Only a Channel

Only a channel

O Lord, I pray
Remind me 

That I
Only a 

Channel be, 

That I may point 

E'en myself 

T' look

T' Thee

And not 

T' me, 

As I 

Dost know

That all 

Gifts come

From Thee--

This I pray--

So easy 

I stray--

Thank Thee, 

Gracious 

Giver. 

--Ja.C.E.N--

28 July 2012

"No Sense in Pretense": a poem from a readers

This shows us how to know other people's character and also how people can "judge" us. This shows us areas in which we can work on in our lives so that we may improve our character. Also, if you want to see if your character has changed, look at these areas. (from Grade 5 readers, America I)

No Sense in Pretense

Author Unknown

You tell what you are by the friends you seek, 

By the manner in which you speak. 

By the way you employ your leisure time, 

By the use you make of dollar and dime. 

You tell what you are by the things you wear, 

By the spirit in which you burdens bear, 

By the sense of humor that you display

By the music that your stereo plays

You tell what you are by the way you walk, 

By the things of which you delight to talk, 

By the manner in which you bear defeat, 

By so simple a thing as how you eat. 

By the books you choose from the well-filled shelf; 

In these ways and more, you tell on yourself. 

So there's really no particle of sense in any effort at pretense. 

"Freedom": a Poem from a readers

This poem came from a Grade 5 readers "America I". This "dare to proclaim the truth, be right" theme really reminds me of TTP. We have the truth, we know the truth, we have the answers, we know the answers, we have a responsibility to tell the truth to others despite scoffing and persecution. We must press on to fight the greatest battle of all time, the cosmic battle. Outsiders are like captives, chained and bound by deceits of the world, lies. We must be the light to the world around us, pointing them to the source of truth, that they may be FREE!

Freedom 

James Russell Lowell

They are slaves who fear to speak

For the fallen and the weak; 

Thy are slaves who will not choose 

Hatred, scoffing and abuse, 

Rather than in silence shrink

From the truth they needs must think. 

They are slaves who dare not be 

In the right with two or three. 

(we mustn't be afraid of truth, truth shall set you free.) 

Important Questions to ask

These are some important questions to ask when deciding whether somethings worldview is in-line with Scriptural worldview or not. Also use them to think through tough questions posed by the outsiders.

1. What is the source? Trace even the seemingly "neutral" techniques to it's source, even Buzan mindmapping.

2. What is the implication? This weeds out assumptive language. "The cosmos is all that is, and ever was, and ever will be." implies that there is no God, man is just a product of the cosmos. This also is what you're actually buying. WATCH OUT!!!!

3. What is the impact? This shows how people respond if they thing such a thing is correct. It shows how wrong things can get if you're captive by a lie. It can also be used in the good sense: if I believe that this is really true what will I do about it?

4. Is the issue itself logical or does it contradicting itself? Eg, God is Almighty, can He create a rock so big he couldn't lift? Truth is not absolute. Also watch out to see if the person is escaping even at the very end: Dr. Provine "no ultimate meaning in life but can have proximate meaning;" Ethics doesn't have a foundation but can still be robust. (to that effect).

5. Why are you even bothered about evil/good/....etc. Remember that evil needs to have a reference point, error has to have a reference point (which is Truth)--like a parasite

Always go back to the source of truth--God. Remember the world's worldview is always opposite to what the truth is. Beware of "half-lies" which are still lies.

"Wielding the Sword"--Dong Yi

Actually, I thought that having lessons through watching shows, I mean, real shows, movies, was a novel idea. However, I just found out that Potters School actually has a course called "Worldview in Film." Well, I can't go for it as it is during BSF time, but I decided to "learn by myself". I want to pry shows apart myself and see the underlying issue behind the assumptive language. Anyways, this post is about Dong Yi.

Question: In Dong Yi's show, it shows that there are things that are worth fighting for. In other words, according the Dong Yi (the show) there are something things for which it is "righteous" to wield the sword about. And yet there are constrains to "wielding" the sword. In the Bible, we are told to be peacemakers. We also are told not to compromise. In the biblical worldview, should military force be used as a solution to problems? What does the Bible say about fighting and not compromising?

Answer should include:
1. "Principles" or ideas that DY says are worth spilling blood for, and yet is not evil. (eg, protect family, rightness of things, use power to help people lower than you, justice?, rights?, etc.)
2. Constrains--cannot use skill to kill innocent people, what applies to them also applies to us, not kill, etc. (especially Gae-do-Ra part)
3. Verses that say we should be peacemaker; verses that say we are not to compromise, but to fight a battle, howbeit a spiritual one.
4. Verses about might (strength) military forces. Bible characters such as David and his mighty men, and other kings or fighters (eg. Judges)
5. What are some noncompromisable things? Support with verses. Pray over them. Be steadfast in your conviction.
6. Since those things in (5) are noncompromisable, what will you do about it? Eg. be aware of laws passed around us, not just Singapore, and try to prevent things; influence others, etc.

"Our Father's Fought for Liberty": a poem about true freedom

This poem is in my Grade 10 VSP book. I like it because it talks about true freedom. True freedom is something that every generation, every person has to fight for, a decision to make. It is freedom from sin and freedom to do what  is right.

Our Fathers Fought for Liberty

Our fathers fought for Liberty, 

They struggled long and well, 

History of their deeds can tell--

But did they leave us free?

Are we free from vanity, 

Free from pride, and free from self, 

Free from love of power and pelf, 

From everything that's beggarly?

Are we free from stubborn will, 

From low hate and malice small, 

From opinion's tyrant thrall?

Are none of us our own slaves still?

