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Blessed New Year?! But there is so much evil!!!

12.31.03 (5:56 pm) [edit]

Happy and blessed New Year to everyone! Is it too wishful a greeting for 2004 having seen how bad 2003 has been? [b]IT DEPENDS [/b]I suppose ...

Well, 10 hours ago, I ushered in 2004 at church with friends and my family and while I am fully aware of the evils around the world in 2003 had to agree with ther chairman as we started off the service with the old Don Moen song "God is good!"

When the song first came out it was the "fun thing" to greet each other with [i]"God is good!" [/i] to which the expected response was[i] "All the time!" [/i]and then the greeter would add [i]"All the time ..." [/i]eliciting the response [i]"God is good!"[/i].

Well, is God good all the time in the liught of the wars and terrorism (among other things ) we saw in 2003? [b]IT DEPENDS[/b] on our perspective. I would say that God is still good despite the evil around us because God has a plan for the eradication of evil. This world is but a temporary place and there is another world to come. God is not finished yet. Wishful thinking some might say.
Fair enough BUT I have what I believe to be real hope and that I am thankful for - many people do not even have this.

Have a blessed New Year!

Unc Paul

Christians 'are easiest target for TV satire'

12.29.03 (4:49 pm) [edit]

Interesting article ... I wonder how the PC people will respond to the "effort" of being fair to all religions. I suppose all our concepts of "fairness" [b]DEPENDS[/b] on our own personal bias an agenda that we hold consciously or unconsciously.

Have ablessed day

Unc Paul

Christians 'are easiest target for TV satire'
By Tom Leonard, Media Editor

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/2 9/ngod29.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/ 29/ixhome.html" title="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/2 9/ngod29.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/ 29/ixhome.html" target="_blank"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ne...

(Filed: 29/12/2003)

Comedians and dramatists delight in "pouring scorn" on Christianity but are "timid" about mocking Muslims, a broadcasting watchdog chief said yesterday.

Islam was accorded far more respect on television and radio than other religions because satirists were "cautious" and "self-censoring" when faced with the prospect of causing offence to Muslims, said Lord Dubs, chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Commission.

"In portraying Muslims they have held back, they have censored themselves, they are timid," the Labour peer said. "I have seen them pour scorn on Christianity more than on other religions. Christianity is an easier and more acceptable target followed, to a lesser extent, by Jews and Hindus."

His remarks come on the eve of an announcement by the BSC that it is to impose one of the stiffest penalties it can draw on after Channel 4 re-broadcast a remark by Jamie Oliver about "Jesus �ing Christ".

The BSC had already upheld a complaint that the comment, made by the celebrity chef in an episode of the fly-on-the-wall series Jamie's Kitchen, was offensive to Christians. The regulator was angry when the offending remark was aired again in an unedited repeat of the programme.

A spokesman for Channel 4 said the repeat went out later than the original programme, at 10pm rather than 9pm, and it had been thought that the audience at the later time would not be offended.

In a rare intervention of this kind by the BSC, Channel 4 will be forced to broadcast the commission's new adjudication on air and have it published in a newspaper.

The commission is subsumed from today into the new super-regulator Ofcom. Lord Dubs admitted that the BSC had also shown bias in favour of Muslims. "We have tried to treat the religions equally. I doubt we have succeeded. I think we have shaded a bit on the side of Islam," he said.

The Right Rev Richard Holloway, the former Bishop of Edinburgh and a member of the BSC board, said Oliver's remark would never have been aired had it been about the Prophet Mohammed.

"There is much more sensitivity to disturbing Islam," he said. "It is partly because the Muslim community does not have a tradition of humour about religion, although Christian leaders will stand up for things that are fundamentally important."

I'm back!

12.28.03 (10:41 pm) [edit]

it's good to be back home! Just finished what I had to do at "camp". Sorry aboutt he disapparance of my web blog name. I used my tbucks to "buy" what I thought was a great header - only to realise that the header would also wipe out my [b]IT DEPENDS[/b] HEADING. Tbucks are useful but they are not real money so no big deal ... :-)

I will blog somethign ore substantial tomorrow - for now - i got other things to do. Thanks for droppingt by - my BLOG is close to 1,000 hits now and that is pretty thrilling. :)

Any blog subjects to suggest? Let me know ...

Have a blessed day!

Unc Paul

Happy Holidays?! What's that all about!!!

12.25.03 (4:35 pm) [edit]

Just a quick thought before I disappear for a few days.

Happy holidays for me is pretty lame. The Western world is trying to be so PC that it becomes ridiculous - so afraid of Christmas. Already Santa Claus and "Santarinas etc have attempted a hijack of Jesus Christ and now even the word Christmas! :cry:

Happy Holidays? What makes this holiday period different from all others - there's summer breaks too etc isn't there? [b]There's no reason for the cheer without JESUS CHRIST[/b]. I find it so sad that this is forgotten - that Jesus Chrtist is the reason for the season.

[b][u]Hope you have / had a blessed real Christmas![/u][/b]

Unc Paul

eCOMMENTARY: The Amazing Race

12.25.03 (4:20 pm) [edit]

Boy was Christmas busy! And I ma off this morning to yet another camp. Wanted to post my Christmas sermon but it would be a little long so here's a friends' [u][b]e-COMMENTARY: The Amazing Race[/b][/u]

[b]It's the first link on my blog - grace@work and you should check it out.[/b]

There may have been a time when I thought that the
Christian life gets easier when one gets older. No longer.
I have come to terms that there is no such thing as an
'easier' Christian life this side of heaven.
Surprise! That's what Jesus told us: "In the world you will have suffering..." John 16:33 REB.

This was definitely Paul's experience. Near the close of his life, we find him still facing formidable opposition:

"Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm. The
Lord will deal with him as he deserves, but you had better be on guard against him, for he is bitterly opposed to everything we teach."
2Timothy 4:14-15

No breaks for the old man.

And Paul was no stoic without feelings. He felt deeply when friends deserted him:
[i]"Demas, his heart set on this present world, has deserted me..." 2Timothy 4:10[/i]

He longed for the company of old friends:
[i]"Do your best to join me soon." 2Timothy 4:9[/i]Difficult problems.

Experiences of loneliness. Sound familiar?

I suspect that that is how many of us are feeling at the
end of another year. With the prospect of more in '04.

Which is why we need to ask senior citizen Paul how he does it. How does he keep on going with loneliness and
opposition dogging him every step of the way?
How did he manage to finish his race?
Again 2Timothy Chapter 4 gives us some clues.

First, Paul was utterly sure of the victory that awaited
him at the end of his race. His eyes were not fixed on this world. His eyes were focused on the reality that he first encountered on the Damascus road.
He knew what awaited him at the end of his life.

"I have run the great race, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith. And now there awaits me the garland of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on the great day..." 2Timothy 4:7-8

His eyes were fixed on the author and finisher of his
faith. That vision was so real that he could see the ephemeral nature of his daily experience. And the fact that nothing he endured this side of heaven could ever compare "with the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is in store for us". Romans 8:18

Hence he could run a long and difficult race. Which may explain our lack of stamina for our race.

