Weekly reflection on “The Good and Beautiful God” Final reflections

This book is successful in changing some of my narratives. For example, I learnt that the will actually has no power, so transformation is not done through “willpower”, but through spiritual growth, which occurs under the leading of the Holy Spirit.[1] I am again reminded that transformation begins in the mind (Romans 12:2)[2]. Furthermore, it very interesting that the author describes that if someone suffered a misfortune and others respond with a “who sinned” attitude, this is being built on a false narrative that says we have to do something in order to get the blessings of the God, and conversely, if we anger God, we will surely be punished[3]. This “works-based” false narrative has a danger of giving us the illusion that we can control our world through what we do (ie. by doing good), which is very appealing in our chaotic existence[4]. This reminds me of the fact that bad things can happen to good people, and good things can happen to bad people. The author also calls on us to be honest to God when we face difficulties in life (“cups”), instead of pretending that everything was fine.[5] This reminds me to stay in touch with my feelings. I am also reminded of the dangers of the performance-orientated false narrative which can lead to a loss of enjoyment of co-working with God. A less stressful alternative would be that when I see opportunities to spread the gospel to my relatives and friends, I act upon it out of love, and leave the results in God’s hands. And if people actually turn to God, it is God who did it. I have the tendency to err on the side of self-righteousness and see a need for God to further increase my capacity to tolerate God’s unconditional love and graciousness for all, especially when grace[6] falls upon people who behaved wickedly or lived their life in sloth. And finally, as a busy GP, the most important reminder applicable to me in this book is the need to “de-mechanise” myself, as spiritual renewal is a gradual process, and in addition to being slow, it is not uniform.[7] There most important aspects of our lives cannot be rushed. We cannot love, think, eat, laugh or pray in a hurry. Taking time is especially important in our spiritual lives: in our spiritual life we cannot do anything important in a hurry.[8]

被命令所囚禁
情感被剝奪
靈魂在哭泣
應該相信的事 
已經早就知道了吧？
突破現狀 

誰的拳頭讓人低下的頭
也會一定會因為信念而抬起頭
把贏家改寫的歷史丟棄
繼續追尋傳說

（副）
此生到盡頭
就算人們笑我
只願在愛著的人的心頭
永遠的 如長風吹過
…………………………………………
激動的時代裡
你我比蜉蝣還要虛幻
是只能漂泊的命運嗎？
對你而言 這首歌
是靡靡唱遊 
還是最後的希望火種

對無名的星星而言 世界的角落
就算沒有辦法照遍也無妨
即便如此 那微弱的光芒
也還在等待點亮誰的瞳孔

（副）
此生到盡頭
就算人們笑我
只願在愛著的人的心頭
永遠的 如長風吹過
…………………………………………
不論何時蒼生都在
等候英雄
不能失去的什麼
仍在不停的失去著

此生到盡頭
就算人們笑我
只願在愛著的人的心頭
永遠的 如長風吹過

永遠的 如長風吹過~完！

Bibliography:

Smith, James Bryan.The Good and Beautiful God. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010.

Wang, Ying-fan Yvonne. Dr Yvonne Wang’s Blabberings. Last modified May28, 2015. http://dryvonnewang.blogspot.com.au.

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[1]James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God,(London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010), 22.

[2]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 26.

[3]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 40.

[4]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 45.

[5]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 65.

[6]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 102.

[7]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 186.

[8]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 180.

Weekly reflection on “The Good and Beautiful God” Chapter 9 How to make a pickle

Notes from the book:

Jesus did not have a lot to say specifically about hurry, busyness and distraction, but there is one narrative n the Gospels that deals directly with these problems: the stories of the sisters Martha and Mary (Luke 10:40). Being overcommitted, too busy and preoccupied are not new to contemporary society.[1] Economist and writer Jeremy Rifkin puts a finger on the problem of speed: “It is ironic that in a culture so committed to saving time we feel increasingly deprived of the very thing we value… Despite our alleged efficiency… we seem to have less time for ourselves and far less time for each other… We have quickened the pace of life only to become less patient. We have become more organised but less spontaneous, less joyful. We are better prepared to act on the future but less able to enjoy the present and reflect on the past.” How did we get into this predicament?[2] 

