Wednesday, October 27, 2010

You are what you think

When I grow up, I want to be...a neuroplasticity scientist. It is a relatively new field in science that studies the human brain. In the past, scientists believed that certain parts of the brain were immutable after infancy. That is, they didn't change; the brain's structure is basically fixed, which is the reason why any brain damage that occurs after that early period has permanent effect. Recent research however indicates that all of the brain DOES change anatomically and/or physiologically in response to experience, suggesting the possibility of healing that would have previously been thought miraculous.

A documentary film was aired in July this year that highlights how individuals with brain injury and/or deficient brain development from birth have been able to overcome their disability by 're-wiring' their brains through certain exercises.  Here is the link to that film: The Brain that Changes Itself.

This new insight into the human brain has incredible implications. It gives the term 'mind over matter' some degree of scientific credibility. One segment of the documentary points out a very interesting observation. It reveals that merely thinking about an activity has the same plasticity effect on the brain as actually doing that same activity.  

Now we know why Jesus was concerned about our thinking right as much as doing right. (Matthew 5)  And it makes us hear afresh the apostle Paul's admonishment to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) -- words from an ancient source, with truths and wisdom unfolding in our scientific age.

Guilty as charged!

Vanity is so firmly anchored in man's heart that a soldier, a rough, a cook or a porter will boast and expect admirers, and even philosophers want them; those who write against them want to enjoy the prestige of having written well, those who read them want the prestige of having read them, and perhaps I who write those want the same thing, perhaps my readers, ... (150, Pensees by Blaise Pascal)
--
No escape, no exceptions.
Pascal, too, is sucked into the same syndrome he observes, by observing it only to be observed, read and praised. 
So am I, who observe and read and write about him.
So are you, who read us. (Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft)

So am I who read, quote and blog about them both! Guilty as charged. 

But Pascal need not be so hard on himself. His writing is recorded evidence that we, mankind, recycle our neurosis from age to age. And therefore, even with our massive amount of modern knowledge, we need salvation and grace today as much as ever.  

Monday, October 25, 2010

There is always blue sky above the clouds

Years ago, while on board a flight, I discovered that no matter how gloomy a cloudy day seems, there is always blue sky above it. Below the clouds, the darkness gives a somber and melancholic mood. But after ascending through layers of clouds, the scenery above is bright and cheerful; a completely different world. Ever since that time, dark gloomy days often remind me that there is a bright blue sky beyond what my eyes can see.

A life of faith is kind of like that.  We have mountain top experience with God every now and then, when that happens, the reality of God is so undeniable and wonderful that we feel nothing can ever go wrong. Then life happens--death, illness, loss, failed expectations--these descend upon us merely because we are human. Bleak and discouraging circumstances cloud our vision.

Well, God is always there, even more constant than the blue sky is. Dark circumstances train our mind's eye to see what is not visible; they also remind us that this world is not our home. For "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

From Paris to Prague 2004

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Will there be sex in Heaven?

My hunch is that the answer is 'no' and there are two reasons for my conclusion.  

First, Jesus was once tested by a Sadducee (who probably didn't even believe in Heaven!), who asked him to which husband a woman that had been married seven times in her lifetime would be together with in Heaven. Jesus gave this answer: "For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in Heaven." (Matthew 22:29-30).

Secondly, there appears may be an end to further procreation once 'the full number of Gentiles have come into the Kingdom of God.  (Romans 11:25)

Ultimately, we don't know one way or the other.

This may sound a bit disappointing to some. The potential absence of sex in Heaven shouldn't be construed as a stance against sex in the Bible. In fact, the Bible is quite positive about it (the whole book of the Song of Solomon dances with it, for example); the reason is that sex in marriage itself is a glimpse of the intimacy we'll have with God eternally. In that vein, throughout the Old and New Testaments, God describes himself as our husband.  Whether or not sex persists in Heaven, intimacy with God will occupy our attention and satisfy our desires at a level far above and beyond the best sexual experience on Earth.  

The apostle Paul writes this in 1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." 

God never has less for those that love Him!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Embrace your body

"Jesus Christ who is utterly perfect had a body and the devil who is utterly imperfect doesn't have one." Martin Luther. 

The idea that the body is sinful, bad and drags us down while the spirit is good originated from the devil. The Bible neither advocates nor supports this dichotomy between the body and the spirit; that sort of thought entered the early church when Gentile pagans converted to Christianity. In time, this Greco-Roman influence began to displace that of the earlier Jewish believers, who believed the body to be good.

Our body is 'fearfully and wonderfully made' (Psalm 139:14). The devil may just be jealous because we have something that he doesn't.

Scripture describes Heaven as a concrete physical place that we can see, feel and touch. Jesus' resurrected body is an example for mankind's future.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Twilight

Vancouver  October 20, 2010

Monday, October 18, 2010

Is seeing believing?

The world isn't what it seems. We have to have faith that the brain is doing its job. Check out this interesting article on The Science of Optical Illusion.

