Monday and Movie

Emily and I stayed up late last night watching a movie. Wasn't all that intentional, we just thought, 'hey, we haven't watched a movie in a long time.' So we curled up on the bed and watched The Majestic. Decent little flick. I don't know what you think of Jim Carrey, but I like him. He does a lot of the same jokes and his style doesn't vary all that much, but he's fun. We weren't really watching the time though and didn't get to bed until 11:00pm... oops. :)

So we slept in just a bit.

Class at 10 today, come home and exercise, review/do homework, clean up living room (we made a mess sorting through old papers yesterday).

Tomorrow Emily has off because it's Children's Day (I have NO idea why they need a day to themselves, especially in China where EVERYDAY seems like Children's Day), so we're hoping I'll still have class and she can attend with me.

Nearly weekly for quite a while I have been the only one to show up for the HSK class at 8am, so Ye Laoshi (Teacher Ye) and I will talk about some topic she will think of. The last two times we've talked about American families. The first week was on teenager's experiences when they turn 18. She had read that they either get kicked out or have to pay their parents rent. That was interesting. The next week we talked about parenting and child discipline (a MUCH needed area of growth here for nearly all parents). That started out with a discussion of, 'should you hit your child or not'. The Chinese word is pretty vague, [da] just means 'hit', so I had to specify that I thought it was ok to da your child's pigu [pee-goo: rear end], but not your child's tou [toe: head]. The conversations usually start like this:

Ye: I read that in America when a child turns 18 they have to pay their parents to live at home. Is that true?

Me: Um, sometimes, but I think it's pretty rare.

Ye: But in our book this article said...

And we go from there.

But, today is just Comprehensive, and students usually show up to that class. We'll probably have a Dictation, where the teacher reads off words and we write furiously, or bang our heads on the desks trying to remember how to draw that particular character. I don't think I'm ready yet.

Last Day of May

We are turning the corner towards the end of the semester. Emily has four and a half teaching weeks left in the kindergarten and three in the elementary school. I have four weeks left of class and finals week. We are looking forward to some rest time.

Today we're hoping to do some much needed organizing, reading, writing and riding (of bikes). The weather is really starting to warm up now and it'll only be a matter of a week or two before it's sweltering!

Please remember us in these things in the coming weeks:

- to know how to love and discipline the children at the school

- for the parents to have a change of perspective on love and discipline, so that the teacher's job would be easier (along the lines of Proverbs 29:15 and 17 that say: The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother, and Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.

- that we would use the summer effectively

- that God would give me a true gift for Chinese language, whether that be progressively through hard work or miraculously

- that the scholarship (for which I still have yet to explain) will come through on June 6

- that we might have opportunities to make His glory known in the final weeks of the semester

From the words of Agur today:

Proverbs 30:5

Every word of God proves true;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Saving Grandmother's Face

New News!!! Emily and I are PUBLISHED! (and I'm not talking about publishing on a blog; and we didn't run a few copies off at Officemax - that definitely DOESN'T count)

Emily and I, together with other teachers in ERRC, have published a book! It's a collection of short (true) stories from English teachers in China, recounting memorable experiences and their reflections. If you'd like a copy there are several avenues you can go through. Amazon has it for $16, the publisher Wipf and Stock for a slight discount at $12.60, or you can buy it through ERRC and it helps support our organization.

From the Publisher: An elderly peasant woman lives with her coffin in the kitchen. An American teacher is "adopted" by a village family. An eccentric grandfather teaches Chinese to his American student by jumping around the room and other perilous pantomimes. China is a vast and populous nation which demands our understanding. But while newspaper headlines commonly focus on politics and economics, Saving Grandmother's Face, written by Christian university teachers in China, recounts their experiences in the classroom and in the countryside, celebrating a child's birth and mourning a child's death, grading papers and discussing Chinese literature. Through these stories you will see a side of China often left out-the human side.

Here is a list of the chapter titles to give you an idea of what you'll be getting. I didn't see this on Amazon or the publisher's website, so I thought it might help...or maybe not. You'll just have to read the stories to find out what they're about.

Chapter One “Saving Grandmother’s Face” by Don and Karen Barnes

Chapter Two “Mountains, Water” by Aminta Arrington

Chapter Three “Communication” by Amanda Hostetler

Chapter Four “Me and Mr. Yang” by Robert Moore

Chapter Five “The Funeral” by Samara Sanchez

Chapter Six “What Shall I Call You?” by Pamela Holt

Chapter Seven “Lost and Found in Yunnan” by Lindsey Paulick

Chapter Eight “Searching for Lu Xun” by Robert Moore

Chapter Nine “Lessons for the Teacher” by Daniel Jaime

Chapter Ten “Hospitality” by Emily Ciccotti

Chapter Eleven “The Language of Love” by Lindsey Paulick

Chapter Twelve “Renovation” by Amanda Hostetler

Chapter Thirteen “In Their Own Words” by Don and Karen Barnes

Chapter Fourteen “Bundled-Up Babies” by Aminta Arrington

Chapter Fifteen “I Came to be Served” by Jesse Ciccotti

Chapter Sixteen “The Stacks” by Sheryl Smalligan

Chapter Seventeen “Words” by Aminta Arrington

Contributor Biographies

Get in while the gettin' is Good

Hey hey from a Friday.

An interesting bit of news for you:

China and the U.S. continue to increase ties, now very strongly academically. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, here's your opportunity:

China, US agree to boost student exchanges

BEIJING : China and the United States on Tuesday launched an initiative aimed at allowing 100,000 Americans to study in China over the next four years and boosting other "people-to-people" exchanges.

"The relationship between our two countries will shape the 21st century. We want it to be positive, cooperative and comprehensive," Clinton said.

Under the student exchange programme, which will see a 25 percent increase in the number of Americans studying in China, Beijing will offer 10,000 scholarships for US nationals wanting to pursue their studies in Mandarin.

Get in while the gettin' is good!!!!

Here's Friday's plan:

A friend from Changsha will be staying with us tonight. Between her arrival and now I need to get some things done.

- get in the Word this morning before heading out on the following adventures

- buy a return ticket for our visiting friend

- exercise

- start my Chinese homework

- get some thoughts down on paper regarding a couple of philosophy articles I have read recently, on Philosophical Hermeneutics by Hans-Georg Gadamer

Parents in Training

The last two days Emily and I have been watching our friends kids, and we will again tomorrow. It's been good training. I've read things on being a dad and they all talk about coming home from work and needing to 'gear up' and be ready to pour yourself out for your kids in the evening and really love on them. It's easy to conceptualize it and think, "oh yeah, I can do that." But when you're really in it, when you really have kids that need love and discipline and cultivation...yeah. It can be hard work. It helps that the kids have good parents who love and discipline them well. But parenting is definitely sacrificial. And definitely an art.

