View allAll Photos Tagged eDification
Sporting Chance Center, Tucson, AZ Jan 19, 2014 — Club Cactus #12 goes up for the spike against #22 and #34 of Dessert Stars Volleyball Club.
PENTAX K-5
smc PENTAX-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED AL [IF] SDM, @ 75mm
ISO 1600, ƒ3.5, 1/250
Les fontaines Wallace sont des points d’eau potable publics qui se présentent sous la forme de petits édicules en fonte présents dans plusieurs villes dans le monde. Dessinées par Charles-Auguste Lebourg, elles tiennent leur nom de Richard Wallace, le philanthrope britannique qui finança leur édification. Elles sont souvent associées à l'image de Paris car c'est dans cette ville qu’elles furent implantées en premier et que c’est en France qu’on en trouve le plus.
Wallace fountains are public drinking water points which take the form of small cast iron buildings found in several cities around the world. Designed by Charles-Auguste Lebourg, they take their name from Richard Wallace, the British philanthropist who financed their construction. They are often associated with the image of Paris because it is in this city that they were first established and it is in France that they are found the most.
Training in bamboo transformation in Yangambi, DRC.
Photo by Fiston Wasanga/CIFOR
If you use one of our photos, please credit it accordingly and let us know. You can reach us through our Flickr account or at: cifor-mediainfo@cgiar.org and m.edliadi@cgiar.org
3/20/15... bringing this back around as a protest/whine--
we got snow again today and we are nowhere near a melt that would allow tulips to burst forth in the yard!! for edification the snow in middle of my yard is probably 18" to 2 feet in some places :(
there must be a point in late march when we have just had enough-- eh??
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3/24/15....the snowbank at the end of my driveway, where the plow pushed it, is still almost hip high. granted i am not a tall person but couldn't it melt a little faster??
83/365
508/6/19
Sporting Chance Center, Tucson, AZ Jan 19, 2014 — Club Dinamo team mates #19 and #14 attempt the block against #14 of the Dessert Stars Club.
PENTAX K-5
smc PENTAX-DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL [IF] SDM, @ 42mm
ISO 1600, ƒ4, 1/250
Cette porte constituée d'un seul arc fut ordonnée par le pape Grégoire XIII. Contrairement la confusion fréquemment faite, cette porte fut très probablement réalisée par Giacomo Del Duca qui fut l'assistant de Michel-Ange lors de la construction de la Porta Pia (1561-1565), et non Giacomo della Porta. Cette erreur tient au fait que les chroniques de l'époque faisait référence au « fameux architecte Giacomo », sans plus de précisions. Elle a été commandée pour fluidifier le trafic en provenance et en direction du sud de l'Italie, notamment de la Campanie, dans la zone du Latran en pleine restructuration à cette époque. Son style, en raison de l'époque d'édification, est plus proche d'une porte décorative que d'un ouvrage défensif avec l'absence de tour ou bastion de défense.
Elle fut inaugurée en 1574 et condamna par décret papal la Porta Asinaria voisine datant de la construction du mur d'Aurélien et pourtant bien plus importante. La Porta San Giovanni donnait sur la via Campana rejoignant la via Appia Nuova.
À proximité de la porte, dans l'enceinte du mur, se trouve la place homonyme qui fut ornée en 1927 d'une immense statue de bronze de Giuseppe Tonnini représentant saint François d'Assise.
-
-
This door consists of a single arc was ordered by Pope Gregory XIII. Unlike the confusion frequently made, the door was most probably prepared by Giacomo Del Duca, who was assistant to Michelangelo in the construction of the Porta Pia (1561-1565), Giacomo della Porta and not. This error stems from the fact that the chronicles of the time referred to the "famous architect Giacomo", without elaborating. She was commissioned to ease traffic congestion to and from the south of Italy, including Campania, in the area of the Lateran undergoing restructuring at that time. His style, due to the time of construction, is near a decorative door as a defensive structure with no tower or bastion of defense.
It was inaugurated in 1574 and condemned by papal Asinaria Porta nearby dating from the construction of the wall of Aurelian, yet much more important. Porta San Giovanni on Via Campana gave joining the Via Appia Nuova.
Near the gate in the wall that stands the piazza, which was decorated in 1927 with a huge bronze statue of Giuseppe Tonnini representing St. Francis of Assisi.
-
Roma - Italia
‘The approach which the contemporary situation demands of us can find in him [Kierkegaard] some elements of edification; not to be totally ignorant about one of our time’s esteemed thinkers can improve our understanding of the present.’..
...Congar saw in Kierkegaard the perfect opposite of this system. For him, Kierkegaard’s approach was not one system opposed to another system, but ‘a living attitude, lived as well as thought; before thought there was a spiritual labor, which was all the more poignant because in all of his spontaneous gifts, Kierkegaard was offering a choice instrument to romanticism’s aesthetic inspiration’.
-Faithful to the Future: Listening to Yves Congar
Brother Emile of Taiz
Senlis - Oise (France).
Comme sa voisine, la Cathédrale Notre Dame, l'ancien palais Episcopal de Senlis est adossé au rempart Gallo-Romain du IIIe siècle, annexant deux Tours, dont la Tour de l'Oratoire, l'autre sera démantelée par Guillaume Parvi (évêque de Senlis de 1528 à 1536) pour ériger une galerie de style Renaissance (fenêtres juste au-dessous du toit). Son édification est, sans doute, contemporaine à celle de la Cathédrale (XIIe) et s'est prolongée, par rajout successifs, jusqu'au XVIIIe siècle.
Hébergeant le Musée d'Art et d'Archeologie, ses pièces actuellement vides, dans l'attente des dernières finitions, devraient bientôt retrouver toutes les collections, Scupltures du moyen-age ou peintures du XVIIe-XXe siècle.
---------------------------
As her neighbour, the Cathedral Notre-Dame, the former house of bishops Senlisiens is leaned in the Gallo-Roman rampart of the IIIth century, annexing two Tours, among which the Tower of the Oratory, the other one will be dismantled by Guillaume Parvi (bishop of Senlis from 1528 till 1536) to set up a gallery of Renaissance style (windows just below the roof). Its construction is, doubtless, contemporary in that of the (XIIth) Cathedral and went on, by addition successive, until XVIIIth century.
■ Plaza de España (Seville, Spain).
Taken handheld with a Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) under blazing sun ( 42 mm, F3.7, 1/125 s,, ISO 125 ). Hot sunlight was overwhelming and I wanted to try this shadowy arch. The 10 Mpixel full-size pic has incredible detail in the walls and ornate celiling.
■ Plaza de España (Sevilla).
Tomada a pulso con una Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) bajo un sol ardiente ( 42 mm, F3.7, 1/125 s,, ISO 125 ). La luz solar era abrumadora e intente probar con este arco en sombra. La foto en su tamaño original (10 Mpixeles) tiene un detalle increible en las paredes y el techo ornamentado.
CASHEL ABBEY (Ambrose Colman, O.P.)
FOUNDED in 1243 by David Mac Kelly, archbishop of Cashel, "who while dean of Cashel joined the Dominicans of Cork as a member of the Order and out of that community supplied with members a little monastery which he had built at Cashel. Ware.
1250. June 13. The King writes to the archbishop of Dublin begging that the Crusade be preached in Ireland. He also writes to the archbishop of Cashel and adds that the Pope's letters, which Walter Maunsel is bringing to the archbishop, are to be placed after their publication, in the custody of the Friars Preachers of Cashel.
1256, June 30. A provincial chapter was held here. Provincial chapters were held here in 1289 and 1307.
1394, July 15. John O'Grady, archbishop of Cashel, was buried in this abbey.
1480. An accidental fire having destroyed the abbey, it was re- built by John Cantwell, the archbishop, who was constituted both patron and founder, by an instrument dated at Limerick, about 1480, and by the same instrument it was declared that he and all assisting him in the good work would be partakers of all the suffrages of the Order in Ireland.
The document purports to emanate from John Frickery, vicar-general of the Dominican Order in Ireland, William Duff de Burgo, prior of the house, and the community itself.
1535. Edward Brown, the prior, on the vigil of Easter, demised to Peter O'Cuil, priest, a messuage of Cashel for the term of sixty years, at the annual rent of six shillings and eight pence, Irish; and on April n, 1536, the said Edward demised to Walter Fleming of Cashel, two messuages and two acres, with their, appurtenances in the said town, for the term of sixty years, at the annual rent of sixteen pence; on April 8, 1540, the said Edward "surrendered" this friary, containing a church and belfry, a dormitory, a chamber with two cellars, a cemetery, two orchards, and two parks or gardens containing two acres, etc., etc.
1543, May 5. Grant to Walter Fleming, of Cashel, merchant, for 46. of the site of the monastery of Friars Preachers of Cashel.
1544, Mar. 8. This friary (tithes excepted), with its appurtenances, and four gardens in Cashel, were granted for ever to Walter Fleming, in capite, at the annual rent of two shillings and sixpence, Irish money.
In 1756 there were five fathers attached to the convent of Cashel, but only one in 1800. The death of a Father Cantwell is mentioned in the obits in 1843. The last Dominican of Cashel was Father Conway, who was still there in 1850.
THB FRIARS OF CASHEL(John O’Heyne, O.P.)
In County Tipperary is a very ancient city called Cashel, which is an archiepiscopal see and the metropolis of all Munster. In this city there is a Dominican abbey, built in 1243 by an archbishop of Cashel, David MacKelly. Another archbishop of Cashel, called John Cantwell, who lived in the time of Henry VI., repaired the same abbey almost ruined by the chances of war. Ware is my authority for this. I have not information about all the members of this community.
Of the following however I can give the names: —
Father Hackett, who was a man distinguished for knowledge and piety and was theologian to Cardinal Altieri who was afterwards Clement X. This venerable father was so humble and poor in spirit that he refused to accept a bishopric.
Father Patrick Hackett, of the same community, studied at Louvain and afterwards laboured at home with success in the vineyard of the Lord. He was prior of his convent, and was held in great esteem by the people.
Father Peter Butler was professed at Louvain for the convent of Cashel, on February 8th, 1633, and on the completion of his studies laboured hard at home for many years. Father Bernard O’Donnell studied at Louvain, and after his return in 1662, was a pious and busy worker in his convent for many years.
Father Dominic Kent was professed at Louvain for the same convent and on finishing his studies was lector of philosophy there. At home he was often prior of his convent and very proficient in preaching and teaching. He was indeed a good, mild and genial man, and above all of exemplary life. On being exiled he went to the convent of Bourges, in France, where he gave great edification. He was afterwards a chaplain in the French army, but becoming infirm returned to Louvain, where fortified by the last sacraments he died a pious death in 1703.
Father William O’Dwyer studied partly in France and taught philosophy in Louvain. At home he became prior of Waterford and was afterwards an army chaplain. He went to Rome and afterwards to Portugal and having attained the degree of bachelor of theology, died at Civita Vecchia.
Father Mark Boyton was professed at Louvain for the convent of Cashel and studied philosophy there, finishing the rest of his studies with great success at Cremona in Lombardy. I was acquainted with him from the time of his reception. He was a very amiable man and was endowed with a deep and penetrating intellect and a most retentive memory. He became a distinguished preacher in Italy, and was such a good religious; the convent of our Lady of Graces received him accordingly as a member. He was beloved by all, and was ordinary confessor of the Princess de Vaudimont of Milan. The citizens of Milan praised his preaching and likewise grieved over his early death, which took him in 1704.
Father Peter Butler was professed at Louvain for the Cashel convent, and having finished his philosophy, was expelled to return home owing to a serious illness, the conquest of the kingdom, he went to France with his father and two sisters; and having got a dispensation from the Holy See and the permission of his provincial, became a parish priest in the diocese of Poitou, that he might support his father, a nobleman and already very aged. On the death of his father he got permission to join the Canons Regular of St. Augustine ad finally departed to the Lord, full of grace and merits, le was indeed a most amiable man in every respect.
Belonging to this Cashel community are still living: —
Father Peter O’Mulyran, who studied at Louvain and in Spain. On going back to Louvain he became Ulster of novices and subprior, and on his return home was prior of Waterford. He is now living in exile at Rouen in France; and being acquainted with six languages is very useful in the service of God and religion in that famous port.
Father Anthony Kent studied at Louvain and then at Tours in France, and hindered by the general exile. On returning home, served for two years as a chaplain in the French army, he then returned to his poor cell which is better than the wealth of kings, provided that he learns from the Lord how to use it well and enjoy it.
Father James Stapleton was professed at Louvain and studied satisfactorily there. He afterwards served for some time as an army chaplain and is now living at Louvain. He is a good and open-minded religious and very laborious in questing for this college.
Wait.. no... a great horned owl! This is a special image to me. I've been camping since before I was born (literally, I mean, if you can call that camping). In that twilight hour I so often hear the eerie calls of great horned and other owls. I find their feathers around camp and see their pellets under trees, but I never actually get to see them. The only time I've seen owls up to this point was when I specifically knew where one was hanging out. Then this weekend, on a trip to the Alabama Hills, I heard one hoot at mid day. I hooted back, and he returned my inquiry, and then even flew out to check me out! I quickly grabbed my gear and scrambled up several (car sized) boulders to get this vantage point. He posed for a while in the nice reflected light, albeit a bit far away. But fortunately the rock was rather photogenic, so as per my usual style, here he is in his habitat :)
Please view large.
-------
Prints available: florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/
Adventures for your entertainment and edification: artinnature.wordpress.com/
The Palazzo Ducale is in the main piazza in Sabbioneta. It's now the town hall.Started in 1554, this ducal Palace contains wonderful equestrian statues of the Gonzagas, the horses all prancing nervously while the cavaliers remain impassive. The Ducal Palace or Big Palace is the first important building raised in the town: it was the power and political centre. The Palace faces the Ducal square with S.Maria Assunta's church, the city Cathedral, and, once, the Palazzo della Ragione: prison and Ducal Vicar's home.On the southern side is a portico with white marble ashlar-worked pilasters and arches.The building edification works took two periods: from 1558/1560 to 1568, when Vespasiano Gonzaga left to Spain, and after 1578, when the Duke went back from the Catholic Philip II's Court.Two floors divided, the Palace shows a façade with five ashlar-worked arched openings and higher than the street level.By white marble high steps we can approach the main entrance. A lightly jutting floor-marking cornice lays five windows. The openings are marble bordered with triangular and curvilinear alterned tympana.The Ducal inscription "VESP.D.G.DUX SABLON.I" (Vespasiano by the Grace of God, first Duke of Sabbioneta) is carved on the architraves.Above the windows, jutting corbels hold five wooden busts, copies of the authentic ones kept inside the same Palace. It's likely that in the Sixteenth-century Roman emperors marble busts took place. The building is dominated by an elevation probably realized during the edification's last period.In this period the Palace was provided with new rooms, an inside loggia, a ceremony court and a tower, so covering a huge surface, a whole city block.The chronicler Niccolò De Dondi, contemporary to Vespasiano, inform us, while the Duke was still alive, that a bronze statue by Leone Leoni from Arezzo rose on a high base on the left side of the entrance steps. It was realized by Leone Leoni from Arezzo around 1570 A.D.After the Duke's death in 1592 the statue, realized in 1570, was located inside the Incoronata's church.
