Highly Recommended Read:
John Piper explains why Calvinists are so Negative
By Ben Witherington III

Anita's response:
For many years I disliked Calvinists.

I knew a few Calvinists who were gracious and humble. And yet, most Reformed churchgoers seemed to take great pride in their ministers' expertise in explaining the wrongs and degrading other churches. Alas, many of their youths too had followed in that step and adopted the angry and arrogant "we know therefore we are best" attitude. Only less than a year ago I spoke with a 17-year-old who claimed that his Reformed church had the license for arrogance. I was shocked. What has the Doctrine of Grace become?

Even after I 'became' a Calvinist - I consider myself inter-denominational but attend Christian Studies lectures and Sunday services at a Calvinist church - I still am uncomfortable with the apparent smugness of many Calvinist/Reformed believers.

I would not have become a Calvinist myself had I not listened to (now) my pastor at a seminar in February 2008. During the four hour lecture and discussion about Love, Christian worldview and Post-Modernism, he did not even once trampled other denominations' dignity while maintaining his strong Reformed faith.

Ben Witherington III:
"All too often, the apparent intellectual coherency of a theological system is taken as absolute and compelling proof that this view of God, salvation,the world must be true and all others be heresy, to one degree or another. But it is perfectly possible to argue logically and coherency in a hermeneutical or theological circle with all parts connected, and unfortunately be dead wrong-- because one drew the circle much too small and left out all the inconvenient contrary evidence. This sort of fault is inevitable with theological systems constructed by finite human beings ... The truth of God and even of the Bible is much larger than anyone's ability (or any collection of human being's abilities) to get their mental calipers so firmly around it that one could form it into a 'coherent theological system' without flaws, gaps, or lacunae ... in the end our posture should be that of Anselm -- 'fides quaerens intellectum' faith seeking understanding, not 'intellectus quaerens fidium' Understanding seeking and defining and limiting faith." (read more)

13Hakuna jaribu lo lote lililowapata ambalo si la kawaida kwa wanadamu. Na Mungu ni mwaminifu; hata- ruhusu mjaribiwe kupita uwezo wenu. Lakini mnapojaribiwa atawapa na njia ya kutokea ili mweze kustahimili.
1 Wakorintho 10:13

Oh, that was in Swahili. Maybe this one:

13πειρασμος υμας ουκ ειληφεν ει μη ανθρωπινος πιστος δε ο θεος ος ουκ εασει υμας πειρασθηναι υπερ ο δυνασθε αλλα ποιησει συν τω πειρασμω και την εκβασιν του δυνασθαι υμας υπενεγκειν
ΠΡΟΣ ΚΟΡΙΝΘΙΟΥΣ Α΄ 10:13

Or this?

13 你 們 所 遇 見 的 試 探 ， 無 非 是 人 所 能 受 的 。 神 是 信 實 的 ， 必 不 叫 你 們 受 試 探 過 於 所 能 受 的 ； 在 受 試 探 的 時 候 ， 總 要 給 你 們 開 一 條 出 路 ， 叫 你 們 能 忍 受 得 住 。
歌 林 多 前 書 10:13

Different versions, same concern: the way out - how, where, and when exactly?

"So no one should keep dirty little secrets.."
Have you said so because you are vexed that people have chosen to keep their secrets from you, or do you genuinely believe in total transparency of character?

Well then, shall you bare all your thoughts, exhibit all feelings, expose all desires, disclose all mistakes.. and still expect people to like you and be willing to work with you, learn from you?

A kindergarten teacher in Texas asks a six-year-old girl to put her toys away, and she launches into full tantrum mode, screaming and knocking over her chair, then crawling under the teacher's desk and kicking so hard the drawers spill out. Her outbursts marks an epidemic of such incidents of wildness among kindergartners, all documented in a single school district in Fort Worth, Texas. The blow-ups occurred not just among the poorer students but among better-off ones as well. Some explain the spike in violence among the very young as due to economic stress that makes parents work longer, so that children spend hours after school in day care or alone and parents come home with a hair trigger for exasperation. Others point to data showing that even as toddlers, 40 percent of American two-year-olds watch TV for at least three hours a day -- hours they are not interacting with people who can help them learn to get along better. The more TV they watch, the more unruly they are by school age.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under age two not watch TV at all and that older children watch no more than two hours a day. The report on television and toddlers was presented by Laura Certain at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting, Baltimore, April 13, 2003.