I don't know about you but I find that what I encounter
daily much more real than the life to come. And hence my view of life is defined by the short-term view. Not the long-term view.

Somehow, and paradoxically, being focused on the life to come doesn't take anything away from our life on earth. Instead, realizing the shortness of life, and what awaits us at the end of life, actually strengthens us for our time on earth.

But Paul's source of strength was not just his clarity of
what awaited him at the end of his life. There was also the constant awareness of the presence of God in his life in real time. Though friends had deserted him, the Lord had not.
[i]"At the first hearing of my case no one came into court to support me; they all left me in the lurch; I pray that it may not be counted against them. But the Lord stood by me and lent me strength..."[/i] 2Timothy 4:16-17a

Indeed, Paul understood that a key feature of the work of the Spirit was to enable the believer to experience the
reality of his identity as a child of God and to mediate
the reality of God's presence and guidance. (Romans
8:12-17)

God's presence is mediated to our hearts through the Holy Spirit. But Paul also gives us some hints as to how we can cultivate the presence of the Lord in our lives. The presence of the Lord in our lives can be cultivated
through:
1. The fellowship of good Christian friends, both via
letters and especially in the flesh. (2Timothy 4:9)
2. The study of the Scriptures and other Christian
literature, hence Paul's desire for his books and
notebooks. (2Timothy 4:13)

This then was Paul's formula.
Life is tough but you can finish your race if you keep your eyes on the life to come and experience the presence of God in your life.

1. Keeping our eyes on the life to come.
2. Cultivating the presence of God in our lives.

I recommit myself to cultivating these two disciplines as I hit '04. Maybe you need to too.
May the Divine Wind give us all second wind as we continue
to run our race.

Your brother,
Soo-Inn Tan
December 26th 2003
Write me at: sooinn@graceatwork.org
========================= ===========

*Would you like to join the Grace@Work mailing list to
receive future ecommentaries?
Send a blank email to:
graceatwork-subscribe@yah oogroups.com

Heaven or hell? :D

12.23.03 (5:04 pm) [edit]

A few Housewives were sitting around the table talking, and the subject turned to their husbands. One lady said "My husband just won't go to church with me, I think he's going to go to Hell."

This led to talk around the table and it was generally
agreed that, for one reason or another, all the husbands were going to end up in Hell.

So, then the housewives started speculating about themselves. One woman said "I try to be good - I'm sure I'll make it to Heaven." Another one said "No, I did this bad thing, I won't make it." So, then they noticed that one of the ladies wasn't saying anything.
And they looked at her and said "You're such a nice lady, surely you're going to Heaven...?"

She says "No, first thing in the morning, I'm going to buy me a ticket straight to Hell!"

They were shocked and asked "Why??"

"Well, you don't expect me to live in a world without men, do you??!?"

:D Unc Paul (a man!!) :D

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

12.22.03 (9:11 pm) [edit]

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
by Dr. Seuss

Every Who
Down in Who-ville
Liked Christmas a lot...

But the Grinch,
Who lived just North of Who-ville,
Did NOT!

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

NOT SURE WHAT THE COPYRIGHT LAWS ARE LIKE SO ... CUTTING OFF A CHUNK ��

It was quarter past dawn...
All the Whos, still a-bed
All the Whos, still a-snooze
When he packed up his sled,
Packed it up with their presents! The ribbons! The wrappings!
The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!

Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mount Crumpit,
He rode to the tiptop to dump it!
"Pooh-pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
"The all the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"

"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch,
"That I simply must hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

And what happened then...?
Well...in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he...

...HE HIMSELF...!
The Grinch carved the roast beast!

So what was Christmas all about if it wasn't the packages, boxes or bags? We all have our own interpretations BUT for me - it's all about Jesus!

Have a blessed day and a blessed Christmas!

Unc Paul

Random Acts of Kindness

12.21.03 (11:35 pm) [edit]

An interesting article from a Jewish website ...

[b]Random Acts of Kindness [/b]
by Emuna Braverman

We wouldn't advocate random acts of spending. So why treat kindness any less seriously?

"Practice Random Acts of Kindness" reads the bumper sticker. Sounds so good, so warm and cozy. But is it the right attitude?

Now what kind of Scrooge would find fault with this philosophy? Well, traditional Judaism, for one, would. Not because, as some uninformed critics would have it, the God of the "Old Testament" is a vengeful, wrathful Creator. Nothing could be further from the truth. Love and kindness are cornerstones of Judaism. Our sages teach us that the world stands on three things: on Torah, on service of God, and on acts of loving kindness (Ethics of Our Fathers, 1:1). Judaism is definitely in favor of kindness! The problem lies in the random nature the bumper sticker alludes to.

Why should our acts of compassion and caring be any more random than the other actions in our life? We wouldn't advocate random acts of spending (except perhaps at a Barney's sale!), or bring that quality of whimsy and serendipity to our workplace. So why treat kindness any less seriously?

The Torah teaches that kindness should be offered in a thoughtful and appropriate way. A trivial example may lie in gift giving. Are you taking into account the wishes of the recipient and what gives him or her pleasure; or is it all about you? This is what I would want. Isn't it nice of me to think of them?

A more significant example may be visiting the sick. Does the patient really want visitors? Are you trying to make yourself feel better by making a hospital visit, or your ill friend? If it's about you, stay home. And whatever you do, don't make it random. There's nothing like an unwanted visitor when you're feeling miserable.

What about friendships? What demands of kindness do they require? It's not always simple. What if you have a friend who constantly wants to talk about her problems? Is listening the kind thing to do? Should you help her find a solution? Or tell her, lovingly of course, that it's time to move on?

Sometimes people need empathy; sometimes they need a kick in the pants. A practitioner of well thought out acts of kindness makes this determination. If your kindness is random you may wind up doing more harm than good.

Someone I know was having a hard time shouldering the financial responsibilities of his family. Promised funds never arrived, bills were left unpaid and tension was mounting. Desperate, he turned to his father who bailed him out with a large loan. Sounds like an act of kindness. And it's clearly not random. But possibly not well planned either. Was it really to this young man's benefit to have his father rush to his assistance? Would it teach him more responsibility in the future? Would it further his growth and deepen his marriage? Perhaps that loan actually hurt his son; perhaps it will inhibit his ability to fully stand up for himself, whatever the consequences.

Our time is limited; there are a finite number of acts of kindness that we can do in one day, in one lifetime. How do we want to approach them?

If a charitable foundation announced that it was giving away its money randomly we'd be shocked and appalled. Why should we treat our kindnesses any differently?

An act of kindness is a precious gift -- with potential to change a life. But only when it's carefully thought out with the particularly needs and sensitivities of the beneficiary in mind; not when it's random.

I'm designing a new bumper sticker: "Practice Strategically Planned and Well-Considered Acts of Kindness." Not so catchy, but ultimately more effective. Anybody want one?

Author Biography:
Emuna Braverman has a law degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She lives with her husband and nine children in Los Angeles where they both work for Aish HaTorah. When she isn't writing for the internet or taking care of her family, Emuna teaches classes on Judaism, organizes gourmet kosher cooking groups and hosts many shabbos guests.