Sede di rappresentanza, centro della vita pubblica ed amministrativa dello stato di Sabbioneta, il Palazzo Ducale domina l'omonima Piazza Ducale.Fu realizzato tra il 1560 e il 1561 dopo il violento incendio che aveva devastato l'edificio precedente. Il palazzo si sviluppa su quattro livelli: il seminterrato, il piano terra, il piano nobile ed il piano ammezzato, adibito a residenza del duca Vespasiano Gonzaga.La facciata presenta nella parte inferiore un porticato a bugnato posto ad un livello rialzato, caratterizzato da cinque aperture arcuate. L'alta gradinata d'ingresso è in marmo bianco. Una cornice marcapiano, sulla quale poggiano cinque aperture, separa la parte superiore da quella inferiore. Le finestre sono profilate in marmo e sono sormontate da timpani triangolari e curvilinei alternati. Sulle architravi è incisa l'iscrizione ducale: "VESP. D. G. DVX SABLON. I" (Vespasiano per grazia di Dio primo duca di Sabbioneta). Nel Cinquecento, sulle mensole sopra le finestre si trovavano busti marmorei di imperatori romani. A destra della scalinata, sulla piazza, un tempo v'era un basamento marmoreo su cui era posta una statua bronzea del duca, dell'aretino Leone Leoni, ora situata nella Chiesa dell'Incoronata. Sopra il parapetto del balconcino erano poste le due colonne di bronzo, le quali reggevano un cupolino di bronzo che formava una piccola loggia. La parte superiore della facciata fu dipinta nel 1584 da Bernardino Campi e da Michelangelo Veronese.
Sabbioneta is a town and comune in the province of Mantua, Lombardy region, northern Italy. It is situated about 30 km north of Parma, not far from the northern bank of the Po River. It was inscribed in the World Heritage List in 2008.Sabbioneta was founded by Vespasiano I Gonzaga in the late 16th century along the ancient Roman Via Vitelliana, on a sandy bank of the Po (whence the name, meaning "Sandy" in Italian; he was its first duke, using it as a personal fortress and residence. It was also during this period that it became a minor musical centre; composers such as Benedetto Pallavicino were employed here by Vespasiano Gonzaga, prior to his moving to the main Gonzaga city of Mantua.In 2008, Sabbioneta was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a recognition of its perfect example of practical application of Renaissance urban planning theories.Sabbioneta is The town is also known for its historic Jewish Ghetto and Synagogue, and in particular for its Hebrew printing-press. In 1551 Tobias Foa set up the press; he had, however, published certain "anti-Christian books" and his career was "forcibly ended". His work and possibly his type were taken up by a Christian printer, Vicenzo Conte.Vespasiano Gonzaga's town, designed according to the Renaissance principles of the Ideal City.
Sabbioneta è un comune italiano di 4.372 abitanti della provincia di Mantova in Lombardia. È stata dichiarata nel 2008 con Mantova Patrimonio dell'umanità dall'UNESCO.La città fu fondata da Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna tra il 1554/1556 e il 1591, anno della sua morte, nel luogo in cui sorgevano una rocca e un antico insediamento.Posta su un terreno alluvionale tra i fiumi Po e Oglio, nonché lungo il tracciato dell'antica via Vitelliana, occupava una posizione strategica nel cuore della Pianura padana. Per Vespasiano Gonzaga Sabbioneta doveva essere soprattutto una fortezza e la potenza del suo circuito murario la rendevano sicuramente, a quei tempi, uno dei più muniti baluardi della Lombardia di dominio spagnolo.Sabbioneta fu soprattutto la capitale di un piccolo stato posto tra i grandi stati regionali: il Ducato di Milano ad ovest, retto in quell'epoca dal governatorato spagnolo, il Ducato di Mantova ad est oltre il fiume Oglio, governato dalla linea primigenia dei Gonzaga, cugini di Vespasiano, e il Ducato di Parma e Piacenza a sud del Po, di dominio della casata Farnese, solidale e amica dello stesso Gonzaga. Il territorio del piccolo stato di Sabbioneta era principalmente concentrato alla propaggine orientale della diocesi di Cremona e costituiva un obbligato crocevia sia per i traffici commerciali nel medio corso del Po, sia per le comunicazioni tra la piana bresciana e l'Emilia.Il periodo più prospero nella storia della città fu negli anni della sua riedificazione, sotto il dominio del principe Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, di cui divenne la residenza.La cittadina, costruita in base ai principi umanistici della città ideale, ospita al suo interno diversi monumenti quali il Palazzo Ducale o Palazzo Grande, residenza ducale e luogo deputato all'amministrazione dello stato, il Teatro all'Antica o Teatro Olimpico (1590) progettato da Vincenzo Scamozzi, primo edificio teatrale dell'epoca moderna costruito appositamente per tale funzione, la Galleria degli Antichi o Corridor Grande, deputata ad ospitare la collezione di marmi antichi nonché i trofei di caccia, il Palazzo Giardino o Casino, luogo consacrato all'otium e pregevolmente riqualificato tra il 1582 e il 1587 da Bernardino Campi e dalla sua équipe di collaboratori, le chiese dell'Assunta, Incoronata, del Carmine, la Sinagoga e lo storico quartiere ebraico, oggi non più abitato da una comunità, con le sue attività di stampa, fondate nel 1567 da Tobias Foa.
Font : Wikipedia
1900 N Country Club RD, Tucson, Pima County, AZ Jul 15, 2011 — I shot multiple exposures then converted six images to tiffs using Lightroom. I used Photomatrix to tone-map the HDR image. I spruced-up the image using the plug-in Topaz, and touched-up the image using Photoshop. I then used the Photoshop filter "poster edges" to stylize the photo.
The scene was lit by streetlights and the full moon.
PENTAX K-5
SMC Pentax 10-17mm ƒ3.5-4.5 Fish-Eye ED [IF]
ISO 80, ƒ10, 10-30 seconds
Another from my visit to the motherland, the Netherlands. This one is from the forest near Oisterwijk in the southern part of the Netherlands. I found this stand of Birches while biking around in the afternoon, and returned later that evening to catch the grove in the last minutes of sunlight.
Which do you prefer, this or the horizontal? I liked the open and inviting feeling the vertical had over the horizontal - I think it better conveys the feeling of the experience.. but the horizontal is a more classic forest composition which may work better for some.
-------
Prints available: florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/
Adventures for your entertainment and edification: artinnature.wordpress.com/
Le cimetière chinois de Nolette est un cimetière situé le territoire de la commune française de Noyelles-sur-Mer où sont inhumés les travailleurs civils chinois employés par l'armée britannique pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.
Il s'agit du plus grand cimetière chinois de France et d'Europe
Pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, Noyelles abrita une importante base arrière britannique dont un grand camp de coolies (travailleurs immigrés chinois). Ils furent recrutés par l'armée britannique entre 1917 et 1919 dans le cadre du corps de travailleurs chinois (en anglais, Chinese Labour Corps), pour des tâches de manutention à l'arrière du front mais certains connaitront les zones de combat.
Ils représentent l'une des premières immigrations chinoises en France. Ils avaient l'interdiction de se mêler à la population civile du lieu. Certains resteront en France après la Grande Guerre.
Chinois en France
L'entrée du cimetière chinois de Nolette.
Ils étaient affectés à des tâches pénibles et dangereuses comme le terrassement de tranchées, le ramassage des soldats morts sur le champ de bataille, le déminage des terrains reconquis, la blanchisserie, les services de santé auprès des malades, en particulier ceux atteints de la grippe espagnole...
En 1921, le gouvernement britannique décida l'édification du cimetière chinois à Nolette. Le Major Truelove est chargé de sa réalisation sous l'autorité d'Edwin Lutyens.
Depuis 2002, le cimetière de Nolette est le lieu de célébration de la Fête de Qing Ming (Fête des Morts chinoise) en France organisée par le Conseil pour l'intégration des communautés d'origine chinoise en France.
On trouve dans le département de la Somme des tombes de coolies dans les cimetières d'Abbeville, Albert, Daours, Gézaincourt, Tincourt-Boucly et Villers-Carbonnel.
Propriété de l'État français et gérée par la Commonwealth War Graves Commission, la nécropole située près du hameau de Nolette dans la commune de Noyelles-sur-Mer a été inaugurée en 1921 par le Préfet de la Somme. 849 travailleurs chinois sont inhumés à Noyelles-sur-Mer. La plupart travaillait au camp chinois de l'armée britannique situé sur la commune entre 1917 et 1919.
Tombe de Yang Shiyue 楊十月 originaire du Shandong, mort le 12 janvier 19191.
Beaucoup sont morts d'une épidémie de choléra qui a sévi dans le camp, de la grippe espagnole en 1918-1919 ou de la tuberculose, voire tués dans les zones de combat.
Le site est caractérisée par le portail d'entrée, les inscriptions sur les tombes et les essences d'arbres (pins, cèdres...) qu'on ne rencontre pas dans les autres cimetières du Commonwealth ainsi que par l'absence de croix du Sacrifice et de pierre du Souvenir.
Les tombes de ce cimetière sont constituées de 849 stèles en marbre blanc, avec sur chacune d'elle gravée une inscription en anglais « Faithful unto Death » ou « Though dead he still liveth » ou encore « A good reputation endures for ever » ainsi que des idéogrammes chinois et parfois, très rarement, le nom en anglais ou le matricule du défunt.
Le porche monumental et le mur de l'entrée tiennent lieu de mémorial pour la quarantaine de Chinois morts sur terre ou sur mer sans tombes connues.
Des statues de lions offerts par la République populaire de Chine sont situées, non loin de la nécropole, à l'entrée de la rue qui mène au cimetière de Nolette
Piazza Grande è il cuore del centro storico di Arezzo.
Venne realizzata nel XIII sec., ma la piazza come la vediamo oggi è il risultato di una profonda trasformazione avvenuta nel XVI sec. con la costruzione delle Logge del Vasari (a destra nell’immagine).
Sulla Piazza si affacciano anche il Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici con il suo campaniletto (XV sec.), il Palazzo del Tribunale e, alla sua sinistra, l’abside della Pieve di S. Maria (XII – XIV sec.).
----------
Piazza Grande is the heart of the historic center of Arezzo (Tuscany, Italy).
It was built in XIII sec, but the square as we see now is the result of a deep transformation done on the XVI cent, with the edification of the “Logge del Vasari” (on the right in the image).
On the square many other interesting buildings appear: “Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici” with its small bell tower (XV cent.), “Palazzo del Tribunale” and, on its left, the apses of the church “Pieve di S. Maria” (XII – XIV cent.)
THE ELECT MARTYR, SAINT MARINA
I- THE EARLY YEARS: St. Marina evolved in Antioch in Pisidia. This city was in the middle of Asia Minor in Perga on the borders of Pisidia. [Not to be confused with "Great Antioch" on River Aasi, about 15 miles east of the Mediterranean; where the Throne of the Pope of Antioch was.] The city was founded by Silesius Ist. (Nectarius,) one of the army Generals of Alexander the Great. He called it Antioch after his father Antiochus. It was an important commercial center, and the Romans made it their headquarters for all Southern Galatia. Silesius gave residence to a group of Jews there. The book of Acts mentions that St. Paul visited Antioch in Pisidia during his first evangelical journey, and delivered a sermon in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Many of the Jews believed, but some of them "stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from the region" Paul and Barnabas "..made many disciples"in that city. St. Paul mentioned to his disciple Timothy the "persecutions and afflictions which happened to me at Antioch." Nothing much is left now from that city except some ruins near a city called Yelfetch on the southern slope of the mountainous chain called "Sultan Daghlary" in mid Turkey
II-THE FAMILY OF THE SAINT:Diocletian [Valerius Diocletianus,] (245-313) Roman Emperor from 284 to 305. Diocles, on the murder of Numerian, the army proclaimed him Emperor at Chalcedon on 17 Sept. 284. This date was considered the beginning of the Coptic Calendar of the Martyrs because of the extreme cruelty Diocletian (as he now chose to call himself) was famous for in torturing and killing the Christians. He made his place domus divina and his own person sacred. It was in 303 that the Great Persecution broke out. He issued several edicts to demolish churches, burn Christian books and torture and kill all who refuse to worship him or his idols. On the other hand, he built many temples for his gods and assigned priests and high priests to serve them.The chief of those high priests was called Dasius. He was the father of an only daughter named Marina. Dasius was extremely busy with his devotion to his offerings, incense and rites. When Marina reached her fifth year, her mother died. Her father could not find time to care for his daughter. He put her to the care of a Christian governess
III-THE SAINT IN THE HOUSE OF HER NURSEMAID: This nanny was living in a small town, about 15 miles from Antioch Pisidia. Marina lived with her new nanny away from her father’s idols and gods and his blasphemous practices. This nursemaid enjoyed a great deal of piety, righteousness and love of Christ. She was fond of reading the biographies of the martyrs and saints as well as the sayings of the holy fathers of the church.In this beautiful, holy, spiritual atmosphere lived little Marina enjoying the blessings of this saint. There, in her nanny’s house she heard nothing but prayers and religious enchanting; and she saw nothing but meekness, faith and hope. Her nursemaid could teach her true faith, not only by words but mostly by the good example and the tender regard. Little Marina felt joy and comfort with her nanny. She forgot the instability and the conjure which were in her parents’ house, and she loved her nanny with all her heart. She was brought up in the best of manners. She learned courage, purity and truthfulness. Marina lived with this saint for ten years until she was fifteen. Her father died, but St. Marina preferred to stay with her governess. Also, the nanny considered Marina’s stay with her a blessing from the Lord.
IV-THE SPIRITUAL FIGHT OF THE HOLY SAINT :St. Marina heard from her nanny a great deal about the holy martyrs; about their steadfast faith, and their extreme courage when facing the ferocious rulers and the mad emperors. She was told about how those heroes did not hesitate to declare their faith when the rulers threatened to torture them and to throw them to the hungry beasts. She knew how the martyrs were actually racing each other to gain their martyrdom because of their love to Christ the Lord.One day she started praying " You know, our compassionate Lord, how weak the human nature is. I ask You to give me strength to be able to conquer Your opponents and to praise you for ever. Amen."One day, a new ruler came to Antioch Pisidia from Asia. His name was Alupharnus. He was assigned to capture all Christians and torture them in the most ferocious way. While the evil ruler was in his carriage with his soldiers looking for the Christians, he saw St. Marina with her nanny, going out from their house. The ruler saw them. He was dazzled by her beauty and decided to marry her, whatever it would cost him. He sent his soldiers to bring her to him. When they tried to do so, Marina started praying; "Have mercy on me, O my Savior. Do not destroy my soul in the hands of the blasphemers, nor my life by the blood-shedders. Do not forsake me lest the sinners should destroy my soul and defile my ears and my mind. Send Your grace to me from up high to give me strength, and to keep me steadfast in my faith without fear, and to be able to answer that blasphemer according to his demand. I see my poor soul like a lamb among wolves, or like a bird confronting the hunters, or a fish in the net of fishermen. Come to me, Lord Jesus Christ, and save me from their hands. Glory and praise be to You for ever, Amen." The soldiers returned to the ruler and told him that they could not bring her to him (to marry her) because she was a Christian. The ruler was deeply disturbed by the news.
