#Asian Christian Fellowship

[rainismdata]

House MD: Original Character

Maddox N. Jagajiva, one of the PPTH's ophthalmologist.

Name: Dr. Maddox N. Jagajiva, MD, MACC

Nickname: Maddie or Max

Specialty: neuro-ophthalmology and ocular oncology

Education: Univ. of Pennsylvania (undergraduate), Sid. Kim. Medical College Philadelphia (medical school), Wills Eye Hos. (residency and fellowships) [shortened for censoring purposes]

Season Appearance: 1, 5, 8

Character informations:

[before I said anything, I'd like to inform you that the "season" that I'd be talking about is me trying to refer the timeline. But could aslo be referred as some episode or additional episodes]

Born: 1970

Her nickname is Maddie or Max. Simply because her friends at school and outside work, also her family called her Max! while mostly her colleagues called her Maddie. She also goes with Maddie for Lisa and Rachel. Getting called Dr. Maddox at clinic and counseling hour; rather than Dr. Jagajiva.

Education and Employment:

Finished residency and neuro-opthalmology fellowship in 2001 (both at Wills Eye Hos.)

Appears only in a few episodes on those seasons for reasons: a. having DDx for psychosomatic case and any case when neuro-opthalmology was needed (season 1), b. helping PPTH's oncology department out of her interest in ocular oncology (season 5), c. having a research/project in a topic for ocular oncology and referring Wilson as her 1st/main advisor (season 8, counted as after House got the car to Cuddy's house), d. Flirts with Cuddy (whole)

Out of PPTH from after season 1 and before season 5; to have a degree of Master of Arts in Christisn Counseling. The first encounter with House after jail was at the middle of season 8; by House teasing her of having studied in christian studies, not knowing how could House know about it, because she basically just ran away from PPTH. House didn't even mention anything about it in Season 5; he's just "joking" about her should join Chase to finish seminary in s5. But then she knew later in late late about to the end of season 8, Cuddy told her that it could be possibly Lucas.

Meanwhile— She's having a fellowship in ocular oncology at the end of season 5 until after lucasxcuddy thing.

Her role in PPTH was as one of a few opthalmologist; doesn't want to have the head of department role because then she couldn't go as free as long as far as she wants.

Health condition:

Sjögren Syndrome, results in having only one eye that could be used for sighting while the other is having black-grey visions, as if having no vision catched at all. She could use a transplant but choses not to. For that, sometimes House would tease her with a few fingers up beside her unworkable eye side and asked her how much finger he got up. She's also bad in pain management but wouldn't having drugs because she could only swallow small SMALL tablet, otherwise then SMASH IT. Also, she's photosensitive but she can managed that (sometimes it was psychosomatic).

Much much information of her:

Did I say she's Asian? Well— Yeah... She is.

Tea lover and coffee enjoyer. At times, she would make herself and drink both tea and coffee in one cup.

She's ambidextrous, mainly using right hand for writing and left hand for things. Plays ukulele and percussions, and alto singer in choir.

Has ADHD and OCD (and doesn't want to confront people about her conditions or would just subtly spoken to them if they manage to bother her), easy to cut people off but hardly forget what they did. That being said, she would just brush it off if someone teasing her about her "perfectionistic" thing.

Was once trained in Karate when she's in high school; never getting back to it since then.

Additional Plot Informations:

Whenever House mildly or severely teasing or debating her about being perfectionist-but-unrestrained, about her being counselor, her faith; it's either she's just giving subtly remarks and brush it off or having Cuddy to do the debating part.

House sometimes called her Mad Dog; while Maddie would then said Mad Doctor or Mad Scientist (yeah, she's referring to Dr. Cockroaches). Also has "Mad Max" as one of her nicknames.

If anything— Wilson teased her for having crush in Cuddy. Thirteen has joined in the course to tease her.

Having "one eye - one leg" convo with House.