------------------------- ---------------------

This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/spiritual...

Now isn't that a thought provoking piece?

Have a blessed day

Unc Paul

Religion and Funerals

12.21.03 (4:34 pm) [edit]

Yesterday, I drove up 2 hours plus north with 2 friends for a funeral. (Actually I sat in the car - someone else drove :-) ... Anyway despite getting back at almost 1.30 AM and being dead tired, I got very early in morning - my mind being much too active. Going to funerals can do that I suppose as it tends to sober us up to the fact that DEATH comes to us all.

But that's too big a subject for now. I want to just touch on religion and funerals and As a pastor I do a fair bit of funeral services and I cannot help but compare the stark difference between the kind of funerals I conduct for Christians and the Buddhist (cum Taoist) one I attended. There's always sadness in any kind of funeral but what I find sad in this funeral is the lack of hope, and a sense of fear. The young girl we came to visit and convey our condolences to the family (her grandfather had just passed away) was told by the priests that she had to remain in her hometown for a week because the spirit of her dead grandfather would be returning and if she and her other family members were not around, he (departed grandfather) would get into trouble and be given a hard time by the gate keepers of hell for not being around as it showed a lack of respect. [b]The actions of the living affecting the fate of the dead?[/b].

I do not wish to be critical of such beliefs as for a change I found that these temple priests seemed hardworking and professional [b][u]BUT it brought to my mind the fact that too often religion (or at least unscrupulous people using religion) have turned funerals into a blatant money grabbing extortion of some who prey on the fears and filail piety of the living relatives of the dearly departed.[/u][/b]

I guess I sound pretty harsh, so let me quickly give a real life example of what I mean - being told that you have a choice of a number of funeral packages - if you love your recently departed mother then you better pay for the premium package (it can set you back 20K). If you settle for the cheaper packages then there will be less prayers etc and she will suffer more ... and then charged extra for every little and extra feature ... if you really loved your mother you would pay for the extra frills.... etc. In this other funeral I attended I was shocked to discover that the ceremony would last 5 days as the Chinese temple priest told this friend of mine said that it would be bad luck to bury his mother earlier. These prolonged ceremonies can really tap you out both financially, emotionally and physically. As my friend complained that he had little choice (due to having to save face), I made the comment that I would "bet him" that the priest had a bigger and better BMW that he had. And his immediate reply was to exclaim. "how did you know!"

It's little wonder that many people reject religion when "religion" makes use of funerals to make the big bucks. How sad that this is too prevalent. Don't get me wrong, even the priests need to make a living and deserve to be paid for their hard work and long odd hours ... BUT to become millionaires? (In my country, certain car models can easily cost 500K).

So has religion gone to the dogs when at the saddest point of your life (as in a funeral) religion rears its ugly face? [b]IT DEPENDS[/b] I suppose on who you go to for help in your hour of need. As someone who does funeral, I will say that there are still many of us around who do not charge a cent for the funeral services we do -the church actually spends money. And there are honourable funeral parlours who in the business not just for the big bucks.

I hope in your hour of need when you have to arrange for a funeral of a loved one you find someone who will help you not swindle you.

Have a blessed day

Unc Paul

When you do a kind deed, do you get rewarded?

12.20.03 (6:48 am) [edit]

It's the Christmas season - time of joy and good will - at least for those who live in countries in the world where there is freedom of religion.

So here's a feel good story from www.HeroicStories.com originally dated HeroicStories #104: 6 January 2000. I'll het back to my subject line at the end of the story.

The Steakhouse
by Steven Clark Willis
Lincolnton, North Carolina, USA

Many decades ago my wife and I were dirt-poor newlyweds traveling from coast-to-coast in a rattle-trap car and about $200 to our name. One sultry summer evening near Jackson, Mississippi, we started looking for a place to get our first meal since an early breakfast of biscuits and cold cereal. In those days it was rare to find fast food places except in larger cities, and every small town eatery we passed had already closed for the night.

We continued on, planning to drive all night, hoping we'd stumble across an all night truck stop. Finally, about 8:45 p.m., we saw a steak house (seemingly in the middle of nowhere) that still had its lights on, though the only cars we saw we're parked off to the side and probably belonged to the staff. Normally, with our limited resources, this kind of place would have been way too expensive -- but we thought maybe we could
at least get some soup, a chef salad, or something.

Being too young and naive to know any better, we didn't think much about the fact that we were the only customers in the restaurant -- scheduled to close at 9:00 o'clock. Even though it must have been obvious that we didn't have much to spend, a compassionate waitress patiently handed us some menus. Of course, we took one look at the prices and knew we were in WAY over our heads! We asked if it was possible to just get two dinner salads and how much they would cost. Our waitress smiled warmly and said she'd find out.

After a few minutes, a man, probably the owner, came out from the kitchen and asked us if we wanted baked potatoes and steamed vegetables to go with the salads. We told him we didn't have enough money, but he insisted that wasn't the issue since the food would just go to waste anyway since they were closing. A few minutes later we were served an entire meal with everything but the steak -- salad, vegetables, bread and
butter, potatoes, iced tea, the works. Oblivious to the restaurant staff working around us getting ready to close up, we ate the best meal we'd had for days.

As we finished eating, I pulled a couple of dollars out of my wallet and got ready to leave. Our waitress came over, gently coaxed the money back into my pocket, and told us the meal was "on the house". My wife
started to cry and several employees came over to assure both of us that it was just something they had all decided to do. "Here take some of this pie too," they said as we went out the door.

The kindness of these strangers toward a couple of poor teenagers just "passing through" still ranks as one of the most significant events in my life. I repay them often by slipping my servers -- for reasons unknown to
them -- a little extra with their tips.

-----------
Now back to my question - [b][i]When you do a kind deed, do you get rewarded? [/i][/b]

From the way the story is written, I think that the good people at the restaurant did the teenage couple a kindness not becasue they expected somehting in return BUT I wonder about the motives of many today who do good. In the church (of which I belong so hence I share the shame) too many have misunderstood the "princple" that when you do good, good will return to you. We do good to others therefore not for the sake of doing good because it is the right thing to do BUT we do so, that we may get "blessed" in return.

There's a fine line here that in this Christmas season we ought not to cross. I hear that philantrophic giving and "donations" to charities and churches etc increase at the end of the year. Is it a good thing? [b]IT DEPENDS[/b] on the motive. If we give because of a generous heart - yeah, I think we will be rewarded [i](not necessarily in monetary terms)[/i] ... BUT if we give because we have ulterior motives like trying to get as much tax-deductible benefits as possible ... well ... I have my doubts ... I believe in the after life where all motives will be revealed.

So this Christmas season DO good - spread around some Christmas cheer but if you are doing good with the hope that somehere out there some cosmic SANTA CLAUS is going to reward you because he looks down and says "hey, he is doing something nice and check your name on a list of presents he will dole out ... well, you may be disappointed. :oops:

BUT then again, I believe that even if we do good for the wrong reasons, the good will still bless someone SO ... let's go ahead and do good (even if the motives are questionable) :wink: It's really a secondary matter to a starving man whether the one who gave him the sandwich is a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or atheist with good or wrong motives. He's starving and a sandwich is a sandwich. And getting one is a good thing.