V-CONFRONTING OF THE RULER: The ruler was very angry. The devil moved him to frighten this young girl with threats of torture and death. He ordered his soldiers to bring ‘the slave’ to him by force. When they did he said to her, "From which race are you?" She answered, "I am a Christian, and I am not a slave." He asked, "So, which tribe are you from? What is your name?" She replied, "I am from the tribe of Jesus Christ. My name is Marina." The ruler asked, "Which god do you worship?"Marina said, "I worship God who created heaven and earth and all creation."He asked, "Then you worship Jesus the Nazarene from Galilee whom the Jews had crucified.""Yes, I do," she replied, "though I am not worthy that He may help my weak soul with His grace, and save me from your blasphemy."The ruler ordered his soldiers to keep her in his custody until they entered the city. When they did, he entered the temple of his gods to offer sacrifices unto them. He, then, called Saint Marina and when she arrived, he said to her, "Let it be known to you, Marina, that I pity your youth and your beauty. I advice you to change your mind and obey my orders to worship my gods and offer them sacrifices. If you do I will surely reward you with great rewards, and you will gain privileges over your peers."The saint answered him, "I will never deviate from worshipping my living God. I will offer my sacrifice of gratitude only to the great Creator, the Savior of all mankind. "The ruler, then, said to her, "This persistence will only cause you great torment. Your members will be cut with iron and burned with fire. You will suffer my great rage, and nothing can save you from my hand except by being submissive and obedient to me. Get rid of your stubbornness and worship my gods. This way you will find rest, and you will save your beauty. I will, then, give you abundantly the most expensive presents, and will raise you to the highest ranks. You will be my wife, and will become a princess!" The great saint answered him, "You blasphemer, who has a cruel heart, do you think that you can scare me with your threats ? I do believe that my merciful God will strengthen me, and will send me help from His holy place. I know that you have authority only over my body, but you have no authority over my spirit. My God says in His holy Gospel, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him." As for me, I am quite ready to receive your torture, thus I will be worthy to join the wise virgins in their comfort. They became worthy to gain the real Groom, Jesus Christ, and to go with Him to heavenly joy. My Lord Jesus Christ, whom I worship, died for our salvation; and I am not worthy to offer my body as a sacrifice for Him, or to suffer all kinds of torments for His sake."The ruler became furious. He ordered the saint’s hands and feet to be tied with ropes, and to scourge her and beat her with clubs.
VI-THE GLORY OF PAIN:As they tortured her, the saint was looking up to heaven, and praying, "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O My God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed. Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord. Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. On You I wait all day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old." For I withstand these pains because I confess Your holy name. Send Your mercy and compassion to me so my grief will become joy."As the saint was enchanting and praising the Lord, the soldiers were beating her so severely that her flesh was torn and her blood flew profusely. The Archangel Michael, then, appeared to her and said to her,"Great is your faith, Marina. Have more strength, for it is by your good confession that your soul will survive, and you will gain the holy baptism."The people who were watching her were crying. Some of them said , "O Marina, your pretty body has been destroyed by this cruel ruler. His intention is to erase your name from the face of the earth. Please, obey his orders, and believe in his gods, so you can be saved from his torture."The great among the martyrs then answered, "God has already helped me and sent the venerable Archangel Michael to me to take away my pains and to heal my wounds. He gave me strength, and opened my eyes and I could see the wonders of the Lord who made me able to expose and shame that blasphemer. Now, what do you want from me, O weak in faith? Because, if my flesh is to be destroyed, my spirit will be renewed and will be with the wise virgins. As for you, please listen and believe in the Lord for He listens to all who pray to Him. But I will never bow to mute and blind gods, which were carved by men." Then Marina looked at the ruler and said,"Whatever you want to do according to the instructions of your father, Satan, do it as fast as you can; because my God has comforted me, and He is my Strength. If you have a power over my body to destroy it, you have none over my spirit. Only my God has the authority over my spirit, and He will save me from your hands, that I can expose you; the rejected blasphemer who is far from the living God, and whose soul is descending to Hades where Satan and his soldiers dwell. The power of God is surely far from you, and the eternal punishment is going to catch you."The ruler, becoming exceedingly furious, ordered his soldiers to comb her flesh with big heated iron forks. The elect saint raised her eyes towards heaven and said,"For dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked has enclosed me... But You, O Lord, do not be far from me; O my Strength, hasten to help me. Deliver me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth. Help my humility, give me strength and the Spirit of life that You may protect my soul from defilement. With Your help I will be able to face the devil, my enemy, and conquer him, and become a good example for all those who seek Your holy name, which is blessed for ever. Amen."The ruler screamed at her, "I swear by my own life that if you do not bow to the gods, you are going to die in the worst way, and I will cut your members with my sword."The elect martyr answered, "O blasphemer, what life do you have? You should know, you who worship the defiled idols, that if I pity my body, my spirit will not ascend to heaven and will not be crowned with the illuminated wreaths."
VII-IN PRISON:The ruler ordered that she would be put in prison. When she entered, she crossed herself and said, "O Most holy, who designs all good matter. All creation tremble from the fear of Your glory. You are the hope of all those who repent, and You set all captives free. You are a father to all orphans, and a judge to all widows. Look at my humility and poverty and save me. Do not forsake me, my God, for I raised my soul to You and You are my only hope."I, poor Theophimos, used to deliver bread and water to saint Marina from her nanny through a little window in prison. She used to write her prayers, and all what happened to her, and give it to me.While she was praying at night, Archangel Michael appeared to her with a light brighter than that of the sun, and crossed her with the sign of the Holy Cross, and all her wounds and pains disappeared. He said to her, "Have strength, O bride of Christ, the elect saint Marina, for you are going to have all what you asked for. You are going to face your enemy, Satan, fight him and overpower him. You are also going to receive the holy baptism and your spirit is going to rise to the eternal bliss.Marina continued praying until morning, when the ruler called for her.
VIII-MORE FEROCIOUS TORTURE:When Marina was brought to the ruler, he was exceedingly amazed when he saw her completely healed from all signs of his torture. He told her that he was sure then that she was a great magician. She said,"I am not a magician, but I am a worshipper of Jesus Christ. Now your defiled helpless idols have been exposed."The ruler was enraged. He ordered to saw her flesh with iron saws, and to cut her skin with knives. When he thought that she was dead, he ordered his soldiers to put her body back in prison until she rots. Archangel Michael appeared to her again, strengthened her, and repeated what he said to her before. He, then, crossed her, cured her and disappeared
IX-THE DRAGON:While Marina was praying, a huge fearful dragon came out from one of the prison corners. It was spitting fire from its nostrils, and was whistling in an awesome way. When she saw it, Marina was scared, and prayed, "O invisible God, who tied Satan and untied those who were tied by Satan. Who raises the dead, and breaks the power of the great dragon. Look at me and have mercy on me so I can conquer this bad beast with Your power." The dragon came forward towards her. It opened its mouth and swallowed her. Because Marina’s arms were raised in the form of a cross when she was praying, this caused the dragon’s stomach to rupture when it swallowed her. By the grace of God, Marina came out safely, and the dragon immediately succumbed
.X-SATAN:When St. Marina stood again to pray, she noticed the devil coming from the left corner of the prison. He looked like a man, sitting down and crossing his arms around his knees. Marina prayed,"My Lord Jesus Christ, Source of wisdom, King of kings, Eternal Rock. I thank You, my God, for you are a Rock to those who seek refuge in You, and a Guide for those who travel, and a Wreath for the virgins. You are the Savior of the world."When she prayed, she held the devil with her hand. The devil said to her, "Why don’t you listen to the ruler, Marina, and obey his orders?"She found a hammer, and started to beat the devil’s head with it. She stepped on his neck and said to him,"Hold it ! you cursed one, for my God saves me from all sins"When she said that, a bright light came upon her, and the holy Cross appeared to her with a Dove on top of it. The Dove spoke and said to her, "Your are blessed, O holy virgin Marina. A crown of light has been prepared for you, and the doors of Paradise are open, waiting for you."
XI-BAPTISM:Next morning, the ruler ordered his soldiers to bring Marina. When they did, he repeated his orders to her to worship his gods. She refused, and the ruler gave his orders to tie her to a pole and burn her. They did. Then he ordered that they tie her hands and legs, and put her in boiling water. When she was in the water, St. Marina looked up to heaven and said, "O God who dwells in heaven, I ask You to untie me, and to make this water a baptism for me. Dress me with the robe of salvation through it. Take away from me the old man and put on me the new man. Make me, with this baptism, worthy to inherit the life eternal, and make my faith steadfast."A great earthquake shook the place, Marina’s ties were loosened, and she immersed herself in the water three times in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. She came out of the water praising God. A voice came from heaven, and all the people who were gathered there heard it. The voice said,"You are blessed, Marina. You were baptized, and became worthy of the crown of virginity."Many of those who witnessed these events declared their faith, became Christians and were baptized. The ruler ordered all of them to be killed. They were beheaded, and gained the wreath of martyrdom.
XII-MARTYRDOM: The ruler was then sure that Marina’s presence conformed a real danger for his idols and gods. He had but one choice; to behead her. The soldier who was assigned to that task, took her out of town, and there he told the saint that he also believed in Jesus Christ. He told her that he saw Christ with His angels. St. Marina said to him, "For that reason I ask you to wait a little time so I can pray." He agreed.The elect saint started to pray: "O God, who created heaven and earth, hear me. I ask You, my God, for every sinner who comes to You repenting, erase all his sins. Everyone who comes to my alter praying, give him all what he asks for. Anyone who is presented in a scary court of law, and mentions my name in confidence, grant him victory over his foes. Anyone who builds a church in my name, or writes the story of my martyrdom, give him, my Lord, all what pleases his heart. All sick people who ask You wellness in my name, grant them soon, if You will, good physical and mental health. Everyone who comes to my church, or hears the story of my martyrdom, have compassion on him, O Lord, by forgiving all his sins. Anyone who is afflicted, or who falls in the hands of those who are cruel and unjust to him, and he asks You in my name, give him deliverance and relief. Whomsoever travels in an awful route, whether it be by land or in the sea, help him, O Lord, and return him to his home safely. The believers who commemorate my martyrdom, and those who are present in Your holy alter in remembrance of me, whether they be of the clergy or the laity; remember them, O Lord, in that Day when they stand in front of You. Judge them not, but rather give them comfort with Your saints."When Saint Marina finished her prayer, a great earthquake shook the place, and the Savior appeared to her with his angels. The elect saint was scared and threw herself in contrition in front of Him, but the Savior said, "Fear not , O Marina, I came to you to grant you all what you have asked for. You are blessed because you asked for the sinners who come to Me repenting. I will give you more than what you asked. Archangel Michael will protect any church which will have a part of your body. No evil spirit will be able to approach any place where a part of your body, or a book of your biography is kept. Rather, peace and the Spirit of truth will be in that place.Saint Marina, then, said to the swordsman, "My brother, do now what you are assigned to do." He refused and said, "I cannot possibly kill the blessed worshipper of Christ." She answered, "If you do not fulfill what you were ordered to do, you will have no share with me in the Kingdom of Heaven." Asking God to forgive him, the trembling soldier, then, beheaded her, and immediately killed himself by the same sword. The earth was shaking, and many sick and disabled people who were watching, rushed to her body seeking blessings and wellness, and they obtained them. Many saw the angels enchanting around the martyr Marina’s body saying, "There is none like You among gods, O Lord." Many believed and obtained glory with Saint Marina.As for me, poor Theophimos, I was accompanying the elect Saint Marina from the beginning to the end. I wrote her biography with all honesty. I added nothing nor did I cancel anything from it I was the one who took her body and put it in a casket made of marble, and I put plenty of frankincense and scents with it. I put the marble casket in the city of Antioch in Pisidia. Blessed be everyone who commemorates her martyrdom, on the twenty-third day of the month of Abib. She will be interceding for him on the Judgment Day.May her prayers and intercessions be with us always. Praised be the Lord forever. Amen.SOME OF THE
MIRACLES WHICH OCCURRED IN ST. MARINA’S CHURCH AT ANTIOCH, IN PISIDIA, AFTER HER MARTYRDOM.
I-EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH OF THE MARTYR (1) St. Theophimos said, "One day the nursemaid of the elect Saint Marina came to me and said that while she was praying at midnight. a dazzling light shone on her, and an angel, crowned with precious stones, and accompanied by a group of angels, appeared to her and said, "I am the Archangel Michael, who is assigned to serve Saint Marina. I came to instruct you with what you should do: Harry up and take the body of St. Marina from the marble casket, and put it in a hidden tomb, because she is suffering from the continuous honoring of her body."The nanny said that she did not notice any crosses on him or on anyone of his followers. So, she said to that angel that she was aware that the devil can appear in the form of an angel, but without a cross on him. She asked him if he could be a devil. Then, I poor Theophimos, answered her, " I saw the angels of heaven taking the soul of the great St. Marina and ascending to heaven while they were enchanting with joy. The devil surely envies the believers who are cured every day when they visit her body and gain her blessing."Suddenly, the blessed martyr Marina, came to us in a white robe with golden crosses over it. She greeted us and said to her nanny, "Blessed be the Lord who fulfilled to me all what I asked Him. He promised me that my spirit would be in the Paradise, while my body will be all over the world. That way the Lord would protect all those who touch a part of my body. You should know that the one who appeared to you in the form of an illustrious angel was my enemy, the devil. Cast him away with the sign of the cross. The Archangel Michael will give those who pray to God in any place where a part of my body is kept, all what they ask for. This year all idol worshipping will cease. I ask you to build a church in my name, in the place where the marble casket is kept.
