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<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027</id><updated>2024-03-07T19:17:44.393+00:00</updated><category term="Spiritual Growth"/><category term="Christian Living"/><category term="Hardship / Struggles / Pain"/><category term="Spiritual Direction / Guidance"/><category term="Significance / Life Purpose"/><category term="Relationships"/><category term="Current Affairs"/><category term="Change / Progress"/><category term="God's Love"/><category term="Friendships"/><category term="Truth"/><category term="Forgiveness"/><category term="Church Life"/><category term="Encouragement"/><category term="Tragedy / Death"/><category term="Inspirations / Poem"/><category term="Prophecy"/><category term="Philosophies"/><category term="Discipleship"/><category term="Other Religions"/><category term="Evil"/><category term="Supernatural"/><category term="Worship"/><category term="Mentoring"/><title type='text'>Reflections on Life and Spirituality 101</title><subtitle type='html'>"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default?alt=atom'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default?alt=atom&start-index=26&max-results=25'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>88</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-3492510977342002181</id><published>2011-08-10T21:28:00.006+01:00</published><updated>2011-08-10T21:55:13.971+01:00</updated><title type='text'>London Burning / UK Riots - Where we came from and where now?</title><content type='html'>People are asking: What has gone wrong? Here are a few thoughts (actually, more for myself to make sense of the world)...
 
 <img src="http://blog.recipro-uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Building-on-fire-from-London-riot-300x168.jpg" />
 
 When children do not grow up guided by the knowledge of God within a healthy family unit, you inevitably end up by default, absorbing the values from the likes of:
 
 <div><div>1. Consumerism ("me, me, me", I do what as long as it is suits me, pleasurable and feels "right for me")
 
 </div><div>2. Liberalism (which says that it is morally ok to abort babies when it is inconvenient and euthanize in the name of mercy - what are we saying about the sanctity of human life?)
 
 </div><div>3. Video gaming culture (e.g. X-box, with depictions of destruction, violence and killing in stark reality without any real consequence)
 
 The UK used to be a Christian country, but the foundational checks and balances in the country have been removed over the decades:
 - Decline in loving and supporting family structures
 - No male role models - fathers (and father figures) have been sidelined
 - No appropriate discipline in schools
 - No authority figures in schools
 - Culture and legal framework where potentially harmful influences are permissible (e.g. recreational drugs, extended pub/drinking hours)
 
 Where there are no checks and balances, young people grow up without being accountable to anyone in a meaningful way - and nothing to nurture their inner moral compass and to establish a proper respect for authority: What can we expect from our young people but to end up as human beings with a spirit of lawlessness and no vision of a future for themselves? They have nothing to lose.
 
 Conventional wisdom may say that poverty can lead to desperation, and then eventually to crime. That is correct in one aspect. But human brings are poor in many ways, not merely financially impoverished (which for the latter, the UK is not).
 
 This week has illustrated the high price the rest of society have to pay for the removal of the foundations that has made Great Britain great. Those foundations need to be put back in place.
 
 As a Christian, I take in what the Bible says and warns us in this matter:
 
 "Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind will make your heart glad. When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful." (Proverbs 29:17-18)
 
</div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/3492510977342002181/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=3492510977342002181' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/3492510977342002181'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/3492510977342002181'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2011/08/london-burning-uk-riots-where-we-come.html' title='London Burning / UK Riots - Where we came from and where now?'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-3540338660093797032</id><published>2007-08-31T10:25:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2007-08-31T14:52:15.819+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Friendships"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Relationships"/><title type='text'>Being a Friend of Worth</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104793728133219170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 20px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="166" alt="Traveling together" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJi69PvE775R6gacNd_WT741Paojh_4OfZrif-UDebidQ3r0maeo0YiQmhJZvIRtguxta0g72RiGbslPFIx-XkzFGmAtKnRzskDY8MIOb3PGeZPO2Am9tdsFZUixnGJZAqx90fRQ/s320/Friends_Traveling_edited.jpg" width="305" border="0" /></a>I stumbled across an article about friendship which I kept from many years ago about the underpinnings of having deep friendships that are based on biblical principles. Back then, having meaningful friendships was something I desired greatly, and I guess that was why I kept the piece of paper. Reflecting on this article, I am inquiring afresh: Are these chracteristics realistic to expect and pursue in friendships in this day and age? What model can we follow? Read on to see what you think... Being a Friend of Worth In today's highly mobile society, friendships tend to be superficial. God's word, however, gives us a model for life-giving and enduring friendships. The friendship between David and Jonathan recorded in 1 Samuel 23:15-18 portrays the vital characteristics of biblical friendship. <ul><li>A friend meets the need of another Jonathan risked his father's wrath to help the very man who was a threat to his own position as heir apparent to the throne of Israel. Seeing a need in David's life, he reached out to meet that need. Authentic friendship involves having a concern not just to find "my kind of friend", but to meet the needs in other people's lives.</li></ul></li><ul><li>A friend encourages his friend in God Jonathan encouraged David to be directly dependent upon God when he was threatened by bitterness and discouragement. The yardstick to meansure the worth of our friendship is, "Is our friend stronger in God because of the time he or she spends with us, or is spiritual growth a side issue in our relationship?"</li></ul></li><ul><li>Friends share deep common interests David and Jonathan shared a common love for God and His people. What common interests do we and our friends share? Friendship is borne out of the linking of many threads, and the quality of those interests will reveal a great deal about the quality of our friendship.</li></ul></li><ul><li>A friend is committed to help his friend realise God's purpose and potential for his life Jonathan selflessly declared to David, "... you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you..." A great Russian novelist said, "To love a person means to see him as God intended him to be." Jonathan not only saw the potential in his friend, but also acted to bring that potential into reality.</li></ul></li><ul><li>True friendship involves declared loyalty and commitment David and Jonathan did not simply drift in and out of their friendship. They made a covenant before the Lord. Verbally acknowledging to our friends that we value and are committed to them frees us to be more effective friends. Practising verbal commitment and encouragement is not one we all find easy. Yet, when we get past that threshold into having friendships that are based on a deep sense of commitment and loyalty, that's where the masks are removed and true comradeship can begin.</li></ul>The Word of God says that we have a Friend who can lead us into true friendship. And there is a friend that is closer than a brother. Here, we have in the bible, models of what it is to be a friend: Firstly, through the foundations of our relationship with Christ -- this preeminant Friendship that should reign, direct and guard over our earthly friendships. Secondly, we have yardsticks from godly people in history that demonstrate to us the dynamics of loyalty, encouragement, declared commitment, shared purposes, and sacrifice. -------------- In our lifetime, I realise that we would be extremely blessed to find two or three friends that exhibit the kind of characteristics stated above. In the process, some investments to develop friendships will pay off, others will not. That's one of life's realities. In the course of disappointments and unfulfilled expectations, many of us would have stopped short of not finding companions for the long journey because we have given up, and resigned to operate at a relatively superficial level; never getting to a point of being real. Back to my orginal questions: Are these chracteristics realistic to expect and pursue in friendships in this day and age? What model can we follow? We often talk about "finding friends". But the biblical model is less about searching for friends. Instead, it encourages us to look outwards to "be a friend" based on a strong foundational relationship with Christ: A man who has friends must himself be friendly; But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Ps 18:24, NKJV). I am reminded that it is more important to BE the kind of friend that we expect others to be to us. This is in contrast to us expecting others to meet our needs. Since the many years I have kept this short article, I have come to see the truth that is inherent in some of the principles that have been brought forth here. I have gone a bit further in developing the kind of friendships which are life-giving and enduring. As usual, the Lord's wisdom in this matter rings true, if we stick to it.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/3540338660093797032/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=3540338660093797032' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/3540338660093797032'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/3540338660093797032'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/08/being-friend-of-worth.html' title='Being a Friend of Worth'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJi69PvE775R6gacNd_WT741Paojh_4OfZrif-UDebidQ3r0maeo0YiQmhJZvIRtguxta0g72RiGbslPFIx-XkzFGmAtKnRzskDY8MIOb3PGeZPO2Am9tdsFZUixnGJZAqx90fRQ/s72-c/Friends_Traveling_edited.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-8241482015569987412</id><published>2007-08-06T22:13:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2007-08-07T17:15:45.202+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Change / Progress"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Spiritual Growth"/><title type='text'>Keeping the Fire: Essentials for the Journey</title><content type='html'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBVFimTjnrviFUe7-7JAVoIoHwUtICwHYi05sNfp7VoD0CZ2jK3Lucqe5hsu5wlBxkXarnP4q_pkVd3dwsF0Rxz7VyAHq23QBhMM1OGOQg437WWLIGFGorapMJxvqTuCzR1zErw/s1600-h/Bags.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095985916424898658" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 40px; WIDTH: 285px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 168px" height="179" alt="Essentials" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBVFimTjnrviFUe7-7JAVoIoHwUtICwHYi05sNfp7VoD0CZ2jK3Lucqe5hsu5wlBxkXarnP4q_pkVd3dwsF0Rxz7VyAHq23QBhMM1OGOQg437WWLIGFGorapMJxvqTuCzR1zErw/s320/Bags.jpg" width="288" border="0" /></a>Assume that you have been walking with God for many years. If someone asks you, what's your secret in keeping your relationship with God strong? What would you say are the ‘ingredients’ that have brought you so far in your own journey with the Father? During the process of compiling my own list, I found the exercise a soul-searching mirror to examine my own journey with the Lord, the past, the present, and a view towards the future. Here's what I came up with... <ol><li>Reading God’s Word and making it real in our lives We often compartmentalize studying the Bible as a separate activity instead of making it part of who we are and what we do in our lives. To make our spiritual walk real, it needs to be in the ‘fibre’ of our beings. Reading the Word of God is not a 'to do', it is more of a 'to be'.</li> <li>Prayer and listening to God The Bible calls us to unceasing prayer. This may sound complicated and difficult to do. Instead of thinking about prayer as an activity for God, one can think of prayer as an awareness of God, where we can seek to live in an uninterrupted awareness of God presence everywhere we go. </li> <li>Single-mindedness and abandoning ‘other gods’ There is something in every one of us that makes us prone to cling to things and people. The issue is not that we stray – we all do – what matters is that we have the awareness and mechanism to keep abandoning ‘other gods’ that have come to sit on the throne of our lives on a regular basis.</li> <li>Determined mindset to grow In our journey with God, our spiritual levels grow, then often stagnate and plateau (this is not uncommon). Hence, having a deliberate mindset to grow and ask the Lord, ‘what’s the next phase’ is a good habit to have.</li> <li>Staying free and avoiding places of bondage God calls us from darkness to light, into freedom. The Bible has countless stories of people who have been liberated from bondage, healed from illnesses and freed from things that have bound them from living a full life. Those who follow Christ have been freed, but we need to continue to stay free and not look back.</li> <li>Resiliency and overcoming hardships, disappointments and hurt It’s all too easy to say that God is good when situations are easy. But sooner or later, life is guaranteed to deal us a bad blow and we will face difficult circumstances or crises situations. The manner we respond to adverse circumstances by standing on the word of God and allowing it to shape us is important, rather than letting the circumstances define who we are. </li> <li>Sensitivity to the voice of the Shepherd and promptings of the Spirit This is about our dependence on the promptings of the Holy Spirit, understanding the way we best relate to God, and hear His voice. A ‘spiritual pathway’ has to do with the way we most naturally sense God’s presence and experience spiritual growth. Usually, we all have at least one pathway that comes most easy to us. We also have one or two that are most unnatural to us and require a lot of stretching for us to pursue. The following are various pathways: Intellectual, Relational, Worship, Service, Activist, Contemplative and Creation pathways. Understanding our pathways is crucial.</li> <li>Handling desert periods Spiritual deserts – where one feels bored, idle and God seems like He is absent – are not uncommon when one is a Christian. One has to expect it. Sometimes being in the can be due to sin in our lives, other times there can be no apparent reason. The real issue with spiritual deserts is not that every Christian goes through it, but what one learns from being ‘in the desert’. </li> <li>Becoming a blessing and revealing God’s light A river is alive only when it is flowing. When the water in a river stagnates, the river will slowly die. This is similar to our walk with God. If we withhold blessing towards others directly through our service for God, or do not share with others His goodness in our lives, then the fire inside may dim.</li> <li>Harnessing the force of relationships <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095983786121119826" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 40px 10px; WIDTH: 167px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 207px" height="220" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVcsknLvPGZ1GU11j3y6M3Gnl8Grs7mtUfeqLG5OEm_antow6zRuqiYwdVm6usqprqgrxCHTUflhxKcAuq_nOBtFgDe4lsd9GstxlqmFvSX4ig3t9vOPFJvr1TZpAPcQw2JiFuQ/s320/Climbing_together_2.jpg" width="167" border="0" /></a>Being a community together with brothers and sisters in Christ can often be a blessing, yet there are ‘hassles’. Some people think that ‘flying solo’ in life is the way things should be. It avoids the trouble of conflicts and getting hurt from getting ‘too close’. However, the force of relationships and community to shape and build us cannot be underestimated. There is strength in having companions who are ‘nearby’ - fellow sojourners that know us, accept us and will not allow us to be stagnant in our spiritual walk. </li></ol></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/8241482015569987412/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=8241482015569987412' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/8241482015569987412'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/8241482015569987412'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/08/keeping-fire-essentials-for-journey.html' title='Keeping the Fire: Essentials for the Journey'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBVFimTjnrviFUe7-7JAVoIoHwUtICwHYi05sNfp7VoD0CZ2jK3Lucqe5hsu5wlBxkXarnP4q_pkVd3dwsF0Rxz7VyAHq23QBhMM1OGOQg437WWLIGFGorapMJxvqTuCzR1zErw/s72-c/Bags.