Have a blessed day

Unc Paul

Too heavenly minded?

12.19.03 (12:41 am) [edit]

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. As they lay down for the night, Holmes said, "Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see."

Watson said, "I see millions and millions of stars".

Holmes asked, "And what does that tell you?"

Watson replied, "Astronomically,it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Theologically, it tells me that God is great and that we are small and insignifant. Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"

Holmes answered, "Somebody stole our tent."

Are religious people so heavenly minded in their perspective that they are of no earthly use?

My response would be as usual ... :wink:[b] IT DEPENDS! [/b]You let me know what you think.

Unc Paul

:D

selective memory.

12.18.03 (4:56 pm) [edit]

Got this joke via e-mail and it sparked a thought in my mind ... first the joke ...

As he lay on his deathbed he spoke, "Sara, I
want you should know before I die that Ginsburg
the tailor owes me $200, and Morris the butcher
owes me $50, and Klein next door owes me $300."

His wife turned to the children and said, "What
a wonderful man your father is. Even when he's
dying he's got the brains to realize who owes him
money."

The old man continued, "And Sara I want you to
also know that I owe the landlord a hundred dollars."

To which his wife cried, "Oh oh, now he's getting
delirious!"

Isn't that so much like us? We demand justice and fair play when life goes against us but when the situation is stacked in our favour, we don't make a sound. So it's not fair when somoen gets an unexpected break in life but when we get a break, we resent it when others are envious of our good fortune.

We remember all the wrongs others do against us BUT we conveniently forget or dismiss as irrelevant or small the wrongs we commit against others. How do we decide with [i]"the rights and wrongs, fairness and unfairness of life"?[/i] [b]IT DEPENDS[/b] on whether it benefits us or not. [b][u]BUT it should NOT be this way.[/u][/b] If everyone had selective memory that is centered on our ownselves, the world will become a terrible place to live for even the good things due to us would be withheld.

So am I against selective memory? [b]IT DEPENDS! [/b]Selective memory can be great when we choose to overlook wrongs and forgive.... when we choose to ignore then bad and keep on doing good. Then life would be a better place.

Hey, isn't that the Christmas story? God sending his son into a messed up world? Ignoring the fact that we in the world have messed up real bad and really don't deserve a second chance. I am thankful that God sometimes choose to have a selective memory - He said, [i]"I can't ignore the fact that Unc Paul messed up really bad BUT I am going to give him a chance to get things right - my way!"[/i] Thank God for that!

Have a blessed day and a great Christmas season

Unc Paul

500 hits! So what's the big deal?

12.17.03 (4:05 am) [edit]

Checked the stats page and found my blog accessed 500 times. Yay! So what big deal? No pay rise, no special gift, no party, no nutin' ... Ah ... But [b]IT DEPENDS [/b]on one's perspective ...

If you don't take time out to celebrate the little things in life (yup, even the very little) your life becomes dull. Even the "how to study gurus" inform us that it makes a big positive difference when a student celebrates when you finishing studying one chapter. So what if that's just one chapter out of 20 ... Sometimes what matters is the journey and the anticipation of the good things to come.

So I'm off to have a nice cool one (hahaha ... not beer - just plain old H2O) to clebrate my blog's 500th hit.

Have a blessed day

Unc Paul

Does God get angry? and other related questions ...

12.17.03 (12:27 am) [edit]

[b]I think God is a very misunderstood person.[/b] He gets the blame for almost everything that goes wrong and gets little or no credit for ther things that goes right. I think the problem is that we have a very superificial knowledge of God. Even Christians (perhaps without realising it have a distorted image of God). It is so sad that we often have in our minds images of God that are anything but true.

So what's the big deal? Well, if the Bible is true (I believe it is, but I know may others don't) and we are made in God's image, then it followed that if our image and understanding of God is wrong or distorted, it will affect our self-image. [b]Simply, poor inage of God - poor image of self. [/b]

This is a big subject so let me just try and narrow things down to thinking of God and His love. My basic contention is that we misunderstand God simply because we view God through our limited human perception, whereas we should try and see God from a much larger perspective.

[u]So ready for an interesting 3 question quiz about God? [/u](These 3 questions are not originally mine - I took it from a cool message by a Roman Catholic Priest - Father John Powell)

[b]One: "Does God get angry?"

Two: "Does God punish?"

Three: "Would God love you more if you shaped up, if you were a better person?" [/b]

If you were honest, you would have answered YES to all three. Or at least if you had some previous Bible knowledge ypu would probably have answered YES to the first two but NO to the third. But then again, if you think carefully, to answer NO to the third but YES to the first two might be a little inconsistent. But that's OK ... IT DEPENDS on what you were thinking of when you answered the questions.

What I want you to do is grab a Bible and read the story (parable) of the prodigal (lost) son found in Luke chapter 15, verses 11 to 31. [b]THIS IS IMPORTANT and YOU WON'T REGRET DOING IT![/b] Jesus told this story to teach about God's love for us.

The Father in the story represents God. The younger son (the Prodigal) and the older son represent us. Now answer the questions again in the light of the story

[b][u]One: "Does God get angry?" [/u][/b]

Does the father, who is God in the story, get angry at his son? No.

The Bible is filled with remarks about the wrath of God but does that mean God gets angry the way we understand getting angry? God is in total control all the time and circumstances does not change who He is.
If God were to get angry in the way we understand getting angry, it would mean that we had "power over God" to control his "emotions". So is the answer YES or NO? Well, [b]IT DEPENDS! [/b]You were right in answering YES God does get angry BUT I would venture that you were also wrong if you think of God getting angry in human terms.

[u]Two: "Does God punish?" [/u]

Does he punish his son? No. The son punishes himself and the father lets him punish himself. He lets him exercise his free will, lets him go off to the big city. The Bible is filled with statements about how God punishes the evil and rewards the good, but God doesn't punish us the way we understand punishing and punishment? So is the answer YES or NO? Well, [b]IT DEPENDS![/b] You were right in answering YES God does punish us BUT I would venture that you were also wrong if you think of God punishing in human terms. God is not punitive; God is not vindictive. You could say that God simply records our performance and lets us punish ourselves (there will be consequences for our sins)

[u]Three: "Would God love you more if you shaped up, if you were a better person[/u]?"

Notice that the father loved his son just as much before as well as after. The father was waiting for the son to come home and ran out to meet him when he saw him at a distance. So is the answer YES or NO? Well, [b]IT DEPENDS![/b] You were right in answering YES God would love us more if we shgaped up and were a better person. BUT it is not in the way we think. His love is constantly there and when we shape up by obeying what He tells us to do, we are better able to sense and expereince His love. While God surely wants us to be a better person, His love is unconditional.

Now doesn't that blow your mind? God is pretty wonderful BUT as to whether you will experience it or not ... well, [b]IT DEPENDS [/b]on whose perspective and understanding of God you want to believe - yours or Jesus's. Me, I take Jesus' and life is good!!