The clock was invented by monks. Apparently they had a lot of time on their hands. They invented the clock because they wanted to regulate their times of prayer and labour. The notion that “idleness is the enemy of the soul” became pervasive in the monasteries. The monks felt that hard work was a way to serve God. But we cannot blame them for our obsession with speed. Technology is at fault. With the invention of the machine a whole new approach to work and productivity emerged. The machine is a model of efficiency: it works ceaselessly and tirelessly until it breaks down.[3] The unintentional consequences of such invention is, we “invented the machine and then took it as its life model.” Then Frederick Wilson Taylor changed the narrative even further: he broke down every job into a series of tasks and timed workers as they performed these tasks. He then tried to find ways to perform the tasks more efficiently: he called it “the system.” The workers hated the system but productivity soared. Taylor wrote these chilling words in his 1911 treatise ‘The Principles of Scientific Management’: “In the past, man has been first, in the future, the system must be first.”[4]

There is a new phenomenon called “omni-tasking.” Omni-taskers believe that they can do more than a few things at once; they do nearly everything at once! We are guilty of this problem in our churches. Many Christians attribute their lack of margin to being overtasked by their churches. With a slight twist, churches sometimes operate under the Fred Taylor narrative: the church is more important than the person! Some committed Christian women and men were burned out by being overextended by their churches. Because they did things well, they were asked to be on more church committees and to help with more church programs. They became so busy that they finally collapsed. Satan does not always appear as a red devil. Sometimes he simply inserts false narrative (achievement equals value) into our minds.[5]

No one can save time; we can only spend it. We cannot put time in a bottle and use it later. Technology does reduce the time we have to spend on certain tasks. Where did the extra time go?[6] All these technological advances have raised the expectations of what we can get done, so we added more to our schedule. We increase our workload to keep up with or get ahead of others. If we fail to raise the bar, we will fall behind, be less productive and thus feel less important.[7]

There most important aspects of our lives cannot be rushed. We cannot love, think, eat, laugh or pray in a hurry. Taking time is especially important in our spiritual lives: in our spiritual life we cannot do anything important in a hurry.[8] Jesus gives us the best example of a well-paced life. In the Gospels we see Jesus retreating to be alone (nine times in the Gospel of Luke alone). Jesus lives his life in perfect rhythm, the proper tempo, at all times. He will not be rushed. He never does anything in haste.[9]

It is possible to act quickly without hurrying. The author says if he only has ten minutes to get from one end of the airport to another, he can move quickly without hurrying. Hurry is an inner condition that is fear based: “If I don’t make my plane everything will be ruined. Life as I know it is over!” But then he walk in step with God and learned to say, “If I don’t make that plane I’ll be fine. God is with me. Things will work out. Meanwhile, I’ll move my legs as fast as I can while my heart is happy and unhurried.” Carl Jung said, “Hurry, it is not of the Devil; it is the Devil.”[10]

As authors Richard Bailey and Joseph Carlson explain, “Life is really nothing more than a series of present moments, one right after the other, to be experienced. You are always living in this moment: will you be present or absent?” (Isn’t it ironic that the word present is the word we use for gift?)[11]

The author realised that not only does he need to slow down to grow in his spiritual life, he also need to realise that spiritual growth is a slow process. Making pickles is an apt analogy to the way we grow as disciples. To make a pickle, there needs to be a cucumber soaked in the brine and vinegar solution for six weeks.[12] Spiritual renewal is a gradual process, and in addition to being slow, it is not uniform. Some years we may experience tremendous growth, and some we see very little change.[13] The author has been working on replacing false narratives with the narratives of Jesus for well over twenty-five years, and yet he remains a work in progress.[14]

Reflections:

The first part of the chapter explores how our view of time evolved into “tyranny of the urgent” and even regarding humanity as a machine designed to produce tasks with efficiency.[15]

The medical profession seem to encourage efficiency and accuracy. In fact, it even seems to encourage obsessive-compulsiveness. Being a doctor, sometimes I can get so busy that I feel as though I am turning into a machine. And with the aging population, the health system is getting overloaded and the trend is likely to get worse. Sometimes I am afraid of getting too emotionally attached to the people I encounter because it produces an emotional burden. Yet, sometimes when I switch off the emotional button, it can be hard to switch it back on during times meant for family and friends. This seem to improve when I intentionally slow down, spend quiet time with God, in self-reflection, catch up with some friends, appreciating nature and even going on holidays. And this is something I am still adjusting in my life, especially on the areas of love and patience.

Bibliography:

Smith, James Bryan.The Good and Beautiful God. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010.