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-1122150336784544339</id><published>2007-06-25T21:24:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2007-06-26T08:19:51.625+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Change / Progress"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Spiritual Growth"/><title type='text'>Who Knows Whether...</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080103982168967202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 20px 20px 0px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" height="240" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRWARtUwhK59oop72SA8qMwe8RagFNIFy5ubyeEC18WF1LjkkM1S0V3FaAF7QYZELxoKn-NsXo50wXIIdQLT3mgXQJus8wsXE1ILhWMcmQ5ZFxlY_N2Dq2uoDIAHFVGM-d5zXIA/s320/Prayer.jpg" width="300" border="0" /></a>I was reminded of the Lord's healing available for every child of God last week. That statement is somewhat controversial on its own, I know. But without going into the theological debate of the cause / effect of a healing process, whether we should always expect God to heal when we ask, or how much does faith plays a role in the process - in principle, God's healing is available to every believer if we ask. The reason why I am reminded of the whole area of healing is because I had a tough sprain in my back during my recent trip to Zurich. And so, during the Sunday service past, as the pastor uttered a prayer for healing for people who needed it, I stood there wondering whether I really wanted it enough to step out to receive. It was a general prayer so I did not need to step out. However, I asked myself: If God really spoke through a prayer in a word of knowledge to ask for a person with a back problem to step out to be healed, would I? Because in every call, there needs to be a response; and in every response, there is a cost to pay: We must abandon our pride, forgo the fear of what others think and allow others in. That's a cost. We must put away the posture of the child-ish and adopt the child-like. For some of us, that's a cost. It disrupts the cocoon of complacency that we are familiar with, into the unknown. That's a cost. It may mean we have to face things we do not want to face. Facing our fears represents a huge cost for most of us. Healing. I have seen people refuse help when they need it; push others away when what they need is to receive from them; remain passive when they should step up. This is in every one of us, some aspects more than others of course. Whether we like to think of ourselves this way, we lick our festering sores. We jealously guard the injuries that should be cleaned and bandaged. We learn to passively accept our wounds as 'the way things are'. Sound familiar? In this instance, I have a physical injury. But many of us carry emotional baggage that we are not willing to give to the Lord to deal with; childhood wounds inflicted on us through our family upbringing, tragedies, sickness and death. It's too easy to stay 'safe' because there is no effort to remain that way. It's all too convenient to stay comfortable in the notion that life has dealt us a bad blow, so we have ready excuses towards being 'this way'. In the final analysis, liberty isn't gained by being silent, passive or safe - it is bestowed when we actively embrace who God says we are. But that means stepping out into the light where God can work in us to clear the dross and move us forward. I don't have the formula of how it works. Nobody has, except God. But this I know: Our faith in the power and character of God, mixed with a single-minded determination to set a compass toward wholeness, freedom and growth - nothing will be impossible. Perfect love does cast out all fear. I am reminded of the question Esther asked herself and the others around her: "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080109161899526194" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 40px; WIDTH: 324px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 311px" height="281" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQKCBS_h9NTtDqk0F7up5o4hXHH85ShOnnEU_Fn_dT5n5UPgFBK2ktNUOCgCEA-QrwLZKbPYEhwcFGKfP0xFWYO0At5vvmGQXhXJ6psujhuFkSx_1V2J-1Co4LxYc0omdzo09RQ/s320/Hanging_on.gif" width="272" border="0" /></a>Dare we ask the 'who knows whether' questions? Dare we not remain completely silent? Dare we stand and fight? Dare we continue the climb? For me, in the face of opposition and weariness, akin to the injury I am carrying in my back at present, I have been reminded that I need to answer these questions more decisively in His power. To respond when God calls me to respond. To stand my ground and not run. To infuse faith in the face of fear. Confront giants through the Spirit of the Almighty. To allow others to come scale seemingly impossible heights together. To conquer and subdue mountains that set itself up against the knowledge of God. From our vantage point, it always seems like our mountains are so high and there is so much more of the mountain to climb. Yet, I am also reminded that I have a God whose ways are higher still. And so we need to ask those God-centered possibility questions: Who knows whether if I take God at His word, what healing I'll find? Who knows whether if I step out how high I will scale? Who knows whether if I let godly people into my life what blessings I'll find? Who knows whether God has put me here for such a time as this? Who knows? The Father does. His Word says that perfect love drives out fear. That I know. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/1122150336784544339/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=1122150336784544339' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/1122150336784544339'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/1122150336784544339'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/06/who-knows-whether.html' title='Who Knows Whether...'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRWARtUwhK59oop72SA8qMwe8RagFNIFy5ubyeEC18WF1LjkkM1S0V3FaAF7QYZELxoKn-NsXo50wXIIdQLT3mgXQJus8wsXE1ILhWMcmQ5ZFxlY_N2Dq2uoDIAHFVGM-d5zXIA/s72-c/Prayer.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-6000680837408071057</id><published>2007-06-18T23:42:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2007-06-20T15:53:32.094+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Change / Progress"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Hardship / Struggles / Pain"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Relationships"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Significance / Life Purpose"/><title type='text'>Father's day letters to Dad</title><content type='html'><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Wish-Had-Said-Reflections/dp/1860245676"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077786495125456914" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="297" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwzk3l2Wt7VO9juiBrzXnTP3v7iJpbXFXJSIKnZzvKd6vA4tUpODeJknPXeF3n2eh_38gQJD-VOwZPUshHPa4GrAawHEzW54AgHY-ZfkS0-t5rDm8KFFFYZbnUtlaz6f8iVXJ3w/s320/Reflections_Father_Son.jpg" width="320" border="0" /></a> During this father's day weekend, I spend time reading this book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Wish-Had-Said-Reflections/dp/1860245676">Things We Wish We Had Said: Reflections of A Father and Son</a>". This book is a collection of person letters between Tony Campolo and his adult son, Bart. The themes in this book are appropriate for Father's day. It raises the kind of questions that strikes at the core of who we are (Continue to read at your peril): When I was growing up, did I feel of value? Where and who gave me the sense of significance and security? Why am I who I am? Who are my greatest supporters and cheerleaders? In one instance where Bart felt he had completely lost his bearings and lost at sea, he recalls a visit by his family, and a life-changing pep talk from his mum: <ul>"Bart," she said, "you don't have to just stay here and feel helpless and defeated. You are a smart young man and a loving young man. But right now you have stopped looking at the people around you as people to be creatively loved, and you have started to see them only as part of a situation that is hurting you. You've become selfish. That isn't like you. You can certainly come home if you need to, but before you do, I think you need to see what God has brought you here to learn, and who he has brought you here to love and care for. Maybe you won't be a big star to everybody else, after all. But Dad and I believe in you, and we think you can make it here if you remember who you are." Further on, Bart continues to write in a series of letters to his dad reminiscing as an adult what his dad meant to him and how his dad made a difference in his life: That visit changed everything for me. The situations did not resolve problems overnight, of course. When you left, I faced the same problems with the same deficiencies I have before (and still have). My attitude, though, was transformed because I knew that even though I might fail sometimes, I still was infinitely valuable. Even though I couldn't solve everything, I had the ability to make a difference wherever I happened to be. Together, you reminded me of my indestructible sense of personal significance. I know I am infinitely precious because as long as I can remember I have been infinitely precious to you. You see, Dad, the things that mattered most to me when I was a boy, and that still matter the most today, were those times when you let me know I was your highest priority in the world. Over and over again, you said things and did things that made me sure that I was more important to you than your work, your money, your possessions, your adult friends, and even yourself. <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077781929575221250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 220px" height="292" alt="Father and child" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhgf3VHKru2pON6S-WLvm77xoGVfy9RJ9byJRXTNio3T6szAPIPPqibNQsksAnLlLb3iC6Hd2ed1wE040HvYFlBvXNjVBf4oKhFbOc6dE8VShCcshH6jpE__x_8ARJ5J6-fQbmw/s320/Copy+of+Father-Child1_edited.jpg" width="286" border="0" /></a>The times that I remember best, though, are the times I spent with you. I love those memories best of all, Dad, and they're a big part of who I am. That's the whole point of these letters for me. My childhood is gone, and I will never be able to be with you the way I was with you as a little boy. I will never be that small, and you will never seem that big again. But I have my stories, and they comfort me when I am overwhelmed by the world, when I am too old all of a sudden, when I lose my sense of wonder. They are all I have of my boyhood, and the reason I wish we had spend more time together is that I wish I had more of them now. It isn't that you didn't do enough, you see, for I would always want more. You were the king of the world back then, the imp of fun, the man with all the answers, the one who could always fix what was broken. You made life seem magical to me. When you die, Dad, I will surely go to pieces for a while, because I still count on you more than anyone knows, but in the end I will be all right. I will have my stories, and in them I will always have part of you, the part that tells me who I am and where I came from. I only wish there was more because what there is means the world to me. Love, Bart</ul> It was strange — as I flipped the pages through the lens of someone else's experience with his dad, I felt warmed and heartened. At times, I recognized the closeness which the authors touched on between father and son in my own life. Other times, I yearned that my relationship with my own dad could be more like theirs. Maybe deep inside we all yearn for someone to believe in us, to cheer for us, to honor us, and in certain small way uncover the value that God sees in every single person He's fashioned. We don't always get that in the world we live in. When you were growing up, did you feel valued? Where and who gave you the sense of significance and security? Why are you who you are? Who are your greatest supporters and cheerleaders? These questions are ones many of us would rather avoid so that we can 'get on with life'. Because it hurts to ask these questions. It forces us to face wounds that are in every single one of us. I am reminded that yearnings in us raise questions of life - they are windows to our soul and must not be ignored. If we do not seek real answers to our yearnings, we would be playing it safe, but the wounds in us will never heal. For me, God has brought me a long way on this journey. Over the past few weeks, He is challenging me to go further. By His grace, I will have the courage to (I hope you too). Watch this space. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/6000680837408071057/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=6000680837408071057' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/6000680837408071057'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/6000680837408071057'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/06/fathers-day-letters-to-dad.html' title='Father's day letters to Dad'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwzk3l2Wt7VO9juiBrzXnTP3v7iJpbXFXJSIKnZzvKd6vA4tUpODeJknPXeF3n2eh_38gQJD-VOwZPUshHPa4GrAawHEzW54AgHY-ZfkS0-t5rDm8KFFFYZbnUtlaz6f8iVXJ3w/s72-c/Reflections_Father_Son.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-7261487553305341648</id><published>2007-05-03T17:49:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2007-05-09T15:15:54.260+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Change / Progress"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church Life"/><title type='text'>Shooting your dogs</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060378145263155394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 260px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px" height="236" alt="Shooting your dogs!" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0GmZfreJdyscJPQ2CLYLUftcY2v5PYXOrSMuVnby4i4_d8nQtHnhL-NfDVB5COvwpi29S2l48z-lGsBulPDn4CjDhjXtH1A_5YtmS8LJ7ln7NBx4QahKiAwgjulhyrvlrRpwIQ/s320/Shooting-Gun.jpg" width="280" border="0" /></a>I am currently reading this book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Reformission-Rev-Leadership-Innovation/dp/0310270162/ref=sr_1_1/103-0609219-5074200?ie=UTF8&s=books&amp;qid=1178210619&sr=8-1">Confessions of a Reformission Rev</a> - a witty yet profound book about church leadership. In it, the author, Mark Driscoll asks and challenges church and fellowship leaders: Do you have the guts to shoot your dogs? He explains: "Dogs are idiotic ideas, stinky styles, stupid systems, failed facilities, terrible technologies, loser leaders and pathetic people. Most churches and fellowships know who and what their dogs are, but simply lack the courage to pull the trigger and shoot their dogs. Therefore, it is vital to name with brutal candor the people, programs, structures and ministry philosophies that are dogs needing to be shot. Be sure to make it count and shoot them only once so that they don't come back and bite you." Harsh words, but sensible truths. I was thinking about my own church and fellowship. What are the dogs do we need to shoot? Here are the ones I came up with... <ul><li>Situations where the pews that we sit on week after week listening to solid, challenging sermons are warmer than our hearts</li></ul><ul><li>Individuals that do not look to be part of the solution, but never realise that they are part of the problem</li></ul><ul><li>People cliques that are warm towards the 'inner circle ', but cold and neglecting towards strangers and outliers</li></ul><ul><li>Circumstances where individuals burning out, whilst many observers and 'consumer-oriented' folks are sucking the church and fellowship dry</li></ul><ul><li>Passitivity in men who lack the spine and the balls to overcome barriers, take up the mantle, and seize what God has called them to do</li></ul><ul><li>Missing depth and realness in relationships, never getting pass the nicey-nicey chit chats </li></ul><ul><li>Visitors and newcomers walking in and out without properly engaged and without anyone even noticing</li></ul> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Reformission-Rev-Leadership-Innovation/dp/0310270162/ref=sr_1_1/103-0609219-5074200?