Excerpted from Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships (London: Arrow Books, 2007) by Daniel Goleman, Ph.D.

I must have been dreaming
It was of bonfire and warmth and
Blissful dances
Then the cold woke me up and
In the dark I see
It was only a mist
Only a mist
And I shiver

Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I'd pray I could breakaway

Make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change

I'll spread my wings
And I'll learn how to fly
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye

Take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change

And breakaway
Breakaway
Breakaway

Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway

Too many people love only when they like to.

Facebook

Facebook wall posts are overrated.

Mature, intimate lovers and (very) close friends hardly 'wall' each other. Married couples especially don't use it to communicate, unless they want to be silly and romantic on occasion, maybe.

I myself seldom wall the people I cherish the most. The intimacy of a private message is far more appealing. Even better: a face to face get-together, or a phone call. This may reflect a personal preference though. I prefer sharing with my loved one(s) without having to advertise our sphere to the rest of the world.

Facebook walls, then, are generally for friendly greetings, harmless discussions, and among younger users: territorial marking. It is interesting to observe how the latter works: a wall post from an opposite sex would soon be followed a barrage from other competitors - all of whom boast a 'special' connection with the wall owner. I always find this kind of posts comical and therefore amusing.

Still, such territorial marking does cause enough insecurity that many are urged to regularly check on their inamoratas' wall posts. Sadly, the wall offers no reliable information on the inamorata's true romantic interest.

So if you really want to secure a romantic position: go ahead, ask, and work your way there. Be proactive.

Take my hands, hide them
in the pockets of your coat

Enthrall me, look into my eyes
Share a smile, a laughter

I'll laugh and I'll cry
Pull me closer, soothe me

Kiss me gently, kiss me ardently
Until the world fades away

Convince me that always, you will
Love me like no other

If you would weave words to portray
the depth of your affection
shall you find those that suffice?

Tell Me on a Sunday

Don't write a letter when you want to leave
Don't call me at 3 a.m. from a friend's apartment
I'd like to choose how I hear the news
Take me to a park that's covered with trees
Tell me on a Sunday please

Let me down easy
No big song and dance
No long faces, no long looks
No deep conversation
I know the way we should spend that day
Take me to a zoo that's got chimpanzees
Tell me on a Sunday please

Don't want to know who's to blame
It won't help knowing
Don't want to fight day and night
Bad enough you're going

Don't leave in silence with no word at all
Don't get drunk and slam the door
That's no way to end this
I know how I want you to say goodbye
Find a circus ring with a flying trapeze
Tell me on a Sunday please

I don't want to fight day and night
Bad enough you're going
Don't leave in silence with no word at all
Don't get drunk and slam the door
That's no way to end this
I know how I want you to say goodbye

Don't run off in the pouring rain
Don't call me as they call your plane
Take the hurt out of all the pain

Take me to a park that's covered with trees
Tell me on a Sunday please



Tell Me On A Sunday from the musical Song & Dance
Lyrics by Don Webb; music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Listen to Michael Crawford's performance

Many thanks to our unnamed adviser :)

When it comes to men that are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple: just ignore everything they say, and pay attention to only what they do.

Scientific Proof of God's Existence?

Many thanks to Dan Vander Lugt.

Is it inconsistent, as Richard Dawkins claims, for believers in God to look for scientific explanations of natural things, if they don’t think it is necessary to seek scientific proof of God’s existence?

Because the natural world has been created and designed by God, it reflects His power and divine nature (Rm 1:20). However, God is of an entirely different order of being. He is not physical, but Spirit, of a higher dimension of being that encompasses our universe but which cannot be directly observed and measured by the physical sciences.

But if God can’t be directly investigated by physical science, are there no compelling reasons to believe that He exists? Someone with a naïve faith in evolution might say there are no compelling reasons, but more objective scientists acknowledge that the rational basis for God’s existence is being continually strengthened as science progresses.

Even if it could be demonstrated at some future time that evolution is a seamless natural process with no “gaps” where God can be demonstrated to supernaturally intervene, atheists have to account for the components and circumstances that make the process possible. Physicists who believe in the probability of God’s existence don’t do so because of gaps in evolutionary theory, but because of the mind-boggling, overwhelming complexity of the circumstances within which natural macroevolution would have to occur.

