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Thursday, September 23, 2004
"my thoughts are with you" agree with all of you. It comes across as so insensitive and cheap. But, what do you say? How do you let someone that you care about but aren't directly involved in their pain know that you really sympathise, maybe even empathise with? I hear you? It sucks? Let me know if you need anything? What can I do to ease your pain? I came home from a funeral this weekend that was three states away barely knowing the deceased - but he and his wife were extremely close to my parents. I honestly found myself just keeping my mouth shut. It was awkward. The only think I knew how to do was either make the grieving laugh or stay the heck away. And Jay - I genuinely am sorry to hear of your loss. Genuinely. (but I hesitate to say that because words fail in these situations.) (hugs can be good too) What do YOU think?? Thursday, September 16, 2004
What do YOU think?? Sunday, September 05, 2004
What do YOU think?? Thursday, July 22, 2004
God, you are so good. Do I tell you that enough? (Don't answer that) And even when my earthly situations grow undesirable ... even When the darkness closes in Lord ... Still, I will say ... Blessed be the name of the Lord What do YOU think?? Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Discovery camp owned. More on that in a separate post. This was me and what I strived to do 2 years ago. There’s something about the way you use the bible, something about the way you use it as a tool, as a weapon, as a fulcrum, as a means, as an end, as a trump card. There’s something about the way you see the bible as a thing to be used at all. There’s something about your intensity and your urgency and the way you have your eyes locked on some distant prize. There’s something about the energy you are putting into this. It’s making you frantic and in a hurry. You will not be present in a sacred moment. You will not wait. You will not keep silence. You will not admit that you are weak. You will not let things unfold. You cannot abide, so you will not abide. You will not abide the journey. Arriving is all you want, and the bible is some kind of shortcut for you. You seem to be cutting corners and covering your tracks with memorized verses. You enter every room with a blast of pretty Jesus words and a lot of fast talking. Somehow you have come to think that the bible is like everything else in your life. You think it is something to master and something you can own. The more you know about the bible, the more power you hope to gain. The more verses you can quote, the closer to God you hope to be. The bible is your prop and your flag. You wave it around and make sure that it is seen. You highlight it and talk about it and make wild claims about its truth and fight over it and win with it and boast about how you believe every word of it. It is your way and your truth and your life Behold, your sacred battle cry: “The Word of the Lord is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." But that verse isn’t about the bible. It’s about Christ, whom you serve, and whose spirit you are called to carry in your heart. It is only He who is your way and your truth and your life. That old man that you brushed aside? The one you called a liberal and a wishy-washy Christian? He spent the last fifty years with his hands and his heart in the pages of that sacred book. He has wept over it and searched for truth in its stories. His unanswered questions have increased every year until finally he knows nothing at all but the love of God and neighbor. He knows something that you do not know. Those people around the table? The ones you spoke so harshly to that night when you came upon them sharing a meal and pleasant conversation at church? You told them it was a shame when Christians gathered only to eat and talk. You dropped your big black bible on the table with a thud for emphasis. They are some of God’s oldest and wisest servants. They have prayed down the walls of prejudice and broken the strongholds of anger and pain with the prayers of their hands and feet. Their meal was a prayer, though you couldn’t hear it. They know something that you do not know. These people know that the bible is not a self-help book full of easy answers, but a book of stories and wisdom that is meant to lead us into relationship and worship. There are hard and fast truths in it, yes, but they are surrounded by soft truths, and slippery truths, and sometimes truths, and truths that once were true but are no longer true, and truths that are only true if you are in the right state of mind, and truths that are only true if you are not hurting someone, and truths that are true in the moment but not if you are talking about the moment, and truths that can only be lived and should never be spoken, and truths that we cannot hear, and truths that are more than we can bear. The truths of the bible are utterly beyond anyone who seeks to own truth and who seeks truth above the Spirit of God. The bible is not a book for those who need a weapon. It is not a book for those who know where they are going and what questions they will ask. It is not a book for those who are in a hurry and looking for the shortest route. The bible is a book for pilgrims and wanderers. It is a book for children and for those who wish to become children again. It is a book for seekers and searchers and dreamers.It is a book for anyone and everyone who hopes that the desires of God might be written upon their hearts.© Copyright 2004 Preacher Posted by Craig Wen in his Xanga. What do YOU think?? Saturday, July 17, 2004