Special thank you to my parents who sacrificed themselves for me. Thank you to all you parents who daily pour yourselves out as a drink offering on the altar. I'm convinced all good parenting is a beautiful offering to the Lord, whether you recognize Him as such or not.

Cross-Cultural Servanthood - Chapter 2

For back-posts on this topic see the Label Cross-Cultural Servanthood on the left.

Servanthood - Choosing the Towel or the Robe

This brief chapter, barely six pages, is summarized in the two images Elmer gives us in its title. Towel and Robe. These two images refer to two roles Jesus demonstrates for us. The first is our example to follow Jesus' during his earthly life, the second is Jesus' unique position as King.

Despite its brevity the chapter offers us the only foundation for our lives, the life of Jesus. His life was characterized by servanthood. Elmer writes, "While it runs counter to our natural desire, we have no choice. We are never more like Jesus than when we serve others."

We have a choice every single day of our lives to wear the towel or the robe. We are taught throughout our lives that we should pursue the robe. Jesus calls us to follow him in wearing the towel.

Matthew 20 and Luke 22 presents us with two challenging stories, chronologically very close together, of the Disciples seeking to wear the robe. Just before the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem James and John, together with their mother, request that Jesus would give them the highest seats in his kingdom. Their request is denied. And if that wasn't enough, the other disciples are indignant that James and John would ask such a thing. They were mostly likely mad that James and John had beat them to the punch. Jesus then lectures all twelve, instructing them not to walk in the way of the Gentiles, seeking power and authority in order to rule over others. Instead, he says, follow me. Walk in my ways. I came to serve.

The second story is just days later, and at the Passover meal of all places! Jesus has already washed their feet, wearing the towel. They reach the point in the Passover meal where they drink the cup and eat the bread, and Jesus infuses this ancient Hebrew tradition with new symbolism and new meaning. No longer is it just the sacrificial lamb, but Jesus, the Lamb of God, who will be sacrificed. The ultimate service. As soon as this ceremony is completed they begin to argue about who is the one to betray him, and who is the greatest. Jesus, with untiring love, repeats what he said earlier, and adds more. In this life, among people in the world, we must be as one who serves. But, Jesus adds a curious promise to the Disciples. They will be given robes one day. One day they will judge all of Israel.

At this point I disagree with Elmer. He seems to indicate that we will never have the role of wearing the robe, but several places, including Luke 22, seem to indicate a role of authority. We are given crowns in heaven. I haven't yet heard of a culture where a crown meant anything but authority and honor. Certainly, we do humbly cast them before God's feet, because only He is truly worthy. But we are still given crowns. And Jesus does say that we will reign with him. It seems difficult to divorce that from authority and rule.

But Elmer's point still stands. In this life we are to follow Jesus in wearing the towel. All our service will not truly be service if we don't not wear the towel. Later in the book Elmer says, at best we will be benevolent oppressors. We may mean well, but we do not do well.

Treasure Villa

Jesse's taking off to buy some groceries, so I'm filling in once again. I hope in the future I might get just one Wednesday off. We'll see. Chances look slim.

He's been enjoying the week off from class. Had time to study and catch up on a few things. And it's only half over, so there's more to look forward to.

He also wanted me to throw in this picture taken by a teacher-friend who was visiting Qingdao (they're famous for their beer; apparently some time back Germans set up shop there, and what was the first thing they did? Start a brewery of course!). The picture itself is priceless. I don't know where they come up with some of these advertisements, but this one is classic Chinglish.

It reminds me of an ad I saw on the side of a bus for a residential community that read: Intellectual Capitalist Mansions. If you know a little about modern Chinese history it would throw you in stitches. Read up on it here.

Live in a magic place with romance

Forget everything & Forget everyone

The only place this sign brings to mind for me is Hell. Totally isolated, totally alone, and romance is in the air. A powerful desire that will never be fulfilled.

So next time you're really angry and want to curse, try using 'Treasure Villa' instead. "Go to Treasure Villa!", or "What the Treasure Villa?"

- Wednesday

The Art of Waiting

So I called the Foreign Student Office at 8:45 am and spoke with one of the gals that works there, who happens to be one of my former students. She's not the one I'm directly working with for the scholarship, but I have a relationship with her so I can often ask things and she'll find out for me. She said, no official result yet and the gal that was supposed to be in the office was not there yet. So I called again, now at 10:15, and spoke with the gal in charge of the scholarship deal and she said, "no result yet. Call back June 6." This is the second 'call back' I've received. I was first told, May 10. Then, May 25. Now June 6.

This is the art of waiting. As American's we're not used to this. We're accustomed to getting our burger or mocha in a 'reasonable' amount of time (i.e. - NOW!). And when we don't get what we want we yell and scream and chew somebody out for not doing their job. That doesn't mean you'll get what you want more quickly. It just means everyone around you feels crappy.

The art of waiting is a relational art, both vertical and horizontal. Horizontal, because it's important to maintain relationships, particularly in cultures like China's where relationships, not money, get you things (I'll be writing on this more in the future). In America money is king. And in some ways money is king in China too. But relationships rule from a higher throne, and sometimes are your access TO money. We don't like that in the West, thinking that it's unfair. But it's really not, if you know the art of waiting. And if you think about it, relationships really are king. You can't buy your way into heaven, which leads us to the vertical aspect of the art of waiting.

The vertical art of waiting. How often have you asked the Lord for something and had to wait for an answer? A day? A week? A month? A year? YEARS? Your whole life even?! Next time you're waiting, remember the one you're waiting on. Is he not King? And is he not in control of your life? AND, is he NOT GOOD?!

Which one of you, if you ask your father for bread, will he give you a stone?

T-Minus 30 Minutes

This week is an interesting one. Many of the Chinese students at my university have some kind of Midterm-Final exam for classes that are only 12 weeks long, and they needed our classrooms for the exams, so we have no class this week. Yesterday I did things around the house, hung up some wall-racks for pots and pans in the kitchen and towels in the bathroom, peeled-chopped-cooked apples for applesauce, studied a little Chinese, did some research on fasting (Em and I are trying to learn, expand and deepen our spiritual disciplines), and did four loads of laundry. After Em got off work we rode our bikes into town to meet some friends who were visiting Wuhan to see a cousin who happened to be here for the week, had dinner, chatted at Mr. Mai's Coffee House, and biked home. Good Day.

Today. TODAY! In about thirty minutes I'm supposed to call the Foreign Student Office at Wuhan University and get the result of the scholarship I applied for. Following that, I'll exercise, study Chinese, read philosophy, and sometime mid-afternoon head back to Mr. Mai's to charge the battery on our electric bike that didn't quite make it home last Friday. I left it in an apartment garage close to the coffee house and took a taxi the rest of the way home.