One of the most startling developments to come from modern physics is that the universe, in some very fundamental way, seems to have been “designed” or “tuned” to produce life and consciousness. Actually, what physicists have discovered is that there are a large number of “coincidences” inherent in the fundamental laws and constants of nature. Every one of these coincidences or specific relationships between fundamental physical parameters is needed, or the evolution of life and consciousness as we know it could not have happened. The collection of these coincidences is an undisputed fact and, collectively, have come to be known as the “Anthropic Principle.” (From the essay, “The Holistic Anthropic Principle,” by Joseph P. Provenzano and Dan R. Provenzano.)

The fact that circumstances of such infinite, or nearly infinite, complexity exist as the necessary background to life implies design. It’s hard to see how Dawkins and other atheists consider it more reasonable to believe that the infinite complexity of the natural world is rooted in chance.

The existence of randomness as part of the process of evolution within the space/time universe is not evidence against design. Randomness itself appears to be an aspect of the design, making possible the development of self-aware, free beings (such as we are). Thus the existence of randomness and freedom within the context of natural law imply a much higher order of complexity than a mere “clockwork universe.”

So it isn’t unreasonable to believe in God, even if we can’t “explain” or “define” Him in scientific terms. The choices are to either take the mind-boggling complexity of a universe containing self-aware beings as mere accident, or to assume that the complexity we see within and around us is evidence of a supernatural God.

View source.

more on Plan B

On 25 August 2007, approximately 11 months prior to my previous entry, my good friend and I had a discussion on Love's Plan B dilemma. I asked him to explain his point of view as a male who was having a relationship.

In his words, answering whether a man would keep maintaining and assessing alternatives despite having an exclusive partner:

Agree to some degree, because we use logic more than feelings. It seems logical. But I also disagree because sometimes, we already choose from the beginning.

Usually we collect as many possibilities as possible, then narrow down to a single choice, sometimes even with Plan B and Plan C. That's true.

But in choosing a [lifetime] partner it can be different. Some men just know because they also involve feelings and prayers. Logic may not work here.

For intelligent men and women, one of the greatest challenges is to surrender our logic and fully believe in God. That's why we should first seek his will.

My friend was married a few months after that late night chat. He boasts a transformed physique to prove his happy marriage. Once an underweight skeleton resemblance, he is now a healthy looking man, with baby-like chubby cheeks.

Love's Plan B

These days I wake up with a relief – I am free
There were days when I was only an alternative
Manipulated, waiting in silent agony while he with guile
Enjoyed waters from different cisterns
How foolish I was to believe love should be abusive

Love’s Plan B
By Nando Pelusi, Ph.D. for Psychology Today, August 2008

This article is not available online. Excerpts:

Although we may love our exclusive partner, we can still think about other romantic possibilities – people we keep in a mental box that might as well be labeled “Open in case of current relationship’s demise.” No matter how content we are, we still seek a sense of security by creating a web of potential future romantic alliances. That’s why people are hardly shocked to hear that a sizable percentage of men trawling online dating sites are married.

Joshua Duntley, an assistant professor of psychology at Stockton College in New Jersey, uses the term “backup mates” to describe the Plan B partners. Duntley has surveyed college students on their tendency to keenly monitor the availability and social circumstances of other potential paramours. Backup partners are not merely short-term mates – someone with whom we have a fling. The backup mate is a man or woman who is viable as a serious partner in his or her own right. Men reported getting more upset when a desirable backup mate found another partner then when a short-term mate did so.

Our quest for love insurance takes many forms. When in a relationship, we may casually flirt with someone to whom we’re only mildly attracted, just to assess whether we’ve still got the stuff. But more often, the goal of a flirtation is to determine whether the other person is a viable partner, should the primary train go off-track.

For many in search of a runner-up partner, there’s a woman or man who knows they’re “it” (ie. the backup partner). Women are more often the ones waiting in the wings. This is in part a reflection of women’s generally high standards for mates. Many women gamble on the possibility of a (perceived) stellar mate, as opposed to the certainty of a man who is subpar.