Three Little Words That Work !! (1)The three little words are: "Hold on, Please..." Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt. Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task. These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting. (2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end? This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone. This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home. What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Since doing this, my phone calls have decreased dramatically. THIS IS THE BEST ONE (3) Another Good Idea: When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away. When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope. Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them more than the regular 37 cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back. It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes. One of Andy Rooney's (60 minutes) ideas. Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back! If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them. You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! Eventually, the banks and credit card companies will begin getting their own junk back in the mail. Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they're paying for it...Twice! Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea ! If enough people follow these tips, it will work! What do YOU think?? Wednesday, June 16, 2004
What do YOU think?? Thursday, June 03, 2004
LET ME EXPLAIN THE problem science has with Jesus Christ." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. "You're a Christian, aren't you, son?" "Yes, sir." "So you believe in God?" "Absolutely." "Is God good?" "Sure! God's good." "Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?" "Yes." "Are you good or evil?" "The Bible says I'm evil." The professor grins knowingly. "Ahh! THE BIBLE!" He considers for a moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help them? Would you try?" "Yes sir, I would." "So you're good...!" "I wouldn't say that." "Why not say that? You would help a sick and maimed person if you could...in fact most of us would if we could....God doesn't." [No answer] "He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?" [No answer] The elderly man is sympathetic. "No, you can't, can you?" He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. "In philosophy, you have to go easy with the new ones. Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?" "Er... Yes." "Is Satan good?" "No." "Where does Satan come from?" The student falters. "From... God..." "That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?" The elderly man runs his bony fingers through his thinning hair and turns to the smirking student audience. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun this semester, ladies and gentlemen." He turns back to the Christian. "Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?" "Yes, sir." "Evil's everywhere, isn't it? Did God make everything?" "Yes." "Who created evil?" [No answer] "Is there sickness in this world? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness. All the terrible things - do they exist in this world? " The student squirms on his feet. "Yes." "Who created them?" [No answer] The professor suddenly shouts at his student, "WHO CREATED THEM? TELL ME, PLEASE!" The professor closes in for the kill and climbs into the Christian's face. In a still small voice, he asked, "God created all evil, didn't He, son?" [No answer] The student tries to hold the steady, experienced gaze and fails. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace the front of the classroom like an aging panther. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me," he continues, "How is it that this God is good if He created all evil throughout all time?" The professor swishes his arms around to encompass the wickedness of the world. "All the hatred, the brutality, all the pain, all the torture, all the death and ugliness and all the suffering created by this good God is all over the world, isn't it, young man?" [No answer] "Don't you see it all over the place? Huh?" Pause. "Don't you?" The professor leans into the student's face again and whispers, "Is God good?" [No answer] "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?" The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor. I do." The old man shakes his head sadly. "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?" "No, sir. I've never seen Him." "Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?" "No, sir. I have not." "Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus... in fact, do you have any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?" [No answer] "Answer me, please." "No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't." "You're AFRAID... you haven't?" "No, sir." "Yet you still believe in him?" "...yes..." "That takes FAITH!" The professor smiles sagely at the underling. "According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Where is your God now?" [The student doesn't answer] "Sit down, please." The first Christian sits...defeated. Another Christian raises his hand. "Professor, may I address the class?" The professor turns and smiles. "Ah, yet another Christian in the vanguard! Come, come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering." That's one situation I DON'T want to be caught in...which is why I've always wanted to be the second Christian...ready to logic and reason my way out. I wish that whoever reads this also really understand what you believe in. Don't just accept things at face value, or just because your pastor/minister/counselor told you that. Ask questions. Prod. It's really fun. The Christian looks around the room. "Some interesting points you are making, sir. Now I've got a question for you. Is there such thing as heat?" "Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat." "Is there such a thing as cold?" "Yes, son, there's cold too." "No, sir, there isn't." The professor's grin freezes. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The second Christian continues. "You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 273 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than -273°C. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it." Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the classroom. "Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?" "That's a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn't darkness? What are you getting at...?" "So you say there is such a thing as darkness?" "Yes..." "You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light... but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and give me a jar of it. Can you... give me a jar of darker darkness, professor?" Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young effrontery before him. This will indeed be a good semester. "Would you mind telling us what your point is, young man?" "Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must be in error...." The professor goes toxic. "Flawed...? How dare you...!" "Sir, may I explain what I mean?" The class is all ears. "Explain... ohhhhh, explain..." The professor makes an admirable effort to regain control. Suddenly he is affability himself. He waves his hand to silence the class, for the student to continue. "You are working on the premise of duality," the Christian explains. "That for example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it." The young man holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbor who has been reading it. "Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor. Is there such a thing as immorality?" "Of course there is, now look..." "Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?" The Christian pauses. "Isn't evil the absence of good?" The professor's face has turned an alarming color. He is so angry he is temporarily speechless. The Christian continues, "If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God, if He exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil. What is that work God is accomplishing? The Bible tells us it is to see if each one of us will, of our own free will, choose good over evil." The professor bridles. "As a philosophical scientist, I don't view this matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being part of the world equation because God is not observable." The Christian replies, "I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable phenomena going, Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?" "If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do." "Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?" The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth and gives his student a silent, stony stare. "Professor. Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?" "I'll overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical discussion. Now, have you quite finished?" the professor hisses. "So you don't accept God's moral code to do what is righteous?" "I believe in what is - that's science!" "Ahh! SCIENCE!" the student's face splits into a grin. "Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed..." "SCIENCE IS FLAWED..?" the professor splutters. The class is in uproar. The Christian remains standing until the commotion has subsided. "To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, may I give you an example of what I mean?" The professor wisely keeps silent. The Christian looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's mind?" The class breaks out into laughter. The Christian points towards his elderly, crumbling tutor. "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's mind... felt the professor's mind, touched or smelt the professor's mind? No one appears to have done so." The Christian shakes his head sadly. "It appears no one here has had any sensory perception of the professor's mind whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I DECLARE that the professor has no mind." The class is in chaos. The Christian sits What do YOU think?? Sunday, May 30, 2004
What do YOU think?? Wednesday, May 26, 2004
First: Alton Brown is cool. More phrases coming to a conversation near you (or just stuff I want to keep mental notes): communicating an intention step sequences fine tuners maximum results with minimum effort open the door tender but compelling direction before rotation What do YOU think?? Sunday, May 23, 2004
Coming to a conversation near you: Phrases and expressions such as: emotional attachment qualitative difference of events expectation of response candidate for future interaction everyday stimuli + response reinforcement behavioral observation inputs/stimuli that is satisfying/interesting take priority selective attention, feature extraction logic and emotional conclusions perceive reality accurately self actualization sense of discovery stimulation value What do YOU think?? Wednesday, April 21, 2004
End of Freshmen Year Reflections Survey This survey is designed for students ending their freshmen year. Each question is regarding the past year?s events only, so please don?t talk about your entire life. The survey is designed for your own personal benefit. There?s no pressure to answer every question, so choose accordingly if certain ones don?t apply. Put this in your xanga, copy it onto your website, write about it in your journal, create a mass email for your friends, or just answer it in your head. You can do whatever you want. And feel free to distribute this survey to your friends. Enjoy! 1) What is your most memorable moment (something positive)? I will remember Lindyfest. A chance to hang out with some older dancing folks (along with one other freshman). The environment was such a fun one, and even though there was some tension at times, it just gave me a greater understanding and connection of who they are. Nothing like the drive back to Austin. Freshman pj party comes a close second. It was a good time to grow closer as a class. Sacrificed orange and white, but it was clearly worth it 2) What is your most memorable moment (something negative)? 3) What expectations did you have coming into college, and how have those been met? 4) Name one male who greatly impacted your life (preferably somebody new) in a positive way, and describe why. 5) Name one male who greatly impacted your life (preferably somebody new) in a negative way, and describe why. 6) Name one female who greatly impacted your life (preferably somebody new) in a positive way, and describe why. 7) Name one female who greatly impacted your life (preferably somebody new) in a negative way, and describe why. 8) What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you? 9) What are some main things you feel God has been teaching you? 10) What is one important lesson you have learned? 