I need to go prepare my heart for the scholarship result. I'm sure I'll write more in about 45 minutes, whether rejoicing in provision or rejoicing in sorrow.

Oh, and I need to shower....

Cross-Cultural Servanthood - Chapter 1

If you missed earlier posts on this topic, look for labels on the left-hand bar, Cross-Cultural Servanthood.

It's Burden and Challenge
This chapter, as all first chapters should, sets up the book and hooks you in. Though probably not in a way you might expect. It doesn't start with a story of success, or a big pep talk on how you can be a better servant. In fact, like many of the stories you will read, you may find yourself both cringing at the "obvious" error of the person in the story, and finding that they really resemble you in some eerily close ways. You will also probably find a few good laughs, often at the author's expense. Elmer writes very conversationally and the chapters seems to fly by, though not in a way that

you forget the points you need to work on. Simple, memorable, and applicable is how I would describe it.

So, chapter one. On the second page Elmer writes, "While not being easy, [cross-cultural servanthood] is the calling of every person who wishes to follow Jesus, whether in your home culture or beyond." I think you will find this sentence true as soon as you walk out your front door, or even climb into bed with your spouse.

We generally think of culture-crossing as something you do in a distant land where the people wear loincloths made of animal skins and feathers, and they still use sticks and stones as their primary tools. That is the real cross-cultural experience. And while it is certainly true that that would count as a cross-cultural experience, whether you share a bed with the person or your backyards touch, literally everyone you meet has a different culture, the differences are merely that of degree, shades of gray, amount of overlap. Obviously, with your parents and siblings you will have more cultural overlap than with the guy who lives in the trailer park in the poorer side of town and can't keep a job, or with the wealthy business owner who lives on in the rich quarter and can't decide what to do with all his money. The point being, I think you will find that this book is less about leaving the country than it is leaving your own personal habits and customs behind, and engaging people in a way that points to the Servant-King Jesus who calls you to follow him. What he wants us to learn now is the Servant role. The King role comes at glory.

He also says, "Servanthood is revealed in simple, everyday events. But it's complex because servanthood his culturally defined--that is, serving must be sensitive to the cultural landscape while remaining true to the Scripture. That is both the challenge and burden of servanthood..."

Servanthood is revealed in innumerable communication moments every day. It could be the way you respond to your boss. Or how you lead a meeting, or talk to a colleague. Or how you drive your car (or ride the bus, or your bike). How you check out your items at the grocery store. Even how you perceive (judge) people in the secret places of your own mind. The burden is to reach out to those who are not exactly like you (and who is?). The challenge is to do it in a way that honors and glorifies God.

Here are a few more quotes to feed you brain and get you thinking.

- "Missionaries (read Christians) could more effectively minister the gospel of Christ if they did not think they were so superior to us."

- "The reality is that many of us want to serve from our own cultural context. That is, we believe that servanthood everywhere else probably looks like it does in our own culture. In fact, I am inclined to think that there's a little switch in our head somewhere. When we call ourselves a servant, the switch is triggered and we automatically believe that everything we do from there on will epitomize servanthood. In other words, calling ourselves a servant means we are a servant. If others cannot see it, that is their problem."

- "It's not our words that count but the perceptions of the local people who watch our lives and sense our attitudes."

- "Among the hardest tasks in life is to divest ourselves of the culture we wear so comfortably." And that is what Elmer, through this book, hopes to help you do.

I'll leave you to wrestle with that. I hope you'll comment on these posts, and dialogue might begin.

Peace.

Changsha and Back Again

Em and I got back from a quick trip to Changsha, where Em got to go to a wedding shower for a Russian Sister and fellow Chinese learner, Julia. They became friends a couple years ago when Julia was studying abroad for a semester. They soon became good friends. Em was quite happy to have almost a whole day together with her.

I spent the time with our friend Dave, who just left for the States to reunite with his family. They preceded him by a number of weeks for a health issue. All seems well though, and I think we both appreciated the time to catch up. He and his wife Carrie had been our pre-marital "counselors" last Spring when we were making preparations for the 'big change.' They have three really cute kids that we didn't get to see before they left (just a little sad about that).

We're back now and all in one piece. However, our adventures are not over yet. Tomorrow night we're meeting two friends (actually from Changsha, but we didn't get to see them yesterday) for dinner. I'm supposed to hear the final news regarding the scholarship on Tuesday. I'll certainly write an update on that when the time comes. Wednesday night, depending on how tired we are, we may do Chinese corner again (it was a very good time last time, and great practice). Friday night another Changsha friend will be coming up to stay with us for a night before she meets her friends who are on a trip and will be stopping through Wuhan. And I don't remember what we have planned for Saturday.

That's all we have for now.

Oh, one more thing. I don't have class all this next week. Yeah, I know. Weird. Anyway, all the Chinese students have some classes on a different schedule from us and will be taking 'final' exams for these 12 week courses all this week, and they need our rooms apparently. Thus, no class.

It's 10 minutes to 9, Em's probably already out, and I should be hitting the pillow soon too.

Wednesday Here

Hey, Wednesday here again for Jesse. Between his two fullest days it gets a little hectic, and you may have noticed that he didn't post anything yesterday.

Well, he cruised through yesterday. Classes went fairly well. As has not been uncommon he was the only student in his HSK class. HSK is the Chinese language exam. They actually have a class for it, because all the students who want to study a major at a Chinese university must pass the test before graduating. It's much like the TOEFL for kids coming to the U.S. However, most of the students in his class are not going to be studying a major so they don't come. That means Jesse gets an hour and a half with just the teacher. Pretty cool private tutoring time.

His comprehensive class wasn't so hot. They got their tests from last week back and his score was not as high as he wanted it to be. Although he was bummed he felt like he knew the material better than the test reflected, so he wasn't too discouraged.

In the afternoon he had Reading. This class is always a killer. It's basically another HSK prep class, were you read through texts that are far higher than your ability, with lots of new words. And then you try to answer questions based on your best guess as to a) what the question is asking, and b) what the answer is. But, the teacher is really really great. He and Em actually asked if she would privately tutor them this summer, but she'll be out of town. They were bummed.

Last night Jesse finished leading the last night of a study through the cross-cultural servanthood book. I recommend you pick it up. He'll be doing more pieces on that later, chapter summaries, quotes, and commentary, so be looking for them.

Today he has four periods of class, home for a slightly late lunch and cleaning up the apartment. A former student of his, a Brother, and his wife, will be visiting for the night on their way through Wuhan to Tianjin. What a joy! He had the privilege of going to their wedding last spring, and now they get to hang out together as two old married couples. And his Chinese has improved enough that they'll have a good time with that too.