She has the basics from calvinist ⛪💒. She's having fun when House, Wilson, Cuddy, and Chase are having a beef about religion/beliefs thing with their patients.

Despite all that convo of House and Cuddy bickering at each other, she would find a smooth sentences to flirts with Cuddy. It was so subtle that sometimes Cuddy would stop whatever she's doing and acknowledge the "smart move". Otherwise, she's just having those broken hearts scenes in movie while in season 7. Non canonical episode or story, she's getting together with Cuddy in season 8. Wilson warned her if IF there's a possibility of House trying to get to know what happened to Cuddy; but somehow Maddie and Wilson would just brushed it off. House has never audibly asked her how's Cuddy doing, and when their eyes met in hallways, she would just gave him a nod.

Maddie as Lisa's Lover:

Doesn't go to House's "funeral", but when she knew Wilson was missing despite of him having only "a few months" to live... she's just hoping the happiest for both Wilson and House.

Also a gamer, mostly for Action RPG. She plays the game series of Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Dynasty Warriors since the first time the games were came out. She plays multiplayer games with Rachel Cuddy, having Lisa provides them with snacks and would feeding them the foods if she wasn't working on her own.

Enjoys reading bedtime stories with Rachel and Lisa. Sometimes, they would taking turns on who's the one who tells the story.

Her shift is mostly afternoon about to the middle of the night, so she could took Lisa and Rachel to their workplace/school. While she couldn't go home together, she could still having the time for bedtime together.

Still enjoys flirting subtly to Lisa. Sometimes she would just ask Rachel to say to her Mom what Maddie wants to say to Lisa.

Despite being the one who flirts regularly, she would just becoming a tomato every time Lisa was getting her back at flirting.

Is a little spoon.

Both of them enjoyed cooking; it came down to Rachel.

Physical Appearance:

5'3" tall (looks like having broad shoulders, but she actually isn't), black waist-long hair (either always in french/dutch braid, or getting hair bun with hairstick), brown-grey eyes, "honey" brown skin tone, impaired eye is covered with somekind of washable medical mask-like eyepatch for daily use, wears glasses with clear lense for an eye while the impaired one is getting black lense (in the same glasses) if wasn't wearing eyepatch, for regular medical or christian counseling then she wears docmart/maryjane-trousers-shirt-vest-tie (in windsor or christensen knot) also with a doctor coat (medical) or blazer (christian), mostly either wears sleeveless top with long pants/skirt or sleeves top with short pants for daily, fashion/outfit color code are earth, forrest, and monochrome (mainly dark colors).

Disclaimer: (omg I was too late for this)

I'm making this fancanon while trying both realistically and inaccurately, simply for fictional purposes. People in medical/hospital area would obviously know that I'd be wrong (bcs basically I'm not coming from that area).

[wendellcapili]

Former UP Professor of English and Comparative Literature Josefina Dionisio (JD) Constantino (28 March 1920-19 July 2024), known to many as Sr. Teresa Joseph Patrick of Jesus & Mary, OCD, passed away at 4:00 am, on 19 July 2024. She was 104. Sister Teresa is a UP College of Education and Columbia University (English and Comparative Literature) alumna. She was a student of pioneering fictionist and creative writing teacher Paz Marquez Benitez at UP and Pulitzer-winning poet and critic Mark Van Doren at Columbia. Later, she held grants and fellowships at Edinburgh, MIT, and Michigan. In UP, she was Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents under President Vidal Arceo Tan (1951-1955). With Leticia Ramos-Shahani, she developed UP's Comparative Literature program, the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia. Her students include National Artists Amelia Lapeña Bonifacio & Gemino H. Abad, poet Virginia Moreno, Social Weather Stations President Mahar Lagmay, market research pioneer Mercy Abad, Inquirer columnist Belinda Olivarez Cunanan, and former Malacañang Press Secretary and Manila Bulletin Editor-in-Chief Crispulo Icban. She is widely remembered for her critiques on National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin: “The Woman Who Had Two Navels” (review), published in Philippine Studies [vol. 9 no. 4 (1961): 639–650], and “Illusion and Reality in Nick Joaquin,” in Philippine fiction: essays from Philippine studies, 1953-1972 [ ed. Joseph A. Galdón S.J., Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1972: 13-24]. Her other works include The Asian Religious Sensibility and Christian (Carmelite) Spirituality, The Folly is the Glory of the Cross (UP Press, 2010), and Five Letters to St. Teresa (2011). During its formative years, she was a judge for the annual Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature. Before joining the Carmelites, she became an executive of the Development Bank of the Philippines and a Manila Chronicle columnist. Before she passed, she donated her books and archival materials to Ateneo Library of Women's Writings (ALiWW), Old Rizal Library, at the Ateneo de Manila University. 📷 Jesus and Mary of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD), Carmel of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Gilmore, Quezon City https://lnkd.in/gb2zpGYA

