BookPastor >> "Seated with Christ" (Heather Holleman)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Sep 27th, 2016.

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TITLE: Seated with Christ: Living Freely in a Culture of Comparison
AUTHOR: Heather Holleman
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2016, (192 pages).

Admit it. We are all guilty of comparing ourselves with others. The difference is in the degree of comparison. In our rush to get things done, sometimes we need a reminder to just pause, perhaps, take a seat, have a cup of coffee, and take stock of where we are. Perhaps, we have given in to the temptations to take charge, to maintain primary control, and to let human wisdom predominate over all. In doing so, we become enslaved to our own wishes. We work as if our salvation depends on what we do or not do. We struggle for the best academic result as if our life's qualifications depend on our efforts. We try harder, serve harder, publish harder, and strive harder in our various earthly pursuits. In focusing upon the verbs within our abilities, we unwittingly sidestepped what Christ had done for us. Expounding on the essence of Ephesians 2:6, the author provides a spiritual snapshot of what it means to be seated with Christ. With creative renditions of how these verbs personify the anxieties of the human heart, Holleman pulls out four strands of the essence of what it means to be seated in Christ.

BookPastor >> "Slow Kingdom Coming" (Kent Annan)

This review was first published on June 22nd, 2016 at Panorama of a Book Saint.

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TITLE: Slow Kingdom Coming: Practices for Doing Justice, Loving Mercy and Walking Humbly in the World
AUTHOR: Kent Annan
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2016, (149 pages).

Just like the action movies, our busy lifestyles and activities that we do make us look like people constantly on the move. If we are not putting anything in motion, we may even be accused of idling. For believers who want to let their faith make a difference in their lives, the pressure is on to do something quick, lest we be accused of hypocrisy. If we open our ears and eyes to see what is before us and what is beyond us through the news and media, we will know that the injustice in the world far outstrips the amount of justice we see. Maybe, the bad news receive greater publicity than the good. There is so much to do that we do not know where or how to start. There are racial discrimination all over the world with the rich and poor often separated by privileges both explicit and implicit for certain people groups. There is human trafficking that despicably enslaves women, children, and vulnerable people. There is violence; violation of human rights; lack of basic resources; and immoral practices throughout the world. Besides that, there are needs closer to home, like the lonely people in our neighbourhood, people experiencing unjust treatment; and the ever growing rich and poor divide. How can we see God's kingdom come when the world seems to be heading toward greater brokenness? Where is the healing and the shalom of God? When we pray "Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done," where are the results? The key thesis of this book is that the most effective way to ensure the long-term development of developing societies is when we spend time and resources defending, promoting, and cultivating their freedom and their rights.

Powerful Testimony - John Volken

John Volken is a Canadian philanthropist and a humanitarian aiming to make this world a better place where he is. The headlines are pretty captivating like the VanCity Buzz's "Meet John Volken: The man who donated his entire personal wealth to charity ($150 million!)" or the Vancouver Sun's "Philanthropy has been John Volken’s hardest and most rewarding job." Founder of the John Volken Academy, a safe house created to give recovering alcoholics and drug addicts to rehabilitate and a second chance at life, Surrey-based Volken has given away millions of his personal wealth to humanitarian causes not only in Canada but other parts of the world. He is also an astute businessman, building up United Furniture Warehouse to more than 150 stores with $200 million in annual sales.   He sold his business in 2004 in order to concentrate on helping various areas of social neglect by setting up a John Volken Foundation. In doing so, he channels his personal assets and uses them to fund his many social help initiatives. From John Volken Academy (Formerly WelcomeHome) in Surrey to LiftTheChildren in Kenya, Volken continues to be active in both humanitarian and charitable causes, so much so that he has been voted Immigrant of the Year 2014.

See his story here.


conrade

How to Spend $25000?

We have seen movie trailers on TV, in cinemas, on Youtube, and other places. These trailers do cost quite a lot of money to make. For 20th Century Fox corporation, they decided to ask Casey Neistat
$25000 to make a short movie trailer to show the concept "Living your dreams." He decided instead of spending the money on his own personal ventures, he flew to the Philippines to spend every penny there. The result is this amazing, creative, and compassionate move.



conrade

Sharing Resources: Mission

This split screen short film captures two worlds and slowly meshes them into one. It is very well made and more importantly puts in a very important message about how those of us who live in the prosperous countries can play a part to bring some goodness and healing to the less privileged societies of the world.


With regards to missions, the key to revival and missions is to personally for the haves to experience what it means to live in the world of the have-nots.

 conrade

BookPastor >> "Awake" (Noel Brewer Yeatts)

How do we wake ourselves up from any spiritual slumber? What does it take to stay awake to the compassion of Christ for the world? If you do not know where or how to start, begin by reading this book. This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on March 18th, 2013.

conrade 

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TITLE: Awake: Doing a World of Good One Person at a Time
AUTHOR: Noel Brewer Yeatts
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012, (176 pages).

