Twilight

Vancouver  October 20, 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.

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 Prejudice, Mansfield 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... 

Five minutes of glory

Sunset over downtown Vancouver, October 14, 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.

Thanksgiving

View from above

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

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.

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.

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."

Pure Reason?

Theists can give a hundred logical and convincing reasons for believing in God's existence, but none of these will be heard by atheists who hold the following thought: if there is no God, I can do whatever I want. This powerful motivation lies beneath many (but not all) who claim to be atheists for purely intellectual reasons. 

I just read a bunch of quotes by various atheists online, they all imply that people who believe in God are stupid, ignorant or deluded.  

Really, the question "Do you believe in God?" can never be truly objective for theists or atheists. The answer is always tied to some personal consequence or bias. No one responds to this question with pure reason alone.

Self-help gurus

I love it when gurus get debunked. Gurus mess with our minds, doling out pseudo wisdom sprinkled with half-truth and/or half-baked 'scientific knowledge'. One guru recently wrote a book: 'The Power' (a sequel to her previous best-seller, 'The Secret'). The book basically tells us that we are what we think. Therefore, think rich and you'll be rich, think thin and you'll be thin, think whatever and you'll attract that thing... Two psychologists co-wrote an article on the New York Times exposing the folly of this book, here is the link to the essay: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/books/review/Chabris-t.html?ref=health

While there may be a grain of truth to the claim that we are what we think...but just a grain. The author does not appeal to our quest for truth; she appeals to our quest for power - the ability to get what we want. "Is that wrong?" I ask myself. 

I guess it isn't necessarily wrong 'to get what we want'. Our hunger generally indicates that we need nourishment. It's good that we get the food we need. But the kind of food that gurus serve is just junk food. Feed on it long enough and we will die of malnutrition. It's like giving the sick a placebo when real medicine is available. 

Gurus exist in the Christian community too. They offer methods and self-help tips to deal with life problems. Yet problems come to us with God's permission; they're not always bad for us. They are opportunities to exercise our faith and get closer to God. Theologically speaking, a self-help Christian is something of an oxymoron.

A balanced life is overrated

Where did the idea of a balanced life come from? People try so hard to obtain it. We get this notion that our time should be divided up like a pie--five days a week for work, two days for play, so many hours of exercise, so many weeks of vacation etc... 

Years ago I had a steady job with a 35-hour work week, six weeks of vacation per year, plus it paid relatively well at $65K. That job even took care of my retirement with a pension plan that doubled my contribution every month. It was a dream job as far as balance was concerned. But it didn't provide the kind of bliss that a balanced life promises. In fact, everyday was so predictable and life required so little faith and will power that I was wilting inside.  

Sometimes a balanced life means giving up life passions; other times trying to get a balanced life actually produces more stress than just going with the flow. Interesting enough, the heros of faith in Scripture didn't seem to have balanced lives. That alone should cause Christians today to reconsider the current ideal of  balance.  It is not the Promised land.  

The Promised Land can only be entered by following God's call, going after Him no matter how life turns upside down or inside out. A balancing act simply can't make us blossom inside like answering God's call can.

The Pharisees weren't so bad

When we read about the interactions between Jesus and the Pharisees in the New Testament, we get this impression that the Pharisees were hypocritical and legalistic religious leaders who were oppressive to the ordinary believers of their day.  But this is not the whole picture.

In Jesus' days, there were many sects within Judaism--like Sadducees, Pharisees, Qumranites and Zealots etc...yet Jesus seemed to mingle almost exclusively with the Pharisees; the other sects are hardly mentioned at all. Why is that? David Flusser, a devout Orthodox Jewish scholar of early Chrisitianity had this to say: "Jesus did not accept all that was thought and taught in the Judaism of his time.  Although not really a Pharisee himself, he was closest to the Pharisees of the school of Hillel who preached love, and he led the way further to unconditional love--even of one's enemies and of sinners." (Jesus p.90 by D. Flusser)  

As it turns out, Jesus debated most vehemently with the Pharisees precisely because he was closest to them, not the other way around.  Who are our Pharisees today?

Legalistic church leaders?  Christian skeptics? I would say anyone who is seeking the truth and genuinely trying to live out their belief in God.  No matter how we differ in theology or drive each other insane over the way we practice our faith, we are on the same narrow path towards God. The fact that we can debate is because we stand on common ground and share a common destination in the first place.

Achieving greatness in life

Awhile ago, the book "A Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren made a huge splash in North America. It made the New York Times' best seller list for several years and topped the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as well. Not only did it influence churches around the world, it extended outside the Christian community and into the secular mainstream. It was a big hit.

What was the secret to its success?  I think the author tapped into something in human nature that is innate.  Mainly, our deep desire for purpose and for achieving greatness in life. Purpose and greatness were in God's design when he created us. Our hearts long for it; we are restless without it.  The Bible touches when, for example, it compares us in our life journey to athletes running in a race--running to win the prize that waits at the finish line.  (Hebrews 12:1; 2 Timothy 4:7) 

As a life goal, achieving greatness is not a bad thing, but God tells us to define greatness carefully. In His kingdom, greatness is polar opposite to the common notions our society holds. In the world today, we are considered great if we achieve success through our ability and with our smart decisions.  In contrast, a Christian's greatness depends solely on his nearness to God--not on personal achievement. Like the moon, whose greatness lies in reflecting the glory of the sun, a Christian's greatness lies in reflecting the glory of God--through the Son. The closer we are to Him, the brighter we reflect his light. And this proximity is something we receive from God rather than something we achieve ourselves. We are therefore driven by His purpose and not self-sufficiently driving by our own steam...

