Jun 26, 2008

Copyright dan Iman Kristen

Blog Justin Taylor memuat press release yg menarik tentang publisher Injili terbesar di Amerika yang membawa ke pengadilan website biblecentre.net berbasis di Inggris yang selama beberapa tahun terakhir menyediakan resources theologia online untuk research, persiapan kotbah, etc. Masalahnya, semua resources tersebut (buku, commentaries, etc.) dia upload secara ilegal tanpa izin. Posting ini mengundang banyak komentar menarik tentang isu Copyright dan Iman Kristen. Baca selengkapnya disini.

Yang menarik adalah jika ada orang Kristen yang download atau upload materi secara ilegal, itu berarti mereka percaya bahwa iman Kristen tidak ada kaitannya dengan isu Intellectual Property Rights. Apalagi kalau yang didownload atau upload itu adalah materi teologi yang berguna untuk pertumbuhan iman pribadi atau orang lain. Ini isu menarik!

Bagi orang Asia, khususnya orang Indonesia, yang saya kira jauh lebih cuek, lebih tidak sadar soal copyright, isu ini kelihatannya tidak relevan. Namun di era dimana semakin banyak hal yang bisa di-digitized (audio, video, papers, poems, books, arts, sermons, etc.), ini isu penting yg kudu dibahas juga sbg orang Kristen yg ingin hidup memuliakan Allah dalam segala aspek.

Beberapa isu yang relevan mulai dari fotocopy textbook (sebuah budaya mahasiswa Indonesia, termasuk mahasiswa teologi, yg menghidupi begitu banyak bisnis fotocopy di seputar kampus) sampai ke masalah 'pulpit plagiarism' (si pengkotbah comot naskah kotbah orang lain lalu dia kotbahkan persis sama sedemikian sehingga jemaat pikir itu hasil kerja keras studi dan meditasi - dan ini lebih mudah terjadi kalau yang di-comot adalah teks bahasa Inggris dari Internet yg lalu dikotbahkan dalam bahasa Indonesia dihadapan jemaat di kota kecil yg relatif tidak demen browsing internet, apalagi URL yg berisi naskah kotbah).

Tahun lalu di sebuah conference, saya lunch dengan seorang pastor bule dari Canada yg sedang mengambil doctorate di bidang leadership dan juga bekerja part-time sbg profesional. Ketika kita sampai pada topik bgmana kita persiapan kotbah disela-sela kesibukan yang ada, dia bilang ke saya bahwa tiap minggu dia ke website-nya Rick Warren atau pengkotbah sejenis yg memang meng-encourage orang utk beli teks kotbah mereka. Pastor tsb pilih tema kotbah yg sesuai tema yg akan dia bawakan, lalu beli naskah kotbahnya US$2.99. Besok pagi dia kotbahkan itu. Saya kaget setengah mati!

Bagaimana pendapat Anda?

Jun 24, 2008

Partisipasi di Kelas

Below is a short piece I recently wrote in my column on BUSET (Bukan Sembarang Tabloid), a local Indonesian community tabloid in Melbourne. The column is aptly called "Sarjana BUSET"; it's about strategies and tips to become top students at uni.
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‘When Silent is Not Golden’: Pentingnya Partisipasi di Kelas

Exam sudah selesai. Dan setelah liburan super singkat berlalu, semester kedua akan segera mulai. Minggu pertama kuliah adalah minggu yang kritikal karena berbagai alasan. Salah satunya, Anda mau menciptakan kesan yang positif dari dosen terhadap diri Anda. Caranya, tunjukkan ke sang dosen bahwa Anda adalah mahasiswa aktif yang ingin berpartisipasi mewarnai proses pembelajaran selama semester tersebut.

Mengapa hal tersebut penting? Ini kuncinya. Di beberapa kelas, ada participation marks bagi mereka yang aktif berkontribusi. Namun kalaupun tidak ada, overall marks Anda biasanya akan lebih rendah kalau Anda tidak pernah berpartisipasi.

Dalam kolom ini, saya ingin mengulas beberapa hal penting tentang partisipasi dari kacamata dosen dan mahasiswa. Berikut beberapa hal yang ada di benak dosen pada umumnya tentang partisipasi:

1. Mendengar tok tidak cukup
Jangan berpikir bahwa dosen akan simpatis terhadap mahasiswa yang duduk manis, melipat tangan, dan mendengarkan sambil senyum sesekali. Ekpektasi dosen adalah: Anda memberi opini pribadi tentang apa yang baru dikatakan oleh sang dosen atau tentang class reading.

