HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2012!

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!

Facade of Angkor Wat, drawing by Henri Mouhot

Last  week, we went to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I’d long wanted to visit (and climb) the Angkor Wat. The first time I read about the ancient Khmer kingdom of Angkor was when I was twelve. I think it was a newspaper article on Henri Mouhot and his ‘discovery’ of Angkor Wat that got my attention. The way Mouhot and the nineteenth century Royal Geographical Society seemed to encourage the perception that Mouhot had ‘discovered’ this ‘lost’ civilisation certainly captured my imagination! Of course, Angkor was  never lost: the local Khmers and other Western explorers were well aware of it. Still, Mouhot did me a favour by firing my imagination (I was avidly reading adventure and sci-fi books then). But in the ensuing years, what with the troublesome distractions of having to grow up etc., plus Pol Pot’s murderous rampage through the killing fields of Kampuchea, in the 1970s, the spirit of adventure was very much curbed in me. But finally, in a bid to throw everything to the wind, I decided this was the year to do Cambodia! And I was glad I did it!

Cambodia is a very poor country. Siem Reap, for all its tourist attractions, is still poor in the main. A few individuals are extremely rich, but most Cambodians are poor farming folk. But Cambodians are good-natured and friendly. In Siem Reap, at least, the streets are safe for tourists, the locals are helpful, though sometimes very insistent that you should buy their goods or rent their tuk tuks. But they’re never overly-pushy or aggressive.

We had a great tour guide called Sam, and a driver whose name got transliterated to John. Sam and John took us to do the tourist rounds of the Silk Farm, the Artisan’s Village, the Museum, and Tonle Sap, the freshwater lake. This year, the floods were particularly bad, and so Tonle Sap is quite swollen, even now. But for me, the great incontestable highlight was Angkor Thom (the city complex) and Angkor Wat (the Buddhist temple built by Suryavarman II in the twelfth century). I mean, talk about fulfilling childhood dreams!

Angkor Wat is the most well-preserved of all the Angkorian temples. All the temples showed a distinct Cambodian style of architecture and art, with lots of Indian influence. And I must say, for all that they are ruins, essentially, they are hauntingly beautiful. Henri Mouhot found it difficult to believe that the Khmers actually built the city complex, and dated it (mistakenly) to the time of the Romans. But the Angkorian kingdom ranged from the eighth to the fourteenth centuries. And it was indeed built by the Khmers. The refinement of the many carvings and murals (bas relief) is remarkable–really, I can only rave about it all–and the splendour of the scene from the many towers of each temple (some still climbable, even to the very top) has to be seen to be truly appreciated and understood. Of course, we walked the length and breadth of the Angkor Wat, after we had traipsed through Bayon, Baphoun, and ‘Lara Croft’s temple’. I thought that climbing up to the topmost tower of the Angkor Wat would be difficult for me because of its height, and also the steep gradient of the steps. For some reason, the ancients liked steep stairs … some were practically vertical! But I did it anyway. And it wasn’t so bad: the original stairs that the ancient monks and kings would have bounced up and down from are off limits to visitors now. So we got a kinder set of stairs courtesy of the Cambodian government … with railings too, for flabby and unfit tourists to hang onto for dear life. I hear the monks still bounce up and down … it must be the vegetarian diet …  And for the first time ever, I didn’t get vertigo! A personal milestone here!

All I can say from my trip is that I am going again. It was the ancient history and legacy of the Southeast Asian Khmers that made such an impact on me. The Cambodians’ early history is interlinked with the history of many Southeast Asian countries, including Malaya. I remembered the stuff I had to learn in History class about the Funan (Nokor Phnom in Khmer) and Chenla empires, and how they were connected to the Sumatran Srivijaya empire that took in the Malay Peninsula too, along with other Southeast Asian countries. I guess, in a sense, it was an eye opener how similar we were, and how tied we were to one another by ancient cultures (Indian–Hinduism and Buddhism) and language (Sanskrit).