Good works that flow out of the Good Word in the heart. Doing good to the world one person at a time. Reaching a larger world regardless of how small or how limited one is. All it matters is a big heart and willing hands. This is exactly what Noel Brewer Yeatts has done. Spurred in part by Timothy Keller's book, "Generous Justice," Yeatts attempts to help believers "wake" up to the reality of a world that needs us more than we can ever imagine. She makes a bold call to try to take readers through various shifts. I summarize some of my seven reflections as I read the book.

First, we need to move from guilt-driven kind of a help toward a justice minded perspective. Using the example of Mother Teresa and the story of the Tuohy family who helps a boy get back on his feet, Yeatts points out the need for a kind of help that will aim to make a difference one person at a time. If one is guilt-driven, one may only get to help on a knee-jerk manner that does not last. If one is led by justice, one will persevere in being creative and convicted about helping a person a long way.

Second, we need to move from sleepy knowledge toward wakeful action. So often, we allow our accumulation of knowledge bog us down to inaction. Like Aquinas, we need to choose to "feel compassion than to know the meaning of it." It is not enough simply to be aware of what is going on. We need to take responsibility for this knowledge and to do something about it. The trouble is, far too many people o not think their participation will make any difference. This is tragic not only for the needy, but also for us. So what are the rich of the world, who as a minority possess the majority of the world's wealth, doing about the rest of the world, who not only are poor, but seem to exist only to serve the desires of the rich?

Third, we need to move from a mentality of handouts to compassionate action. Giving handouts is a cop out to reduce one's guilt feeling. Action that stems from a deep compassion will resemble Jesus' being moved by compassion to action. That means learning to move from mere giving to actual serving, distant awareness to up close and personal human touch.

Four, our giving and helping need to move from haphazard help to strategic assistance. Women in general are more vulnerable. They are also more influential. Like the saying in Ghana, that if a man is helped, it is just one man; but if a woman is helped, the nation is also helped. One strategy then is to pay special attention to the needs of women and to train them to develop help channels in their respective contexts.

Five, move from vague ideas about help toward crystal clear ideas. Take the issue of the lack of clean water. It spawns a host of problems with regards to diarrhoea, malaria, typhoid, as well as the good health. Without good health, one cannot have a good quality of life. Helping the poor does not mean just addressing symptoms. It also means addressing root causes.

Six, we need to move from a boring but safe lifestyle to a bold and significant form of faith. It means radical plans with our own lives. It means learning to make our lives count. It means living a worthwhile life for others. Helping the poor is not simply just wearing a T-shirt. It means wearing the needs of the poor through active engagement with the rich AND the poor. We need to evangelize the former and to be an agent to touch the latter. We need to speak up for the voiceless, listen to the silenced, see the marginalized, and to feel that the world as it is right now, is moving toward injustice.

Seven, we need to move from a sense of complacency to a sense of urgency. I think it is an apt reminder that the biggest tragedy for many people is not because they are successful, but when they are successful in things that ultimately do not matter much. Yeatts urge readers to actively join groups that advocate for the poor and vulnerable; to invest in a child; to be an active part of infrastructure improvements in the needy world; and even to make a trip to the poorest of the poor to experience first hand the reality of injustice, poverty, and suffering.

This book is about changing the world, beginning with changing the hearts of anyone who wants to do some good in the world. The primary audience is essentially the rich West, but the scope can be easily enlarged to include other groups. Containing many stories of faith and trust, success and disappointments, Yeatts encourages us not to look at the problem, be discouraged and then do nothing. Instead, she urges us to look at what is possible, be encouraged, and then do something, even if it means just one life or one small situation at a time. Three thoughts come to mind as I marvel at the resilience and the industry of Yeatts. First, we are not responsible to solve all the problems of the whole world, just part of it. Second, we are not meant to help everybody in the world, just who we can reach. Third, we are not responsible for the ills of the world, but we are responsible if we do not do anything about it. If any of these thoughts can be planted in the reader, this book will have done its job. I'm sure readers will be moved. It is a fitting reminder that while we are not responsible for solving all the problems of the world, we are responsible for those things that we can do something about.

Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Baker Books and Graf-Martin Communications without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

BookPastor >> "Toxic Charity" (Robert D. Lupton)

This review was first published at the Panorama of a Book Saint here.

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TITLE: Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It)
AUTHOR: Robert D. Lupton
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: HarperOne, 2011, (200 pages).

Focus on outcomes, not activities. Not all giving is good. In fact, much giving is toxic. This is the basic message in this book. Lupton in one sweep exposes the scandals both intended and unintended. He explains the reasons behind the flawed thinking, that underlies conventional giving. He explicates the various alternatives to transform charity from toxic handout to healthy helping out.