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&qid=1178210619&amp;sr=8-1"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060380739423402194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdu7JiwT9AXeR1HZeBPrKo0S8miJtsdkEyJb4CEE84LTuPuzQDuvDcoUNhgsCfWq59l6-wCQtxPKn7R8AKjzMDIQoh-PBKDSVOCRcj5r7DS-7bWlzQhPuxpGBLy6tLA0vn0_fJw/s320/Confessions-Rev.jpg" border="0" /></a>The book has certainly made me ponder. I am definitely not excluded from being part of guilty parties that feed one or more of these dogs, or even being that dog. Shooting our dogs -- doesn't that sound harsh? Well, I like the following reminder from the book: Pastors and leaders of fellowships must fight like a soldier, train like an athelete, and work hard like a farmer (<a href="http://bible1.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=2+Timothy+2%3A1+-+7&section=0&amp;version=niv&new=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;oq=&NavBook=2ti&amp;NavGo=2&NavCurrentChapter=2">2 Tim 2:1-7</a>). As leaders, we must exhibit God's grace, but we must also be tough. May the Father give us the wisdom to strike the right balance, and not err on being weighed down by either extreme. I wonder if any of these dogs sound familiar to you, or if there are anymore? </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/7261487553305341648/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=7261487553305341648' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/7261487553305341648'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/7261487553305341648'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/05/shooting-your-dogs.html' title='Shooting your dogs'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0GmZfreJdyscJPQ2CLYLUftcY2v5PYXOrSMuVnby4i4_d8nQtHnhL-NfDVB5COvwpi29S2l48z-lGsBulPDn4CjDhjXtH1A_5YtmS8LJ7ln7NBx4QahKiAwgjulhyrvlrRpwIQ/s72-c/Shooting-Gun.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-6207076301984682699</id><published>2007-04-21T00:38:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2007-05-03T09:31:12.244+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Hardship / Struggles / Pain"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Spiritual Growth"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Tragedy / Death"/><title type='text'>Expressing the Inexpressible</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057515085703903378" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 25px; WIDTH: 303px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 188px" height="227" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOOUN769r9uL4DyPGNVFSe5j01PmFUNTgHJMmhlim8Egj3T75VD6s2gaDSBgfI5rAY6haNMSfwaP3Cxst_CNCD5DRl43KYWvm5yodSPb51_KVXL0455F8YQkQC-pKwOosRIp4rg/s320/Snowdon6.jpg" width="306" border="0" /></a>I made a trip last week to Snowdonia National Park - one of the most awesome places of natural beauty in the UK. But during this same weekend, there is a void inside my heart that is pulling stronger. You see, it's coming to a year since my gran's passing, and April 13 was her birthday. This weekend has been an dizzying infusion of experiences -- through the struggles of aching muscles, the elations of hilly ascents, and the harmonic pauses of vast mountain tranquility, I am reminded that expressions of beauty - akin to feelings of loss and notions of heartache -- are, more often than not, inexpressible. I'm struggling to unscramble what my heart feels to express -- to untangle and describe the part of my heart that feels a silhouetted void. People say that when someone you love leaves, it takes a piece of you with them. I wonder if this is what they mean: this sense of heartache that I feel. Like a shadow that casts over the heart when I am reminded that I can no longer go over to gran's house to see her. Or that despairing thug that I feel whenever I am reminded that I cannot anymore hear her words of wisdom and encouragement that I so dearly miss. How can I describe the loss of someone who has most loved me? Here's what I have been struggling with... It's weird you know - there is a fear within me that I will forget her, and what she has left behind in all of us. My gran has demonstrated without measure how so fiercely loyal the love of God is for those of us who call upon His name. The constancy of the Father's faithfulness overflowed in good measure even through through her fears and failings. Hebrews says that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. The witness is in the way they lived their lives -- those who testified as a sinner, but forgiven as if a saint through the sacrifice of Christ. The witness is also in the way God has used them for His purposes - inspite of all the failings and frailty of their human weakness, the manifestation of God's power shines radiantly through. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-2) <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057516146560825506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 40px 30px 20px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 204px" height="223" alt="Snowdonia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBEZHUfV2QhZAVerGyNlp6RB0yAEM_aFa7DyfGWnhnvk5lBlGwQ1b6s_XZ-wCDKpDLGOHED2dtRX2jtUQdyD9QexIo805qV46IdS909zQd3WeVxIV8AEKuQ8izw4PgfTphEqYGg/s320/Snowdon2.jpg" width="291" border="0" /></a>As I was bowled over by the majestic mountains, and as the far-reaching landscapes of Snowdon gradually pan by through the window panes of a mini-bus, God whispered, "She's in a place more beautiful than this". I realise I miss her. The ache still surfaces at unexpected places through a picture, song, story or landscape. The views were spectacular, but the reminder was bittersweet. For me, it brought into rememberance the endurance race that we, as children of God, are in. I am reminded of how powerful, and necessary it is for us to have a sense of people from the present and the past cheering us on. This cloud of witnesses, as the Bible puts it, are cheering. They are spurring us on: Will you finish? Will you run and make us proud? <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057517490885589170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 20px 40px 10px 50px; CURSOR: hand" height="200" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJRW0Nrb25-TmxFbM_JwxzN4qzptYVJP7AAF0mp165FaN_D5mHBgAP6FrB3Ms2S8f0NxU07WeHZmdXx7mGKi3FFmUOdxEvkkQluEpwBuuJWLVngPaeNPcdEePtAYqMRpkQNcFjw/s320/Snowdon5.jpg" width="295" border="0" /></a> For me, amongst this crowd of godly citizens, I can imagine my gran staring fondly at me, with a soft smile and a determined gaze, saying: "I have made my journey, now you make yours." "Run on and make me proud." Hearing those words made me sad to be reminded of my gran. But I sense a welling-up in my spirit, with renewed fuel for the journey. Yes, I am reminded that it's all about a long-haul journey: Run well and run vehemently. Finish the race in the right place. Make sure I cross the right line. Finally, come bearing fruit. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/6207076301984682699/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=6207076301984682699' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/6207076301984682699'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/6207076301984682699'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/04/expressing-inexpressible.html' title='Expressing the Inexpressible'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOOUN769r9uL4DyPGNVFSe5j01PmFUNTgHJMmhlim8Egj3T75VD6s2gaDSBgfI5rAY6haNMSfwaP3Cxst_CNCD5DRl43KYWvm5yodSPb51_KVXL0455F8YQkQC-pKwOosRIp4rg/s72-c/Snowdon6.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-8341476315947771026</id><published>2007-03-15T15:34:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2007-03-16T14:33:56.094+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Current Affairs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Other Religions"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Prophecy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Truth"/><title type='text'>Truth, Isa al-Masih and the Qu'ran</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042196072328599906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 25px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Islam" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAVCX3IfmK2qCcuTpninCbUSzvpWzgSsjUMFqYA3HVyp6HIuvRm-zXM9x-AzJNGgh0g_N1ByH9YMSK9sAFxeWGt2ygpOqdrvS46nFCZS9suXkEGy29dyG5fx7Nb2K_e5uY2aJIg/s200/Crescent+moon+-+Islam.jpg" border="0" /></a>I recently attended a seminar on 'Understanding Islam' and found it fascinating. Isa al-Masih (Jesus) is of course mentioned in the Qu'ran and I had a glimpse of what the Islamic texts had to say about Him. What I discovered was somewhat surprising and I saw God's sovereign Hand at work in the Islamic world. Between Islam's call to acts of piousness, the September 11 incidents and global terrorism, one can lose sight that Christ is actually a very important figure in Islam. The following was what I discovered about Jesus in the Qu'ran, which amazed me... <ul><li>Jesus is referred to in the Qu'ran as a "Word from God" and Messiah "When the angels said: O Marium [Mary], surely Allah gives you good news with a Word from Him (of one) whose name is the '. Messiah, Isa [Jesus] son of Marium, worthy of regard in this world and the hereafter and of those who are made near (to Allah)". (Qu'ran - Al-Imran 3:44-45, SHAKIR) Contrast this to Jesus being called the "Word of God" in John 1:1-18</li> <li>The Qu'ran refers to God killing Jesus "And when Allah said: O Isa, I am going to terminate the period of your stay (on earth) and cause you to ascend unto Me and purify you of those who disbelieve and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve to the day of resurrection; then to Me shall be your return, so I will decide between you concerning that in which you differed." (Al-Imran 3:54-55, SHAKIR) I find it interesting that the Qu'ran has a concept which is so biblically accurate! </li> <li>God's sovereign plan in Christ is also for the Muslims <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042200573454326130" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 203px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 167px" height="236" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDE95WfWtcGXeQsm1hQrYrBi-tXLW08LnxtmV0RndlVlRKH-ywnqcc5mAfVKdlL9QxvE106USDcb-9-Hn8vFYWaRp9Kna7yRiU79THJbVZTH31rNjhvKlrioL9cqSPl4OH2o2pQ/s320/Cross5.gif" width="244" border="0" /></a>Lastly, Christians may be tempted to view Muslims as the enemy, but in actual fact, they are as much the victims of deception, thrown off by lies from the evil one. Millions of Muslims, when they read and find out about the Jesus of the Bible, fall in love with Him. God loves a sincere Muslim seeking for the Truth -- all around the world, Muslims are finding Jesus -- or should we say that Jesus is finding them, appearing to them supernaturally in <a href="http://www.dreamsandvisions.com/English/">dreams and visions</a>. A stat I heard quoted recently: Since 1991, annually, 2,750,000 people leave their religion to become Christians, and most of these people are Muslims. On the other hand, 750,000 a year leave Christianity -- so there is a net gain of 2million Christians annually (most of them Muslims). Does it make you wonder why there is a jihad against the "enemies of Islam"? <ul>God says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Is 55:9-12)</ul></li></ul>I had not realise the extent of God's hand is already working. I am reminded that we need to pray against the spirit behind the facade of this religious ideology, but at the same time, love the people that are caught under its grasp. Sometimes this is easier said than done -- we ourselves come with so much misconceptions. In all of this, I have come see the revelation of Christ that God is giving to Muslims through THEIR own book. That to me, is totally astonishing -- considering the barriers that their religious and political authorities have put in place to "retain the sheep in the fold". In the Bible, Isaiah 66:18-20 provides us with prophetic hints as to what is to come. In the seminar, I was informed that almost all the nations mentioned in it (when mapped to current day countries/ regions) are Islamic nations - places like modern day Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Indonesia. <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042204073852672386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 25px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="218" alt="Prophecy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1tyb4Wf9hWnb0Ac6Iz4_cKEnsdCwS9kGGuy9k_IZpvU7qGCFw2WMzcCFy1yTV_2Az3BzGK2kqmZurz7I8Tvc1oh76S4BSeaqbZ9X370eOz2a0aQNQfi9vT7FuGh-_353pL88-A/s200/Biblical+Prophecy.jpg" width="152" border="0" /></a> <ul>"For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. (Is 66:18-20)</ul>These are perhaps 'early days' yet to see the Lord's hand unfold, but I am reminded of how sovereign God's plans are. I am reminded of how much he loves even the Muslims, who in many instances are a people under bondage. In Christ, the captives will eventually be set free. And make no mistake, the Truth will set them free. Watch this space. For more information, see <a href="http://www.answering-islam.org/">http://www.answering-islam.org/</a> </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/8341476315947771026/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=8341476315947771026' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/8341476315947771026'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/8341476315947771026'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/03/truth-isa-al-masih-and-quran.html' title='Truth, Isa al-Masih and the Qu'ran'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAVCX3IfmK2qCcuTpninCbUSzvpWzgSsjUMFqYA3HVyp6HIuvRm-zXM9x-AzJNGgh0g_N1ByH9YMSK9sAFxeWGt2ygpOqdrvS46nFCZS9suXkEGy29dyG5fx7Nb2K_e5uY2aJIg/s72-c/Crescent+moon+-+Islam.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-3248836613695292691</id><published>2007-03-02T09:00:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2007-03-19T10:46:10.752+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Encouragement"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="God's Love"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Significance / Life Purpose"/><title type='text'>Finding the Heart to Encourage</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037268544018789906" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqc1mQUw_JDMYwEFharnEj5G3Nvc5Xh7Wcxw8Jd46qj_Dw7TzmLRKtdNFwE3UQEOHtOTuEN3SPBnF_L8nRgeJJqBv3q_WPxR0MAkkq6myd4BO174n7qXscVIvh4LBu0b0i_lSfNA/s320/Encouragement-Climbers-Posters2.JPG" border="0" /></a>I am presently on holiday spending time with family and friends. In the course of time together, a young person shared a burden of discouragement with me. Discouragement from harsh words with good intent to "improve" him. Discouragement from always being indirectly told that they are not good enough. Discouragement from the incessant silence of loving words that perhaps should be expressed more directly. When was the last time you were encouraged? When was the last time you encouraged someone? Encouragement can be a powerful thing. This may be obvious and much talked about, but in practice, there is not that much of it really going around. I am reminded of a time when I've been a receipient of such a blessing. Gazing back, I realised that the few words this person said to me carried with it the power to change the course of my life, and it did. Ironically, the words spoken to me more than 20 years ago, so instrumental in defining who I am -- is now coming back full circle. Why? Well, the person who bestowed the blessing 20 years ago is the same person who is the parent to the young teenager now confiding in me about his disappointments. It's weird - I feel strangely compelled 'repay the debt'. What I have received then, now I want to give back because I am in a position to - because of what was given. What I am learning: <ul><li>What goes around comes around. What you sow is what you reap.</li> <li>Encouragement begets encouragement. When one "gets it", then you will recognise how powerful it is (and can be). </li> <li>Sometimes we can be blind to giving it to the persons that need it most. People who are most "related to you" may be the ones that need it the most. But we can take it for granted that they do not yearn for it.</li></ul>Encouragement is becoming a much needed commmodity that is becoming scarce. When was the last time you were encouraged? When was the last time you encouraged someone? </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/3248836613695292691/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=3248836613695292691' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/3248836613695292691'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/3248836613695292691'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/03/finding-heart-to-encourage.html' title='Finding the Heart to Encourage'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqc1mQUw_JDMYwEFharnEj5G3Nvc5Xh7Wcxw8Jd46qj_Dw7TzmLRKtdNFwE3UQEOHtOTuEN3SPBnF_L8nRgeJJqBv3q_WPxR0MAkkq6myd4BO174n7qXscVIvh4LBu0b0i_lSfNA/s72-c/Encouragement-Climbers-Posters2.