Month: January 2018

“Nehemiah, build that wall….” This song from my childhood has been playing in my head all week. That’s because I started off the week helping a teenager with her Christian Studies homework on the book of Nehemiah. I hope it was helpful for her. I know that God spoke to me through it.

 

I have also been taking a refresher class at the Melbourne School of Theology on how to do good research this week. It’s been helpful and has definitely built my confidence as I embark on a b-i-g project (well, big for me) focused on the Muya people in Asia. It is right to feel ill-equipped and overwhelmed. Seeking the extra training was appropriate. At the same time, it would be wrong to be crippled by that sense of inadequacy. That’s a topic I blogged about a couple of weeks ago.

 

Gems gleaned from thinking about the story of Nehemiah intersected with jewels of wisdom received from the research methods class. In particular, we started and ended the course by thinking about research as a spiritual discipline. It has been a good way to ‘set the scene’ for the year ahead.

 

Nehemiah’s peer on the Indian sub-continent

Although I learned about Nehemiah as a child, hence having that catchy song in my head still today, it was only this week that I realized that Nehemiah lived about the same time as Siddharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Nehemiah worked in service for the Babylonian king in the city of Susa, situated in what is modern-day Iran, though the project for which he is remembered, of course, was leading the wall-building project of Jerusalem in Israel. Siddharta Gautama spent his life further east, in the area through which the border between Nepal and India now runs.

 

Both men were greatly distressed by the state of affairs in their homelands. Nehemiah looked to God for divine intervention and later led many of his fellow Jews in bringing about God’s will for them – the reestablishment of their nation, symbolized by a city wall around Jerusalem. Siddharta Gautama didn’t know the Creator God. He responded to the suffering he saw about him by meditating and seeking ‘truth’. The insights he gained have been passed from generation to generation in various forms ever since. That was the beginning of Buddhism.

 

The contrast between Nehemiah and Gautama reflects what I see as the importance of looking to God rather than looking within ourselves. As you probably know, I’m very interested in Christian meditation. It involves a degree of introspection, to be sure, but primarily Christians should be looking to God in our times of focused silence.

 

As I meditated on God as he is revealed in the book of Nehemiah, three things stood out to me. I hope and expect to apply these to my work and life in 2018.

 

Look for what God is doing and participate in his work

The Jews’ return to their homeland from exile after they had repented and turned back to God had been prophesied long before the events recorded in the book of Nehemiah occurred. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and establishing the people back in their homeland was primarily God’s work. Nehemiah did, however, have a significant role in bringing about what God had in mind.

 

My research project this year will focus on the Muya people in Asia (God willing). There are a number of cross-cultural workers focused on this group right now. Several people I know believe that this is God’s time for the Muya to come to know him. I have sensed a ‘call’ to focus on them for over five years but it is only this year that I am finally in a position to do more than promote prayer for them.  I am excited to think that I can make a contribution to what God is doing right now. My role will hopefully involve academic research, making regular visits to the area and mobilizing people like you to pray for them. The privilege of participating in God’s work motivates me to do my very best.

 

Bathe the work in prayer

Nehemiah integrated prayer into everything he did. For four months before he had the opportunity to raise the possibility of his leading the rebuilding project with the king of the empire, he fasted and prayed. Confession on behalf of his people was a major part of his prayers. He also reminded God … and himself, as he prayed … of God’s attributes and promises. It seems that prayer was a regular part of his day. Several of the prayers he offered are recorded in Scripture.

 

As I finally approach undertaking a research project on the Muya people, it is my intention that prayer will be an integral part of my work. This will include confession, a focus on God’s attributes and promises, frequent requests for help to focus and good connections with key Muya people, and for creativity in writing up what I learn in academic and other formats.

 

Work hard – very hard

Nehemiah worked very, very hard. The team he led completed the building project in just 52 days despite setbacks. He later returned to Jerusalem to deal with other problems which emerged within the community. He faced plenty of discouragement, fear and disappointments. Through it all, he stayed focused, dealing with each incident as it arose.

 

I don’t know what 2018 will bring. I hope for happiness, harmony and good health, but that isn’t assured. Regardless of what is ahead, is my intention to work hard – very hard. Reaching the Muya is God’s work but that doesn’t mean that my role in it will be easy.

 

 

“Nehemiah, build that wall!” I sang this song often as a child and have sung it again plenty this past week, some forty years after first learning it.  The same God who listened to Nehemiah’s prayers and enabled Nehemiah to participate in his work almost 2500 years ago still listens to prayers today.  May we achieve what God has in store for us this year, whether it be building a physical wall, undertaking a thorough research project on a particular people group, or something else entirely.

