in the group subtly but surely widen and rearrange the circle in which they are standing. Very slightly - to include my late arrival. As much as they can in a medium-sized group, they also include me in eye-contact as whoever speaks, speaks. If one girl decides that the conversation requires a bit of filling-in-the-background-information, she tells me briefly in a low voice. If I decide to join in the chatter, they reciprocate. And so on. Though I don't see myself as necessarily belonging to this group of Christian sisters - they have geographically, non-verbally and verbally made me welcome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Example 2: </b>Passenger on bus ride.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have just boarded a bus away from college. One of my Christian brothers, whom I know only vaguely by face and possibly name, rushes onto the bus just before the door closes. Have seen this one around campus for nearly 4 years, but because I've been a crazy-busy part-timer over that period and he appears to be a combination of very quiet plus super busy (and always seems to be around the same little mixed group of friends), we've never had a formal conversation at all. Not even an introductory one, I think!<br /><br />Though he's obviously quiet and quietly spoken - he takes the initiative to make conversation. Of course, being happy to chat to anybody, I'm up for it (as noted during Example #1).<br /><br />I am not this brother's friend. We have never spoken before, to my knowledge. Since then, I think we have been in the same vicinity to have only one other conversation, and that's OK.<br /><br />But it's noteworthy that, although I'm not part of his friendship group, and although it's probably a sacrifice of his emotional capital to start and maintain a conversation with an extremely chatty extrovert like me, his attitude strikes me as <b><i>philoxenos</i></b>. He is friendly and kind, and though I don't view myself as anything like him - certainly not the kind of person he would make friends or connect with easily, this does not stop him from making an effort.<br /><br />~<br /><br /><i><b>Example 3:</b> 2 friends going to have coffee.</i></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I join 2 other Christian sisters after lunch having a chat. After some brief conversation on how our morning classes were, one of the 2 girls indicates that she and the other are going to walk to a nearby caf</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">é to catch up (she's a full-timer, our friend is a part-timer). <i>"Are you free? Want to join us?" </i>she says.<br /><br />It was clear that in the time before I joined this chat, they had planned to catch up together, just the 2 of them. Like so many other situations I've been in (and almost all with Christians training for church leadership/ministry at this college), they could so easily have said their farewells and walked off for their little catch-up because they weren't prepared to be THAT inclusive.. .. ..<br /><br />But <b><i>philoxenia</i></b> was at work here. They took me along on their close-friends-style coffee catch-up, openly shared news, struggles and prayer points, invited me to do the same even though I was technically playing gooseberry/a third wheel, and I think they may even have paid for my drink afterwards. They were a couple of <i>philoi</i>, close friends who knew each other from before, and I was the outsider, the <i>xenos</i> - but in the whole interaction they treated me with the same level of openness that I think they still would have shown had I not joined them at all that day.<br />________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now I'm NOT saying we Christians need to be like this all the time.<br />I recognise we all have different levels of energy and different personalities.<br /><br />But what I've tried to illustrate above is a general attitude of godliness - an openness and willingness to share with others even if you're not particular friends (and maybe never will be); even if you might not get along straightaway; even if you had other more private plans.<br /><br />These are, I hope, encouraging stories that hopefully may inspire you in your Christian walk & conduct. Not because you can, from your own strength, or even of your own free will - but because you (and I) have a Master in heaven who gives us the suffficient grace we need in every interaction to be like this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So how will you be <b><i>philoxenos</i></b>, show <b><i>philoxenia</i></b>, towards those outside of your comfort zone?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">L/T.</span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-5525826084656269502018-02-17T18:20:00.000+11:002018-02-17T19:32:33.287+11:001 adjectif + 1 nom (1e partie)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1 adjective</b>, and <b>1 noun.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both have to do with the concept we call <i>"hospitality"</i>. But not quite in the way you'd expect.<br /><br />Both are Greek words, so closely related that it made sense on f'book to write about them in one sitting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b> φιλόξενος </b>[philoxenos], ον - an adjective
<b>φιλοξενία </b>[philoxenia], ας, ἡ - a noun</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-1" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">(</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-2" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">lit.</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-3" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">, Loving of strangers, or, Friend of foreigners)
What follows is what I wrote on these words, in a Note on my f'book wall.
________________
These 2 words only appear a total of five times in the NT but they are </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-4" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">EPIC</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-5" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-5" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">And not in a modern sense - I’m talking the pre-Generation-X definition of epic, a Homer’s Iliad style understanding of epic...
Each is a compound word; made of 2 separate words, “</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-6" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-7" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">” and “</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-8" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">xenos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-9" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">”.
<b>PHILOS</b>
The “</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-10" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-11" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">” word is the kind of love one has for friends. In the Gospels it is used of Jesus (He’s a friend of publicans & sinners, MATT. 11 & LUKE 7) and by Him when talking about the kind of friends we’d lend anything to (if they nagged us hard enough, LUKE 11); the kind of friend we’d invite to celebrate with us (LUKE 15), the kind that’s a bridegroom’s BFF (JOHN 3). In John’s gospel Jesus uses it a lot when talking to/of His own friends (e.g. Lazarus - JN 11:11, and in JN. 15:13-15).
<b>XENOS</b>
For the “</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-12" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">xenos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-13" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">” word, in all but one New Testament occurrence it is understood to mean someone (or something) strange or foreign.
Someone non-local.
Not of your people.
Not anything like you. For example, the non-Jewish Christians of Ephesus - in comparison to the Jewish believers they did church with (EP. 2:12-19).
So.. .. ..
.. .. ..These 2 little compound sibling words, </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-14" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-15" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-16" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenia</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-17" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">, seem to be giving the impression that what we lamely call “hospitality” is, in fact, the following:
<i> </i></span></span><i><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-18" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">the treatment of strangers or foreigners</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-19" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> - that presumably we’ve never met before/don’t know well/may even feel really awkward towards - </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-20" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">as if they were our close and valued friends that we’d do anything for or with</span></span></i><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-21" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>.
~
</i>
</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-22" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">LEADERS.</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-23" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">
My friends. My fellow </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-24" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">leaders</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-25" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">. My </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-26" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">overseers</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-27" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">...
You know those 2 passages that somewhere in your ministry training somebody showed you? The 1 Timothy 3 and the Titus 1 text? (If we want to sound impressive we call them The Pastoral Epistles.)
</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-28" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">Guess which word </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-29" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">appears in both, telling YOU what YOU need to be like in order to be a godly leader, above reproach..?
Oh yes it is. That little word, </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-30" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-31" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">.
In the Timothy and Titus lists of leadership qualities, it’s just one word and you could almost miss it - but the apostle Paul does include it. “</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-32" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-33" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">hospitable</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-34" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">, able to teach</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-35" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">”
(1 TIM. 3:2 - δεῖ οὖν τν ἐπίσκοπον.. .. </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-36" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">φιλόξενον</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-37" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">)..
..or..
..“</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-38" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-39" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-40" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">but </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-41" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">hospitable</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-42" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-43" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">”
(TITUS 1:7-8 - δεῖ γαρ τον ἐπίσκοπον.. .. </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-44" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">φιλόξενον</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-45" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">).
The point?
</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-46" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">Leaders</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-47" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> = PHILOXENOS.
I love how that <i>“must”</i> (δεῖ) is used.
It is <i>necessary</i> that we do this, be this, show this.
It is <i>NOT an option</i>.
It is <b><i>compulsory</i></b> to be like this!
In the way I described above - seems like we must be </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-48" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-49" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> (in the accusative case):
An attitude towards strangers or outsiders so familiar that it reflects the same treatment we’d give to, or at least the same heart we’d have for, the close friends we’d pick for our bridal party if one were single and God ordained for one to then get married.
{Oh, and don’t think I forgot about </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-50" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenia</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-51" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> - when used in the letters to the Romans and the Hebrews, it is in commands addressed to any Christian, not directly leaders at all: “</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-52" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">..practise </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-53" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">hospitality</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-54" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">”, ROM. 12:13 - την </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-55" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">φιλοξενίαν</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-56" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> διώκοντες^ - and actually, that diokontes^ word seems more a “Pursue” than “”Practise” word..
“</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-57" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">..do not neglect to </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-58" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">show hospitality to strangers</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-59" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">”, HEB. 13:2 - τῆς </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-60" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">φιλοξενίας</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-61" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> μη ἐπιλανθάνεσθε. No excuses for any Christian here.}
</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-62" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">[WARNING. Rant coming.. </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-64" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">.. ..]
</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-65" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">Do we actually live these words?
