How to stay alive to the beauty of God's world

In a 1976 lecture, English Literature Professor Clyde Kilby gave ten steps on how to stay alive to the beauty of God's world:

1.     At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above me and about me.

2.     Instead of the accustomed idea of a mindless and endless evolutionary change to which we can neither add nor subtract, I shall suppose the universe guided by an Intelligence which, as Aristotle said of Greek drama, requires a beginning, a middle and an end. I think this will save me from the cynicism expressed by Bertrand Russell before his death, when he said: "There is darkness without and when I die there will be darkness within. There is no splendour, no vastness anywhere, only triviality for a moment, and then nothing."

3.     I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day, or any day, is merely another ambiguous and plodding twenty-four hours, but rather a unique event filled, if I so wish, with worthy potentialities. I shall not be fool enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence but just as likely ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual manhood.

4.     I shall not turn my life into a thin straight line which prefers abstractions to reality. I shall know what I am doing when I abstract, which of course I shall often have to do.

5.     I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others. I shall stop boring into myself to discover what psychological or social categories I might belong to. Mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

6.     I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their "divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic" existence.

7.     I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood and try, at least for a little while, to be, in the words of Lewis Carroll, the "child of the pure unclouded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder."

8.     I shall follow Darwin's advice and turn frequently to imaginative things such as good literature and good music, preferably, as Lewis suggests, an old book and timeless music.

9.     I shall not allow the devilish onrush of this century to usurp all my energies but will instead, as Charles Williams suggested, "fulfill the moment as the moment." I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is just now.

10.  Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life in the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls Himself Alpha and Omega.

Quick Thought: The Church of Today

After reading through a few church and ministry visions and goals...

I fear the day when our goals as the body of Christ is merely to be a 'positive influence' and to make people 'feel valued'.

Does that not undervalue the gospel of the Cross of Christ?

He came, He died, He rose, to be much more than merely a 'positive influence' and to make people 'feel valued'.

The Unfair World

Is it just me or is there something wrong with these two vastly diifferent views seperated by just one road?

The Downfall of Asian Culture

Over the past weeks something has been going through my mind and even though I haven't had much time to ponder over it, I know I have thought about it previously and I have taken a solid stance on this issue.

This issue is the asian ideals of academic excellence: striving and putting all your efforts in to be top, perfect, or number one.

I've seen so many people in my life waste their lives away in pursuit of that OP1, of that VHA10, or the GPA 7. These people dedicate their entire lives on working hard in their studies, putting academic achievement at the top of their priorities. They want that perfect mark, to sit at the top of the heap, and to confirm their supposed intelligence.

But what's the problem about this? Isn't it good to aim high, to be the best you can be, and to work hard to get the qualifications you need for the high paying job you want? Yes, in essense that's good, but isn't that the problem? Secular life is all about me. I want to be the best. I want the lazy high paying job. I want to confirm my superiority and intelligence.

Is life only about gaining intelligence, or a pursuit of careers? Is life about me? The answer is no. Life is about God, and giving glory to our awesome creator. God doesn't care if you're the smartest person on earth, or if you have the best qualifications or the best job. What He cares about is the service and worship you bring to Him. Yes, some people are gifted and can get good marks without much fuss or hassle. But for all of us, shouldn't we spend our time on things that matter, things that will reap heavenly treasures? Someone recently said "Put your efforts in Jesus, because He is the sure winner". That made me question myself... What is stopping us from putting all our efforts for Jesus? He's the only sure winner in our rollercoaster lives.

Another person I recently talked to put it this way. Why do we put this extra effort into getting those extra marks? For example, we may have 10 contact hours a week for a subject. By studying the whole 10 hours you can get a GPA5. By adding another 5 hours, you get a 6, and another 5 hours, a 7. Are those extra hours really worth the extra marks in eternity? Wouldn't it better using that extra time serving God and sharing the gospel?

Asians in this generation really need to rethink the ideals which have been put upon them by the previous generations. We need to re-evauluate our priorities and focus on what's important and what will really reap the rewards in eternity.

Where is the world going? part II

Yes... where is the world going? Part one was talking about the disasters and all the bad stuff happening in the world... Part two is on the same wavelength, except its slightly different... Part two is about architectural disasters! Now you may ask... 'what in the world is that?' but its easy! Look around next time you go down to the city, and ask yourself... does this look right? does everything seem in place? If you rock up in Paris, you'll be greeted with classical archways, and then you will be bombarded with the most beautiful buildings in the world... from all different architectural eras. The only rival to the stunning Paris cityscape is probably the classical architecture in Rome. But back to to the topic.... Next time you look around when you're heading into city... ask yourself what looks wrong? And you will picture this:

Yes, this is the building being constructed at the moment... Brisbane Square. The idea is from the Federation Square design in Melbourne... except the design leaves food for thought. Whoever came up with the colours for this design should be shot immediately. For one, my architecture friends and i shiver everytime our bus passes this 'lankmark'. The colours are bright and vibrant... totally contrasting with the polluted river, stone treasury buildings (and others), and does not look in place. The second reason why I don't like this building is it shields the visibility of the Brisbane city hall from the river entrance. I didn't reaslise this until a few days ago. Was this planned? If it was, I'd like to see the reason why the council/developers would want to hide the 'heart' of Brisbane. I think above the first six levels, the design isn't too bad, but I won't comment too much on the first few levels...

