Random Thoughts after some better sleep

I love Dave Walker’s cartoons like the one above. I like the free hand style and the content.

It was wonderful to have my aunty from the USA come and join us for worship yesterday. Because of her, my other aunty Alice and uncle Jack came along as well. Aunty Grace has been a catalyst towards my Grandfather and Mother responding to the Gospel in the 1960’s.

I’m looking forward to bring Gareth & Elysia to an informal family meal at my Alice’s place. It will be some good family time and awesome food lined up.

Last night, May Chin & I had a simple night out with the kids. With the crazy schedule and events the past weeks it’s so refreshing and needed for us to have these “precious moments.” I saw a very “nurturing side” of Gareth which I was proud of. And as usual, we bumped into a friend but that seems to always happen … and it was good.

Listening to 8 short 10-15minutes sermons during the preaching class I was facilitating was very enlightening. One thing is for sure, learning for to communicate God’s grace clearly as much as possible is much harder than we expected. The “conditioning” (“colonizing”) of our mindset towards a human focus is deep indeed. But there were glimpses of hope …

I’m happy today is my “off day” and I will learn to embrace this Sabbath …

Which books shall I read today?

Swim! Swim! and I say again …. SWIM!

The route to “Seek first to understand rather than to be understood” seems more within grasp than … to “Seek to be understood”. Somehow, the dynamics aren’t the same.

I heard of a friend who walked out from church after hearing a “strange” (to put it mildly) statement spoken as “truth” at his church. I’ve heard lots of “strange” proclaimations in my own time and still do here and there from so called “preachers.” I think there’s place for disagreement on minor points. And variety allows for mutual enrichment (e.g. our various emphasis in relation to baptism or the Lord’s supper). so, in short … I feel we can offer each other a kind of respect that’s Christ-like. But based on what I heard was spoken – it was most definately not a GOSPEL proclaimation. It was plain senseless “condemnation” of matters beyond a faithful understanding of the heart of God and the ways of Christ. I wonder what I would have done. I’ve sat through many situations where I wanted to walk away. I’m glad my friend did. There’s judgement, warning, and caution in the scriptures – esp. the prophetic books, and even Jesus himself. But, I don’t think we have to tolerate “self-proclaimed” dooms days judges – threatening people from the pulpit. We have accountability structures for our church accounts and finances. Where the kind of accountability structures for theological soundness (without being heresy hunters) in Malaysia?

Today, is a day of rest … not war. So …