Thoughts

One (or 66) Amazing Book(s)

in Thoughts  by Ben 0 comments

I was born into a Seventh-day Adventist family and grew up attending Adventist schools and, for the most part, attending Sabbath School and Church Services. One of the many consistencies throughout this very consistent upbringing was, and still is, the Bible.

However, while it was always there, I never really understood the importance of this book. Sure, I had been told that it was God’s Word, I was to treat it with respect and it provided a great source of test material for many of my teachers’ who delighted in forcing my fellow classmates and I to learn ‘memory verses’. This was the extent to which I interactedlight with the Bible until the age of about 15.

Then, due to my attendance at an Adventist secondary school I had to study the subject ‘Texts and Traditions’. Sometime during the remainder of my time at Secondary School I studied The Gospel of John.

My mind was blown, my eyes were opened somewhat wider and my life was changed.

Now, I think that most Christian related life changing experiences seem to have to do with accepting Christ as a personal saviour, for me that came later. Until this point people had told me that the Bible was amazing ‘because it spanned hundreds of years and yet remained consistent and that many of the authors we poorly educated but had somehow (most likely divine intervention) managed to write coherent stories, poetry or sermons.’

But in studying the Gospel of John I realised that the Bible was more amazing than I had ever imagined. I had no idea that one book, indeed even one passage, could be read into on so many different levels. I mean on the surface, the Gospel of John tells a story but if you break it down, the very first verse is amazing in itself. It obviously links back to the book of Genesis referencing ‘the beginning’ and then says some strange things about ‘The Word’.

I remember our first assignment when studying John – Our teacher told us that the key term of the Gospel of John was “Word” or in the Greek “Logos” and we were to investigate what was meant by “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) As this is not a Bible study I won’t go into a dissertation of my findings but I was, from this point on, hooked on John.

My study took me deep into Jewish traditions and festivals, parallel imagery of light and dark, birth and death, significant numbers, metaphors about water and bread and, most importantly, forced into decisions about who this man Jesus actually is. And that’s still only scratching the surface! So impressed was I by the masterful use of linguistic structures in this text that I wanted to know if other books offered the same kind of depth. I got hold of some bible commentaries, concordances and interlinear translations of the Bible and was not disappointed.

The consistency of the Bible as a whole, the links between the books and the complex structuring yet in many cases simple prose and beautiful poetry leaves me in awe. I literally can’t find the words (even with a thesaurus) to express how amazing this collection of books really is! I’m not sure that those who told me that the Bible was amazing ‘because it spanned hundreds of years and yet remained consistent and that many of the authors were poorly educated but had somehow (most likely divine intervention) managed to write coherent stories, poetry or sermons’ actually understood how they were completely underselling the Word of God to me.

Now, I used to love to pore over my commentaries, concordances and interlinear translations but somehow life as a working adult has become busier than I was as a studying student and I find myself either time or energy poor. However, resources are so readily available now days – you don’t need to buy a several volume commentary, concordance and interlinear Bible – you can find them all on the internet.

I would also highly recommend checking out The Bible Project as a fantastic starting point to studying The Word. It lays out in simple terms how to read the Bible while giving each book historical context and alluding to topics and themes for further study.

In closing I am reminded of one of my favourite texts in John “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) and what I found when I studied into what it means to be a ‘follower of the way’.

The Transcendence of Peace

in Thoughts  by Ruth 0 comments
peace

“Peace in Midst of the Storm” Jack Dawson

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippines 4:6-7

What do you envision when you think of a peaceful life? A life free from trouble and drama, or perhaps full of luxury and ease?

When we normally think of having a peaceful life, we assume this means a life where hardships for the most part are removed and thus tranquillity results. We pray for the removal of impediments so peace can prevail.

However, God’s peace is not necessarily about removing tribulations as it is about fortifying our hearts and minds in spite of them. God’s peace stands in the midst of hardship, not in the absence of them.

God’s peace is depicted as a guard to our hearts and minds. It is active during troubled times. It is not the default passive peace that befalls us when on a relaxing holiday for several weeks. His peace transcends circumstance.