Does </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-66" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-67" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> describe us, if we’ve been called/encouraged into leadership?
Do we pursue</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-68" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-69" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenia</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-70" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">, even if we see ourselves as ordinary, average, lay/pew-sitting Christians?
Does this kind of hospitable love even for those outside our comfort zones exist in us? Because it feels like the Bible is saying it should.
Do we actually treat people this way - every one, equally? Every person, regardless of differences or personality clashes?
Will I invite and include everyone, or just the Christians I feel it’s easiest to get along with, the ones I click with best, just my special friends or my BFFs?
Are we willing to care for and share with any Christian that we encounter, when we encounter them? Or limit ourselves to just the people we’ve always hung out with and feel most comfortable around?
Ask around to your believing friends or mentors.
Do a </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-71" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-72" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">/</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-73" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenia</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-74" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> check.
Do one on me - I’m not immune, I’m not above this.
But for God’s sake, consider these 2 sibling words.
Because I will say, right here and now, that we all need to work on this as Christians. In the last 4 years, when I’ve felt hurt by Christian sisters or brothers - </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-75" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">especially those training for leadership</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-76" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">, those our communities view as exhibiting godly character - I’d hazard that the problem was an absence of </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-77" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenia</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-78" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">; that they in some way weren’t making any effort to be </span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-79" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">philoxenos</span></span><span data-offset-key="drlmo-0-80" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true">.
It’s not automatic and I could probably think up a ton of personal excuses for why you, or I, should be able to ignore/rationalise away this little word and its implications for us.
But I cannot, and I will not, because this is God’s Word.
A word that, if we be His servants, we are called to live by.
‘Nuff said.
________________
L/T.</span></span></span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-78438587637542340202018-01-11T14:20:00.000+11:002018-01-11T14:45:36.470+11:003 disciplines principales de ma formation théologique<br />
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">3 subjects - the last 3 subjects required for me to finish first year at College - were the focus of my attention in Semester II, 2017.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">I have loved every subject I've been graciously allowed to study at Moore since starting in February 2014 {although having been forced to stick to part-time, this has been accompanied by significant frustration on two fronts -</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> [1] </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">feeling constantly on the social fringes owing to not being on-campus all day or all week (among other things); and,</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> [2]</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> that financial circumstances have meant I couldn't complete all my first-year subjects any quicker than part-time from 2014 to 2017}.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">________________</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">That said, there were professional and Christian relationships I was in during 2017 (as noted, my fourth year doing first-year studies) for which, it seems, the timing of my final 3 subjects (History of Christian Missions, Doctrine 1 and Understanding Buddhism & Islam) has been providentially perfect.</span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></i><b><i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">I. History of Christian Missions (HCM)</span></i></b></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">As part of income generation, I've been doing private tuition/coaching and homework support for Year 6 boys - I'll call them "6T" and "6S" - both living with their families in the inner west.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Student "6T" (Indonesian mum, Australian-Scottish dad) attends his local Catholic primary school and has been increasingly annoyed at his religious ed. homework, involving such non-Protestant concepts as the seven sacraments and the Rosary. However, thanks to <b>HCM</b>'s crash-course style overview of the era from Middle Ages Catholicism to the 1517 Reformation and beyond (learned during 2nd semester 2017), I've been subsequently able to address questions 6T has about differences between Catholic and Protestant beliefs/teaching, and could help him to check things against what the Bible actually says. {</span><i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">To clarify: As a former Sunday School student of mine and now a regular visitor to Village Church (Annandale) youth group, 6T is fine with opening and reading Scripture when encouraged to do so.</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">} He has also been pondering key issues related to gospel truths, such as the purpose and existence of hell - on occasion, interrupting the academic tuition hour with burning questions about Christian teaching.</span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">In short, there are discussions 6T has initiated during coaching, leading to opening doors for me to share information from HCM, and the good news of Jesus - which 6T himself sees is completely different to the Catholic doctrines he's meant to research for homework. To top it all off, 6T has told me he sees how simple Protestant teachings are to understand, and this feeds into his frustration about and growing dislike of the Catholic faith he is expected to tolerate at school.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">When I began coaching 6T in 2014 (the same year I began at Moore), at that time - like your average Year 3 child - he wasn't old enough or curious enough to be reflecting on Protestant VS Catholic teachings.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">But now, as he's at a point of noticing and exploring such doctrinal differences himself - in God's good plan, </span><i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">me voilà, la bergère petite</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">, helping with his homework just as it has been for 4 years - yet this year presented more opportunity than the last few, since studying HCM uniquely equipped me to be able to point 6T back to what the Bible actually teaches.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">II. Doctrine 1</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">In 2016 and 2017 I was in a Wednesday night Bible study (English-language, but we all look Asian) with a large bunch of university students and early-career workers. Through giving lifts home to other young sisters in Christ I've gotten to know some of these girls quite well over the last 11 months.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The blessing of studying <b>Doctrine 1</b> this year has shown itself in the fact that we have had deep conversations about doctrinal issues such as the Lord's Supper and baptism, the practical application of which they have been thinking about for themselves as younger Christians. Funnily enough, our most recent chats about this happened within the same week as the Doctrine 1 exam, where I'd had a go at an essay question about Scripture and infant baptism!</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">So once again my studies were directly relevant to these recent carpool discussions;</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">and I must admit that - had I completed Doctrine 1 during 2014, 2015 or 2016 - these conversations would not have happened because (until 2017) we girls didn't quite know each other well enough to share openly about these things in the car on our way home.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">III. Understanding Buddhism & Islam (UBI)</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Part of the UBI course requirements involved 2 conversations with either a practising Buddhist or Muslim person, with the aim of researching aspects of personal faith (and then submitting our reflections for academic assessment).</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">My 2nd Year 6 coaching child, Student "6S" is best friends with 6T (whom I've already mentioned above). In the course of my academic duties during 2016 and 2017, a friendship has developed with 6S's mother; she and her husband are both Burmese Buddhist emigrants.</span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">When my College classes for UBI began last July - starting with studies of animism and Buddhism - I would often ask 6S's mother brief questions about Buddhism after her boy's tuition hour was up, as it seemed to be a complicated religion with a diverse historical background and I figured she might re-explain some of the basics from a personal perspective.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Once the time came for me to do my required assessment conversations, 6S's mother was more than willing to meet outside of her son's tuition time and answer all the questions I had about the Burmese approach to Buddhism (Theravada). Throughout all our chats about her Buddhist faith - on her porch, in her kitchen, in front of her family worship shrine, in a restaurant nearby where she bought me lunch - I was enabled to find out what she believed about Buddhism and how it affected her life; </span><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">and</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">, in time, I also got to ask her about her perceptions of Jesus and Christianity.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Then, in the run-up to the end of Term 4 2017, I knew that 6S's mother was interested in sending 6S along to the Annandale youth group (Village Church, where his friend 6T already goes). So one evening after coaching, I suggested to 6S's mother the idea of visiting one of the Christmas services at Village Church.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">This led directly to her asking questions about hell, and the forgiveness of sins, and what if more sins were committed by someone after they had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour from sin? (</span><i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">She had heard of these things from 6S since when he was younger she had enrolled him briefly in his public school's Protestant Scripture classes.</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">) By God's grace and mercy, the nature of her questions and the discussion that we had opened the door for me to read </span><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">John 3:16 and 3:36</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> with her, and also to share the good news of Jesus more fully with her via the Two Ways To Live evangelistic method (picture boxes).</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">________________</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">None of the conversations or opportunities I had this year could have really taken place in the 3 years prior to 2017 as I juggled work hours with my part-time Moore subjects.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">In that regard it seems clear to me that God has, again and again, set me in His place, and at His time to witness to others.