Nothing Much

So, here we sit. We're about a week out of flying to the States. I feel like my brain is stuck in May. But alas, it is June. And I'm having blogger guilt. We haven't posted in a while and my creative side is on vacation. So if in doubt, post pictures.





We had a wonderful group of friends come into town last week. I love getting to hear people's take on life here. This group of people encouraged our hearts and ministered to our lives in a deep way. We felt very refreshed. And it wasn't just because they brought 16 bags of coffee with them.



We are in the process of not only packing to head to the States for a few months, but packing to move. We disassembled our bathtub and beds, have taken stuff off the walls and packed most of our earthly belongings already. While I was packing one morning, the girls were playing in the bathtub. With umbrellas.




I'm not sure how much posting will happen in the next week or so, but prepare yourselves for much commentating over the next few months as we hit the ground in the US of A.

Have you ever...

1. Have you ever felt so tired that you couldn't sleep? As if your adrenal gland is stuck in hyper mode and is gushing adrenaline into every appendage in your body, causing you to work and think frantically around the clock?

2. Have you ever felt like you are stuck in the "before" picture of a luxurious make-over?

3. Have you ever felt like your life is a sitcom, but then are grateful that it's not a drama or tragedy?

4. Have you ever wondered what your tag line is when people describe you? Like Ross from friends, he was "the divorced guy". Or Aaron Neville, he's "the guy with that large mole."

5. Have you ever wondered why we humans even bother to make 5 year plans?


Ok, just wondering.

My Life in Fortissimo

I'm not gonna lie, there is one thing that I am excited about when I think of visiting America that ranks higher than even cheese and Chik-Fila waffle fries. And that's quiet. We live in a world of 'fortissimo'. For those less cultured than myself (ie, those of you who didn't hear 'June' on Little Einsteins this morning use the word 'fortissimo' and tell the audience to clap, clap, clap) fortissimo means really, really loud. And really, really loud can be good when you are talking about a dramatic piano piece, or say, a fire alarm. Fortissimo is not good when it defines your everyday.

My house is not just a little bit noisy. If it's quiet, I start to worry that someone is bleeding in the corner or eating Play-dough. So, why don't you go for a nice stroll outside, you might ask? Well, I don't know if you've ever been to China or probably India, but it's really noisy here. I had a one hour lay over in Delhi one time and it just felt noisy there, but my friends that live there can chime in on that one. Even at restaurants, the music is so loud that you have to shout to the person next to you. I think everyone's hearing has gotten so bad that places feel the need to crank up their music, honk their horns incessantly and speak at a decibel not made for human eardrums just to be able to function daily.

My parents house has a huge back yard with very few neighbors around them. I cannot explain how excited I am to sit on that back porch and listen to nothing. Although I'm sure my parent's neighbors are not at all excited about our 'fortissimo' disturbing their 'pianissimo.'

I am craving a little bit of pianissimo in my life. Grab the hand next to you, take a deep breath and say Pianissimo. Doesn't that feel good.

Pianissimo.

Pianissimo.

Pianissimo.

Public Service Announcement: What NOT to say to Moms

There are a few things that I'm going to share with you that will save you a lot of heart ache. If you are a friend or family member of a mom that has lots of small kids at home, I have a brief list of things NOT to do.

1. Do not plan a girl's night, retreat, double date, long lunch without kids and then cancel the plans last minute. Why? Because chances are, that mom has been looking forward to that time all week. And an even better chance that it's that very event that has kept her from going postal on several occasions. The mother will be gracious about you canceling, but then will retreat to the bathroom and cry for 5 minutes. Then, she will blame her contacts when her kids ask her what is wrong.

2. Do not ask her why her kids are not walking, talking, rolling over, potty trained, or sleeping in their own beds yet. This will cause a snowball of thoughts that will end in all of her kids being homeless or in jail.

3. Do not ask her to make a dessert last minute for a function that she is attending outside her own home. She will say yes, of course. Because saying no would imply that she does not have everything together and she is afraid she will be de-frocked from the Super Mom club. And that mom will feel guilty if she uses a five minute boxed dessert because others will know. They just will. So, she will go to the store, because it's always one ingredient that is missing. The domino effects of this dessert request will send her into panic mode...quickly.

4. Do not complain about how tired and busy you are because you have to go to the gym and then meet at starbucks today. That will cause her to sin.