An ordered life is something to which I aspire. I admire those people who almost never seem harried but just set out quietly to work towards their goals, and who achieve plenty as a result.  I, on the other hand, seem to leap from one mini-crisis to the next. I react to imminent deadlines with focus and dedication, resulting in efficient though sporadic ‘busy patches’ in life. Goals that don’t come with deadlines, however, may never be met, even though they’re important.

 

Busy

‘Busy’ has been part of my identity for many years – most of my life, in fact. A ‘balanced lifestyle’ is what I aim for these days. Health professionals advise that ‘extraneous stress’ (I had to look up the word ‘extraneous’ in the dictionary!), as well as poor nutrition and excess weight, are risk factors for recurrence of the endometrial cancer that I had in 2015. So I’m extra motivated to live well.

 

I determined that this year I would enjoy an ordered life with a different focus each weekday so that I will make steady progress overall and won’t panic from deadline to deadline. Mondays are for writing, Tuesdays are for academic study, Wednesdays are for administrative and miscellaneous other matters, Thursdays are for teaching and learning (I teach English and learn Tibetan both that day) and Fridays are for translation. This didn’t apply to week one of 2018, since I was on annual leave until January 4th, then started the year off by writing up my PMP (Personal Ministry Plan) as required by my agency. Week two went really well. And now it is week three.

 

Three sets of colleagues and friends are visiting from three different states this week – how fun. In addition to spending time with these good people, I’ve been blessed with a couple of other 难得的机会 (opportunities that are not easily come by and too good to be missed – how do we say that in English?). Next week, I have four full days of classes at the Melbourne School of Theology. Next month is team conference and I’m going early to spend time with some dear friends in Asia. As I look at the calendar, I realize that there will likely only be one more ‘normal’ week between now and week eight of 2018.  That’s a 25% compliance rate in January and February when it comes to sticking to my plan for an ordered work schedule, resulting in productivity without panic.

 

This is neither a complaint nor a boast. I realize that most of us could tell similar stories, though with different details. How can we not only survive but also thrive in the various activities that fill our lives? I want to achieve plenty but to avoid having a ‘busy’ mindset in the midst of abundance.

 

Jesus’ example

As a good Christian woman, I prayed about the dilemma of how to enjoy all this activity without being frazzled. “Lord Jesus, your days were full when you walked our earth, and you knew the limitations of humanity back then. You quite literally had the task of saving the world. You were constantly harangued by people wanting this or that. I want to learn from you. Please show me how to live well.”

 

As I reflected on incidents from Jesus’ time on earth, it became obvious that Jesus had a very strong sense of who he was and what he was about. This was reflected in how he prioritized his activities. Remember the Samaritan woman who met Jesus by Jacob’s well? Jesus spent three days with her and her community – it seemed like he had all the time in the world for them. Yet he barely gave the time of day to those he considered religious hypocrites.

 

Jesus illustrated well what I want for myself – a clear sense of person and purpose. Jesus wasn’t limited by a schedule, though in a sense there was ‘a time’ for all that he did – his youth, discipleship, teaching and healing, and of course the crucifixion and resurrection. He is God incarnate, though, so of course Jesus got the balance right at any point in time. Why should I think that this clear sense of person and purpose is attainable for me, an ordinary Christian woman?

 

It’s all in the mind

Jesus’ spirit lives in us! (See Romans 8:11 and following.) This indwelling spirit is described as a spirit not of fear but “… of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7 KJV). Modern translations often use the term ‘discipline’ or ‘self-discipline’ where the King James version talks of ‘a sound mind’.  Now I’m not saying that faith in Jesus automatically means that we ‘have it all together’, but as we grow in our faith, so ‘soundness of mind’ will develop.  As the apostle Paul wrote elsewhere, ‘we have the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:16). He also instructed believers to ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Rom 12:2).

 

As I scribble this post in a big yellow notebook during a very full week, sitting in a café with terrible coffee but a quiet corner and air-conditioning, I am asking God to step up his work of transformation in me. I want my thoughts and attitudes to honour Jesus. A harried state of mind is neither godly nor healthy. In particular, I am asking God for two things.

 

First, I am asking that God’s spirit will enable me to be self-disciplined. This applies both to how I use my time as well as my thought life. God has given us ‘a spirit of … self-discipline’. Self-discipline means that I will maximize little pockets of time rather than twiddle away precious moments on things such as excess social media or mindless TV. (Mind you, social media and television shows have their place – they just need to be kept in their place.) Even a single minute here and there can be put to good use by using the Tibetan learning app on my phone or by taking a brisk one-minute walk for fitness’ sake.

 

Second, I am asking that God will grant me a clear sense of my person and purpose. Jesus was able to respond appropriately to the many opportunities – including those not-to-be-missed, hard-to-come-by opportunities. He knew who he was and what he was about. He didn’t work hard at pleasing people just because it felt good … something I am wont to do. He wasn’t afraid of missing the mark. He maintained healthy boundaries which flexed as appropriate. He didn’t get caught up in the busyness of each day and so lose focus. He prioritized prayer even and especially during the most intense days of his life on earth.

