Midweek Meditation: A Prayer of a Reluctant Leader

This prayer by Joe Seremane, a South African politician, has been called the prayer of a reluctant leader. The words are deeply convicting.

"You asked for my hands that you might use them for your purpose,
I gave them for a moment, then withdrew them for the work was hard.

You asked for my mouth to speak out against injustice.
I gave you a whisper that I might not be accused.

You asked for my life that you might work through me.
I gave a small part that I might not get too involved.

Lord, forgive my calculated efforts to serve you
only when it is convenient for me to do so,
only in those places where it is safe to do so,
and only in those who make it easy to do so.

Lord, forgive me, renew me, heal me, nurture me,
empower me, send me out as an instrument of your peace
that I might take seriously the meaning of servant-leadership.

Amen. "

conrade

Tips for Black Friday Shopping Week

Black Friday Shopping Scene
(Photo Credit: csmonitor,com)

With the US Thanksgiving day just around the corner, two words or their related cousins, dominate the minds of many people: "Shopping deals," "Black Friday," "Great bargains," and so on. With the Canadian dollar slightly stronger than the US greenback, many Canadians have been flooding major states down South. For us on the West Coast, Washington state is a favourite shopping haunt. From Bellingham to Burlington, from Tulalip to Seattle, Canadians are able to find the best outlets and malls, and buy lots of stuff. In general, there are a lot of things cheaper not just in terms of the exchange rate, things are cheaper simply because of the difference in economic markers, and of course the dreaded government taxes. British Columbia imposes a 12% HST on consumer goods (apart from certain groceries). Washington taxes are less. Another thing that makes a huge difference is gas prices. Canadians filling up gas down South will usually save about 25-35% per fill up. The savings in dollars have resulted in unhappiness.

Increasingly, there has been unhappiness among some of our friends in the US who subsequently complain about Canadians lack of manners, holding up gas lines, and crowding them out of their own shopping joints. I can understand. Just like people who live near schools have to contend with inconsiderate drivers parking their cars outside their houses, our neighbours down in Bellingham have to put up with additional traffic, the lack of parking spaces, and longer wait times for gas. When people are in a rush to get things done, neighbourliness gets put to the test.

Some Canadians have complained that they have become the target of nasty notes telling them not to shop in Bellingham. Despite the jump in businesses for US retail shops because of the Canadian shopper, some people in Bellingham are jumping up and down in disapproval, telling Canadians to return to their own country to shop. I can understand their frustration. At the same time, I can also understand the mentality of the Canadian shopper. After all, two things stand out. The strength of the Canadian currency and the lower prices of basic goods and services in the US.

The main reason why things are much more expensive in Canada is because of taxes. That said, it is also true that as long as Canadians spend more money outside of Canada, they are not helping Canada in the long run. The purpose of taxes is basically to help the Canadian economy and its wide range of national policies, from social welfare to public services, from education to infrastructure, from government assistance to employment services.

Let me try to provide five tips for Canadian shoppers who simply feel they HAD to go down South to do their shopping.

#1 - Be Considerate Through Self-Limits

When filling up gas, if you see a line behind you, just gas up your car and go. Forget about gerry bins and whatever containers in your car. Each time you fill up a bin apart from your car, as far as the drivers behind you are concerned, it is like having another car cutting into your lane when you are queueing up to pump gas. Be considerate when you are at the gas pump. With the holiday season coming, there will be more cars, more people, and less patience and goodwill from people. Don't hoard stuff simply because it is cheap. Saving a couple of bucks and sacrificing a load of goodwill from our neighbours is definitely not worth it. It may be cheap in the short run, but over the long run, it can be really expensive. Limit our buying, and when we see long queues, be considerate. Maybe, this is a time to help others by patronising the less popular stores during this time.

