The Indian Supreme Court's decision on the fate of the Dalit Christians is pending... Do pray.
Excerpts from letters from Gospel for Asia's founder and president, K. P. Yohannan:
The Indian Supreme Court has once again delayed its decision on the Dalit civil rights case, and again it is time for me to ask you to please pray without ceasing on behalf of our Dalit Christian brothers and sisters.
This delay until November is a positive development because it means that the Court is not rushing to judgment, and is taking seriously this case of discrimination against Dalit Christians.
It also means that Christians like you and me have more time to intercede with prayer, asking God to guide the thoughts and decisions of the judges. And this is especially important, because behind this case lies a Himalaya-sized spiritual battle!
Jesus tells us that this kind of battle can only be won through prayer and fasting. So I implore you to take this call to prayer very seriously. And much is at stake.
As you know, under the current law, Dalits lose some of their basic constitutional rights when they becomes Christians; they are no longer eligible for affirmative action placements in education, employment, government and many other areas--rights granted to Dalits who are Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist.
According to a government census, some 20 million Dalits have become
Christians, and it is on their behalf that we pray for a just ruling. Equally important, there are many Dalits whose only hesitation to becoming Christians is fear of this legalized discrimination. Just think of what a difference this court decision could make for them! No wonder Satan is
opposing it.
So again, please continue to fast and pray that the Supreme Court of India will correct these injustices. Please faithfully intercede and pray with a broken heart for the sake of these millions of men, women and children who suffer so much.
Thank you so much for your prayer support--you are a true "prayer warrior" in this battle.
(According to the government census some 20 million Dalits have become Christians. These precious people's rights are violated: Their women and children are raped, they are not allowed to draw water from wells in many communities, and so many more accounts of cruelty. Some of the communities, like the Banjara with 61 million people, live with 90 percent illiteracy and
horrible poverty.)
Monday, October 31, 2005
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
battled but not battered - try to better that...
had a whale of a time sweeping the floors in the GBC canteen (with sticks and a holey ball). arrived at 630 with CH amidst much anticipation for our weekly dose of street bandy, and played till like 840 or something... aching muscles, sore toes, scratches here and there, and thoroughly exhausted - but hey, cant wait till next week's instalment.
so why am i still typing this (despite the tiredness)? well, decided that if there were any faithful readers, then i'd better rectify the current trend, which seems to suggest a negative exponential correlation between the frequency of posts and the time elasped since this blog was born.
ok, anyway, thank God for good ol' sporting activites and the joy of friendly competition. dazzling dribbles, electrifying escapes, sizzling shots, flamboyant feints, determined defending, all-out attacks: all encapsulated in clashing sticks, moving bodies and a ball at breakneak speed played out in that frenzied arena. On weekends it has come to be known as the 'canteen'. Perish that thought should you chance upon it wednesday evening...
so why am i still typing this (despite the tiredness)? well, decided that if there were any faithful readers, then i'd better rectify the current trend, which seems to suggest a negative exponential correlation between the frequency of posts and the time elasped since this blog was born.
ok, anyway, thank God for good ol' sporting activites and the joy of friendly competition. dazzling dribbles, electrifying escapes, sizzling shots, flamboyant feints, determined defending, all-out attacks: all encapsulated in clashing sticks, moving bodies and a ball at breakneak speed played out in that frenzied arena. On weekends it has come to be known as the 'canteen'. Perish that thought should you chance upon it wednesday evening...
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
art
trying to balance my time between school, ministry and doing that wed gig has been taxing at times.... through this time the age-old question has resurfaced again: what's the value of music, or more general, art itself?
i mean, if we are to do everything to the glory of God and for His purposes, perhaps i can say that school is for equipping myself and preparing myself to make a living so that i can serve Him, while being a good testimony in the process (ideally - not that i keep to this very well), and for ministry the idea is also there. but what about pursuing music? is it just making some sounds in a dim cafe, producing vibrations in the air? perhaps the least i can say is that i can thank God for the gift of music and enjoy it in the process. the next step may be to communicate this pleasure of music to others. but how to communicate the God behind all good things? Or is it a long term thing, when people see your life and hear your music and are able to give credit to God? or perhaps, more practically, it helps in improving my musical sense so that i can better contribute to playing and training musicians for the worship service? or even, can a Christian be a Coltrane? that is, attaining profound spiritual heights through music? why does music feature so strongly in worship through the ages?