(2) I, the miserable Theophimos, spoke with the saint’s nanny about building the church which the elect martyr desired to have. She answered that she was, in fact, joyous and eager to see the church erected, but she was afraid that they might not have the money or the ability to finish the project. I answered her that we were going to ask for help from God and His believers, and He would, surely, soften their hearts to build the church through the intercessions of the great Saint Marina. While we were talking, Saint Marina appeared to us in her splendid white robe, with golden crosses all over it, and she greeted us, then, she said to her nanny, "Didn’t I say to you that the Lord Christ had promised to grant me all what I asked Him? Why, then, did you doubt Him? Rise, nanny, with Theophimos and start working. The Lord will help you, and the church’s building will be completed." She, then, disappeared in great glory.In the morning, a group of masons came to us and told us that they had a dream. In their dream, behold, there was a glorious queen who ordered them to come to a person named Theophimos for the purpose of digging the foundation of a church. She promised them that she would pay their wages. She even showed them, in the dream, the place where the church would be erected. She marked, herself, the boundaries of the foundation with chalk, and showed them a marble casket which should be included in that building. When they asked about her name, she answered, "Marina."I called the nanny and told her about the masons. We all, then, went together to the casket and found that the place was, indeed, marked with chalk. The masons were amazed, and shouted glorifying the God of Saint Marina. They immediately started digging the foundation.At the sixth hour (twelve noon,) some merchants arrived and told us that they had traveled from their land loaded with a lot of merchandise and money. When they approached Antioch, they were attacked by highway robbers who plundered them of all what they had. They remained all day chagrined and hungry, and in that evening, one of them started reading the biography of Saint Marina. He reached her prayer, before her martyrdom, where she said, "..and whomsoever travels in an awful route, whether it be by land or in the sea, help him, O Lord and return him to his home safely." They then screamed asking for the intercession of the elect Martyr Marina. They vowed to give tithes of whatever they recover from the robbers to Saint Marina. Suddenly a great king appeared to them accompanied by an honorable queen. They had with them the thieves in handcuffs and all the goods and the money which the merchants had lost to the thieves earlier that day. The king and the queen returned their properties to them and instructed them to give what they vowed to the church of St. Marina in Antioch. The queen said to give what they had promised for the church to Theophimos, and with it she gave them fifty ounces of gold to deliver it to him for the same purpose. The merchants asked about their names, and knew that they were Archangel Michael and the elect martyr Saint MarinaNext morning, Ten men came to us with thirty camels with them. On each of the camels there was a huge load of stones. They told us that they arrived from a far land and when they had approached Antioch, they unloaded the camels and set them to pasture on the grass. They also started to have some food. When they finished eating, they fetched the camels, but they did not find them. Moreover, when they tried to go back to their place where they left the stones, they discovered that they were lost. They were greatly disturbed, and thought that they would surely die. They started to pray and ask for the intercession of Saint Marina. To their great surprise, and delight, St. Marina came to their rescue. She asked them to follow her, and she guided them to the place of their load of stones, and they found the camels with it. The saint told them to take the stones to her church in Antioch, and guided them to our place.When the masons finished the construction, the carpenters started to work. At that time, a man came from Antioch and said to us, "My master is a wood merchant. One day, a terrible fire threatened all the wood in his store. He stood up praying to God, and asked for the intercession of St. Marina so she would save his trade and he vowed to donate one quarter of his wood to her church if she did. Immediately, Archangel Michael appeared to him in an illustrious form, holding a golden cross in his hand. He extended his hand with the cross towards the fire and said, ‘The Almighty God who extinguished the fire from around the Three Holy Young men will put off this fire.’ The fire was extinguished, and all the wood was saved." The man added, "And now my master is asking you to send someone to carry the wood that he had vowed to donate to the church."From all these pledges, the building of the church was completed. His Holiness Pope Gregory came to consecrate it with some Metropolitans, Bishops and priests. They saw the great Saint Marina in their midst. The consecration of the church was on the twenty-third day of the month of Hator. May her intercession always be with us. Amen
.II-THE HEALING OF THE BLEEDER AND HER LEPER SISTER: There was a very rich Jewish woman in the city of Lystra. She suffered from a chronic severe bleeding. For seven long years, no physician could help her, and she spent a good deal of her money in vain. She became wasted, pale and bed ridden. One day a group of her Christian neighbors visited her, and told her that they were on their way to Antioch in Pisidia to celebrate the feast of the blessed martyr St. Marina in her church. She began asking them about St. Marina, and they briefed her about the intercessions of the saint and the miracles which took place in her church. The Jewish lady asked them if she could accompany them and go to her church seeking her intercession. But they told her that she could not do that until she was baptized and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. The lady, then, felt a great urge to go to St. Marina’s church and pray there. As if a grace came over her and convinced her that if she did, if she was baptized, believed and prayed to Jesus and asked for St. Marina’s intercession, she would surely gain the cure which she had, for so long, asked for. She immediately called four strong men, who carried her over a stretcher, and brought her to the church, with her Christian neighbors.There, in the church, she asked the priests to baptize her, so she would be able to approach the holy body of St. Marina. She was baptized, had communion and prayed beside the marble casket and spent her night beside it. In the morning, she woke up completely cured. She told the priests that she saw in her dream St. Marina and heard her saying to her, "Now that you are healed, keep the baptism which you have gained holy." She vowed to celebrate the feast of the holy martyr every year. After three days the lady returned home with her Christian neighbors.When her husband and relatives saw that she was completely healed, they were extremely amazed. They inquired from her about what had happened, and she told them all about her baptism, communion and the intercessions of St. Marina. They, then, said to her, "If what you have told us is true, we would like to see the power of the intercession of St. Marina in curing your sister’s leprosy. And if the martyr’s prayers heal your sister, we all are going to seek baptism and become Christians." She told them that she brought some holy oil from the church of St. Marina. They called for a priest who prayed for the sister, anointed her with the oil, and she was cured. They were baptized and became Christians. The family presented three golden oil lamps and expensive curtains and many other valuable gifts to the church. They were also persevering to celebrate the feast of St. Marina every year.May her intercession be with us. Amen.
III-THE MARTYR PROTECTS HER CHURCH: When numerous miracles took place in the church of St. Marina, the devil envied everyone who gained from her blessings. He became adamant to conceal her body by some cunning trick.The devil appeared in the form of a great king with many servants and followers, to a Jewish man who lived in Antioch in Pisidia . The devil promised this Jew to make him rich and to give him many presents of gold if he could find a way to steal the body of St. Marina, plus whatever he could take from the vessels and curtains, from her church. The Jew went to a Christian man named John, who was related to one of the Church Board members. The Jew told John about his intention and wanted to make a deal with him to pay him if he would leave the church door open after the Vespers Prayer. John warned the Jew about the consequences of his robbery. He explained to him the power of the miracles St. Marina performs in her church, and what could happen to him if he despised her holy place. The Jewish man did not believe anything he told him. One Saturday evening, John, after the Vespers Prayer, left the church door open. He was saying to himself that he believed that St. Marina was capable to protect her church and give a rough lesson to the Jew.In the thick of the night, the Jew sneaked in the dark and was in his way to the church, when St. Marina appeared to him and asked him about what was he intended to do at that time of the night. He told her that he had challenged a Christian that he could steal Marina’s body from her church and sell it; and if he succeeded, that Christian would convert to Judaism. He added, "I am going to see what miracle can a dead body punish me with !"He entered the church, and looked in the room where the icon of St. Marina was displayed. There were three golden oil- lamps hanging in front of her icon. He stretched his arm to one of the wooden corbels from which the lamp was hanging, but his hand was glued to the wood. He was hanging in the air and started screaming, "O Saint Marina, have mercy on me !" St. Marina appeared to him in a dazzling light and said to him, "You have no way out until the priests would arrive in the morning and see you hanging there." In the morning, all the congregation witnessed that great miracle, and heard the Jew confessing his sin. He became Christian and served in the church of St. Marina for the rest of his life.
Along the shore of Minaret Lake there were a few gardens with pristine Corne Lilies, I was particularly drawn to the rocks scattered throughout.
Please view large!
-------
Prints available: florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/
Adventures for your entertainment and edification: artinnature.wordpress.com/
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Sporting Chance Center, Tucson, AZ Jan 19, 2014 — Club Cactus #3 sets up the ball with Dessert Stars Club members #34 and #14 watching.
PENTAX K-5
smc PENTAX-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED AL [IF] SDM, @ 75mm
ISO 1600, ƒ3.5, 1/250
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Wow, I have so many things I've been wanting to write all day, but now I can't remember any of them. Oh well, I'll just make stuff up as I go along.
First, I'm sorry for such a boring stop motion video filling in as a picture for today. And for forgetting that you can only upload 90 second videos to flickr, and trying to upload a 120 second video that got cut off. I'm too lazy to go back and shorten it, so this is what you get. I promise to have something more creative and interesting tomorrow. If you want to see the stop motion video, go here, my blog where I dump all of my comment photos and such.
Second, I really need to give a shout out to someone. I think I've mentioned her before, but now I need to mention her with a little more detail and edification. That someone is Gibson Claire McGuire Regester. She and I are complete strangers, and I've hardly ever commented on her photos, but she happens to be the reason I'm on flickr. At a sleepover that happened ageeeees ago, a mutual friend showed me her 365 project, on this website I had never heard of before, called flickr, of course. :) And something about her photos really got to me, and so when I got home, I went on facebook and stalked my friend until I found Gibson, and I stalked her facebook until I found the link to her photostream. And then I spent about a week going through her 365 project, the same way a person might read a book. I was on flickr, looking at her photostream during breakfast, in little breaks throughout the day, and at night before I went to sleep. Her photos were so full of life and color, and she put so much heart into every one of 365's, completely inspiring me. So eventually I, too, joined the flickr world and am now on a 365 journey of my own, all because of a stranger named Gibson. So thank you Gibson, for being an amazing photographer and for sticking to your project. It impacted me in a huge way.
Obviously inspired by her and by this, although hers is much, much better.
God gives out wisdom free,
is plainspoken in knowledge and understanding.
He's a rich mine of common sense for those who live well,
a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere.
He keeps an eye on all who live honestly,
and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.
Proverbs 2:6-8
*For those of you who are confused, I originally uploaded a stop motion video for day two of my 365 project, which was captured on January 2nd. But for ages now I've wanted to replace it with a simple photo, so I finally did it. This photo is from that day and it's very much connected with my stop motion video, but I just really wanted to see that little note when I look at my set, "61 photos" instead of "60 photos and 1 video". So yeah, thanks flickr, for putting up with my OCD/perfectionist ways. ;)
- March 3rd, day 62
Training in bamboo transformation in Yangambi, DRC.
Photo by Fiston Wasanga/CIFOR
If you use one of our photos, please credit it accordingly and let us know. You can reach us through our Flickr account or at: cifor-mediainfo@cgiar.org and m.edliadi@cgiar.org
Le cimetière chinois de Nolette est un cimetière situé le territoire de la commune française de Noyelles-sur-Mer où sont inhumés les travailleurs civils chinois employés par l'armée britannique pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.
Il s'agit du plus grand cimetière chinois de France et d'Europe
Pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, Noyelles abrita une importante base arrière britannique dont un grand camp de coolies (travailleurs immigrés chinois). Ils furent recrutés par l'armée britannique entre 1917 et 1919 dans le cadre du corps de travailleurs chinois (en anglais, Chinese Labour Corps), pour des tâches de manutention à l'arrière du front mais certains connaitront les zones de combat.
Ils représentent l'une des premières immigrations chinoises en France. Ils avaient l'interdiction de se mêler à la population civile du lieu. Certains resteront en France après la Grande Guerre.
Chinois en France
L'entrée du cimetière chinois de Nolette.
Ils étaient affectés à des tâches pénibles et dangereuses comme le terrassement de tranchées, le ramassage des soldats morts sur le champ de bataille, le déminage des terrains reconquis, la blanchisserie, les services de santé auprès des malades, en particulier ceux atteints de la grippe espagnole...
En 1921, le gouvernement britannique décida l'édification du cimetière chinois à Nolette. Le Major Truelove est chargé de sa réalisation sous l'autorité d'Edwin Lutyens.
Depuis 2002, le cimetière de Nolette est le lieu de célébration de la Fête de Qing Ming (Fête des Morts chinoise) en France organisée par le Conseil pour l'intégration des communautés d'origine chinoise en France.
On trouve dans le département de la Somme des tombes de coolies dans les cimetières d'Abbeville, Albert, Daours, Gézaincourt, Tincourt-Boucly et Villers-Carbonnel.
Propriété de l'État français et gérée par la Commonwealth War Graves Commission, la nécropole située près du hameau de Nolette dans la commune de Noyelles-sur-Mer a été inaugurée en 1921 par le Préfet de la Somme. 849 travailleurs chinois sont inhumés à Noyelles-sur-Mer. La plupart travaillait au camp chinois de l'armée britannique situé sur la commune entre 1917 et 1919.
Tombe de Yang Shiyue 楊十月 originaire du Shandong, mort le 12 janvier 19191.
Beaucoup sont morts d'une épidémie de choléra qui a sévi dans le camp, de la grippe espagnole en 1918-1919 ou de la tuberculose, voire tués dans les zones de combat.
Le site est caractérisée par le portail d'entrée, les inscriptions sur les tombes et les essences d'arbres (pins, cèdres...) qu'on ne rencontre pas dans les autres cimetières du Commonwealth ainsi que par l'absence de croix du Sacrifice et de pierre du Souvenir.
Les tombes de ce cimetière sont constituées de 849 stèles en marbre blanc, avec sur chacune d'elle gravée une inscription en anglais « Faithful unto Death » ou « Though dead he still liveth » ou encore « A good reputation endures for ever » ainsi que des idéogrammes chinois et parfois, très rarement, le nom en anglais ou le matricule du défunt.
Le porche monumental et le mur de l'entrée tiennent lieu de mémorial pour la quarantaine de Chinois morts sur terre ou sur mer sans tombes connues.
Des statues de lions offerts par la République populaire de Chine sont situées, non loin de la nécropole, à l'entrée de la rue qui mène au cimetière de Nolette
Training in bamboo transformation in Yangambi, DRC.
Photo by Fiston Wasanga/CIFOR
If you use one of our photos, please credit it accordingly and let us know. You can reach us through our Flickr account or at: cifor-mediainfo@cgiar.org and m.edliadi@cgiar.org
Le château de Chambord est un château français situé dans la commune de Chambord.
Construit au cœur du plus grand parc forestier clos d’Europe (environ 50 km2 ceint par un mur de 32 km de long), il s'agit du plus vaste des châteaux de la Loire. Il bénéficie d'un jardin d'agrément et d'un parc de chasse.
Le site a d'abord accueilli une motte féodale, ainsi que l'ancien château des comtes de Blois. L'origine du château actuel remonte au XVIe siècle et au règne du roi de France François Ier qui supervise son édification à partir de 1519.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_de_Chambord
The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building, which was never completed, was constructed by King Francis I of France.
Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley; it was built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francis I, who maintained his royal residences at the châteaux of Blois and Amboise.
Le cimetière chinois de Nolette est un cimetière situé le territoire de la commune française de Noyelles-sur-Mer où sont inhumés les travailleurs civils chinois employés par l'armée britannique pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.
Il s'agit du plus grand cimetière chinois de France et d'Europe
Pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, Noyelles abrita une importante base arrière britannique dont un grand camp de coolies (travailleurs immigrés chinois). Ils furent recrutés par l'armée britannique entre 1917 et 1919 dans le cadre du corps de travailleurs chinois (en anglais, Chinese Labour Corps), pour des tâches de manutention à l'arrière du front mais certains connaitront les zones de combat.
Ils représentent l'une des premières immigrations chinoises en France. Ils avaient l'interdiction de se mêler à la population civile du lieu. Certains resteront en France après la Grande Guerre.
Chinois en France
L'entrée du cimetière chinois de Nolette.
Ils étaient affectés à des tâches pénibles et dangereuses comme le terrassement de tranchées, le ramassage des soldats morts sur le champ de bataille, le déminage des terrains reconquis, la blanchisserie, les services de santé auprès des malades, en particulier ceux atteints de la grippe espagnole...
En 1921, le gouvernement britannique décida l'édification du cimetière chinois à Nolette. Le Major Truelove est chargé de sa réalisation sous l'autorité d'Edwin Lutyens.
Depuis 2002, le cimetière de Nolette est le lieu de célébration de la Fête de Qing Ming (Fête des Morts chinoise) en France organisée par le Conseil pour l'intégration des communautés d'origine chinoise en France.