11) How do you think you have changed physically? 12) How do you think you have changed spiritually? 13) How have your habits (eating, sleeping, studying, playing, etc.) changed? 14) What bad habits have you made? 15) What is one thing you regret doing? 16) What is one thing you regret NOT doing? 17) If you could change one thing about your freshmen year, what would it be? 18) If you could have stopped time momentarily at some time during the year, when would that have been and why? 19) If you could have fast forwarded through a short time during the year, when would that have been and why? 20) If you could have given yourself advice before the year began, what would you have told yourself to do? 21) If you could have given yourself advice before the year began, what would you have told yourself NOT to do? 22) What class, if any, has made a significant impact? 23) How often did you skip class? 24) Did you like your professors? 25) What professor, if any, has made a significant impact? 26) Academically, which do you think was more difficult, high school or college? 27) How have your thoughts/opinions changed (if at all) regarding religion? 28) How have your thoughts/opinions changed (if at all) regarding people around you? 29) How have your thoughts/opinions changed (if at all) regarding life in general? 30) Name a risk you have taken (if any), and discuss its outcome. 31) What is the greatest thing you have achieved? 32) Do you like your major? 33) What have you missed from home since you came to college? 34) What have you not missed from home since you came to college? 35) What is the coolest free thing you have obtained this year (i.e. t-shirts, cups, pens, etc.)? 36) In whose dorm room was it the coolest to hang out? 37) How did you like your living conditions? 38) What was the coolest thing in your room? 39) What organization did you enjoy the most? 40) What was the coolest outing that you went on (i.e. birthday parties, adventures, meals, dances)? 41) Which do you like better, Austin or your hometown? Why? 42) What was the most painful realization you made? 43) What was the most surprising revelation you had? 44) Who is the most interesting/fun person you have met? 45) Who is the most caring/compassionate person you have met? 46) Who is the most unique/creative person you have met? 47) Who/what about college will you miss the most during the summer? 48) What new information have you learned about girls? 49) What new information have you learned about guys? 50) What new information have you learned about yourself? 51) What was your happiest moment? 52) What was your saddest moment? 53) What was your most exciting moment? 54) What is your favorite conversation you have had this year? 55) On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate your classes? 56) On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate your dorm? 57) On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate your roommate? 58) On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate the food you ate? 59) On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate your freshmen year overall? 60) What trials have you been through this year? 61) What advice would you give to incoming freshmen? 62) Where do you see the next step in your faith being? 63) What is your favorite thing to wear in college? 64) What is your favorite TV show of freshman year? 65) How long did you go before skipping class became regular? 66) What were your favorite ?chill spots?? 67) What has been your favorite thing to eat? 68) What has been your LEAST favorite thing to eat? 69) What has been your favorite thing to drink? 70) What has been your LEAST favorite thing to drink? 71) What has been your favorite instant food? 72) How do you plan on making the most of the rest of your college life? 73) What was your average wake up/go to sleep time? 74) How long did you go without showering/doing laundry? 75) What were some weird roommate habits? 76) What were some weird habits you picked up yourself? 77) What were some things you gained an interest in? 78) What were some things you lost interest in? 79) Where do you see yourself at the end of next year? 80) Where do you see yourself at the end of college? 81) What kind of pranks did you pull? 82) What were some exciting adventures you went on? 83) Do you have any newly acquired skills? 84) What was your favorite school sponsored event? 85) How have/haven?t you matured? 86) What are some of the most significant current events of the past year that have impacted you? 87) What are some new phrases or words that you began using? 88) What is your favorite restaurant on campus? 89) Where is your favorite place to study? 90) What is the best movie you've seen all year? 91) What big changes took place in your life? 92) If you could pick one girl/guy to marry now, and one guy/girl to be your best man/maid of honor, who would you pick? 93) What is the best place in Austin to spend time with your potential girlfriend/boyfriend? 94) Who is the most inspirational person you've met? Why? 95) Who is the person you've met that is the most extreme/different from yourself? 96) What is the one thing you wish you could do before college is over? 97) What do you think the purpose of college is? 98) What is your dream job at this point in your life? 99) Name a song to describe your freshman year experience. 100) Choose a motto for your freshman year. I'll answer it little by little, or whenever I'm bored What do YOU think?? Tuesday, April 20, 2004
What do YOU think?? Hey, today I found out that my reading audience is actually 33% larger than what I had thought before. What do YOU think?? Monday, April 19, 2004