5. Do not talk about how you never see the sun rise because you get up after 8 every morning. And how on the weekends you sleep in until 10 and then eat a late breakfast just in time for kick-off at 11. She will be tempted to start "accidently" calling you at 4:30 from her husband's phone (so you don't recognize the number, of course) and then hang up quickly. Then she will fall peacefully back to sleep feeling oh so pleased with herself.

These things above will send your friend into Mommy Depression. You don't want Mommy Depression. It's not pretty.

This has been a Public Service Announcement from me.

You're welcome.

Dancin' on the Train to Beijing

By bread alone

"Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God."

Matthew 4:4

Jesus quoted this verse when the devil was tempting Him in the desert. As I read this verse this morning and was praying over it, I came to a realization.

I often choose to live by bread alone.

Bread is simple. Bread is easily accessible. Even if there is drought and famine, bread remains. I can run to the street by myself and pick up bread. It's safe and secure.

As I was thinking through this for myself, I came to understand even more how often I depend on my own devices within a day. Brad and I have been talking over the last few months that they Lord seems to be leading us into a desert of unfamiliar and insufficient. There are things that we will be doing in our immediate future that we are absolutely incapable of doing on our own. We feel like we are finally needing to string up the white flag and fall into a foxhole, ducking for cover. The Lord has brought us to this point. He knows that we don't like surrender. He knows that we rely on our own abilities and facilties way too often. We do things that are comfortable and stretch us just enough that we won't break.

Relying on our own abilities led the apple to be eaten. For Ishmael to be born. For birthrights to be sold.

The verse in Matthew tells us that we are to live by EVERY word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Those words are good. Those words are true.

Those words will not spoil.

Not like my bread.

One Month till States Bound

So, in about one month, we will be headed to visit America. It's a weird thing to process through. China is home and our kids really don't remember much about America. They are starting to ask lots of questions about living in the States. We'll only be there for 3 months, but I can see their minds spinning on what life will be like for us. We are doing a count down where everyday we add an element to the White House.

Yesterday, Selah stood in front of the American flag on our little White House and sang the Chinese national anthem. I thought it was a good summation of what she sees her identity as being. A majority of their friends are Chinese. They fully understand what kind of behavior will cause them to gain or loose face here. Charis was 1 when we left, so she's clueless. Malachi remember almost nothing about America. We will also visit the States with two more children than when we left-just 3 years ago.

There are things we're excited about, namely: fajitas, swimming, friends, family, grass, batteries that work, drive-thrus, libraries, Chic-Fil-A, and driving. But, there is a large part of me that is really nervous.

I'm nervous that I won't have a clue what people are talking about.

I'm nervous that I won't be funny and will instead elicit blank stares and inner monologue mocking from others.

I'm nervous about going to church.

I'm nervous that my brain will forget every Chinese word I've ever learned.

I'm nervous that we will not have a place in our friend's lives.

I'm nervous that our kids will feel like outcasts.

I'm nervous that the comforts of America will make me lazy in my pursuit of Jesus.

I'm nervous that I will gain 83 pounds consuming cheese.

I'm nervous that I won't be able to hear God clearly.

All of these things are founded in my lack of trust in the Lord's provisions.

Our good friend, DY, is also coming to visit us for about half of the time. Having her there with us is going to give us a good bridge between East and West. And I'll get to teach her and my 4 year old how to swim : ).

I'm sure I will have more musings as the month progresses.

"Free Will" Makes Us Robots

This is counter intuitive, but it's true: If you hold to "free will" (the way most people think it means), then you are making people "robots". Of course, most people think it works the other way, i.e. people who believe in election or "Calvinism" makes people robots. This is because people assert, "If God decides who gets saved, then we have not a choice. We're just robots." As we shall see. In fact, it works the other way.

Everyone agrees that the human will makes decisions. That's not the controversial part. Those who want to protect "free will" typically mean that people do or should have the ability to equally choose either of two choices, A or B, for example, to follow Jesus or not follow Jesus. Reformed theology (Calvinists) say all people are enslaved to the sinful desires, thus no one has a "free will". Free-willers say human nature is not "totally depraved".

Free-willers say 'free will' means that we can choose to do whatever we want to do. Yet, catch that last phrase. Our desires always make us lean one way or another. My desires do not make me equally likely to choose tomorrow whether I will feed my kids or not feed my kids. My love for them makes it NOT equally likely that I could choose choice A or B.