(is there a difference between a cook giving gastronomical delight and a musician giving aural enjoyment? or maybe a cook is there for the basic survival need of food? or why did God bother to create so many pretty flowers, majestic mountains, deep, strange, glowing undersea creatures which we may never see, and give us taste buds so subtle and varied? any pragmatic reasons?)
many questions.
at the same time, i think, if i'm doing this then i'd better set a good testimony of how a Christian musician behaves, and i think it will certainly differ in certain respects from the 'norm' of a typical jazz musician.... need to be really aware of this...
well, in the meantime, have decided to do 4 more gigs - one more month, and after that, we'll see about it. need to pray for wisdom in e meantime...
i mean, if we are to do everything to the glory of God and for His purposes, perhaps i can say that school is for equipping myself and preparing myself to make a living so that i can serve Him, while being a good testimony in the process (ideally - not that i keep to this very well), and for ministry the idea is also there. but what about pursuing music? is it just making some sounds in a dim cafe, producing vibrations in the air? perhaps the least i can say is that i can thank God for the gift of music and enjoy it in the process. the next step may be to communicate this pleasure of music to others. but how to communicate the God behind all good things? Or is it a long term thing, when people see your life and hear your music and are able to give credit to God? or perhaps, more practically, it helps in improving my musical sense so that i can better contribute to playing and training musicians for the worship service? or even, can a Christian be a Coltrane? that is, attaining profound spiritual heights through music? why does music feature so strongly in worship through the ages?
(is there a difference between a cook giving gastronomical delight and a musician giving aural enjoyment? or maybe a cook is there for the basic survival need of food? or why did God bother to create so many pretty flowers, majestic mountains, deep, strange, glowing undersea creatures which we may never see, and give us taste buds so subtle and varied? any pragmatic reasons?)
many questions.
at the same time, i think, if i'm doing this then i'd better set a good testimony of how a Christian musician behaves, and i think it will certainly differ in certain respects from the 'norm' of a typical jazz musician.... need to be really aware of this...
well, in the meantime, have decided to do 4 more gigs - one more month, and after that, we'll see about it. need to pray for wisdom in e meantime...
Saturday, August 06, 2005
friday gig...
just had a gig at the cafe today... really made quite a lot of mistakes, both me and the singers. was actually quite tired even before the whole thing - felt lethargic and not very alert - and i guess it affected my response during the performance. a few wrong chords, not remembering whether to repeat lines for some songs, etc. well, good thing Amos didnt really seem to have any complaints - maybe the other groups were worse...
anyway, finally got my pay today for the 3 gigs in july - a meagre amount, really - not even peanuts, as they say... but at least it is something to show for my dad, who kept remaining skeptical abt whether Amos would actually pay or not... but may not carry on this thing long-term, esp if the jazz thing with Tim and Joel actually works out... It's equally meagre pay but slightly more enjoyable and rather more fulfilling to actually play jazz. More challenging also, having to take so many solos, but i guess it's a much needed stimulus for my improvement... dont think i've improved much during the whole of the past year when i stopped playing jazz...sometimes it really takes pp who are better than you to really push you to improve. not to mention the pressure of performing live. but this pop thing is really tiring, esp with having to learn all the new songs...
well, hope that i wont do it for glorifying myself. hope that whatever i have learnt can be useful for God in some way or other. and hope i wont have to do any more friday gigs. already told Amos that i couldnt but he wanted it just this time, for the singers to experience a larger weekend crowd. As it turned out, there was little difference from the weekday scenes. had a nice little surprise though...
anyway, finally got my pay today for the 3 gigs in july - a meagre amount, really - not even peanuts, as they say... but at least it is something to show for my dad, who kept remaining skeptical abt whether Amos would actually pay or not... but may not carry on this thing long-term, esp if the jazz thing with Tim and Joel actually works out... It's equally meagre pay but slightly more enjoyable and rather more fulfilling to actually play jazz. More challenging also, having to take so many solos, but i guess it's a much needed stimulus for my improvement... dont think i've improved much during the whole of the past year when i stopped playing jazz...sometimes it really takes pp who are better than you to really push you to improve. not to mention the pressure of performing live. but this pop thing is really tiring, esp with having to learn all the new songs...
well, hope that i wont do it for glorifying myself. hope that whatever i have learnt can be useful for God in some way or other. and hope i wont have to do any more friday gigs. already told Amos that i couldnt but he wanted it just this time, for the singers to experience a larger weekend crowd. As it turned out, there was little difference from the weekday scenes. had a nice little surprise though...