Are we free to speak our thoughts, 

To be happy, and be poor, 

Free to enter Heaven's door, 

To live and labor as we ought?

Are we then made free at last

From the fear of what men say, 

Free to reverence Today, 

Free from the slavery of the Past?

Our fathers fought for Liberty, 

They struggled long and well, 

History of their deeds can tell--

But ourselves must set us free. 

--by James Russell Lowell (I think he's a fireside poet)

Poems from MM reflection

Poems I wrote to God during worship while reflecting. 11 March 2012, Sunday.

Jesus, Thy body broken in my stead,
This do remember Thee.
Thy great love, O Lord, for me
As Thou suffredst on that cruel tree.
Eternal love, eternal strength
From Thou Eternal One.
What more do I need and ask;
Thou gave Thy all for me.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Thou walked on earth,
And trod among mankind,
Thou saw how vile we are
Yet Thou still died for me.
How, O Lord, Thy love so rich, so free!
That Thou shouldst dare to die
For vilest sinners such as we.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jesus, the Name that cheers my heart,
That brings glad tidings the world around.
One God that rules over all,
Lifting the despairing from the hopeless pit.
(--Thy name we praise!)

--APTG

"Poem" at "Culture Shock"

This is what I wrote at a Generations of Virtue conference "Culture Shock" by Riverlife Church. This is not because of the GOV team but because of the typical public school teenagers I saw around me.

The world is bustling about me,
Noise and din hurts my ears,
My heart aches--I'm so different;
But my heart rejoices,
And my chains are lifted--
This world is not my home!
Yet these people are God's people,
They are my brother's and sisters,
Sigh, my heart sinks to the ocean deep.
Why am I so weird?
Yet God made me like that,
But is what I'm doing what God wants?
Thoughts swarm as I
Try to contemplate.
As I write, my hearrt is stilled.
My Love is the Lord.
Of course, I'm not supposed to be like them,
But so different?
O Lord, I pray,
Teach me your way,
Help me discern truth and lie.
O Lord, I love my siblings,
But I just wish they were different?
I don't understand even myself!
But I take heart O Lord,
That You know me more than I do myself.
Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side.
My heart was in turmoil but is rested,
But now I waver again.
O Lord, help my soul find rest in You,
In Your word, the only strong shelter.

--18 Feb 2012

My Lord and my Love is my God

While singing the "prince and the pauper one day", I hit on a title that I could call the Lord. It is "my Lord and my Love is my God". Well, what makes me like it so?

My Lord--this is "master", Lord Jesus, and also, as in what a wife calls the husband. It reminds me that I belong to the Lord, I am to obey Him. He is my future "husband" because I, part of the church, is His bride. 

My Love--this is a mushy name for lover. It reminds me to devote my love to the Lord. And just like a lover, to be committed to Him. It also reminds me that Jesus is my Prince and that I am to love him like and more than my future husband (whoever Jesus sends, He only knows). 

My God--this is the specifies who I am referring to. It also reminds me about how great and big my Love is. He too is sovereign. Although He is Creator and God of the whole universe, He still is seeks a personal relationship with me, reflected in the two names above. 

My  Lord and my Love is my God! O Lord, praise Thy matchless name. Thou so near to me. 

(This thought occurred to me on 2 Dec 2011, but I didn't record it until March 2012 so the thoughts may not be "ad verbatim" and some might have been accidentally added or omitted.)

Value, Priority, and Mission: Reflections on Come What May

Last year, after Mom's Sunday school class watched "Come What May", I reflected on the show again and realized the importance for a couple to have the same values, same priority, and same mission.

Many times, Mr. Don Hogan and Mrs. Judith Hogan were fighting over teaching Caleb the "wrong" set of values. They taught him by writing Latin on a blackboard door and asked Caleb to translate it, explain the cases in which it applies. Mrs. Hogan wrote "malus prohibitim" which is wrong because we say it is but it's not morally wrong like "malum in se". She introduced speeding and showed Caleb "When someone tells you something is 'morally wrong', watch out, there's always a sliding scale." She cited stealing when starving. Fighting  back passively, Don writes "Fiat justicia et pereat mundus" which Caleb translates "Do the right thing, Come what may". Later, Don and Judith fight over Caleb. Don, "I know you're worried Caleb might get the wrong set of values. So am I. What do we do now?" Judith, "Get rid of that blackboard." Don, "I'm serious." Judith, "Well, our Friday night dates, I guess we could start those again." And then they "fight" over who's going to cook. (Remember when you're married that your husband EXPECTS that you cook.) From this scene, I realized that a husband and wife must be in unison in their values, or else they will have a hard time passing on the torch. Just to note, Judith thinks that "Just admit, not everything is absolute"; Don says "I didn't say everything was absolute, you're the one who says nothing is."

In view of same priorities, many times Judith misses the Friday night dates, or even dinner at home with Don just because of "work parties" that occur every single week! This causes Don to be lonely and all his effort in preparing for the date is gone to waste. From this scenario, I learned that the priorities of a couple must be the same otherwise it will result in heartache. (Just like when people get engrossed in solitary golf rather than spending time with family.)

Judith's mission at work is for success, whereas Don's mission is to do the right thing. Judith's mission sent her to the Supreme Court, being head-hunted, and going on radio. Don's mission sets him to write about controversial truth, losing his job and tenure. Caleb has a dilemma. Should he follow his mother's sense to "success" and fight the Moot Court Case the way he thinks he can win? Or should he follow Don's sense of "success" and Rachel's conviction, to do the right thing and "tell thousands of people how", knowing that a sound argument is not as good as a popular one? If his parents had the same mission and same support, he might have been able to work it out faster and make a wise decision.

A couple's values, priorities and mission needs to be similar.