Contrast this to one of the beautiful buildings in Guang Zhou, China at the moment:

Guang Zhou Museum (The "Swan" by night)

Where is the world going?

The 21st century has been marred with many human tragedies... terrorism, war, famine, drought, flood, air disasters... just to name a few. But i can safely say that the world at this very moment in time is in total chaos. I remember the day when there was no such threat of major conflict or terrorism... but now, its evident left, right and centre.
A chill goes by my spine everytime i hear the words 'breaking news' on TV... it usually means something disastrous has happened. I was shocked when i heard about the 'conflict' occurring in Israel and Lebanon. I guess some wars can be justified..... but where do these governments draw the line between 'going to war'? Then a few days later... the whole breaking news about the terrorist plots in London appear. It already is a risk to get on a plane to US/UK, but now its almost like suicide. My thoughts of going to france/italy etc. to check out the architecture around there have vanished by travel fears. This new escalation in terrorism is a depressing and chilling reminder to the world of the lengths these people will take to achieve their purposes.
This leads me to the question... why do people seek war/conflict/pain? There is enough loss of life as it is from natural disasters... yet, people still have this vicious intent to kill. Personally.. I can't even stand conflict with any one of my friends, yet these people gain pleasure by hurting people. It just goes to show how mucked up the state of the world is at the moment...

Different label, same deal...

You know, I thought being a uni student would tell everybody that I am an older and more maturer person, people would treat me that way... but I guess i was wrong. My opinion still counts as zilch. My comments are always jumped on with criticism and doubt. Not a single thread of benefit is laid to me, which is worse than before when I was sometimes given the benefit of the doubt because I was 'a kid'. I just feel so useless... so small... so restrained. Everything i have done feels like nothing now. When i offer my time and effort, I get debated with, ignored and looked down upon and sometimes i can feel the anger and hatred against me because i seem to think more wider and outside the box.

These past few months, I've been thinking of using the exit door. Other people and groups have chased for my effort and time, but i have for many years been faithful. I don't know if there is any point of staying in a place that i dont feel comfortable. I dont feel like anything positive is being achieved. People seem to all decide to stuff up my life at the same time....

Maybe its time for a change... a new setting... a fresh start

but for now, its just a maybe...

Christianity too structured? only from society's view!

Today, i was talking to one of my best friends when the topic of religion came up. We both refuted the big bang theory, he was for evolution, i was for adaptation (which is not mutation of genes and so on), but then he said that religion is too structured, and organisational these days. I must say, that i have to agree with him on that one, well thats the society's view of christianity. He thought that religion should be based on one's understanding and point of belief, which is one major part of coming to a relationship with God. All the interdenominational wrangling, the spiritual heirachy business (all the deans and popes and whatnots) and christian factions which have become way too outspoken have tinged the great name of God in the eyes of the lost. Companies like Hillsong have sometimes gone too far organisationally, and have taken away their sole purpose in need for consumer exposure. Affairs relating to high profile religious figures (who i doubt are even deserve their high profile place, or even of 'the faith' if they get caught for sexual misconduct and other vile crimes) do not help the image of christianity.
For me, i did not come through some organisation of brainwashing or any kind of pressure. Sure, i went to sunday school, but that means little. I became a christian in my own way. I had the information about Jesus and sin and so on. That wasn't my struggling point. I pieced history, based on facts, with the bible. I pieced christian teaching with good morals. I pieced the history of the world with the history of God: the bible, and everything fit perfectly. I had no doubt in my mind that God was the way. Jesus is the way to God, He is the truth, and He brings eternal life to me and everyone who believes. This is my own way of coming to the point of belief.
Christianity is not an organisational cult. It is personal. Me and God. You and God. It doesn't matter what everyone else says or thinks. In the end it is God.

Christians... but not Christians

When I look around myself, i know many non-christian people, and also many christian people. But there's something I don't get: some of those christians are just christians by name, non christians by faith. They all say they are christian, and sometimes even boast or try to evangelise, but if you look at their lives, you cannot see any christian example. I know that God forgives their sins and wrong doing, but the thing is that i doubt their conversion to begin with. They swear, they put God's name in vain, they act probably worse than non-christians at times, but then they say they are Christians. Their priorities must be mixed up in some way, and peer pressure is probably a big influence in their lives. These people must nudged back into the correct path somehow, before the devil can utilise this potential spiritual weapon.
Christians have been severely marginalised and stereotyped in the modern world. The concept of christianity has been stained by those who are not putting God as their first priority, and this adds to the misconception of the only true God in the universe. It is my personal desire to correct this misconception, and to tell the world that christianity isnt a bunch of crazy people who desire rules and regulations which make life boring and not worth living.