Wang, Ying-fan Yvonne. Dr Yvonne Wang’s Blabberings. Last modified May 23, 2015. http://dryvonnewang.blogspot.com.au.

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[1]James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God,(London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 172.

[2]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 174.

[3]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 175.

[4]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 176.

[5]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 177.

[6]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 178.

[7]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 179.

[8]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 180.

[9]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 181.

[10]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 183.

[11]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 185.

[12]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 185.

[13]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 186.

[14]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 187.

[15]James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God,(London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 173-179.

Weekly reflection on “The Good and Beautiful God” Chapter 8 God Transforms

Notes from the book:

2Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” The author then gives the analogy, “You know how a butterfly becomes a butterfly? The butterfly was once a caterpillar, a worm. It could only crawl, and could not fly. But it goes into a cocoon, a chrysalis, in which the root word, appropriate, is ‘Christ.’ And it emerges a butterfly, completely transformed, a new creation! The old has passed, the new has arrived! It was once weighed down by gravity; now it can fly. Christians were once under the reign of sin, but now we can live in freedom.”[1] In response to this analogy, the author’s friend joked, “When I hear a Christian say, ‘I’m just a sinner saved by grace,’ I want to say, ‘That makes as much sense as a butterfly saying, “I’m just a worm with wings.”’” In Christ we have been raised up with Jesus to new life. We have been given a new identity, one in which Christ dwells. We have received the indwelling Holy Spirit.[2]

However, even though we have become new people spiritually, we still live in our old self’s body, which contains the remnants of sin. We still have our old narratives, our old memories and our old habits. We still live in a world that stands diametrically opposed to the truth of God. That’s is why we struggle with sin even after we’re regenerated.[3] Paul writes in Galatians 5:17 that “What the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.” The battle between the flesh and Spirit does not end when we come up from the waters of baptism – in fact, that is precisely when it begins.[4]

You are one in whom Christ dwells. Your glory is not in what you do, but in who you are. You are meant to house the fullness of God. Knowing that this is our true identity is the secret to walking in holiness.[5] Furthermore, it is in our weakness that God’s power is revealed. The broken feel they have nothing to offer; legalists feel their perfection is what makes them valuable. Both are wrong. We minister out of our weakness. We heal others through our vulnerability because that is where Christ shines most brightly. Henri Nouwen writes: “The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus?... In our world of loneliness and despair, there is an enormous need for men and women who know the heart of God; a heart that forgives, cares, reaches out and wants to heal.”[6]

Reflections:

The author gives us this amazing paradox: “We minister out of our brokenness. We heal others through our vulnerability because that is where Christ shines most brightly.”[7]

In my own life I find this to be true. It is hard for me to understand the pain of others unless I have been through the same pains, and it is not convincing for me to tell others what to do when I haven’t experienced the same things as they did. Furthermore, I find it harder to turn to God when everything is smooth sailing. I cry out to God for help when I realise my limitations and vulnerability. For example, a previous relationship breakup many years ago produced such brokenness that there was nowhere to turn but to God. As a result I experienced a powerful encounter with God which healed my wounds and built my character. Having walked through such a trial, I can better empathise and help others who are going through this type of trial. In fact, this triggered a rapid spiritual growth in me that could not have happened if I had not encountered such trial. I developed increasing self-insight and gradually I see my own problems instead of placing blame on others. It pushed me forward and gradually gave me the courage I need to face my own problems and take ownership over these problems, soaring up to a higher level.

(An old song which I like very much)

Bibliography:

Smith, James Bryan.The Good and Beautiful God. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010.

Wang, Ying-fan Yvonne. Dr Yvonne Wang’s Blabberings. Last modified May 9, 2015. http://dryvonnewang.blogspot.com.au.

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[1]James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God,(London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 155.

[2]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 156.

[3]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 156.

[4]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 157.

[5]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 162.

[6]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 163.

[7]James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 163.