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Whilst in some ways I have hated the fact that it has taken me 4 years [financially] to get through just one year of theological study at Moore, I cannot deny, nor fail to give thanks for, the way that God has used the experience of last semester's subjects to declare His glory among people from the nations.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; margin-left: 0.0000pt; margin-right: 0.0000pt; margin-top: 0.0000pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-indent: 0.0000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">He graciously opened new doors in 2017.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br />Doors which were not ready to open during my first, second or third years of studying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br />Doors that opened at the exact time that I was placed and equipped:</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> (1)</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> to encourage Indo-Scottish Australian 6T in his growing understanding of the greatness and yet the simplicity of the good news of Jesus;</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> (2)</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> to support my Asian-background sisters in Christ as they clarified doctrinal truths for themselves; and,</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> (3)</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> to share directly about the saving work of Jesus, once for all sin, with 6S's Burmese mother</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">- both by opening up the Bible with her and evangelising via Two Ways To Live.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">________________</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br />The sense of being located within God's perfect timing has been very strong as I've reflected on the past few months.<br /><br />If nothing else, it puts in mind the following..<br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">"</span><b><i><span style="background: rgb(255 , 255 , 255); font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">"</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">~ ESTHER 4,14</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">L/T.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-16564783872401659382017-11-03T11:07:00.000+11:002017-11-03T11:25:26.417+11:003 ans comme étudiants en théologie<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An open letter to the 3rd year students at Moore College in 2017.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[To the church of the Third Years at Moore College write:]</i><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></i>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m <b><i>not</i></b> saying this as an apostle!</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nor do I speak as a prophet/ess. Though possibly you might call me a tongue-speaker (interpretable), but I digress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you recall it (by some freak of nature), we met in 2015, when I was doing First Year, <i>Episode II</i>. On reflection over the months and years since then, I have some expressions of thanks to give that are specific to your year group. It is the right time to say these things because I know that a number of you are finishing up your studies and leaving the College community at the end of 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>I am thankful to God not only for your partnership in the gospel, but also for the love I perceive that you have for all the saints.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In four years of studying first-year subjects - whilst feeling like an eternal fringe-dweller on the edge of the Moore community - <b> the love of Christ has been uniquely expressed in your year group (well, at least in anyone that I know by both name and face!).<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both collectively and individually,<b> I have seen this love practically expressed through your welcoming and inclusive attitudes to one and all.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It has also been evident in <b>the way you have cared and prayed for those who are struggling.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This love is clearly reflected, moreover, in<b> the heart that so many of you show (or have developed) for gospel-poor churches and people groups outside of Sydney and Australia. </b>It has been a blessing and a privilege, not only to see your labour that is prompted by this Christlike love, but to have personally experienced it as well, every year since the start of 2015.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Above all, I am thankful to God, </b></span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">who in His mercy</b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> has made this Third Year group who you are today.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>He is the One who has made your love increase and overflow</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> for one another</b></span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> and for everyone around you (1 Thess. 3:12).</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether we meet much in the future or not:<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>May He who began a good work in you carry it on to completion</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6),</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> and may He strengthen your hearts</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> so that you will be blameless and holy in His presence</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> when Christ Jesus comes with all His holy ones (1 Thess. 3:13).<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I look forward to seeing and hearing how God might use you all for His glory in the months or years to come. Prayer points will always be welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">L/T.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-50225180145410262862017-09-30T22:09:00.001+10:002017-10-01T17:32:15.884+11:003 amis et plus de bénédictions<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3 friends and even more blessings.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a single person, family and friends become of increasing importance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the past week I have been exceedingly thankful to God reflecting on the people and relationships He has mercifully given me. Not only my family, whom most of the time I get along with surprisingly well, but the many friends I have.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to briefly note 3 such friends, though not by name (to protect the innocent).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One from out of town (she lives in a climate somewhat warmer than Sydney) who made sure to see me around my birthday because she knew she'd be within literal poking distance. And she gives great hugs and has a wonderfully bubbly laugh that I first heard about 21 years ago and am delighted to have heard again in close range in recent days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other two friends in view here - both Sydney residents, one a believer and mission-minded yet quite introverted gospel partner, whilst the other is an unsaved ballet friend - both sacrificed time (and significant emotional energy) precious to them just to spend an hour in my company during the aforesaid birthday week. Time that could otherwise have been spent, one in additional church ministry preparation, and the other on a relaxing few days away in the mountains with her husband. Time that they spent with me anyway, for which I am both joyful and thankful!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a sinful human person with incredibly low self-esteem, whilst I struggle not to attribute value to myself based on what anyone thinks of me or how people treat me, I do feel very blessed that the God whose esteem for me is all that matters for eternity has given me not just these 3 friends, but many more like them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe even you, if you count yourself my friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And my prayer not only for me and for them, but for you also, is that our identity and our hope be found only in Christ Jesus who came into the world to save sinners (of whom I am the worst, 1 TIMOTHY 1:15ff).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.</i></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 TIMOTHY 1:17</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">L/T.</span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-62285634238623025082017-07-15T13:18:00.001+10:002017-10-16T17:28:57.652+11:0045 enfants en vacances<b><u>45 children on holidays</u></b>.. .. ..<br />
<br />
Or, as I like to call it:<br />
"<b><i>Paid playtime in Little Europe</i></b>".<br />
________________<br />
<br />
The down-side of being a poverty-stricken part-timer at Bible college is that you spend your semester break working whilst all your College friends go away on holidays to nice places and post photos on social media with unintentionally smug invisible captions or hashtags that all say, in effect, "<i>sucks to be me</i>".<br />
<br />
The unexpected up-side of having to work right through the 2017 semester break was discovering that "Little Europe" has come to Sydney's lower North Shore.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
During March this year, for principally economic reasons, I changed out of a 15h p/w after-school care job into a 21h p/w role.<br />
<br />
My first 3 months in the new job proved much more challenging and stressful than I had anticipated, and especially in May/June I spent spare time wondering why on earth God had placed me on the lower North Shore (when I could bear wasting spare time on such musings).<br />
<br />
But the last 2 weeks in vacation care (it's NSW school holidays), have seemed a divine, albeit simple lesson in why I might be here.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
A tangent.<br />
Last month at my cathedral's midweek women's Bible study, we began studying the Old Testament book of Esther.<br />
<br />
In chapter 4, one verse that sticks out is verse 14.<br />
From the Greek (LXX, since I haven't learned Hebrew yet), ESTHER 4:14 runs kind of like this:<br />
"<i>Who knows if in this time you have come to be queen?</i>" (τίς οἶδεν εἰ εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐβασίλευσας;).<br />
<br />
Or, from my old NIV which I grew up reading, "<i>Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?</i>"<br />
________________<br />
<br />
It was a pleasant surprise to find that I actually enjoyed the last 10 weekdays of vacation care.<br />
<br />
Partly because the children were a bit younger (ages 5-7) than my after-school care clients (ages 7-11).<br />
<br />
Partly because they, children on the outside, liked doing LEGO building and did lots of that with me (myself a LEGO-loving inner child).<br />
<br />
Partly because they were responsive to gentle guidance of their behaviour and welcomed any friendly interest shown in them, even if it was basic stuff like me remembering their names, ages, family languages and cultural or religious backgrounds.<br />
<br />
And partly because the rewards of a little friendliness, a little personal interest and a little hello to parents at end-of-day collection time were discovering just how many Western and Eastern European nationals live in or around North Sydney and Neutral Bay.<br />
<br />
Many of my new little friends in this vacation care not only had quite cool Euro names, but their countries of origin included the Balkan nations, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia and Slovakia. One French mother was more excited than I was that I could speak more than passable French to her five-year-old son.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
So it appears that a taste - no, wait, a large mouthful - of Europe has come to northern Sydney, if you have the chance to look closely enough.<br />
<br />
And for me - whose heart has been with France and the Francophone countries of Europe since my first Paris GBU mission week in 2009 - this means a lot.<br />
<br />
And even if none of our holiday program families had been French, I know just as well that non-Francophone European nations are appallingly gospel-poor and need to hear of Jesus just as much as the French do.<br />