Whether you’re a man or woman, the problem with being a backup is that once your inamorata labels you second tier, your chances of becoming the primary love interest diminish. Labels, once created, tend to stick. Plus, once you accept the role of runner-up, you risk seeing yourself as a perennial backup in many walks of life. You can find someone for whom you’re Plan A – but not if you’re inertly functioning as someone else’s Plan B.

What to do with a Plan B relationship:

• Throw yourself into your primary relationship.
• Cast a vote of confidence in your relationship by publicly proclaiming it. Public pronouncements carry social power.
• Desire for a perfect mate may keep you assessing prospects – but don’t confuse this inclination with a lack of basic satisfaction with your extant mate.
• Smile, relax, and actively love your mate as he or she is. Those who act lovingly start feeling more love.

If you’re left waiting in the wings:

• Limit the amount you’re willing to wait – and stick to your deadline for a resolution. Enlist a friend to monitor your progress.
• Accept the short-term hassles of moving on, and embrace the options you have been forgoing.
• Throw down an ultimatum: Only a showdown will get things moving.
• If within your time period, say, three months – the person does not make you their primary mate, focus on new opportunities.

Ephesians 3:16-21

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:16-21
New International Version

Humor Me

I have a morbid sense of humor.

For the sake of propriety and personal security, I cannot detail here my latest Shakespeare-inspired joke about the government. However it is morbid enough that some people would surely find it unsettling. My pastor, and those who fancy themselves my spiritual mentors, might want to counsel me when they learn about it. God commanded us to bless and pray for the city we live in. (Je.29:7)

So am I psychologically twisted, or is telling morbid jokes a crucial coping mechanism? Tyler Stillman, a social psychologist at Florida State University, says, "Having a laugh in the face of death or extreme hardship can certainly have a place in healthy coping. Humor allows people to detach from extremely trying circumstances and attach to other people to get through difficult times." (read more)

Can my morbid jokes be justified then? I don't know.

Ping

We both felt the nudge in our hearts and minds.

What do you call it when two persons mulled the same issue and wrote about it at approximately the same time? I had not seen this article when I wrote my previous entry.

I recommend that you read it.

It is not long.

The Marriage Dilemma

如果我嫁只为了让长辈开心，然后婚姻不幸福，我可不可以怪你？

When my beloved elderly aunt prodded me again about marriage a few months ago, my impudent answer was, “If I marry just to please the elders, shall I blame you when my marriage turns unhappy?”

She hushed me for saying such an unfortunate word, and since then never again mentioned the topic. I don’t blame her for encouraging marriage. Since my birth, Auntie has been directly involved in my life, more than my busy parents. She has every right to worry if there will be one to protect and provide; and my answer was impudent. The perspective in which we conversed was in many ways irrelevant to the present world. Modern marriages hardly work that way.

Blame the soaring and searing inflation and other socio-economic complexities. Often men are not the only provider in the family. Women, out of necessity and/or for enjoyment, are actively engaged in the work force, climb the corporate ladder, and grow increasingly independent. More women are relying less on marriage for financial security; and even emotional needs. Marriages in this complicated world seem to bring about more anguish than happiness. Those who seek the ideal husband find none. There is no guarantee that there will be children, or that they will mature just fine: physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

One may argue that none should seek the perfect husband because, well, he does not exist. True, and therefore it takes a great amount of lunacy, bravery, and faith, to vow a lifetime of marital commitment. It takes an even greater sacrificial love to work a marriage, for which both husband and wife are responsible. Hence, if ever I become crazy enough to get married, I should never blame my elders when my marriage hits a wall.

Presently, I love and enjoy my independence. I am by no means affluent. I am yet to afford the luxury of attending a postgraduate school. However I will be able to modestly provide for myself should my father decide to throw me out of his house. Emotional wise, there are enough people with whom I share my life and love (and a few dirty little secrets): family members, friends, and students. Even them alone, I sometimes find challenging to love.

Ah, as for the pleasure factor: who says Music can’t give you toe-curling delights? What's more - musical pleasures do not wane with age.

I jokingly tell my friends: it is difficult enough to live in obedience to God (Ex.20:5-6, Jn.14:15); and in an Asian family you are required to honor and obey your parents. Try to add a husband (Ep.5:24) on top of that. What a fattening sundae!

