Wednesday, March 14, 2007
So much have happened in the last few weeks I hardly know what to begin with. Seeing as a good lot of you have been complaining to me, that I hardly update this blog. I feel a tiny tinge and twinge of guilty for not having informed you of my comings and goings. This however should not be mistaken for a conscience (as you know I have none) or should it be inferred that one such conscience is developing.
Firstly the current passion of my heart is to be an effective witness. Needless to say I am in many ways unworthy and incapable of bearing this burden. And a huge burden it is. It borders on insanity to try and be both a beacon of light and hope to all mankind (bear with my over-inflated view of myself this evening) and a good student. I still believe that the best methods of evangelism are presence and personal. Neither of which are seem evident in my life. It is hard to resist conforming to a culture that espouses the hedonistic lifestyle, pointless and profane as it is.
I feel a need to impose moral standards on a generation (a generalization… … Hee hee couldn’t resist) that lives by “my rules”. So much bad philosophy around but to correct it only invites confrontation.
Still with me?
Good?
Press on… We’re nearly at the point.
No point trying to correct them or challenge their view when I myself struggle with the many things that I seek to correct. I certainly am not about to turn hypocritical just to seem holier than thou or make a Christian stand I must cannot be apart of.
So here’s what sparked off this.
There was an evangelistic event and I brought in a few friends. Anyone close to me will know that it is a vast improvement compared to the way i used to operate in these events. Anyhow I brought two friends for the event, a professing (note the coy use of words) Christian as well as an unbeliever. Instead of just spending the entire service worried about my friends and how they’d take the message I shifted my focus to placing myself in their position. How would the message have spoken to me as an unbeliever? I came to realize very quickly that a lot of the things that were done were very much like how it’s done back in Sg, and ( in my opinion) equally ineffective.
Namely they had a person come up on stage, and they interviewed (something we tend to do in Sg as well) her about how Christ had come to change her life. Which is well and good but I was thinking if I was a nervous, skeptical and defensive (who wouldn’t be if someone was trying to change your perspectives in life?) unbeliever how on earth would this convince or convict me? I have never met this person in my life, as such I would have no reason to trust what she says, more so in an environment of the church service where I would guessed by now that the purpose of me being there was for them to ‘convert me’. With that suspicion in mind I no doubt would have clammed up gone into ‘smile and nod appreciatively’ mode.
Further, the sermon was basically the four spiritual laws in a 1hr format. I don’t mind the four spiritual laws format but I again doubt if presenting them to me will do any good as a ‘non-believer’ that is. Sigh.
But wait there’s more.
The worst part of the service was at the end (my friends had mysteriously excused themselves to toilet… the one back at the college it would seem) when they were asking if people wanted to come to the front for prayer and to accept the Lord. My heart sank when I heard the emcee say (and I quote) “I know some of you might have a lot of questions but believing in Jesus requires faith!” (and now I unquote) or something to that effect.
Interesting to note that in the new testament the word faith is always translated from the greek pi'stis from which we get the word pi’to (or is it peto?) or to be persuaded. I think that there is a serious intellectual gap between what we believe and how we believe in what we believe. I think questions should be answered for those who have them. Any other alternative (you have to have faith! Or… … When you become a Christian then you’ll know the answer, it’s hard for me to explain now) answer would be a disservice to anyone genuine in their pursuit for the truth.
Of course I really should miss the message for the messenger right? Then again isn’t the messenger is the message.
But that’s enough of the church bashing for today.
(And now to take the bite off what I just said)
I like the vision of the church and the way they have been so faithful to it.
Lord help me to be humble because I am plenty flawed and I need just as much (if not more) correction.
Right then on to the next bit.
My love life or rather the lack there of (oh come on I know you lot want the juicy gossip bit).
Being introduced into a totally new environment I’ve had my chance to look for a prospective. I’m sorry if I’m taking a methodical approach to this, but I believe that love is as much a matter of the will as it is a flutter of the heart. Thus far the consensus from the opposite gender is that I’m a GREAT GUY… friend. Which is kinda like getting a call saying: CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU!!! HAVE!!! WON! ONE!! MILLION!!! Rupees…
Anyone one who has been through my BGR tirade knows that I’m against dating and for courtship. Also there’s a formula involved. Also there are numerous versions of that formula. Also for some mysterious reason people who have passed the formula aren’t available any longer. Sigh.
I've since entered just one person, who has since failed quite badly, not that she's bent on world domination or that she's going to be the next hitler or bush but just that she doesn't have what i'm looking for. Which just goes to show you really shouldn't just blindly follow the flutter of the heart. Sigh or so i hope...
I am tempted to leave it to serendipity. But we all know how well that has turned out over the last 5 yrs…
But I take comfort that matthew is still single. So long as he isn’t married I still have time. Wait… NOO!! I didn’t … ARGH! Pretend that didn’t happen. Delete! Delete!
Oh grow up! You know what I meant.
Anyway I prayed about it. I’ve examined myself for the things in my life that might hinder a relationship and I’ve decided to recommit some areas to the Lord and believe that if I really consider Him to be my jireh He will place those people in my life. Meanwhile I resolve to sharpen the iron (again grow up..) just learn to be a GREATer GUY friend.