There's a few things you can be praying for him for, if you think of it during the day.
1 -He hasn't been exercising as much as he'd like, and he's developing what he calls a "jelly roll" around his mid-section. *don't tell him I told you* He and Emily bought bikes recently, and he's hoping that will help some, but he also wants to be more disciplined about getting in the gym and using up that extra 'stored energy.'

2 -He's also waiting on pins and needles for an exciting development. I won't let the cat out of the bag entirely, but he's waiting to hear back about a scholarship. More than just the money, it would be an encouraging confirmation that he's following the Lord in the direction he and Emily have taken. He'll share more on that when the result comes out.

3 -Encouragement through the 'mystery'. The second to last chapter of the cross-cultural servanthood book talks about mystery (I recommend you check it out!), and how it works in our lives and what we're to do with it. As he and Emily explore the mystery that God has placed around them, ask that they would be given faith to walk through it and grow in it. Jesse told me he was going to create a separate page devoted to the ideas of mystery, faith, and something else I can't remember. Keep your eyes peeled for it.

4 - Lastly, a busy next seven days or so. This weekend Jesse and Emily are going to Changsha to see some friends and to celebrate a wedding shower with a Russian sister that is very dear to Emily. They return, and have more appointments with people early in the week. With Emily's teaching schedule in particular it starts to wear on them. Ask Dad for rest and peace through it.

That's all for now. Wednesday out.

The Future of China

I read an interesting article today that tied in with an interesting experience my wife and I had this past weekend. I mentioned this event on my other blog as well.

We attended a wedding party for a former student of mine. Their held the wedding in their hometown (not Wuhan) last Wednesday, and had a party in Wuhan with their Wuhan friends this past weekend. It was a great time, a number of firsts for Emily and I. One of the significant moments for us came during the dinner (informational note: a major part of a Chinese wedding is the banquet, where the couple spends a lot of money on an enormous amount of food, to the great delight of the guests). We enjoyed a very wonderful meal and had opportunity to catch up with several of my former students. They all knew me before I began my formal Chinese study (and how very little I spoke then) so we spent a great deal of time answering questions and talking in Chinese. An unexpected opportunity for Chinese Corner!

Here is the enlightening moment: Early in the meal I was surprised to find that no one at our table was drinking alcohol, and no one in the whole room was smoking! This may not sound like anything unique to you, but for a Chinese banquet it is almost unheard of! And when the bride and groom toasted each table, they drank juice instead of baijiu (Chinese rice wine). We asked one of my former students sitting close by why no one was smoking or drinking. She said, "Because we were born after 1980. We are choosing a healthier lifestyle."

Wow! What a statement! In mixed age group banquets there is lots of pressure placed on the men in particular to drink and smoke. If someone attempts to refuse you will certainly hear statements (in Chinese) like, "you're not a man if you don't smoke". It is nearly impossible to escape a meal without finally taking a cigarette. Toasting is also very common. When you are toasted it is a sign of a good relationship. For you to refuse is tantamount to giving the person the middle finger (that's my interpretation anyway). And you'll hear things like, "if you don't drink the whole glass you're not my friend." So, for us to be sitting there and no one is smoking and very few are drinking, it was quite remarkable.

See the article for more interesting information about young people in China. I hope it will help you see China in a different way, not just as that "overpopulated country with overblown economy and overly protective government." China is quite diverse, and not NEARLY so scary as you might be led to think by the media and our (sometimes) lame politicians.

Here's another article highlighting some recent research regarding the differences between three decades of Chinese youth.


Postscript - I had heard of the 80.20 principle, where 80% of the people do 20% of the work, and 20% of the people do 80% of the work. This article introduced me to the 90.9.1 principle. I'm glad to know that I am now officially a part of the 1%. I'm actually putting my own ideas, stories, etc on the web, not just reading (90%), and not even commenting (9%), but actually posting my own material!

For Monday

Shorty-note

Class this morning, two hours - we have a tingxie too, and I haven't done my homework yet.
Lunch
Study Chinese for a couple hours while I wait for the library to open after lunch (Chinese culture, like many cultures in the world, have a habit of 'napping' in the afternoon from about 12:30 to 2:30. This can be exceedingly frustrating for an American-workaholic.
Do a little journal research on a philosopher I'm reading right now, Hans-Georg Gadamer. He's writes primarily on aesthetics. I'll be sure to post on an article I'm reading right now called The Relevance of the Beautiful.
Home
Dinner with wife
Chinese tutoring with our friend Wendy (she speaks GREAT Chinese; listening to her is like floating in a chocolate fountain; so smooth, so easy to drink it in!)

Asaph. Anyone recognize that name? Not often listed among the 'greats' of the Bible. But he really plays quite a significant role during the period of the kings in Israel's monarch. I recently read a short article on him while searching for other things. Here's a few things I found to be of note:

- He was David's music director and likely wrote much of the (now lost) music for David's Psalms
- He wrote 'more' of the Bible than Peter, James, Jude, Jonah, Amos, Micah, Joel, Malachi, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Nahum, Haggai, or Obadiah.
- He lived a long life, spanning the reigns of David, Solomon and Rehoboam.
- He watched the Kingdom of Israel grow to is highest glory in David's time, through Solomon's reign, and crumble as Solomon led the nation in worshipping idols.
- Before he died he watched the nation be torn in two by Solomon's son, Rehoboam.
- He wrote 12 Psalms (73-83; & 50)

I recommend this brief article by Richard Thompson I read on Asaph for a clearer description and picture of his life. He has also written a number of articles on Asaph's psalms and some helpful commentary.

Enjoy!

Robot Does Wedding

C'mon! Really!?


Is there such a shortage of officiates that we are resorting to robots? And are they really our friends? I feel like that is dangerously similar to saying, "Meet my friend, rock."

First Comments on Cross-Cultural Servanthood

I've been facilitating a study with some friends in our company LQ and I'd like to give you a few posts reviewing the book we've been reading and discussing together.

It's called Cross-Cultural Servanthood, by Duane Elmer. I would say it's one of the top 10 most challenging books I've read, maybe ever. I guarantee, if you read it, you'll be challenged.

It's quite an easy read. Elmer doesn't try to sound smart or pretend like he's made it and he'll show you the way. In fact, he frequently uses his own cross-cultural blunders to illustrate a point and show you just how far he has to go. And this is coming from a man who's entire professional life is focused on helping people have successful cross-cultural experiences. According to the back of the book he has traveled and taught in over seventy-five countries, provided cross-cultural training to people from Fortune 500 companies, relief and development agencies, mission organizations, churches, and educational institutions. He has also conducted peace and reconciliation efforts in several countries. At the printing of the book in 2006 he was the G.W. Aldeen Professor of International Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL.

The book is broken down into fourteen chapters in three sections. Part I builds a basic perspective required for true servanthood found in the humility demonstrated by Christ in his life and death. Part II works backwards through the baby-step process (from a Western perspective; many of his non-AmeriEuro friends said they preferred a more integrative circular model) of servanthood. Part III works through three challenges the servant faces: Leadership, Power, and Mystery, and then closes with a case study of Joseph.