Jacked this from Sam. Growing up I feel like i am a totally different person. I feel as if i've passed into a new stage in life. What has changed? My priorities and my view on life has completely and totally evolved. Have I become an adult? I feel as if adolescence no longer applies to me. I think i have finally become a college student in the purely academic meaning of the word. To you, my life would seem boring, unfun, nerdy perhaps or even uneventful. A year ago, had i the ability to look into my own future, i would have been in total disgust. What have i become? I wake up, go to class, come back, search for jobs and plan my acadmeic career. I don't go out anymore, the sight and sounds of clubbing has become foreign to me and the worst part about the whole thing is that I'm perfectly content. All throughout highschool i felt a need to surround myself with close friends and strived to have a very social environment. My mindset was on having fun, my philosophy is that you have to enjoy life now and not waste all your time on education. Nerds were looked down upon, i tell myself that they are missing out on all this fun, and that the "cool" kids have lots of friends. Maybe in high school, this would be natural law; the way things should be and really are. In college, i think most students still want to live in that dellusion, to live in the fantasy that education comes second and we should all sieze the day and have fun now. I sure felt that way first semester, i felt like college was definied by frat parties, drinking, clubbing, and all out fun. Ofcourse my school work correlated very negatively with that train of thought. This semester, I unknowningly evolved or transformed, whichever word fits appropriately, into someone who doesn't care about attending the party that everyones going to or all the things that i am missing. The great thing about it is that i don't feel like i am sacrificing my youth to slave over books. I find a new sense of joy in pursuing a career, an education. Its as if i have tapped into the fountain of youth and can't wait until i drain every last ounce of that delicious satisfying liquid. I've found an alterative to the instantaneous and somewhat useless happiness brought upon by parties and social events. I found the joys of academia, the pure essence of learning for the sake of learning. I want to succeed in life, i want to achieve status, i want to look back and have that sense of accomplishment, i want so many things in life that will weigh so heavily on my mind when i grow old. I don't think my social life in college is going to be one of those daunting regrets i have when i become an old man. Temporary happiness brings immediate satisfaction to your soul but those long term goal orientated endeavors are the ones that will bring you euphoria and lifelong satisfaction. Whether or not you see things the way i do, or even agree with what i say, i think we should all become more ambitious in our lives. Ambition is a great virtue and it'll drive us to bring out our true potential. Think about your life now, think about your every day routine, think about what happens after the party, after those social events, in the end, will they fill the void in your life? Be ambitious. Wish I could turn my reality to match his reality. What do YOU think?? Thursday, April 15, 2004
personality tests by similarminds.com What do YOU think?? Monday, April 12, 2004
What do YOU think?? Saturday, April 10, 2004
Ask Before You Answer How to talk to skeptics, unbelievers, and mule-headed friends and family about God. By Randy Newman I like answering questions with questions. Maybe it's because I'm Jewish. I grew up with dialogues that went like this: Me: How's the weather down there? Granny Belle: How else could the weather be in Florida in the middle of July? As long as we are on the defensive, the questioners are not really wrestling with issues. They're just watching us squirm. Me: So, how have you been? Uncle Nat: Why do you ask? Me: How's your family? Aunt Vivian: Compared to whom? I'd like to think I answer questions with questions because I'm trying to follow the example of Jesus. Isn't it uncanny how often our Lord answered a question with a question? When a rich man asked Jesus, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responded, "Why do you call me good?" (Mark 10:17-18). When religious leaders asked him if it was right to pay taxes, he asked whose portrait was on the coin (Matt. 22:17-20). When the Pharisees were "looking for a reason to accuse him" and asked him "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Jesus' response was a question, "If any of you has a sheep, and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not lift it out?" (Matt. 12:9-12). But the most likely reason for my use of questions instead of answers is that I'm tired. After years of answering questions that non-believers posed to me, I'm simply tired of seeing that an answer is not really what they want. There have been times (far too many of them, I'm afraid) when I have answered a question with what I knew was a biblically accurate, logically sound answer, only to see the questioner shrug his shoulders. It was as if he now had more confirmation that Christians really are simpletons. Instead of my answer moving him closer to salvation, it pushed him further away. Rather than engaging his mind or urging him to consider an alternate perspective, my answer gave him ammunition for future attacks against the gospel. So, I've started answering questions with questions and have gotten far better results. Role reversal As a staff member for Campus Crusade for Christ in Washington, D.C., I've had many opportunities to practice what I'm preaching here. There was the time that a team of skeptics in a student's dorm room confronted me. It was at our weekly Bible study for freshmen guys. The host of the study, in whose room we were meeting, had been telling us for weeks of his roommate's antagonistic questions. This week, the roommate showed up—along with a handful of likeminded friends. The inevitable question arose, more as an attack than a sincere inquiry. "So, I suppose you think that people who don't agree with you, like all those sincere followers of other religions, are going to hell!" "Do you believe in hell?" I responded. My antagonist had probably never seriously considered the possibility of hell. He looked puzzled, perhaps because he was being challenged when he thought he was the one doing the challenging. Finally, after