How do we therefore ensure that people truly have the ability to equally chose A or B? After all, it is suggested, in order to be "free", we need to equally be able to choose A (follow Jesus) or B (not follow Jesus). What you have to do is take away human desire. Otherwise, that desire will tip the scales to actually prefer one choice over another. As a result, we basically have to be robots. Robots don't have human desires so only they can be able to equally choose among any set of options.

So, which theological position makes people robots? Those who push "free will".
For more on this topic, you can see our series, "Why All Christians Are Calvinists (and Don't Know It"

Star Studded Line-Up

There are times when you know that an event is blog-worthy, so you bring your camera and you think up witty one-liners as the event is happening. This afternoon was one such occasion. Chinese love to put on performances. There doesn't really need to be a holiday or celebration, just perform. And do it with vigor.


This little doozy of a performance happened right in our apartment complex this afternoon. This guy kicked things off with a riveting song and dance routine. At one point he leapt off the stage and danced around and then sang to an empty car. With about 63 people in the audience. But to him, it was a sold out concert in Central Park. In my opinion, that made it even funnier to watch.





Next up was this adorable grandma-soldier-wonder woman routine. She marched around and shot an air gun...many, many times. I have to admit, I was brainstorming all the things I could do with these Wonder Woman leggings. Those would sure add some pep to my home schooling routine.






When an older lady performs, usually it's her personal rendition of Beijing Opera. I know that this is a cultural gem here, but honestly it sounds like cats in heat. And at least the cats have some potential good that could come from being in heat. There is no such possible good in hearing Beijing Opera. But the older people in the audience were on the brink of lighting their lighters, swaying back and forth and singing "Free Bird".



The entertainment only got better when I saw who was up next. This guy started by gliding his feet in a familiar fashion. Within the first 10 seconds, I realized that he must have watched Michael Jackson's "Bad" about 183 times in order to memorize not only the moves but also the facial expressions. When I say that his performance made me happy, that is a gross understatement. I looked and looked around for my only American friend that lives near us and she was not to be found. I desperately needed someone to experience this with me.





But alas, I was alone, laughing so hard I was crying. I love Selah's expression in this picture above. Just sums it up nicely. And to top it off, the wind was blowing, so this guys white over shirt was blowing, just like Michael's did. It was pure delight. This picture below was when he was running almost in place...fast. I think he stole this move from 'Footloose.' I couldn't blame the guy...it's a classic move.




As a sidenote, I just re-lived this routine while I was writing. I now have cramps and tears dripping down my face. This routine with be my new "happy place" for the week.





As he ended his song, he rushed to the front of the stage and reached out to grab some of his adoring fan's hands.

Happy place. Happy, happy place.





Makaria got to pose with yoga lady. She was impressed with neither the lunge nor the silver sequin leggings. This lady is super sweet.





Then it was the Europeans turn. That's how they announced my kids as they came to entertain the masses. Did they practice...no. Did they have music....no. But did they have heart....YES! So the DJ put on some Chinese hip-hop. (Which, for the record I really like)








Here they are, dancing and flipping and looking cute as ever up there. I love that our kids don't mind dancing and singing and having fun up on stage.



And when my kids perform, they perform. Malachi pulled out his favorite move..."the Triple Whip". You can see him in mid air in this picture below. It involves a massive wind-up, a jump, a turn in the air and usually a landing on all fours and sometimes a face plant. It's awesome.





Whenever I hear music in our area, I always rush the kids to go and watch. I love the performances here. The make-up, the drama, the suspense and the spontaneity. Entertainment just doesn't get better than this.

Family Photo Gallery

Here's a few from our family's photo gallery:





"I Could Take Him out, No Problem!"






"Sealing the Deal"





"Potty Contemplation"





"How You Doin'?"

Our 2 Days Away

Brad and I went away to Beijing for 2 days!

Two whole days of sleeping in until 7, drinking coffee as a luxury and not a drug induced way to stay awake after lunch, and walking around aimlessly with no responsibilities and no purpose. In our youth, our getaway would have been non-stop activities. We would have woken up early, pushed ourselves all day, eaten Mexican food and then crashed. We have grown up and grown old all in one fail swoop. So now we sit and read. We walk, we still eat Mexican food and then we talk. We people watch and read some more. I usually do more of the people watching and commentating and Brad does more of the reading. But by sitting with him while he reads, I just feel smarter. So that's an added bonus.