Mungkin Anda pernah diberitahu bahwa ‘silent is golden’. Tapi di ruang kuliah, ‘silent is foolish’. Dosen tidak akan pernah berpikir, “Hmm… dia selalu diam seribu bahasa, pasti dia seorang bijaksana.” Yang lebih mungkin terjadi adalah “Hmm… kayaknya ini anak either malu, Inggris-nya pas-pasan banget, atau kagak ngerti apa-apa di kelas.”

2. Partisipasi mempertajam proses belajar
Saya pribadi sangat menikmati apalagi ada mahasiswa yang dapat mengomentari pendapat atau pertanyaan mahasiswa lain di kelas yang tadinya ditujukan kepada saya. Jadinya saya kagak usah jawab. Hahaha… Just kidding. Jika mahasiswa dapat saling mengomentari dan mengkritisi pendapat mereka satu sama lain, maka akan terjadi dialog yang menarik.

Dialog itu bukan seperti bermain ping-pong. Anda bertanya, dosen menjawab. Anda bertanya lagi, dosen menjawab lagi. Itu tanya jawab, bukan dialog. Dialog itu terjadi kalau ada variasi pendapat yang menolong setiap orang untuk melihat sebuah isu dari berbagai aspek dan memperdalam rasa ingin tahu mereka tentang isu tersebut.

Di kelas kepemimpinan saya, saya sering berdiam diri sampai suhu ruangan menjadi panas karena yang berdialog jadi emosional (sayangnya, yang terlibat biasanya selalu mahasiswa lokal, jarang mahasiswa internasional, dan tidak pernah mahasiswa Indonesia). Setelah emosi tinggi, barulah saya mencoba memberi pendapat. Hasil dari proses ini adalah proses belajar yang lebih mendalam. Namun coba tebak siapa belajar paling banyak, yang akan ingat terus topik yang di-dialog-kan? Mahasiswa yang berpartisipasi!

3. Partisipasi bukan Soal Teknis Bahasa
Banyak mahasiswa sangat kuatir membuat kesalahan grammar dalam bahasa, sehingga mereka memilih diam daripada ngomong tapi ketahuan bahwa Inggris-nya hanya ‘little, little see I can.’

Menurut saya, dosen lebih mementingkan ide ketimbang tata bahasa. Jadi kalau pendapat Anda ada ‘isi’-nya, dosen dan orang lain akan lebih maklum tentang bagaimana Anda mengungkapkan ide pikiran tersebut.

Saran saya, cobalah untuk berlatih bertanya hal-hal yang sederhana. Dalam masalah partisipasi di kelas, practice makes perfect! Misalnya, Anda bisa mulai dengan pertanyaan klarifikasi seperti “If I understand correctly, you were saying that . . .” atau “From what you just described, is it fair to assume that . . .” Kalau Anda mengungkapkan kalimat-kalimat seperti itu, Anda membuktikan kepada dosen bahwa (1) Anda selama itu telah mendengar dengan baik dan tertarik dengan topik bahasannya, dan (2) Anda memberi masukan kepada dosen apakah ia menyampaikan kuliahnya dengan efektif.

Jadi meski ketika angkat tangan berbicara, perut Anda terasa agak melilit karena takut salah, teruskan saja bicara. Lakukan terus hal tersebut berkali-kali selama 4 minggu pertama. Lama-lama akan merasa berpartisipasi adalah hal yang natural. Minggu depan kita akan melihat teknik-teknik berpartisipasi.

Jun 20, 2008

Another barbaric attack on Indonesian Christian Village

This news (dated 21 May) from Barnabas Fund is appalling. My hearts and prayers go out to those affected by this inhumane acts:
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The mainly Christian village of Horale was attacked on the night of 2 May by a mob from the neighbouring village of Saleman which is predominantly Muslim. The Muslims burnt down 120 houses, three churches and the village school. Four Christians were killed and 56 wounded. Fifteen hectares of crops were destroyed as well as 20 fishing boats and 2 motor-cycles.

Three of the four victims had their throats slit, but all were attacked in other ways as well. Mrs Welhelmina Pattiasina (aged 47) was first tortured, and her grand-daughter Yola (6) had her stomach cut open. Edward Unwaru (84) was burned to death after his throat had been cut. A fourth victim, Josef Laumahina (39) was cut and then burned.

Horale village is home to 175 families, a total of around 2,300 people.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, comments, “Horale is situated in a remote area on the island of Seram in Maluku province. Such areas have seen a number of similar incidents over the last five months. Maluku province experienced intense anti-Christian violence between 1999 and 2001, and it is alarming to consider that this may be starting again. Please pray for a return to harmonious and peaceful relations.”