Foodwise, we were very at home with Khmer food. It’s like Thai food, but not as spicy. Lemongrass and basil feature quite a bit in the local cuisine. There’s always Chinese food to resort to as well, and Siem Reap abounds with Korean restaurants, not to mention the fusion food restaurants available. In the end, there was a sense of similarity about Cambodia, and yet an essential uniqueness, a difference too. As they say, “same, same–but different”.

The travel bug has truly bitten: travelitis, and more particularly, Cambodia-itis has set in, quite badly. The one thing we have to say to our new Cambodian friends is not leah sen heuy (goodbye!) but suwas’dei (hello!)–and certainly, aw kuhn (thank you).

PS. There’s this little inconvenience … the weather is unbelievably HOT!!!

It’s hard to believe that the end of November is so-o-o in sight. Predictions about the end of the world have come and gone … we’re still here. I guess there’s always 2012 to look forward to for apocalyse watchers. For the rest of us, the next thing in view is Christmas! And I’ve just begun browsing the Net for books to buy …

Of course, since I got my very handy iPad2, I’ve cut down on buying print books. Now I often resort to e-books. I was looking at some book sites, especially my favourite, which is www.christianbook.com. And I thought this year, I would highlight some e-books as part of my Christmas shopping list. It’s random–just some things I have loved reading, and would like to read soon.

1. At the Master’s Feet by Sadhu Sundar Singh. Free download from Christian Classics Ethereal Library as Word document. A classic must-read.

2. Boundaries by Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend. I would recommend this to everyone. We live in a messy world where relationships are messy and messed-up, and nobody respects anybody’s boundaries. Great read. The other books in this Boundaries “series” are also available as e-books.

3. Who Made God?: And Answers to 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith, ed by Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler. Not a new book either, but useful and interesting Apologetic read. I’ve always liked Norman Geisler, so another book I would recommend. And of course Ravi Zacharias is popular reading for many Christians too (though I prefer hearing him speak than reading his books).

4. Old Testament Exegesis, 4th ed.: A Handbook for Students and Pastors by Douglas Stuart. Definitely a must-read for those of us engaged in teaching and preaching. There’s just too much holey (no spelling error!) preaching nowadays. We’re masters at eisegesis, not exegesis! Shame, shame!

5. Flight to Heaven by Capt. Dale Black, Ken Gire. If you’re curious about the Afterlife, like me, this is one more book for your collection.

6. Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts by Richard Booker.

7. Transforming Discipleship: Making a Few Disciples at a Time by Greg Ogden. Written for those of us with a mega-programme and instant gratification complex …

8. A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A.W. Tozer by Lyle W. Dorset. A biography of a great saint with feet of clay. Good reading, and wonderful reminder of the clayeyness of being human …

9. Breath for the Bones by Luci Shaw. An exploration of art, creativity, faith and imagination. I love Luci Shaw.

10. Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight by Norman Wirzba. I like the sound of this! Our Christian and church life is too reminiscent of the rat race. I often wonder if we take to heart what Christ said about the weary and heavy-laden coming to Him and finding rest. We pay lip service of course, but I don’t think we really understand what God’s Sabbath rest and delight means for the Christian. If we did, we wouldn’t whip people up into a guilty frenzy for not being as “involved” or “serving” in church as much as we would like.

That’s 1o e-books to consider for Christmas gifting. Visit www.christianbook.com and see the full list for yourself. (Just doing some free marketing for them …) Downside, though … some e-books are available only in the US.

 ” … that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17: 21, NIV)

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one–as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17: 21, NLT)

I’ve heard it said, often before and recently, that the prayer meetings in churches are usually attended by, at most, 10% of the congregation. Apparently, we’re still downsizing and the number is getting smaller! What is it about prayer or the psychology of prayer that attracts us, and at the same time, puts us off? We’re rather schizophrenic, I think. But let me be honest. When I don’t turn up for a prayer meeting, it is usually because I’m bored. Whether or not that is my fault, it’s still true.