We went to an art district that we've been spying out for a few years. It's called 798. The area is an old built out factory. They have turned all these factories into individual galleries and cafes. They have even kept some of the machinery and signs, which I loved. It was amazing to see the paradox of the factories and photography displays. They have a few artists each month who are on exhibition and then lots of staple smaller museums/shops.




We ate at this wonderful little cafe. The walls were covered with Andy Warhol pictures of when he visited China. I couldn't resist taking a picture with big Andy.



I also couldn't resist the picture of the police doing his patrol around the art district.






My favorite part of this courtyard filled with sculptures was the beautiful display the Lord gave us with the blue skies.




Here's the typical "riding on wolverine with cell phone in hand" shot.




We had a great time! It was so much fun to catch up, pray together, eat slowly and just relax. Thanks DY!

Swagger Wagon

What are all the cool kids doin'?

They're all drivin' mini-vans.



A rap about mini-vans. 'Nuf said.

"Nap Time"

Kesed wanted to take a nap with Makaria the other day.




Needless to say, not much napping happened.

Cultural Musings on Birds

As I was exercising this morning, I thought of a picture that explains some of the differences between Chinese and American culture.


Birds.

I'm always looking for ways to describe the vast sea of cultural differences we find ourselves swimming in culturally. This one dives into what we value.



One of the hobbies of the older and much, much WISER generation (your welcome, mom) is to take care of birds. You see the old people take them for walks, whistling to them, carrying them on long, wooden poles, teaching them to gamble, and whatever else they can do to fill up a 16 hour day.

I've asked around and have found out that most people here believe that by getting a bird and putting it into a cage, that they are protecting and loving the birds from the predators and evil elements that are found outside of cages. They will tell me "inside the cage, the birds are safe and well fed. Outside of the cage, they can be eaten or hit or abused." So, the cage offers safety, security and consistency. This is the most loving thing the caretaker can provide for the birds.



Now, we Americans on the other hand, see a bird in a cage (I realize that some Americans still have birds as pets, but I just don't think it ranks up there with dogs, cats, or even ferrets), we think: "Fly away! Fly away while your owner is changing your newspapers!! Get away and find your soul mate and make happy birdy babies while sipping lemonade in a Florida retirement community."

Fundamentally, we believe that birds were meant to fly and soar, to scale new heights and experience the world from a view that nobody else gets to see. We value the freedom that birds have. We see the cage as oppressive and stale.

Neither one is good or evil, just two different perspectives on the same thing...a cage. But it unpackages a lot culturally for both sides.

And to prove just how much we Americans hold dearly to our worldview, I leave you with this:

today i saw...

today i saw...

This is Makaria asleep in the bathtub. No fears, for she has squeezed herself into a plastic box. Such a safe girl. She's must have been lulled asleep by the T-Rex, white rabbit and toy monster truck that surround her.

I Hate Frustrations (duh)

Ok, so this week, I've become especially aware how frustrated I get at life's common, daily trials. I get unusually 'offended'. I act put out (in an odd sort of way). Basically, I want all of life's blessings and excessively detest any form of evil that gets in my way. This is just one more manifestation of selfishness, to say it plainly. Selfishness is a form of self-worship. I (and we) was the world to revolve around us, to glorify us.

Now, here's some reality: the anger or frustration is a rejection of God's wisdom in arranging THIS kind of world, full of setbacks, delays, and daily trials. When people talk of suffering, death, and cancer, we cite Romans 8:28; yet when small things hit us, we are so unprepared. We get angry that so many "trivial" things would get in the way of what 's "really" important (i.e. whatever WE are doing). Yet, today, it dawned on me how trivial our days are in God's eyes. He is sovereign and all-knowing. Our ambitions and challenges are nothing for Him.

However, the incarnation reveals a God, whose glory is made manifest in mercy, "put up with" our humanity and inefficient world. In His wisdom, such a world system works together for our good and His glory. In the most profound sense, all evil and pain exists so that Christ might die, thus exhibiting God's glorious grace (cp. Rev. 13:8, Eph. 1:6). As Paul suggests in 2 Cor. 4, our lives are to be small expressions of His gospel-incarnation.