a long silence, he said, "No, I don't believe in hell. I think it's ridiculous." I chose to echo his word choice. "Then why are you asking me such a ridiculous question?" I wasn't trying to be a wise guy. I simply wanted him to honestly face up to the assumptions behind his own question. His expression seemed to indicate that I had a good point. Another questioner broke the silence: "Well, I do believe in hell. Do you think everyone who disagrees with you is going there?" Again I questioned. "Do you think anyone goes there? Is Hitler in hell?" (Hitler has turned out to be quite a helpful, even if unlikely, ally in these kinds of discussions.) "Of course Hitler's in hell." "How do you think God decides who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? Does he grade on a curve?" From there, the discussion became civil for the first time, and serious interaction about God's holiness, humanity's sinfulness, and Jesus' atoning work ensued. Answering with questions turned out to be an effective, albeit indirect, way to share the gospel. Another time questioning worked better than answering was a lunchtime conversation with a philosophy professor who was an atheist. He served as the faculty advisor for the campus philosophy club; I was a campus minister for Campus Crusade for Christ. We had cosponsored a debate about the problem of evil and were meeting to evaluate how the event had gone. After discussing how we could have publicized the event better and what topics we could address in future forums, I asked his opinion about the content of the debate. He told me he still thought Christians failed to present a decent answer for the problem of evil. So, I posed the question to him, "So, what is your explanation?" He paused and then said softly, "I don't have one." I asked him if there was an atheistic way to make sense of such things as the Nazis' slaughter of 6 million innocent people. Again, his answer was a nonanswer. I told him that the Christian answer to the problem of evil may have its shortcomings, but my incomplete answer was better than no answer at all. The rest of our lunchtime was a good, respectful conversation that moved us closer to each other and—I hope—moved him closer to seeing some of the flaws in his worldview. Good questions Answering a question with a question has some significant advantages over the use of direct answers. It brings to the surface the questioner's assumptions. It also takes the pressure off you, the one being asked, and puts the pressure on the one doing the asking. This is important because as long as we are on the defensive, the questioners are not really wrestling with issues. They're just watching us squirm. For example, the chief priests and the teachers of the law challenged Jesus with this inquiry: "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things. Who gave you this authority?" His response was a question: "Tell me, John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?" After a short retreat for time to maneuver, they told him they didn't know the answer. Jesus showed them that their insincere question deserved a nonanswer by declaring, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things" (Luke 20:1-8). In reality, the teachers' question was simply an attack posing as a question. Answering these attacks with questions not only takes the heat off us and deflects it to the other person, it also tones down hostility. People usually don't like such temperature changes and will adjust the thermostat accordingly. Answering a question with a question also paves the way for an answer that may not otherwise be received. Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well fits this pattern (John 4:1-26). The woman's notions of righteousness, sin, and worship needed to be challenged before she would accept Jesus' way of seeing those topics. Without his questions, it is doubtful if she ever would have gotten to the point of saving faith. To be sure, there are times when a direct answer is preferable, particularly when the questioner is sincere and would benefit from a clear, concise statement of what the Bible says. There were times when Jesus didn't beat around the bush. His direct answer to the teacher of the law who wanted to know which was the most important commandment is an example (Mark 12:28-31). Yet often we need to hold back our answer and initiate genuine dialogue with a question. When your coworker asks you—with an accusatory tone—why you still believe in God in light of all the people dying of AIDS, ask him how he explains such a horrible tragedy. When your neighbor asks you why you think Jesus is anything more than just a good moral teacher, ask him why he thinks Jesus was a good teacher. Has he read a lot of Jesus' teachings? What would he say was the main message Jesus taught? Our message is too important for it to continue to fall upon deaf ears. Our answers really are what people need to hear if we could just get them to listen. The apostle Peter was surely right in imploring us to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you" (1 Pet. 3:15). But we can follow Jesus' method of doing so by answering a question with a question. What do YOU think?? Tuesday, April 06, 2004
You know what else I like? One on one's. Just learned that no matter how much I think I have the absolute view of a situation, people inside my view can make my view even more clear. Today, a description that I never came up with was that I am extremely opinionated, but as much as I would like to talk, I have an equal if not greater desire to listen. What do YOU think?? Saturday, April 03, 2004
What do YOU think?? Sunday, March 28, 2004
What do YOU think?? Thursday, March 25, 2004
I don't think I've advertised my blog in my AIM profile for like... almost a year. 9 months, tops. But it's back, I'm wondering what kind of traffic comes through here. On a more depressing note, I'm being a very bad steward of my resources. What do YOU think?? Tuesday, March 09, 2004