Friday, October 15, 2010

What women want

I have been watching Wives and Daughters, an English period drama that transported me into a different world these last four nights. It's a total chic-flick with a story structure similar to Pride and PrejudiceMansfield Park and the like, where an unspoken or forbidden love that has endured long suffering drives the plot. The tension in these movies derives from the emotional restraint the lead characters display, essentially, when you think about it, because they value chastity.  I found it very curious that women are drawn to this type of romance like bee to honey--even in our age when chastity is considered ridiculous.  Yet if the heroines and heroes in these films lived like most people do today there would be no tension in the films, no story...nothing.

Take the baffling success of the movie Twilight for example. (Baffling because it was such a bad movie that I couldn't stomach watching the whole thing!) The hero, a good looking vampire, had to refrain from loving the heroine because love consummated in this case would kill his beloved. So he restrained himself due to his love for her. Wow--get any good looking actor to play a role like this and he will become an instant star.  

My point is, there is something about a man who can restrain himself physically that really melts a woman's heart--and Hollywood knows it. Perhaps the Christian view on this matter isn't as wrongheaded as society would have us think... 

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Five minutes of glory

Sunset over downtown Vancouver, October 14, 2010

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Only together will we be made perfect

I watched the first of the 33 trapped Chilean miners get rescued last night; now half of them have been brought to safety so far this morning. Their ordeal has become a uniting event that the whole world is sharing. Why is watching something like this so exciting to all of us?

Is it the triumph of overcoming great difficulty that's so satisfying? Or is it the togetherness we sense that brings gratification? Maybe it's a little bit of both. We pay high prices to go to concerts and hockey games; and we put up with traffic jams to attend fireworks, festivals and parades; all because we find being part of a united mass of people makes us feel good. 

In the book of Hebrews, the writer tells us that all the past heros of faith endured their suffering and yet none of them received what they were promised before they died. "God had planned something better for us so that only together with us will they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:40 

There is no such thing as individual perfection in God's eyes. We are not and will not be perfect alone. We will only be fully whole when we have been united together with a crowd of others.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Thanksgiving



"What is man that you are mindful of him..." Psalm 8:4

Friday, October 8, 2010

The pressure to be 'happy'

Whoever preaches the idea that following Jesus will make us happy is selling snake oil. We like to quote from the Bible the promise of an 'abundant life' (John 10:10) and we lean on verses of 'blessings and prosperity' (Jeremiah 29:11) during difficult times; but it is easy to forget that these promises will only be completely fulfilled when Jesus comes back. What Jesus said about following him is tougher to swallow: "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33). 

Why so negative? I'm looking forward to Christ's return too; desiring happiness isn't wrong. But we live in a fallen world with self-centered people (including ourselves of course), where forces of decay press down on everyone and everything. Even though Jesus has come, life is far from perfect here and now. This is a biblical fact; a reality we live every moment. 

What's the use of following God then? For one thing, God is God--we follow because he said so. Then there's this thing called peace which helps us persevere through our troubles. God freely dispenses peace to his followers today in the midst of stresses. Then also we prepare ourselves for the coming age by building love for God and charity toward his people, which has everlasting quality. Finally, followers bear witness to Jesus' salvation work leading others to eternal safety.

Ironically, the more people follow God, the more we counteract the decay that has severely grasped our world.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Performance or love offering?

It is easy to misconstrue the calling of God.

Jesus himself said that we need to count the cost of following him (Luke 14:25-33), implying that when a person gives their life to God He will set a course for them that is beyond themselves. When we follow Jesus we need to brace for hardship and suffering.

While I think this is true to some extent--we shall expect difficulty--our attitude need not and should not be one of a slave obeying a tough taskmaster. Rather, it can be one of a child who offers whatever he can, realizing that God will multiply that humble offering for His purpose. 

The difference in these perspectives often appears very subtle, but internally these are two completely opposite worlds. The former is one of pushing to our limit to achieve what we think God wants, the latter is giving our very best as a love offering, leaving results to God. One is full of stress and expectation, the other is full of pleasure in making the offering. One is thinking we are something special and can do great things for God; the other is remembering we are TINY and the little we can give is only symbolic of our devotion. I wonder if this is the reason for God's differing responses to Cain's and Abel's offerings (Genesis 4:4-5).

God doesn't need us to do anything to achieve his purpose for this world. But if we participate, we get to delight in what delights Him.  And if we are truly offering our lives out of love for God, the sometimes dismal results of our offering or adversity we will need to face shouldn't really bother us that much.

Friday, October 1, 2010

One big twisted knot

Some days I wish I could be an atheist. After hitting wall after wall, when following God seems so futile, when my definition of 'good' has to be adjusted continuously--this is when the voice inside says 'Take my life back, do things my way, regain control!'

But having control is an illusion.  This morning I couldn't even control my hair, much less my feelings of happiness.  Even if I renounce my faith in God, my heart would still be one big twisted knot inside. Which atheists can say they are happy all the time?

Jim Elliott's words came opportunely just now: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."