1) Exposing the Scandal
The scandal of toxic charity is basically the dis-empowerment of the poor to help themselves. After all, if they can get things for free, then why bother to work or find work?  Large charitable giving has not shortened the handout lines. Instead it has pathetically increased the demand. Those in poor economies, despite the huge millions of aid given to them, have not improved their living or economic conditions. According to one African aid worker, the continent has gotten worse. With easy availability of free money, free food, and free stuff, begging lines become longer. Administrative officials in developing economies become more corrupt. The incentives to work dramatically drop.


2) Explaining the Problem

Lupton convincingly drives home the problem of good intentions based on poor knowledge that givers have of the recipients. Through their self-centered perspective of giving in order to feel good inside the heart, they unwittingly weaken those they serve, develop dishonest relationships among their intended communities, diminish work ethic among the people they are trying to help, and increases the dependency of the poor for foreign aid. Charity of giving needs to be accompanied by parity of what the people really need. The former may help in the short term. The latter will be essential for the long term. Likewise, mercy must be accompanied by justice. Otherwise, the cycle of dependency will continue to spiral hopelessly non-stop. This results in frustrations when givers do not see improvements in the plight of the people they are trying to help. At the same time, the recipients grows in their inferiority complexes, in which their potential is not reached. One of the powerful examples Lupton shares in the book includes the following unhealthy pattern of giving without proper accountabilities:

• Give once and you elicit appreciation;
• give twice and you create anticipation;
• give three times and you create expectation;
• give four times and it becomes entitlement;
• give five times and you establish dependency.

3) Expressing the Oath

Luton provides the turning point by suggesting that charitable organizations and givers take the 'Oath of Compassionate Service.' The oath mirrors the Hippocratic Oath. (128)

• "Never do for the poor what they have (or could have) the capacity to do for themselves."
• "Limit one-way giving to emergency services."
• ''Strive to empower the poor through employment, lending, and investing, using grants sparingly to reinforce achievements."
• "Subordinate self-interests to the needs of those being served."
• "Listen closely to those you seek to help, especially to what is not being said - unspoken feelings may contain essential clues to effective service."
• "Above all, do no harm."

4) Explicating the Recovery

This section is worth the price of the book. Lupton shares from his experience to give readers a few creative alternatives to conventional giving. He is quite supportive of the Opportunity International organization which seeks to equip and empower people to help themselves. He advocates the need to be patient, and that there is no quick fixes in the charity initiative. He promotes the ABCD method: 'Asset-Based Community Development' in which one prioritizes on achieving the 'potential' instead of focusing on 'problems.' Rather than trying to solve one small part of the needy's problems, Lupton argues rightly for a wholesome restoration of the recipients sense of self-worth. This needs patience. This requires due diligence. This demands responsible giving.

Closing Thoughts

'Toxic Charity' may not a book for bed-time reading but is an important book that needs to be read by all charities and churches who are keen to help the poor and the needy. The first half of the book is a no-holds barred reprimand on the flaws of our current charitable giving model. It contains such strong observations that even the most faithful giver can be tempted to stop giving altogether. Fortunately, the second part of the book redeems the idea of giving. If readers are able to go beyond the wallet-wrenching parts at the beginning, to reach the end, they will appreciate the pains and the meticulous ways in which Lupton redeems giving altogether. This is how the gospel works too. As much as it exposes and attacks the effects of sin and sin itself, it redeems the sinner.

I highly recommend this book for all givers, to let their giving be guided by knowledge and wisdom. Most importantly, giving is a way to empower, and not disempower the receivers.

Ratings: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

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Coffee It Forward?

Times are bad. As the economy continues to show its depressing face, people are generally less than upbeat. Many are cutting back. Some are contemplating a lower standard of living. Likewise, the general trend is that one of the first things people cut back during lean times, is giving. Yet, one stranger in a coffee shop chooses to buck the trend with a $100 random act of kindness. This happened in a South Carolina coffee shop, Corner Perk, where a stranger left $100 in cash with the staff to use for all purchases in the coffee shop until it runs out. This has not only encouraged many people, it has also prompted similar acts of giving. What a way to kick off a New Year. (news link)





A $100 dollar note may not buy us a lot of stuff, but it can surely be multiplied many fold in terms of simple blessings and an upbeat start to a week.

Maybe, God is calling you to do an act of kindness in some creative way?

conrade

Teresa Hsu

India has Mother Teresa. Singapore has Teresa Hsu. Both are Roman Catholics. They have contributed so much and given the world lots of wisdom. Teresa Hsu died last week as the oldest woman in Singapore then. She was 113 years old. This video (5 & a half minutes) gives us a glimpse of her generosity to give, her willingness to help, and the constant lookout for people less fortunate than herself. She is a model, an example for the rest of us. As you watch the video, look out for the words of wisdom coming from Teresa Hsu. She may be old, but you can see how strong she is inside.

"More than 100 years old, Teresa still spends the time reading, learning, meeting people, gathering, and distributing food and money to help the needy." 

Amazing! Also very humbling.




[Thanks to Net T. for sharing this.]

conrade