My True Family

Today I have visited both the pinnacle and the deepest trench of my life. The highlight was my friends that came over for my birthday party. They all have contributed so much to my life, and since I feel that i am a people's person (i like being around people that genuinely care and are friends with me). thats a great feeling. The low of my life are some of the problems in my family. I have communication problems with everyone in my family (probably cos of age diff) and there are times when i am emotionally so low that i just want to run away. Thankfully, I have never gotten to that point, even though i get frustrated a lot, and when i am thinking properly, i know that my family cares for me even though on the outside they are all grumpy and naggy. However, what has kept my heart and soul going is my greater family: God's family. These people always put a smile on my face, laughter ringing in my ears and the feeling of care that i am blessed to have. These people are my real family, with my direct family, in the family of God. I am grateful for these great people, who sometimes give up their time for those they care for. Today, I was very upset because of these family communication breakdowns just before my party, and I was feeling the worst i have in the past 3 or so years. However, my great buddies that came to my party cheered me up, put a smile on my face, and like magic im on a high in my life. These guys are the best. You know who you are. THANKS LOADS!

joshi

God's Science Vs Man's Science

I feel that the modern generation have been led to believe a science made and encouraged by mankind. This science contradicts nearly everything the bible states, and is interpretted to be proved correct, lowering the authenticity of the bible. However, I have heard of many stories about scientists and historians, who decided to look into the authenticity of the bible against history and science, and everything makes sense! But why doesn't the world know about these revelations? It's because of mankind's selfishness. The men in power have created the 'mainstream' belief about evolution and billions of years etc., and do not want to change it, and damage their own careers. These beliefs about evolution and big bang have invaded everywhere... even high school and primary school teachers tell us that these theories are true, totally forgetting about the bible, and its validity.
But this is another problem in society that needs to be changed. People need to be more aware of the validity of the bible, and the truth it holds. People must know why the bible is true, the facts behind it, and the history that backs it all up. People need the evidence and the truth, explained to them in simple terms, so that they may be able to decipher for themselves the truth, and the make a decision with all the facts, not just the mainstream beliefs and theories. Some topics that I have come across are: how Adam and Eve's family intermarry and reproduce without having genetically disfunctional kids, the carbon dating proving billions of years, dinosaurs, evolution, etc. In all these topics, science has actually proved that the bible is right, and those scientists that claim otherwise, are wrong. Science is on God's side, and no man can disprove God's word, the Bible.

The Misconception of Society

In the past week i have engaged with many conversations with friends and other people about the topic of religion, and a very big misconception, misinterpretation and misunderstanding is very obvious.
The issue about catholics, protestant and christians. It's true that there is some big variations between the different denominations and these three 'religions' in general, but I have one question to pose: what is their main belief? Is Jesus the head of their church, or is it some guy or other thing. I'd like to see society be more aware of WHY there are denominations, but also be aware of the things that we all hold true. I, personally, don't subdivide christians into protestants and catholics etc., I rather be aware of what they really believe in, and if they hold true to the Bible, and if Jesus is the head of their Church, then I'd put them into the group of Christians. If not, then in another group. This issue, i think, is tearing apart the secular view of christianity, and is a hindrance to the growth of the church.
The normal secular guy thinks that all these are different, and are sometimes confused at why there are so many denominations etc. They also poke fun at the internal division if they know about christianity as a whole, but dont believe (maybe because of this division). Something that comes through this is unity of the modern church (or lack of). Maybe if we present a united view of the church, taking away all these barriers, then maybe more people will come to the light.

"miraculous" God moments

There are times where you can clearlysee God at work providing us with miracles. Figs is normally a very quiet study time, because the kids are quite nervous at speaking up, so we prayed about it particularly this time, and its like magic! It was definately the loudest, most productive study I have ever been in, in the 2 and a half years I have been at Figs. Never have I seen such profound and thoughtful answers, and the conversations that were started during the study, I was truly amazed at God answering our prayers.
There is another 'God' moment i frequently have. Every thursday night I have to walk to badminton and back home. The path there is quite dark, sometimes can be dangerous, because there have been a few armed robberies around that path, and gangsters hang around near that place sometimes because its a back alley on the way to garden city. But anyway, at times i pray to God that he will safely get me to or from badminton, and show me the way so i'm not scared. Twice, when i saw teens loitering around (they actually made a mini heat bomb thing and wasted a few windows on a 4wd once), i was offered lifts home from generous people whom i dont know personally, but i just know them from badminton, and some other times when its really late and dark, theres always a car every interval with lights showing me the way home. it may be coincidence sometimes, but i feel that God is looking after me.
These are some of those moments which clearly point to a real and loving God we have!