On trouve dans le département de la Somme des tombes de coolies dans les cimetières d'Abbeville, Albert, Daours, Gézaincourt, Tincourt-Boucly et Villers-Carbonnel.
Propriété de l'État français et gérée par la Commonwealth War Graves Commission, la nécropole située près du hameau de Nolette dans la commune de Noyelles-sur-Mer a été inaugurée en 1921 par le Préfet de la Somme. 849 travailleurs chinois sont inhumés à Noyelles-sur-Mer. La plupart travaillait au camp chinois de l'armée britannique situé sur la commune entre 1917 et 1919.
Tombe de Yang Shiyue 楊十月 originaire du Shandong, mort le 12 janvier 19191.
Beaucoup sont morts d'une épidémie de choléra qui a sévi dans le camp, de la grippe espagnole en 1918-1919 ou de la tuberculose, voire tués dans les zones de combat.
Le site est caractérisée par le portail d'entrée, les inscriptions sur les tombes et les essences d'arbres (pins, cèdres...) qu'on ne rencontre pas dans les autres cimetières du Commonwealth ainsi que par l'absence de croix du Sacrifice et de pierre du Souvenir.
Les tombes de ce cimetière sont constituées de 849 stèles en marbre blanc, avec sur chacune d'elle gravée une inscription en anglais « Faithful unto Death » ou « Though dead he still liveth » ou encore « A good reputation endures for ever » ainsi que des idéogrammes chinois et parfois, très rarement, le nom en anglais ou le matricule du défunt.
Le porche monumental et le mur de l'entrée tiennent lieu de mémorial pour la quarantaine de Chinois morts sur terre ou sur mer sans tombes connues.
Des statues de lions offerts par la République populaire de Chine sont situées, non loin de la nécropole, à l'entrée de la rue qui mène au cimetière de Nolette
Le cimetière chinois de Nolette est un cimetière situé le territoire de la commune française de Noyelles-sur-Mer où sont inhumés les travailleurs civils chinois employés par l'armée britannique pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.
Il s'agit du plus grand cimetière chinois de France et d'Europe
Pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, Noyelles abrita une importante base arrière britannique dont un grand camp de coolies (travailleurs immigrés chinois). Ils furent recrutés par l'armée britannique entre 1917 et 1919 dans le cadre du corps de travailleurs chinois (en anglais, Chinese Labour Corps), pour des tâches de manutention à l'arrière du front mais certains connaitront les zones de combat.
Ils représentent l'une des premières immigrations chinoises en France. Ils avaient l'interdiction de se mêler à la population civile du lieu. Certains resteront en France après la Grande Guerre.
Chinois en France
L'entrée du cimetière chinois de Nolette.
Ils étaient affectés à des tâches pénibles et dangereuses comme le terrassement de tranchées, le ramassage des soldats morts sur le champ de bataille, le déminage des terrains reconquis, la blanchisserie, les services de santé auprès des malades, en particulier ceux atteints de la grippe espagnole...
En 1921, le gouvernement britannique décida l'édification du cimetière chinois à Nolette. Le Major Truelove est chargé de sa réalisation sous l'autorité d'Edwin Lutyens.
Depuis 2002, le cimetière de Nolette est le lieu de célébration de la Fête de Qing Ming (Fête des Morts chinoise) en France organisée par le Conseil pour l'intégration des communautés d'origine chinoise en France.
On trouve dans le département de la Somme des tombes de coolies dans les cimetières d'Abbeville, Albert, Daours, Gézaincourt, Tincourt-Boucly et Villers-Carbonnel.
Propriété de l'État français et gérée par la Commonwealth War Graves Commission, la nécropole située près du hameau de Nolette dans la commune de Noyelles-sur-Mer a été inaugurée en 1921 par le Préfet de la Somme. 849 travailleurs chinois sont inhumés à Noyelles-sur-Mer. La plupart travaillait au camp chinois de l'armée britannique situé sur la commune entre 1917 et 1919.
Tombe de Yang Shiyue 楊十月 originaire du Shandong, mort le 12 janvier 19191.
Beaucoup sont morts d'une épidémie de choléra qui a sévi dans le camp, de la grippe espagnole en 1918-1919 ou de la tuberculose, voire tués dans les zones de combat.
Le site est caractérisée par le portail d'entrée, les inscriptions sur les tombes et les essences d'arbres (pins, cèdres...) qu'on ne rencontre pas dans les autres cimetières du Commonwealth ainsi que par l'absence de croix du Sacrifice et de pierre du Souvenir.
Les tombes de ce cimetière sont constituées de 849 stèles en marbre blanc, avec sur chacune d'elle gravée une inscription en anglais « Faithful unto Death » ou « Though dead he still liveth » ou encore « A good reputation endures for ever » ainsi que des idéogrammes chinois et parfois, très rarement, le nom en anglais ou le matricule du défunt.
Le porche monumental et le mur de l'entrée tiennent lieu de mémorial pour la quarantaine de Chinois morts sur terre ou sur mer sans tombes connues.
Des statues de lions offerts par la République populaire de Chine sont situées, non loin de la nécropole, à l'entrée de la rue qui mène au cimetière de Nolette
Just got back from a trip to Meysan Lake in the Eastern Sierra with my friend. At 12am this morning we geared up and started to climb 13,770 ft Mt. Irvine. Supposedly there was a straightforward route up, it being pitch black made finding it hard, and 100 feet shy of the summit we ran into a class 4-5 (requiring ropes) pile of rock. Oh well, at least it was a photogenic pile of rock :)
----
Prints available: florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/
Adventures for your entertainment and edification: artinnature.wordpress.com/
I spent some pleasant hours with relatives today, meeting my first cousin and her two daughters at a Greek/country (well, they serve rather generic southern American food, but the founder was a Greek, as were many early American restauranters) place in Winston-Salem. After breakfast, we drove over to the nursing home where my Uncle Frank is, and spent the better part of an hour with him. He is doing well, all things considered. He told us he has Parkinson's, which I didn't know, or had forgotten, but he related that tribulation with his usual equanimity. I would imagine it is a by-product of his head traumas (like Muhammed Ali's).
Then we headed over to Arbor Acres, for lunch with my Auntie Beryl and her son Rob. We had a pleasant visit, renewing old acquaintances and turning over various Memory Rocks, to see what crawled out. After lunch, we took a tour of the facilities, and then, in three cars, headed for Oak Forest, where my mother is. The highlight of that visit was the transfer, from my mother's care to the care of her two young grand-nieces, of a diamond ring (I think it was was my grandmother Gran's wedding ring) and a little diamond and seed-pearl pin, which had been a gift from my great-grandmother, Granny Viles, to my mother. I don't think my mother ever actually met Granny Viles; rather, I think my grandmother brought the pin back after one of her trips to England.
This exchange of gifts (the girls brought my mother some Godiva chocolates) I think provided a surfeit of mutual satisfaction, solace if you will for the myriad discomforts of old age, and a bit of lubricant for the sometimes awkward groaning pains of moving from childhood into whatever it is that comes after childhood. My cousins were quite touching in their shy happiness at the gifts, and my mother's attention, and my mother was pleased. I think she was left feeling that the bejeweled tokens had been left in good hands.
And mrwaterslide got himself a few little family stories to relate, and a few new photographs for your future edification. If you want to hear those little stories, go back to the preceding photograph and read my comment.
Oh, the moral of this modest photograph is, save what you can, while you can. Nothing lasts forever. The tin itself came from somewhere to the north, and no one else wanted it as much as mrwaterslide.
(further pictures and information you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Chronicle of the parish | parish church | parsonage
Parish Centre | Lourdes Chapel
History of the parish
1187, Wolkersdorf was for the first time as "Wolfkersdorf" in a deed of donatio by Manhard and Ulrich von Hintperch (= Himberg) mentioned. The parish Wolkersdorf appears in 1328 for the first time as a manorial establishment. The parish has always been limited to the local area. Over the centuries, the residents of the parish brought it through diligence and thrift to a modest prosperity. As to infestations, natural disasters and two plague epidemics are mentioned. The parish, located in the eastern border area of Austria, in times of war through occupation and looting had to suffer much. Mention should be made in this respect of the Turkish threat, the incursion of the Swedes during the 30 Years War, the plundering by the French under Napoleon as well as the Prussian army, which had advanced after the defeat of Austria in Hradec Králové in 1866 to the Rußbach (brook); finally the difficult time of the Soviet occupation after the Second World War should be mentioned. By order of the Lower Austrian Provincial Government of 14th November 1968 Wolkersdorf was conferred upon it the town charter. By the archbishop of Vienna the deanery Pillichsdorf on 1st January 1996 was renamed into the deanery Wolkersdorf. The parish has about 3,000 Catholics.
Parish Church
The parish church was built by Stephan von Slaet 1341-1350 and dedicated to Saint Margaret. This small gothic church (9.40 m long, 5.45 m wide, about 9 m high) is the presbytery for the today's parish church. 1727 Emperor Charles VI. the house of God by the Baroque nave had to its present size expanded (21.8 m long, 9.9 m wide, 12.5 m high). Despite the uniform external facade design, the two phases of construction are still recognizable, the Gothic presbytery and the Baroque ship. In 1754 Empress Maria Theresa the tower had built (37 m high).
Interior equipment: When you enter the church through the main gate under the tower, you are received by a bright, in cheerful colors decorated space. In the vertex of the presbytery wall the mighty Habsburg imperial eagle can be seen. The heart shield of the double eagle is surrounded by the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece and bears the monogram Emperor Charles VI . - CVI. In the claws the eagle holds sword and scepter, while a banner the motto of the Emperor and the year of the expansion of the church shows: "Constantia et Fortitudine" (with steadiness and fortitude) 1727.
The Baroque high altar was built in 1768 in imitation marble. The structure has over the tabernacle yet a Drehtabernakel (revolving tabernacle) for exposure of the Blessed Sacrament. Above it forms a plastic, the apocalyptic Lamb of God representing, flanked by two adoring angels, the conclusion. The retabel structure fits organically into the Gothic choir. Right of the altar is on a high pedestal saint Rochus represented, on the left, in the same way the holy Sebastian. In the middle part is behind the high altar in a picture larger than life the church patron, saint Margaretha represented (the painting is signed "FB 1832" - painter unknown). The saint stands upright and holds in her left hand a cross against the dragon (symbolizing the temptation to apostasy), while Schwurhand (oath hand) and look to our Heavenly Father are elevated, which appears above her. In the right wall of the presbytery there are seating niches with small ribbed vaults in the Gothic style (around 1350) with the coat of arms of the Counts of Nuremberg worked off.
On the side altars are two late Baroque wood-carved figures (1760), saint Joseph and the most blessed Virgin Mary, erected. The pulpit in the Rococo style dates back to 1770. The Stations of the Cross - by Viennese artist Eduard Kerschbaum 1968 of basswood carved - are attached to the side walls of the nave. The organ was built in 1897 by the Viennese organ builder Johann M. Kauffmann as a mechanical cone chests organ with 16 registers.
From the church square the church staircase on a bridge (flying buttress) above the Mittelstraße (central road) leads to the parish church. In 1727, this staircase was decorated with six life-sized Baroque stone sculptures. This is probably an expression of gratitude for the successful baroque church reconstruction under Emperor Charles VI. Initiator of the edification of the saints was the then minister Christoph Leopold Edler von Guarient and Raall. The work was financed by donations from the guilds and by donations from individual citizens.
On the right side of the ascent there are statues
of saint Charles Borromeo, who was regarded as the patron saint against the plague.
of saint John of Nepomuk, who as a "bridge saint" was very revered among the people, and above
of st. Florian, who was popular as a patron of the fire and the forge.
On the left side there are the statues
of st. Joseph, who was called on as a patron for a good hour of death, and as a protector against an unprepared, sudden death,
the Mother of God as immaculately received Virgin who crushes the serpent's head, and above
of saint Leopold, the country's (Lower Austria) patron saint, who is represented as founder of churches and monasteries (church on the right arm).
Vicarage
The vicarage was built around 1727. The building with a Gothic core in 1797 was increased and adapted as parsonage. During the March battles against Napoleon, Emperor Franz I had from 16th May to 6th July 1809 here his headquarters installed. In 1997, the exterior facade was renovated.
Parish centre
By 1970 the parish center was built as a meeting place. Inside is an auditorium and seminar rooms which are used by the parochial groups. The parish center was built from 1971 to 1973 under Pastor Karl Ponweiser as a meeting place. The house is intended for cultural and pastoral events. It is used by all parish groups and for individual events (eg lectures, concerts, theatrical performances, balls) also leased.
Lourdes Chapel
At the point where yet in 1783 a cross was erected "to the glory of God and the consolation of the poor souls", the chapel was built in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1890. 1909 this church was enlarged in the neo-Gothic-Romanesque style, so this first chapel is forming the presbytery for the present chapel.
In the curvature of the chancel 1971 a by Viennese artist Eduard Kerschbaum of basswood carved statue of Mary (1.3 m high) was erected. The statue is carved in the style of "lovely Madonnas" of the Gothic. The Mother of God carries in her right arm the Infant Jesus and in her left hand she holds a bunch of grapes, and she is therefore worshiped as "Wine-Producing Country Madonna", too.
www.pfarre-wolkersdorf.at/frameset.htm?http://www.pfarre-...
THE ELECT MARTYR, SAINT MARINA
I- THE EARLY YEARS: St. Marina evolved in Antioch in Pisidia. This city was in the middle of Asia Minor in Perga on the borders of Pisidia. [Not to be confused with "Great Antioch" on River Aasi, about 15 miles east of the Mediterranean; where the Throne of the Pope of Antioch was.] The city was founded by Silesius Ist. (Nectarius,) one of the army Generals of Alexander the Great. He called it Antioch after his father Antiochus. It was an important commercial center, and the Romans made it their headquarters for all Southern Galatia. Silesius gave residence to a group of Jews there. The book of Acts mentions that St. Paul visited Antioch in Pisidia during his first evangelical journey, and delivered a sermon in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Many of the Jews believed, but some of them "stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from the region" Paul and Barnabas "..made many disciples"in that city. St. Paul mentioned to his disciple Timothy the "persecutions and afflictions which happened to me at Antioch." Nothing much is left now from that city except some ruins near a city called Yelfetch on the southern slope of the mountainous chain called "Sultan Daghlary" in mid Turkey
II-THE FAMILY OF THE SAINT:Diocletian [Valerius Diocletianus,] (245-313) Roman Emperor from 284 to 305. Diocles, on the murder of Numerian, the army proclaimed him Emperor at Chalcedon on 17 Sept. 284. This date was considered the beginning of the Coptic Calendar of the Martyrs because of the extreme cruelty Diocletian (as he now chose to call himself) was famous for in torturing and killing the Christians. He made his place domus divina and his own person sacred. It was in 303 that the Great Persecution broke out. He issued several edicts to demolish churches, burn Christian books and torture and kill all who refuse to worship him or his idols. On the other hand, he built many temples for his gods and assigned priests and high priests to serve them.The chief of those high priests was called Dasius. He was the father of an only daughter named Marina. Dasius was extremely busy with his devotion to his offerings, incense and rites. When Marina reached her fifth year, her mother died. Her father could not find time to care for his daughter. He put her to the care of a Christian governess
III-THE SAINT IN THE HOUSE OF HER NURSEMAID: This nanny was living in a small town, about 15 miles from Antioch Pisidia. Marina lived with her new nanny away from her father’s idols and gods and his blasphemous practices. This nursemaid enjoyed a great deal of piety, righteousness and love of Christ. She was fond of reading the biographies of the martyrs and saints as well as the sayings of the holy fathers of the church.In this beautiful, holy, spiritual atmosphere lived little Marina enjoying the blessings of this saint. There, in her nanny’s house she heard nothing but prayers and religious enchanting; and she saw nothing but meekness, faith and hope. Her nursemaid could teach her true faith, not only by words but mostly by the good example and the tender regard. Little Marina felt joy and comfort with her nanny. She forgot the instability and the conjure which were in her parents’ house, and she loved her nanny with all her heart. She was brought up in the best of manners. She learned courage, purity and truthfulness. Marina lived with this saint for ten years until she was fifteen. Her father died, but St. Marina preferred to stay with her governess. Also, the nanny considered Marina’s stay with her a blessing from the Lord.