In coming posts I will share quotes and offer comments to give you a taste of the contents. I hope it leads you to purchase the book yourself and allow Elmer's winsome humility to transform your perspective on living life in relationship with people different from you, as you pursue our Servant-King in his example of humility.

Wear the towel.

Ups and Downs

Yesterday was filled with ups and downs. I posted that my computer was fixed, and it was...for six hours. While chatting with good friends back home it once again blacked out. After another hour with Dell Support we are now to the 'ship it back to America' stage, where I mail it to my parents and they mail it to Dell who will fix it because it's under warranty, and they mail it back to my parents who will mail it back to me. *sigh*

But, the day was great, and Dad should be praised.

Today I have a Comprehensive Chinese Exam in the afternoon, two classes (four periods) this morning. Then DATE NIGHT! We also have a full weekend coming up, so I may not have time to write here until Monday. We'll see. On Saturday we're going to an HSK class in the morning (HSK is the Chinese language exam like the TOEFL for foreigners coming to study in the States; and the Chinese are known for their killer tests), then a wedding party for a former student of mine. She and her circle of friends were in a Literature Club that I started a couple of years ago. We had a great time talking about stories and very deep things of life. We haven't all connected in a while, and I don't remember that the they've met Emily either, so it should be a good time. On Sunday Em and I may be visiting the Three Self Church for a Chinese service in the morning, and that evening we'll meet with our good friends Louis and Wendy for dinner (their place this week!).

Rightly Returning

An article in the English version of the People's Daily indicates that Wuhan is returning to its rightful place as a transportation hub of China. Yay for Wuhan!

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Dell Tech Support. My computer had an issue and was out of commission for almost a week. I called Dell Tech Support, and the guy, with a great Indian accent, patiently walked me through several tests, and the last thing we tried was the solution! FYI, apparently it's good to 'destatic' your computer once in a while. I won't pretend to walk you through it, look it up somewhere by someone who knows something. But, it worked and now my computer is back in working order!

Flying High on Thursday

Last night Em and I went to a local coffee shop owned by some foreign friends of ours to attend CHINESE corner. My first ever. It was fun. Especially being on the other side. I've done a few English corners in my day. Not many, but enough to know what it could feel like. But we had a good time. We sat at a table with three girls, who at first asked if we were going to speak English, but we said we were here for Chinese corner. They were quite excited, and for the next hour plus we chatted away in Chinese. I feel like I understood about 80% or so, and walking away from it I felt really great! This morning I'm off again to the Intro to Chinese Philosophy class, taught all in Chinese. The prof talks SO fast, and with so many words I don't know. I haven't yet walked away from that feeling much encouraged.

In the news:
Farmer's self-made plane fails flight-test in Wuhan



I think it's great that this guy is chasing his dream. Some rich person should buy him a ticket to somewhere so he can fly. And I'd have to say, the fact that he made it off the ground for a few seconds says something. If we didn't already have international flights his name would be going down in history alongside the Wright brothers. You go, buddy. Don't give up the dream.

If You're Reading This...

Psalm 73 is challenging. Here where I live, and back in America. The disparity in wealth distribution here is enormous, a major cause of internal instability, and a very hot topic of discussion among the locals.

Somehow my life seems to constantly bump into and weave together with wealth (not that I am in possession of a great deal of it, but I come near it), and I'm guessing yours does too. I don't come from a wealthy family, though we are far from poor. And if you compare my situation to that of the whole world, I'm practically sitting on top of it. I used to think it was noble to malign wealth, or at least to boast in my own heart that 'I wasn't as rich as that other person' as if that made me a better person (all the while longing to have the things that their wealth brought to them). And I think it's pretty common for your average American (generally those with wealth) to think that people of little material means are somehow better people because they have less. Only a cursory glance at the lives of people in poverty would ride us of this notion.

It is also common to admire the wealthy. Wouldn't it be cool to own your own private helicopter (not to mention TV show), like Donald Trump? Or to drive a car that you know turns heads? Or to have so much money that you have to give away, literally, millions every day to philanthropic purposes to avoid paying taxes (then you're not spending it all on yourself, which makes you good, right?)?

I am now not convinced it is wrong to be wealthy (certainly providing the wealth was not ill-gotten). I was moved to think about this again when I read a line in a book on Cross-cultural Servanthood, that says:

"I'm not so concerned about the fact that Westerners possess power; I am concerned about how it is exercised--the focus of this chapter" (p. 171).

I meditated on the question, "is it wrong to have power?", and concluded that it's not. God has power. He has ALL the power. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. To Jesus we ascribe ALL power and glory and dominion, forever and ever. One of God's incommunicable attributes (that's fancy-speak for non-transferrable; which again means, we don't and can't have it, and He can't give it to us) is omnipotence (ALL powerful). But wait, didn't I just say God couldn't do something? How can He be all-powerful and yet powerless to do something? I won't address that here. Go read a good theology book to explain that. But, yes, there are things God can't do, AND He is omnipotent.

As I'm reading and preparing to study Chinese philosophy, I thought I'd throw in a bit from Master Kong, to see how it compared with my thinking:

Book IV, 5 (D.C. Lau trans.)
The Master said, 'Wealth and high station are what men desire but unless I got them in the right way I would not remain in them. Poverty and low station are what men dislike, but...if I [got] them in the right way I would not try to escape from them.'

'If the gentleman forsakes benevolence, in what way can he make a name for himself? The gentleman never deserts benevolence, not even for as long as it takes to eat a meal. If he hurries and stumbles one may be sure that it is in benevolence that he does so.'

(Arthur Waley trans.)
Wealth and rank are what every man desires; but if they can only be retained to the detriment of the Way he professes, he must relinquish them. Poverty and obscurity are what every man detests; but if they can only be avoided to the detriment of the Way he professes, he must accept them. The gentleman who ever parts company with Goodness does not fulfill that name. Never for a moment does a gentleman quit the way of Goodness. He is never so harried but that he cleaves to this; never so tottering but that he cleaves to his.

(Sun Zhizhai trans.)
The Master said, "Riches and honours are what men desire. If it cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held. Poverty and meanness are what men dislike. If it cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be avoided. If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfill the requirements of that name? The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste he cleaves to it, in seasons of danger he cleaves to it.

So it seems, according to Confucius, that neither are good or bad, but what is important is the character of the person. Do they follow the Way? Do they act in accordance with Goodness (or Benevolence; a particular Chinese word that has a number of connotations. Sometimes translated Compassion, or Human-heartedness)? One need not pursue wealth or poverty. What is important is pursuing a cultivation of your soul that leads to goodness.