I have been ruminating on this prayer thing for some time. Providentially, I was flipping through my devotional (another Oswald Chambers one), and lo and behold! what should be my reading for yesterday and today but … prayer! Chambers just has this knack of turning up with the right word at the right time. I believe that is called wisdom! His wise words were a simple explanation of what prayer truly means to the child of God. And it hit me on the head with just the right amount of ouch! to remind me of that.

His little reading is from John 17: 21. The single thing that today’s devotional said to me was Chambers’ first line: “Prayer is not getting things from God: that is a most initial stage.” And there you have it. Though Jesus tells us to ask our Father for all our needs, nevertheless, prayer is not about just that because that is simply saying your A,B,C’s. Of course, we are taught and encouraged to persevere in prayer to train ourselves in seriousness and focus and faith. Most books on prayer focus on this bit that Chambers insists is but “an initial stage.” The nub of this prayer matter, for him, is elsewhere.

It lies in the fact that we have a relationship with God, our Father. Pray because of that reason–we have a Father who loves us magnificently, and who is, the minute we ask for something, all ears and attentive love. So asking is not something we need to worry about: God will give us an answer when we ask. Rather, when we engage in prayer, we are in communion with God, the Divine. Jesus prays that his disciples will experience that indeed–oneness with God that changes us, draws us close to him, and makes us like him. When we place ourselves before him, acknowledging his greatness and our smallness, his Spirit takes hold of us and prays through us and in us. Irrespective of our spiritual perfections or imperfections, the Spirit prays. This interaction between God’s Spirit and our spirits is necessary for his transforming power and work to take place in us. When we pray, the life of God in us is nourished and strengthened. No Bible hero ever became heroic or did exploits for God without having spent long hours in prayer to God. We can only be spiritually strong if we purposefully nourish that spiritual life in us by prayerful communion.

The rich life of the prayer closet extends itself outwards in this way. When the life of prayer is strong in us, we inevitably breathe prayer–that’s unceasing prayer! It then becomes second nature to us to live prayer. In this sense, we publicly pray.

I’ve also heard it said that public prayer ought to be short. True, long, sonorous prayers have a soporific effect on most of us. But some short prayers ought not to be prayed either! The length is not what matters. It’s what comes out of the prayer, short or long. But I like what D.A. Carson says about public prayer: in public prayer, there is a pedagogic angle that many people don’t think about. When we are asked to pray publicly, we ought to remember that our prayers should reflect as much of God’s mind as possible, not our mind or our needs or our whatever. So our public prayers can help to set others thinking about God and believing in God in good, biblical ways. There’s no better example of such a praying person than the apostle Paul. So it’s really what comes out of us that makes the difference in our praying, and not how long it takes. (I’ve heard Carson pray some long prayers, and been totally encouraged and strengthened by those prayers.)

Will my (or your) pondering on prayer raise those dratted prayer meeting attendance percentages from 6% or 10% to >10%? I haven’t a clue. But it will make me a better pray-er and Christian, I think; it will certainly realign my eyesight to see prayer more thoroughly as “getting into perfect communion with God” rather than “getting things from God.”

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. (Mark 9: 2)

… he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19: 8-13)

I was reading my devotional from Oswald Chambers on this verse recently, and Chambers being Chambers, what he said struck a deep chord. The “true test of our spiritual life,” says he, is not in how many mountain experiences God graciously leads us into, but rather, ”is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain.” For the past few months, I have been on a personal journey, seeking God about–mainly–his ways. Currently, I am also taking a course on the history and foundations of Pentecostalism. In both, I realised my own need to scale some difficult heights, and to find God on his holy mountain. And in both, God encouraged me much to persist in that climb. So this verse from Mark came at an interestingly timely moment as a reminder and caution that any mountaintop experiences God gives me ought to find their natural consequence in the descent. And in fact, we climb mountains only to descend, do we not?