Murah Hati tidak Mudah

Apa artinya orang yang murah hati akan beroleh kemurahan. Baik Mat 5:7 maupun Mat 6:14 TIDAK berarti bahwa IF THEN. Jika kita murah hati kepada orang lain, Allah akan bermurah hati pada kita. Karena anugerah Allah akan tergantung dari perbuatan baik manusia, sesuatu yang berkontradiksi dengan konsep anugerah yang diajarkan di Alkitab (misalnya Ef 2:8-9). Jadi artinya apa?

Menunjukkan kemurahan tidak menjadikan kita orang percaya. Sebaliknya, menunjukkan kemurahan hati membuktikan kita orang percaya. Menunjukkan kemurahan adalah bukti kita sudah menerima kemurahan Allah. Kemurahan kita kepada orang lain berasal dari kemurahan Allah. Kita bermurah hati pada orang lain bahkan kepada orang yang kita anggap tidak layak menerimanya dari kita persis karena kita sendiri tahu bahwa kita tidak layak menerima kemurahan Allah.

Jadi jika kita adalah orang yang tidak murah hati, itu juga menjadi bukti konkrit kita belum menerima kemurahan Allah. Kita bukan orang percaya. Jika iman Kristiani harus dibuktikan dengan perbuatan, bagaimana mungkin kita bisa mengaku diri orang percaya apabila kita tidak menyatakan itu lewat kemurahan hati kita? Kalau diformulasikan kira-kira sepert ini:
Orang percaya => penerima kemurahan Allah => pemberi kemurahan pada orang lain

Orang yang tidak murah hati => belum menerima kemurahan Allah => bukan orang percaya => tidak akan menerima kemurahan Allah di hari penghakiman

Seorang alkoholik atau tukang mabuk yang tidak mau mengakui bahwa dia adalah seorang pemabuk akan membenci setiap pemabuk lainnya. Seorang pecandu obat yang tidak mau mengakui bahwa dia adalah pecandu obat akan membenci pecandu obat lain. Alasannya karena ia tidak mau dianggap sama dengan mereka. Demikian pula orang berdosa yang tidak mau mengakui bahwa ia adalah seorang yang berdosa akan membenci orang yang berdosa lainnya. Tetapi seorang yang telah mengenali dan mengakui kelemahannya, ketidakberdayaannya, kebangkrutannya, keberdosaannya dihadapan Tuhan senantiasa memiliki hati yang mensyukuri setiap kemurahan hati yang ditunjukkan oleh Tuhan kepadanya, dan ia belajar untuk bermurah hati pada orang lain. Inilah maksud Yesus dalam ayat ini.

DA Carson di halaman ke-25 komentarinya ttg bagian ini menulis:
"The Christian, moreover, in at a midpoint. He is to forgive others because in the past Christ has already forgive him (cf. Eph 4:32; Col 3:13). Simultaneously he recognizes his constant need for more forgiveness, and becomes forgiving as a result of this perspective as well (cf. Matt 6:14; and especially 18:21-35). The Christian forgives because he has been forgiven; he forgives because he needs forgiveness.”
Pendek kata: Nothing proves that we have been forgiven (received God's mercy) better than our own readiness to forgive (dispense God's mercy)!

Kapan Anda terakhir kali menunjukkan kemurahan hati pada orang lain? Menurut Anda, apa motivasi Anda saat itu? Mungkinkah Anda melakukan hal yang sama tersebut kepada orang yang Anda yang pernah menyakiti dan melukai hati Anda? Jangan lupa itulah persis yang Allah lakukan bagi Anda, dan saya.

When leaders become cultic

I am currently researching on destructive leadership, and fascinated by the processes (pathological or otherwise) that lead to the demise of all kinds of organizations as a result. One of the readings by Tourish and Pinnington (2002) suggests that destructive leadership involves 'cultic dynamics', that is destructive leadership have leaders who operate like cult leaders. Here are the four characteristics that they identified in their research:

1. Charismatic, narcissistic leaders with a strong need for power who, because of their over-sensitivity to criticism, always eliminate dissent. No wonder what's left is merely a bunch of yes people with insular group mentality.

2. A totalistic (all-embracing) vision of a way of being or a new paradigm that is very compelling which necessitates an absolute conviction on the part of followers. This sacred vision is sold in such a way that those who disagree are eliminated, which involves a process called "consensual validation", that is "the spectacle of many agreeing to a position irrationally convinces each person that it must be accurate" (Tourish & Vatcha, 2005:463).