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-1622434071542780072</id><published>2007-01-19T16:38:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2007-01-19T18:31:35.137+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Discipleship"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Inspirations / Poem"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Spiritual Direction / Guidance"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Spiritual Growth"/><title type='text'>One of Life's Riddles...</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021789986511885986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 30px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 306px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px" height="213" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylq7E-aqmZo9icceYu4f_r552RPSBNTEjIri_N95SIfCgCtT6ZdYaLMWsSeMYF4Dw8fMlYJ1xJOnJmVNvFOlqf5xSExLG25uTtXUE77TUkBVDMSjsWanmhKfeonFz0OsbFdzzgQ/s400/Long_Journey3.jpg" width="321" border="0" /></a>To come to the pleasure you have not You must go by a way in which you enjoy not. To come to the knowledge in which you have not You must go by a way in which you know not. To come to the possession you have not You must go by a way which you possess not. To come to what you are not You must go by a way in which you are not. Quite deep. I was slightly puzzled over the above "riddle". What way? How? Definitely worth a ponder yourselves before proceeding. It made me reflect and search. Here's what I found... <ul>To come to the pleasure you have not You must go by a way in which you enjoy not. <ul>"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (<a href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=Matthew+7%3A13+-+14&section=0&amp;version=nkj&new=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;oq=&NavBook=mt&amp;NavGo=7&NavCurrentChapter=7">Matt 7:13-14</a>)</ul> To come to the knowledge in which you have not You must go by a way in which you know not. <ul>"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (<a href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=Matt+11%3A28-30&amp;section=0&version=nkj&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;new=1&oq=&amp;NavBook=lu&NavGo=9&amp;NavCurrentChapter=9">Matt 11:28-30</a>)</ul> To come to the possession you have not You must go by a way which you possess not. <ul>"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (<a href="http://bible1.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=Matthew+10%3A37+-+39&section=0&amp;version=nkj&new=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;oq=&NavBook=mt&amp;NavGo=10&NavCurrentChapter=10">Matt 10:37-39</a>) "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (<a href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=Luke+9%3A23-25&amp;section=0&version=nkj&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;new=1&oq=&amp;NavBook=joh&NavGo=3&amp;NavCurrentChapter=3">Luke 9:23-25</a>)</ul> To come to what you are not You must go by a way in which you are not. <ul>"Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (<a href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=john+14%3A5-6&section=0&amp;version=nkj&new=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;oq=&NavBook=mt&amp;NavGo=10&NavCurrentChapter=10">John 14:5-6</a>)</ul></ul> ************************************** Now I understand. Hope you got it too. "HE must increase, but I must decrease." (<a href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=John+3%3A30&amp;section=0&version=nkj&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;new=1&oq=&amp;NavBook=mt&NavGo=11&amp;NavCurrentChapter=11">John 3:30</a>) Note: The above poem is taken from "Ascent of Mount Carmel" by St John of the Cross </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/1622434071542780072/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=1622434071542780072' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/1622434071542780072'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/1622434071542780072'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/01/one-of-lifes-riddles.html' title='One of Life's Riddles...'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylq7E-aqmZo9icceYu4f_r552RPSBNTEjIri_N95SIfCgCtT6ZdYaLMWsSeMYF4Dw8fMlYJ1xJOnJmVNvFOlqf5xSExLG25uTtXUE77TUkBVDMSjsWanmhKfeonFz0OsbFdzzgQ/s72-c/Long_Journey3.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-6528918301617060113</id><published>2007-01-13T10:11:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2007-01-13T11:00:56.890+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Forgiveness"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Friendships"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Relationships"/><title type='text'>Finding a route through unforgiveness</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019458751278061154" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 20px 10px 40px; CURSOR: hand" height="185" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ED085DV5OusmPf2WYizIipgqXk_N3-_qgyVDYvsNib5hhdgL3bBp-5Uw18iLt-WvECwy_yZbdqpDwrJ_0y42Me2FTjSut4VhiW0ML4AGp9QGkSggR8G5Nyob-a_TQS9GpNxdIQ/s400/Footsteps+to+nowhere_edited.jpg" width="178" border="0" /></a>It's strange - over the past few months, I have been experiencing a sense of "grief" over the loss a close friendship. What added to the burden was the fact that the separation was precipitated by an offence committed against him through my own fault (one may even say stupidity). We have talked at length about the offence, and I have put forth so many sorries requesting for forgiveness, but to no avail. As with most conflict situations, the first offence often creates subsequent offences. Hence it was not a case of a one-sided offence. So what does one do when the other party cannot (or refuses to) forgive? Standby and wait? Or walk away completely? Through these unfolding events, I am learning more about the nature of forgivess, and what it means to be forgiven. Here's more... <ul>Forgiveness before God first. For me, I felt that I needed to stand before God to ask for forgiveness first. It's not merely about the wrong that one has done and the hurt caused. Because the first fruits of repentence need to stem from standing before God first, and asking for forgiveness. We can feel sorry because of many reasons e.g. to remove guilt just to make us feel better. These do not result in us clinging closer to God, but rather, to focus on self away from Him. <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019460847222101634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 15px 20px 0px; WIDTH: 269px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 123px" height="123" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNDP3pP8BiHDtT3Q74r1R7jsaeu9MMc0id4rPn2sWsyyn_5slCD98qZfQvMLRSsQvoU0dMYCj7EyJx9Ne-zgVlNrb_5bD9QxukZtpXhfhtm61aFiM_t3H7POiJe_UgY-rbTtPYw/s400/Cross4.gif" width="222" border="0" /></a> The desire for vindication. Here, the element of choice needs to be rigorously exercised - choosing not to retaliate, choosing to protect the other person's reputation, and choosing to preserve the other person's freedom without trying to manipulate the circumstances to "make it better". If bitterness and resentment grows (by us taking vindication into our own hands), what is at stake is who we ultimately become. We can follow the path of Christ, or towards the path of barrenness. Protecting our walk with God. Satan is all to happy to use a conflict situation to start tear down what God is doing in our lives; he may use the words of common friends or bystanders to the situation to discourage; or try to convince you that to disqualify yourself from the race because you blew it. Here, one needs to choose God (and His Kingdom's purposes in you) above all adversarial messages thrown at you; and in many ways, ignoring the voices of guilt in order to press through - Only when one abides in the Lord's strength can one maintain resolve - "to walk and not faint" as the bible puts it in Isaiah. Responding in love. In broken relationships, there will be a desire to not want anything good for the persons involved for something they have done (or not done). Instead, God calls us to not only not retaliate, but to not withhold good from those who have offended or hurt us. It is during times like these when our sacrifices and obedience to God costs something and authentic. Again, only when one abides in the Lord's strength can one maintain resolve. Our natural instincts and notions of what love is often not the kind of love God calls us to towards. We learn only as we obey - there is no way otherwise. In matters with people, our hearts learn in doing what our minds can only theoretically comprehend. Discerning the right time to walk away. It can be very human for us to protect ourselves from further hurt and make a decision to walk away from a conflict situation. It is probably right to say that there has to be a time when one needs to stem the 'bleeding', but that time needs to be determined by God's leading and not merely our reaction to hurt. <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019459760595375730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 20px; CURSOR: hand" height="196" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwpnTR0Rv8fi4UWeti-AqLcT0ZAjOLwBEt5bKebQXc_gNYswCk3wjJ4KyqsdRcbrAg1l_ICCAce5C3HkMWrQ4WI8WZBJvY-Hs9inDIfIsL8VT2qHDqjtuMpu-NnVbfp3nWb06rg/s320/Road+to+nowhere_edited.jpg" width="302" border="0" /></a>Ecclesiastes 3 says, "... a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak..." -- that is no doubt true, but the "time" mentioned in these passages can only be fruitful, and in some cases redeemed if it's fully given to the Lord for His keeping. If it is indeed the right time to walk away, God needs to first give us the release in our spirit. This was what I sensed this week: that it was right (and the right time) to close the door and walk away. Differentiating between unforgiveness and reconciliation. In the end, there needs to be freedom and liberty with all parties involved. We should not continue to be in bondage to resentment and unforgiveness. However, whether there should be reconcilition, remains another matter. Unforgiveness remains the shackles that bind us. So forgiveness is mandatory from God's perspective. Reconciliation, on the other hand, is what we can do after we are free. For instance, from a Christian perspective, a wife who has decided to walk away from her physically violent husband needs to forgive her husband. But whether there can be authentic reconciliation is dependent on whether her husband changes his ways. Sometimes, there is no desire for a future relationship, and to not be reconciled is necessary to preserve freedom. </ul> Someone once said: Our deepest longing, our greatest hopes, our very cherished relationships, our most vigorous pursuits, and our most condemning weaknesses - all need to be subjected to the all encompassing person of Jesus Christ. Where you fix your eyes, there is who you will become. Indeed, Christ will take the fallout from broken relationships if we let him, and then we are free to move on. But the point is that we have to move on - sometimes that means that one should be prepared to walk away unreconciled (with our conscience clear before God of course). Relationships that do not break will be stronger. On the other hand, relationships that do break and do not mend should not be a burden that ties us down. We continue to run the race. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/6528918301617060113/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=6528918301617060113' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/6528918301617060113'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/6528918301617060113'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2007/01/finding-route-through-unforgiveness.html' title='Finding a route through unforgiveness'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ED085DV5OusmPf2WYizIipgqXk_N3-_qgyVDYvsNib5hhdgL3bBp-5Uw18iLt-WvECwy_yZbdqpDwrJ_0y42Me2FTjSut4VhiW0ML4AGp9QGkSggR8G5Nyob-a_TQS9GpNxdIQ/s72-c/Footsteps+to+nowhere_edited.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-6562385346893117008</id><published>2006-12-15T10:21:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2006-12-15T11:04:20.589+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Friendships"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Relationships"/><title type='text'>Relationship Foundations - Part 2</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008705051887405442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 20px 0px; WIDTH: 221px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 156px" height="152" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWGrsdYhlT0NNqgBXpme5fy44Ih1zBGUtDFCcbhnTsy6IyjiXiTdnwUKtr0xdbqxLNFXVz4jRR6_HvwmfE5feClDRPqnU4JsP0iE1bf0Jyi92APSEb8YDZXOdPOORF-Cu1tKDWQ/s320/Scales2.jpg" width="213" border="0" /></a>10 Rules for Fair Fighting All of us need to be able to have healthy confrontational conversations, especially in close relationships. The question is how do we fight, yet preserve the integrity and intimacy in our relationships? In other words, how do we fight in relationships yet stay within the boundaries of love? There are no methods to apply because people matter more than methods, but the following guidelines may be helpful... 1. No ambush Make an appointment to talk: (a) for a certain time and place, (b) for a certain issue. 2. Present your arguments sensibly As preparation for the discussionm work out for yourself exactly what you want, and the reasons why you want it. Organise your arguments. Be sure that what you are asking for is really what you desire, and that it's the real issue which is being discussed. 3. Listen carefully to your partner Every time your partner makes a point, restate the point in your own words to make sure you understand exactly what he/she means. Before you respond to any point, check to be sure that you understand how your partner feels. Ask questions. 4. Stick to the issue Fight about no more than two related issues at a time. If side issues are raised, these must be laid aside for another fight. Past history is nearly always irrelevant. Don't pin labels or attributes on your partner. ("You're always...", "You never...") 5. Agree on what kind of behaviour is acceptable This needs to be negotiated between the couple. Some possibilities are: acceptable posture (e.g. standing or sitting), tone of voice, no coercive behaviour, etc. 6. Keep all blows above the belt By the time a couple has spend time together each knows the sensitive areas of the other. they know just the area in which the other can be hurt. Attacking these areas is a "foul" (in sports analogy). This assures that the belt line is not dishonestly set higher than need be. 7. Don't over react While it is certainly appropriate and necessary to fight about relatively minor issues so that they don't build up, do not fight with more force then the issue warrants. Are you hiding larger feelings behind something trivial? 8. If you can't settle the issues, table it for a later, specific and agreed upon time Often a complicated issue cannot be resolved in one sitting. A temporary truce can often be helpful in rethinking one's own position, cooling off, or simply recovering from fatigue. Time and place to resume the discussion should be agreed upon. 9. If you can agree, decide how to carry out your decision Who will do what, is there a deadline? 10. If you are later dissatisfied with the decision, you must make an appointment for another discussion </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/6562385346893117008/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=6562385346893117008' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/6562385346893117008'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/6562385346893117008'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/12/relationship-foundations-part-2.html' title='Relationship Foundations - Part 2'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWGrsdYhlT0NNqgBXpme5fy44Ih1zBGUtDFCcbhnTsy6IyjiXiTdnwUKtr0xdbqxLNFXVz4jRR6_HvwmfE5feClDRPqnU4JsP0iE1bf0Jyi92APSEb8YDZXOdPOORF-Cu1tKDWQ/s72-c/Scales2.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-3656481925058561660</id><published>2006-12-10T19:37:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2006-12-28T08:51:41.438+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Spiritual Growth"/><title type='text'>Mastery Over the Word, or its Mastery Over Us?