At least for now: 不嫁，不加烦。

Leave Me Breathless

credits

Isn't she beautiful? My dancer friends would be envious.

The society's few who can dance with impeccable beauty and grace deserve much respect and admiration. For many years I've watched student dancers and professional dance tapes, including the Russian Bolshoi and American Ballet Theater. I've come to learn that most people may undergo a lifetime of training and still are not able to dance in near perfection of form and spirit.

Not to undermine or discourage other dancers though. Many who train with rigorous discipline under the tutelage of great teachers do eventually achieve excellence.

Just not perfection.

Welcome

I welcome you to my porch
Come, sit with me on this swing if you like
I will tell you stories

You may speak or remain silent
Stay for a little while or longer
I honor your presence

If I could, I would send my big hug all the way to Melbourne for Jesse, who led me to this video and gave me a really good laugh after such a rough, rough day. Truly I thank God for you, Jesse.

Dooyeweerd
Do-Ye-Weird

My mother is a writer.

Well, she does business during the day, and writes occasionally at night.

She is an occasional columnist at a local Chinese newspaper. Her writings in the newspaper sound nearly like blog entries. They include fragments of her experience, her thoughts, and her feelings. They also include encouragement and some advice for her readers. Her benevolent side has driven her to provide some sort of one-way embrace for her readers. I guess it is therapeutic for her too. She started writing at a time of great sadness and loneliness. Only one year earlier, my father had left her for someone far younger, taking me with him, and my brother was studying in the States.

Mother and her writer friends have together published a children's zine entitled 小小世界 (A Small, Small World) to encourage children in their Mandarin studies. The full color zine includes stories, comic strips, and a few poems by prominent poets in Classical Chinese – poems she would memorize back in Junior School.

For all that, Mother does not know that her favorite daughter also writes publicly – in her blog. I have been blogging for five years, and I am still trying to figure out why I have not told Mother about my writing activity.

My first blog was named Heart Songs. I maintained it for almost two years before I terminated it for some undisclosed reasons. Some of my best writings were published there. Heart Songs archives were kept in my computer, until it got corrupted somehow and all my files were sent into oblivion. I regret having not created a back-up. A fragment of me died. I am still hurting.

I started Canto shortly after I retrieved Heart Songs. Canto is more than heart songs. Canto is songs on life, death, and the in-between. I chose to broaden my horizon and in some ways, be (slightly) less revealing about details. Canto is now in its third year, and is read by more and more people – meaning that I am being judged by more and more people; friends, co-workers, superiors, students, former teachers, and my pastor.

My pastor recently ran a seminar called Blogosphere. He looked miffed I had not come. He could have taught me how to run my blog more responsibly. Perhaps I refused to attend because I was not ready to have someone tell me how to manage my blog. Despite my strong impulse for (sometimes not so) funny meanness, knowing that important authorities are reading Canto already constricts me from writing about potentially too harmful entries – my even darker thoughts, things that will get me fired and trashed by the society.

So why bother making my blog public if the publicity is eventually frustrating? Cheers for Emily Gould, whose writing about whys and ups and downs and conflicts of blogging was published in The New York Times at the time I needed it the most. I recommend that you read the article completely.

Perhaps my not telling Mother about me blogging is because I would rather not have her check on me that way. There is no need to breed unnecessary worries in her. She sounded happy at our last phone conversation, and I want her to stay that way.

I Will Survive

Bible Versions

On Choosing a Bible: How to Choose a Translation
A lecture video by Ben Witherington III, Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.

Legal Murder: Euthanizing Premature Babies

"Some weight should be given to the economic considerations as there is a real issue in neonatal units of 'bed blocking'" ... The statement reflects a growing view among child specialists that babies born under 25 weeks should be denied intensive care and allowed to die. Next month the [British] Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health will debate a motion at its annual conference that it is "unethical" to provide intensive care routinely to babies born under 25 weeks.

The complete article in The Sunday Times

If the so-called civilized society regards economic imperatives more highly than love and charity (Mt.22:37-40), soon enough the world might start endorsing euthanasia on infirm and decrepit men and women for "ethical" reasons.


So bid you an earlier farewell to your parents and grandparents?
Will you be ready, when the society deems you unfit to contribute, to have your offspring and loved ones bid you an earlier farewell?