#2 - Remember that We are Guests

As guests, it is also important to remember common courtesy, and not to insist we have the right to this or that. We may have a stronger currency, but that does not mean that we have a right to "demand" that we be served in certain ways. At all times, remember that we are guests, and like guests, learn to ask rather than assume things. Very often, humble asking can unlock the goodness and the willingness of locals to embrace our presence with open hearts. Sometimes, I talk to the cashier at the tills, chatting them up, asking about their daily lives. They open up so willingly and we connect well. I can say for sure that people in Bellingham are very much people like you and I. They are very friendly and when we observe our place as guests, they are often more than happy to welcome us and to give us very special treatment. I have known Americans to be very friendly and welcoming. All it takes is for us to remember that we are guests, and they are hosts who have the rights to their local amenities too, if not, more than we do.

#3 - Be Neighbourly

This means we learn to observe basic courtesy everywhere we go. Do not rush and barge into parking spaces when you see a waiting car that was there before us. Do not drive so dangerously to beat the traffic. Do not keep your car engine idling away at the back or frontyard of some private houses. Respect the privacy of the neighbourhood and be respectful of the people you see, regardless of how they may treat you. This also means that we refrain from any tit-for-tat behaviour. Being a good neighbour means learning to put on our best selves even when we encounter unreasonable people. It does not mean we get bullied or whatever. It means we maintain a decent neighbourliness when in a foreign land.

#4 - Look Beyond Dollars and Cents

Good deals are not necessarily limited to dollars and cents. For example, is it worth it to drive an additional hundred miles to save a few dollars of the same item? Is it worth it to queue up for half an hour to fill up at a Costco gas station, burning up gas and using up precious time, for the sake of a few cents per litre? What about good customer service over cheap prices? Maybe, the holiday season is a time not just to make the big box companies rich. The small mom-and-pop stores need holiday goodwill too. Often, we can get more personalized attention from the owners, instead of mere employees who treat their work as merely their job. Looking beyond monetary savings also mean we learn to shop wisely. Maybe, some of the best deals are not based on what discounts are offered, but a clear knowledge of what we really need or don't need.

In a culture of consumerism, we are increasingly led to believe that more is good, and cheaper is better.  That is not the case. What is the point of buying a third TV simply because it is cheaper? What about giving that money away for a needy cause? What about time? It takes more time to drive across the border to buy the very same things we can buy in our local stores.

#5 - Shop Local

Where possible, shop local. This not only keeps our local industry thriving, but also a sense of building neighbourhood in our communities. Canada is already known to be a land of plenty. When we shop local, we are also exercising our responsibility as residents to support our local economy. Money that has been taxed goes to help the country in general. Every dollar spent elsewhere is a dollar lost to the local economy. Not only that, during peak holiday times, it is important to remember that when we shop in another country, we may become a hindrance in some way to other shoppers trying to buy stuff in their own neighbourhood. How will you like to buy a jug of milk and wait three or four times as long to pay for them, when people from outside your town are hogging your local grocery store? Worse, what if we want to buy bread and there is no more bread that morning! On the one hand, we can blame the retailers for poor planing of their inventory. On the other hand, when it comes to basic food items, can we just shop local?

Remember. A good deal with dollars and cents is secondary. A better deal is to be neighbourly both in foreign territory as well as local communities.

conrade

BookPastor >> "The Gospel Commission"

This review was first published on 13 April 2011. It is a powerful work to make disciples of all nations.

conrade

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TITLE: Gospel Commission, The: Recovering God's Strategy for Making Disciples
AUTHOR: Michael Horton
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011, (320 pages).

Is there anything new in this book? No. Is there a more jazzy message in there? No. Is there something hip and clever in the book? No. Horton shows us that we do not need these things to dress up the gospel message and mission. The pure gospel and mission can stand on its own.