Monday, July 18, 2005
atheism self-refuting?
here's something I came across reading Zacharias… i’l l try to put it in more rigorous form:
1. Atheism is the positive assertion of God’s non-existence.
2. The positive assertion of God’s non-existence is an absolute negation.
3. Making an absolute negation requires infinite knowledge.
4. Only God has infinite knowledge.
5. Thus, infinite knowledge is required to make the assertion that there is no Being with infinite knowledge, and thus atheism is false. (this does not imply that theism is true, btw.)
well, though it sounds promising, I have some reservations abt this argument. maybe there is a weak link in point 3. what do you guys think?
[edit: I think point 3 is very questionable and point 2 as well. Suppose God tells me that there are no unicorns. Since I believe in God's testimony, I make the positive assertion of the non-existence of unicorns. Either that is an absolute negation or it is not. If it is, then obviously point 3 is false, since I don't need infinite knowledge to make that assertion. If it is not an absolute negation, then why should the positive assertion of God's non-existence be an absolute negation?
Thus, it is not surprising that this argument isn't convincing.]
1. Atheism is the positive assertion of God’s non-existence.
2. The positive assertion of God’s non-existence is an absolute negation.
3. Making an absolute negation requires infinite knowledge.
4. Only God has infinite knowledge.
5. Thus, infinite knowledge is required to make the assertion that there is no Being with infinite knowledge, and thus atheism is false. (this does not imply that theism is true, btw.)
well, though it sounds promising, I have some reservations abt this argument. maybe there is a weak link in point 3. what do you guys think?
[edit: I think point 3 is very questionable and point 2 as well. Suppose God tells me that there are no unicorns. Since I believe in God's testimony, I make the positive assertion of the non-existence of unicorns. Either that is an absolute negation or it is not. If it is, then obviously point 3 is false, since I don't need infinite knowledge to make that assertion. If it is not an absolute negation, then why should the positive assertion of God's non-existence be an absolute negation?
Thus, it is not surprising that this argument isn't convincing.]
song recommendation
"Jesus, I Lift Up My Eyes" by Jars of Clay
traditional words by Anne Steele (alt. by Jars of Clay)
music by Jars of Clay
When sins and fears prevailing rise
And fainting hope almost expires
Jesus to Thee I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Are You not mine, my living Lord
And can my hope, my comfort die
Fixed on the everlasting word
That word which built the earth and sky
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
O Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I lift my eyes
Here let my faith unshaken dwell
Immovable the promise stands
Not all the powers of earth or hell
Can e'er dissolve the sacred bands
Jesus to Thee I lift my eyes
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I lift my eyes
Here oh my soul
Thy trust repose
If Jesus is forever mine
Not death itself that last of foes
Can break a union so divine
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Taken from the new album Redemption Songs, this is a wonderful hymn on the soul's ultimate satisfaction, Christ Himself. Not many bands can take an obscure hymn and make it both modern, upbeat and full of real, solid hope that shines through while retaining the spirit of the lyrics.
traditional words by Anne Steele (alt. by Jars of Clay)
music by Jars of Clay
When sins and fears prevailing rise
And fainting hope almost expires
Jesus to Thee I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Are You not mine, my living Lord
And can my hope, my comfort die
Fixed on the everlasting word
That word which built the earth and sky
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
O Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I lift my eyes
Here let my faith unshaken dwell
Immovable the promise stands
Not all the powers of earth or hell
Can e'er dissolve the sacred bands
Jesus to Thee I lift my eyes
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I lift my eyes
Here oh my soul
Thy trust repose
If Jesus is forever mine
Not death itself that last of foes
Can break a union so divine
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Jesus, I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Taken from the new album Redemption Songs, this is a wonderful hymn on the soul's ultimate satisfaction, Christ Himself. Not many bands can take an obscure hymn and make it both modern, upbeat and full of real, solid hope that shines through while retaining the spirit of the lyrics.
finding time
'At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.' Luke 4:42-44
'Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. ' Luke 5:15-16
Was reading Ordering Your Private World by Gordon Macdonald, on how to recapture and prioritise our time. The best example has to be Jesus Himself. According to Macdonald, He understood perfectly why he was on earth, what His mission was, and used His time according to the criteria of His mission. And He budgeted time for the gathering of inner strengh and resolve in order to prepare for spiritual warfare. He spent 30 years before beginning His public mission. He spent 40 days praying in the wilderness before starting His ministry. He prayed before the choosing of the twelve.
