Archive for the ‘Wisdom’ Category
The fisherman who was caught
What will it take for us His disciples to go beyond seeing His deeds to under-standing His ways?
© Angel’s orginal . Written January 2002
Published in The Singapore NavNews March-May 2002
There is little to show for their night of hard work. Tired, the men berth their two fishing boats by the water’s edge and proceed to wash their nets. A fisherman’s routine is interrupted by the request of the master; “Peter, put your boat out a little from the shore.” There were his companions James and John and their partners, but he singles out Peter. Two boats, but he chooses Peter’s. Peter obliges.
From the boat, the Master continues his amazing teachings as people jostle their way closer to the edge of the lake to hear the Master. Peter listens in the comfort of his boat. The crowds wonder if they will witness more miracles today; he who sits within arm’s reach of the preacher can tell how his own mother-in-law was healed of a severe fever. When the preaching is over, the Master turns to the fisherman and tells him, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything,” replies the experienced fisherman to the carpenter~teacher, “but because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Instantly, there is a catch so great that the nets begin to tear. “Come and help us!” Peter shouts to his fishing partners. There is a frenzy of activity as the dumbfounded fishermen haul in the catch. The two boats are so full of fish that they almost sink. When it dawns on Peter what had happened, he instinctively falls at the master’s feet and exclaiming, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
What was it about the catch that had made Peter see his own sinfulness?
A crowd, but Jesus singled out Peter. Two boats, but he singled out Peter’s. Jesus was out to catch, not the crowd, nor the fish, but the heart of a fisherman. The master had tweaked an everyday event in his life – he made a miracle out of the mundane so that Peter saw himself for who he really was and who it was who stood before him. That intrusion and others that came in Peter’s life left markers that would change him forever. The fisherman was caught.
Nothing happens by chance. In the Old Testament, the Israelites saw the deeds of God but only Moses understood the ways of God (Psalm 103:7). What will it take for us His disciples to go beyond seeing His deeds to understanding His ways?
I have found if helpful is take time keep a journal, but more importantly, to reflect on the significant events. Until I take a step back to look at them, I miss the costly life lessons that God is teaching me.
Reading between the lines — A Christian Guide to Literature
Why Christians must read
by Gene Edward Veith, Jr., published by Crossway Books
© Book review by Angeline Koh . Written 2001
Quite heavy reading but very thought-provoking. Communication (words and language) is vital to our ministry as disciple-makers. We spend extensive time in the study of the Bible (content), but we also need to give attention to the means by which these precious and unchanging truths are being communicated (or manipulated). I realise that the quotes here come to you in fragments but I hope it will stir up enough interest for you to want to read and to do so widely and wisely.
“What a superb resource this is! It resonates with profound perceptions of how good literature works to enrich and illuminate us. Dr Veith proves himself once again to be a knowledgeable guide through the landscape of the written word.” – Author Luci Shaw.
What you will find in the book
The power of words and why Christians must be people of the (written) word (as compared to the tv media)
How to cultivate good literary taste by recognizing books that are spiritual and aesthetically good. Explains how to discern junk from truth and how words can be misused to manipulate and sway from the real issues.
Presents basic information to understand what we read – from the classics to the best-sellers. How the major types of literature (genre) through the ages communicates.
Some extracts
The habit of reading is absolutely critical today, particularly for Christians. As television turns our society into an increasingly image-dominated culture, Christians must continue to be people of the Word. When we read, we cultivate a sustained attention span, an active imagination, a capacity for logical analysis and critical thinking, and a rich inner life, Each of these qualities, which have proven themselves essential to a free people, is under assault in our TV-dominated culture. Christians, to maintain their Word-centred perspective in an image-driven world, must become readers. (Preface xic)
The Word and The Image: The Importance of Reading
Language is the basis for all communication and so lies the heart of any personal relationship. (Matthew Arnold, “The Study of Poetry,” in Poetry and Criticism of Matthew Arnold.) We can never know anyone intimately by simply being in that person’s presence. We need to have a conversation in order to share our thoughts and personalities… God addresses human beings by means of language in the pages of Scripture… Christians have to be in some sense, readers. (Pg 17)
It is no exaggeration to say that reading has shaped our civilization more than almost any other factor and that a major impetus to reading has been the Bible. (Pg 19)
Reading demands sustained concentration, whereas television promotes a very short attention span. Reading involves (and teaches) logical reason, whereas television involves (and teaches) purely emotional responses. Reading promotes continuity, the gradual accumulation of knowledge, and sustained exploration of ideas. Television, on the other hand, fosters fragmentation, anti-intellectualism, and immediate gratification. (Neil Postman, Teaching as a Conserving Activity) (Pg 21)
Language is cognitive, appealing to the mind; images are affective, appealing to the emotions… (pg 21) Postman foresees a future in which we have “people who are ‘in touch with their feelings,’ who are spontaneous and musical, and who live in an existential world of immediate experience but who, at the same time, cannot ‘think’ in the way we customarily use that word. In other words, people whose state of mind is somewhat analogous to that of a modern-day baboon.” (Neil Postman, Teaching as a Conserving Activity) (Pg 22)
Christians must become conscious of how the image-centred culture is pulling them in non-Christian directions. The priority of language for Christians must be absolute. As the rest of society abandons language-centredness for image-centeredness, we must expect to feel the pressure and temptations to conform. But we must resist.