Do not let this book's simple innocent title fool you. True to its message, the author base his ideas on biblical foundation. True to the gospel message, he makes the reader more attentive to the gospel itself. True to the gospel mission, Horton exemplifies in this book the words of the great missionary to China who famously says:

"God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." (James Hudson Taylor)

What the Book is About
Simply put, the book continues where the author's two previous books have left off. In Christless Christianity and The Gospel-Driven Life, Horton talks about the need to take the gospel seriously, calling on believers toward the gospel MESSAGE. In this book, Horton continues with a renewed focus on taking the MISSION of the gospel seriously. He has several concerns. Firstly, he urges Christians NOT to take the Great Commission for granted. Secondly, he is arguing for a shift away from the tendency in many churches toward 'mission creep.' Such 'mission creep' tends to puff up church mission and strategies instead of sharing God's mission and kingdom. The former is more man-centered while the latter is God-centered. Thirdly, and most importantly, Horton writes:

"There is no mission without the church and no church without the mission." (14)

He announces:

"The Great Commission begins not with an imperative, a plan, a strategy for our victory in the world, but with the announcement that Christ has conquered sin and death." (89)

This is followed by a reminder that the Church need not invent new mission or strategies. Tying together the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, Horton says that Jesus himself has given us the mission and the strategic approaches. Horton interacts widely with leaders of the Emerging Church Movement, like Brian McLaren, as well as the spiritual contemplative writers like Dallas Willard and Richard Foster. He is not afraid to disagree with them when he feels they are out of sync with the Great Commission. Yet, he is respectful of the teachings from these esteemed authors. I appreciate the sensitivity and balanced manner, as well as the measured criticism from the author.

My Comments
One stark observation is that Horton does not lace this book with fancy titles or colourful glossy covers. Neither are there any big name endorsements on the inner and outer flaps that we have gotten so used to, especially for authors desperate to attract more readers to buy their books. If a book is good, the message alone suffices. If a book is no good, no amount of who's who on the covers helps. Horton does not need nice packaging. He lets the message be the message.

Kudos to the author, who is not interested in chasing after the latest fad in spiritual matters but stick to ancient truths that are theological sound, and biblically faithful. I find myself highlighting many powerful statements that hits home. I enjoy the way the author weaves together biblical theology and the mission emphasis of God's love. It is an important book that deserves a wider readership.

One critique I have is that such a book may not appeal as much to the general reader. Leaders and concerned church members who have some kind of theological training will benefit most. Apart from this, I think Horton is very passionate about the Gospel Commission, and sees all manner of Church and Christian Living from this perspective. I am glad to see Horton applying the mission focus on the fundamentals of Matthew 28:18-20. He exhorts the reader to put a renewed energy back into preaching, teaching, baptizing, and making disciples of all nations. Calling these as means of grace, the GC is not something that Christian 'have' to do, but is one that true disciples will love and long to do.

Did Michael Horton do a good job in 'recovering God's strategy for Making Disciples?' The answer is a resounding YES!

I strongly recommend this book.

Rating: 5 stars of 5.

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"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A Tale of Two Stories

Every media has its own bias. No matter how big or how small, there is always a biased perspective. That is why we need at least two points of view. With the Palestinian and Israeli violence going on right now in the Middle East, the war has also spread from the battlefields to the Internet world. Call it propaganda or misrepresentation the other side, the truth is, people are prone to have a strong first impression when the news is dramatically described. Let me share just one example.

Story #1 - A Pro-Palestinian Bias

There is a map that has been circulated widely on the Internet recently. It certainly makes the Israelis look bad. The way the visual goes is that the problem lies in only one party. Israel is the bully.

Story #1 - A Pro-Palestinian Bias

Story #2 - A Pro-Israeli Bias

Check out the next story, which is pro-Israeli. It addresses each of the four maps individually, calling it a misrepresentation of facts.

1. Map 1 (1946): No State of Palestine but the British Mandate
2. Map 2 (1947): The U.N. Partition Plan - never came into existence (where the Palestinians openly reject the plan.
3. Map 3 (1949-67): Jordanian West Bank, Egyptian Gaza (map changes due to Arab aggression and Israel retaliation)
4. Map 4 (2000): Omitting the key facts

Story #2 thus proposes a new map.