This type of peace perplexes the natural world and the natural man. That is why it is called the peace that surpasses all understanding.

How do you obtain God’s supernatural peace? It is a gift to believers “in Christ Jesus” who petition their requests to God.

Jesus states in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

In Mark 4:39, Jesus calms a storm. His disciples wake him while aboard a ship fearing for their lives. Jesus commands the storm ‘Peace! Be still!’ and the storm ceased. Jesus later scolds his disciples by asking “Why are you still afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Note how Jesus is recorded as sleeping during a storm. His disciples full of fear and doubt wake him asking in verse 38, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?”  The lack of faith in Christ Jesus is the real hindrance to our peace. God’s peace is an inner calmness despite the outward storm. It is a gift to those who have faith in the promises of scripture and a source of strength when we need it the most.

The next time we find ourselves wrought with anxiety, may we be graced with this peace that can calm both a stormy sea and any tempests that howls in our hearts.

Self-talk and anger

in Thoughts  by Jinha Kim 0 comments

Screen Shot 2017-09-19 at 3.32.51 pmI’m reading a book called “You Are What You Think” by Dr. David Stoop.  In his chapter on self-talk and anger, he writes:

Whenever we become angry, we have initial feelings of hurt, frustration, or implied threat that we need to pay attention to.  But when we get over those initial feelings, and still feel angry, it is because we are making demands on another person, or a situation.

He gives an example of a a wife who spends all afternoon preparing a very special dinner, but when the husband comes home, he goes straight to the TV and hides in his lounger-chair.  It’s been a bad day at work.  The wife is angry, thinking “He should know how hard I worked this afternoon!  He should make more effort to come home in a better mood!”  Dr. Stoop writes:

There’s an ‘obscene’ word in some of those statements, which ties in to the basic cause of anger.  That word is ‘should’ [or shouldn’t]. Every time you feel frustration or hurt that leads to anger, you can connect your anger to the ‘should’ in your Self-Talk… [or] words like must, gotta, ought to, and so forth.  They all do the same thing – they trigger anger.  And they do this because we are making a demand on a situation or person – a demand that we cannot effectively guarantee will be met.  And that’s the source of our anger… when we set up these demands within our Self-Talk, we create an emotional tension within that takes the form of anger.

So the key to defusing our anger is to identify the demands we make and to change them into statements of desires.  For example, the wife can change her Self-Talk to say “I wish he’d notice all the work I’ve done.  I don’t like the way he acts when he comes home. Perhaps I can talk with him about that.” Expressing the feelings in this way does not mean we get what we want, but it reduces the tension and gives us emotional energy to find creative ways to deal with the situation.

By changing our attitude from one of demand to one of desire, we can focus on how we can achieve our wishes rather than fuming in our unmet expectations. We can pray for wisdom and guidance as we examine our desires and recalibrate our expectations.  We can take time to listen, understand and empathise before passing judgment on others.

 “ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,  and give no opportunity to the devil… Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:26-32

“Green” Christians?

in Thoughts  by Naomi 1 comments

handSo we hear remarks about Christians not being especially environmental or not believing in climate change. They are big generalisations, but what is our own church’s view on the environment?

This is a topic not widely preached but Stewardship of the Environment is in fact an official statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church:

“It is the belief of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that humankind was created in the image of God, and is thus to represent God as His steward and to manage the natural environment in a faithful and fruitful way. Nature is a gift from God.

Unfortunately, men and women have been increasingly involved in an irresponsible destruction of the earth’s resources, resulting in widespread suffering, environmental degradation, and the threat of climate change. While scientific research needs to continue, it is clear from the accumulated evidence that the increasing emission of destructive gasses, the massive destruction of the American rain forests, and the depletion of the protective mantel of ozone (the so-called greenhouse effect), are all threatening the earth’s eco-system. There are dire predictions of global warming, rising sea levels, increasing frequency of storms and destructive floods, and devastating desertification and droughts.

These problems are largely due to human selfishness and greed which result in ever-increasing production, unlimited consumption, and depletion of nonrenewable resources. Solidarity with future generations is discussed, but the pressure of immediate interests is given priority. The ecological crisis is rooted in humankind’s greed and refusal to practice good and faithful stewardship.