Weekly reflection on “The Good and Beautiful God” Chapter 7 God is Self-sacrificing

Notes from the book:

John 1:10-11 tells is that Jesus “was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him”. Unrequited love might be the most painful of all human experiences. To love someone and not be loved in return is a deep hurt, an excruciating ache. God experienced the pain of unrequited love.[1]

In fact, John 12:24 tells us, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. Self-sacrifice is the highest act. The grain of wheat must die in order to give life. The cosmos reflects the nature of the God who created it. Jesus said “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).[2] We see the paradox of self-sacrifice from Philippians 2:6-11 that by emptying and humbling himself and becoming obedient, Jesus was “highly exalted.” When Jesus was asked who the greatest is in the kingdom of God, he replied, “Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). The greatest are those who serve. This narrative is directly opposed to the teachings of the kingdom of this world, where the greatest are those who are served.[3]

So “Why did Jesus have to die?” Jesus did not have to die, Jesus chose to die. The father, Son and Spirit worked in harmony to reach out to a fallen and broken world in order to restore it. God did for us what we could never do for ourselves. The cross is a symbol of God’s love and sacrifice. Jesus assumed and healed our human condition, and in doing so he demonstrated the depths of God’s love for all of creation. In the incarnation God, who created millions of spinning galaxies, chose to become vulnerable, and in so doing, heaven came down and kissed the earth. In the crucifixion God, who could not die, subjected himself to death, and in so doing lifted the whole world to himself: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).[4]

Reflections:

“At the heart of the universe is this one principle: self-sacrifice is the highest act. The grain of wheat must die in order to give life. The cosmos reflects the nature of the God who created it.”[5]

There are many examples of creation revealing this principle, including the life cycle of a human being. We all cycle through life and death. Humans tend to be busybodies and often times it is when we have a close encounter with death that we reflect on life. At least that is the case with me: when my father passed away I was forced to slow down and reflect, on life itself, and on the quality of my relationships with my family and friends. Without this life event, I would have continued being busy with whatever I was doing. Too often we take life for granted. My parents are like the grain of wheat to me: they gave me life, they made great sacrifices for me, and they laid down some very important foundations in my life. I have learnt about life through them, and even when my father passed away the memories and impacts live on. It reminds me of the quote from the movie Interstellar, “Now we're just here to be memories for our kids. Once you're a parent, you're the ghost of your children's future.”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/119597153@N04/16844758985/in/photolist-rEvMZ4

I consider it a characteristic of God, the source of all life, to be self-sacrificing. We are all doomed to die due to the infiltration of sin into this world. God chose to become vulnerable by coming down in flesh as Jesus Christ to die for us all, so that we can receive eternal life and the world can be restored.[6] Although Jesus is not with us physically in flesh right now, his impact is eternal, and the work of the Holy Spirit continues to impact strongly on our lives today.

Bibliography:

Smith, James Bryan.The Good and Beautiful God. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010.

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[1]James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God,(London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 139.

[2]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 141.

[3]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 144.

[4]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 145.

[5]James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 141.

[6]Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 145.

Weekly reflection on “The Good and Beautiful God” Chapter 6 God is Holy

Notes from the book:

God is love. God even loves sinners. However, the fact that God loves sinners is usually followed with, “But God still hates sin.”[1] Today, many people have abandoned the “angry God” narratives: you are just as likely to hear a person tell you that their god is a cosmic, benevolent spirit who never judges, does not punish sin, and sends no one to hell. This “teddy bear” god has become a very fashionable alternative to the wrathful god of days gone by. The narrative of a god who does not care about sin naturally undermines the entire Christian story. God demonstrates wrath toward sin: there is judgment in God’s kingdom, and there is a need for Jesus to die on a cross. The teddy-bear god seems inviting at first. But when you look at our world or look deeply into your own heart, you see a darkness that is unmistakable[2]. The nonwrathful god is powerless against this darkness[3]. Words like condemnation and wrath are not often associated with Jesus, but we cannot overlook the fact that he spoke so often about these things (John 5:28; Matthew 12:36-37; Matthew 16:27; Luke 21:23; John 3:36)[4].

When we think of love we think of an emotion or a feeling that is often irrational. Most of the love songs we hear on the radio describe a torrent of emotions a person feels about their beloved, so much so that they would climb every mountain and swim every sea just to be with him or her. In actuality, they wouldn’t. So we hear that “God is love” and make the assumption that God is crazy in love with us. But love, particularly the Greek word agape, has a different definition. To love is, in the words of Dallas Willard, “to will the good of another”; it’s not primarily an emotion. Love is a desire for the well-being of another, so much so that personal sacrifice would not stand in its way. It is not that God’s love is dispassionate, it’s just that God’s love is a lot more like a parent’s love toward a child than the “love” between infatuated teens[5].