This should radically impact the way we impatiently listen to the "trivial concerns" of our kids. All our lives are full of normal, trivial stuff...that is, until that point we remember the gospel is precisely God's enjoying us amid our trivial concerns.

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This is a sign near our home for a local business. We have laughed so many times at how it looks just like our kids. When we pass it, Kesed even says "That's my pigu (Chinese for bottom)! And that's Makaria's pigu!"

Joe Wong at the RTCA Dinner

"Big Mak"

Makaria no longer smiles like a sweet, almost 2 year old. Instead, she puts on her "strong" face. When she does her strong face, she shakes her head, bulges her eyes and throws her hands up to her chin. This face has thrown me back to to my WWF days. Yes, I admit that I was very into "Macho Man" Randy Savage, "Hulk Hogan", Jake "The Snake", the whole gang. I even watched the cartoon. I'm not ashamed.



This is her WWF "The Sheik" pose. If you know him, then you were just as desperate for entertainment in the late eighties as I was.

We thought of a few other wrestling names for Makaria. Here are a few:

Makaria "Large and in Charge"
"Big Mak Attack"
Makaria "The Tummy"
The Rumbler
Xiao Fei Zhou (it's what some of our kid's friends call Makaria. It translates "Little Africa)








On a much more feminine note, these two skirts are some of the things I have made recently. I like the way they turned out. And no, you may not see the inside or the seams. Let's just sit back, far back, and enjoy how fun they are.

Hermeneutics and Children's Curriculum

I would say this applies to adults too. These hermeneutical problems are all too typical in sermons and adult books.

Here is an excerpt from Hermeneutics and Children's Curriculum by John Walton

...I have identified five basic fallacies that appear repeatedly:

1. Promotion of the Trivial: The lesson is based on what is a passing comment in the text (Josh 9:13, they did not consult the Lord), a casual observation about the text (Moses persevered in going back before Pharaoh over and over) or even a deduction supplied in the text (Joshua and Caleb were brave and strong). The Bible is not being properly taught if we are teaching virtues that the text does not have in focus in that passage. We would like children to be virtuous, but we dare not teach virtues rather than the Bible. The plague narratives are not teaching perseverance nor is the feeding of the multitude teaching sharing (as done by the little boy in one of the accounts).

2. Illegitimate extrapolation: The lesson is improperly expanded from a specific situation to all general situations (God helped Moses do a hard thing, so God will help you do a hard thing. But the hard thing Moses was doing was something commanded by God whereas in the lesson the hard thing becomes anything the child wants to achieve). In these cases what the text is teaching is passed by in favor of what the curriculum wants to teach and biblical authority is neglected.

3. Reading Between the Lines: This occurs when teachers or students are asked to analyze what the characters are thinking, speculate on their motives, or fill in details of the plot that the story does not give. When such speculations become the center of the lesson, the authority of the biblical teaching is lost because the teaching is centered on what the reader provided.

4. Missing important nuance: This occurs when the curriculum pinpoints an appropriate lesson but misses a connection that should be made to drive the point home accurately. It is not enough, for instance to say that God wants us to keep his rules—it is important to realize that God has given us a sense of who he is and how we ought to respond in our lives. It is not just an issue of obeying rules—God wants us to know him and respond to him by following in his ways and being like him.

5. Focus on people rather than God: The Bible is God’s revelation of himself and its message and teaching is largely based on what it tells us about God. This is particularly true of narrative (stories). While we are drawn to observe the people in the stories, we cannot forget that the stories are intended to teach us about God more than about people. If in the end, the final point is “We should/shouldn’t be like X (= some biblical character)” there is probably a problem unless the “X” is Jesus or God. Better is “we can learn through X’s story that God . . .”

If we are negligent of sound hermeneutics when we teach Bible to children, should it be any wonder that when they get into youth groups, Bible studies and become adults in the church, that they do not know how to derive the authoritative teaching from the text?

We all have a working hermeneutic, even though most have never taken a course. Where do we learn it? We learn it from those we respect. For many people this means that they learn their hermeneutics from their Sunday school teachers. Teachers in turn teach what is put into their hands. Perhaps we ought to be more attentive how Sunday school curriculum is teaching our children to find the authoritative teaching of God in the stories.

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Personally, in our family, we highly recommend the curriculum from Children Desiring God.