And things brings us back around to Psalm 73.

Asaph recounts for us his struggle with his encounter with wealth. He nearly stumbles and falls when he sees the prosperity of the wicked. They seem to drift peacefully along, without any trouble or worry. They become proud, and even violent. They boast and set themselves against God. Asaph is troubled by this. Why do they seem to receive all the blessing if they oppose God? Is it really worth following God if all I have is misery and poverty? His question is, IS IT WORTH IT?

As he continues his story, he cannot find an answer until he enters the sanctuary of God. Only when he enters God's presence, when he encounters the omnipotent, omniscient God, does he know the truth.

The powerful, the wealthy, will not last. They have laid traps for their own feet, they stand on a slippery slope, and will one day fall to ruin. How could I have been so foolish?, says Asaph. God is my portion, there is nothing on earth that satisfies me like you do.

So Asaph asks me, and you, what do you take refuge in? Do you look to your education, bank account and stock profile, technology that puts everything at your fingertips...your power? Or do you look to God? One of the advantages that those who have nothing (of this world) to rely on, is that they have nothing else to rely on. And God supports them in their emptiness. He fills them, He cultivates their souls. That doesn't mean they don't sometimes look to those things they don't have, wishing they had them. Like Asaph says, he envied the arrogant when he saw their prosperity.

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

When our soul has been cultivated by an encounter with God, the natural response is worship. ...that I may tell of all your works.

Middling of the Week

Wednesday here.

This is what's in store for Jesse today:
Bike to class
Four periods of Chinese
Bike home
Lunch with his beautiful wife
Get in the Word this afternoon (we slept in, so it probably won't happen before I leave)
Type out a chapter summary from Intro. to Chinese Philosophy (I think he's on chapter 3)
Look through web pages regarding broken computers. His went down earlier this week, probably a graphics card problem.
Practice more characters.

Peace out,

Wednesday

For Tuesday

Couple of thoughts this morning from J.I. Packer's book, Knowing God (I have the old British edition. And I like it).

p. 13 - "No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God..." (quoted from Spurgeon; I need to read more of him)

p. 18 - How are we to do this? How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is demanding, but simple. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.

p. 21 - A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about Him.

Do you know Him? Or do you know about Him? If I'm honest with myself, I fall into the 'about' category.

For today:
Six periods of Chinese (HSK, the Chinese language exam; Comprehensive; and Reading)
Read, Prepare for, and Lead final study on Cross-Cultural Communication
That's about it. Possibly in the afternoon run through a few more characters (the 500+ for Friday's Comprehensive exam)

Noah's Ark Recently Discovered....Again

I'm not even sure how to begin this post, but I have to get it off my chest.

Apparently Noah's Ark has been discovered yet again, this time by a joint team of Turkish and Chinese (Hong Kong) evangelical Christians. This article from the Catholic News Agency makes an attempt at sounding convincing. The Christian Science Monitor offers a critical article on the 'discovery', as well as many others, like this one, this one and this one also by the Catholic News Agency.

Here's a little historical run-down of past Ark discovery-hoaxes, from wikipedia:
- 1917-1918?, Nicholas II of Russia, the dates are fuzzy and that is not the only issue with this story
- April 1, 1933; if the date doesn't give this one away you probably need to go back to school. Clearly false, the German paper that first printed the story retracted it as an April Fools joke, but the fire had already spread to neighboring countries and languages, being reprinted in Russia, (and to our embarrassment) duping two American Ark-hunters into spending four months investigating the claim.
- 1943; Ed Davis, while stationed in Iran during WWII claimed to have climbed Mt. Ararat with his driver's family and was able to see the ark, but not able to get near it. For what it's worth, several paintings were made that seem to corroborate evidence from the 1970 entry below...
- 1955; a French explorer, Fernand Navarra claimed to have found a beam from the fabled boat. Later his guide claimed the Frenchman bought the beam in a village nearby and carried it up the mountain.
- 1970; Armenian Georgie Hagopian claimed to have visited the ark twice between 1902 and 1910 (dates vary depending on source). However, details conflict with other evidence, including the apparent ease with which he reached the ark when compared with other expeditions that have claimed to have found it.
- 1977; a documentary aired on a number of television stations claiming that the ark had been found. The documentary was based on a book. That's all.
- 1993; CBS aired a special in which George Jammal recounted a dramatic story of discovery, including the loss of his Polish friend Vladimir. He even produced some 'sacred wood' from the lost boat. Later it came out a hoax. Jamal was an actor and the sacred wood was a piece of railroad tie from Long Beach, CA, and hardened by cooking in various sauces like Soy.
- 2007; this, the most recent of claims, seems to carry about the same amount of weight as the previous claims. I hope it's not too noticed by media, my friends, believers and non-believers. Also fraught with complications and contradictory claims, it's not worth your time, prayers or a thought.

What is all the hype about anyway? So what if they find the boat? Does that change anything? Let's run it through three scenarios.

SCENARIO 1 - Someone ACTUALLY finds the boat. AND they can really verify with strong plausibility and probability that it really is THE boat (perhaps Noah's youngest son scratched his name on the bathroom stall wall). So what? For Christians, our hope is not in finding a boat. If you already believed that Noah was real, more power to ya, you were right. Now you can waive that banner around for the rest of your life and annoy everyone around you. Did finding the boat actually change anything?

For non-Christians, you tell all your friends that the boat was discovered and now they should put their trust in Jesus and become a Christian too, because Noah was 'really real'. And just maybe your non-Christian friend is even willing to concede the point. Noah was real. Have they been turned to joyfully worship the living God? No. As one pastor has said it, "God is not interested in our begrudging submission, but our joyful obedience!" They may admit that Noah was an historical reality, but that doesn't turn their hearts towards God. At best you add a whole bunch more non-Christians to the church who think they are Christians because a boat was discovered and NOW they believe the Bible. Does believing that Noah was real make you a Christian? This is the fallacy of 'evidence'. Josh McDowell, bless his heart, did a great injustice in titling his books Evidence that Demands a Verdict, and the later book More Evidence... Honestly, you can read that stuff and sneer. I've talked with many people who need "just a little more evidence", or even the bold claim, "if God came down and told me to my face, then I would believe." Piles of evidence does not a Christian make.

SCENARIO 2 - Just another hoax. If you're out there waiving this new discovery in your friends' faces claiming that Noah was real and it soon comes out that someone was bought off, several people lied about it, some wood was carried up a mountain and it made headlines before the true story could be known, you look like a fool and it will only add more fuel to the fire for people who say, "see, Christians are just gullible. They'll believe anything."