One way to do this is simply to read. A growing problem is illiteracy – many people do not know how to read. A more severe problem, though, is “aliteracy” – a vast number of people who know how to read but never do it…
…the influential and the powerful will still be readers, as they are today. In the ancient pagan world, reading was a zealously guarded secret for the priest and the ruling elite, who, because they had access to knowledge, had access to power… the wielders of influence will always be those who read and write, who still work within the framework of language. (Pg 25)
How language is used to manipulate
The study of how words carry meaning is called “semantics.” Familiarity with basic principles of semantics can help beleaguered Christians cut through the sophistry and language games practised by the secular culture.
Semanticists speak of two types of meanings that exist in words. The “denotation” of a word is its literal definition. Words also tend to acquire some “connotation,” a set of associations that accompany the word…
Connotations… these associations are subtle, non-reflective, and emotion-based. As such, they are very powerful, so that use of “loaded language” can often short-circuit any rational debate. Words with bad connotation may be replaced by words with a good connotation. This is called “euphemism.” …At its worst, euphemism can be manipulative and deceiving, a way to hide the truth behind a pleasant mask…
Some words are so powerful, conveying such overwhelmingly positive connotations, that they are called “god-terms.” …And yet “god terms” can be attached to more problematic issues so that the powerful connotations of the language actually shape the way people think.
…The language used determines the result of the argument. When the sacred language of the civil religion is invoked, rational analysis and moral debate become impossible. The very term of the debate are shifted away from the concrete issues… into the realm of sacred and therefore unquestionable absolutes.
Such rhetoric, although it purports to be secular, is nonetheless religious. It makes use, not of Christian categories, but of civil religion that tends to develop within a society. It short-circuits thought in a way that can enable almost any idea to attract defenders…
The major social and moral debates are often simply battles over language. Indeed, whichever side succeeds in choosing the words our culture uses to discuss these issues will control the way people think about them…
…We think in words. Our attitudes and our behaviour are shaped by the language that we choose, or that we pick up unconsciously from the world around us. For this reason, Christians need to cultivate sensitivity to language. Reading and reflecting upon literature is perhaps the best means to that end. (Pg 50-52)
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Another excellent book on Reading
HONEY FOR A CHILD’S HEART:
The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life
by Gladys Hunt, published by Zondervan Books
Building whole children through books – children who are alive emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. Gladys Hunt’s taste are broad, her advice is rooted inexperience, and her suggestions will enrich the cultural life of any home. The authors gives sound advice on how to choose good books to encourage children to be avid readers. Includes an 85-page list of the best of children’s classics ever. Good for adults too!
The sound of silence
He who has ears, let him hear
© Angel’s original . Written April 2000
Published in The Singapore NavNews June-August 2000
verses . read, reflect, respond
“Angel, turn on the radio! The silence is deafening!” my colleague cried out to me. In my hurry to complete a work project on time, I had not realised that the cassette player had shut off when the tape ended. I laughed over her plea and turned on the music but her bizarre remark caught my attention.
God wants to speak to us. This is evident by the numerous ways through which He communicates 1 . As evangelical Christians, we believe that He speaks primarily through His written Word. One other way in which God also powerfully speaks to us is silence. We are uncomfortable with silence and neglect it, much to our loss.