this Jeff guy is really insightful. excerpts include: Why do you think girls go to the bathroom at the same time? “All girl bathrooms have a secret portal inside them that leads to a magical land where chocolate and peanut butter flow like milk and honey, and nobody ever gains any weight. Both girls go for the following reason: One has to tie a rope to the others foot when they enter the portal, so the portal will not close behind them, thus rendering them exiled in this magical land. When night falls, the chocolate turns into lava and the peanut butter into nugget. Obviously if they were stuck there, they would die, and all would not be so happy anymore. Once one is significantly stuffed with chocolate, the girls switch places. I know what you are thinking!!! Why do girls go to the bathroom together at night? Then they go in there and talk about boys. They also make sure that they don’t fall into the portal or the toilet. Sort of a buddy system thing. They also occasionally actually use the restroom. If they didn’t, they’d all explode when they turned fifty!” “Well, that’s pretty obvious; if you have ever hung out with girls for a long time you will probably notice you can never tell when they take dumps...but if its a guy then its pretty obvious because when they go to the restroom they are gone for like 10 minutes when normally it takes maybe a minute (most guys don't even wash hands, especially in a public restroom)...if a girl has to go "poop", then they get other girls to come with...so if it takes 10 minutes then it won't be obvious...so basically the other girl/girls are covering for them because it makes us think they are just talking about how cool we are and stuff...” What do YOU think?? "The representation of the general solution of a second order linear homogeneous differential equation as a linear combination of two solutions whose wronskian is not zero is intimately related to the concept of linear independence of two functions." *faints* What do YOU think?? What do YOU think?? Sullivan's Steakhouse. 'Nuff said. It's 2:00 a.m. and I have a diffeq quiz/test in 12 hours, but I feel very motivated to post this. *sigh* I saw the Passion on Saturday with my discipleship group. After viewing it, I didn't feel too much, but thought the impact would come later. It's 3 days later. Still nothing. Nothing?? How could this be? Jesus is supposed to be my very best friend, and I finally have a visual image of his suffereing for me, for you, for mankind, and yet I feel nothing? I know that every person is different in that certain things affect some more than others. But still, little tear-jerking, a little tug on the heart strings would have been nice to making me feel a little human. Instead, I feel more like a robotic calculator, in which i see things in 1's and 0's. Okay, so I did flinch when they were whipping him...but that's it. My expectations of the film was to come out of it teary-eyed crying, thinking, praying "I love God. I love Him, I love Him, I love Him". Instead, I come out critically, asking myself "what was the point of this movie?" All that visual stimulation (it was a lot, i acknowledge that) had no effect. Right after the movie, I had a 70% inclination to just go "okay, so where do you guys want to eat?" This goes against everything I ever thought my identity was. Something I have been trying to do is to discover what kind of person God created me to be, and I live it. I will live a life as close as God planned it to be, and I will be the man God created me to be, and nothing else. I thought I was emotional. I thought I had the gift of understanding one's situation, the quality of empathy. *sigh* I think I'll just leave this open ended, up in the air. On a lighter note, Spring break is coming. And with spring break is bundled Lindyfest. I bet it is going to be fun. ***edit*** I guess I'm just more complex than I thought I was. I don't feel like I'm sub-human, but I do feel weirded out that I'm not feeling what the "norm" felt. What do YOU think?? Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Ladies. All two or three of you. This is a little late, but please accept it. To: all the lady friends I know. From: Justin Lin February 24, 2004. Valentine's day is not only a celebration of romantic love... but also the love of God. here tonight, consider these actions the love of God expressed in brotherly love. brotherly love expressed through a token ... to you, all my friend girls... As a token of our appreciation and a token of our love, receive this as our gift to you... *imagine I gave you this* 
sincerety in brotherly love. What do YOU think?? Monday, February 23, 2004
What do YOU think?? Sunday, February 15, 2004
Ladies and ... Ladies, may I have your attention. You ladies rock. REally, you all do. Truly, you all do. You ladies rock. What inspired me to say such things? Friday night was a monumental night for me. (this is gonna get long) Coming into college, I had for a long time yearned for a fellowship composed of brothers and sisters in Christ. All through high school, the youth group wasn't quite there yet. Individually, we were all strong, deep-rooted Christians, and we knew it. We looked forward to church not for the people, but for spiritual training. But as I hit junior year, I realized that we (the guys) don't know enough about the girls, that we aren't really friends. Good acqaintences at best, but not friends. But since we were all geographically dispersed, the only way to become better friends was either on Sunday or Friday. The social ice the divided the guys and girls was thick, and it was almost too much for one person, or even a group of guys to break down. And since the Youth Director structured the youth program for training the youth (which is nothing wrong) ... the only interaction we had was in a spiritual setting, and not social. Guys hang out with guys, girls hang with girls, and it's hard to intermingle. Especially girls that are grouped up. Man, for one guy to approach a cluster of girls... that's intimidating. Anyways, we all graduate, "super-christians" so to speak, yet not really knowing who each other is. College arrives, I begin attending CBS, and everyone gets along. We may not know everyone else's names (there's 150 of us), all of us, guys