That is all
Jon.P™
Jonathan’s Gem for today: “It’s not about solving the problem, it’s about defining the problem.”
P.S Melmelmelmelmel i still want to know what happend?.. email me
Firstly the current passion of my heart is to be an effective witness. Needless to say I am in many ways unworthy and incapable of bearing this burden. And a huge burden it is. It borders on insanity to try and be both a beacon of light and hope to all mankind (bear with my over-inflated view of myself this evening) and a good student. I still believe that the best methods of evangelism are presence and personal. Neither of which are seem evident in my life. It is hard to resist conforming to a culture that espouses the hedonistic lifestyle, pointless and profane as it is.
I feel a need to impose moral standards on a generation (a generalization… … Hee hee couldn’t resist) that lives by “my rules”. So much bad philosophy around but to correct it only invites confrontation.
Still with me?
Good?
Press on… We’re nearly at the point.
No point trying to correct them or challenge their view when I myself struggle with the many things that I seek to correct. I certainly am not about to turn hypocritical just to seem holier than thou or make a Christian stand I must cannot be apart of.
So here’s what sparked off this.
There was an evangelistic event and I brought in a few friends. Anyone close to me will know that it is a vast improvement compared to the way i used to operate in these events. Anyhow I brought two friends for the event, a professing (note the coy use of words) Christian as well as an unbeliever. Instead of just spending the entire service worried about my friends and how they’d take the message I shifted my focus to placing myself in their position. How would the message have spoken to me as an unbeliever? I came to realize very quickly that a lot of the things that were done were very much like how it’s done back in Sg, and ( in my opinion) equally ineffective.
Namely they had a person come up on stage, and they interviewed (something we tend to do in Sg as well) her about how Christ had come to change her life. Which is well and good but I was thinking if I was a nervous, skeptical and defensive (who wouldn’t be if someone was trying to change your perspectives in life?) unbeliever how on earth would this convince or convict me? I have never met this person in my life, as such I would have no reason to trust what she says, more so in an environment of the church service where I would guessed by now that the purpose of me being there was for them to ‘convert me’. With that suspicion in mind I no doubt would have clammed up gone into ‘smile and nod appreciatively’ mode.
Further, the sermon was basically the four spiritual laws in a 1hr format. I don’t mind the four spiritual laws format but I again doubt if presenting them to me will do any good as a ‘non-believer’ that is. Sigh.
But wait there’s more.
The worst part of the service was at the end (my friends had mysteriously excused themselves to toilet… the one back at the college it would seem) when they were asking if people wanted to come to the front for prayer and to accept the Lord. My heart sank when I heard the emcee say (and I quote) “I know some of you might have a lot of questions but believing in Jesus requires faith!” (and now I unquote) or something to that effect.
Interesting to note that in the new testament the word faith is always translated from the greek pi'stis from which we get the word pi’to (or is it peto?) or to be persuaded. I think that there is a serious intellectual gap between what we believe and how we believe in what we believe. I think questions should be answered for those who have them. Any other alternative (you have to have faith! Or… … When you become a Christian then you’ll know the answer, it’s hard for me to explain now) answer would be a disservice to anyone genuine in their pursuit for the truth.
Of course I really should miss the message for the messenger right? Then again isn’t the messenger is the message.
But that’s enough of the church bashing for today.
(And now to take the bite off what I just said)
I like the vision of the church and the way they have been so faithful to it.
Lord help me to be humble because I am plenty flawed and I need just as much (if not more) correction.
Right then on to the next bit.
My love life or rather the lack there of (oh come on I know you lot want the juicy gossip bit).
Being introduced into a totally new environment I’ve had my chance to look for a prospective. I’m sorry if I’m taking a methodical approach to this, but I believe that love is as much a matter of the will as it is a flutter of the heart. Thus far the consensus from the opposite gender is that I’m a GREAT GUY… friend. Which is kinda like getting a call saying: CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU!!! HAVE!!! WON! ONE!! MILLION!!! Rupees…
Anyone one who has been through my BGR tirade knows that I’m against dating and for courtship. Also there’s a formula involved. Also there are numerous versions of that formula. Also for some mysterious reason people who have passed the formula aren’t available any longer. Sigh.
I've since entered just one person, who has since failed quite badly, not that she's bent on world domination or that she's going to be the next hitler or bush but just that she doesn't have what i'm looking for. Which just goes to show you really shouldn't just blindly follow the flutter of the heart. Sigh or so i hope...
I am tempted to leave it to serendipity. But we all know how well that has turned out over the last 5 yrs…
But I take comfort that matthew is still single. So long as he isn’t married I still have time. Wait… NOO!! I didn’t … ARGH! Pretend that didn’t happen. Delete! Delete!
Oh grow up! You know what I meant.
Anyway I prayed about it. I’ve examined myself for the things in my life that might hinder a relationship and I’ve decided to recommit some areas to the Lord and believe that if I really consider Him to be my jireh He will place those people in my life. Meanwhile I resolve to sharpen the iron (again grow up..) just learn to be a GREATer GUY friend.
That is all
Jon.P™
Jonathan’s Gem for today: “It’s not about solving the problem, it’s about defining the problem.”
P.S Melmelmelmelmel i still want to know what happend?.. email me