<br />
<b><i>But how can we reach these unreached families?</i></b><br />
<br />
Is it as simple as inviting them to a church where Christ is preached (like St. Thomas' Anglican in North Sydney, or St. Augustine's in Neutral Bay)? Doesn't that mean you have to know who they are first?<br />
<br />
What if you're in a professional role that forbids you from openly talking about Jesus (as I am in my role with my reputable but very secular childcare company) - and therefore you are not in a position to invite them to an evangelistic event or gathering?<br />
<br />
What if you're the Protestant Scripture teacher in their local school, but most of these families will probably put their kids in non-Scripture, or worse, Ethics, instead?<br />
<br />
As long as we can't be in Europe.. .. ..<br />
.. .. ..<b><i>how can we pray for a "Little Europe" that knows Jesus?</i></b><br />
<br />
L/T.<br />
<br />
~Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-35200756203040407692017-01-06T21:12:00.003+11:002017-01-06T21:18:19.530+11:0010 ans (l'âge)Are you happier than a 5th grader?<br />
________________<br />
<br />
After recently witnessing a day of emotional extremes for two 10-year-olds in my regular vacation care role, some reflections.<br />
<br />
Like me, both are from Asian families. Unlike me, both are boys.<br />
<br />
Like me, both have anger management and emotional regulation issues. Unlike me, as far as I know from conversations with them, they seem without hope and without God in the world.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
I remember something of being aged 10-11 and finishing Year 5. I'd had an OK year that year. Not perfect (and in Year 4 I'd been excessively bullied most of the year at school), but I seem to remember not feeling hugely sad, or angry, or depressed very often. (Mind you, this was before Mum and Dad's marriage broke up due to selfish life choices on my Dad's part.)<br />
<br />
And if you were my Sunday School teacher, or a Christian in the 25-40 y.o. age bracket, and if you asked me when I was in 5th grade, "<i>How do you know you'll get into heaven if you died tonight?</i>" I would have said confidently that Jesus' dying for me on the cross meant I was saved, forgiven, and sure of new life in heaven. Even then, though life between that time and now would prove sad, frustrating, depressing, enraging, and most of all quite honestly more unfair than many of my peers, I never wanted to die - never felt hopeless - never felt that anything could take away my joy in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Though I understand it better now than when I was a 5th grader, Jesus was always my life and I am so thankful to God for His mercy even when I was small.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
In thinking over the issues leading, this week, to an angry, verbally abusive and physically violent argument that exploded between the two Year 5 boys I first mentioned (boys who are friends with each other, might I add), it occurred to me (not for the first time) that<br />
<br />
<b>- whilst both these children, not yet eleven years of age, have the same low self-esteem, the same violent temper, the same inability to manage extreme emotions in a socially appropriate way as I did even up until recently -</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>they are in a state of despair</b> that God has so mercifully spared me, because He gave me parents who taught me about His love shown through Jesus.<br />
<br />
I know they despair, one boy because I know the personal and academic pressures from his family and I can see it in his exhausted body language, and the other because he told me he hates his life, it seems so hard, and sometimes he feels he wants to kill himself. Not (according to a colleague working with me) the first time he has expressed such sentiments.<br />
<br />
These boys need hope.<br />
They need God.<br />
They have neither.<br />
<br />
At the same age as they were, <b>I had both.</b> And I remain, to this day, as secure in my eternal destination and purpose as I would have been in Year 5 had you asked me the "<i>what if..?</i>" question back then. In fact, more secure, more confident because as a 5th grader I'd barely suffered the way I see that they have, whereas now I've lived through pain.<br /><br />And yet the difference is not so much an easy life or a hard life - the difference, I see so clearly, is the merciful Lordship of Jesus Christ.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
L/T.Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-52487683483717448412016-11-05T21:57:00.000+11:002016-11-05T21:57:01.680+11:001 oeuvre (musique)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ever since I discovered the complete recording of Tchaikovsky's <i>Casse-Noisette</i> (Nutcracker ballet music) in my early teens, I have associated this particular adagio movement (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnmbas-eOWI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnmbas-eOWI</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with feelings of nostalgia.<br /><br />Sometimes also with a longing to hold on to something that you know you need to let go of.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">^</span></b><br /><br />----------------<br /><br />It has been an emotional couple of days at college contemplating the loss of a large handful of friends who depart the College bubble indefinitely this month.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A loss for me because some of them will no longer be based anywhere near Sydney (Brisbane or Armidale for example) and, realistically, it's going to be <b><i>so</i></b> hard to keep regularly in touch, <i><b>so</b></i> different from seeing them every day or at least once a week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A loss also even for those moving on into ministry (or returning to the workforce - or a bit of both) within the Sydney metro' region<br />- because although I love these people and feel they're such valued friends, life is so busy for all of us serving full-time or part-time here that you don't really get to stay connected as much unless you're labouring hard on both ends to maintain correspondence. (Also, unless they feel they have the time to keep up as much with me as I wish to with them - and since over half are introverts by nature this might well drain them of the energy they need for ministry.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time to go and read <i><b>ACTS 20</b></i>; my memory of that section tells me that could be helpful for Bible-based reflection...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...well, passages like this may resound a bit, anyway.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white;">Mais je ne fais pour moi-même aucun cas de ma vie, comme si elle m'était précieuse,</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>pourvu que j'accomplisse ma course avec joie, et le ministère que j'ai reçu du Seigneur Jésus,</b></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>d'annoncer la bonne nouvelle de la grâce de Dieu.</b></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Et maintenant voici, je sais que vous ne verrez plus mon visage,</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">vous tous au milieu desquels j'ai passé en prêchant le royaume de Dieu.</span></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ACTES 20,24-25</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L/T.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">^</span> </b><i>If watching the clip rather than just listening to Tchaikovsky's music - see how the girl wants to hold on to one, but how this is complicated by the other...</i></span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-88623108977512409972016-09-20T15:25:00.006+10:002016-10-03T17:13:15.089+11:00nombreux paroles<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They say "of making many words there is no end", but I liked these, so I'm replicating them from f'book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Merci beaucoup tous mes amis!</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">_______________</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Ab.L ~ Happy birthday lovely!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ad.L ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Al.G ~ Bonne anniversaire!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AKY ~ Happy birthday beautiful lady! Hope you have a great day! x</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An.L ~ Feliz cumpleaños!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An.Z ~ Happy birthday</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Be.Y ~ happy birthday ----tia!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Be.L ~ Happy birthday<span style="font-family: inherit;"> ----tia!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ca.Li ~ <span style="background-color: white;">Happy birthday !</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ca.K ~ Happy birthday, ----tia! Have a great day. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ca.La ~ <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823;">Happy birthday ----tia!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ch.T ~ Happy birthday MLTC</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ch.E ~ Happy birthday lovely lady!!! Hope you've had a great day! xx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ch.R ~ Happy birthday ----tia! Hope you have a lovely day :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Da.H ~ happy belated bday!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Er.C ~ Happy birthday ----tia!!!! ☺☺</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fi.B ~ Happy Birthday ----cia xx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ge.Z ~ Happy birthday T---!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ir.P ~ Happy birthday my friend!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ir.HY ~ Happy birthday ----tia!! Hope you're having a wonderful day! Lots of love from the Yamagishis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Iv.Z ~ Happy birthday ----tia! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Je.Ch. ~ Happy Birthday 💕</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Je.Cr ~ Happy birthday MLTC - lots of love - The Crawford's🎉🎈🎉🎈</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Je.L ~ Happy Birthday 🙂</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Je.S ~ Happy birthday ----sha! God bless :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jo.H. ~ Happy birthday!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">JOW ~ happy birthday, ----tia! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">KYC ~ Happy birthday, my friend. 🍰🎉🎊🍾💐😃</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ka.Cc ~ Happy Birthday lovely! Hope you have a good day :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kr.C ~ Happy birthday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Le.G ~ Happy birthday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Le.M ~ Happy Birthday dear T---! Hope you had a lovely day too ❤</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lil.L ~ Happy birthday ----tia!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lin.L ~ Happy Birthday ----tia! May it be a special day for you, to know that you are a special and wonderful part of His family!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lu.L ~ [ (cake picture) ]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ma.G ~ Happy birthday ----tia! Hope you had a joyful day with those you love at college, learning many good things! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ma.H ~ Happy birthday T--- xx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ma.D ~ Happy birthday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Me.N ~ Happy birthday T---! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mi.Y ~ Happy birthday :).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nh.Y ~ Happy bday, T---!!!🎉🎉🎉 Hope it's a wonderful and enjoyable day!😎 May God shower you with His love, mercies and rich blessings for the year ahead!🙏😘 love, N. & J.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ni.TM ~ Happy birthday! Hope you've had a great day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NNS ~ Happy birthday ----cia, nyo & Sid</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">PRS ~ Happy birthday :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ph.P ~ Happy birthday, ----tia!