We were not meant to live in isolated splendour in high places. As Chambers put it, these times of exaltation are intended for “moments of inspiration.” But the litmus test of true spirituality–the true touch of God’s empowerment and grace–is to go back down into the valley, where the ordinary things of life, and the most imperfect of situations, exist. If our mountaintop experience means anything at all from the perspective of eternity, then it has to be manifested via our “execution” of both God’s power and holiness in the dailiness of the life of the valley. God presents no greater challenge to us than this, that we are to be his holy reflections of light in the darkness of the basin below.

Mark 9: 14 pushes the bible narrative we are considering quickly forward. From the wonderful experience of Jesus’ transfiguration of previous verses, verse 14 states quite simply, “When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd …” Peter, James and John were always meant to descend … back into the crowds pressing and pushing, arguing, despairing, searching … “As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him” (9: 15). The seamlessness of Jesus’ life is depicted here (and is what we should emulate too). Amid the arguing teachers of the law and the needy folks, he heals a boy with an evil spirit (vv. 17-26).

God leads us up to bring us down to where we are most needed, and where we can do the most good to the best effect. It’s fitting to end this devotion with a thought from the prophet Elijah’s own mountaintop experience in 1 Kings 19. On the run from the threats of Jezebel, Elijah scales the heights of Horeb, the mountain of God, and spends a night in the cave there. God turns up on his own mountain, and, as if caught by surprise at Elijah’s unannounced arrival, asks him: “What are you doing here?”

Elijah got his audience with God, who conversed with him and encouraged his flagging spirit. And immediately after, God gave Elijah a new commission: “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet” (1 Kings 19: 15-16).

Go back down …

While we cherish the times of inspiration that God provides, we cannot measure spirituality in such ways. Spirituality is better measured in terms of how such experiences propel us further and deeper into participation and involvement in God’s purposes for humankind. What I gathered from my reading on Pentecostal foundations, for instance, is this: that many people who congregated at Azusa Street in 1906, seeking God and praying for his outpouring, were then compelled to leave that very place of “exaltation” for “the uttermost parts of the earth,” bringing the message of reconciliation and comfort with them, often at the cost of their own lives. Like Jesus and his disciples, like Elijah, that was the test of their spirituality: they were empowered with the power of descent.

Sepia is the colour of forgiveness;

Muted, its aged tint opens a window to the past,

Unfurls shaded memories still hiding in the dark

With open palms that promise acceptance.

Burnt with the soundless years, scenes unforgotten play back,

Moving across the relentless screen

–a slideshow in the mind.

Muted sienna stains the past and

Blurs all boundaries, blunts the sharpness of the frozen pose,

The smile or frown that would have, in some earlier day,

Cut into the heart, too bright,

Too filled with vivid pain.

But yellow washes across the paper frame,

With the gentleness of dun-drab memory,

Secured by time’s kindly passage.

Muted, shadow suggesting silhouettes, it whispers

That perhaps the harsh bright pose,

The sharp smile and frown in the tone of white light,

Might, beyond the cold moment, hide

Some shaded refuge for the soul’s reverie,

Provide relief in the dimming light of late afternoon

Some grace for years unlived …

Sepia colours the past with forgiveness,

Reminds us of the gentle graces of a falling rain

Beneath a shielding sky upon a dry earth,

Promising, with open palms,

Acceptance that hangs, like lingering droplets,

Upon the air.

19.8.2011

I’m teaching a class on Colossians this term, and it’s just a few chapters long, so we’re taking our time going through them. One thing that is emerging from our lessons is how the thought of Christ must take centre place in our mind and life. Paul really was obsessed about this. Jesus was his preoccupation. No wonder he said that everything was rubbish to him compared to knowing Christ. Once you have him, you have everything that you yearn for; every translucent vision and hope of transcendence is met in this Person called Jesus.

Of course, I believe it. We all do, being good Christians. Until we live our lives, that is.