3. Recruitment, conversion, and indoctrination of members which involves intense emotional considerations that the leader shows toward the potential recruits to buy into the belief system (akin to a process called 'love bombing'), fundamental changes of knowledge and beliefs, values and standards, needs and everyday behaviors, and continual one-way transmission of intense messages from leaders to followers to instill a total devotion to the group ideal.

4. A strong, monolithic culture that becomes a social control for its members so much so that those who do not fit will be 'ejected like a virus'

Tourish's works provide an in-depth case study of Enron and its dramatic fall from grace, which happens to be the greatest scandal in the business history. But the above four pointers can be applied in all types of organizations, including church and denomination.

Jun 16, 2008

Google and Stupidity

An interesting article in today's The Australian by Andrew Sullivan on how we are quickly becoming smarter info-junkie at the superficial level but ending up with more stupidity. A case of growth without depth. Here is the highlight:
I spend most of my day blogging, at a rate of about 300 posts a week. I'm certainly not more stupid than I used to be; and I'm much, much better and more instantly informed.

However, the way in which I now think and write has subtly - or not so subtly - altered. I process information far more rapidly and seem able to absorb multiple sources of information simultaneously in ways that would have shocked my teenage self.

In researching a topic, or just browsing through the blogosphere, the mind leaps and jumps and vaults from one source to another. The mental multitasking - a factoid here, a YouTube there, a link over there, an email, an instant message, a new PDF - is mind-boggling when you look at it from a distance yet perfectly natural when you're mid-blog.

When it comes to sitting down and actually reading a multiple-page print-out, or even, God help us, a book, however, my mind seizes for a moment. After a paragraph, I'm ready for a new link. But the prose in front of my nose stretches on.

I get antsy. I skim the footnotes for the quick info high that I'm used to. No good. I scan the acknowledgments, hoping for a name I recognise. I start again.

A few paragraphs later, I reach for the laptop. It's not that I cannot find the time for real reading, for a leisurely absorption of argument or narrative. It's more that my mind has been conditioned to resist it.

Is this a new way of thinking? And will it affect the way we read and write? If blogging is corrosive, the same could be said for Grand Theft Auto, texting and Facebook messaging, on which a younger generation is being reared. But the answer is surely yes, and in ways we do not yet fully understand. What we may be losing is quietness and depth in our literary, intellectual and spiritual lives.

Jun 15, 2008

Five Small Group Practices that Transform Lives

Of all the articles that I have read on small group, this one stands out. Pastor John Ortberg wrote it well in his typical style: straightforward, down-to-earth, and doable. He recommends every small group to have five practices (disciplines) that, if prayerfully followed, will result in transformed lives. Here are the highlights (after reading the highlights, I suggest you read the entire text here):

1. Confession: Remove the masks
We all wear masks. We hide from each other. It's part of our fallenness. That is why one of the most formative practices in a small group is confession. Confession is the appropriate disclosure of my brokenness, temptations, sin, and victories for the purpose of healing, forgiveness, and spiritual growth. Without confession we are a community hiding from the truth.

A small group serious about transformation should be moving into ever deeper confession—removing masks to reveal our core feelings and fears, sins we still struggle with, and areas where we're not growing.

We need to avoid "confession killers" in our groups. These include the inappropriate use of humor. Some people are embarrassed by deep honesty, so they may mock the person confessing or diffuse the atmosphere with a joke. It sends a signal that this is not a safe place to confess, and the masks go back on.

Judgmental statements also shut down confession. I recall a small group where a man admitted his struggle with lust. That was a risk, and then someone else said, "I can't relate to that struggle at all." I wanted to say to that guy, What kind of hormonally challenged, repressed robot are you? His statement shut down an opportunity for new openness in the group.

2. Application: Look in the mirror
James 1:23 says, "Those who listen to the word, but do not do what it says, are like people who look at their faces in the mirror, and after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like." A small group is a place for people to look into the mirror, discover who they are, and then ask, "How do I apply God's word to my life as it really is?"

As a teacher I am regularly astonished by people's ability to hear a sermon, nod at it, be moved by it, write it down, and then do precisely the opposite of what they heard. This frequent occurrence shows the extent to which people need painstaking, patient, and careful application of Scripture to their daily lives.

What we desperately need are small groups to be schools of life. Imagine someone has a problem with anger—a small group leader should ask them: "What kinds of situations tend to get you angry, and how do you respond?" Give them some alternatives to sinful patterns of anger. Roleplay these situations in the small group. Then next week ask, "How did it go?" If they got it right, celebrate it. If they didn't, investigate what happened, and encourage them to do it differently next time.