Seventh-day Adventism advocates a simple, wholesome lifestyle, where people do not step on the treadmill of unbridled over-consumption, accumulation of goods, and production of waste. A reformation of lifestyle is called for, based on respect for nature, restraint in the use of the world’s resources, reevaluation of one’s needs, and reaffirmation of the dignity of created life.”

Statement approved & voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Administrative Committee (ADCOM) – Oct 1996. 

In the face of so many natural disasters occurring right now (think of the hurricanes and floods that have occurred just in the last week), it is a stark reminder of how those dire predictions mentioned in this statement continue to come true and that unfortunately the future state of our planet looks bleak.

In light of the church’s stance, perhaps we need to reevaluate our own stance when it comes to environmental stewardship. Do we REALLY care about deforestation and the consequential habitat loss for so many creatures that God created? Do we care that many delicate ecosystems both on land and in water, so intricately designed by God, are being destroyed at an alarming rate? Are we strong advocates against such acts of devastation?

Do we help individually by carefully choosing sustainable materials, by using chemical free products, by avoiding heavily processed goods? Do we minimise our waste by recycling as much as possible and minimising our use of disposables? Do we reduce our water, gas and electricity consumption? Do we buy only what we need? And so forth.

Being a good steward of the environment should really come naturally for a Christian. Just as we love God we should love His precious animals, plants and diverse environments enough to feel compelled to want to protect them. To do what we can. As the church has clearly stated, “Nature is a gift from God.” We are to look after it, respect it and in this age we need “reaffirmation of the dignity of created life.”

Weathering the (Melbourne) Weather

in Thoughts  by Jinha Kim 0 comments

I don’t like being cold.

So when we went to Mt. Buller a few weeks ago on a mini-getaway, while Roy taught Micah how to ski I was pretty miserable.

The wind blew the snow into our faces and Joshua and I decided to find shelter indoors.

Even though it’s September the weather in Melbourne is still dismally cold and rainy.  It’s enough to make optimists wonder, “Will spring come again?”

We Melbournians like to joke that there are four seasons in one day in Melbourne – but as far as I can tell these days, it’s just winter.

It’s amazing to me that someone looked at all the snow and cold and thought, “Hey, let’s make a game out of this!” and invented skis … and ice skates … and snowboards … and toboggans (my new favourite word – so much cooler than “sled”) – so that they could stay out in the cold even longer and enjoy the frigid temperatures.

I guess when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, and when life gives you winter, you make … winter sports.

It reminds me of a children’s rhyme:

Whether the weather be cold,

Or whether the weather be hot.

We’ll weather the weather,

Whatever the weather,

We’ll weather it,

Like it or not!

It also reminds me of Paul, the convert to Christianity who became its greatest advocate – he truly received every circumstance and made the most of it; he sang when he was imprisoned (Acts 16:25) and he gave thanks when he was weak, sick, insulted, distressed (2 Corinthians 12:10).

He said, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Not all of us are like Paul – some of us don’t want to speed downhill on treacherously slippery snow to our deaths strapped onto what look like torture devices and actually pay someone a lot of money to do so.  Some of us don’t want to praise when we’re sick or hurting.

But perhaps we can toboggan on a gentle slope and actually enjoy it.  Or pray through the difficulty and find peace.  Or cry with a friend and actually feel better through the shared vulnerability and rawness.  

So while I’d still like the weather to be continuously fine, at least there are ways to weather the seasons of life – through connecting with God and others, we may even learn to be content.

Encountering Satan

in Thoughts  by Bronwyn 0 comments

Does it scare you to think about demons roaming around and controlling people? What do you think of hexes and spells and spiritualism? Even when we know it is all around us, we can become complacent and ignore it. But if anyone, even the greatest skeptic, saw Satan laid bare in front of us and the work he was doing, we would be spurred on to really find our salvation and rest in Christ.

When I hear about demon possession, I get pretty scared. Satan and his demons should most definitely never be underestimated. They are a fearsome thing. In our own power, we are no match for them. But recently when it came close to me and my family, it really sobered me.