 

May his spirit, which lives in us, enable us to do likewise.

 

‘Busyness’ isn’t an occasional hiccup in life to be overcome. It’s a normal part of life – a life which I thoroughly enjoy in part because my schedule is full of interesting and varied activities. I want to embrace this life God has given me without experiencing ‘extraneous stress’. Healthy boundaries, realistic expectations, pushing on towards health and fitness goals – these are all important to maintain in the midst of a full programme, and that is a topic for another day. Today, though, as I navigate my way through a week rich with people and activities, I am choosing to reject a ‘busy’ mindset. I want to embrace the spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. Life is abundant indeed.

 

Postscript:  I wrote this blog post by hand on Tuesday. As I type it up on Saturday, I can attest to God’s kindness. It was a good week. I have enjoyed quality time with special people. I didn’t follow my plans when it came to activities for each day but what needed to get done all got done and much more besides. Having a ‘not-busy’ mindset is fabulous. Long may it last!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Save me, O LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.”  Psalm 120:2

‘That’s a lie!’

I don’t usually confront people with this accusation, but there are times I would do well to confront myself with it.

This prayer for salvation from ‘lying lips and deceitful tongues’ was what I meditated upon this morning. I was challenged by Selwyn Hugues, the writer of a devotional I’m using these days, to recognize and renounce lies spoken into us by our culture. Such lies include us being masters of our own fate, of luxuries being necessities and of many of our perceived ‘rights’.  There are other lies I believe too, if only I stop and think about it rationally and prayerfully.

These ponderings brought to mind another great Bible teacher who challenged me, not once but twice, about a particular lie I believe too readily. Rev. David Cook was the principal of SMBC when I studied there. At our final chapel service in 1993, as we were on the brink of launching into the interesting lives for which our training had prepared us, our principal challenged us to think of ourselves with sober judgement – not more highly than we ought but neither paralyzed by a sense of inadequacy (Romans 12:1-8). That’s how I remember the sermon, anyhow.

Sometimes I am quick to believe that I am incapable of taking on significant roles in life and ministry. My so-called ‘humility’ gets in the way of exuberantly living the life to which God has called me. Yes, we are all generally inadequate in our own strength, but we serve a powerful God who has saved us through the cross, is transforming us, and uses us, even now, in his kingdom work.

That was the first time I remember David challenging me about this lie of inadequacy. The second time came a few years after I had moved to China. I used to get cassette tapes – yes, I’m showing my age! – of the sermons from Principal’s Hour at SMBC. (Now I subscribe to them as podcasts.)  One day, I was listening to such a sermon as I cleaned my sixth-floor unit. At the time, I was exceptionally frustrated by my lack of fluency in Chinese and feeling more than a little inadequate for the tasks ahead having recently finished full-time language study. David was preaching about Satan’s role as ‘the accuser of the brethren’ (Revelation 12:10). He challenged us to avoid assisting the enemy by accusing one another in inappropriate ways, or even accusing ourselves in ways that paralyze us with a sense of inadequacy. He reminded us that we are ‘marked with the cross of Christ’, and not with the mark of the beast. As I mopped my tiled floor, I confessed that I had once again fallen into the trap of believing a lie. And yet at the same time, in the spirit of that lie, I prayed that God would “drum this truth into my thick skull.” I remember those words distinctly because of what happened later that evening.

Having finished the cleaning, I then took my brand-new Walkman and that cassette (nowadays I listen on my phone), and headed to the hairdresser. After getting a good trim, I plugged in my earphones and purposefully strode out to get some exercise while listening to that sermon again. It was almost dark, although there was plenty of artificial light about, and lots of people were outside enjoying the coolness of the early evening. I passed a building site – one of many in that bustling Asian city – where a thick drainage hose took wastewater from the construction to a drain by the side of the road. I didn’t see the hose, but I sure felt it. As I tripped, I instinctively clutched my new Walkman to my chest so as to protect it, and let my head take the brunt of the fall.

Dazed, I clambered to my feet, amidst the concerned gasps of onlookers. “Mei shi, mei shi” (‘No problem’), I assured them. I headed home, head pounding. There really wasn’t a problem – my Walkman had sustained a scratch but was still working. Fancy valuing a piece of equipment more than my head! After climbing the 96 steps to my apartment, I went straight to the mirror to inspect the damage. A graze in the shape of a cross on my forehead startled me. Hadn’t I asked God to “drum the truth of being marked with the cross into my thick skull”? The next morning, the mark was even more pronounced, as it was mounted on a shiny red bump. With a fresh haircut, there was no hiding it.

Fast forward twenty years. Today I mopped and vacuumed the floor of my little haven here in Australia while meditating on my reading earlier this morning. “Save me, O LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues” (Psalm 120:2). What are the lies I believe today?