IV-THE SPIRITUAL FIGHT OF THE HOLY SAINT :St. Marina heard from her nanny a great deal about the holy martyrs; about their steadfast faith, and their extreme courage when facing the ferocious rulers and the mad emperors. She was told about how those heroes did not hesitate to declare their faith when the rulers threatened to torture them and to throw them to the hungry beasts. She knew how the martyrs were actually racing each other to gain their martyrdom because of their love to Christ the Lord.One day she started praying " You know, our compassionate Lord, how weak the human nature is. I ask You to give me strength to be able to conquer Your opponents and to praise you for ever. Amen."One day, a new ruler came to Antioch Pisidia from Asia. His name was Alupharnus. He was assigned to capture all Christians and torture them in the most ferocious way. While the evil ruler was in his carriage with his soldiers looking for the Christians, he saw St. Marina with her nanny, going out from their house. The ruler saw them. He was dazzled by her beauty and decided to marry her, whatever it would cost him. He sent his soldiers to bring her to him. When they tried to do so, Marina started praying; "Have mercy on me, O my Savior. Do not destroy my soul in the hands of the blasphemers, nor my life by the blood-shedders. Do not forsake me lest the sinners should destroy my soul and defile my ears and my mind. Send Your grace to me from up high to give me strength, and to keep me steadfast in my faith without fear, and to be able to answer that blasphemer according to his demand. I see my poor soul like a lamb among wolves, or like a bird confronting the hunters, or a fish in the net of fishermen. Come to me, Lord Jesus Christ, and save me from their hands. Glory and praise be to You for ever, Amen." The soldiers returned to the ruler and told him that they could not bring her to him (to marry her) because she was a Christian. The ruler was deeply disturbed by the news.
V-CONFRONTING OF THE RULER: The ruler was very angry. The devil moved him to frighten this young girl with threats of torture and death. He ordered his soldiers to bring ‘the slave’ to him by force. When they did he said to her, "From which race are you?" She answered, "I am a Christian, and I am not a slave." He asked, "So, which tribe are you from? What is your name?" She replied, "I am from the tribe of Jesus Christ. My name is Marina." The ruler asked, "Which god do you worship?"Marina said, "I worship God who created heaven and earth and all creation."He asked, "Then you worship Jesus the Nazarene from Galilee whom the Jews had crucified.""Yes, I do," she replied, "though I am not worthy that He may help my weak soul with His grace, and save me from your blasphemy."The ruler ordered his soldiers to keep her in his custody until they entered the city. When they did, he entered the temple of his gods to offer sacrifices unto them. He, then, called Saint Marina and when she arrived, he said to her, "Let it be known to you, Marina, that I pity your youth and your beauty. I advice you to change your mind and obey my orders to worship my gods and offer them sacrifices. If you do I will surely reward you with great rewards, and you will gain privileges over your peers."The saint answered him, "I will never deviate from worshipping my living God. I will offer my sacrifice of gratitude only to the great Creator, the Savior of all mankind. "The ruler, then, said to her, "This persistence will only cause you great torment. Your members will be cut with iron and burned with fire. You will suffer my great rage, and nothing can save you from my hand except by being submissive and obedient to me. Get rid of your stubbornness and worship my gods. This way you will find rest, and you will save your beauty. I will, then, give you abundantly the most expensive presents, and will raise you to the highest ranks. You will be my wife, and will become a princess!" The great saint answered him, "You blasphemer, who has a cruel heart, do you think that you can scare me with your threats ? I do believe that my merciful God will strengthen me, and will send me help from His holy place. I know that you have authority only over my body, but you have no authority over my spirit. My God says in His holy Gospel, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him." As for me, I am quite ready to receive your torture, thus I will be worthy to join the wise virgins in their comfort. They became worthy to gain the real Groom, Jesus Christ, and to go with Him to heavenly joy. My Lord Jesus Christ, whom I worship, died for our salvation; and I am not worthy to offer my body as a sacrifice for Him, or to suffer all kinds of torments for His sake."The ruler became furious. He ordered the saint’s hands and feet to be tied with ropes, and to scourge her and beat her with clubs.
VI-THE GLORY OF PAIN:As they tortured her, the saint was looking up to heaven, and praying, "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O My God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed. Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord. Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. On You I wait all day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old." For I withstand these pains because I confess Your holy name. Send Your mercy and compassion to me so my grief will become joy."As the saint was enchanting and praising the Lord, the soldiers were beating her so severely that her flesh was torn and her blood flew profusely. The Archangel Michael, then, appeared to her and said to her,"Great is your faith, Marina. Have more strength, for it is by your good confession that your soul will survive, and you will gain the holy baptism."The people who were watching her were crying. Some of them said , "O Marina, your pretty body has been destroyed by this cruel ruler. His intention is to erase your name from the face of the earth. Please, obey his orders, and believe in his gods, so you can be saved from his torture."The great among the martyrs then answered, "God has already helped me and sent the venerable Archangel Michael to me to take away my pains and to heal my wounds. He gave me strength, and opened my eyes and I could see the wonders of the Lord who made me able to expose and shame that blasphemer. Now, what do you want from me, O weak in faith? Because, if my flesh is to be destroyed, my spirit will be renewed and will be with the wise virgins. As for you, please listen and believe in the Lord for He listens to all who pray to Him. But I will never bow to mute and blind gods, which were carved by men." Then Marina looked at the ruler and said,"Whatever you want to do according to the instructions of your father, Satan, do it as fast as you can; because my God has comforted me, and He is my Strength. If you have a power over my body to destroy it, you have none over my spirit. Only my God has the authority over my spirit, and He will save me from your hands, that I can expose you; the rejected blasphemer who is far from the living God, and whose soul is descending to Hades where Satan and his soldiers dwell. The power of God is surely far from you, and the eternal punishment is going to catch you."The ruler, becoming exceedingly furious, ordered his soldiers to comb her flesh with big heated iron forks. The elect saint raised her eyes towards heaven and said,"For dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked has enclosed me... But You, O Lord, do not be far from me; O my Strength, hasten to help me. Deliver me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth. Help my humility, give me strength and the Spirit of life that You may protect my soul from defilement. With Your help I will be able to face the devil, my enemy, and conquer him, and become a good example for all those who seek Your holy name, which is blessed for ever. Amen."The ruler screamed at her, "I swear by my own life that if you do not bow to the gods, you are going to die in the worst way, and I will cut your members with my sword."The elect martyr answered, "O blasphemer, what life do you have? You should know, you who worship the defiled idols, that if I pity my body, my spirit will not ascend to heaven and will not be crowned with the illuminated wreaths."
VII-IN PRISON:The ruler ordered that she would be put in prison. When she entered, she crossed herself and said, "O Most holy, who designs all good matter. All creation tremble from the fear of Your glory. You are the hope of all those who repent, and You set all captives free. You are a father to all orphans, and a judge to all widows. Look at my humility and poverty and save me. Do not forsake me, my God, for I raised my soul to You and You are my only hope."I, poor Theophimos, used to deliver bread and water to saint Marina from her nanny through a little window in prison. She used to write her prayers, and all what happened to her, and give it to me.While she was praying at night, Archangel Michael appeared to her with a light brighter than that of the sun, and crossed her with the sign of the Holy Cross, and all her wounds and pains disappeared. He said to her, "Have strength, O bride of Christ, the elect saint Marina, for you are going to have all what you asked for. You are going to face your enemy, Satan, fight him and overpower him. You are also going to receive the holy baptism and your spirit is going to rise to the eternal bliss.Marina continued praying until morning, when the ruler called for her.
VIII-MORE FEROCIOUS TORTURE:When Marina was brought to the ruler, he was exceedingly amazed when he saw her completely healed from all signs of his torture. He told her that he was sure then that she was a great magician. She said,"I am not a magician, but I am a worshipper of Jesus Christ. Now your defiled helpless idols have been exposed."The ruler was enraged. He ordered to saw her flesh with iron saws, and to cut her skin with knives. When he thought that she was dead, he ordered his soldiers to put her body back in prison until she rots. Archangel Michael appeared to her again, strengthened her, and repeated what he said to her before. He, then, crossed her, cured her and disappeared
IX-THE DRAGON:While Marina was praying, a huge fearful dragon came out from one of the prison corners. It was spitting fire from its nostrils, and was whistling in an awesome way. When she saw it, Marina was scared, and prayed, "O invisible God, who tied Satan and untied those who were tied by Satan. Who raises the dead, and breaks the power of the great dragon. Look at me and have mercy on me so I can conquer this bad beast with Your power." The dragon came forward towards her. It opened its mouth and swallowed her. Because Marina’s arms were raised in the form of a cross when she was praying, this caused the dragon’s stomach to rupture when it swallowed her. By the grace of God, Marina came out safely, and the dragon immediately succumbed
.X-SATAN:When St. Marina stood again to pray, she noticed the devil coming from the left corner of the prison. He looked like a man, sitting down and crossing his arms around his knees. Marina prayed,"My Lord Jesus Christ, Source of wisdom, King of kings, Eternal Rock. I thank You, my God, for you are a Rock to those who seek refuge in You, and a Guide for those who travel, and a Wreath for the virgins. You are the Savior of the world."When she prayed, she held the devil with her hand. The devil said to her, "Why don’t you listen to the ruler, Marina, and obey his orders?"She found a hammer, and started to beat the devil’s head with it. She stepped on his neck and said to him,"Hold it ! you cursed one, for my God saves me from all sins"When she said that, a bright light came upon her, and the holy Cross appeared to her with a Dove on top of it. The Dove spoke and said to her, "Your are blessed, O holy virgin Marina. A crown of light has been prepared for you, and the doors of Paradise are open, waiting for you."
XI-BAPTISM:Next morning, the ruler ordered his soldiers to bring Marina. When they did, he repeated his orders to her to worship his gods. She refused, and the ruler gave his orders to tie her to a pole and burn her. They did. Then he ordered that they tie her hands and legs, and put her in boiling water. When she was in the water, St. Marina looked up to heaven and said, "O God who dwells in heaven, I ask You to untie me, and to make this water a baptism for me. Dress me with the robe of salvation through it. Take away from me the old man and put on me the new man. Make me, with this baptism, worthy to inherit the life eternal, and make my faith steadfast."A great earthquake shook the place, Marina’s ties were loosened, and she immersed herself in the water three times in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. She came out of the water praising God. A voice came from heaven, and all the people who were gathered there heard it. The voice said,"You are blessed, Marina. You were baptized, and became worthy of the crown of virginity."Many of those who witnessed these events declared their faith, became Christians and were baptized. The ruler ordered all of them to be killed. They were beheaded, and gained the wreath of martyrdom.
XII-MARTYRDOM: The ruler was then sure that Marina’s presence conformed a real danger for his idols and gods. He had but one choice; to behead her. The soldier who was assigned to that task, took her out of town, and there he told the saint that he also believed in Jesus Christ. He told her that he saw Christ with His angels. St. Marina said to him, "For that reason I ask you to wait a little time so I can pray." He agreed.The elect saint started to pray: "O God, who created heaven and earth, hear me. I ask You, my God, for every sinner who comes to You repenting, erase all his sins. Everyone who comes to my alter praying, give him all what he asks for. Anyone who is presented in a scary court of law, and mentions my name in confidence, grant him victory over his foes. Anyone who builds a church in my name, or writes the story of my martyrdom, give him, my Lord, all what pleases his heart. All sick people who ask You wellness in my name, grant them soon, if You will, good physical and mental health. Everyone who comes to my church, or hears the story of my martyrdom, have compassion on him, O Lord, by forgiving all his sins. Anyone who is afflicted, or who falls in the hands of those who are cruel and unjust to him, and he asks You in my name, give him deliverance and relief. Whomsoever travels in an awful route, whether it be by land or in the sea, help him, O Lord, and return him to his home safely. The believers who commemorate my martyrdom, and those who are present in Your holy alter in remembrance of me, whether they be of the clergy or the laity; remember them, O Lord, in that Day when they stand in front of You. Judge them not, but rather give them comfort with Your saints."When Saint Marina finished her prayer, a great earthquake shook the place, and the Savior appeared to her with his angels. The elect saint was scared and threw herself in contrition in front of Him, but the Savior said, "Fear not , O Marina, I came to you to grant you all what you have asked for. You are blessed because you asked for the sinners who come to Me repenting. I will give you more than what you asked. Archangel Michael will protect any church which will have a part of your body. No evil spirit will be able to approach any place where a part of your body, or a book of your biography is kept. Rather, peace and the Spirit of truth will be in that place.Saint Marina, then, said to the swordsman, "My brother, do now what you are assigned to do." He refused and said, "I cannot possibly kill the blessed worshipper of Christ." She answered, "If you do not fulfill what you were ordered to do, you will have no share with me in the Kingdom of Heaven." Asking God to forgive him, the trembling soldier, then, beheaded her, and immediately killed himself by the same sword. The earth was shaking, and many sick and disabled people who were watching, rushed to her body seeking blessings and wellness, and they obtained them. Many saw the angels enchanting around the martyr Marina’s body saying, "There is none like You among gods, O Lord." Many believed and obtained glory with Saint Marina.As for me, poor Theophimos, I was accompanying the elect Saint Marina from the beginning to the end. I wrote her biography with all honesty. I added nothing nor did I cancel anything from it I was the one who took her body and put it in a casket made of marble, and I put plenty of frankincense and scents with it. I put the marble casket in the city of Antioch in Pisidia. Blessed be everyone who commemorates her martyrdom, on the twenty-third day of the month of Abib. She will be interceding for him on the Judgment Day.May her prayers and intercessions be with us always. Praised be the Lord forever. Amen.SOME OF THE
MIRACLES WHICH OCCURRED IN ST. MARINA’S CHURCH AT ANTIOCH, IN PISIDIA, AFTER HER MARTYRDOM.