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ra.E ~ Happy birthday T---!! I hope you have a lovely day :) x</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ra.B ~ Happy birthday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Re.H ~ Joyeux Anniversaire! Gros bisous xx :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Re.Y ~ Happy Birthday ----tia!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sa.D ~ Happy birthday ----tia!!! Thank you for your encouragement and conversations! God bless you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sa.K ~ Happy Birthday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Si.W ~ Happy Birthday L and L!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Te.C ~ Happy birthday, ----tia! Have a blessed one :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">TMM ~ Happy birthdaaay!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Va.G ~ Happy birthday lovely!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vi.W ~ Happy birthday!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vi.X ~ Happy birthday!! Hope you had a lovely day! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yv.Z ~ Happy Birthday ----cia!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zo.W ~ Happy birthday ~~~~~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">________________</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An.K ~ Have a great day today, Miss-l't. Happy birthday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An.L ~ Happy birthday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DL(unc.) ~ <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823;">Happy B'Day !</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DH(lec) ~ HPBD2U</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ja.T ~ Happy birthday ----tia! And [twin].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ju.F ~ Happy bday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pe.H ~ Joyeux Anniversaire MLTC! .. Affectueusement en Christ ..P. + R.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ro.C ~ Happy birthday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Si.C ~ Happy birthday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Te.K ~ Joyeux Anniversaire!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To.T ~ Happy birthday ----tia!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wi.W ~ Happy belated birthday ----tia!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">________________</span></span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-16029888898487036112016-07-30T23:53:00.002+10:002016-07-30T23:53:18.046+10:001 jour de joie (chant)<b><i>30 juillet, 2016.</i></b><br /><br />Over 10 years ago, I wrote a song for 2 friends who were getting married. I had offered - they said, Yes. I said, do you want light or heavy evangelistic? They said, Heavy, please.<br />
<br />
The working title for their wedding song was "Day of joy". I think I finalised it in October or November 2005.<br />
<br />
I'm going to quote the 2nd verse here, for the sake of the spouse and progeny of one of my cousins, Tina - who would have been 40 this week, had she won the battle with cancer in November 2015.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Music & Lyrics © L.T. Cheng, 2006-2016. Not to be reproduced without written permission.</span></span><br />
________________<br />
<br />
<i>There is a day of joy, for which we wait in hope,</i><br />
<i>When our Lord and Christ His bride will have received,</i><br />
<i>And His bride will be the Church, all who have followed Him,</i><br />
<i>Who when they heard His good news, they believed.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>And they will be there at the Lord's wedding feast,<br />And His invitation is for everyone.<br />Will you accept the saving grace He offers you in Christ?</i><br />
<i>It's much more than marriage - it's eternal life.</i><br />
<br />
L/T.Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-4807332053799868112016-04-17T14:27:00.001+10:002016-04-17T14:31:11.750+10:002 ou 3 dons, semaine de 21 mars 2016Between mid-January and late March, quite unexpectedly, I received 3 gifts of financial significance from 3 different sources.<br />
________________<br />
<br />
For those who follow me here or glance occasionally into other social media outlets where I am active, I should tell you that since the start of 2015 there have been sharp, unforeseeable increases in my housing costs.<br />
<br />
With strata levies and special levies being raised on properties across my city, I had been facing the sad prospect of maybe returning to full-time paid secular work in order to earn enough to keep up with the essential property costs (of living in a 38 sq.m. box worth $355k that mainly belongs to my mother!) This would have meant even greater losses for me - giving up part-time theological study at Moore, giving up time I wanted to spend doing more Christian ministry and growing in ministry skills to prepare for the future, not to mention giving up my stabilised sense of mental health (my last FT job at school in 2011 created a very bad state of mental health with severe anger management issues).<br />
<br />
Whether this sounds noble or not, I was praying (both by myself and with others) for a short-term resolution to these unavoidable financial hurdles - at least, for the kind of resolution where I would not be forced into returning to full-time school teaching and therefore dropping out of Moore for 6 months (or longer).<br />
<br />
I estimated that at least the first of these strata-plus-special levies would be around $1300, although I did not make this widely known.<br />
<br />
________________<br />
<i>14 janvier 2016</i><br />
<br />
At this time, an uncle informed me that someone he knew would be sending a secret anonymous ministry gift my way. Shortly thereafter a cheque for $200 arrived in the mail, a gracious provision from God which made paying a small electricity bill a whole lot easier.<br />
<br />
________________<br />
<i>21 mars 2016</i><br />
<br />
In this week (the Easter week), the 2 other gifts I inferred in my post title arrived. One given in secret, from an honest and hardworking source I am not permitted to disclose, amounting to $1000. The other, a thanksgiving cheque for $300.<br />
<br />
Now do the mathematics, friends. What does $1000 plus $300 equal..?<br />
<br />
It is important right now to clarify that NEITHER of the 2 donations above (totalling<i> the exact $1300 I had estimated</i>) were given by people who knew:<br />
(a) I was in need of this kind of support, OR<br />
(b) I had calculated, and was therefore asking for, a provision of $1300 in the upcoming quarter.<br />
<br />
<b>!!!!!</b><br />
<br />
<br />
God in His great mercy was at work, behind the scenes, moving these 2 sets of people to give <i>particular amounts that in fact, when combined, matched the <b>exact amount</b> I thought I might need and was praying about - without either of the donating parties having ANY idea of the precise sum!</i><br />
<br />
I thought it was great reading about this kind of stuff happening to George M<span style="font-size: 12pt;">ü</span>ller in the 19th century (see <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/george-muellers-strategy-for-showing-god#57">http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/george-muellers-strategy-for-showing-god#57</a> or <a href="http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon11/george_muller2.htm">http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon11/george_muller2.htm</a> for more).<br />
<br />
I didn't assume, nor claim certainty that it would happen for me - because whilst God does promise to provide all our needs <i>"according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus"</i> (PHIL. 4:19), it doesn't follow that what I define as a NEED is what God may agree or decide is one.<br />
<br />
That said, I am extra joyful and thankful about what God's provision through these unknowing (and exact!) donations has meant for the next few months.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>From George M<span style="font-size: 16px;">ü</span>ller himself:</b><br />
"<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3c3f; font-family: "adelle w02 light" , "adelle" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 27.2px;">The gifts have been given to me 'without one single individual having been asked by me for any thing. The reason why I have refrained altogether from soliciting any one for help is, that the hand of God evidently might be seen in the matter, that thus my fellow-believers might be encouraged more and more to trust in Him, and that also those who know not the Lord, may have a fresh proof that, indeed, it is not a vain th</span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3a3c3f; font-family: "adelle w02 light italic" , "adelle" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 27.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ing to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3c3f; font-family: "adelle w02 light" , "adelle" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 27.2px;">pray to God.'</span></i>"<br />
<br />
<br />
I am not so noble as he, only a little shepherdess<br />
- and yet in His grace and mercy, God has once again given water in the desert and streams in the wasteland as drink to me whom He chose, that I might proclaim His praise (ISA. 43:20-21).<br />
<br />
L/T.Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-65620806391101760702015-07-08T14:42:00.000+10:002015-07-08T14:46:23.769+10:001 rédaction<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">In His mercy, God has just granted me a credit result for an essay.<br /><br />I was thinking of sharing it publicly regardless of the result, as it's an issue on which most people I know have differing opinions. But I feel vindicated about sharing it now since the quality of the writing was considered passable.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Enjoy the next 2000 words and I hope it makes you think more deeply than before...<br />________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Essay topic: </i><b>How God’s people should clothe themselves, specifically what is considered
appropriate for Christian women serving God.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a woman involved in Christian ministry in mainstream Western culture, it is
important for me to reflect God’s standards concerning what I wear, rather than
conforming unthinkingly to society’s view of acceptable clothing. Not only does
this topic relate to my integrity as a gospel worker, but it also has pastoral
implications. Over a decade helping out at NextGen conference, where young
male and female leaders learn how to correctly handle and teach the Bible, I have
noticed in recent years that many female NextGen delegates wear outfits no less
skimpy or modest than what the average Australian non-Christian woman wears
today - not, I suspect, because female believers have thoughtfully chosen the
fashions they wear, but rather because they are unclear about the Bible’s
teaching on this and are simply absorbing their surrounding culture. As a female
Christian leader past thirty, and therefore one of the mentors to younger women at
my church, it is crucial also that I model a godly, biblically informed attitude to
how we dress as women who profess to worship God (1 Tim. 2:10).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Old Testament ideas</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On consulting the Scriptures some interesting issues regarding clothing arose. The
first was that God created humanity without clothing; man and woman were naked
and were not ashamed (Gen. 2:25). At creation, there was nothing to be ashamed
of. Everything was good. However, once man and woman had eaten the fruit that
God had commanded them not to, they became ashamed of their nakedness and
sought to cover up (Gen. 3:7), hiding from each other and from God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In His mercy, God clothed them with animal skins (Gen. 3:21), almost certainly
more adequate covering than fig leaves.
The idea of shame associated with nakedness surfaced again after the flood, when
Noah became drunk and uncovered in his tent (Gen. 9:21). He commended Shem
and Japheth for their respect in refusing to look at him even as they covered him
up (9:22-23), whilst Ham’s attitude was cursed. Moreover, in the Law given to
Moses, God commanded that linen undergarments covering hips and thighs be
made as part of the priestly outfit for Aaron and his sons, lest the exposure of their
naked flesh mean that they ‘bear guilt and die’ (Ex. 28:42-43).