</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5007027895730741826" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 35px; WIDTH: 252px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px" height="189" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGxa9xi8Rh9eyGKG_f8h8yfNwWkJCAF_6gN8sFlpnbAQQowcSMeywXl-b14Gb2N4RgjIMYQzemLdZHnp9AFKv0QLOIU7YaXaIGdxKEkhmUw0bk7Q4BNGY4nPzkuC6r5umj5Zd3A/s320/Bible_2.jpg" width="269" border="0" /></a> We often think that one of the goals of the Christian life is to have mastery over God's Word in the Bible - to understand and commit it into our hearts and minds. But in reality, it's the other way around. The real fruit comes to bear when God's Word has mastery over us. If most of our experience of reading God's word has not been an uncomfortable one, then we have not been truly reading. If it has not collided with increasing frequency with who we are and what we do, I wonder if the Word has truly incise deep enough to remove the cancer of sin in our lives... "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." When Christ said, "Abide" - He is not calling us to stand in the middle ground. He meant total immersion. Not a sprinkling here and there. He called for absolute saturation. Not the miniscule scattering of the spray. He destined us for radical surgery. Not cosmetic changes. As we are heading towards a new year, I am asking: "Is there less of me and more of You, God? Is it my desire, or a relentless obedience to Your Word?" I am reminded: Christ in us, the Word of God made flesh in us. Are we having mastery over God's word, or is God's word having mastery over us? </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/3656481925058561660/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=3656481925058561660' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/3656481925058561660'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/3656481925058561660'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/12/mastery-over-word-or-its-mastery-over.html' title='Mastery Over the Word, or its Mastery Over Us?'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGxa9xi8Rh9eyGKG_f8h8yfNwWkJCAF_6gN8sFlpnbAQQowcSMeywXl-b14Gb2N4RgjIMYQzemLdZHnp9AFKv0QLOIU7YaXaIGdxKEkhmUw0bk7Q4BNGY4nPzkuC6r5umj5Zd3A/s72-c/Bible_2.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-1946520456714375162</id><published>2006-12-08T11:29:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2006-12-08T15:32:19.579+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Discipleship"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Evil"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Forgiveness"/><title type='text'>Turning the Other Cheek</title><content type='html'><a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006137106628649474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 30px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 258px; HEIGHT: 151px" height="204" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrd2XOj2Naqpb3tA-CJ_wAYoXJ4a4_ZCBl1RdptfUnlw04eSswPX7N14gI-2LrvHPLH_mUO9WvhVTGO6Ee4UK3Go_TguUijQ6ZkQrNh1R8zBnuD4NdeZOBVuCxDi1agyXtOQDWw/s400/Crown_of_thorns.jpg" width="306" border="0" /></a> <div>“You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matt 5:38-42) Imagine these scenarios: <ul><li>A person criticizes you, or ridicules your faith in a sarcastic manner – how do you respond? </li><li>Someone has hurt you in the past. But an opportunity presents itself to help them. Do you freely oblige, or do you think, “I can’t be bothered, why should I help a person that has hurt me?” </li><li>Imagine your employer legislating that Christians can no longer wear crosses, or be able to speak about your faith in the workplace. What should be the biblical response? </li><li>How does one respond to a situation like with what is happening with the <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3561-2459101.html">Christian Unions</a> in Britain?</li></ul><div>With these scenarios, Jesus says to us: do not resist – And this poses us with a dilemma as to whether this an unqualified non-resistance to ill-intent? Is Jesus really advocating absolute passiveness when we are wronged, or when evil is committed against us? Does it mean we have to give up our rights completely, and be a doormat? If you answer ‘no’, where do we draw the line? <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006144412368020002" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 20px; WIDTH: 207px; HEIGHT: 224px" height="268" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfijDPU02WB3ALfSLfVwwBDHpGE4q4qdXgyABXLEErdTOX47hdlcH8Z04uN_rKLS5wZRf4wXcxQS1Zi2zVn6RuZCvMM9VP1XbbP5Q64YHhpMoC0KQS7lFzSR2lt3UA5U0f71J8w/s320/Blood_black_rose.jpg" width="247" border="0" /></a>Note that this verse is not saying that we should not prevent injustice or defend against what’s done towards us, but when the offence is already committed, the response, and the manner of response becomes important and that is what Christ is saying here. There is a difference between a posture of defense, versus to actualy mount a retaliation against the person who is attacking you – and here, it’s the striking back bit that Jesus is putting a finger on… For most of us, we do not take revenge by physically hurting someone or killing them. By we do so usually in more subtle ways – the cold shoulder, a word here and there against another person’s character, or even not helping when you are in a position to. </div><ul>“If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” </ul> I used to read these verses and not realize how thought-through the examples were. I assumed that they were somewhat arbitrary, but as I prepared for this sermon, I could see that these examples covered different categories of mistreatment. The slap on the face points to physical violence or insults to our personhood or character. Someone suing and taking your tunic cover situations where there are wrongful attacks on our possessions. The third one – someone forcing you to go one mile – relates to the curtailment of personal liberties, or coercion to do something you may not want to do. With these examples, Jesus leaves us very little by which to justify exceptions for disobeying His call to “not resist”. So where does that leave us? Is Jesus really asking us to be passive? Some bible commentators imply that Jesus is calling us to be pacifist stance towards mistreatments done to us. But I would suggest to you that Jesus is asking us to take action, rather than being passive. Listen to what Jesus is saying here: Turn your right cheek, give your coat, and go the second mile. Christ is, in effect, calling us to respond, and in one sense, retaliate. But we retaliate not to return the offence, but with goodness and grace. There is nothing passive here. Sometimes, we approach these passages in the Sermon on the Mount as something to be adhered to, or even look at it as impossible standards that we should be attaining but actually can’t or don’t. We grit our teeth, and feel we need to endure the scourge on our backs. I know that I do. However, by looking at it this way, we miss the point completely, and this robs the gospel of its full power. I started off preparing for this passage thinking that this was a verse about not taking revenge. But as I opened up the passage more, I discover that at its core, is the gospel story. <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006121271084229090" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 222px; HEIGHT: 242px" height="312" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZI_GkRJ_uIWJjjv4qd55d5nbwnvwkv4ccwF79So6R1C39aT6DR-kvt3jQgj5bqN6RQY_amWjMxN6JUf7UL_tYJnuZHZahBwq6CWtiBtujYg15jHw_ZXdtlbxt0sIlmQoJOZJJw/s400/Cross5.gif" width="266" border="0" /></a> <div>Isn’t our own disobedience essentially us slapping God in the face when all He had wanted for us was good things? Aren’t our transgressions against the Lord a curse upon his name? Isn’t the retaliation of mankind the whip that scarred the back of Christ? But yet in all this, God’s response through Jesus was love and sacrifice, not retaliation and judgment. That’s what our Saviour has done. We’ve slapped Him, and He’s offered the other cheek. We’ve hit Him, and He’s embraced us. We’ve taken His tunic, but He’s given us the robes of righteousness. Jesus has not taught this verse; He is the manifestation of this verse. And we cheapen it by treating it like some optional moral core that we have to follow. I would encourage you to now consider broken relationships in your own lives where there has been mistreatment, perhaps injustice – where there is not only unforgiveness, but also a desire to want to punish the persons involved for something they have done (or not done). I want to challenge you to bring it under the light of this part of God’s word. In the passage, Christ is not merely saying, “don’t take revenge”. He is saying to us: “Don’t withhold good from those who have offended or hurt us.” This is not merely something we perform externally - this is who we are in faith, and what we have to become in Christ. May we take heed, and stand firm in the wisdom that God gives us in His word in this matter if we are to walk in the way of our Saviour. <a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006138356464132626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 20px 10px" height="149" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn0MgvjB0mZdvwuh5fclE0IG1o6LCURZD0LVBEjCIJlIb8TtQ7v6HpwBAWe_kZKOwU_d6ouAgYAE6AXQKKbV4Z0B_jg7eV4dLlpMe3seyNN9us42adtnNJq57jca_YnSEFnKmIQ/s400/Crown_of_thorns2.jpg" width="144" border="0" /></a>“Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8, NLT) -- (Condensed from a talk given at <a href="http://www.westminsterchapel.org.uk/">Westminster Chapel</a>, London) Related Posts: </div><div><a href="http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/10/relationship-foundations-part-1.html">Relationship Foundations - Part 1</a></div><div><a href="http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2005/12/crossing-chasm-of-offence-and.html">Crossing the Chasm of Forgiveness</a> </div></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/1946520456714375162/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=1946520456714375162' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/1946520456714375162'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/1946520456714375162'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/12/turning-other-cheek.html' title='Turning the Other Cheek'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrd2XOj2Naqpb3tA-CJ_wAYoXJ4a4_ZCBl1RdptfUnlw04eSswPX7N14gI-2LrvHPLH_mUO9WvhVTGO6Ee4UK3Go_TguUijQ6ZkQrNh1R8zBnuD4NdeZOBVuCxDi1agyXtOQDWw/s72-c/Crown_of_thorns.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-869947472129497046</id><published>2006-11-21T19:58:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2006-11-21T20:08:01.808+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Current Affairs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Philosophies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Truth"/><title type='text'>Equality, tolerance, and freedom of speech and religion</title><content type='html'>Secularism: the freedom of religion, and freedom from religion, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions. <a><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 30px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/5731/1538/400/222665/Set-Free.jpg" alt="Freedom" border="0" /></a>Conventional wisdom says that secularism is the 'freedom' from religion. Is that really true? Seems right at first glance. But in actual fact, secularism itself is a system of thought not unlike a religious one. Secularists believe that by being free of religion, they are not confined to any one set of beliefs. That is, of course, erroneous thinking. Even people who believe that they do not subscribe to any religion - they practice their own form of philosophy of life, and "religion". In fact, every secularist holds a set of beliefs - the difference is that they pick and choose what suits them, and this may change over time depending on circumstances and what's convenient. With recent debates in the media, it brings up a question: What gives secularists the right to impose their doctrine on anyone else? <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2462884.html">BA worker loses appeal in row over cross</a> <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3561-2459101.html">Students sue over Christian rights at colleges</a> With the one related to Christian Unions on university campuses being discriminated against, this seems to carry an air of hypocrisy, perpetrated by secular-minded student guilds and university authorities. The secular authorities are imposing their worldview and philosophy on the Christian Unions - but the irony is that they are doing it in the name of freedom of speech and religion. It seems like in their eyes, the freedom of speech and religion ONLY APPLIES if it agrees with their philosophy and way of life. If there are groups (also includes humanists, freethinkers, aetheists) that reject what's written in the Bible about what is sin and what is not, then they should find some other book to believe in, or create their own religion that suits their needs. The Bible is God's word to man. You can reject it, you can walk away from it, but one have no right to say that other people (Christians and the Christian Union) cannot base their belief and lives on it. It has become a strange world to live in.... </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/869947472129497046/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=869947472129497046' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/869947472129497046'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/869947472129497046'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/11/equality-tolerance-and-freedom-of.html' title='Equality, tolerance, and freedom of speech and religion'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-8745765997179294604</id><published>2006-11-20T21:21:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2006-11-21T14:13:58.334+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Current Affairs"/><title type='text'>An Inconvenient Truth</title><content type='html'>As Christians, what should be our sense of stewardship towards the environment and ecological issues? How does what we do now affect future generations? Do our actions result in longer-term consequences at the expense of another human being's welfare in our immediate vicinity and beyond? <a><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="An Inconvenient Truth" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/5731/1538/400/511221/InconvenientTruth1_edited.jpg" border="0" /></a> I have been thinking about this due to an an interesting movie I stumbled over this weekend, launched this summer, called An Inconvenient Truth. It is a warmly told documentary on the current environmental crisis debate, a personal documentary spearheaded by the ex-US vice-president Al Gore, presented from a point of view as a family man and father. Now, without reading too much his motives and the political dynamics behind it, I found it to be one of the best shows I have seen this year, in terms of its intellectual thrust and thought-provoking content. It was neither a religious or Christian movie, but it was profoundly spiritual, and for me, disturbing. Here are some thoughts... As the show unfolded, I was somewhat overwhelmed by a certain sense of shame. Overwhelmed by the sense of how mankind can choose to live extravagantly when another person can live in complete lack. Moved by the notion that we can be responsible for what earth's resources and ecological functions. Yet at the same time, the movie challenged my stance of how I am living, the way I am consuming resources, the things I buy as a consumer, and what issues I would stand by if I were voting. More than merely explaining the scientific theories, Al Gore does a brilliant job at making some poignant statements, at the same time connecting the dots on disjointed facts, and weaving the implications of some of these facts for our lives. The movie also exposed how people with an agenda to suppress the truth do so not by directly denying it, but by weaving elements of doubt (even in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence). Do ALL the scientists really agree about the facts about global warming? Is it not that some people are using the global warming to advance their political agenda...? Are there not historical evidence that point to extreme scenarios just like the ones we have encountered in the last decade..? Is really serious enough for everyone of us to be alarmed...? Aren't some doomsayers just too negative? What certain parties have done is shape public opinion by creating doubt