Thursday, March 25, 2004

I have been told that quotations from the Bible should never be used in such a lowly thing as a comic strip... I am always amazed that Charlie Brown and Snoopy can prompt some good theological discussions.

- Charles M. Schulz

Finished my fifth book - Walking the small group tightrope by Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson. Good book - helps monitor the 6 challenges that every small group will face. And along the way... I ended up reading another book while trying to fall asleep to old episodes of looney tunes. My bro gave me the peanuts book. It's pretty interesting how the author will use art to help discuss issues about christianity. Oh, and the little mini-revelation of the day: I am DEFINITELY a visual-learner. Tune in again for opera lessons taught by Bugs Bunny.


Yu-Ling posted at 3/25/2004 01:02:00 AM

Sunday, March 14, 2004

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's spiritual walk.

- Gary Thomas

Recently, I finished my fourth book for the 10 book challenge. I was going to blog about the topic discussed in the third book (singleness) - I figure that the post will be horrendously convoluted and long-winded so I'm going to pace myself and wait until I can better articulate myself about that eternally interesting subject. In the meantime, I'll talk about the book sacred pathways by Gary Thomas. I first stumbled across this book when I was reading 'courageous leadership' by Bill Hybels. He recommended this book (and supposedly Rick Warren does as well) and suggested that not only may it help with your devotional life, but it may help you understand other people as well. So without hesitation, I quickly went on amazon.ca - looked up a bunch of reviews, checked out the author's website - and I bought the book. Gary Thomas, the author, has written an intriguing book about taking different approaches in our spiritual journey. He suggests that a one-size-fits-all spirituality may be the wrong way to view our christian walk and that perhaps there are 9 main spiritual temperaments that would relate to people. These temperaments are as follows: Naturalists - loving God out of doors Sensates - loving God with the senses Traditionalists - loving God through ritual and symbol Ascetics - loving God in solitude and simplicity Activists - loving God through confrontation Caregivers - loving God by loving others Enthusiasts - loving God with mystery and celebration Contemplatives - loving God through adoration Intellectuals - loving God with the mind (for more indepth description of each temperament, you can borrow my book - or check out the website) Reading about Thomas' take on the various temperaments have been a valuable help. First, I now better understand certain people. For instance, I've always been a little hesitant to deal with Enthusiasts (spiritually sensitive people). At least after reading the book, I can see how they worship God in their own way - and I differ in the way that I worship Him. I can learn from them, and they in turn can learn from me. Another example is in dealing with Intellectuals. I consider most of our christian parents as 'old school' - who will rather point out the fallacies in a worship setting then engage in musical worship. It's trying at times to interact with these people, but they also bring great benefits to the table. Surely, we should not segregate ourselves - but rather help each other understand the various ways to experience God. Perhaps the most wondrous thing that I got out of reading the book was discerning which mix of temperaments will be the most beneficial for my spiritual life. The author has a little test after temperament, and by a scale from 1-30, you may decide which ones you can relate to. I found that my top three (at least for the present) is Contemplative, then a 3-way tie between Ascetic, Enthusiast, and Intellectual. Surprisingly, the next highest scoring temperament was the Traditionalist and my lowest scoring one was the Activist. I found this process in discerning my spiritual temperament to be very helpful. I think I can sorta articulate the type of person that I am right now. I basically want to devote my life to serving people (life passage being 1 Cor. 19-27) and I think I actively do that. Yet, if that is my main ministry - I need time to rest in the Lord. Certainly I find joy in my work, and many times I get pumped up in large group settings. I have a sense of fulfillment when I have a busy schedule meeting with people and I love human interaction/dynamics. But clearly, I'll get burnt out quite soon if I continue with such a schedule - and to be quite frank, this happens way too often. I want to be engaged in a lifelong ministry - one that will last for another 60-70 years... not go all out and stop after 5-10 years. So even though I find it trying when I have to actively engage certain intellectuals, or several enthusiasts - I should spend some time exploring both aspects in my devotional time. Adding a little ascetic side to me and I think I can create a suitable discipline to help keep me energized and spiritually grounded for the rest of years to come. I figure I need to spend some daily time learning about God every day. So really chewing on the Word and some good christian books will help with that. Afterwards, I need to spend some time worshipping Him and celebrate more often about the good things that He has done. Lastly, I need a time free of distractions where I can spend some time just listening to His voice. I guess the ultimate focus for me is to develop a seeking attitude in loving God with the purest, deepest, and brightest love imaginable. Tune in again for some casual conversations with a sassy girl.


Yu-Ling posted at 3/14/2004 12:17:00 AM

Tuesday, March 02, 2004

I'm in one of those moods where only music can sooth the heart. Open up my playlist and put on some oldies. Wise men, these beatles. When i find myself in times of trouble Mother mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness She is standing right in front of me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. And when the broken hearted people Living in the world agree, There will be an answer, let it be. For though they may be parted there is Still a chance that they will see There will be an answer, let it be. Let it be, let it be. yeah There will be an answer, let it be. And when the night is cloudy, There is still a light that shines on me, Shine on until tomorrow, let it be. I wake up to the sound of music Mother mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be. There will be an answer, let it be. Let it be, let it be, Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.


Yu-Ling posted at 3/02/2004 04:14:00 AM