Fulfilling my destiny

I recently heard a sermon that ignited a good fire in my belly. It went something like this: God is on my team to help me fulfill my God-given destiny.

My potential will not be wasted! How cool is that? It was instantly motivating, I was so 'charged' I wanted to achieve everything that was destined for me.  But today I stepped back and thought about the sermon a little more...God is on MY team to fulfill MY destiny. Why doesn't this idea sit right inside? We'd never say the Prime Minister is on MY team, the Pope is on my side... I can hardly expect the pastor of my church to help fulfill MY godly agenda.  

Jesus didn't really say God was on his team, in fact he constantly talked about his own life goal as doing his Father's will. Is God supposed to fulfill my agenda or is it the other way around? There is a difference between saying God is on my team as opposed to I am on God's team. The crux of the problem with the first saying is that it appeals to my pride.

There is a significant grain of truth in the 'fulfilling destiny' line of motivation. All the first disciples fulfilled their destiny so to speak--they all experienced persecutions and died horrible deaths. Does the notion of 'destiny fulfillment' I found so inspirational recognize God's surprising and often difficult agenda for our lives? Would I be so excited to fulfill my potential if God's destiny for me doesn't involve health, wealth and satisfying my pride?

The law of peer pressure

"When everything is moving at once, nothing appears to be moving, as on board ship. When everyone is moving towards depravity, no one seems to be moving, but if someone stops he shows up the others who are rushing on, by acting as a fixed point." 

Pensees (382) by Blaise Pascal

"Since 'everything flows', everything is relative.  This is Einsteinianly true of all physical things.  Relative to the sun, the earth moves, but relative to the earth, the sun rises and sets.  This is not a problem but a principle in physics; but it is a problem in ethics.  Clearly Pascal's description of the whole ship sailing down into depravity describes our society; but it also describes human history as a whole.  Only a fixed point above the flow of time and history can judge the flow.  Concretely, these fix points are the saints, who navigate not by the waves of history and the winds of fortune but by the fixed stars of Heaven.  Therefore we windswept, sinking relativists call them 'religious fanatics', all because of the principle of relativity Pascal describes here: to a cold-blooded reptile, 98.6 degrees is a high fever."

Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft

A good read related to the Koran burning fiasco

Someone else said it better:  http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/the-meaning-of-the-koran/

What is freedom?

Freedom is....

• when you feel light as a feather inside even though the burden of life responsibilities is heavy;
• when you feel a thousand new sensations as though God just unlocked all your senses;
• when you are guilt-free for all the wrongs you've done in the past and are released from your conscience;
• when you give without fear of being taken advantage of;
• when you care without fear of being taken for granted;
• when you love without fear of getting your heart broken;
• when you do the right thing even when the wrong thing is much easier to do;
• when you are peaceful inside no matter what the circumstances look like on the outside.

We are made for freedom like this. Thanks to Jesus...we are free like this!

Death - the great equalizer

I am just sitting at Starbucks somewhere in downtown San Francisco late tonight. An old man behind me just wanted to talk, he talks to himself, talks to the lady next to me and a couple of times popped up beside me...he is a lonely man, a little out of his mind but completely harmless. I don't mind giving him a little attention if it would give him a little happiness. 

He mumbled and said to me that in the 80's, he knew someone who was a computer operator and made $60 an hour. That's more than what he made in a day's work. Life isn't fair. And this old man, even though he is a little crazy, knows it. 

This is when I think that death is a good thing. It is life's equalizer. EVERYBODY dies. No one is exempt.  Money can't stop it, good looks can't beat it, success is hopeless against it. No, nothing can defeat death...well, except for Jesus, he already did.

A thinking reed

I've been a delinquent here for most of August. When the sun kisses you and the air glides like silk on your skin, theological analysis seems so unnecessary. But each season is fit to nurture a different bodily faculty - summers overwhelm all our senses with vibrancy; the cooler, wetter days are here to help us think and dream. 

"Man is only a reed, the weakest in nature, but he is a thinking reed. There is no need for the whole universe to take up arms to crush him; a vapour, a drop of water is enough to kill him. But even if the universe were to crush him, man would still be nobler than his slayer, because he knows that he is dying and the advantage the universe has over him. The universe knows none of this." Pensees (347) by Blaise Pascal

"Which is greater, which is it better to be: one tiny man about to die but knowing this fact and many others; or the blind, dumb eighteen-billion-light-year-long universe about to kill that man but not knowing this fact or any others?" Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft

Below is the fairest article by an atheist that I've read in a long time; the reactions and comments it generated are interesting too.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/mystery-and-evidence/?ref=opinion

Happy thinking!