Then it becomes a struggle to understand that our significance and value lie purely in our relation with this Jesus. I used to think–and quite mistakenly, mind!–that in what is called Christian ministry and service, this was an obvious thing. Everything revolved around the Christ, to whom we owe our lives. But being human is fraught with paradoxes and contradictions. Our need for significance drives us very often not to the One who is the true Rewarder, but to other things or persons that we expect will validate us. So humans in general, whoever we may be, look for success in the things we do, and the people we want to please or impress, even to the detriment of our lives and the suppression of our unspoken convictions. In Colossians, Paul lambasted the external things that some early false teachers used as criteria of spiritual worth, like food and drink, or observing holy days and whatnot. These were social markers of success being touted by some, but the only social marker for Christians is our belief in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

Today, we have probably just exchanged the food and feast days bit for a few pats on the back by important bosses, or climbing that well-worn ladder of success by getting ahead of others in the rat race. Believe me, the rat race occurs everywhere, even in the most religious and ‘sanctified’ of settings. So the obsession becomes a subtle veering away from our centre and true preoccupation, Christ alone, and takes on distortions which involve ‘giving the best to God’, fishing for the biggest numbers in anything we do (also ‘giving the best to God’), making sure that others don’t encroach on our territories (ie. ministries) …  The old cliche is so true: It’s one thing to get the Hebrews out of Egypt, it’s really another to get Egypt out of the Hebrews!

Thinking about it exhausts me today. I was reading a friend’s blog post about simply sitting and conversing with a friend … the most ordinary of things … and reflecting on how life’s twists led them to where they were. Perhaps unexpectedly, even without deliberation, they found themselves happy with life and with time. Somehow, I envy that. I think that life is not meant to be an endless round of noisy goal setting, of restless and mindless activity, of frenzied programmes … I don’t feel I want to consider any enlargement of my tent, so to speak, in such circumscribed ways as, “What is your mission statement?” (er… ?), or “What are your goals for this year?” or “How many workshops did you attend last year?” Frankly, my only ‘goal’ for the next six months is just to chill out and hang loose!

We’re wrong in our emphases. I have had a little time to resuscitate some of these thoughts in myself. I’m afraid that for some (long) time, they had been suffocated, pressed flat in the layers underneath my consciousness, because of burdens laid, willingly or unwillingly, on myself. But you know, the most needful thoughts are the truest thoughts that express what we are or feel or think. We can’t always ignore them. We all need to come to this realisation and acceptance that the desire for transcendence and meaning can never be satisfied via the list of “Things I Have Done.” Life doesn’t work that way.

This ‘management’ approach to life is something I have never liked. It reduces life to a series of things to do, a list of goals and tasks to perform, a grading system that stifles all freedom and creativity in the Christian life. For a while though, that was how I had to function. That was abhorrent. But– it’s time to return to a kindlier view of what I will do for the rest of life. It has nothing to do with ladders of success, I can assure you, and most likely, even less to do with big and bigger. Reading Paul’s Colossians has been so instructive and positively uplifting. Returning to centre means operating from the point in myself where, in truth, Christ is the One who ”holds all things” together (Col 1: 17). It entails doing all things from the perspective of Christ and Christ alone, of acquiescing and agreeing only to things where knowing Christ surpasses every other pursuit (no matter what its spiritually superior disguise). Returning to centre insists that I must speak only the words of Christ, and do only the works he has approved. Returning to centre means living my life as if I were dead, and the life that I now live is Christ in me–the hope of glory.

I am truly significant only when all I am, and everything I do, resonates with the calling with which I have been called–to be imago Dei, the image of God in Jesus Christ. Everything else is leprous skin, and needs to fall away.

The NECF prayer initiative begins on 7 August 2011 to 15 September 2011. Many of us have already purchased or downloaded the prayer booklet. For those who have not yet done so, please go to www.necf.org.my for details.

So many things have been happening in Malaysia over the past year that more than ever, we need to be found on our knees. This is a timely opportunity for churches and denominations to lay aside our own agendas and programmes in the interest of Christian unity and be involved in praying together for the good of our country.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4: 8-9)

It always amazes me how differently Scripture views what is ‘savvy’ or wise and truly practical. I didn’t grow up in an environment where people around me were streetwise or crafty or cunning. The reverse was true. But to be too philosophically idealistic was considered to be … impractical and gullible. Few however, compare with some of the people I have met along the way who, to me, really embody and exhibit cunning quite matchlessly. Certainly, they are incapable of being gulled and taken advantage of. Often, they are the culprits who take advantage of more gullible ones. Without conscience, without ethics to stand by their Christian convictions (alas, yes … Christians …), they are (strangely) regarded by many hapless types to be both clever and successful. This seems to be the way of the world.