If this kind of application doesn't happen in small groups, it may not happen anywhere, and people will not be transformed.

3. Accountability: Stand on the scale
People do not drift into full devotion to Christ. People do not drift into becoming loving, joy-filled, patient, winsome, world changers. It requires intention and effort.

But the default mode of the human heart is to drift. If a person has experienced real transformation, it's typically because someone else has cared enough to say, "I want you to live God's way, and I want to help you know if you are serious about it."

We need to make some key decisions on our journey of transformation: what are my commitments about prayer, about Scripture, about my use of money, about evangelism, about servanthood, about truth? Keeping these commitments requires a community of accountability to serve as a scale revealing how we're achieving our goals or missing them.

4. Guidance: Follow the map
When people need directions to a place they have never been, they use a map. Too often when people have major life-forming decisions to make, they make them alone.

In every church there are people facing decisions about vocations, ministry involvement, finances, relocation, and relationships. How sad if they make these decisions without the benefit of community. Their decisions may be impulsive, emotional, based on too little information. The result is too many broken lives.

The small group is to be where we find guidance, where we help each other learn how to listen to God. Small groups who rely upon God's Spirit serve as a map for us when making important decisions. In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster talks about guidance as a corporate discipline—something that groups should be doing together.

Small groups should be places where people gather to hear God through prayer and listening. Every small group meeting should include the question, "Is anybody facing a significant decision this week?" And in community the group should seek the Spirit's voice for the person facing the decision.

5. Encouragement: Embrace each other
A hug is a gesture of love and encouragement. An embrace represents what we all need from a community of transformation. We need to know that someone is committed to us and loves us. That cannot happen when we are alone, and it cannot happen in a large gathering. It's going to happen through smaller communities.

A long time ago I decided I wanted to talk to someone honestly about my temptations, where I had messed up. I wanted to practice the discipline of confession. So I asked my friend Rick if we could meet. By that time, I had known him for about ten years. When we sat down together, I told him everything there was to tell about me—all of the darkest stuff and everything I felt the most embarrassed about.

When I got to the end my confession, I could barely look up at him. When I finally did, Rick looked me in the eyes and said, "John, I have never loved you more than I love you right now."

Those words were so powerful; they felt so good that I wanted to make up more bad stuff to tell him. To have someone know everything about me and still love me was truly life giving.

That kind of love is what we ultimately need in small groups to transform lives. We can make small groups so complex and difficult, we can build the perfect small group strategy, but if we do not have the love of Christ present, we are not really engaged in transforming people into his likeness.

. . . John Ortberg is teaching pastor of Menlo Park (Calif.) Presbyterian Church.

The theology of Forest Gump

One of the memorable quotes from the big screen was uttered by the famous Forest Gump about life. It goes like this: Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get."


Now that you have stared the Lindt chocolate photo long enough, let's go back to the essence.

Behind that famous quote is a philosophy of life that it happens by chance. In the movie, life is depicted as something that floats randomly like a feather in the wind. What do you think? Is life like that? Because if you think that life happens by chance, then God is absent from the universe and the lives of mankind. That's Forest Gump's theology.

As Christians, we don't believe in chances. The Bible teaches that ours is a sovereign God who lovingly and constantly intervenes in our lives to bring pleasure to Him according to His perfect will. That is called the providence of God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism Q11 asks "What are God's works of providence?" The answer is: God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions. Read what Calvin wrote in Institutes, chapter 16 which nicely addresses the Forest Gump's theology:
That this distinction may be the more manifest, we must consider that the Providence of God, as taught in Scripture, is opposed to fortune and fortuitous causes. By an erroneous opinion prevailing in all ages, an opinion almost universally prevailing in our own day, viz., that all things happen fortuitously, the true doctrine of Providence has not only been obscured, but almost buried. If one falls among robbers, or ravenous beasts; if a sudden gust of wind at sea causes shipwreck; if one is struck down by the fall of a house or a tree; if another, when wandering through desert paths, meets with deliverance; or, after being tossed by the waves, arrives in port, and makes some wondrous hair-breadth escape from death - all these occurrences, prosperous as well as adverse, carnal sense will attribute to fortune. But whose has learned from the mouth of Christ that all the hairs of his head are numbered, (Matt 10:30) will look farther for the cause, and hold that all events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God. With regard to inanimate objects again we must hold that though each is possessed of its peculiar properties, yet all of them exert their force only in so far as directed by the immediate hand of God. Hence they are merely instruments, into which God constantly infuses what energy he sees meet, and turns and converts to any purpose at his pleasure.