Story #2 - Pro-Israel Bias

Who is correct? You tell me.

c

Musings on Self-Help Programs

TITLE: Musings on Self-Help Programs 
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: 17 November 2012

Once in a while, someone will come up to me and say something like, “I’ve had it with all those motivational gurus, and those books that give you all kinds of steps to be a better person. Such things wow initially, but over time, the novelty wears out.”

I understand. In fact, it is not surprising why the same old people who have been inspired by some moving talk or literature, pledges to do something about it, but eventually returns to the point where he needs another shot of motivation.

I hear the sentiment. Perhaps, one reason why self-help gurus continue to make money is because their formulas are not only easy to understand, people who needed help never grow out of needing help. In some countries, seminars, conferences, and motivational events are opportunities are held so often that they have become the main staple for any motivational need or spiritual diet. Take for example leadership conferences. People spend hundreds of dollars to attend talks by so-called “world-class” leader of some amazing organization. After the big publicity and the packed houses of eager attendees, soon after, the hunger returns. The same people come back to the same kind of conferences and seminars. My question: Why?

Seminars like these are popular, can they help?

The trouble with many people is that they think the magic lies with the motivational speaker or the materials they provide. Pay the fees, buy the books, and the change happens automatically. At least, that is how their behaviour demonstrates. As one who has attended many conferences, I have learned that what I do with the materials in the first 48 hours will determine the depth of my learning. Whatever notes I have copied. Whatever books I have purchased or received. Whatever recordings I have taped, if I do not do something with it, they are gone. Disappear. Poof.

Come Monday, we go on to our usual selves and our regular set of activities. The weekend infatuation has gone. The normal reality has come. Nothing has changed. Such people are immediate candidates for motivational gurus, and various organizations to continue to milk and cash in. So what do we do with conferences, motivational talks, books, music, and all kinds of self-help materials? Let me offer three musings.

A) Do Not Condemn Them

There is a place of everything. In fact, there is always a first time for anyone. As much as some of us may dislike the idea of motivational gurus and the feel-good atmosphere generated, they do serve a purpose of bringing like-minded or people who share similar concerns. First-timers will benefit the most. There are good in it too. I have been assisting Regent College’s conference programs for many years. From the annual Pastor’s Conferences to occasional theological seminars, I have seen many famous names enter the chapel halls and leave people gasping for more. The quality is top. Even the attendees of such conferences are willing to fly more than half the world to Regent College in order to attend a 1-day seminar! There is a place for motivational seminars. The trouble is when motivational seminars become the main staple of any person’s diet. That will then be a problem.

Another point to note is that we do not need to put any person up there on stage on the pedestal. They are also ordinary people like you and me. Put on the appropriate makeup, wear the wireless lapel microphone, and we too can learn to speak, to look, and walk like them. Invite them over for a meal, and we learn that they too are people who had very ordinary beginnings. The secret is in the hype or the marketing that goes with it.

B) The 48-Hour Rule

What we do with what we have learned within the first 48 hours is critical for our learning. One thing I do is to summarize my notes. Whether through memory devices or re-written essays, I find myself more equipped to engage the material, putting down what I like, what I dislike, and what are the pros and cons of what I have heard. Within the first 48 hours, many of the things remain fresh in the head. It is easy to recall the powerful stories and pointers. For those of us who have been moved by any one story, try telling the same story to another person in your own words. Talk to another person, preferably with people who have attended the same conference. Engage the material. Work through the pros and cons. When purchasing the audio-visual materials, make sure they are kept in sight, that is, we know where they are. Often, we tend to misplace them as we go back to our usual routines.

Whatever 7 steps to becoming more effective person, or 8 ways to lead, or 9 techniques to sell, we all need to learn to summarize and to decide what makes sense for us personally. Without adequate reflection, we lose what we learn. Not only that, we have wasted our time and money on mere entertainment.