[psalmonesermons]

The 7 churches of Revelation

What can we learn from them? 3. Pergamum

To the Church in Pergamum- The compromised church

The city of Pergamum was built in land on a rocky hill and was about 25 miles inland. The city was filled with statues and tributes to the serpent-god Aesculapius a clear sign of Satan. The rod of Aesculapius was adopted by many healers and magicians as a symbol and today appears on NHS ambulances in England and Wales. The city also had an alter to Zeus the king of the so-called gods of Greece. Pergamum was also the centre of emperor worship. Evidences of Satan and his activities were all over the place. Not an easy place to be a Christian! Sin city!

Revelation 2:12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Satan’s throne may refer to the 200 foot high alter to Zeus specifically or in all the Satanic symbolism throughout the city. Jesus commends the church in Pergamum a highly satanic city for their refusal to deny Him and clinging to their faith even when Antipas the first Asian martyr was put to death in Satan’s hometown as it were. History records that Antipas was burned to death in a large bull-shaped copper vat for daring to cast out demons which were worshipped by the local people. In Pergamum the rulers enforced the Roman policy of confessing ‘Caesar is Lord’. Each citizen was required to offer a pinch of incense to Caesar and make a public declaration that ‘Caesar is Lord’ after which they were given a certificate showing they had done this. Anyone refusing to do this was immediately put to death. Quite a test for the Christians living then who saw this as a clear case of needing to declare instead ‘Jesus is Lord’ thus forfeiting their lives.

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam [1], who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Jesus now turns his attention to the various criticisms of the church in Pergamum. Some of the church members were mixing their Christianity with pagan practices including eating meat sacrificed to idols and actually taking part in immoralities of the pagan festivals. The teaching of Balaam and later the Nicolaitans encouraged God’s people to licentiousness by sexually intermingling with the pagan peoples during rituals thus mixing the true religion with an evil one. The church needed to discipline those people who were mixing their faith with outrageous pagan practices. They probably did this to keep their livelihoods. Christians would be thrown out of their various guilds and their employment if they did not participate in the worship of the local god of that particular guild. Jesus condemns these practices and calls the church to repentance warning them that He is coming soon to deal with such enemies.

17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who are victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Whoever is able and willing to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying and is obedient to it will receive true food –the bread of Heaven- and be satisfied with it. The white stone may represent the inner person of Christ as revealed personally to the recipient. The stone (psephos) is like a ‘not guilty’ voting chip from God and is a token of a wonderful and everlasting personalised fellowship with the believer and with Jesus’ new name reflecting on the believer in some way perhaps giving them a new name too. The bestowing of a new name on God’s servants was prophesied by Isaiah [2]

Further commentary from Jacqueline Wilson (the contribution of the late David Hilsley is acknowledged)

Pergamum was the Capital city of Asia until the close of the first century. It was a city given over to the worship of many Greek idols. Two of the most prominent religious systems of the city were the worship of Bacchus (the god of revelry) and the worship of Asclepius (the god of healing)

Verse 13 twice refers to the city as the place where “Satan’s throne is” or where Satan dwells.” Satan has a kingdom; Babylon has from earliest times been considered the capital of this kingdom. Idolatry gained its start in Babylon through Nimrod and his mother inspired by Satan. As long as Babylon was a dominant world power, it made an excellent headquarters for Satan’s attack on mankind. However, when Babylon’s glory began to decline and it was left desolate Satan looked for another location. He selected Pergamum because of its strong idolatrous religions.