Jun 13, 2008

Gordon MacDonald on Benediction

I stumbled upon this insightful reflection from MacDonald in the Leadership Journal. The topic is on Benediction, and it's something that can be readily applied by preachers. I would.
My memory of benedictions is that they were the same every week: "Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling …" It seemed to be a universal way for pastors to say, "We're done, see ya!"

Some years ago I came to believe that a benediction just might be more than a signal that the service was over. It occurred to me that the benediction should be a thoughtful and affectionate blessing upon the people, the last words that might send them from the place of worship out into a larger world where cursing, competition, suffering, and disappointment often strive to do us in. Soon I was telling myself that this blessing might become a final charge that, rightly heard, would remind the listener of the most important dimensions of Christian policy until we met together again.

For this reason, I started writing benedictions and pasting them into my Bible. Among the themes: the incomprehensible enormity of a God who is greater than all other powers in the world; the importance of extending Christ's love to those we encounter during the week; the challenge to keep from sinning; the significance of replicating the character of Jesus in everyday life; and the "maranatha hope" that Jesus might return at any moment.

Jun 11, 2008

iPhone Musing

Steve Jobs launched the much awaited iPhone 3G in SF yesterday. It's beautiful from every angle, loaded with cool stuff like built-in GPS, Wifi-enabled internet browsing, and heaps of eyes-glaring applications. Here is the official photo from Apple.com



July 11 is the date where the phone will be sold to public globally, including Australia (that's where I am!). Read the story here. Jobs said that Apple expects to sell 10 million phones by end of 2008. Wow!

I wonder if there is (should be) a distinct Christian approach to new gadgets like this. You know things like iPhone, iPod, Macbook, Wii, etc. Our fascination, and preoccupation, with cool toys such as this one is perhaps worth contemplating. I think these are the questions I would ask myself between now and July 11.

1. What really drives my desire to own (hold in my hands) an iPhone? If it is not strictly job-related reasons (I must have that iPhone to be able to do my job well), then what is it?

2. Does that desire reflect something deeper within my heart? An inner longing that I stupidly tried to fulfill with hi-tech gadgets?

3. Do I want to buy it because I want to project a certain image to others? ("Dude, he's got an iPhone 3G !!") To what extent my self-image is determined by the things I own, stuff I wear, gadgets I carry around my body?

4. Are there factors other than financial that should make me re-consider the purchase decision?

5. Will I get hooked onto the iPhone so much that I neglect my quality time with the Lord, with my wife and kids? Will iPhone enslave me and become my master?

6. Is there any temptation that I might fall into if I own iPhone? Self-pride, unwise use of time or pure sloth, illegal downloads, less sensitive towards the needy, more reliance on gadgets and less on God?

7. If the iPhone contract with the local network requires a two-year contract, can I afford it? Will it become a financial burden for me and my family?

8. More importantly, is there a better, more God-glorifying way to spend the money on?

9. Do I even pray and consult God before deciding to buy? Or does He only get "Lord, you know it's irresistible"

10. If I end up having it, am I ready to lose it without experiencing unnecessary negative emotions?

11. Will my relationship with Christ and efforts to be His witness to the world suffer in any way because of my ownership of iPhone?

12. What's gonna happen to me if I do not own an iPhone? Would Jesus use iPhone?

Howard Butt on Servant Leadership

Howard Butt's take on Trinitarian and Servant leadership:
What is Trinitarian Servant Leadership? Picture an equilateral triangle. One side is the Son, or submission, or servant. There is the Son, Jesus, the Son of God, submission and servant, that’s the side representing the cross. Another side is the Father authority, leadership, resurrection. The final side is the Holy Spirit, unity, creativity, and flexibility. It is all about the flexibility we need to relate most creatively to each other, in unity. Now the whole of life is this flexibility of servant leadership appropriate in each situation. This is the life in every believer. This is the God life that is in every believer when we are allowing Christ’s life to live through us.

The concept of servant leadership, which is a biblical concept, has two perils. One is that the servanthood of the leader renders him passive and impotent. As organizations become more truly democratic, the danger is that leadership gets lost or forgotten. A good example is that of the early Greeks, who founded democracy. It ultimately failed because in a totally egalitarian society, they did not allow for leadership. There was no one to provide an over-arching vision and direction. All went their separate ways, and the result was chaos, not freedom.

On the other hand, leadership can become authoritarian, insensitive, and tyrannical. The challenge is to find the balance between strong leadership and servant leadership. No one leads until someone serves.