C) Personal Disciplines

After 48 hours, make it a personal effort to record or to remember what we have learned. Over time, things appear very different. Contexts vary. Facts increase. We change. That is why we need to continue to update ourselves in terms of learning. Learning is not the responsibility of the motivational gurus. It is our own responsibility. Each of us needs to discover how best we learn. For some of us, we need to maintain a regular regime of exercise and active working out of what we learn. For others, all it takes is for an appropriate device to jigger our memories. For all of us, we need a certain learning discipline in order to maximize our education. Take time to update our facts. Take time to learn.

So when you see the next conference in town, do not be too quick to dismiss them. At the same time, do not be too ready to blame the gurus or organizers for organizing the same old thing. Whether people chooses to go or not, is basically part of their journeying process. For some, they may need several more seminars before they can benefit in the long-term. Such people need to be wealthy enough to fund this expensive option. For others, once may be more than enough. Whatever it is, learning is not the responsibility of the organizers or the motivational gurus. Learning is our responsibility. We cannot blame organizers or the motivational gurus for what they do best. If we feel tired or frustrated by our lack of learning, the problem is less of theirs but more of ourselves.

What are you going to do when you receive the next motivational brochure? If you have done your homework after your previous seminar, you will pass the brochure to someone else. If you have not, chances are, you will feel the itch. You will start to budget. You will likely begin the vicious cycle again, and again, and again.

Where there is this cycle, there the motivational speakers will be also.


conrade

Midweek Meditation: A Birthday Prayer

We all celebrate birthdays once a year. This prayer is appropriate for those of us wanting to do something special for ourselves. By prayer and mediation. (Credit to BeliefNet.com)

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Birthday Prayer

"Thank you, God, for giving me another year of life.
Thank you for all the people who remembered me today
by sending cards, and letters, gifts and good wishes.

Thank you for all the experience of this past year;
for times of success which will always be happy memories,
for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness and of my need for you,
for times of joy when the sun was shining,
for times of sadness which drove me to you.

Forgive me
for the hours I wasted,
for the chances I failed to take,
for the opportunities I missed this past year.
Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,
and through it to bring good credit to myself,
happiness and pride to my loved ones,
and joy to you.
Amen."

(Prayer credited to BeliefNet.com here)

conrade

BookPastor >> "Sanctuary of the Soul" (Richard J. Foster)

TITLE: Sanctuary of the Soul: Journey into Meditative Prayer
AUTHOR: Richard J. Foster
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2011, (170 pages).

This is not just a book about prayer. It is a book that guides us toward a JOURNEY into meditation and prayer. Using the teachings of various spiritual pilgrims through the ages, Foster helps us to read them as guideposts in our spiritual pilgrimage. Foster calls this book as "Entering the Experience." He asks readers not to rush into the whole exercise, but to be patient to listen. Learn to recognize the still small voices outside and inside us. In three parts, Foster shows us the way by first laying the foundations of faith, stepping through meditative prayer, and finally, to deal with the difficulties of everyday distractions and problems surrounding our devotional lives.

Part One lays the foundation of learning to be still, to pause, to wait, and to listen for God who is speaking, who is teaching, and who is acting. The two Hebrew words "haga and siach" can be understood as "to mutter, to moan, to whisper, to reflect, to rehearse, to muse, and even to coo like the dove (Isa 59:11)." It calls us to cultivate a delicate familiarity of Jesus, that we are totally dependent on God to transform our heart. The central reality is this: "God is the ultimate form-er and trans-former of the human heart" (29). Three things accompany our seeking.

1. We are always ASKING for God to change our heart to be more like Him.
2. We are always LISTENING for the still small voice of God.
3. We are always OBEYING the Spirit in all circumstances.

Learn to use imagination in prayer. Learn to read spiritually using practices like the Lectio Divina. Learn to affirm the centrality of Scriptures in our lives.