We do not hear Him because we do not listen well. We want to hide from God when we do wrong. But God still calls to us, ” Where are you?” just as He did in the Garden of Eden a long time ago 2 . When the people of Israel heard the voice of God out of the fire, their reaction was to hide. They were so terrified that they were willing to relinquish their privilege to hear God speak directly to them. “But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.” They chose instead for Moses to stand between them and the Lord. Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. “Then tell us whatever the LORD our God tells you. We will listen and obey” 3 . It can be a terrifying thing to hear God speak.
God not only speaks to us but He sets the volume at a level that best suits our receptivity to hear Him. A teacher friend once told me that he never shouts when the noise in his class becomes intolerable. Instead he whispers forcing his students to hush up in order to listen to what he has to say. God wants to speak to us but He does not always amplify His voice. When He spoke to Elijah, the LORD was not in the wind. not in the earthquake.not in the fire… To Elijah, God came in a gentle whisper 4 .
But God can also speak to us in the silence. Certainly to Job, God’s attention-grabbing statement came in the form of silence. “I cry out to you, O God,” Job uttered, “but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense – let the Almighty answer me.” 5 Job found God’s silence excruciatingly deafening.
Once, a woman caught red-handed in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus. “Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such person. What do you say?” His crafty, angel-faced adversaries asked. They were out for blood – His blood. The bait had been set, the verdict had been passed even before the trial could begin – anything He said would be used against Him – the Man on trial would incriminate Himself.
Then Jesus did a curious thing – He never spoke a word, but bent down and wrote with His finger in the dirt. The heat was on. Relentlessly the determined prosecutors kept at Him, badgering Him. Then He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Bending down, He wrote some more in the dirt.
The accused woman waited for what must have seemed like forever for the first stone of judgement to be hurled, her eyes cast down, hunched and in shame. Then one after another, beginning with the oldest, they quietly slipped away until the woman was left alone with Jesus. The silence was deafening. The self-righteousness could not withstand the silent force of the truth: “I cannot throw the stone. I too am guilty of sin.” So God spoke that day – in a word, in a whisper and in silence; together they brought about both the conviction of sin and the comfort of grace 6.
To hear the voice of God is to hear Him whether He speaks to us in a voice, a whisper or in silence. And to hear Him is an awesome thing.
Eugene Petersen in The Message translates Job 26:11-14 this way:
Thunder crashes and rumbles in the skies.
Listen! It’s God raising His voice!
By His power He stills sea storms,
By His wisdom He tames sea monsters.
With one breath He clears the sky
With one finger He crushes the sea serpent.
And this is only the beginning,
A mere whisper of His rule.
Whatever would we do if He really raised His voice! 7
Whether it is in words, in a whisper or in silence, God speak to us. The crucial question is: are we paying attention? And will we?
In God’s silence, Job’s friends became proud and presumptuous, presuming to speak for God 8 . They were not listening. In Psalms 50:21, God was angry with the people …I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament prophets, contains 55 verses out of which 53 verses are speeches of the Lord verbatim. God’s cry and call was for His people to return to Him in repentance. Their proud response to His words were, How have You. How have we.?
When the people stopped listening, God stopped speaking – for 400 years! God was communicating through “silent mode” until one ordinary day when a priest stepped into the temple to burn incense. It stopped becoming a meaningless ritual when the priest – a man who supposedly mediates between God and His people – really heard God speak to Him. God broke His 400 year silence and they immediately recognised His voice 9 . (Whatever will it be like when God breaks His silence with us?)
Hearing God is a faculty not of the physical eyes nor ears but the heart and soul. In the Old Testament, Seeing God is a setting for His word. The decisive call is to hear. Our modern world on the other hand, much like the Greek culture gravitates toward seeing rather than listening 10. We receive and pass on masses of data, even religious data. (How many forwarded messages do you receive in a day through the Internet?) We are overloaded with masses of information with little time to truly reflect or think.
Amidst the clutter of noise and busy activity, God calls to us, Where are you? 11 .cease striving and know that I am God 12 . How will we respond? To cease striving does not mean that we become passive. Rather, it is a call to refrain from the vain activities that stem from a lack of confidence in God. This confidence that the LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress 12 can only come about as we are silent long enough in His presence to listen to Him.
If we would set the default mode of our hearts as Samuel did: Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening 13 , perhaps we would begin to catch a little of what He is saying to us in His words, His whispers and His silence. When we do so, life will begin to take its bearing because in Him we live and move and have our being 14 . We will experience the comfort of knowing it deeply in our souls that God is indeed Lord and in charge. And that He is with us to help us 15.
He who has ears, let him hear.