I-EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH OF THE MARTYR (1) St. Theophimos said, "One day the nursemaid of the elect Saint Marina came to me and said that while she was praying at midnight. a dazzling light shone on her, and an angel, crowned with precious stones, and accompanied by a group of angels, appeared to her and said, "I am the Archangel Michael, who is assigned to serve Saint Marina. I came to instruct you with what you should do: Harry up and take the body of St. Marina from the marble casket, and put it in a hidden tomb, because she is suffering from the continuous honoring of her body."The nanny said that she did not notice any crosses on him or on anyone of his followers. So, she said to that angel that she was aware that the devil can appear in the form of an angel, but without a cross on him. She asked him if he could be a devil. Then, I poor Theophimos, answered her, " I saw the angels of heaven taking the soul of the great St. Marina and ascending to heaven while they were enchanting with joy. The devil surely envies the believers who are cured every day when they visit her body and gain her blessing."Suddenly, the blessed martyr Marina, came to us in a white robe with golden crosses over it. She greeted us and said to her nanny, "Blessed be the Lord who fulfilled to me all what I asked Him. He promised me that my spirit would be in the Paradise, while my body will be all over the world. That way the Lord would protect all those who touch a part of my body. You should know that the one who appeared to you in the form of an illustrious angel was my enemy, the devil. Cast him away with the sign of the cross. The Archangel Michael will give those who pray to God in any place where a part of my body is kept, all what they ask for. This year all idol worshipping will cease. I ask you to build a church in my name, in the place where the marble casket is kept.
(2) I, the miserable Theophimos, spoke with the saint’s nanny about building the church which the elect martyr desired to have. She answered that she was, in fact, joyous and eager to see the church erected, but she was afraid that they might not have the money or the ability to finish the project. I answered her that we were going to ask for help from God and His believers, and He would, surely, soften their hearts to build the church through the intercessions of the great Saint Marina. While we were talking, Saint Marina appeared to us in her splendid white robe, with golden crosses all over it, and she greeted us, then, she said to her nanny, "Didn’t I say to you that the Lord Christ had promised to grant me all what I asked Him? Why, then, did you doubt Him? Rise, nanny, with Theophimos and start working. The Lord will help you, and the church’s building will be completed." She, then, disappeared in great glory.In the morning, a group of masons came to us and told us that they had a dream. In their dream, behold, there was a glorious queen who ordered them to come to a person named Theophimos for the purpose of digging the foundation of a church. She promised them that she would pay their wages. She even showed them, in the dream, the place where the church would be erected. She marked, herself, the boundaries of the foundation with chalk, and showed them a marble casket which should be included in that building. When they asked about her name, she answered, "Marina."I called the nanny and told her about the masons. We all, then, went together to the casket and found that the place was, indeed, marked with chalk. The masons were amazed, and shouted glorifying the God of Saint Marina. They immediately started digging the foundation.At the sixth hour (twelve noon,) some merchants arrived and told us that they had traveled from their land loaded with a lot of merchandise and money. When they approached Antioch, they were attacked by highway robbers who plundered them of all what they had. They remained all day chagrined and hungry, and in that evening, one of them started reading the biography of Saint Marina. He reached her prayer, before her martyrdom, where she said, "..and whomsoever travels in an awful route, whether it be by land or in the sea, help him, O Lord and return him to his home safely." They then screamed asking for the intercession of the elect Martyr Marina. They vowed to give tithes of whatever they recover from the robbers to Saint Marina. Suddenly a great king appeared to them accompanied by an honorable queen. They had with them the thieves in handcuffs and all the goods and the money which the merchants had lost to the thieves earlier that day. The king and the queen returned their properties to them and instructed them to give what they vowed to the church of St. Marina in Antioch. The queen said to give what they had promised for the church to Theophimos, and with it she gave them fifty ounces of gold to deliver it to him for the same purpose. The merchants asked about their names, and knew that they were Archangel Michael and the elect martyr Saint MarinaNext morning, Ten men came to us with thirty camels with them. On each of the camels there was a huge load of stones. They told us that they arrived from a far land and when they had approached Antioch, they unloaded the camels and set them to pasture on the grass. They also started to have some food. When they finished eating, they fetched the camels, but they did not find them. Moreover, when they tried to go back to their place where they left the stones, they discovered that they were lost. They were greatly disturbed, and thought that they would surely die. They started to pray and ask for the intercession of Saint Marina. To their great surprise, and delight, St. Marina came to their rescue. She asked them to follow her, and she guided them to the place of their load of stones, and they found the camels with it. The saint told them to take the stones to her church in Antioch, and guided them to our place.When the masons finished the construction, the carpenters started to work. At that time, a man came from Antioch and said to us, "My master is a wood merchant. One day, a terrible fire threatened all the wood in his store. He stood up praying to God, and asked for the intercession of St. Marina so she would save his trade and he vowed to donate one quarter of his wood to her church if she did. Immediately, Archangel Michael appeared to him in an illustrious form, holding a golden cross in his hand. He extended his hand with the cross towards the fire and said, ‘The Almighty God who extinguished the fire from around the Three Holy Young men will put off this fire.’ The fire was extinguished, and all the wood was saved." The man added, "And now my master is asking you to send someone to carry the wood that he had vowed to donate to the church."From all these pledges, the building of the church was completed. His Holiness Pope Gregory came to consecrate it with some Metropolitans, Bishops and priests. They saw the great Saint Marina in their midst. The consecration of the church was on the twenty-third day of the month of Hator. May her intercession always be with us. Amen
.II-THE HEALING OF THE BLEEDER AND HER LEPER SISTER: There was a very rich Jewish woman in the city of Lystra. She suffered from a chronic severe bleeding. For seven long years, no physician could help her, and she spent a good deal of her money in vain. She became wasted, pale and bed ridden. One day a group of her Christian neighbors visited her, and told her that they were on their way to Antioch in Pisidia to celebrate the feast of the blessed martyr St. Marina in her church. She began asking them about St. Marina, and they briefed her about the intercessions of the saint and the miracles which took place in her church. The Jewish lady asked them if she could accompany them and go to her church seeking her intercession. But they told her that she could not do that until she was baptized and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. The lady, then, felt a great urge to go to St. Marina’s church and pray there. As if a grace came over her and convinced her that if she did, if she was baptized, believed and prayed to Jesus and asked for St. Marina’s intercession, she would surely gain the cure which she had, for so long, asked for. She immediately called four strong men, who carried her over a stretcher, and brought her to the church, with her Christian neighbors.There, in the church, she asked the priests to baptize her, so she would be able to approach the holy body of St. Marina. She was baptized, had communion and prayed beside the marble casket and spent her night beside it. In the morning, she woke up completely cured. She told the priests that she saw in her dream St. Marina and heard her saying to her, "Now that you are healed, keep the baptism which you have gained holy." She vowed to celebrate the feast of the holy martyr every year. After three days the lady returned home with her Christian neighbors.When her husband and relatives saw that she was completely healed, they were extremely amazed. They inquired from her about what had happened, and she told them all about her baptism, communion and the intercessions of St. Marina. They, then, said to her, "If what you have told us is true, we would like to see the power of the intercession of St. Marina in curing your sister’s leprosy. And if the martyr’s prayers heal your sister, we all are going to seek baptism and become Christians." She told them that she brought some holy oil from the church of St. Marina. They called for a priest who prayed for the sister, anointed her with the oil, and she was cured. They were baptized and became Christians. The family presented three golden oil lamps and expensive curtains and many other valuable gifts to the church. They were also persevering to celebrate the feast of St. Marina every year.May her intercession be with us. Amen.
III-THE MARTYR PROTECTS HER CHURCH: When numerous miracles took place in the church of St. Marina, the devil envied everyone who gained from her blessings. He became adamant to conceal her body by some cunning trick.The devil appeared in the form of a great king with many servants and followers, to a Jewish man who lived in Antioch in Pisidia . The devil promised this Jew to make him rich and to give him many presents of gold if he could find a way to steal the body of St. Marina, plus whatever he could take from the vessels and curtains, from her church. The Jew went to a Christian man named John, who was related to one of the Church Board members. The Jew told John about his intention and wanted to make a deal with him to pay him if he would leave the church door open after the Vespers Prayer. John warned the Jew about the consequences of his robbery. He explained to him the power of the miracles St. Marina performs in her church, and what could happen to him if he despised her holy place. The Jewish man did not believe anything he told him. One Saturday evening, John, after the Vespers Prayer, left the church door open. He was saying to himself that he believed that St. Marina was capable to protect her church and give a rough lesson to the Jew.In the thick of the night, the Jew sneaked in the dark and was in his way to the church, when St. Marina appeared to him and asked him about what was he intended to do at that time of the night. He told her that he had challenged a Christian that he could steal Marina’s body from her church and sell it; and if he succeeded, that Christian would convert to Judaism. He added, "I am going to see what miracle can a dead body punish me with !"He entered the church, and looked in the room where the icon of St. Marina was displayed. There were three golden oil- lamps hanging in front of her icon. He stretched his arm to one of the wooden corbels from which the lamp was hanging, but his hand was glued to the wood. He was hanging in the air and started screaming, "O Saint Marina, have mercy on me !" St. Marina appeared to him in a dazzling light and said to him, "You have no way out until the priests would arrive in the morning and see you hanging there." In the morning, all the congregation witnessed that great miracle, and heard the Jew confessing his sin. He became Christian and served in the church of St. Marina for the rest of his life.
IGREJA MATRIZ DE BARCELOS.
A sua construção deve-se a D. Pedro, 3º conde de Barcelos, entre 1325 e 1328, estando as suas armas patentes nas arquivoltas do portal principal. No entanto as obras continuaram pelo menos até 1382
THE MOTHER CHURCH OF BARCELOS
The edification of this church was ordered by D. Pedro, the 3rd Count of Barcelos, whose coat of arms is engraved in the archivolts of the main portal; its construction began between 1325 and 1328, but the works continued until 1382.
I invite you to know my group pool:
:)*
Down the hill from Challock and Kings Wood, sitting on the junction of two ancient high roads, but now split in half by the A20, Charing is delightful.
It is nine years perhaps since I was last here. I took two shots outside, and four inside.
How could I have been so blind?
Charing is a tangle of narrow lanes and timber framed houses, with the church at the end of a narrow lane which ends in what used to be the market place. To the north of the square sits what used to be the Bishop's Palace, still an impressive collection of buildings, although now a private dwelling and a farm.
I found the church open, and was first struck by its fine decoration and impressive size.
------------------------------------------
A large church beautifully positioned next to the remains of the medieval Archbishop's Palace just off the High Street. The west tower was built in the late fifteenth century. During its construction the body of the church was destroyed in an accidental fire - started by a man shooting at pigeons on the roof. The replacement roofs are clearly dated on the tie-beams as 1592 and 1620. A fine early seventeenth-century pulpit and nice collection of eighteenth-century tablets add much to the character of the building. The south nave window is a very strange shape, basically square, with four lights of equal height surmounted by a net of elaborate triangles, quatrefoils and, unusually, an octofoil! It is of fourteenth-century date.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Charing
--------------------------------------------
CHARING
IS the adjoining parish to Westwell north-westward. It is written in Domesday, Cheringes, and in other antient records, Cerringes and Cherring.
It lies partly below and partly above the upper range of chalk hills, where there is much woodland. It is a healthy, though not a very pleasant situation, from the nature of the soils in it, all which are but poor; about the town or village, and to the summit of the hill it is chalky; above the hill a red cludgy earth covered with slints, and below the town mostly a sand. At the western boundary, next to Lenham, is Charing heath; it is watered by several small streamlets, which rising near the foot of the hills, direct their course southward into the Stour, which runs towards Ashford just below the boundary of it. The village, or town of Charing, as it is more usually called, stands at the foot of the hill, called from it Charing-hill, over which the high road leads through it from Faversham, through Smarden and Biddenden, and thence to Cranbrooke and Tenterden in the Weald. The high road likewise from Ashford, since the new turnpike has been completed, is made by new cuts to pass through this town and Lenham, instead of its former more southern circuit by Chilson park and Sandway towards Maidstone, shortening its distance considerably. Notwithstanding these roads, there is no great matter of traffic through it, the town is unpaved, and has a clean countryfied look, there is a good house in it, formerly belonging to the Poole's, whose arms were, Azure, a lion rampant, argent, semee, of fleur de lis, or. Afterwards to Dr. Ludwell, who bore for his arms, Gules, on a bend, argent, three eagles, azure, between two castles of the second; and then to the Carter's, one of whom sold it to George Norwood, esq. who resides in it. Not far from it is an antient mansion, which has been modernized formerly, called Peirce-house, now belonging to Mr. James Wakeley, who resides in it; at a small distance from the street eastward is the ruinated palace, the church and the vicarage, a pleasant habitable dwelling.
There are large ruins of the archiepiscopal palace still remaining; the antient great gateway to it is now standing, and much of the sides of the court within it, on the east side of which seems to have been the dining-room, the walls of which remain, and it is converted into a barn. On the opposite side to this are many of the offices, now made into stables. Fronting the great gateway above-mentioned, seems to have been the entrance into the palace itself, part of which, on the east side, is fitted up as a dwelling-house, at the back of which, northward, are the remains of the chapel, the walls of which are standing entire, being built of squared stone, mixed with slints; on the side wall of it are three windows, with pointed arches, and at the east end a much larger one, of the same form. Sir Nicholas Gilborne, hereafter mentioned, as having resided here in king James I.'s reign, was son of William Gilborne, esq. of London, who lies buried in St. Catherine's Creechurch, London, descended from the Gilbornes, of Ereswike, in Yorkshire, and bore for their arms, Azure, on a chevron, or, three roses gules, within a bordure of the second. (fn. 1) Sir Nicholas had two sons and several daughters; one of whom, Anne, married Charles Wheler, esq. of Tottenham, grandfather of Sir George Wheler, D. D. and prebendary of Durham, the purchaser afterwards of this manor and palace, as will be further mentioned.
The two sairs which were granted in the 21st year of king Henry VI. are now held on April 29, and October 29, for horses, cattle, and pedlary.
The parish has in it the boroughs of Town, Sandpit, East Lenham, part of Field, and Acton.
Several of our antiquaries have supposed the Roman station, mentioned in the 2d iter of Antonine by the name of Durolevum, corruptly for Durolenum, to have been in this neighbourhood; and Dr. Plot mentions his discovery of a Roman way, which seemed to have passed the Medway at Teston, and crossing Cocksheath, pointed towards Lenham hither. Most of those who have contended for this station having been hereabouts, have fixed it at Lenham. Only two of them, Mr. Talbot and Dr. Stukeley, after much hesitation, where to place it, were for its having been here at Charing; the latter founded his opinion on the Roman antiquities, which he says, have been found all about here, which Horsley accounts for, from a supposition of this having been only a notilia way, and indeed there is but little, if any, foundation for any supposition that the station above-mentioned was here at Charing; that it was a notitia way, there is great reason to suppose, as has been already mentioned before, in the description of Lenham, to which may be added, that there is in this parish, about a mile S. S. W. from the town a hamlet called Stone-street, a name, which is a certain indication of its note in former times.
Mr. Jacob, in his Plantœ Favershamienses, has taken notice of several scarce plants in this parish, to which account the reader is referred from them.
There was a family who took their name from this parish, one of whom, Adam de Cherringes, was excommunicated by archbishop Becket, and, as it should seem, to blot out the heinousness of this offence, afterwards, in the time of archbishop Baldwin, the next successor but one to Becket, founded an hospital for leprous persons, at Romney, in honour of St. Stephen and St. Thomas Becket.