in the minds of the people through the media, and ridiculing scientists who are standing up for the truth which they have uncovered. Groups like the oil/gas, automotive, transportation and energy industry would be too happy to oblige in letting the public live in denial and doubt in their goal of growing corporate profits. <a><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 20px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 305px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 193px" alt="Destruction and Smoke" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/5731/1538/320/880860/People%20of%20fire.jpg" border="0" /></a>That's why the tobacco industry is still thriving even though the facts prove there are direct links between tobacco smoking and cancer. Same approach: Is there really a direct link, or are there other factors that contribute to it, such as genetic factors...? Aren't there examples of people in their nineties who chain smoke but are still alive and well...? Is there absolute, conclusive evidence...? Really...? I saw the parallels between this approach and the one used in the garden of Eden. Listen to how the smokescreens of doubt are released: Is there really...? Did they actually say...? Could it be that....? Is that completely true...? Herein lies a fundamental principle: A half-truth raised to create seeds of doubt deals a greater blow to the truth than a head-to-head strike could ever do. That is true in any context, including the Word of God. As children of God, we have let the enemy steal too much truth away from us. Take heed of your Father's voice: <ul><a><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 30px; WIDTH: 265px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/5731/1538/400/34630/Heart_broken.jpg" border="0" /></a>"My son [daughter], pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." (Proverbs 4:20-26)</ul> From the movie, I am reminded that many a time, the truth in God's is often inconvenient. The enemy is all too happy to convince us that our comfort is all that matters now. Also, what matters is not necessarily just what we think about the matter, it's how we act. The enemy is all to glad to let us sit on our hands, do nothing and render ourselves innocuous to his purposes. Both these were timely reminders from the show -- applicable to the environmental landscape, as well as our spiritual condition. ------------------- Also, please go see the movie. Highly recommended. And no, I have not turned into a complete greenie, just slightly greener than before.<a href="http://www.climatecrisis.net">www.climatecrisis.net</a> </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/8745765997179294604/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=8745765997179294604' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/8745765997179294604'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/8745765997179294604'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/11/inconvenient-truth.html' title='An Inconvenient Truth'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-7697098540269004852</id><published>2006-11-09T19:33:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2006-11-09T22:33:45.862+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Change / Progress"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Spiritual Growth"/><title type='text'>Letting Go and Moving On</title><content type='html'><a><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 20px 40px 5px; WIDTH: 189px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" height="239" alt="Letting go and moving on" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/320/Letting%20Go%20and%20Moving%20On.jpg" width="189" border="0" /></a> <div>Have you ever had a time when the Lord seemed to converge on a specific theme during the whole day? Well it happened to me yesterday. It seemed like God was putting His finger on one aspect - on letting go and moving on. I sensed this both during my quiet time in the morning, and when I attended yesterday's fellowship meeting in the evening. The Holy Spirit was tangibly present and working with the entire group. I did not scream or laugh, or fall to the ground, as many did. Instead, what I received from the Father was a precious word. "Let go. Let go of what you are holding in your hand. I will give you more." At this point, I am not sure what will change, but I know that something has changed. And all I know is that I need to write this encounter down so that I do not forget... "Sometimes, we have to let go in order to hold on...." I started the day thinking about that after reading the following verses in Exodus about the Israelites leaving Egypt: <ul>When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians--all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops--pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on." (<a href="http://bible1.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=Exodus+14%3A5-15&section=0&amp;version=niv&new=1&amp;oq=crossing+jordan">Exodus 14:5-15</a>)</ul> What left an impression on me was how stubborn the enemy was in preventing the liberation of the people of God. After all the signs, miracles and punishment on the land of Egypt, the Egyptian king still wanted to keep the Israelites in bondage. The Isrealites had to come out of Egypt, their place of slavery. This is the place where, if they stayed on, God's plans would not be fulfilled in them. As I was traversing the story, it dawned me one thing: The biggest challenge for the people of God was not the physical escape from Egypt. Despite all the physical struggles of breaking free and coming out, the more substantial challenge, was continuing to be free, and continuing on the road to freedom. For the Israelites, they could not let go of their history and upbringing -- what they knew and were familiar with. This was notwithstanding the fact that their history was a life lived in the pits, full of dirt, abuse and torment. At least it was comfortable and something they were familiar with rather than the unknown. Listen again to what they had to say: 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians. It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!' They could not let go in their minds that "place": familiar possibilities, people, things, dreams, habits, and their own way of doing things. This "place" represents people, things, ambitions, dreams and habits that have lorded over them, just as these things can lord over us. The Israelites had to let go of Egypt. So must we. But the biggest challenge is not getting out physically. The problem isn't that one can escape the clutches of slavery -- it's in staying out and maintaining the liberty that poses the most significant hurdle. Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians. Don't we echo the same sentiment sometimes? We probably do not physically voice the exact same rhetoric, but I suspect that we act as if that was true by clinging on to our old masters even when the Lord is trying to set us free. The journey out to freedom will not be easy. These old masters (including our own thinking patterns, habits and ambitions) will want you back. The chase will be fierce. Your resolve will be tested. It will seem like our early and bold steps out somtimes will feel like it's running out of momentum: <ul>Perhaps it was not such a good idea. Maybe it was just in my head. Maybe the cost of serving the Lord is not worth what I am paying for it, better to start taking care of myself otherwise no one will. I don't feel like I am going anywhere. Why try? Just cut my losses now...</ul>Back to how this story about Egypt relates to last night: For me, I heard the Father speak during a time of prayer at the fellowship meeting. "Let go. Let go of what you are holding in your hand. I will give you more." It made me then think about what I read in Exodus. I knew that God was speaking to me to let go. To let go of relationship dynamics that will hold me back. To let go of ambitions that will overshadow His purposes. To let go of the grip of the past - which can be good things and bad - both can cast a net on us in moving forward. In what manner are we leaving Egypt? Have we even left our Egypt completely? We can sometimes lose heart, or lose our way even without us realizing it. The enemy of our souls is stubborn. But in the power of the Lord God, we need to be more stubborn. And it's not merely a matter of letting go, it's a matter of putting on, and embracing what the Father is giving us. The encouragement for me was this: In our times of weakness, we need to remember that the Lord fights for us, and He surrounds us with His glory. "Tell the Israelites to move on." And in order to move on, we have to let go. We cannot look back, dwelling on what's painful (or perhaps comforting). Or think, maybe if I had done that, or be like that, things would have been different and not ended up where I am now. When embarking on this journey out of Egypt, and towards crossing the Jordon into the promised land, travel light... don't look back for too long. Heed what the Lord says: let go and let Him move you on.</div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/7697098540269004852/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=7697098540269004852' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/7697098540269004852'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/7697098540269004852'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/11/letting-go-and-moving-on.html' title='Letting Go and Moving On'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-9080451045063071553</id><published>2006-11-04T09:43:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2006-12-14T23:08:27.841+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church Life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Relationships"/><title type='text'>Bridge Building</title><content type='html'><a><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 50px 20px; WIDTH: 181px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" height="254" alt="Bridge" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/320/bridge.jpg" width="170" border="0" /></a>I read something this morning in the biography of Hudson Taylor in God's work in China, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hudson-Taylors-Spiritual-Secret-Taylor/dp/0929239202/sr=8-2/qid=1162633570/ref=sr_1_2/026-3433328-2559618?ie=UTF8&s=books">Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret</a>. It reminded me of the vital ingredients that modern day fellowships need to recapture. The following account describes a sense of what the ministry was like: <ul>"But there was something unmistakable, almost tangible about their spirit of service and love for the people [in that place]. It drew more and more people to the Bridge Street fellowship. Those who came brought others who also sensed the difference in that place-- a difference one new visitor recognized when he asked the friend who had brought him, 'Why does my heart feel so much wider when I come inside those doors?' Perhaps it was because the Taylors' own hearts were as wide open doors as the doors of their mission to the people around them. For their ministry grew, and the promise of an even greater ministry grew with it."</ul>I do not know what it was, but the words echoed by the visitor in the above account of the story resonated with me on several fronts, which I'd like to share... In this account, Hudson Taylor's work was associated with Bridge Street fellowship. I found the name of this fellowship telling - Bridge Street, which brings to mind metaphors of building, reaching out and closing chasms. This picture is apt in a fellowship group that is focused on Christ, isn't it? It also reminds me how fruit does not come without sacrifice and cost. Bridges are often dangerous things to build. It takes effort, discipline and political will-- and more often than not, are built over risky terrains - be it over torrent rivers, deep ravines, or unrelenting flows of traffic. The building blocks and ingredients used need to be pure and not compromised. In this metaphor of building bridges in a context for Jesus Christ, the foundations need to be present - individual and corporate hunger for more of God in Word and spirit; an increase in the stubborn obedience to follow Christ without compromise, and the solemn determination to manifest the reality of God's word to us through our many tribulations and failings. "Why does my heart feel so much wider when I come inside those doors?" Isn't that the essence of what Christ calls us towards in building communities? If every person who comes in contact with our fellowship has that sense, especially strangers, that would be incredible. We need to get on our knees more to ask for more revelation, not merely on an individual level, but that the group could receive the "community-centered will" to be able to make strangers hearts feel "so much wider" when they walk through our doors. Our fellowships are not exclusive, paid-for membership clubs. If we as a Christ-centered community are travelling together, but yet are not 'turning strangers into friends', then we have lost our way. If we have forgotten that Jesus was not only inclusive, but also went out of his way to embrace the lost, downtrodden and alienated, then we have forgotten who are are in Christ, and why we are here. In biblical language, we have 'lost our salt'. As usual, it's not our church/fellowship policy or creed that is the problem, it's our hearts. It's not "someone else's responsibility", it's mine. Bridge building. We need to rediscover God's heart for strangers and outsiders. It often starts with this person called me. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/9080451045063071553/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=9080451045063071553' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/9080451045063071553'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/9080451045063071553'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/11/bridge-building.html' title='Bridge Building'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-1013309659812734437</id><published>2006-10-29T23:03:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2006-12-08T17:18:17.638+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church Life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Discipleship"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Hardship / Struggles / Pain"/><title type='text'>Cost of Following Christ</title><content type='html'><a><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 40px 20px 20px; WIDTH: 254px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 231px" height="243" alt="Life Under The Cross of Christ" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/400/Cross1.jpg" width="285" border="0" /></a>God has been challenging me towards what I would term as "higher allegiances" over the past weeks. In the last few days, He has been more directed in terms of drawing me towards specific verses in His word. After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," Peter replied, "you know I love you." "Then feed my lambs," Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: "Simon son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I love you." "Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said. Once more he asked him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17, NLT). In the above account, Jesus was asking Peter a few times.... Do you love Me? The response from Peter was, in effect, "Yes Lord, you know I like you" -- hesitant and tentative. By the time Jesus asked the third time, Peter was hurt. I always wondered why - was he hurt because he felt Jesus didn't believe him? Was Peter hurt because he felt that Jesus was condemning him for denying Him? Did Peter feel like Jesus was rubbing salt in the wound? Perhaps... But I read the passage with new eyes today. What I realised was that Peter was hurt because he knew he could not trust himself. Jesus was asking Peter three times to bring him back to his failures, not with a slap of condemnation, but to encourage him to count the cost of following the Master. Christ was in effect also saying, "Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure?" "Count the cost, Peter. You denied me the last time you said you wouldn't. Did you think it was going to be easy?" By then Peter was no longer the same person who was rash in saying yes without counting the cost. The sovereign Lord saw his heart. He was no longer speaking without any knowledge of what he was getting into. The brash, impulsive "I will follow you Lord anywhere" Peter has been broken. Disappointment. Anguish. Hurt. Scarred. In many ways, because his close association with Christ. Do we know what its like to be broken inside by the Lord? The brokenness gives us a perspective not shaped by youthful impulsiveness, humanistic enthusiasm and foolish arrogance, but by a wiser, more sober disposition. Do we think our journeys with Christ is going to be easy? Christ will ask of all of us - I know He is challenging me - "When you say you love Me, what does it mean?" <ul>"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."