Post-Modern Loves

The interesting - if not pathetic - social implications of Post Modernism.
Note: The following does not represent my personal view or opinion.

"So when my friends and I started having a conversation about the nature of monogamy, I thought I knew something about monogamy. Because, despite the fleeting nature of most of my encounters, and despite my own role in their short duration, I think what I have been seeking in some form from all of these men is permanence.

Sometimes I don’t like them, or am scared of them, and a lot of times I’m just bored by them. But my fear or dislike or boredom never seems to diminish my underlying desire for a guy to stay, or at least to say he is going to stay, for a very long time.

And even when I don’t want him to stay — even when he and I find each other as strangers and remain strangers until we stop doing whatever it is we are doing — I still want to believe that two people can meet and like each other well enough to stay together exclusively, without the introduction of some 1960s rhetoric about free love or other noncommittal slogans.

But noncommittal is what we’re all about."

Marguerite Fields, a junior at Marlboro College in Vermont.

Click here for the complete article, as published by The New York Times

Forget it. Step aside.

You don't see her. You don't truly care to see her.

You live in dreams, do you not? You were only searching for someone to embody your imagination when you found her. Perhaps it was her laughter (when she wasn't laughing at your jokes; it was pure courtesy) or her voice (when she wasn't singing to impress you). You let your imagination grow in her.

It was a mistake.

So what if she looked at you from time to time. Do people not measure one another, out of varied motives and for different purposes?

Judge not people on a Sunday afternoon, when bodies are sedated and life's pressures are hidden behind pleasantries and civilities, when darker thoughts are concealed in the noble discussion of philosophy. Adore not people at such times.

After all, personality is a skill.

Care you to love her when she's more mean than sweet, when her words slash like a two-edged sword, when she wishes she could slam someone hard against a locker and not be convicted, when she wishes she could run and cry and scream in the evening rain and not worry about tomorrow's obligations? Care you to understand her fears and pains?

Do you care more that she listens to you, that she understands your dreams and disappointments? Dream you that she would stand by you in all circumstances? Dream you that she will care for you and yours? Dream you that she would love you, sing for you, make love to you, despite your weaknesses, regardless of your lack of personality AND unhealthy lifestyle choices?

Good Sir, with all respect, some people need more than an excellent spiritual philosophy to thrive.

Step aside, please, and remain behind the sidelines.

“I have no desire to make an idol of holiness. I do not wish to dethrone Christ, and put holiness in His place. I fear it is sometimes forgotten that God has married together justification and sanctification – one is never found without the other. All justified people are sanctified, and all sanctified are justified.” – John C. Ryle


Believers said to be elect "through sanctification of the Spirit”. They are predestinated "to be conformed to the image of God's Son". They are chosen "that they may be holy". They are called "with a holy calling". They are that they may be "partakers of holiness". Jesus is a complete Saviour. He does not merely take away the guilt of a believer's sin, He does more – He breaks the power (1 Pe. 1:2; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4; Heb. 12:10).


"Sanctification is a qualification indispensably necessary unto those who will be under the conduct of the Lord Christ unto salvation. He leads none to heaven but whom He sanctifies on the earth. This living Head will not admit of dead members." – John Owen

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


Holiness
A Sermon by J.C. Ryle
Bath Road Baptist Church


-- EXCERPTS --


"Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."
- Hebrews 12:14

The wise man tells us, "There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh – a time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Ecc 3:4,7); but there is no time, no, not a day, in which a man ought not to be holy. Are we?




I. What true practical holiness is – what sort of persons are those whom God calls holy.


A man may go great lengths, and yet never reach true holiness. It is not knowledge – Balaam had that: nor great profession – Judas Iscariot had that: nor doing many things – Herod had that: nor zeal for certain matters in religion – Jehu had that: nor morality and outward respectability of conduct – the young ruler had that: nor taking pleasure in hearing preachers – the Jews in Ezekiel's time had that: nor keeping company with godly people – Joab and Gehazi and Demas had that. Yet none of these was holy! These things alone are not holiness. A man may have any one of them, and yet never see the Lord.