The Indulged Church A.D. 312 - 606

Satan learned from his attack on the church of Smyrna that persecution only caused the Church to flourish and continue in a perpetual state of revival. After Diocletian’s unsuccessful attack on the Church, Constantine succeeded him as emperor of Rome. Constantine’s ascendancy to the throne was not without controversy, and it had far-reaching effects on the Christian Church of the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries.

Constantine, already attracted by Christianity, allegedly saw a vision of a fiery cross in the sky and heard a voice saying, “In this sign conquer”.

Paganism introduced into the Church

The influence of paganism on the Church increased over the years step by step. The Church began to shroud itself in “mystery” and ritualism that had a strong resemblance to Babylonian mysticism. The following is a partial list of unscriptural changes introduced during this age. Gradually these changes became more prominent than the original teachings of Christianity.

A.D. 300 - Prayers for the dead

A.D. 300 - Making sign of the cross

A.D. 375 - Worship of saints and angels

A.D. 394 - Mass first instituted

A.D. 431 - Worship of Mary began

A.D. 500 - Priests began dressing differently than laymen

A.D. 526 - Extreme unction (a sacrament in which a priest anoints and prays for the recovery and salvation of a critically ill or injured person.)

A.D. 593 - Doctrine of purgatory introduced

A.D. 600 - Worship services conducted in Latin

A.D. 600 - Prayers directed to Mary

From A.D. 312 on, the Church became more Roman and less Christian on its practices. The Roman Catholic Church of today is hard put to trace its ancestry beyond A.D. 312.

The name Pergamum literally means “marriage” or “elevation”. As the Church became married to the governmental authority and elevated to a place of acceptance, it declined in spiritual blessing and power.

Postmillennialism Introduced

As the Church became rich and powerful, it was suggested that the world was getting better and better, that Jesus’ kingdom was already ushered in, and that he would come at the end of the thousand year reign. This demanded reinterpretation of the status of Israel, which was accomplished by suggesting that Israel had been “cast off forever” and the promises of Israel now applied to the Church.

Whenever a local Church or denomination has maintained a strong emphasis on the second coming of Jesus, it has been an evangelistic, missionary-sending station. Where this doctrine has been neglected, the church has become cold, indifferent, and worldly.

The Nature of Jesus Revealed to Pergamum

To Pergamum he revealed the “sharp two-edged sword” which without question

refers to the Word of God. The cure for the problems of the local Church at Pergamum, of the Pergamum age of the Church, or of any church is the Word of God

Jesus used the Word of God to sanctify His Church (John 17:17)

to clean it (John 15:3)

to bring it joy (John 15:11)

to bring it peace (John 16:3)

Had the church of Pergamum and the Pergamum age heeded the Word of God, the evils of the Dark Ages could well have been avoided.

Jesus’ Commendation to Pergamum

The commendation of Jesus to Pergamum, in verse 13 falls into three basic categories.

1. I know your works, and where you dwell, even where Satan’s throne is.

2. You hold fast to my name. Criticism cannot be hurled against the Doctrine this Church or church age, for they were doctrinally pure. But they sinned by taking in the ceremonies of paganism.

3. ..and hast not denied my faith. Much of this has already been covered.

Condemnation

The condemnation of Jesus given to the church of Pergamum reveals that although their theological doctrine was correct, their practical doctrines were radically evil. These false doctrines fell into two main categories.