Have a blessed day!

Unc Paul 8)

I'm back ... anyone miss me?

12.16.03 (9:15 am) [edit]

I'm back ... anyone miss me?

Had a great time at "camp". Made new friends and got to know previous friends better. Had a good time teaching and felt blessed by the positive response. Had a nice time sleeping as well as it was a relaxed camp and lots of freee time. Really nice to catch up on some sleep.
It's back to work at the office later this morning... and get back to the [i]mundane matters[/i] of work.
:wink:

It's nice to return and have a comment posted and a few messages waiting. Isn't it amazing what just a few short but friendly words can do to raise someones' spirit?

If you haven't tried it yet, do it LIVE! (ie. don't post or send some friendly words - smile at someone and say something nice and try it on a complete stranger. I did that at the resort I where I was teaching over the last few days - and it was amazing what a smile and a few friendly comments could do. Unsmiling tired and bored looking staff carrying out their [i]mundane tasks[/i] perked up - at first with surprise and then with a genuine smile. Everyone needs to know they are appreciated.

I made the comment about this - and I was pleased when somone shared that they did likewise and had similar responses. By the time we left, I noitced many more smiling faces - and one ever waved goodbye to me!

[b]Now isn't that something worth doing - especially around Christmas[/b]!?

Have a blessed day! :wink:

Unc Paul

away for 5 days

12.11.03 (6:22 pm) [edit]

I leave this morning for a camp - be back posting in 5 days.

Have a blessed weekend!

Unc Paul

which wolf are you feeding?

12.11.03 (2:16 am) [edit]

Dead tired ... well still alive but barely so this will be short :)

After yersterday's blog things got better. Yup, many things can change for the better - [b]IT really DEPENDS [/b] on how one responds.

Made me remeber another story in my collection ...

[i]An elder Cherokee Native American is teaching his grandson about life. He said to the boy, "A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil--he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good -- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."[/i]

Unc Paul

The Whole World Stinks

12.10.03 (2:47 am) [edit]

Busy working day - helped someone, had a great lunch with my senior citizens group, visited a friend in hospital, had a quick catch up with a friend over a drink, completed my final copy of a talk I will be giving - very fruitful day BUT then suddenly one lousy incident at the close of the day destroys the pleasure of the whole day! I am very upset over what I feel is overcalculativeness and pettiness. With one incident a bararge of negatvitiy hits me and as I simmer negativity seems to overflows from every fibre of my being.

It's times like this when I want to say "Hang it all! and walk out on life! The whole world stinks! :evil:

But a wiser head and calmer heart must prevail :x ... and so I pray and look to my store of stories to restore my persective of life ... and I found this anonymous story piece entitled [i[u]]"the World Stinks[/u][/i]"

[i]Wise men and philosophers throughout the ages have disagreed on many things, but many are in unanimous agreement on one point: "We become what we think about." Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A man is what he thinks about all day long." The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius put it this way: "A man's life is what his thoughts make of it." In the Bible we find: "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."

One Sunday afternoon, a cranky grandfather was visiting his family. As he lay down to take a nap, his grandson decided to have a little fun by putting Limburger cheese on Grandfather's mustache. Soon,
grandpa awoke with a snort and charged out of the bedroom saying, "This room stinks." Through the house he went, finding every room smelling the same. Desperately he made his way outside only to find
that "the whole world stinks!"

So it is when we fill our minds with negativism. Everything we experience and everybody we encounter will carry the scent we hold in our mind.[/i]

So does the whole world stink? Again, [b]IT DEPENDS [/b]on your perspective. For me, its' starting to smell pretty sweet again!

Have a blessed day

Unc Paul :)

Cracked pots are still valuable

12.09.03 (3:05 am) [edit]

This blogging has been quite a fun distraction for me - 5th day now with as many blogs - of different lengths and contents.

After posting my first blog two nice bloggers dropped me a welcome note - so obviously I had to check out their blog sites and from there moved from blog to blog.

One thing that struck me about on particular blogger was the openness and vulnerability of one of her blogs. and the contagious friendliness of her blogging, leaving me wishing I had the privilvege to get to know this person beyond her blog site. But strangely, in her blogging stories and profile it was almost as if she found herself inferior. Seems like too many of us living in this world have trouble seeing the good and value of who we are because our thinking and feeling gets clouded by our not so pleasant circumstances.

I have always loved stories and I collect all kinds of stories, because stories have a powerful way of speaking to both my mind and my heart. And now I find that the some of the blogging stories I read, while not polished has a smilar effect. Blogging seems to be an interesting and sometimes helpful way of learning to be who we are by expressing some of our innermost thoughts - unplugged?, uncensored ... raw and real.

(Let me add that not all stories are of the same quality, and that applies to blogs)

Anyway for for you bloggers out there who like most of us are trying to find significance in our carcked and broken lives ... her's a favourite story of mine (original source unknown) ...

TO ALL CRACKED POTS:

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to
pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, God will use our flaws to grace His table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste.

Cracked pots logically have little or no use. But again IT DEPENDS on the perspective one takes. I look at myself and I know I am a cracked pot (not a crack pot though I sometimes come close to being that :-) ... BUT I also see how God who made me values me.

When I was 20 years old, a the lowest point fo a period of depression and feelings of being useless and a burden to all around me, I took an overdose of pain killers (40 pills) and laid down to die and get it over with.

I should have died but I didn't die, and thankfully did not suffer any major health side effects. For in the early hours of the morning, I awoke heavy headed from my deep sleep with a realization that God lovd me. It was strange BUT to cut a long story short - it was the start of a new way of looking at life for me - through God's eyes.

I have learned over the years not to compare myself unfavourably with others - whether it is their gifts, abilities, wealth etc. For so what if I am a cracked pot wioth holes and flaws - what matters is God's perspective of me and the fact that he has a beautiful palna nd use for me his carcked pot.

Have a blessed day

UncPaul

Is there value and meaning in the mundane?

12.08.03 (8:04 am) [edit]

It's been a tiring day for me - not because it has been an especially challenging day. It's been more a day of fiddling around doing the half a dozen miscellanouse mundane things that aren't exactly exciting but still need be done. Brings home the strange but true fact once again to me that people get tired more often doing easy and simple, yet boring and routine tasks rather than tough but challenging and exciting tasks.

I suppose there aren't many of us who who don't often wish they we could just drop the burdensome responsibiities placed on us and just start all over again. Modern society (no thanks to the West ... sorry if it seems offensive but I think its true ) seems to teach us thatn we ought to look out for number one and hang the rest of the world. Like Calvin of (Calvin and Hobbes), more and more people somehow think that the whole world exists to pander to their every whim and fancy.

Trouble is, when too many people think this way, chaos is the result. I am baffled at the inconsistencies of some people who demand freedom (of speech or religion etc) but at the same time try to deny others that same freedom they enjoy and demand. So some make use of the freedom of speech to air their opinions and attack the opinions of others but when someone elses does the same to them, they cry foul! But I digress ... that should be saved for another day when my mind is clearer ...