Some inspiration, hopefully, for those of us for whom time still slips through our grasp. And I believe that the truly non-negotiable aspect of everyday is really communion with God through the Word and prayer. Yet is the most easy to forsake, because no one ever protests or cries out when we fail in our QT.
'Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. ' Luke 5:15-16
Was reading Ordering Your Private World by Gordon Macdonald, on how to recapture and prioritise our time. The best example has to be Jesus Himself. According to Macdonald, He understood perfectly why he was on earth, what His mission was, and used His time according to the criteria of His mission. And He budgeted time for the gathering of inner strengh and resolve in order to prepare for spiritual warfare. He spent 30 years before beginning His public mission. He spent 40 days praying in the wilderness before starting His ministry. He prayed before the choosing of the twelve.
Some inspiration, hopefully, for those of us for whom time still slips through our grasp. And I believe that the truly non-negotiable aspect of everyday is really communion with God through the Word and prayer. Yet is the most easy to forsake, because no one ever protests or cries out when we fail in our QT.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
finding joy
been encountering Jonathan Edwards quite a bit lately... first through reading Desiring God by John Piper, then this evening at the Stephen Tong expository preaching... perhaps I should read this esteemed theologian myself. Interestingly, the sermon just now was given by another Reformed preacher from Indonesia today-and it touched on the balance that Christians should have between truth and emotion.
too oft we have seen the extremes: emotional expression almost to the point of fanaticism without the anchor of truth; or the dry and empty formalism of mere concepts and creeds, true though they be.... but how do we strike a balance?
like Piper, the preacher today also quoted Jonathan Edwards freely: and the main point seems to be: real joy and right feelings come only from the knowledge and understanding of the truth (this does not mean a mere logical understanding, but a real perceving of the truth). A Christian, having access to the truth through the Word, should apprehend it with real feeling through the Spirit who enlightens us to the truth. That is to say, no less - a Christian should be the happiest person today, because he has the most profoundly satisfying Object in the universe: God. (This kind of thinking rings throughout John Piper's words.)
But how then, really, does joy come?
1. Understanding and appreciating the sovereignty of God.
2. Knowing the most terrible obstacle to everlasting and infinite joy - not poverty, not suffering, not injustice, not those hurts we get from others - but sin against God.
3. Cultivating a life of thanksgiving and counting our blessings.
4. Submission to God's truth and His will. (I think in the psalms, we can see the sheer unabashed delight in obedience to God's law. Not dutiful submission, but DELIGHT.)
guess it's not for this little 1st post to elaborate on the above points. But i think that it's really worth thinking abt. Sometimes we fall into the trap of simply doing out of duty - but recently i'm being challenged that this is simply not enough. (which is why i think Aristotle is closer to the Bible than Kant as far as moral philosophy and an understanding of human virtue goes. But more of this next time, if I ever get down to doing such a comparison.)
meanwhile, i hope i havent scared away all potential readers. :)
too oft we have seen the extremes: emotional expression almost to the point of fanaticism without the anchor of truth; or the dry and empty formalism of mere concepts and creeds, true though they be.... but how do we strike a balance?
like Piper, the preacher today also quoted Jonathan Edwards freely: and the main point seems to be: real joy and right feelings come only from the knowledge and understanding of the truth (this does not mean a mere logical understanding, but a real perceving of the truth). A Christian, having access to the truth through the Word, should apprehend it with real feeling through the Spirit who enlightens us to the truth. That is to say, no less - a Christian should be the happiest person today, because he has the most profoundly satisfying Object in the universe: God. (This kind of thinking rings throughout John Piper's words.)
But how then, really, does joy come?
1. Understanding and appreciating the sovereignty of God.
2. Knowing the most terrible obstacle to everlasting and infinite joy - not poverty, not suffering, not injustice, not those hurts we get from others - but sin against God.
3. Cultivating a life of thanksgiving and counting our blessings.
4. Submission to God's truth and His will. (I think in the psalms, we can see the sheer unabashed delight in obedience to God's law. Not dutiful submission, but DELIGHT.)
guess it's not for this little 1st post to elaborate on the above points. But i think that it's really worth thinking abt. Sometimes we fall into the trap of simply doing out of duty - but recently i'm being challenged that this is simply not enough. (which is why i think Aristotle is closer to the Bible than Kant as far as moral philosophy and an understanding of human virtue goes. But more of this next time, if I ever get down to doing such a comparison.)
meanwhile, i hope i havent scared away all potential readers. :)
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