SCENARIO 3 - It seems believable, and your non-Christian friend hears the news and thinks, "wow, if Noah's ark is real then maybe everything else in the Bible is real too," and decides to 'become a Christian.' Six months pass and the discovery is shown to be a hoax just like all the others. Now how about your friend's faith. What was it in? In Jesus' perfect life, finished work on the cross, empty tomb, and ascension into heaven? Or on a piece of 1500 year old wood dragged up a mountain and made to look like a old boat? (note for the unobservant: Noah did not float his boat 1500 years ago; that would be Augustine, and to my knowledge, he did not build a boat)


What does it really mean to be a Christian?

This is Gospel 101, 201, 301, 401, grad school, PhD, post-doc and later research. It never gets old. There are lots of people searching for this or that answer to the one question on their mind, that if they can find the positive answer to it they'll believe. They look to all these 'discoveries' in order to really know that what they believe is true and everyone else is wrong. The Bible tells us we have one place to look.

Hebrews 12:2 - ...looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...

There's no where else to go. And from whence comes this faith?

2 Corinthians 4:6 - For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

and in Ephesians 2 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved...For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Paul says we have ONE message, and ONE Savior. His name is Jesus, and that is what we preach.

1 Corinthians 1:23 - ...but we preach Christ crucified...


Let's divest ourselves of this nonsense about boats, shrouds, weeping statues of virgin mary, mantra-like prayers, and anything else the 'wisdom' of man can come up with. Maybe the boat is there. Maybe not. It doesn't change a thing.

- - -

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 - He (≈God; from the previous sentence) is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

- - -

Happy Monday!

What a great way to start the week!

Em and I called my mom last night and her mom this morning for Mother's Day. Yay for technology!

And this morning we also had a special call with our friends Kira, Laura, and Todd. Yay! \/ (that's my victory sign....)

Here's the outline of the day:

- Ride my new bike to class this morning and prepare for a tingxie (Chinese for dictation quiz; the teacher reads off words and we have to write the characters, and sometimes sentences)
- Chinese from 10-12ish
- Lunch
- Study Chinese for a couple hours
- Bike home
- Read for the Cross-cultural Servanthood study we're doing with other foreigners in our complex. It's our last week, and it's been really great. We've been reading a book by Duane Elmer, called Cross-Cultural Servanthood. SO challenging! I plan on blogging about it in the future, so stay tuned.
- Dinner
- At 7:30 tonight our friend Wendy is coming over to tutor us for an hour in Chinese.
- Early bed!!! Full day on Tuesday!

Psalm 71:8
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother's womb;
My praise is continually of you.

Before you even left your mother's womb you needed Him. Walk in the knowledge that today you are in need of God. And praise Him because He cares for you.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Forgot to write this morning. But I had a chance to catch up with my bro, and that always rocks!

Here's what Em and I did together:
We were in the bike market so we rode a bus up to my school where I knew of a couple bike shops. Looked around but didn't find anything that really looked like what we wanted. Hopped another bus for an hour to exchange the charger for our scooter (which, by the way, we bought last Sunday; more on that another time). Then bused again to my old school, Wuhan University, to look at more bikes (we are hoping that it will help me work on this little 'jelly roll' that has formed at about my belly-button, and stretches all the way around to the back....).

We found what we were looking for and purchased a couple of nice little two-wheelers. We rode them home and met our friends, Louis and Wendy, for dinner. They're a fun Malaysian-Chinese couple, about 5-10 years older than us who have 'taken us under their wings'. We went out to this Buddhist restaurant to eat a different kind of vegetarian than you're probably thinking of. Here they use doufu (toufu) to make just about everything you'd see on a regular Chinese menu, replacing the meats with doufu made to look like whatever particular meat it's supposed to be. Kinda fun. It was a great night. We learned a lot of new things, had time to practice our Chinese, and enjoy good fellowship. Wendy is also going to tutor us on Monday nights from now on! Hopefully it'll make a difference!

That's been our Sunday. Peace out.

Saturday, the Eighth

Eight is a lucky number in China, and they take it very seriously. Its origins are rooted in the Chinese language where homonyms and (to Western eyes) random connections in language are either auspicious or ominous. The Chinese word for Wealth is Fa, and eight is pronounced Ba. It's a slight connection, but significant.

If you remember the Beijing Olympics started on August (the 8th month) 8, 2008, and as close to 8:08.08pm Beijing time as they could get it. A national, even global, event scheduled around the number 8.

Here are several other examples I pulled from Wikipedia:
* A telephone number with all digits being eights was sold for US$270,723 in Chengdu, China.
* A man in Hangzhou offered to sell his license plate reading A88888 for RMB 1.12 million (roughly USD$164,000).
* The value of eight could also be linked with Buddhism and the meaning of the Lotus flower (which has eight petals)
* As part of grand opening promotions, a Commerce Bank branch in New York's Chinatown raffled off safety deposit #888 (apparently it carries beyond the borders of the political entity).

We recently moved apartments to the 8th floor of the 8th building in our complex. We were originally on the 4th floor (a Chinese homonym for death-not a popular floor in China). We just might be more 'lucky' now.

What does this auspicious day hold?

- Em and I are going to try and finish writing thank yous for our wedding. I know, we TOTALLY broke the rule for timing of writing thank yous. But we haven't forgotten you, and we are SO thankful!
- We had plans to buy bicycles today, but the rain has pushed that back.
- Chinese is ever on the list.
- Try to figure out how to get videos of my video camera and start video blogging (fun!)

Trying to keep it simple on a Saturday.

First Friday

Friday is a nice day to wake up. Especially today. The sun is shining bright, we got to sleep in because my first class is canceled this morning and I have a scooter that can transport me 3x faster than the bus. And tomorrow is Saturday. Good reasons for praise. And I'm healthy, and my wife is healthy.

Ps 68:1-3

To the Choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;
and those who hate him shall flee before him!
2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
as wax melts before fire,
so the wicked shall perish before God!
3 But the righteous shall be glad;
they shall exult before God;
they shall be jubilant with joy!

Who are the righteous and who are the wicked? Is there anyone who can truly say, "I am righteous"? This is a Psalm of David. If you look through his life as recorded in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, do you see a righteous man? If you compared your own life to his, how would you rank? We all like to compare ourselves to those who look worse than us (Although David made it in the Bible, you may find that your life stacks up pretty well against his; have you ever slept with another man's wife and then killed him to cover it up?), and by that measure we call ourselves 'good'. But when compared to God's requirements we know we fall short. We don't need Romans 3:23 to tell us that we have sinned. We know it whether we admit it or not.

Now, following that, if we are among the wicked then all we wait for is to be scattered, to flee before God, to perish before Him, to melt like wax and be driven away like smoke.

Psalm 68 offers a glorious encouragement. Look at verse 18.

18 You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

This verse is referenced in Ephesians, to remind us that this gift is the gift of grace. And if you're wondering what that gift of grace is, according to the measure of Christ's gift, read Ephesians 1-2; an awesome, awesome passage saturated with an understanding that we were dead, but God made us alive by his grace.