But while I think it is a good thing to throw caution to the wind every now and then and GO WITH THE FLOW so that our lives don't end up dry a bore, I beleive that there is graet value and meaning in the mundane. IT DEPENDS on the prespective from which we approach the mundane tasks of life.

Some examples ... I don't think any of us rrelishes cleanign the toilet or washing the dishes, or such similar chores. Well, consider what life would be like if you never cleaned your toilet for a couple of months. Besides the stench, think of the germs! And the to pile up the dirty dishes for weeks, and not take out the garbage is to ask for trouble - from roaches and other vermin.

Apart from such obvious examples, people who are able to be disciplined in being responsible in doing the mundane tasks of daily life soon discover that they change into more resilient people. They become tougher, more independent and more dependable. For I think when we alll take the time to think about it, it is the little things in life that add up.

I know of many young people (now much older) who are wonderful musicians. They all would tell of how they hated those piano practices and scales ... But now, looking back, they are thankful for those tough and mundane times. For without the mundane, they would never be where they are today.

So today, I sorted out administrative matters, typed all kinds of stuff, juggled schedules and activities to fit into a 2004 planner, made lots of calls, sorted out my notes, cleared out a couple of files of outdated documents and papers ... did the stuff dreams are made of (the other kind of dreamns, if you know what I mean lol)

But you know what, it wasn't a waste of time. I learned a little more patience and boy do I need patience! (BTW, let me give you a tip - be careful of praying to God for patience - you'll get into a lot of situations that will really test your patience!) And I got better organised so that my work for the next few days and even months would be a lot smoother. Also, I got more creative in learning how to juggle and sort out a few things at a time - better multi-tasking!)

And so if you are stuck in a "dead end" job or often stuck with a bunch of mundane things that you just hate, take heart, you never know how doing these things will end up enhancing your life. IT DEPENDS a lot on your attitude and perspective.

Have a nice day!

UncPaul

:lol:

Pornography in the Bible or just pictures of reality and grace?

12.07.03 (3:20 am) [edit]

* Be warned - long blog - a sermon actually :-)

I�ve been a Christian for a long time 25 years now and I want to say that I have never heard the story of Judah and Tamar preached or taught. (Read it for yourself - look up Genesis (first book of the Bible) chapter 38 or you won't get the full impact. Know what I think? People avoid it 'cos it reads like a pornographic novel (without explicit details of course), and somehow, somewhere in the minds of many good people (though they can't say it openly), they think - hey, there has to be a mistake - this just doesn't fit in God's holy book. Well ... I think IT DEPENDS on whose perspective the story is being told ... God's or own. I prefer God's ... always more exciting and enlightening. So if you are sure you want to read a sermon I have given in a number of churches, sit back and carry on ...

(BTW, I am sure some did but I never heard one ...)

Stay long enough in a church and go through Sunday School classes (for kids or adults) and you will find that
every story and major character of this first book of the Bible (Genesis) is taught - from the stories surrounding Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Joseph, but not this one.

This to me is rather surprising, as anyone who has read the book of Genesis will be able to tell that this story is sandwiched in the middle of the very exciting story of Joseph�s life. Logically, to avoid this passage is to miss out on the fuller lessons the Bible has to teach us.

I believe that the story of Judah and Tamar is one of many stories and teachings in the Bible that is avoided by many people because it disturbs us. Frankly, if you take a hard look at the passage, it can be considered by some as bordering on pornographic material.
It�s about sex, and more sex, about prostitution, incest, and illegitimate children.

But I would like to stress that this passage is part and parcel of Holy Scripture and is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness. (to quote a famous apssgae in the Bible)

To avoid passages that disturb us is a foolish thing to do.
For educators will tell us, and quite rightly, that we are best in the position to truly learn when we are faced with something that shakes us out of our comfort zones.

Technically, they call it �disequlibrium� Disequilibrium happens when we receive input into our lives that we are unable to handle or process. It�s like a mini paradigm shift, where we have to adjust our understanding to assimilate the new input. Disequlibrium, as the term suggests, throws us off balance and it�s not a nice feeling. BUT it is necessary for growth. For if we persist long enough in our struggle to understand the disturbing input, then we end up coming to a better understanding and thus achieve a new equilibrium. - That is what growth is about.

It was John Stott who rightly commented that we often come to the Bible looking for some wonderful (i.e. nice things) but often God wants to show us disturbing things.
God is a realist! He knows what life is about and he doesn�t shy away from so called �disturbing things�.

Having said that, let us get now into the passage.
And if there are feelings of initial disequilbrium, let us persevere and follow through.
And as this a long story ... Let�s just concentrate on one main character, namely Judah.

Judah is quite an ordinary fellow.
He had eleven brothers and at least one sister that we know of. He is not the number one son, nor the second or third. He is the fourth. He is not his father�s favourite - his eleventh brother was.
What else do we know about him?

He was a devious fellow - unscrupulous and unfeeling
He had little compassion and would do practically anything for a quick profit. Now wait a minute, some of you may say ... isn�t that a little harsh?
Not really.

Take a look at chapter 37:26
It was Judah who suggested selling his own brother for a profit.
And if you read the text carefully, you will know that it is not because he felt sorry and didn�t want to kill Joseph.
For those who don�t know the story of Joseph, his brothers (Judah included) were jealous of him because he was their father�s favourite.
I can almost here him say, �Killing him is too good for him. If we sell him, the pampered brat will suffer before he dies. And as an added bonus, we get 20 shekels of silver.� That�s a pretty cool amount of money - about 230 grammes of silver.

If that fact is not convincing enough, read another portion of chapter 37.v.31-35
This was another devious plan he either thought up or agreed upon. (get a Bible or surf the net to read one online - it's actually very interesting!)
And when his father became so distraught, he kept up the charade. Do you know his father mourned and suffered for 20 years thinking Joseph was dead? 20 years is a long time! When you read the rest of the story of Joseph, you will know that time did not heal his father Jacob�s broken heart.
And there�s more ...

He was also a coward. He couldn�t keep up the charade and was racked with guilt, so what did he do? Did he go and confess? Did he try to find his brother and buy him back? No! No! He ran away ....
And that is how we get this story in chapter 38.

So here we find Judah, a coward running away from his problems, abandoning his brothers and fellow conspirators... He sets off to rebuild his life.
He marries a Canaanite woman ....

Bad move ... as that is breaking with the principles of marriage that began with his great grandfather Abraham, and on to his grandfather Isaac! But never mind that ... it�s another story... (and it is has nothing to do with bigotry and racism) He has 3 children and his eldest son is married off to a woman called Tamar.
His eldest son was an evil person and so God kills him.
His second son marries his brother�s widow as is in accordance with an ancient law known as the levirate law. Briefly, the law is meant to protect the line of the deceased brother, as the text in chapter 38 explains....

But his second son was selfish .. he wanted the pleasure of sex with Tamar but not the responsibility.
(Hey, who said the Bible was not relevant to contemporary culture ...)
And so God kills him too.