What sobered me was my ignorance, oblivious to all the signs and how I had been affected by it. I had not comprehended how real and near it was to me. I was not prepared for what impact it might have on me or my family by knowing and being near someone who was possessed. Most importantly I was in no way equipped to deal with it. This experience totally brought me to my knees.

‘Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ James 4:7

And yet so often we give the devil a foothold in our minds – a way in to our psyche. It may be hatefulness. It may be unforgiveness, jealousy, pride. It may even be games.

When we recognise these workings around us and we see how we can become entangled in the lies and deception that Satan and his demons want us to believe, we see how damaging it can be. People are hurt, relationships are tainted or broken and the effects can go on long past us.

‘Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.’ Ephesians 4:11

But thank our good Lord for His mercy and grace to protect us. We can’t do this alone. On our own, we are no match for a demon. This has helped me find prayer partners. The Bible says:

‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I [Jesus] am among them.’ Matthew 18:20

We are stronger together with others and with Jesus – that’s why we have church.

Patterns of Evidence: Exodus

in Thoughts  by Shane 0 comments

The last time I wrote for the blog, I reviewed the documentary “Is Genesis History?” which solidified my faith in Genesis’ account of creation through various scientific evidences. This time round, I would like to recommend another documentary that looks at the next book of the Bible, Exodus, from an archaeological point of view.

I came across “Patterns of Evidence: Exodus” on RightNow Media, thanks to the Melbourne City Adventist Church for providing access to this excellent website which has such abundance of good Christian material. My friend Shaun dubs it the “Christian Netflix” and I must agree with the comparison.

The director, Tim Mahoney, shares how he grew up learning about the Bible stories including the amazing account of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt. Almost every aspect of the Exodus seemed extraordinary so he wanted to see if there are any evidences to back up the whole account. The journey takes him different places across the world to interview many archaeology and Egyptology experts. Tim came across both discouraging and reassuring interviews and evidences in his journey. But ultimately, it was astounding to see that items dug up from thousands of years ago could reveal so many mysteries and be in such sync with the Biblical accounts.

God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). I find this text very true spiritually, morally, and other areas in my own life. But the Word of God is also used as a trustworthy history book for even self-proclaimed agnostic David Rohl, who is extensively interviewed during this documentary. New evidences continue to reinforce the Bible’s accuracy and reliability.

I hope that you will have some time to check this excellent documentary out. You will definitely be blessed from viewing it just like I was. If you do get a chance to watch it, let me know what you think about it and which part had the biggest impact on you.

Journeys Great and Small

in Thoughts  by Ben 1 comments

This week I have been thinking about journeys. Not least of all because I am preparing for an overseas trip to a family wedding but also, more broadly, life’s journey and the trials and tribulations it can bring. Even the very small troubles such as the irritating cold and flu going around this season. Life provides us with ups and downs, rough patches and smooth, straight and winding, and whatever other over-used analogies you can come up with – but whenever I think of life’s journey and the tests it brings I am reminded of a piece poetry I would like to share.

It was written by my uncle who has written articles, short stories and many poems but this is one of my favourites:

 BECAUSE YOU SHARE THE JOURNEY

Written for Robyn Stanley

“In gratitude to God for the ministry of your life to mine;

a most fragrant and precious gift.”

You make the road easier for me because you share the journey

Simply caring

Quietly listening

Understanding the silence

I don’t have to run to catch up because you are walking beside me

My strength is renewed

And my spirit is blessed

When words are hard to say

We celebrate God’s presence

Together we enjoy the fragrance of His Peace

Gently you hold the bruised reed

And I can rest knowing you will not break it

You have seen a broken reed before

And know The Healer

Gently you apply His healing balm

His Divine Gift to you

Suddenly I feel whole

Again I have heard His Invitation and felt His Touch …

Through you

Together we embrace Wholeness

And I thank God again; 

Because you share the journey.

Geoff Panckhurst

March 31 2003

I hope that you can find as much comfort in these words as I have.

