Haoran's blog

No longer 15

Posted 29 August, 2010 - 00:18 by Haoran
One of the benefits of aging is that I am no longer a teenager.

True, I do occasionally long to be several kilograms lighter, and to be able to run as fast as I could when I was 20, but I am reminded how horrible the teenage years were.

Driving home tonight, I was listening to the Violent Femmes' first album.

Reflections on Church Membership

Posted 17 June, 2010 - 11:27 by Haoran

Some thoughts on Church Membership; specifically, membership at Soma.

We want to emphasise that membership at Soma is significant. It's not something that comes low on your list of priorities after family, study, work, etc. Rather, being part of Soma is a significant commitment, that necessitates responsibility.

Death?

Posted 18 May, 2010 - 11:04 by Haoran

What is death?

I wonder if we superimpose our ideas of death: back onto the Bible. So we think physical death, or perhaps the second death, burning in the fires of hell.

But ultimately, Death is: separation from God.

Hence physical death and spiritual death are ways of being separated from God. Jesus' death, whether or not he actually "descended into hell", was hell for him because he was separated from God's presence.

So the day that Adam and Eve were excluded from God’s presence, they, in some sense, have died.

Does God Change His Mind?

Posted 29 April, 2010 - 10:43 by Haoran

Yesterday's tutorial discussion in Theology: Does God Change his mind? Does God "repent" (or relent)? Does God say one thing and do another?

The weight of biblical evidence seems to say that God doesn't change his mind:

God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?

- Numbers 23:19

Furthermore, the Eternal One of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not man who changes his mind.

- 1 Samuel 15:29

Bible Reading

Posted 19 February, 2010 - 11:00 by Haoran

Topic for the week: Bible Reading.

Normally, when a discussion like this comes up, my biggest fear is coldness, analytical-ness, arrogance. I know stuff, I think quickly, I process quickly.

I am bad at Bible reading, and I tend to read for purpose (Bible Study, preaching, essay), and not for food.

My life has been difficult recently; I am a full-time carer twice over, whilst trying to keep my College work ticking over, and for once in my life, I can justifiably think to myself, I am too busy. My conscience, for once, is not burning.

Obedience that comes from Faith

Posted 2 February, 2010 - 08:41 by Haoran

...the obedience that comes from faith.
- Romans 1:5b (NIV)

I was just pondering this this morning. Naturally, Christianity is a faith-based work; obedience comes after faith, in response to faith in God, and his Son, attested to by his descent from David and the power of the Holy Spirit.

But as I read it to Micah, I was considering the obedience that we want our children to have. Godly children should obey their parents. Does that obedience also come about through faith?

Malaysian Experience

Posted 20 January, 2010 - 20:32 by Haoran

Thus far, it's been a fun trip to Malaysia, and it's been fun re-experiencing Malaysia through the eyes of Sarah and Micah. Experiences include:

  • We were allowed to bring our wonderful pram with us, but we had to check it with the rest of the luggage. As a result, Micah had the loan of an extremely dignifying pink stroller.

Something about Mary

Posted 4 January, 2010 - 11:13 by Haoran

I've noticed that we as Protestants tend to beat down on Mary (the mother of Jesus) a lot.

Recently, I heard someone say, "Mary wasn't anything special. She was just another chick."

Another person started making negative comments when they heard a reference to Mary in a Christmas song (sung by a non-Christian no less).

Looking back on 2009

Posted 1 January, 2010 - 05:39 by Haoran

The New Year is a time to look forward and look back.

Much happened in 2009, and God has blessed us greatly.

2009

  • We bought a house (albeit subsidised heavily by my parents)
  • We started at Bible College (SMBC)
  • We had a baby—the delightful Micah!
  • We started Soma with Pete and various others.
  • We made significant progress with the Geeks Ministry (which I mention because that's likely to occupy a large proportion of my time sometime in the future.)

There is nothing new to Googlewhack under the sun.

Posted 1 January, 2010 - 05:06 by Haoran

I was reflecting just now (and I don't really know where it came from; I just woke up in the middle of the night and it was there), that our very common response to a problem (for instance, "Why is a a laser red?" or "Will a Wii play DVDs?") is to Google it (probably through your iPhone).

So much so that "to google" has become a verb, from the proper noun ("Google").

What you invariably find is that someone has asked the question before, in some form or other.