The same is true of the word wrath. When we hear this word we imagine someone in a fit of rage who has lost all reason and control. So when we speak of the wrath of God, we imagine that God is irrationally full of rage, ready to “make heads roll” because he is so livid. In the same way that God’s love is not a silly, sappy feeling but rather a consistent desire for the good of his people, so also the wrath of God is not a crazed rage but rather a consistent opposition to sin and evil. The solution to the problem is in understanding that in the Bible the wrath of God is “pathos”, and not “passion”. “Passion” can be understood as an emotional convulsion, and a loss of self-control. “Pathos” on the other hand, is an act formed with care and intention, the result of determination and decision[6]. God’s wrath is a mindful, objective, rational response. It is actually an act of love. God is not indecisive when it comes to evil. God is fiercely and forcefully opposed to the things that destroy his precious people. Wrath is not a permanent attribute of God. Whereas love and holiness are part of his essential nature, wrath is contingent upon human sin; if there were no sin there would be no wrath[7].  

Holiness is an essential part of God’s nature. God cannot not be holy in the same way that God cannot not be love. This is not true of God’s wrath, which is not an attribute of God. Wrath is not something that God is but something that God does. While it is correct to say God is holy, it is not correct to say God is wrathful. Wrath is the just act of a holy God toward sin[8]. In reality, we don’t want the teddy-bear god because that god is not holy. J.I. Packer asks an insightful question: “Would a God who did not care about the difference between right and wrong be a good and admirable Being? Moral indifference would be an imperfection in God, not a perfection.” The teddy-bear god is like permissive parents who let their kids drink and do drugs and have sex without guilt. Young kids might think these types of parents were cool, but they weren’t: they were lazy and did not really love their kids. Many of their kids went on to do hard drugs which wrecked their lives[9]. Being soft on sin is not loving, because sin destroys[10].

Because God is love, hell, a place of separation from God, is necessary. Love does not demand love in return it is not coercive. God does everything he can to reach out to us, and yet people are free to reject that love. Hell is simply isolation from God. A person, even a person others think of as decent and upright, who rejects God is experiencing hell on earth. There is a part of human life that resists relinquishing control to God. If unchecked, this resistance can lead to ruin. C.S. Lewis writes, “It is not a question of God ‘sending’ us to Hell. In each of us there is something growing up which will of itself be Hell unless it’s nipped in the bud. The matter is serious: let us put ourselves in His hands at once, this very day, this hour.”[11]

Reflections:

To love is “to will the good of another,” according to Dallas Willard[12]. When this understanding of love comes in contact with our sin, the result is God’s wrath, because “God is fiercely and forcefully opposed to the things that destroy his precious people”[13].

If a friend wanted to understand how a loving God could be wrathful, I would explain to my friend that we need to make a few definitions first in order to get a clearer picture. When we think of love we think of an emotion or a feeling that is often irrational, like the love songs we hear on the radio. But love, particularly the Greek word agape, has a different definition. To love is, in the words of Dallas Willard, “to will the good of another”; it’s not primarily an emotion, but a desire for the well-being of another. It is not that God’s love is dispassionate, it’s just that God’s love is a lot more like a parent’s love toward a child than the “love” between infatuated teens[14].

The same is true of the word wrath. When we hear this word we imagine someone in a fit of rage who has lost all reason and control. In the same way that God’s love is not a silly, sappy feeling but rather a consistent desire for the good of his people, so also the wrath of God is not a crazed rage but rather a consistent opposition to sin and evil[15]. Holiness is an essential part of God’s nature. God cannot not be holy in the same way that God cannot not be love. This is not true of God’s wrath, which is not an attribute of God. Wrath is not something that God is but something that God does. While it is correct to say God is holy, it is not correct to say God is wrathful. Wrath is the just act of a holy God toward sin[16]. Being soft on sin is not loving, because sin destroys[17].

Bibliography:

Smith, James Bryan. The Good and Beautiful God. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010.

Wang, Ying-fan Yvonne. Dr Yvonne Wang’s Blabberings. Last modified April 25, 2015. http://dryvonnewang.blogspot.com.au.

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[1] James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 115.

[2] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 116.

[3] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 117.

[4] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 117-118.

[5] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 119.

[6] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 120.

[7] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 121.

[8] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 122-123.

[9] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 124.

[10] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 125.

[11] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 125.

[12] James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 119.

[13] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 121.

[14] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 119.

[15] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 120.

[16] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 122-123.

[17] Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, 125.