Trinitarian Servant Leadership provides a model for merging three disciplines that I believe are vital in today’s business world: relational theology, behavioral science, and management strategies.

Paul Krugman on E-Book

Noted economist Paul Krugman recently offered his prognosis on E-book in New York Times:
Now, e-books have been the coming, but somehow not yet arrived, thing for a very long time . . . if e-books become the norm, the publishing industry as we know it may wither away. Books may end up serving mainly as promotional material for authors’ other activities, such as live readings with paid admission . . . Bit by bit, everything that can be digitized will be digitized, making intellectual property ever easier to copy and ever harder to sell for more than a nominal price. And we’ll have to find business and economic models that take this reality into account.

Jun 9, 2008

WANTED: Eligible Men in Melbourne

This morning I read a reality-inducing article in today's local paper, Sunday Age, entitled Looking for Mr Right or Mr Impossible-to-Find. The entire text can be read here, but some of the highlights are as follows:
Many 30-something women feel there's more than a little truth to the throwaway line that "all the good men are married or gay". They believe there is a "man drought", and it shows no signs of breaking.

About 20 years ago, Newsweek famously stated that a 40-year-old woman was "more likely to be killed by a terrorist than to get married". The magazine admitted in 2006 that this was bunkum, a hastily written funny aside that somehow made it into print and became accepted as fact.

According to Bureau of Statistics figures, nationally there are more women than men in their 30s. So if we imagine Australia as one giant dance hall and everyone is hetero, were there to be a magic pairing up of people in their 30s, about 15,000 women, including 7000 Melburnians, would be left on the side of the dance floor when the music started.

About 25% of all households are lone-person dwellings. Unmarried women now outnumber married ones in Australia.

...clearly there are many people who are happy being single. The term "freemales" has been coined to describe women who see plenty of positives in being without a man. Some commentators have even wondered if all this talk of desperate, single women isn't actually a feminist backlash in disguise.

Since women with tertiary educations are more likely to delay partnering than other women, there ends up being a large number of educated women in their 30s looking for a partner. But the number of men who match them in qualification levels is much smaller. So the competition for a man with a degree gets fierce.
This sad reality is very true in many churches too. And what I am afraid will happen (if not already) is that Christian single women in their 30s compromise the biblical standard of finding a man who is also a believer in Christ. I bet that the number of men who are mature Christians is even much smaller, only a fraction of the number of eligible, educated men as alluded to above. But flagrantly disobeying God's clear word in this area will only result in disastrous family lives. If you are a mature Christian and your spouse is not, you will surely get into heated debates and an unnecessary rift when it comes to questions like "Should we tithe as a family?" "Should we take our kids to Sunday School?" "Should we take up a ministry in the church?" "Should we care about being submissive to God in whatever circumstances?" "Should we even call your Jesus Christ, God?" etc...

Bagaimana 8 Ucapan Bahagia Menyatakan Karakter

Karakter adalah siapa diri kita yang sebenar-benarnya, tanpa berbagai kedok dan atribut yang kita banggakan: Posisi, gelar, prestasi, pengalaman, materi, dst. Karakter adalah masalah hati, respon hati kita saat tidak ada orang lain yang melihat atau saat kita dibawah tekanan.

Alkitab membedakan tentang perilaku dan hati kita. Memang dari hati kita mengalir keluar perilaku kita (Amsal 4:23; Markus 7:21). Namun kita dapat mengubah perilaku kita sementara hati kita tetap sama tak berubah. Misal, kita taat pada polisi meski hati kita mungkin berontak terhadapnya. Kita rajin melayani Allah meski hati kita tidak cinta Dia tapi cinta kesenangan dunia.

Yang perlu kita ingat adalah bahwa tingkah laku yang tidak mengalir keluar secara natural dari hati kita dikutuk oleh Kristus “Celakalah kamu, hai ahli-ahli Taurat dan orang-orang Farisi, hai kamu orang-orang munafik, sebab kamu sama seperti kuburan yang dilabur putih, yang sebelah luarnya memang bersih tampaknya, tetapi yang sebelah dalamnya penuh tulang belulang dan pelbagai jenis kotoran” (Mat 23:27).

Delapan ucapan bahagia yang Yesus kotbahkan mengacu pada perubahan hati, dan bukan hanya perilaku. Saat hati kita disentuh dan karakter kita diubah, perilaku kita pun berubah mengikutinya. Orang Farisi dan para murid Kristus keduanya adalah orang religius. Yang membedakan mereka adalah soal hati. Yang pertama hatinya tetap membatu sementara tingkah laku agamanya membuat orang kagum. Yang kedua hatinya disentuh, dihancurleburkan, lalu dibentuk ulang oleh Allah. Hasilnya, transplantasi hati yang baru.