and girls, are social, conversational, open to each other. I wanted CBS to provide something HCC never could. To me, CBS is going to be my fellowship of brothers, and sisters in Christ. Cross-gender relationships were going to be forged, they were going to be healthy, they were going to be right. Up until Friday, everything was working out as expected. I got to know a lot of the other ladies of CBS, all of them great people. I was friends with them, we hang out with each other, and as far as I can tell, I have no desire to date anyone one of them. There is no ulterior motive to my spending time with them, I don't see my behavior suddenly change when one of them shows up. To me, that is healthy. However, I was unsure if the rest of CBS interacted with the same mindset. Were they possibly behaving in such a way to set up possible future dates with each other? Were they leading each other on? It all changed Friday. A wonderful speaker addressed this very topic: relationships. A short summary: if you are single, appreciate this, for it is a gift from God. You can do so many things when you are single, there's more freedom. Granted, there are struggles to singleness, since your parents would keep asking you why you're not dating, or you're really really lonely, or even if the hormones are getting the best of you. And how do we deal with these struggles? THe speaker said to do a couple things. 1) Develop that relationship with God. It's worth it. It's a discipline that is hard to maintain, but such a worthwhile one. He will always be there, He will your friend, your guide. 2) Develop your character. We all have our flaws, we all know it, so go work on it. Your future significant other doesn't want to date a bum. 3) Don't be on the hunt, it just makes it harder for you. 4) Develop healthy relationships with the other gender. May these crossgender relationships be healthy, where you're not checking every single girl/guy out for possible future spouses. WHat usually is a hush-hush thing, the speaker boldly addressed. If CBS takes it to heart, I feel CBS has reached a higher level. Everyone would be on the same page, and things would be healthy, and hopefully God would be pleased. ANd what topped the night off was at the end. A 4-minute video clip of someone writing a letter. Elegant piano music in the background, everyone's eyes was tranfixed on the letter as it was being written by candlelight. And basically, this is what is said. "It says in the Bible to love on another. To engage in brotherly love. Whatever is good, our mind is to dwell on such things. To the ladies of CBS, please accept this token as an expression of our brother love for you. THe men of CBS" And with that, every single girl was given a flower. with 4-5 guys passing out flowers to each of the rows, everysingle girl got a freaking pretty flower. That was probably the single-most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Seriously, that will probably rank up there in most memorable moments of life. I was elated, fulll of that warm-fuzzy feeling. AWesome. Oh, and midnight rodeo was afterward. That rocked too. WE go in at 11, it is cold and rainy. at midngiht-1, the announcer says it's snowing. Snow. In Texas. On valentine's day. Crazy awesome. God is good. All the time. What do YOU think?? Saturday, February 07, 2004
What do YOU think?? What do YOU think?? Friday, February 06, 2004
humility. About time I truly learn that lesson. Good morning. diffe still sucks. along with physics. What do YOU think?? Thursday, February 05, 2004
It's 3:30 in the morning, I have homework, but I'm not tired. And what have I come here to say? God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good. Man...now I don't feel like going to Rice anymore. There's so much that needs to be done here in Austin. Maybe it's just a gut feeling, but God's going to do some awesome things this semester. May He use me as His vessel. diffeq SUCKS!! What do YOU think?? Thursday, January 08, 2004
Quick update, because I felt like it. Stuff I've done over the break: Went to parties, and caught up with peoples. Danced swing to any song remotely swingable. Got Stephanie to do a swingout.<-----133TN355 Played soccer daddy, drove kids to school, went grocery shopping. CAught up with my girlfriend: my kitchen. I'm so thankful for mygirlfriend. It had been so long since I've seen her, and we've been bonding like no other lover. She's so cozy and and sweet, the world just melts away and time flies faster than superman whenever I'm with her. Even though I've been burned on numerous occasions during our relationship, and a couple times this past week, it's so hard to stay mad at her, for she supplies me with countless meals. She hurts me a lot, but there's something about the way she smells, and the cute sounds she makes while I'm with her, those two things just turns my anger into fervent love. If it weren't for the cold dirty floor and the cockroaches at night, I would sleep with her too. haha, that was fun. I am technologically advancing my home. Two new dell computers, installing cable at a dirt cheap 29.95/month + $100 rebate. And these computers will be cruising wirelessly. go wireless networks. Disney movie marathon. Church-hopping to play basketball. Reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Good reading. My mom and sister attempted to do pull a makeover on me. Partially successful. Definitely ranks close to #1 as most memorable winter breaks. What do YOU think?? |
Please Read This: Justin's View on Relationships (Written by a friend) Justin® song of the week: Ultimate Cheeseburger Yao Ming Song Leisure listening: KSBJ Reading Selections: My Fellow Longhorns: WeiLi Johnny Christine Oren Nathan Sam Rose ChuMonster Alex Jake Jonathan My Beloved Owls: aida freak Steph Allen JASON!!!! stones and fire Jonathan Sam My Other Collegiates: Justin the Other Albert FireStones Keith CollegeNet Natasha My younger High Schoolers: Jason, the Leader Cindy fat can Ninja Linda Jesse AudioFreakJames Christine My Sis Little Brother Alice there's probably more, I just got a bit lazy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