Part Two shows us the steps forward to meditative prayer. It is not a jump or a leap. It is a step. We begin where we are, and aim toward God with a sense of collectedness. Romano Guardini teaches:

"Prayer must begin with this collectedness. As said before, it is not easy. How little of it we normally posses becomes painfully clear as soon as we make the first attempt. When we try to compose ourselves, unrest redoubles in intensity, not unlike the manner in which at night, when we try to sleep, cares or desires assail us with a force they do not possess during the day. When we want to be truly 'present' we feel how powerful are the voices trying to call us away. As soon as we try to be unified and to obtain mastery over ourselves, we experience the full impact and meaning of distraction. . . Everything depends on this state of collectedness. No effort to obtain it is ever wasted. And even if  the whole duration of our prayer should be applied to this end only, the time thus used would have been well employed. For collectedness itself is prayer. . . Finally, if at first we achieve no more than the understanding of how much we lack in inner unity, something will have been gained, for in some way we would have made contact with that center which knows no distraction." (61-2)

It requires us to give a ready surrender, to repent and to confess of our sins. Then we learn to accept the ways of God. In our pristine humble posture, we learn to behold the presence of God. Our inward attentiveness to our soul helps us to discern God's voice and whisper, to enter into the sanctuary of God.

Part Three of the book is particularly interesting. It deals with three major themes. Firstly, it deals with the distracting or the wandering mind. For this, Foster urges us to go easy on ourselves, to be patient and wait for the dust of distractions to settle down. When that happens, we let our thoughts flow like appreciating poetry. Learn to appreciate the economy of words in poetry. Learn to go over and over again the phrases and words we read. More meaning can be gleaned through multiple readings. Learn to see a metaphor forming as we read. Move from words outside to forming a thought or an impression inside. Secondly, be aware of spiritual warfare. Learn from Jesus on how he manages the forty days being tempted in the wilderness. Totally resist the occultic practices the pagans and the demonic forces espouse. Beware of people who claim to be able to exorcise evil spirits. Do not give Satan too much credit. Pray instead for protection. Thirdly, Foster deals with some common questions about prayer and meditation. He gives practical answers like where and when to pray, and how physical demands on new parents can hinder meditative praying, how to meditate on select verses, and to recognize that every place can be sacred to God. What is most pertinent is to recognize that not every question need to be answered. Not every answer needs to be given. We need wisdom and discernment to know which question to ask, and which answer to discern for us.

My Thoughts

This is a simple but well thought out book, laid out in a way that promotes meditative reading and praying. Foster shows his deep knowledge of spiritual classics and devotional literature. Like a gentle spiritual guide, he offers easy steps to follow, and examples to illuminate the salient points. He shares a personal "Entering the Experience" to show us that the teachings are also applied to his own life. Personally, I like this book for the very inviting way it offers for readers to enter into the experience of meditative prayer. It does not list a time schedule. Instead, readers are free to plan their own. It does not fix our minds on any system. Instead, it frees us to move in or out of the practices of prayer and meditation. Above all, it is a lamp that lights up the path for us. When the path is well lit, the next step is ours to take.  Let me conclude with the words of Toyohiko Kagawa.

"Since I learned how to enter the forest of meditation, I have received sweet dewlike drops from that forest. I have found that the door to meditation is open everywhere and any time, at midnight, or at noonday, at dawn or at dusk. Everywhere, on the street, on the trolley, on the train, in the waiting room, or in a prison cell, I am given a resting place of meditation, wherein I can meditate to my heart's content on the Almighty God who abides in my heart. . . Those who draw water from the wellspring of meditation know that God dwells close to their hearts. For those who wish to discover the quietude of old amid the hustle and bustle of today's machine civilization, there is no way save to rediscover this ancient realm of meditation. Since the loss of my eyesight, I have been as delighted as if I had found a new wellspring by having arrived at this sacred precinct."

conrade