Delapan ucapan bahagia ini memaksa kita untuk serius bertanya: Apakah saya benar-benar orang Kristen? Jika ya, itu berarti karakter-karakter yang ada dibawah ini kita miliki dan nyatakan dalam keseharian hidup kita. Jika karakter-karakter tersebut tidak muncul, Anda dan saya perlu dengan sangat amat serius meragukan iman percaya kita kepada Kristus Yesus. Berikut beberapa karakter yang saya kembangkan dari 8 ucapan bahagia yang diucapkan oleh Tuhan kita:



Jun 8, 2008

Pilgrim's Progress Audiobook: Free!

Christianaudio.com setiap bulan memberi Audiobook untuk di download secara gratis. Untuk bulan Juni 2008, Free Audiobook-nya adalah karya klasik John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress. Kode kupon untuk download buku tsb adalah JUN2008 di sini.

Tidak ada alasan lagi untuk tidak membaca buku klasik ini yang telah mempengaruhi orang Kristen dari zaman ke zaman. Saya sendiri baru saja mendownload ke-9 file tsb.

Jun 6, 2008

Lacoste vs. Clio Coddle

I can fully understand the angst that clothing designers have over Chinese people. You can find virtually everything at a bargain price that is 50% to 90% similar to the genuine product. In fact I was shocked to find iPhone-like phones are already in the market sold for a tiny fraction of the original price. But this one is hilarious. If you are into branded product, you will recognize the Crocodile logo in the photo below belongs to the original label called Lacoste. In Shanghai, Lacoste has been transformed into the Mandarin-sounding label innovatively called Clio Coddle. The real Lacoste logo is a fierce-looking crocodile turning right with his jaw wide open, while Clio Coddle is rather sheepish. Can you spot the difference?


Starbucks rules Shanghai

I think it was not an outrageous claim to say that Shanghai has been taken over by Starbucks. It is everywhere! Perhaps there are as many Starbucks as dim sum restaurants. The best one I saw was the one in Yuyuan Garden. The photo below tells the stark contrast between the very traditional Chinese architecture and the modern culture revolution called Starbucks!


After strolling Yuyuan Garden in a very hot day filled with loud noise of the crowd talking, shouting, and spitting, entering the air-conditioned Starbucks and sitting on its plush couch sipping Ice Dark Mocha with soothing jazz music in the background provides a heavenly escape. That's how I felt. Here is a shot from inside Starbucks looking outside the window.

The Bund & Nanjing Road

The Bund is a famous waterfront spot that overlooks 52 architectural buildings on the other side of the Huang Pu River. The river can be crossed through an underground-and below-the-water cable car specially imported from France. Here is a photo of Shanghai city view I took from the 54th floor of the Jianmao Tower located in the the area.


Stretching for more than 5km to the Bund is the most important artery in Shanghai, and the most famous street, Nanjing Road. What amazed me was the sea of people I saw everywhere I turned, day and night. It looked like an annual gathering of ant colonies. The city of Shanghai boasted its population of more than 21 million people! That is the number of people in the entire country of Australia.




Suddenly I was reminded of missionaries who decided to minister to the lost in China. I mean, if your heart is all out for Jesus, you would not be unmoved by the sheer vision of the mass. That might be what was in the heart of the Lord, when Mark reported, “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 9:36).

Shanghai Airport

The minute I arrived in Shanghai Pudong International Airport, I can't help feeling amazed at the sheer size and beauty of the Shanghai International Airport. It is huge building occupying 3.5 million sqm grassland and has contemporary architecture with silver gray steel roof in vaulted structure and light green glass window throughout (I know this from a brochure, of course). It's so clean, serene, and relaxing. The customs officer who checked my passport was friendly, a bit too friendly I thought; perhaps because in front of them was this electronic feedback system - a switch with four buttons for passengers to press: Greatly satisfied, Satisfied, Check-in time too long, and Poor Customer Service. I managed to press “greatly satisfied” after quickly saying “Xie Xie.”



Back from Shanghai

I just returned from a business trip from Shanghai (plus a couple days off on annual leave) yesterday evening. And while I could access internet and email there from the hotel, the connection was not good enough. In fact, I couldn't get in to the blogspot. That explains why there are no entries in the blog during the last week. What I intend to do is to share a few highlights from Shanghai through the photos of the places of interest in Shanghai I had the chance to visit or pass by.