</ul>Here, Jesus calls us to an allegiance higher and greater than anything on earth, even to people dearest to us, and eventually ourselves. And with that notion, there are times when the Lord calls us to places we are not willing to go. Maturity does not come with age, but it grows with the acceptance of responsibility for the things God has for our lives, especially when circumstances are difficult. When you get a raw deal, one after another, after another. Just like Joseph. When every one and every circumstance seems to be against you. Just like Elijah. When the Lord requires that you sacrifice the things (or even that one thing) that you most cherish. Just like Abraham. <a><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 30px; WIDTH: 243px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 281px" height="293" alt="Surrender" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/320/Purified_with_fire1.jpg" width="250" border="0" /></a>I was challenged: Do I love Christ, or do I merely follow the "hassle-free" notion of Christ in my head? Can I follow the Jesus that entails being a participant in His sufferings, one that involves a price to pay? If you have not honestly answered that question - sooner or later, He will ask you, if you are serious in following Him further as a disciple. Just as He has asked Peter. Just as He is asking me again now. This question -- and our response -- will be painful. Painful because it will shine light on the reality of our relationship with Him. How deep are the roots? How much are we truly following? Whom are we really following, Jesus or the notion of Jesus? Is it contingent on people and circumstances? Does it transcend things most precious to us? Ultimately, Jesus requires of us to bury things precious to us to follow Him when the occasions call for it: To step out of our zones of comfort. Getting past fears. Getting past self-pity. Getting past the need for self-vindication. But not just to get past, but also to follow, and enter into His kingdom's purposes. Jesus says it many times when he puts out calls for disciples. <ul>Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Then He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9: 57-62, NKJV) "I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." (John 21:18-19, NLT)</ul>I am sharing this, not because I have trophies to parade - far from it. I am struggling to run this lap of the race - there are specific hurdles right now, and my stamina is being drained. I struggle not because there are hurdles, but perhaps because I am unwilling to pay the cost for pushing through these hurdles. Perhaps there is still a part of me that is not surrendered to the Lord. Funny how the Lord often brings us back to the same grounds again and again. Just as he asked Elijah in his moments of despair, "What are you doing here?" The Lord is asking of me: What now? What does it really mean to follow Me? Do you truly know how much it costs? As usual, the answers don't come easy, and not without pain.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/1013309659812734437/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=1013309659812734437' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/1013309659812734437'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/1013309659812734437'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/10/cost-of-following-christ.html' title='Cost of Following Christ'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-4380100825450136032</id><published>2006-10-12T13:04:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2006-10-14T16:48:03.730+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Hardship / Struggles / Pain"/><title type='text'>Faith and suffering</title><content type='html'><a><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 40px 10px; WIDTH: 228px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 205px" height="315" alt="Anguish and pain" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/400/Pain_edited.jpg" width="319" border="0" /></a>I received an email recently from a friend whom I have not been in contact with for more than four years. In the course of our exchanges, he shared the fact that he and his wife are going through the pain of losing their first two unborn babies, one after another. In these situations, there cannot be any words or actions that can fully take away the hardship that my friend and his wife must be undergoing. He mentioned that often times, he finds himself feeling angry with God and how everything has turned out. He has also admitted that his faith has been pushed to the limit, and daily he finds that it's moving from one milestone to the next. I did feel for his situation, and this had made me consider about faith and suffering... I found that I could not conjure up the 'right' words to say to him. But I prayed that God would hold both of them, which I also expressed to him. I was re-reading a book "<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Heaven-Silent-Authentic-Classics/dp/1850785902/sr=8-2/qid=1160675027/ref=sr_1_2/026-3433328-2559618?ie=UTF8&s=books">When Heaven Is Silent</a>" by Ron Dunn. The author expresses a perspective on faith and suffering very frankly: <ul>"... I have always thought of faith as a buffer, a cushion that would protect me from the sharp edges of life. But when one of those sharp edges penetrated my faith and pierced my flesh - that's when the questions began. That's when I made the shattering discovery: you can trust God and still get hurt. And that's when you begin to discover what kind of faith you have, because there is one thing both God and Satan agree on: faith that depends upon prosperity is not genuine. Satan's challenge (in the book of Job) is legitimate."</ul>Sometimes, we are tempted to think that there can be some aspect of positive thinking which we can use to counter bad circumstances, which of course has the legs to only go so far before it breaks down. Ultimately, when all our resources are exhausted, our 'spiritual bravado' no longer effective, and when our masks are removed, that's when the only 'part of us' that orientates towards God will kick it (or rather, it is God's hand that picks up the remnant to do His work). Humanistic philosophy, human wisdom, or any other false props will, under fire, be revealed as they truly are -- fakes. In a world that is clamouring for easy and instant answers - even as children of God we do this - in the end, we have to learn to accept that for many circumstances there won't be answers to our whys or hows. God is sovereign - we need to trust that even through the most intense pain, God works all things for the good of those who love Him, and are called by His purposes (Romans 8:28). It is easy and dangerous to romanticise or oversimplify this verse. Sometimes, healings don't come, problems are not solved, and forgiveness is not released - and we can only hang on to the fact that God's grace is sufficient for us in our weakness. We try to pick up the pieces in periods of pain and brokenness - and sometimes, like in my friend's situation, the pieces do not come back together as we like it to. In the end, Ron Dunn, who himself went through many years of agony and depression over his teenage son's suicide before writing his book, does not write with any cavalier notions or heroic whims about a faith that is centered on humanistic thinking, religiousity, and easy-living. He paints a picture of the kind of faith that is authentic: Faith is... - the wisdom to see treasure in trash; - the courage to face things as they are, not as we wish them to be; - the boldness to embrace those things and say, 'I will not let You go unless you bless me,' making our greatest weakness our greatest strength. Then, and only then, do these 'things' become fuel for our journey and construction material for building a Christ-like life. Words and intentions are sometimes cheap -- what matters is the fruit that materializes when we abide in Christ.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/4380100825450136032/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=4380100825450136032' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/4380100825450136032'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/4380100825450136032'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/10/faith-and-suffering.html' title='Faith and suffering'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-2023629226568846328</id><published>2006-10-05T16:43:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2007-01-12T19:18:35.131+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Forgiveness"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Friendships"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Relationships"/><title type='text'>Relationship Foundations - Part 1</title><content type='html'><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/1600/Forgiveness4.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 20px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 153px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 188px" height="241" alt="Forgiveness" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/400/Forgiveness4.jpg" width="188" border="0" /></a>Differentiating forgiveness and trust How can I forgive and trust again? This is often a question each one of us will ask ourselves at one point or another through our lives. I don't know its one with an obvious answer, but I find that as we wade through the waters of life and relationships, the answer to this question becomes harder in practice to come by. I have been at both ends being the person that needs to bestow forgiveness, as well as being the person that needs to receive forgiveness. I am in a situation with a close friend for the latter, hence the current thoughts about this. People often confuse forgiveness and trust, but they are totally different things. If you have come face to face with the dilemma of "how can I forgive without opening myself to being hurt again?", then it is important to make a clear distinction between these two elements. Forgiveness has to do with the past -- it is not holding something someone has done against you and letting go. Obviously, when there is a great deal of hurt, getting to the point of true forgiveness can take time, so it does not always happen immediately. If other person(s) involved wish to give/accept forgiveness, then there is reconciliation, and this has to do with the present. However, the whole aspect of trust has to do with the future. It deals with what you will risk happenning and what you are willing to open yourself to again. A person must show through his/her actions that he/she is trustworthy before one can trust them again. In some situations one may forgive someone, but desire no future relationship. Forgiveness does not dictate the future structure; they only wipe the slate clean. Both forgiveness and reconciliation are important requirements which the Lord has called us to live by. But that does not necessarily mean that trust should be given away easily. If a person cannot demonstrate by their actions trustworthiness, then trust will be difficult to come by. The key point here: Keep the future clearly differentiated from the past. Again, sound advice for me to be reminded of. Source: Certain sections condensed from "Boundaries Face to Face", Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/2023629226568846328/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=2023629226568846328' title='5 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/2023629226568846328'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/2023629226568846328'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/10/relationship-foundations-part-1.html' title='Relationship Foundations - Part 1'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>5</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-2288579172270832557</id><published>2006-10-03T14:54:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2006-10-03T15:22:01.693+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Encouragement"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="God's Love"/><title type='text'>My Prison Experience</title><content type='html'><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/1600/Behind_bars.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 30px; WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 207px" height="273" alt="Behind Bars" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/320/Behind_bars.jpg" width="155" border="0" /></a> I went to jail last Sunday. Instead of walking away in despair, I captured afresh a real and certain hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we often take for granted. It raised in me a few questions: <ul>How deep can God's mercy extend to people who have sinned, even to the vilest of criminals? </ul><ul>How much can the grace of God absorb when we think we have blown it and there is no way back from our mistakes? </ul><ul>How can we see past the darkness of the "daily prison cells" that sometimes chracterizes our lives?</ul>In prison, I met a man who murdered his business partner and is now still serving his sentence. Here's what I found there... Phil, a brother in Christ, asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would mind accompanying him to visit an inmate named Donald. It was Phil's second visit since the last one three months ago together with a pastor. During the last visit, Donald shared that he still carried the guilt and remorse of the murder he committed in his twenties after 15 years in prison. With that, Phil and the pastor extended an invitation to Donald into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, after a few months since that visit, Donald has found God - Jesus Christ has forgiven him and the priceless hope for change stands ahead of him. His past no longer haunts him and guilt no longer has its grip on his conscience. I liked Donald - he was candid and open. He was not very educated at the time he was jailed. Now, after many years, he says that he realises that he was "not as limited intellectually" as he thought he was when he was young. I personally thought that he was a very intelligent and streetwise person. At times, he would talk about his prison life. Other instances, he would share with us how sometimes, he felt lonely without anyone to share his thoughts with as English as not his first language - but he felt that he could open his heart to us. He would also bring up things about his wife and two kids, and his elder brother and his family - how he wanted to help them now and when he finishes his prison sentence in three years time. Seeing Donald share his hopes and dreams - sometimes with a tinge of regret, other times with a tiny sparkle in his eyes. One wonders, compared to other people who are physically free outside but are trapped by the ugly claws of sin, and those who are slaves to relationships and things -- who are the ones that are really imprisoned? Donald has been stripped of all the normal privilleges we all take for granted. But the one portion that he's now found, will be something that I believe will set him on the road to freedom. I can sense it both in my spirit, as well as in his. <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/1600/Prisoner.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 20px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 153px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 184px" height="193" alt="Forgiveness" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/200/Prisoner.jpg" width="153" border="0" /></a>My prayer for him would be that he will cry out to the Lord as David did in his times of trouble and loneliness: Psalm 142:4-7 Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. I cry to you, O Lord; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me. Donald was touched by our visit and care. This was my first time visiting Donald, but I walked away from this visit sensing the Father's hand upon his life. God has found another prodigal son, and the Father has runned to embrace him even though the son may see himself as far away from home. Real hope and freedom are such rare commodities in a world that is often driven by greed, unrest and strive. But Donald has now found an authentic hope and I pray that he will find other believers that will come along side of him in his newfound journey. I also felt a burden to want to come back to visit this brother again. Maybe these are aspects of David's prayer in Psalm 142:7 - "Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me." All in all, as I mentioned at the beginning, this was an unexpected encounter - I started thinking that I had nothing whatsoever in common with Donald. But after this visit, I realise that I have more in common with him that I initially assumed. Fallen sons redeemed by a merciful God - there is no darkness so deep that His love cannot reach. The Father has started His redemptive work to free us from our prisons of shame, hurt and bondage, and He will complete it if we let Him. Donald's testimony and seeing what God is doing through his life gives me another vantage point where I am reminded of this fact. We all could do well to remember this when we are engulfed in the daily hardships of 'prison life'.