Revelation 2:14

The Doctrine of Balaam

The Doctrine of the Nicolaitans

Counsel

Repent or be judged by the Word of God

Jesus’ Challenge to the Church of Pergamum

It is directed to overcomers - two beautiful symbols loaded with meaning

“hidden manna” and “a white stone”

Hidden manna (Expanded in Conversation)

The White Stone (Expanded in Conversation)

Amen

[1] Numbers chapters 22-25 and 31 see also 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11.

[2] See Isaiah 62:2 and 65:15

[solatgif]

TGIF: Roundup for November 18, 2022

Do you have a plan for Advent? This holiday season, join SOLA Network on Substack. I’ll send you a free daily devotion to help prepare your heart for Christmas.

What church models are unique to the Asian American Church? In Two Churches, One Campus, Daniel K. Eng interviews “Townhouse” Church Pastors Michael Lee and David D. Lee. For more, find over 30 videos in our new YouTube playlist: The Asian American Church.

This newsletter is one of the many ways you can keep in touch with us. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram.

Enter to win this excellent book! Read my review. Special thanks to P&R for sponsoring our giveaway, presented in partnership with my newsletters for @diveindigdeep and FCBC Walnut.

Articles From Around The Web

Ashley Kim: Homesick College Student, the Lord Sees You

“My relationship with God doesn’t strip away the significance of my relationships but rather strengthens and deepens the love I share with brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Daniel K. Eng: What is a Bible Dictionary and How Do I Use It?

“While the text of the Bible is inspired by God, it was written by particular people in a specific culture who wrote to particular people in a specific culture.”

Daryl R. Ireland: On the Streets of China, the Cross Shone Bright

“Chinese Christian posters boldly proclaimed salvation, freedom, and hope amid a tumultuous political period.”

Do you have a plan for Advent? This holiday season, join SOLA Network on Substack. I’ll send you a free daily devotion to help prepare your heart for Christmas.

Books, Podcasts, Music, And More

FCBC Walnut: Consumerism and Church Commitment

I discuss with my friend Leslie about our motives in content creation, and the relationship between consumerism and church commitment.

DesiringGod: Let the Nations Be Glad! — Thirty Years Later

“There are thousands of peoples, and the Bible talks about them. And missions is reaching all those peoples.”

Aaron Lee: Related Works

Book Reviews: The Glorious Feast of the Gospel by Richard Sibbes, This World is Not My Home by Mark G. Johnston, The Word from the Beginning by Bruce G. Schuchard. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.

Subscribe to our podcast for our interviews, messages, and article reads! Available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Featured This Week On SOLA Network

Lisa Wong: Where Do Kids Belong In Church?

“Children’s ministers and directors must do the hard work of prayerful collaboration with worship service leaders, congregants, parents, and kids in order to disciple the next generation.”

Aaron Lee: A Message of Hope: A Book Review of “Shame” by Esther Liu

“Does shame cast a dark shadow over your life? Then you should check out Shame by Esther Liu. In less than 100 pages, this 31-day devotional explains what it means to be truly known and loved. The book will renew your mind and reshape your heart in regards to countering shame.”

Daniel K. Eng: Two Churches, One Campus: An Interview with “Townhouse” Church Pastors

Michael Lee (All Nations Community Church) and David D. Lee (Ekklesia Atlanta Christian Fellowship) on how their congregations formed and their relationships with their mother churches, pros and cons of being on the same campus as their mother churches, and encouragements for pastors with English-speaking congregations.

Fred Mok: The Hardest Question for Pastors and Church Planters

“I’m a middle-aged man with my dream job and satisfying relationships. And yet like my pimply teenage self, I still care deeply about what people think of me. The line between my job and my worth as a person is very blurry. The question of how church is going can be as innocent as I want to make it.”