Anno 26 Edward I. the king granted licence to shut up a high road leading from Charing to Ashford.
¶The vulgar tradition, that Charing cross, in Westminster, was so called from a cross, which once stood on the summit of the hill here, which being taken from hence, was carried and set up there, is entirely without foundation; for the cross, which stood where the figure of king Charles on horseback now is at Charing-cross, in the centre of the three highways, as was then usual, was made and erected there in the year 1292, anno 21 Edward I. in that village which long before had been called Cheringes, and Charing, but which afterwards was universally called, from thence, Charing-cross. (fn. 2)
CHARING is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of its own name, and is exempt from the jurisdiction of the archdeacon.
The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, is a handsome building, consisting of one isle and a transept, a high chancel and one small one on the south side of it. The tower, having a small beacon turret at one corner, is at the west end. There is only one bell in it. This tower was begun to be built of stone (for it was before of wood) at the latter end of king Edward IV.'s reign, as appears by the several legacies to the rebuilding of it, in the wills in the Prerogative-office, Canterbury, from 1479 to 1545, about which time only it seems to have been finished. On the stonework at the outside of it, are the arms of Brent, and a coat, being a star of many points, still remaining. In the year 1590 this church was consumed by fire, to the very stones of the building, which happened from a gun discharged at a pidgeon, then upon the roof of it; by which the windows and gravestones of the family of Brent were desaced. John Brent, sen. of Charing, in 1501, was buried in this church, before the door of the new chapel of the blessed Virgin Mary, where no burial had as yet been; and Amy Brent, of Charing, gentlewoman, by will in 1516, was buried within that chapel of her own edification. This chapel, now called Wickins chancel, was much defaced by the fire as above-mentioned. In the south cross was Burleigh chantry, mentioned before, which being burnt down in 1590, was repaired by John Darell, esq. of Calehill, then proprietor of it, whose arms are on the pews of it, as mentioned below. In king Richard II.'s time, the block on which St. John the Baptist was said to have been beheaded, was brought into England, and kept in this church. In the high chancel is a memorial for Samuel Belcher, gent. of Charing, obt. 1756, æt. 6l. and for his two wives. In the little chancel, now called Wickins chancel, are memorials for the Nethersoles and Derings; in the middle isle, for Peirce, Henman, and Ludwell; in the north cross monuments for Sir Robert Honywood, of Pett, and the Sayer family; in the south cross, memorials for Mushey Teale, M.D. in 1760, and for Mary his wife; his arms, Azure, a cockatrice regardant, sable; in chief, three martlets of the second. The pews in it are of oak, and much ornamented at their ends next the space with carvework, among which are these arms, a coat quarterly, first and sourth, A lion rampant, crowned; second, A fess indented, in chief, three mullets; third, Three bugle-horns stringed, impaling a fess, between three cross-croslets, fitchee. Another, Three bugle-horns stringed. Another, A lion rampant, crowned, or. Another, the crest of a Saracen's head, 1598.
The church of Charing was antiently appendant to the manor, and was part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, to which it was appropriated before the 8th year of king Richard II. and it remained with it till archbishop Cranmer, anno 37 Henry VIII. granted that manor, and all his estates within this parish, and the advowsons of this rectory and vicarage, to the king; (fn. 10) and these advowsons remained in the crown till Edward VI. granted them, together with the advowson of the chapel of Egerton, and other premises in Essex, in exchange, in his first year, to the dean and chapter of St. Paul's, London. In which state they continue at this time, the dean and chapter of St. Paul's being now proprietors of this rectory appropriate, together with the advowson of the vicarage of this church.
¶King Henry VIII. in his 38th year, demised this rectory, and the chapel of Egerton, to Leonard Hetherington, gent. for twenty-one years, and the lease of it continued in his descendants till one of them sold his interest in it, in king James I.'s reign. to John Dering, esq. of Egerton, but by some means, long before his death in 1618, it had passed into the possession of Edward, lord Wotton. How long it continued in his family I have not found; but it afterwards was demised to the family of Barrell, of Rochester, with whom the demise of it remained for many years; and in one of their delcendants it remained down to the Rev. Edmund Marthall, vicar of this parish, who died in 1797, possessed of the lease of it.
This vicarage is valued in the king's books at thirteen pounds, and the yearly tenths at 1l. 6s. and is now of the clear yearly certified value of seventy-two pounds. In 1588 it was valued at fifty pounds. Communicants three hundred and twenty-six. In 1640, at eighty pounds. Communicants three hundred and seventy; and in 1700 it was valued at one hundred and ten pounds.
In 1535 this church was accounted a sinecure, which accounts for its having been formerly called a prebend.
©KandyZone | KanchuKa Samarakoon | Editing, reproducing and re-using the images for commercial purpose or otherwise, without permission of KandyZone, are strictly prohibited and considered as intended copyright infringement Vibrato 2016 - Sachith Peiris live in concert with Iraj, Randhir, Tehan and Mayora organized by the Rotaract Club of Neptune Edification.
(further pictures and information you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Chronicle of the parish | parish church | parsonage
Parish Centre | Lourdes Chapel
History of the parish
1187, Wolkersdorf was for the first time as "Wolfkersdorf" in a deed of donatio by Manhard and Ulrich von Hintperch (= Himberg) mentioned. The parish Wolkersdorf appears in 1328 for the first time as a manorial establishment. The parish has always been limited to the local area. Over the centuries, the residents of the parish brought it through diligence and thrift to a modest prosperity. As to infestations, natural disasters and two plague epidemics are mentioned. The parish, located in the eastern border area of Austria, in times of war through occupation and looting had to suffer much. Mention should be made in this respect of the Turkish threat, the incursion of the Swedes during the 30 Years War, the plundering by the French under Napoleon as well as the Prussian army, which had advanced after the defeat of Austria in Hradec Králové in 1866 to the Rußbach (brook); finally the difficult time of the Soviet occupation after the Second World War should be mentioned. By order of the Lower Austrian Provincial Government of 14th November 1968 Wolkersdorf was conferred upon it the town charter. By the archbishop of Vienna the deanery Pillichsdorf on 1st January 1996 was renamed into the deanery Wolkersdorf. The parish has about 3,000 Catholics.
Parish Church
The parish church was built by Stephan von Slaet 1341-1350 and dedicated to Saint Margaret. This small gothic church (9.40 m long, 5.45 m wide, about 9 m high) is the presbytery for the today's parish church. 1727 Emperor Charles VI. the house of God by the Baroque nave had to its present size expanded (21.8 m long, 9.9 m wide, 12.5 m high). Despite the uniform external facade design, the two phases of construction are still recognizable, the Gothic presbytery and the Baroque ship. In 1754 Empress Maria Theresa the tower had built (37 m high).
Interior equipment: When you enter the church through the main gate under the tower, you are received by a bright, in cheerful colors decorated space. In the vertex of the presbytery wall the mighty Habsburg imperial eagle can be seen. The heart shield of the double eagle is surrounded by the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece and bears the monogram Emperor Charles VI . - CVI. In the claws the eagle holds sword and scepter, while a banner the motto of the Emperor and the year of the expansion of the church shows: "Constantia et Fortitudine" (with steadiness and fortitude) 1727.
The Baroque high altar was built in 1768 in imitation marble. The structure has over the tabernacle yet a Drehtabernakel (revolving tabernacle) for exposure of the Blessed Sacrament. Above it forms a plastic, the apocalyptic Lamb of God representing, flanked by two adoring angels, the conclusion. The retabel structure fits organically into the Gothic choir. Right of the altar is on a high pedestal saint Rochus represented, on the left, in the same way the holy Sebastian. In the middle part is behind the high altar in a picture larger than life the church patron, saint Margaretha represented (the painting is signed "FB 1832" - painter unknown). The saint stands upright and holds in her left hand a cross against the dragon (symbolizing the temptation to apostasy), while Schwurhand (oath hand) and look to our Heavenly Father are elevated, which appears above her. In the right wall of the presbytery there are seating niches with small ribbed vaults in the Gothic style (around 1350) with the coat of arms of the Counts of Nuremberg worked off.
On the side altars are two late Baroque wood-carved figures (1760), saint Joseph and the most blessed Virgin Mary, erected. The pulpit in the Rococo style dates back to 1770. The Stations of the Cross - by Viennese artist Eduard Kerschbaum 1968 of basswood carved - are attached to the side walls of the nave. The organ was built in 1897 by the Viennese organ builder Johann M. Kauffmann as a mechanical cone chests organ with 16 registers.
From the church square the church staircase on a bridge (flying buttress) above the Mittelstraße (central road) leads to the parish church. In 1727, this staircase was decorated with six life-sized Baroque stone sculptures. This is probably an expression of gratitude for the successful baroque church reconstruction under Emperor Charles VI. Initiator of the edification of the saints was the then minister Christoph Leopold Edler von Guarient and Raall. The work was financed by donations from the guilds and by donations from individual citizens.
On the right side of the ascent there are statues
of saint Charles Borromeo, who was regarded as the patron saint against the plague.
of saint John of Nepomuk, who as a "bridge saint" was very revered among the people, and above
of st. Florian, who was popular as a patron of the fire and the forge.
On the left side there are the statues
of st. Joseph, who was called on as a patron for a good hour of death, and as a protector against an unprepared, sudden death,
the Mother of God as immaculately received Virgin who crushes the serpent's head, and above
of saint Leopold, the country's (Lower Austria) patron saint, who is represented as founder of churches and monasteries (church on the right arm).
Vicarage
The vicarage was built around 1727. The building with a Gothic core in 1797 was increased and adapted as parsonage. During the March battles against Napoleon, Emperor Franz I had from 16th May to 6th July 1809 here his headquarters installed. In 1997, the exterior facade was renovated.
Parish centre
By 1970 the parish center was built as a meeting place. Inside is an auditorium and seminar rooms which are used by the parochial groups. The parish center was built from 1971 to 1973 under Pastor Karl Ponweiser as a meeting place. The house is intended for cultural and pastoral events. It is used by all parish groups and for individual events (eg lectures, concerts, theatrical performances, balls) also leased.
Lourdes Chapel
At the point where yet in 1783 a cross was erected "to the glory of God and the consolation of the poor souls", the chapel was built in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1890. 1909 this church was enlarged in the neo-Gothic-Romanesque style, so this first chapel is forming the presbytery for the present chapel.
In the curvature of the chancel 1971 a by Viennese artist Eduard Kerschbaum of basswood carved statue of Mary (1.3 m high) was erected. The statue is carved in the style of "lovely Madonnas" of the Gothic. The Mother of God carries in her right arm the Infant Jesus and in her left hand she holds a bunch of grapes, and she is therefore worshiped as "Wine-Producing Country Madonna", too.
www.pfarre-wolkersdorf.at/frameset.htm?http://www.pfarre-...
Le cimetière chinois de Nolette est un cimetière situé le territoire de la commune française de Noyelles-sur-Mer où sont inhumés les travailleurs civils chinois employés par l'armée britannique pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.
Il s'agit du plus grand cimetière chinois de France et d'Europe
Pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, Noyelles abrita une importante base arrière britannique dont un grand camp de coolies (travailleurs immigrés chinois). Ils furent recrutés par l'armée britannique entre 1917 et 1919 dans le cadre du corps de travailleurs chinois (en anglais, Chinese Labour Corps), pour des tâches de manutention à l'arrière du front mais certains connaitront les zones de combat.
Ils représentent l'une des premières immigrations chinoises en France. Ils avaient l'interdiction de se mêler à la population civile du lieu. Certains resteront en France après la Grande Guerre.
Chinois en France
L'entrée du cimetière chinois de Nolette.
Ils étaient affectés à des tâches pénibles et dangereuses comme le terrassement de tranchées, le ramassage des soldats morts sur le champ de bataille, le déminage des terrains reconquis, la blanchisserie, les services de santé auprès des malades, en particulier ceux atteints de la grippe espagnole...
En 1921, le gouvernement britannique décida l'édification du cimetière chinois à Nolette. Le Major Truelove est chargé de sa réalisation sous l'autorité d'Edwin Lutyens.
Depuis 2002, le cimetière de Nolette est le lieu de célébration de la Fête de Qing Ming (Fête des Morts chinoise) en France organisée par le Conseil pour l'intégration des communautés d'origine chinoise en France.
On trouve dans le département de la Somme des tombes de coolies dans les cimetières d'Abbeville, Albert, Daours, Gézaincourt, Tincourt-Boucly et Villers-Carbonnel.
Propriété de l'État français et gérée par la Commonwealth War Graves Commission, la nécropole située près du hameau de Nolette dans la commune de Noyelles-sur-Mer a été inaugurée en 1921 par le Préfet de la Somme. 849 travailleurs chinois sont inhumés à Noyelles-sur-Mer. La plupart travaillait au camp chinois de l'armée britannique situé sur la commune entre 1917 et 1919.
Tombe de Yang Shiyue 楊十月 originaire du Shandong, mort le 12 janvier 19191.
Beaucoup sont morts d'une épidémie de choléra qui a sévi dans le camp, de la grippe espagnole en 1918-1919 ou de la tuberculose, voire tués dans les zones de combat.
Le site est caractérisée par le portail d'entrée, les inscriptions sur les tombes et les essences d'arbres (pins, cèdres...) qu'on ne rencontre pas dans les autres cimetières du Commonwealth ainsi que par l'absence de croix du Sacrifice et de pierre du Souvenir.
Les tombes de ce cimetière sont constituées de 849 stèles en marbre blanc, avec sur chacune d'elle gravée une inscription en anglais « Faithful unto Death » ou « Though dead he still liveth » ou encore « A good reputation endures for ever » ainsi que des idéogrammes chinois et parfois, très rarement, le nom en anglais ou le matricule du défunt.
Le porche monumental et le mur de l'entrée tiennent lieu de mémorial pour la quarantaine de Chinois morts sur terre ou sur mer sans tombes connues.
Des statues de lions offerts par la République populaire de Chine sont situées, non loin de la nécropole, à l'entrée de la rue qui mène au cimetière de Nolette
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Another painting that seems to be lost except for this black and white photo, but I've found a written review which includes a description of the original colours for your enlightenment and edification:
"It is a good thing for an exhibition to have on its walls one picture which arrests the attention, excites curiosity and remark, without necessarily evoking admiration. 'The Intruders', by Mr. R, C. W. Bunny, reproduced on this page, fulfils these conditions thoroughly.
What we see is this: a blue sea under a blue sky, against which rise tall white cliffs in flaring sunlight; under their shelter float two galleys of antique form, vermilion-prowed and green-hulled, while from the nearer a net stretches shoreward, upheld by two figures, mid-high in water, one in sunlight, the other in shadow. The latter is confronted by two beings of ghastly, livid hue - mermen or some such strange creation, who lean over a low rock and examine him inquiringly. Here is no dreamy, vague suggestion; no vaporous environment softens the crude green and red of the boats, or tempers the blinding glare of the white cliffs against the deep blue sky; all is made out with startling vividness, and not a little power is shown in the relations of flesh in sunshine and shadow; but even with execution so deliberate the artist's intention remains an unsolved enigma, and the result is more startling than satisfactory."