So, now we do not stand before this righteous Judge of Psalm 68 in fear and trembling, waiting for our judgment. We come before Him with gladness, we exult before God, and we are jubilant with JOY!

Are you joyful this morning, because of what God has done through Jesus Christ? Does the Gospel move your heart to respond with praise and worship of Jesus?

Amen.

Today:
- Speaking and Comprehensive Chinese. In Comp today I have a tingxie, which, literally translated, means Hear-Write. The teacher reads to us a list of words, and then several sentences and we have to write the characters from memory.
- Scoot back home and probably do a little studying, or perhaps pick up the Cross-cultural study book to prepare for the last lesson next Tuesday.
- Followed by DATE NIGHT with my wife! Oh Yeah! If it's not raining (and it looks like it will be clear all day) we're gonna go on a scooter date, perhaps to South Lake.

Peace, and JOY!

Day Two part two

Well, I didn't make it to WuDa; or rather I didn't attend class. My scooter ran out of juice about 15 minutes into the ride, so I turned around and barely crawled home. Hopped a bus and made it to class late. I was too embarrassed to bust in late since I'm technically not even a student there, the prof just said I could sit in, so I didn't go in. Instead I visited a large bookstore and bought a book for future Chinese study.

Pretty much the whole morning I was bumming about my Chinese. Bumming pretty hard core too. I feel like it should be better than it is. Like maybe I made the wrong choice in this pursuit; I'm running my family into the ground and we'll be in the poor house or living off my parents because I blew all our money on a language I couldn't learn. I'm very anxious to be at a strong communicating level, but getting there just takes time and lots of practice, and I want to be there NOW.

But my wife is very encouraging. She made lunch, we enjoyed a few loving glances. And this afternoon I cranked away at a ppt my comprehensive Chinese teacher made for review to prepare us for the midterm we have in nine days. Then I started working through characters from the last 10 chapters. There's a lot to know. 541 words to be exact. And that doesn't count the grammar details. By the middle of the afternoon I wasn't bumming so hard. In fact, I even enjoyed it a little bit.

We ate at one of the two restaurants that don't require a 30 minute journey to eat at. Came back home and studied a little more, exercised for the first time since early March. I caught a cold, and then five or six weeks later caught another one (I think I never really got over the first one). So, now nearly recovered, still coughing and hacking a little more, we hit the gym.

This evening Em and I watched an interview Mark Driscoll did with R.C. Sproul. I recommend it. Here's the link.

I didn't accomplish all I had set out to do for the day. The scooter threw me off and my bumming around wasn't productive. May tomorrow be better. "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal..."

And now, to bed.

Day Two

Hey hey! I made it! It's day two and I'm back!

Read Ps 67 this morning. Let the nations be glad!
Yesterday's Ps was pretty heavy. It starts with loud praise for what God has done, and moves on to this:

10 For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 you let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a places of abundance.

And then it moves on to more praise and worship. Odd, isn't it, that God would allow or even bring upon us, the afflictions mentioned? The one that even made me laugh because it seems so bizarre - "you let men ride over our heads". God is the one who bring us into the net, and lays a crushing burden on our backs. This doesn't seem like the God of the Sunday morning church song. I'd love to hear a refrain that goes something like:

Ensnared like a foolish fowl
Crushed, burdened and broken
O God, you make my soul howl

It seems to me like God is asking us the same question He asked Abraham. Who is really your God? Me? Or the son I gave to you? Your health? Your standard of living? Your car? Your vacation? Your ability to 'get things done'? Your freedom? Your cappuccino? Your husband or wife or kids? Your political position? Do you trust more in me, or do you trust more in the promise I gave you?

It sobers me and reminds me to look to Him and not at the circumstances around me, regardless of how rosy or bleak they look.

Here's the line up for the day:
- 'Scoot' to Wuda, study lecture notes for an hour or so before class starts
- Three periods of knock-your-teeth-in-difficult Intro to Chinese Philosophy (all in Chinese; I still understand only a few words here and there)
- Back home for lunch around 1:15
- Exercise for 45 minutes (first time since March...)
- Study Ch 1-10 (book 1) for Comprehensive Test next Friday; start with vocab., review grammar (2.5 hrs)
- Eat dinner with my wife
- Start spreadsheet of 'Academic Words' vocab list for study
- Read two chapters of Cross-cultural comm book for study next Tuesday
- Sleep at a decent hour (around 9:30)

That's my day!

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us
Selah
that his way may be known on earth,
his saving power among all nations.

And let them be glad!

Now the Forth (I know, today is the Fifth...)

This is, I believe, now the FOURTH blog I have started. I don't think I've made it past two posts on the previous blogs. I guess that reflects somewhat my attitude towards blogs...not usually worth the time to read. And this one may be no different. But, instead of trying to be interesting I'm going to use it more as a way to keep a rhythm to my life. I have lately felt that it is a little 'out of control', not that things are going crazy, I'm $500,000 in the hole, my dog ran away (with the old pick up), and some guy in a cowboy hat is now writing songs about me. Far from it. In some ways I think I live a dream life. I live in an exotic country (for those NOT from this country) that happens to be in American headlines pretty much daily now. It's influence is growing so rapidly, and causing enormous growing pains here. There's so much to write about. My wife and I have ample income and live in a nice apartment (when a window is not leaking or mold encroaching). Speaking of, my wife is a gem. She's working so that I can study Chinese (it was even her idea!). And she does a great job at work, and at home. And I praise her Maker, she's gorgeous! Anyway, I could go on, but that's now what I"m talking about now.

"Out of control" in this context means "not the way I think it should be going". I have a sense for what I should be doing, and I feel like I'm not always hitting the mark right on, or even the target. We came here so that I could study Chinese and we have gradually see 'doors' open that have led us to a much longer vision of the future (perhaps more on that later). But I don't feel like I'm taking the right steps to move along the path that goes through those doors. And the worst part is, to a great degree it has been my own choices that have led in the current direction. I feel like my Chinese should be better than it is. My wife is very encouraging, but the feeling still lingers. We are involved in a few things (none of which are bad in themselves; some incredibly wonderful!) that don't go through the doors we've seen opened, and they draw energy and time from the path that leads through the open doors.

All this to say, we are working on some changes. I'll talk about those later. For now, the purpose of this blog is for me to establish some rhythm, writing daily about the things I'm doing and will be doing, and to establish a place I can make some of this 'public' (not that I think many people will be reading it). Kind of like external pressure. And it'll provide a place for me to record the ups and downs, look back through this progression of life, perhaps note repetitive problems and helpful thoughts.

Who knows, maybe this will be the first...and last post of this (fourth) blog. But just maybe I'll 'see' you tomorrow.