Also by Moses’ time, it was clear that clothing was perceived to have a practical
function. A cloak taken in pledge, for example, was to return to its owner by
sunset (Ex. 22:26) because it was needed for physical protection from the elements
during sleep. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A similar idea appears in the description of the woman of noble
character (Prov. 31:21); she is commended for clothing her household well in
time of snow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Israel's history</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clothing in Israel’s time, when mentioned in detail, seems to have had some
significance for the wearer and observers, for example the aforementioned priestly
garments of Aaron and his sons as directed in Exodus 28. Pieces of Aaron’s outfit
were symbolic, such as the signet-stone breastpiece with the names of the twelve
tribes (28:15-30). And the people themselves were told to make blue-corded
tassels on the corners of their clothes as reminders of God’s commands, and so
they would not follow their own desires (Num. 15:38).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some reported incidents in Israel’s history draw on these aspects of shame and
religious significance with regard to dress. One to note is when the ark returns to
Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6). David, Israel’s king, danced before the LORD wearing a
linen ephod - perhaps stylistically similar to the priestly ephod worn by Aaron’s
sons in service. On the one hand this could be seen as a worship celebration with
appropriate religious clothing; yet the king’s wife Michal considered it shameless
and vulgar (2 Sam. 6:20). The outcome for Michal suggests that, as God had stated
to Samuel years earlier, hearts are more important than outward appearances (1
Sam. 16:7).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Wisdom literature</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Proverbs 31:10-31, as already mentioned, also emphasises inner qualities over
external adorning in profiling the woman of noble character. It focuses primarily
on her good works, actions by which her entire household benefits. When
reference is eventually made to her appearance in verse 17, she is first depicted as
dressing herself with strength (also in 31:25). The fact that she and her household
wear scarlet, fine linen and purple indicates attractive and practical attire (31:21-
22), and her efforts at buying and preparing material are key to this (e.g., verse 13,
working wool and flax, hands holding distaff and spindle in verse 19, making
garments in verse 24). However, it is clearly emphasised throughout how she
works to provide for her household, rather than on how well they all dress.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>New Testament - Gospel references</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clothing is attributed some significance in the gospels. Following the Beatitudes
Jesus teaches his disciples not to worry about their apparel (Matt. 6:28), promising
that the Heavenly Father who clothes flowers will also clothe them. In his
denouncement of the Pharisees, one issue Jesus addresses is their overemphasis on
religious garments (Matt. 23:5). When a woman suffering from long-term bleeding
follows Jesus for healing, she touches the fringe of his garment (Luke 8:44).
Including this detail evokes the Numbers 15 tassels instruction, indicating that
Jesus dresses in accordance with Mosaic Law. Another implied law is that of
Leviticus 15:15, where contact with a bleeding woman renders wearers and
clothing unclean - yet, because Jesus is He who fulfils the Law, rather than His
garment being contaminated at her touch, she is cleansed, receiving healing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet
another occurrence is in Jesus’ wedding banquet parable (Matt. 22), when a man
not wearing wedding clothes is evicted from the king’s feast into outer darkness
(22:11-13). Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of heaven warns that those entering
dress appropriately - most likely in what the King gives them to wear rather than
their own choice of attire. This may be an indirect reference back to Isaiah 61,
where the LORD garbs His servant with clothes of salvation and righteousness
(61:10), and pre-empts the bride of the Lamb in Revelation who is given fine linen
to wear, the righteous acts of the saints (Rev. 19:8).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The early church</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems that clothing, among other things, became an issue for the early church.
James warned his Christian hearers not to treat one another differently based on
their attire - to avoid the worldly tendency to treat people wearing finer clothing
better than those who appeared shabby (James 2:2-4).
Paul instructed the Ephesians to put on the new self (Eph. 4:24), to clothe
themselves with qualities like compassion, kindness and love (Eph. 4:32-5:2) and to put on the full armour of God (6:11-13). Not long afterwards, as Timothy
pastored in Ephesus, Paul had more specific words for believing women to adorn
themselves with good works rather than elaborate hairstyles or jewellery and the
expensive, often immodest fashions around them (1 Tim. 2:9-10).
Likewise, Peter, writing to the diaspora, advised women to seek the inner beauty
of a gentle and quiet spirit over externals (1 Pet. 3:3), then later instructed all his
believing readers to be clothed with humility (1 Pet. 5:5). That the apostles
addressed heart issues over and above outward adornment shows that the culture
in which the church lived placed much value on outward beauty. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><i>Secondary literature</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondary literature consulted during topical research included a range of genres -
careful, detailed Bible exposition (MacArthur, Roberts and Smith), systematic
theology (Bridges) and Christian Living (Hughes, Ramsay and others). The
expository texts kept the material tightly in context with thoughtful reflections on
key Hebrew and Greek terms and had no perceived weaknesses. A minor
weakness common to the Christian Living books was that certain statements could
be misinterpreted as legalistic in terms of actions recommended, although in each
case these seemed justified by the Biblical principles in view.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Common to some of this literature is the 1 Timothy 2 text being key information
on what clothing Christian women should choose, even today. Smith (2012, 28), in
her expository chapter on this text, notes that women’s behaviour and dress are ‘to
show restraint and modesty, good judgment and self-control.’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[1] </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hughes (2001,
175) expands on the text by saying, ‘we do not spend excessive time or money on
our appearance. Our primary attention and emphasis shouldn’t be on the external
things – that is, what we wear – but on what we do.’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[2] </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> MacArthur (1986) states
that Ephesian women's overemphasis on appearance hindered the gathered
believers, asserting their worship was ‘polluted by women who saw it as a way to
flaunt their wealth, to demonstrate their beauty, to put on a sexually attractive
demonstration to men that would draw their focus away from the living God’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[3]. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Harris (2003, 91), whilst not directly referencing the text, raises this when he tells
young Christian women, ‘...when you wear clothing that accentuates, draws
attention to or highlights the feminine parts of your body, it’s like wearing a
flashing neon sign pointing to the very thing [a young man]’s trying not to be
consumed with.’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[4] </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Smith sums up the contrast: ‘What is to draw attention to
[women] is not how they look but how they live.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[5]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two key sections of Scripture have not yet been discussed. Both were written by
Paul to Christians concerning whether or not to eat certain foods - Romans 14
and 1 Corinthians 8-10. Roberts (2011, 108) stresses that the principles taught in
chapters 8-10 of 1 Corinthians ‘still have a wide application to us today, as we try
to work out the godly way to behave in matters where there is no direct command
from God.’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[6]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to answering the believers’ initial concerns, Paul taught
these principles to inform their attitudes and conduct. Common to both texts is
Paul’s counsel that no-one should cause a fellow Christian to stumble by anything
they do - that no obstacle or hindrance be put in a believer’s way (e.g. Rom.
14:13, also verses 20-21; 1 Cor. 8:9, also verse 13). The Roman Christians are
exhorted to act in love (14:15), avoiding what might destroy God’s work and make
mutual edification their goal, with a parallel encouragement also given to the
Corinthians to build up others for their good in everything they do (1 Cor. 10:23-
24). That is to say, in deciding what to eat, drink, wear or otherwise do, God’s
people need to consider whether this will be of help or benefit to another believer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mainstream Western culture is quick to insist on our own rights - freedom to eat,
drink, wear or do whatever we like with virtually no consideration for how our
actions might affect others. Apparently this sense of entitlement was common for
the Corinthians too. More than once Paul refers to the rights that he or others have
(1 Cor. 8:9 and 9:12-15), however then instructs believers not only to avoid
causing others to stumble but also to put up with anything rather than hinder the
gospel (9:12). To win people over to the gospel of salvation is why he renounces
freedoms he might otherwise utilise (9:19-23). He desires God’s glory (10:31) and
seeks the good of others over his own, that they be saved (10:33). As Roberts
continues, ‘we are to be concerned not for ourselves above all, but for others. Even
when God’s word and our conscience tell us we are free to do something, we
should still refrain from doing it, if it might have a negative effect on Christians
[...], or on non-Christians’[7].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ethridge and Arterburn (2004, 93) also allude to not being a stumbling-block and
walking in love when discussing how greatest commandment’s influence on
women’s apparel when they say, ‘…we can always go back to Jesus'
commandment [Matthew 22:39] as a guideline for how we treat others, even when
it comes to how we are to dress’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[8], </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with challenges such as, ‘Would wearing this
outfit be a loving expression, not causing my brothers to stumble and fall?’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[9]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Topical researching about appropriate apparel for female ministers of the gospel
has turned up both specific instructions and broader principles driven by humility
and passion for the gospel of salvation. Christian women living today in Australia,
like believers in the Roman Empire, live ‘in a world where appearance counts.