But no. Oneupsmanship doesn’t do it. Being able to charm or argue or worm one’s way out of things doesn’t really mean cleverness or success at all. In fact, I think there’s something demeaningly ugly and sneaking about it all in a fawning Uriah Heep sort of way.

Philippians 4: 8-9 reads like a list of truly impractical things to do. But Scripture insists that this is how we will find peace and wisdom and discernment. The verses sound entirely impractical and naive and idealistic for good reason: they were meant to be! What saving grace! Instead of centering our minds on worthless things–such as, how can we best the other fellow; or, how can we wriggle out of a doubtful situation; or, how can we take a stab at someone without being caught–we should focus on thinking and doing what is morally excellent. Sounds like a Morals class. But it gets even more ‘impractical’! Paul encourages the Philippians to imitate him in his naive and idealistic thinking! Where was he anyway when he wrote to the Philippians but under house arrest in Rome!

Nevertheless, Paul assures us, this was the way to go. Think true, pure, noble, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy and right thoughts. Do the same, and Scripture promises, our lives will be full of God’s peace. Paul’s point is that these ‘impractical’ virtues are good for us to focus on because they are the qualities and expressions of God himself. They characterise God, and ought to characterise us too, if we are really, as we claim, the children of God.

‘True’ means what is ‘for real’, reliable and honest. It is from God, and is the exact opposite of false. ‘Noble’ refers to what is dignified and worthy of respect. ‘Right’ is whatever is upright and just, whatever conforms to God’s moral standards and which he would approve of. ‘Pure’ is whatever is morally wholesome, without any taint of impurity or moral alloy about it. ‘Lovely’ speaks of what is pleasing and attractive. ‘Admirable’ or ‘of good report’ denotes those things that are appealing and worth the words and breath we expend.

“If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” Oh dear, we are very far from taking this seriously. Yet Paul clearly tells the Philippians that as Christians, they have the ability to discern what is excellent or praiseworthy, and what is not. It is up to us what and how we think, and it is up to us whether our actions and lives live up to the Word of God and the character of God, whom we are to faithfully reflect.

If our lives are filled with peacelessness and conflict, we must return to such passages and consider ourselves in the light of what they say. Right thinking leads to right action. Right action results in God’s peace, his shalom that really means well-being and health and renewing freshness. Wrongful thoughts and acts lead to conflict and bitterness and peacelessness. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable” (James 3:17).

I think we need a realignment of our perspective with Scripture. God’s wisdom is, in fact, pure, meaning it has no ugly alloy about it. It has no hidden dark spot or muddiness that raises questions as to motive and agenda. It speaks truly and candidly, and always with the intention of love behind it. It is all light and sheds truth and realisation on a situation that makes things clearer to all–and not less clear. James agrees with Paul, in that God’s ways and character bring about peace: his wisdom results in peace, and is peaceable. With God, conflict and quarrelsomeness have no part.

These Philippians had learned and received, heard and seen, Paul’s words and behaviour enough to understand how centering on God’s thoughts and ways brought about the peace that should be evident in Christian living. His experience ought to be their experience. He was straighter than straight, and honest as honest comes. Did lesser types laugh at him and think him naive? Doubtless. But then, you see, they wouldn’t have had the peace of God, would they?

Paul knew how to live the normal Christian life. That is the only life we are called to live. It’s time to let Scripture edge its way into our heart’s core. Whether it burns dross away or enhances the gold that is already within us, let it do its work so that “the God of peace will be with [us].”

I know this rhyme is about politics, but it fits us so well today that I have to quote it:

There was a crooked man and he
walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked
stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.
And they all
lived together in a little crooked house