TGIF: Roundup for November 11, 2022

Don’t Be a Slave to Academic Achievement / Why Do Chinese People See Christianity as a Cultural Invasion? / Did God Hear Me? Where He Was When My Sister Died / On Delighting in Biblical Theology / Ministry in Silicon Valley

General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.

[stuffedeggplants]

Bookworm asks

1, 9, 12, 13, 22, 26

What book are you currently reading? I'm reading Ramanuja on the Bhagavad Gita and False Allies: India's Maharajas in the Age of Ravi Varma. The first one is an English translation of a commentary on a pivotal Hindu text--the Bhagavad Gita--by Ramanuja, an influential/major 11th century Indian philosopher. When I'm finished with it I eventually want to read another commentary on the same text by another major philosopher--Adi Shankaracharya--because he and Ramanuja both represent two different philosophical schools and I would really like to see how they expound on the Gita differently.

False Allies uses the life of the Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma to look at how the rulers of Indian princely states during a certain time period responded to evolving socio-political factors and the pressures of dealing with British colonialism. I make it sound like a heavy academic text but it's really not, and I find the author's writing style to make for easy and interesting reading.

What was the first book you read on your own? I have absolutely no idea. I remember my mother reading The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring to me, and then I think I read the rest of The Lord of the Rings myself? If you mean kid's books, I remember liking Verdi (which has beautiful art of snakes if you like snakes) and this other book about a Central Asian (Mongolian?) princess who would only marry a man who could defeat her in battle, she had a massive army of horses, and poisoned cookies were involved somehow? It was great but I barely remember it now, lol.

What are your favourite genres? Historical fiction, science fiction (and various flavors thereof), non-fiction "adventure," and just regular history books whether contemporary or otherwise. I also like books about national security and military issues.

What books make you happy? Master and Commander and the associated series. :) Baudolino by Umberto Eco was also a ton of fun to read-- it follows a fictional boy in 12th century Italy who ends up being adopted into the court of the Holy Roman Emperor and has these adventures involving mythical Christian stuff of that time, i.e. the myth of Prester John is treated as true, that sort of thing. Apparently a lot of the characters are actually real historical figures, and the characters have theological and scientific discussions as people of the time would have. I thought it was super fun and interesting. Lots of mystery and adventure. The author was a scholar of the time and topics he writes about and you can definitely tell.

What is an essential element of a good book? That it keeps you engaged I suppose? My favorites are the ones whose world or topics I feel obsessed with for months afterwards.

Do you judge a book by the cover? I'll appreciate it if the cover is nice but the cover has never been a deciding factor in my decision to read anything, lol.

[bills-bible-basics]