Clothing has little to do with function, and more to do with adorning our bodies
and making an impression on those we meet.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[10]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It is a temptation to worldliness, recognised by Bridges (2007, 171), who observes
that “especially younger [Christian] women, are going along with the styles of the
unbelieving world around them.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[11] </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> He warns that if they ‘simply go along with
the immodest fashions of the day, you are worldly in this area of your life.’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[12] </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elsewhere Bridges writes, ‘Quite possibly there is no greater conformity to the
world among evangelical Christians today than the ways in which we, instead of
presenting our bodies as holy sacrifices, pamper and indulge them in defiance of
our better judgment and our Christian purpose’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[13].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The calling for Christian women
today, especially those serving in ministry, is to conform by their clothing choices
not to the world, but to their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FOOTNOTES</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[1] Claire Smith, <i>God’s good design</i> (Kingsford: Matthias Media, 2012), 28.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[2] Barbara Hughes, <i>Disciplines of a godly woman</i> (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway,
2001), 175.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[3] John Macarthur, <i>‘God's High Calling for Women, Part 1’</i>, Grace to You, last
modified 2 February 1986, accessed 30 May
2015, http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/54-14/gods-high-calling-for-womenpart-1.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[4] Joshua Harris, <i>Sex Is Not The Problem (Lust Is)</i> [Colorado Springs: Multnomah,
2003], 91.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[5] Smith, <i>God’s good design</i>, 29.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[6] Vaughan Roberts, <i>True spirituality</i> (Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2011), 108.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[7] Roberts, <i>True spirituality</i>, 118.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[8] Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn,<i> Every young woman's battle</i> (Colorado
Springs: Waterbrook Press, 2004), 92.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[9] Ethridge and Arterburn, <i>Every young woman's battle</i>, 93.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[10] Lesley Ramsay,<i> ‘Acceptance’</i>, in <i>What women really need</i> (ed. Lesley Ramsay;
Sydney South: Evangelism Ministries, 2005), 75.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[11] Jerry Bridges, <i>Respectable sins</i> (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2007), 171.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[12] Bridges, <i>Respectable sins</i>, 171.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[13] Jerry Bridges, <i>The pursuit of holiness </i>(Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1978), 111.</span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-67877862335508725332015-06-27T21:00:00.002+10:002015-06-27T21:04:07.698+10:005 citations<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst writing an essay for a Moore College subject in the past month, I got into reading a book by Vaughan Roberts (rector at St. Ebbe's Church, Oxford in the UK) called <i><b>True Spirituality</b></i>. The essay is long submitted (not handed back marked yet *<i>wibbles</i>*) but I just kept reading. Here are some pearlers from the Roberts book, by which I mean, amazingly valuable quotes (or just quotes I liked, or was challenged by).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>In our contemporary world, and often sadly our Christian world, which tends to devalue singleness, the immediate challenge</i> [for us as believers] <i>is not to think, or imply to others, that singleness is second-best.</i>" (Roberts 2011, 88).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>Paul's instruction to widows in verse 39</i> [of 1 CORINTHIANS 7] <i>applies to all Christians: we should only marry those who 'belong to the Lord'. It surely follows that it is unwise to enter into a romantic friendship with a non-Christian, which, as it deepens, will lead either to the temptation to disobey God in marrying them or to the agony of a break-up</i>" (2011, p.102).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>Christians belong together in a local church as the body of Christ, so the behaviour of each individual has an inevitable impact upon the others, for both good and ill. The Corinthians, therefore, should have realised that their accommodation of serious sin in their midst was bound to have a significant effect, not just on the individual concerned, but on the whole church</i>" (p.63).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>Just as yeast spreads and grows, so sin expands in a church. If nothing is done when a church member is notoriously dishonest in his business dealings...or lives a sexually immoral lifestyle, the impression is given that it does not matter, and soon others are bound to follow, so that the yeast of sin begins to pervade the whole church</i>" (p.63).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>Since Christ, the fulfilment of the Passover lambs, has already been sacrificed on the cross, it is high time Christians do all they can to remove the yeast of sin from His church. Paul commands the Corinthians, 'Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed' (1 Corinthians 5:7). The implication should be clear for us. Far from turning a blind eye to public and persistent sin in our churches and denominations, we should take it seriously and, where necessary, exercise discipline to ensure it does not spread</i>" (p.64).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Worth considering, especially in light of how permissive our Western culture is by comparison.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L/T.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Bibliography</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roberts, Vaughan.<i> True spirituality.</i> Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2011.</span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-22536096043934695172014-06-29T23:11:00.001+10:002014-06-30T20:33:23.280+10:005 ans après<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 years ago this week, I went on mission.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was my first overseas cross-cultural experience, in a country where English is, at most, a second or third language.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I joined a team of like-minded Christians from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds,<br />- such as Armenia, the DR Congo, England, France, Guadeloupe, the Netherlands, Poland and South Korea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For most of our week together, we spent about 2 hours each day hanging around outside university campus entrances. In those two hours, we approached as many students as had the time to stop and talk to us (<i>not many stopped</i>) and made efforts (<i>sometimes quite feeble, garbled efforts</i>) to engage them in conversations about the person & work of the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed throughout the Bible (<i>most were not interested in talking for long; some openly mocked or sneered at us</i>). Occasionally we were able to give away the odd Bible or an evangelistic tract (e.g. "Two Ways to Live", or Chappo's "What is a Christian?" - but not often). We also invited the university students we met to our evangelistic events and Bible studies that we ran during our mission week (<i>interest and/or positive response were rare though</i>)...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What really struck me about the local unbelievers (principally uni.-aged students) in the places where we did mission was how unwilling they were even to discuss religion at all. In Australia we still experience a fair bit of openness to discuss different belief systems, and there seems to be (in general) a tolerance of people who hold different religious views to others (though that's starting to change for the worse). Yet in this country where I was on mission, there seemed to be much more intolerance of anyone who expressed religious beliefs. A keep-it-to-yourself, faith-has-no-place-in-public, what-an-uneducated-idiot-you-are-to-be-so-deluded attitude.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our team's outreach language was the official language of the country:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>French.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The city in which we were operating:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Paris.</b> Yes, the one in FRANCE.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people see this nation as a holiday destination</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- but even many believers don't see it as a nation under condemnation because of its refusal to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They see French people as Catholic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- but excuse me, since when did the Roman Catholic version of the gospel give anyone total assurance of salvation?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They might even think most of the French are Christians - but the reality is, more than 25% of France's young people (ages 18-25) declare themselves to be atheists; most Catholics are only nominal and non-churchgoing; and the Protestants are few in number and generally poorly taught the Bible in their churches (unlike numerous Christians I know in Sydney churches).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is why I'm committed to God's mission in France.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having been there; having seen what it's like to be young and Christian in France; knowing what a tough gig it is to reach people on the university campuses or to serve long-term in ministry there (whether among uni. students, in churches, or elsewhere); having met and made friends with ministry apprentices and poorly/not-fully-funded staff workers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- I want to keep being a part of this work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Praying for it, caring for those involved in it (or trying, anyway), giving out of my relative poverty to it - and even going over to help my friends out with it, if God might open the door.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>France is one of the major reasons why</b>, 5 years after my first visit there to see and join in with the French GBU ministry to students, <b>I accepted the offer to begin studies in theology at Moore College in 2014</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because I want to be better trained for ministry - just in case...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L/T.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-23309929154438138792014-06-15T23:24:00.000+10:002014-06-28T20:48:08.431+10:0010 vidéos (si vous avez le temps)<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">The last 6 months have been insane, even though I haven't been working full-time at all.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Did I forget to tell you that I got to start studies at Bible college this year?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Only one subject per semester at present (still awaiting guidance about whether to go full-time/75% in Semester II or not); still sticking with my existing employment until further notice.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Prayer according to PHIL. 4:19 appreciated.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">In other news, I've really gotten into a PG-rated series from 2009-2013 - "<i><u><b>Horrible Histories</b></u></i>".</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Live-action sketch comedy, generally thought of as a kids' show BUT, in fact, even in its 4th season it was winning adult comedy awards.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">So just for fun..</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">..here are ten of my favourite song clips from this series!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><i>(Whilst I work out the best & cheapest way to actually obtain all 5 series on DVD...less easy to access in AU. than in the UK. *sob*)</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">________________</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">1. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw9Zu9w_N_E" target="_blank"><i>"The Monarchs' Song (The English Kings and Queens)"</i></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">So much hilarity (and royalty). How can you not smile? Or at least bop along?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">2. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc4ooIPOlwo" target="_blank"><i>"(We're the) Georgian Navy"</i></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Think patriotic chant, but minus the usual alcohol-induced haze and plus a lot of historically accurate information presented via clever lyrics... (.. </span><span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qnWtwYuwwE</span></span><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">3. </span><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsqYBT01xFQ" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">"The Few (</span><span style="color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f9f9f9; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">RAF</span></span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> Pilots)"</span></a></i><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">The only reason this song doesn't rank higher than #3 is because it's just slightly <b><i>disturbing</i></b> - don't you think? .. </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOXRvu-58qA</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">4. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #632035; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><i><u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LhT7rCC6O8" target="_blank">"Boudicca"</a></u></i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Those of you who have known me long enough to experience my Dark side should understand why this angry Celtic queen's history resounds with me ;P</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">5. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><i><u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krJVcGrLgdM" target="_blank">"The Truth About Richard III"</a></u></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">The solo performer in this clip is just a bit younger than me. </span><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Can act. Can dance. Can make me laugh. And boy, can he sing - as this live gig shows.</span><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Wish I was half as talented.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">6. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j975HNHi_i8" target="_blank"><i>"Alexander the Great"</i></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">This actor's strength? Why, he makes a ruthless historical figure from the intertestamental period look almost attractive. (Not a bad singing voice, either.)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">7. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><i><u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__I_looDNA" target="_blank">"Funky Monks"</a></u></i></span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">If there are other classically-trained musicians out there who appreciate this style variance, please...sing out?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">8. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><i><u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qSkaAwKMD4&feature=kp" target="_blank">"Literally (The Viking Song)"</a></u></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Ignore the lyrics..</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Ignore the lyrics.. ..</span></span><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">literally.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">9. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><i><u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xL5GmZg6GM" target="_blank">"Spartan High School Musical"</a></u></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">The energy in this clip is invigorating</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">- dancing that routine looks like so much fun.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">(Would hate to be a teacher in Spartan times, though! .. </span><span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmK6LUavR0</span></span><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">10. </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl0LL6yWGRU" target="_blank">"The English Civil War Song"</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Liked the choreography in this one, too - and it's got some classic one-liners.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">If you listen carefully.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">________________</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">Just bubbling under, an 11th song with quite clever, factual lyrics - considering it's a spoof of Lady Gaga's style (only with more decent clothes). If you dislike the actual artist, <b><u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Ofv8H6Vig" target="_blank">don't click on this link</a></u></b>.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">(You were warned. I like this spoof - but I'd personally never listen to any real music from her if I could help it.)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">I do promise some actual serious blog posts this year, as well - just not right now...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">L/T.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f7f0e9; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.3799991607666px;">~</span></span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-57036854042356941422014-03-23T22:13:00.001+11:002014-03-23T22:16:59.580+11:006 sujets de grâces<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a non-easy week, I am thankful for small things...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> #<b>1</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The undeserved gift of blood relatives who show gracious support & love in spite of their disagreement with my lifestyle/life choices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> #<b>2</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prayerful & caring Christian community at both my AM Anglican and PM Chinese-background churches.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> #<b>3</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being moved to pray/feel sad for an unsaved classmate even though I'm pretty sure she dislikes me and for whose salvation (until this week) it has been quite hard to pray.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> #<b>4</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Affirming words from my ballet teacher for the 1st time since before my calf muscle injury.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(As opposed to no words at all, so I couldn't be sure whether I was doing the right thing or not.)</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> #<b>5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Faithful, encouraging co-workers who serve with me in children's ministry (we work with all ages from 1-11).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> #<b>6</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God's Word in the Bible, which is living & active - and esp. this week has been timely in the midst of emotional strain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L/T.</span>Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8652389233416127214.post-25078603466343918572014-01-12T00:35:00.001+11:002014-01-12T00:35:47.449+11:005 raisons<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>En fait, il y a
20 raisons..!</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Another new year, and another </span>CMS Summer School!!</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love going to
CMS Summer School, the early
January annual conference of the Church Missionary Society of NSW.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought I’d start 2014 by solidifying at least 5 reasons for why CMS SS is, by far, my FAVOURITE of all
holiday/weekend Christian conferences.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, as I
made notes on why I think this conference is SO good, I ended up with
at least 20 reasons for going, instead of just 5.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this is by
no means a comprehensive list.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________________<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may be wondering - what happens at CMS Summer School that makes it such a good time away? Well, here are 5 general reasons why it's worth the week...</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">En g</span>énérale</span></b></i></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">1. Faithful,
challenging Bible teaching </span>with direct
& personal applications to Christian life AND witness</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(incl.emphasis
on going to the ends of the earth)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">2. Detailed,
current information about the needs of Christians </span>and/or churches
living outside of</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">- or far away from - </span>gospel-rich Western cultures</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(e.g. most of
South America, Asia and Africa)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">3. Hearing from any missionaries who </span>have been serving in the gospel-poor fields of Europe</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- particularly those in France with the GBU (www.gbu.fr)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">4. Extended times
of prayer, often in response to </span>missionaries’
reports about God’s faithfulness,
work and/or teaching in the situations where He placed them</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">5. Catching up with
link missionaries whom </span>my Sydney city
AM church<b>*</b> supports and/or with
friends who have become missionaries (plus any of
their children)</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Missionnaires</b> (missio’s)</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">1. Chances to chat
with with missio’-friends in the local Aldi or Coles, </span>or just on the
main street</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<i>e.g. this year
included a spontaneous catch-up with Leoni P. on HA from Cambodia</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">2. Chances to meet
and/or chat with missio’s at the morning tea or shuttle car pick-up zones, in
the Tribes&Nations Fairtrade coffee queues </span>or other
locations on the KCC site</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">{<i>e.g. this
year’s chance meetings included former missio’s such as Deborah M. (back from
France since ‘12), Judy S. (back from Singapore since ‘13), Owen C. (back from
France since ‘08) and Steve B. (back from Tanzania since pre-’07..)</i>}<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">3. Multiple video clips
with different missio’s currently on location </span>or back for HA -
during not only the morning but also the evening programs</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">4. Daily mid-morning
sessions with missio’s sharing </span>personal
reflections on aspects of cross-cultural ministry or life such as contentment,
perseverance, poverty, transitions, conflict resolution...</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Supper sessions
after 2130h - often featuring missio’s who have served for
over 10 years;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">though these
seminars were of much longer duration than the AM ones, yet always, ALWAYS it
was worth the extra hour of downtime or sleep lost by going<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Musique</b> (chants de louange)</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 hymns I love singing
from the CMS playlist but almost NEVER get a decent airing at my own Milson’s
Point PM church** service <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>(note these are
genuine PRE-1970’s hymn versions, thank you so very much!)</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Can It Be<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be Thou My
Vision<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crown Him With
Many Crowns<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guide Me O Thou
Great Jehovah<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">O For A Thousand
Tongues</span></b></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 other songs I love
singing from the CMS playlist but rarely ever get a decent airing at my own
Milson’s Point PM church (*sigh*):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Great things</b>
(Smith & Begbie)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nothing but the
blood of Jesus</b> (Morrow)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Send me out</b>
(Fee)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This life I live</b>
(Morrow)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Undivided</b>
(Smith)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________________<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><u>Why do I consider CMS Summer School?</u></i></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">In short</span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> - if I</span> say that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour (ie. if I call myself a Christian) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">then as His disciple, just as He directed the first ones in MATT. 9:35ff, He wants me to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out His workers; and to be involved in witnessing to Him "</span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to the very ends of the earth</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" (ACTS 1:8) - that God's name be glorified.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But how can I ask if I don't look at His harvest fields and take an interest in what needs there are?</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And how can I witness, not only to "<i>all nations</i>" (MATT. 28:18ff) but to the extremities of the earth without knowing anything of what God may be already doing there?</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CMS Summer School is such an invaluable resource for the twofold task of asking & witnessing.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It never fails to be encouraging and challenging and always forces me to rethink where I am, what I'm doing with the rest of my life, and what God might intend before that life is over...</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L/T.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Anglican cathedral.</span></span></i></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**Chinese-background, English-speaking, most attending are aged 17 to 27 y.o.</span></span></i></span></div>
Tiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10895463996150255609noreply@blogger.com0