BTW, for your information ... names in the OT are often a reflection and description of the person. Tamar�s name means date palm � so you can imagine Tamar as having a slim and gorgeous figure. (Can you do that without letting your imagination go too wild?) hahaha! sorry just kidding.

So what does Judah do?
He doesn�t stop to think and ask WHY two of his three sons turned out evil. Rather, he puts the blame on Tamar. It�s all her fault - she must be cursed or is evil!.
And so he does the unthinkable... he sends her home on the pretext of waiting till his third son is old enough to marry her and fulfill his obligations.

In an ancient world where a woman is considered as chattel - with little human rights, that is a most unfeeling thing to do. Tamar has married into Judah�s family.
It is he who is responsible for her not her parents....
To send her home is not right and it puts her to shame.
Not convinced this is so?
Well, when Tamar got pregnant by alleged prostitution, who was it who was informed and expected to pass judgment on her?
It wasn�t Tamar�s parents.... it was Judah!

Why? Because, it was Judah�s responsibility not Tamar�s parents. Judah blames her and packs her off and left her there for a long time. Then Judah�s wife passes away....
he mourns her death .....

FINALLY, something good about the man. He actually takes time to mourn for his wife. And what does he do after he has finished mourning? Oh Oh ....
He goes to a party! And not just any party .... a wild party! Sheep shearing is a festive time where there�s lots of free flowing booze and sex. It has to do with the Cannanite religious practices. And this BTW is one reason why marrying a Cannanite was not acceptable to his great grandfather, grandfather and father...
It�s a mixing of two different cultural and religious values.
Sit still, it gets worse....
Is there no redeeming facet to Judah�s life?

Judah sets off to the party and on the way he meets what seems to a very attractive prostitute... we all know of course that it is Tamar, his daughter in law. (B'cos we have read the story!) And what does he do?
He went over to her..... she did not even have to make him a proposition - Judah took the initiative.

I know, our focus this morning is on Judah, not Tamar but saywhat you like about her ... she knows her father-in-law pretty well. She knew he had a sexual appetite, or she wouldn�t have been so bold with her plan. I suppose if Tamar lives up to her name, she must have a pretty good figure. But this is almost ridiculous.
She is wearing a veil, for crying out loud! Judah can�t even see her face.... and he still propositions her.

I suppose we can argue that in his grief, he wanted some female companionship but ... surely the man could at least be more discerning. How could he sleep with the first woman he meets on the way to a party? (But then again, if Hollywood's depiction is correct, this must happen quite a bit today)
Judah looks like a real loser. Impulsive and sexually impure...
It�s horrible but this is not the end of his foolishness and impropriety. In order to obtain the goat he promised her (the asking price for the sexual encounter), Tamar asks him a pledge. Not just any pledge - but his seal and its cord, and his staff.
And you know what? Judah agrees!
Now this might sound rude - but ... only a fool would do that! To give his seal and his cord is like giving away your identity card and passport, your company seal....
How foolish can a person be? Those items are similar to our modern day personal identification papers
Well, maybe he was drunk... which might help explain his being able to sleep with his own daughter in law and not know it was her... But that would only add drunkenness to his list of poor character traits.

To cut a long story short.... he goes home and sends Tamar the promised goat but Tamar disappears to hatch phase 2 of her plan. I need to add at this point that we may not agree with Tamar�s actions but Tamar was only doing what she felt was right to obtain her levirate rights.
Ancient customs actually allows the father of the deceased son to fulfill the levirate obligations for his son.... I am not condoning her actions.... I am just stating a fact.

Well... we are reaching the climax of the story...
Tamar is soon discovered to be pregnant. - 3 months pregnant. and she doesn�t hide it.... she flaunts it and so her father in law, the one responsible for her is told.
His verdict? Bring her out and have her burnt to death!
That, BTW was an accepted Canaanite punishment in some areas for such a sin.
And can you just imagine Judah�s secret relief?
- �Now I have a legal way of getting rid of that unlucky woman. I don�t have to give my son Shelah to her!�

And so the crowd gathers... a public burning would have been a great crowd puller. In a time and culture that had no TV, cinema, video arcades, cyber cafes, malls, soccer leagues and the like.... it was something not to be missed. Keep in mind... the Canaanite people were of a brutal and immoral pagan culture.

And then Tamar springs her surprise. As she was being led out, she sent a message to Judah
�I am pregnant by the man who owns these. See if you recognize whose seal and cord it is.�

But it is Judah�s response which is the biggest surprise. His response was:
�She is more righteous than I, since I would not give her to my son Shelah.�
And, the bible records for us .... :he did not sleep with her again.�

Something happened to Judah that day that only God knows. He admitted his guilt, he forgave her, he took her back and he treated her with a new sense of respect and care.

Judah could have easily turned the tables on Tamar.
He could have accused her of stealing his cord and seal.
He could have argued, and rightly so, that she did in fact prostitute herself. For that was not the way to go about claiming your levirate rights. Today, we say it too: �the ends doers not justify the means!�

A woman was a nobody in those days.She had little or no rights. Even the levirate obligations was not for the woman�s sake, but for her deceased husband�s. A denial or cover up by Judah and Tamar would have died a horrible death that day.

With such a bad picture of Judah�s character that I have described to you this morning, we would be tempted to think that he only did what he did because he knew the child in Tamar�s womb was his.
And that may be true....
BUT I am convinced this is not the case. There are other ways to let the child live but get rid of Tamar.

Somehow, something else happened and Judah was a changed man that only God can explain. All we know is the results of that change!

Judah had learned the meaning of repentance.
He turned from wrong and did what was right.
Sure, he could not change the past but from that moment on, he decided to do what was right.

Judah had also learned to forgive. He did not argue that Tamar was also at fault She was also at fault, but that is not the issue he looked at. The issue he looked at was his own heart.

He would not condemn, because he knew that he too was a sinful man. He refused to justify himself.

Judah had learned what Jesus seeks to teach us when he gave us the Lord�s Prayer
Do you remember this phrase?
Forgive us our trespasses (sins / debts)
as we forgive those who trespass (sin) against us.

Somehow Judah chose to take hold of the liberating power of repentance and forgiveness and he chose to do so, at the risk of his own reputation.
He exposed his own sins to the world
But the reward was worth it.

Have you ever wondered why the sordid story of Judah and Tamar is right in the middle of the story of Joseph?

Let me tell you why ...
It is to prepare us for a great surprise that is revealed in the story of Joseph, You have to go and read Genesis 43:8-9 and it will amaze you!

Get to chapter 39 onwards and discover that Judah has found the courage to return to his family. And look at the change in this man�s character...
Before, he plotted to sell his brother Joseph ..., his father�s favourite son. Now he promsies to protect his other brother Benjamin, his father�s new favourite.
And does he follow through on this promise?
Read Genesis 44:18-34 and Genesis 45:1. Read it aloud and in character and tell me if you do not hear the way he pleaded for his brother Benjamin�s life? His appeal is so sincere that Joseph is unable to keep up his charade.
It moved Joseph to tears.