The Busy Life

in Thoughts  by Ruth 0 comments

 

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” – Socrates

Modern life seems synonymous with a busy life. We are geared to be busy. After all, busyness is big business. From perfectly portioned boxed meals at our doorstep, childcare, to cleaning services, we are encouraged to outsource the basic necessities of our lives so we can keep up with the momentum of our busy lives.

Gone is the utopian vision of the 1950s, where they theorised that machines would give us more leisure time. Instead, machines are simply aides to make us even more productive.

Now, we do derive some pleasure from our toil (Ecclesiastes 2:24) but to have a life consumed with busyness is not the abundant life Jesus spoke about (John 10:10). Instead, a busy life although having the buzz of productivity lacks the zest of vitality that comes from the source of life itself, God.

The story of the two sisters, Martha and Mary, is a short poignant lesson on being preoccupied with busyness.

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

Martha is ‘distracted’ with serving. If the word busy was used it would be a fairly banal description. The word also begs the question, “What was Martha distracted from?” Could we propose that modern life is not so busy as it is distracted?

Jesus ignores Martha’s request but goes to the source of the issue by commenting on her state of mind. She is ‘anxious’ and ‘troubled’ over ‘many things’.  That probably indicates it is not merely the serving of guests but her life in general. Her life is concerned with so much except with the ONE thing it should be focused on.

Martha had invited Jesus to her house but she was distracted from him by the cares and toils present in her life.  Here the source of life was in her home yet she remained anxious and troubled.  How could she possibly be anxious when the maker of all things is in her home?

It is easy for us to invite Christ in our lives through prayer or thought but our minds are preoccupied with many things leaving us anxious.

Our busy lives leave us distracted from the one thing that is necessary for a good life.

If we could only choose the ‘one’ thing to be concerned about, the many things we worry about will fade. To lead a life free from anxiety and trouble is a true blessing. May we be able to describe our lives as abundant instead of busy.

How Great Thou Art

in Thoughts  by Jinha Kim 0 comments

pianoguysOn Saturday Sue introduced us to The Piano Guys’ mashup The Mission/How Great Thou Art featuring two of the Seven Wonders of the World: the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil and the Iguana Falls in Argentina.  It’s a stunning music video not only because of the amazing videography of the 30-metre statue of Jesus overlooking a 700-meter cliff as well as the 2.7 km stretch of 275 waterfalls, but also because of the message it emotes through sound and sight.

As the harmony of the cello and piano soar through the awesome space, one cannot help but feel and think: this is worship – to lift up one’s soul to the Creator and confess, “How great thou art” – because He created such beauty in nature, and because He created us to enjoy such beauty and to respond through music and other forms of expressions that we call praise.

But true worship is inspired by more than beauty or blessings.  

Praise does not come merely from hearts full of gratitude; praise can flow from hearts full of pain and anguish.

Job was a man who lost everything in one day – all his wealth and the lives of all his children.  After hearing the terrible news, the Bible records:

“Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship  and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:20-22 NIV).

Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned for preaching about Jesus; but the Bible says, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25 ESV).

Jesus was crucified; yet He quoted Psalm 22, which starts with “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” but ends in “It is finished” and is full of refrains like, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you” (Psalm 22:22 ESV).

Praise can come from pain when we cling to God in our suffering and acknowledge that we don’t know the end from the beginning and that we still believe in God’s goodness and mercy, despite the feelings and circumstances before our eyes.

As I re-watched the music video of the Piano Guys performing “How Great Thou Art,” a comment caught my eye that led me to discover that the pianist’s 21-year-old daughter had tragically died in a hiking accident in 2016.  But Jon Schmidt, the pianist, continues to perform – no, praise: “I’m still grateful… we need to remember all the of the wonders, all the times that God did answer our prayers in the way we wanted to” (from “Frankly Faraci”).

It was an inspiring reminder that while we may be sick, broke, lonely, and hurt, we can still sing:

“And when I think of God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing He bled and died to take way my sin.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour, God, to thee – how great thou art… how great thou art

Then sings my soul, my Saviour, God, to thee – how great thou art… how great thou art!

Jesus is always the reason we can still praise – even in our pain.  For “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).