What then is true practical holiness?


a. Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God. It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgement – hating what He hates – loving what He loves – and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word.


b. A holy man will endeavour to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment. He will have a decided bent of mind toward God, a hearty desire to do His will – a greater fear of displeasing Him than of displeasing the world, and a love to all His ways.


c. A holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. He will not only live the life of faith in Him, and draw from Him all his daily peace and strength, but he will also labour to have the mind that was in Him, and to be "conformed to His image" (Rom. 8:29).


d. A holy man will follow after meekness, long-suffering, gentleness, patience, kind tempers, government of his tongue.


e. A holy man will follow after temperance and self-denial. He will labour to mortify the desires of his body. "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:27).


f. A holy man will follow after charity and brotherly kindness.


g. A holy man will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence towards others.


h. A holy man will follow after purity of heart. He knows his own heart is like tinder, and will diligently keep clear of the sparks of temptation.


i. A holy man will follow after the fear of God. I mean the fear of a child, who wishes to live and move as if he was always before his father's face, because he loves him.


j. A holy man will follow after humility. He will desire, in lowliness of mind, to esteem all others better than himself.


k. A holy man will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations in life.


l. A holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness. He will endeavour to set his affections entirely on things above, and to hold things on earth with a very loose hand. He will not neglect the business of the life that now is; but the first place in his mind and thoughts will be given to the life to come.


I do not say for a moment that holiness shuts out the presence of indwelling sin. No: far from it. It is the greatest mystery of a holy man that he carries about with him a "body of death;" – that often when he would do good "evil is present with him"; that the old man is clogging all his movements, and, as it were, trying to draw him back at every step he takes (Rom. 7:21). But it is the excellence of a holy man that he is not at peace with indwelling sin, as others are. He hates it, mourns over it, and longs to be free from its company. The work of sanctification within him is like the wall of Jerusalem – the building goes forward "even in troublous times" (Dan. 9:25).


Neither do I say that holiness comes to ripeness and perfection all at once, or that these graces I have touched on must be found in full bloom and vigour before you can call a man holy. No: far from it. Sanctification is always a progressive work.


And this I do boldly and confidently say, that true holiness is a great reality. It is something in a man that can be seen, and known, and marked, and felt by all around him. It is light: if it exists, it will show itself. It is salt: if it exists, its savour will be perceived. It is a precious ointment: if it exists, its presence cannot be hid.




II. Why practical holiness is so important.


Can holiness save us? No: not a whit.


Why then is holiness so important? Why does the Apostle say, "Without it no man shall see the Lord"?


a. We must be holy, because the voice of God in Scripture plainly commands it.


b. We must be holy, because this is one grand end and purpose for which Christ came into the world. Believers said to be elect "through sanctification of the Spirit”. They are predestinated "to be conformed to the image of God's Son". They are chosen "that they may be holy". They are called "with a holy calling". They are that they may be "partakers of holiness". Jesus is a complete Saviour. He does not merely take away the guilt of a believer's sin, He does more – He breaks the power (1 Pe. 1:2; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4; Heb. 12:10).


c. We must be holy, because this is the only sound evidence that we have a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.


d. We must be holy, because this is the only proof that we love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.


e. We must be holy, because this is the only sound evidence that we are true children of God.


f. We must be holy, because this is the most likely way to do good to others. Our lives will always be doing either good or harm to those who see them. They are a silent sermon which all can read. Your life is an argument that none can escape.


g. We must be holy, because our present comfort depends much upon it. We are sadly apt to forget that there is a close connection between sin and sorrow, holiness and happiness, sanctification and consolation.


h. We must be holy, because without holiness on earth we shall never be prepared to enjoy heaven. Heaven is a holy place. The Lord of heaven is a holy Being. The angels are holy creatures. Holiness is written on everything in heaven.




Now perhaps you think praying, and Scripture-reading, and hymn singing, dull and melancholy, and stupid work – a thing to be tolerated now and then, but not enjoyed. You reckon the Sabbath a burden and a weariness; you could not possibly spend more than a small part of it in worshipping God. But remember, heaven is a never-ending Sabbath. The inhabitants thereof rest not day or night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty," and singing the praise of the Lamb. How could an unholy man find pleasure in occupation such as this?


You may say, "It was never meant that all Christians should be holy, and that holiness, such as I have described, is only for great saints, and people of uncommon gifts." I answer, "I cannot see that in Scripture. I read that every man who hath hope in Christ purifieth himself" (1 John 3:3) – "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."