And as the story moves on to the last days of Jacob,
we find that Judah is given the greatest blessings of his father. He may be number four, but he has displaced his three older brothers .. and even his father�s favourite sons, Joseph and Benjamin.
We read that in Genesis 49:1-12

The biggest surprise comes out in the New Testament in Matthew 1:3, In the genealogical record of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, we find Judah and Tamar mentioned.
The Son of God chose to come to earth as a man, through the of Judah and Tamar, through none other than their son Perez - a product of tainted and scandalous episode.

Blows your mind doesn't it? What';s the point of the story? You decide for yourself for in a way, what you get out of it DEPENDS on where you are in your life.

Can't figure it out? Have questions?
hehehehe ... post a comment and I will respond.
Be a sport and post something as I am new to this blogging and in 2 days I had 110 hits but just a measly handful of posts ... :-)

Have a great day

Unc Paul

Time Management versus Free Flow

12.05.03 (7:25 pm) [edit]

To be efficient and effective, most people advocate strictly following having a proper time management system. With the proliferation of PDAs and all kinds of management diaries and daily planners, this seems to be the in-thing (or I prefer to say the �in-think!�)

But sometimes I wonder if time management is what it is cut out to be. For me, IT DEPENDS on how it is used and the thinking behind time management. Let me first make it clear that I use a Daily Planner, and I do depend quite a bit on it.

Someone once did give me a PDA but it ran on AAA batteries and I found it more trouble than help, so I went back to the old pen and paper. Got myself an el-cheapo daily planner for RM 6.50 if I am not mistaken. So cheap? Yeah, because it is an ugly small planner. And the marketing people sell them cheap to hook you and then the following year expect you to cough out RM 35-RM 60 for next year�s refills. Great marketing ploy, don�t you think? But I am still getting the last laughs for the last 3 years as I custom design my own monthly / weekly schedules, printed them out and stick them into my planner and save a bundle.

Now it feels great to win one little battle against the great marketing powers that be who figure they have it made � reel you in with a product sold cheap and make a killing with the maintenance of the product. Just like how they sell you ink jet printers cheap and ink cartridges for a bomb. Buy 2 or 3 cartridges and you equal the price of the printer. You can�t lose right? IT DEPENDS actually. Thank God for cheap ink refills � despite the very serious |threat� that if you don�t use original cartridges the printer warranty is deemed void. So what? At the price of the cartridges, if the printer really does go bust, might as well buy a new one!

But I digress, and I if don�t get back on track I might start talking about the scandal behind my car purchase. But the digressions I make (I call them ramblings) is actually part of the point of this blog. Time management may be great tool but it can be a terrible master. People who become too sticky and uptight about schedules in their quest for effectiveness and efficiency may discover (often too late) that they have become less effective and efficient. IT DEPENDS on who is in charge, you or your schedule.

I think too many people forget that distractions can be blessings in disguise. IT DEPENDS on how we see them. I believe that when we FREE FLOW with the many of the distractions, we discover new things, new ideas, new perspectives that can actually help us in our work. Well, I admit, IT DEPENDS on the kind of job we are in.

But take my line of work for example � (well, I prefer the term �calling� but it is hard work too). Next week I am off to take a �church camp�. (It�s would be interesting to figure out why it is called a camp when those who go stay in hotel rooms � but that�s another blog). For the uninitiated, it�s a time where people from a church (and their friends) get together for a time of teaching, fun, eating and relaxation. My notes are everywhere and my planner says �time blocked for preparation� but what am I doing? Writing a blog! Irresponsible? Not really, my mind is over saturated with camp stuff � and where�s the effectiveness or efficiency (not to forget, the FUN) in sitting down and plodding on when my mind is clearly elsewhere, crying out for a break?!

In such a situation, I say, hang the TIME MANAGEMENT � go with the FREE FLOW. For after all, as a Christian (and a Christian �fool-time worker� at that � might want to look at my profile to understand this part), I believe that God gave me new life to enjoy not to suffer. (But let me qualify that IT DEPENDS on the situation).

How does FREE FLOW help? Well, it stimulates the creative juices. For the most part of my work, I have to keep 9 to 5 hours like everyone else but interestingly, the real work often starts after 5 PM when I am back home or away from the office. The things I read, the conversations I have, the TV shows I watch, the mundane things I do that is unplanned and unstructured can be really productive for my work.

Often that�s where the real inspiration comes from and the seeds of creativity are planted! I think our minds and hearts need all kinds of breaks from our tight schedule sin order for us to grow as people. We can learn all kinds of things (some practical as well!) from the most unlikely sources. Would you believe that STAR TREK has much to teach us about life? (Not that I agree with the STAR TREK philosophy � but don�t you dig Captain Jean Luc Picard as the hero? The bald serious Captain who addressed one of his best friend and first office by the term �Number One�? Is that his idea of affection in the midst of the need to be formal? I could go on but I better not digress too much. FREE FLOW is good but IT DEPENDS too on how much flow �

Anyway, I have to get back to work (but you ask, �Didn�t you just write on the need for FREE FLOW and not be bound by TIME MANGEMENT?) Yeah, so I did but IT DEPENDS also on the context.. We can�t live just on fresh air and sunshine (though I read a couple of months ago of a man who calims to be avble to do this and sceintsits are baffled)

To sing off, let me just end with an observation. I think some people make the miistake of thinking that scheduling time for FREE FLOW is the same as having time for FREE FLOW.
Duh! When you rely just on scheduling FREE FLOW time, you are still being ruled by TIME MANAGEMENT.

Have a great weekend!

Unc Paul

My first blog - midlife crisis generated!

12.05.03 (7:55 am) [edit]

Just had my 2nd mid life crisis but enjoying it tremendously. The "disatisfaction" with life when chanelled properly can be an enriching experience.

With half of my life (I hope there will be actually half still left), it's a great time to learn new things. And if i fumble and fall flat on my face, hey, that's ok - I can always blame it on the "mid life crisis" syndrome.

What have I learned so far from my mid life crisis? Well, among other things, in my first "crisis" I picked up magic (illusion) and am still having fun with that. Sure I am no David Blaine but have at least I managed to evoke just once a response from a small crowd that was similar to the TV show reaction when Baline levitated. OK, maybe it was among the so called less sophisicated people of Cambodia but a scream is still a scream!

2nd crisis? Well, its a little more sober but no less interesting - will be taking up Koine Greek classes in January. (That's the original language of the Bible's New Testament) . And of course, try my hand at blogging and hopefully figure out why more and more people find this exciting!

Oh ... as for my blog title, "It Depends!" well, that's one of my oft used responses to all kinds of questions people ask me ... IT DEPENDS. Kinda irriates many I know as nowadays too many people want quick fixes and instant answers ... which is a lazy way out!

But over the years I have found that IT DEPENDS is a pretty wise way to begin answering important questions. More about that another time if I decide to continue this blogging.

Oh, my name, handle? ID? whaterver ... I'll figure out the terminology soon enough. UncPaul is short for Uncle Paul - that's what many people call me - both young and old. Might be another reason why I have had two mid life crises already when I am not that old - still have a full head of hair!

That's it for today ... let's see how it goes.

Unc Paul

:D