It is the beginning of the year and so I am currently working on my personal ministry plan, as required by my agency. A sense of inadequacy looms over me as I prayerfully consider what should fill my days in 2018. Who am I, to think that I can achieve anything of significance? In this context, I was reminded of a powerful lesson learned in the past and which I am reviewing right now, in part by writing this blog post. I breathe a prayer of thanks for the reminder that I am a child of God, marked with the cross.

“I am inadequate – I can’t do it,” is a lie. Like most effective lies, it contains an element of truth, for in my own strength, I am inadequate. However, I am not living in my own strength. I have been marked with the cross, sealed by God’s Spirit, and am in the midst of a process of divine transformation and reformation. As I contemplate the year ahead, with God’s help, I will not think of myself more highly than I ought, but will think of myself with sober judgement. With this in mind, I can confidently get on with the business of fulfilling my role within the body of Christ (see Romans 12:1-8).

 

“Save me, O LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.” (Psalm 120:2)

The internet abounds in sites belonging to individuals wishing to share their opinions and knowledge that may or may not be accurate. Why would an ordinary Australian Christian woman set up yet another site? I asked myself this question as I contemplated setting up ‘Aussie Rambling Rose’.

The answer came down to this: we all journey through life, and I want to share my journey with others. I want the journey to be purposeful. Let me elaborate.

What this blog is not:

It is not a travel journal.   I am privileged to lead an interesting life, enjoying regular travel and insights into lives and cultures very different to that of my own. I expect that perspective will be evident from time to time in blog posts on this site, but this blog isn’t primarily a travel journal.

It is not a platform for preaching. Being a child of Almighty God is a central part of my identity, and I love gleaning insights into Scripture and life particularly through observations of nature. No doubt these will be evident in posts along the way. But I’m not looking to preach. Preaching is an activity I really enjoy, and get to do on occasion thanks to having a role within a Christian organization. However, on this website, I will just share about my own journey in life. If my story encourages or challenges you, I’ll be delighted. But I won’t be preaching.

It isn’t an online photo album.  Taking photographs and sharing them brings me a great deal of pleasure. Naturally, I will enjoy posting photographs on this blog that relate to the topic I’m writing about, but this blog isn’t primarily a place to showcase and store favourite photos. If it were, it would be over-filled with pictures of one cute cat who lives at my place.

What this blog is about:

Fulfilling a sense of ‘call’:  ‘Call’ is an old-fashioned word too often used incorrectly by Christians. Sometimes we use the absence of ‘a call’ as a cop out for things we don’t want to do, or we use it to justify doing something we do want to do. As such, I am hesitant to say that I am ‘called to write’ … yet I do sense a call to write.  We are indisputably called to live holy lives (see, for example, 2 Timothy 1:9) but other passages also suggest that there are specific “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). It was in 2005 that I began to explore creative writing and sensed that I had such a call. Since then, I have produced a smattering of material – a book, several booklets, numerous articles and translations – but the material I write isn’t anything publishers vie for and independent publishing requires good marketing skills … something I intensely dislike. Hence a blog. The internet provides a relatively inexpensive platform for getting my writing into the hands of many. Not all material is suited to being posted online, and I still intend to print prayer resources for Asia and possibly a memoir of an interesting patch of life in 2015 in more traditional formats. If you find helpful something you read on this blog, do share it with others. Nothing I post here is confidential, and it would give me great satisfaction to think that my words are useful to others.

Pleasure: I like reading blogs. There is nothing like curling up with a good old-fashioned paper book, but blogs are good too. Bite-sized morsels of text give me glimpses into the lives of friends near and far. There are times when I am challenged to follow in the footsteps of a friend, whether that be in terms of healthy living, trying out certain spiritual disciplines, or boldness in learning language and culture. Writing blog-posts is also enjoyable. They are small enough to complete in a few hours, and the feedback is immediate, unlike something which is written for publication in a more traditional format.

A search for significance: Our days on earth are limited. We all want to make a mark on the world around us. I’m no different. As 2018 drew near, I prayed about whether something as potentially narcissistic as setting up a personal blog would please God, and immediately received two pieces of encouragement which I took as a divine tick of approval. First, on January 1st, I received a message from a childhood friend who had been challenged into action by a personal project I had shared about on social media. Second, on January 2nd, I received an emailed newsletter from Faithwriters, a writing group with over 71,000 members, urging us to make our writing count … and reprinting a piece I’d written in May 2005 in that same newsletter. My prayer is that something I say at some point on this blog will encourage or challenge a fellow traveller in life. I want my writing to have significance.

And so … insert drum roll here … ‘Aussie Rambling Rose’ – the ramblings of an ordinary Australian woman, Suzanne Rowe – is up and running. I hope you enjoy it.