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/2288579172270832557/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=2288579172270832557' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/2288579172270832557'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/2288579172270832557'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/10/my-prison-experience.html' title='My Prison Experience'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-8931954926724187834</id><published>2006-08-22T16:16:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2006-08-22T16:25:47.350+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Christian Living"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Friendships"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Relationships"/><title type='text'>The Enemy of Intimacy</title><content type='html'><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/1600/Group-friends-relax.2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5731/1538/320/Group-friends-relax.2.jpg" border="0" /></a> I am amazed how lucidly Henri Nouwen writes, once again on a theme which has been on my mind. "Fear is the great enemy of intimacy. Fear makes us run away from each other or cling to each other but does not create true intimacy. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples were overcomed by fear and they all 'deserted him and ran away' (Matt 25:56). After Jesus was crucified, they huddled together in a closed room 'for the fear of the Jews' (John 20:19). Fear makes us move away from each other to a 'safe' distance, or move towards each other to a 'safe' closeness, but fear does not create the space where true intimacy can exist. Fear does not create a home. It forces us to live alone or in a protective shelter but does not allow us to build an intimate home. Fear conjures either too much distance or too much closeness. Both prevent intimacy from developing." Here is more of what he says... "But whether through distance or closeness, fear prevents us from forming an intimate community in which we can grow together, everyone in his or her own way. When fear separates or joins us, we can no longer confess to each other our sins, our brokenness and our wounds. How, then, can we forgive each other and come to reconciliation? Distance allows us to ignore the other as having no significance in our lives, and closeness offers us an excuse for never expressing or confessing our feelings of being hurt." From "In the House of the Lord", Henri Nouwen </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/8931954926724187834/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=8931954926724187834' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/8931954926724187834'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/8931954926724187834'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/08/enemy-of-intimacy.html' title='The Enemy of Intimacy'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-115497510948295834</id><published>2006-08-07T19:10:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2006-08-07T20:10:16.063+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Spiritual Direction / Guidance"/><title type='text'>Running away from your Nineveh</title><content type='html'>I am returning to deal with the root issues which precipitated the <a href="http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/05/weight-of-discouragement.html">heavy sense of discouragement</a> two months back. <a><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px 15px 20px 0px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="Jonah & Whale" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3219/1076/320/Jonah%20and%20Whale.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>In church, we have been doing the book of Jonah over the past few months. It was a word in season as I am now in a place the decision crossroad of where the Lord wants me to serve. I was ready to walk away from many things, but every time I think I have decided, there has either been a message here and a word there in church that would remind me of "being faithful and planting roots" and not running away from our Ninevehs. For the first time in my life, I can not only understand what Jonah went through, but actually feel and emphatize with him. I used to study Jonah's story of running away from what God wanted him to do with intellectual eyes and think, Why was he so silly? Why not just obey and it would have made your life so much easier? Now I see more clearly... I realize that Jonah running away from the place God has called him to, may not be a straightforward case of disobedience as I had naively believed. It's easy to assume that Jonah's heart was hardened towards his calling for the people of Nineveh "without a valid cause"; that he merely neglected his calling or turned his back on his responsibilities. Now I realize that he was not running away from his Nineveh because he was rebellious. Nineveh can represent the God-directed place, people or activity which is "the right thing to do", or "the right place to be". It's a place where one can deem not worthy (or no longer worthy) the sacrifice or cost you are 'paying'. You want nothing to do with it because of hurt, disappointment, discouragement and other emotional toils associated with it. You want to distance yourself from it. But the Lord keeps bringing you back there because He thinks it is worth it, or He has said as your place of destiny. I don't think that I am the first, nor will I be the last person who is laying flat on the ground feeling that it hurts too much to serve; you have given too much of yourself and have become vulnerable; that it's time to pack up, run away and leave. I re-read the book of Jonah again recently with new eyes, not as a observer but as a person in Jonah's shoes. One thing hit me right in the heart at the end of the last chapter, when the Lord asked: <ul>"Have you any right to be angry?" (<a href="http://bible1.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=Jonah+4&section=0&amp;version=niv&new=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;oq=&NavBook=jon&amp;NavGo=4&NavCurrentChapter=4">Jonah 4:4</a>)</ul>Sharp question. Painful answer required. Jonah could not give a satisfactory answer, neither can I. The Lord has also been burning the question in my spirit: <ul>Why are you giving up on people who need you? (cf: <a href="http://bible1.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=Jonah+4%3A10-11&amp;section=0&version=niv&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;new=1&oq=&amp;NavBook=jon&NavGo=4&amp;NavCurrentChapter=4">Jonah 4:10-11</a>)</ul>Rhetorical question. No answer required. Jonah could not give a satisfactory answer, neither can I. And more recently, I watched a video of Corrie Ten Boom's life, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000JWGQ/sr=1-1/qid=1154977415/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3617686-4727320?ie=UTF8&s=video">"The Hiding Place"</a>. Although I have settled things in my heart, there was another poignant reminder and this came from something Corrie's sister, Betsy said in the movie. <a><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="Keeping the door open - 'Against our nature'" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3219/1076/320/Keep%20door%20closed.jpg" border="0" /></a> <ul>Someone asked her: "Why do you serve Him at such risk to yourself?" She replied, with a sense of vulnerability, yet still composed and determined: "Every part of me tells me to close the door and shut myself in. But God says open the door, and so I must obey."</ul> I choked on that scene. These few incidences and statements hit me quite hard. I may feel like my Nineveh is not worth the grace given to it. However, as I consider my own life -- neither am I worth the grace given to me. So do I really have the right to complain? For the first time in my life, I fear the possibility of ending up in the belly of a whale if I disobey the Lord. And so I must obey. Do I have the right to give up? The answer has to be no. Sometimes, that is what is required. Stop focusing on oneself, and just obey. The Father knows best when we are preoccupied with ourselves least. Here, the Lord is bringing me back to the fundamentals again. Faithfulness in service does not manifest itself when things are easy. It is drawn out of us with obedience to the Lord's call when situations are against us; when there is hurt; when there is brokenness, and especially when there is a sense of faithlessness. Remember the old song, 'Trust and Obey"? Guess it still rings true. But sing it while one can comfortable do so – cause it may be less pleasant when one is singing it in the belly of a whale. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/115497510948295834/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=115497510948295834' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/115497510948295834'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/115497510948295834'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/08/running-away-from-your-nineveh.html' title='Running away from your Nineveh'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12605027.post-115393781334648064</id><published>2006-07-26T18:48:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2006-08-02T17:00:54.426+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Current Affairs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Prophecy"/><title type='text'>Hizbollah, Lebanon, Israel and Biblical Prophecy</title><content type='html'><a><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 30px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="Jerusalem" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3219/1076/320/Jerusalem_1.jpg" border="0" /></a>Conventional thinking cannot hope to understand how three religions originating from the Middle East, who share so much in common set the backdrop for so much conflict. Islam, Judaism and Christianity share a common ancestry, no one can deny. But without a biblical lens, many see the conflict in the Middle East, now with Israel and Lebanon, in terms of political ideologies, cultural divergences, religious differences, the thirst for resources and land, etc. - that is correct but only a partial picture. God has given us a perspective in the Bible to see these developments unfolding. And it's called biblical wisdom. How specifically should we interpret events? To be honest, I don't know. But I do know that the prophets of Old Testament and Jesus Himself have a lot to say about the Middle East... Here are some aspects (Warning: This is a long post, nevertheless, read carefully). This is Christ speaking (Luke 21:9-19): <ul>"But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." 10 Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. 13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By your patience possess your souls.</ul>What stood out to me: <ul><li>The turmoil will be an occasion for testimony of Jesus (v13)</li></ul><ul><li>Followers of Christ will be hated for His name's sake (v19) </li></ul>Jesus also talks about Jerusalem being surrounded by armies (Luke 21:21-28)-- which given events of today, does not seem like a remote possibility anymore: <ul>"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."</ul>So, back to our original question: How can three religions who share so much ancestry cause so much conflict? Well, the three religions diverge, at the most basic level, in its in the understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ in dealing with the inherent sinfulness of men - for which both Judaism and Islam deny His divine nature. Here I am viewing it from a spiritual perspective - no doubt, there are other social, political and economic perspectives that one can take. The message carried through Jesus Christ's life and preaching in His time on earth is once again at odds with all conventional wisdom of yesterday, and today. <a><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 40px 20px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 278px" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3219/1076/320/Bible_1.jpg" border="10" /></a> <ul><li>I cannot claim to know that much about biblical prophecy, but I realize that it is in the 'non-sensical' and extreme events of recent days/years that we can even begin to comprehend how biblical prophecy could possibly take place. For all the talk of the world coming into an era of rational thinking and civilized behavior-- at the heart of things, sin still reigns supreme in men's hearts. Modern day thinking and sciences are trying so hard to deny this aspect of humanity.</li></ul><ul><li>Jesus says that by our love, the world will recognize who we are... the present violence between Jews and the Arab world (representing the other two great religions) will increasingly highlight the work of reconciliation and love that God through Christ Jesus has done through His death and resurrection. This divine exchange stands out from messages that are merely preached from teachers and prophets.</li></ul><ul><li>Bloodshed in the Middle East is a symbolism of conflict, suffering and death. However, in Christianity, bloodshed through Jesus' sacrifice is the path to life, peace with God, and everlasting life. </li></ul> As I ponder more deeply, it makes me realize how radical the Christian message is, and how at odds it is with conventional thinking and wisdom. Makes you wonder anew - how amazing God's wisdom is over ours; or George Bush, Tony Blair, Ehud Olmert, Condaleeza Rice, Kofi Annan, and the current generation of world leaders scrambling to manage the escalation of violence in the Middle East. I do not wish to sound like the prophet of doom. The Bible clearly tells us not to predict the times and the seasons, but it calls us to prepare for it. Jesus says that when the fig tree starts budding, then you know that summer is coming. The exact details God has not (or will not) reveal but we should recognize the times we are living in. If we did not see it before, now we should begin to take heed of things unfolding in the events in the Middle East - seemingly the beginning of things to come, also spoken by Daniel (Dan 9:24-27): <ul>"Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince; There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."</ul>The message above is coded, obviously. But it does sound like something more is transpiring. However, we cannot read it enough to tell the times in any exact way, but we can read it to recognize the seasons. It reminds me that God's purposes are working even in the foolishness of men, and through the hatred of devilish dominions. In the present climate of violence and senseless slaughter between Israel and Lebanon, we have to trust that His purposes are being fulfilled. God's Word in the Bible calls us to take heed. And that means searching further and going deeper into what He has to say from His Word. Those who have eyes, see. Those who have ears, hear. Those who have faith, discern. It's obvious, yet not so obvious - if you know what I mean. Watch this space, and watch God's plan unfold. [Related post: <a href="http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2005/08/present-day-gaza-and-hope-of-two.html">Israel, Gaza and the Hope of 2000 Years</a>] </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/feeds/115393781334648064/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12605027&postID=115393781334648064' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/115393781334648064'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12605027/posts/default/115393781334648064'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://sallibuc.blogspot.com/2006/07/hizbollah-lebanon-israel-and-biblical.html' title='Hizbollah, Lebanon, Israel and Biblical Prophecy'/><author><name>Sal</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05087716375688437416</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='22' height='32' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/5/5559/400/Teofilo02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry></feed>

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