You may say, "It is impossible to be so holy and to do our duty in this life at the same time: the thing cannot be done." I answer, "You are mistaken. It can be done. With Christ on your side nothing is impossible. It has been done by many. David, and Obadiah, and Daniel, and the servants of Nero's household, are all examples that go to prove it."


You may say, "If I were so holy I would be unlike other people." I answer, "I know it well. It is just what you ought to be. Christ's true servants always were unlike the world around them – a separate nation, a peculiar people; – and you must be so too, if you would be saved!"


You may say, "At this rate very few will be saved." I answer, "I know it. It is precisely what we are told in the Sermon on the Mount." The Lord Jesus said so. "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matt. 7:14). Few will be saved, because few will take the trouble to seek salvation. Men will not deny themselves the pleasures of sin and their own way for a little season. They turn their backs on an "inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." "Ye will not come unto Me," says Jesus, "that ye might have life" (John 5:40).


The Lord Jesus said so, that men must take up the cross daily, and that they must be ready to cut off hand or foot, if they would be His disciples. It is in religion as it is in other things, "there are no gains without pains." That which costs nothing is worth nothing.


"Let not men deceive themselves," says [John] Owen; "sanctification is a qualification indispensably necessary unto those who will be under the conduct of the Lord Christ unto salvation. He leads none to heaven but whom He sanctifies on the earth. This living Head will not admit of dead members."


I have no desire to make an idol of holiness. I do not wish to dethrone Christ, and put holiness in His place. I fear it is sometimes forgotten that God has married together justification and sanctification – one is never found without the other. All justified people are sanctified, and all sanctified are justified.




III. A word of advice to all who desire to be holy.


Would you be holy? Would you become a new creature? Then you must begin with Christ. You will do just nothing at all, and make no progress till you feel your sin and weakness, and flee to Him. He is the root and beginning of all holiness, and the way to be holy is to come to Him by faith and be joined to Him. Christ is not wisdom and righteousness only to His people, but sanctification also. "Without Christ we can do nothing" (John 15:5).


Holiness is the work He carries on in their hearts, by the Spirit whom He puts within them. He is appointed a "Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance" as well as remission of sins – "To as many as receive Him, He gives power to become sons of God" (Acts 5:31; John 1:12, 13). Holiness comes from Christ. It is the result of vital union with Him. It is the fruit of being a living branch of the True Vine.


Would you continue holy? Then abide in Christ. He says Himself, "Abide in Me and I in you, – he that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit" (John 15:4, 5). "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. The life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Heb 12:2; Phil 4:13; Gal 2:20).

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Here comes the Rat
Always fast, never drags
Makes your Savings super fat
Brings you Profits in many sacks
Makes you happy and glad

Gong Xi Fa Cai
Happy Chinese New Year

This is a modified version of a less intelligent text I received on my mobile.

Called By God

From My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers


I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ’Here am I! Send me’ —Isaiah 6:8

God did not direct His call to Isaiah — Isaiah overheard God saying, "... who will go for Us?" The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear "the voice of the Lord" continually asking, "... who will go for Us?" However, God doesn’t single out someone and say, "Now, you go." He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, "Here am I! Send me."

Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard — "the voice of the Lord." In perfect freedom we too will say, "Here am I! Send me."

Classic Sesame Street: Yo Yo Ma and the Honkers

Classic Sesame Street: Telly and Itzhak Perlman

Yahweh Jireh

Yahweh Jireh - The Lord will provide, indeed;
and you will be responsible for managing those gifts and resources.

Be wise.

Over You

Breathing freely
At last


Over You
By Daughtry


Now that it's all said and done
I can't believe you were the one
To build me up and tear me down
Like an old abandoned house

What you said when you left
Just left me cold and out of breath
I fell too far, was in way too deep
Guess I let you get the best of me

You took a hammer to these walls
Dragged the memories down the hall
Packed your bags and walked away
There was nothing I could say

And when you slammed the front door shut
A lot of others opened up
So did my eyes so I could see
That you never were the best for me

Well, I never saw it coming
I should have started running
A long, long time ago
And I never thought I'd doubt you

I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know

I'm slowly getting closure
I guess it's really over
I'm finally getting better
And now I'm picking up the pieces
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together

'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through
I got over you.