Facebook Private Text Messages https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/facebook-private-text-messages/ Folks, unless you happen to be one of my longtime Facebook friends -- meaning that we have been friends for many years -- who I have grown to trust, and unless you have a very IMPORTANT issue to discuss with me as one of my longtime friends, please have the courtesy to NOT private message me. For the record, I did NOT join Facebook so that I can engage in private text messages. I joined it so that I can share the Christian Gospel in an open, PUBLIC forum; meaning on my timeline. If you are really interested in the Word of God, then please visit my timeline. The way I see it, if something can't be said out in the open, in public, on Facebook, then maybe it shouldn't be said at all. If your true interest is God's Word, then please consider taking some time to visit my actual Bill's Bible Basics website at: https://www.billkochman.com Trust me when I say that you will find a lot more there than you will on any of my Facebook pages. The truth is that aside from the fact that I keep rather busy here working on the Bill's Bible Basics ministry, I get way too many private chat requests from people in African and Asian countries who have ulterior motives. I am sure that many of you reading this know exactly what I am talking about. Such people will start an innocuous-sounding conversation with a "Hello" or an "Are you there?", or some similar opening. After that, they will try to engage in a simple, casual conversation in their broken English for a while. But then, they finally reveal why they are really texting you. It is not because they are really interested in being your friend and having Christian fellowship with you. It is that they have this mistaken idea that all Americans are just loaded with money, and they are hoping that you will help them out. Trust me when I say that over the years, I have heard it all on Facebook. They want money to purchase school books. Their husband died, and now they are out on the street living with their kids. They have an orphanage full of starving children. They need money to build their church. Their children have no clothes to wear. They need Bibles for their congregants. And on and on it goes. As I said, I've heard it all. It's possible that some of these stories may be true; but I am inclined to believe that many of them are bogus, because I have caught some of these people in their deception. The bottom line is this: I am not a rich American. I am old and retired, and I live on a fixed income. My gosh, I don't even own a car. So I am really sorry, but even if your needs are real, I simply cannot help you. Then, of course, there are those women who seem to think that I would make a fine, Christian husband. Sorry, ladies, I mean no offense to you, but I am not interested, so please desist. There are also some well-meaning friends who constantly send me video links, news article links, links to petitions to sign, announcements regarding their new book, chain messages, etc. Folks, as I have mentioned many times before, it is my personal policy to NOT click or tap on any photos or links which are contained in private messages. Doing so is dangerous business, and it is risky. One never knows what might be happening in the background when you do that. You may end up embarrassing yourself. So I am sorry if it may offend some of of you, but I don't care who you are, or how long I have known you. I will NOT click or tap on your photos or links. Neither will I forward ridiculous chain messages. So please stop. Now if you choose to persist in sending me unwanted text messages, I will set you to "Ignore messages"; and if you really annoy me with your persistence, I may even unfriend you. I am serious. To those of you who respect my wishes, thank you for your consideration and cooperation! I appreciate it. https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/facebook-private-text-messages/?feed_id=73856&_unique_id=650863b788575&Facebook%20Private%20Text%20Messages

[bitcoinprophets]

Something Refreshingly Pro-Jesus On Netflix! Jesus Is Calling … on Netflix’s ‘Beef’

Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling…” I’ve sung these lyrics from “O Come to the Altar” countless times. I’ve heard the song at church, at conferences, in my car … but never did I expect to hear it on a hit Netflix show. It wasn’t just the song. The entire church scene from Beef felt pulled from my life. As the worship band sang, the camera panned through the room to reveal congregants with their eyes closed and hands raised, a sea of black hair swaying in a rhythm that I knew all too well. The sanctuary was well worn and outdated, the kind of space that could easily be converted into a multipurpose room. Mismatched chairs in rows served as pews, and the tilted commercial vertical blinds didn’t really block out the light. The doughnuts after the service were all too familiar. The only way it could’ve been better is if they had eaten rice, kimchi, and bean sprout or radish soup. In the Netflix dark comedy Beef—currently the most popular show on the platform—actor Steven Yeun costars as Danny Cho, a struggling contractor who gets involved in a road rage incident. He’s had a hard life, and in a rock-bottom moment, he walks into a church sanctuary. Danny feels out of place in a room that aesthetically is anything but conducive to worship, yet he gets immersed in the communal praise around him. He cries, and a pastor comes to pray over him. The worship hit especially close to home for me; not only did it remind me of nearly every Korean American immigrant church I attended growing up, but I also used to serve at the Los Angeles church whose band appears in the show. Hearing lyrics about God’s grace extended to us in our brokenness was so familiar that it felt exposing, nostalgic, and even embarrassing at the same time. The experience was so authentic, it almost felt contrived. For many who grew up in the Korean American church—or in Asian American Christian communities whose church experiences were shaped by Korean American Protestantism—the worship scenes from Beef were instantly recognizable and generated a visceral response. And the reactions proved to be a bit of a Rorschach test. For some, the scene evoked fond memories of growing up in the church in the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, or 2000s. It brought to mind those powerful spiritual moments at church that marked their weeks, months, or even years. It brought them back to a time and space where they felt like they truly belonged—a place of shared culture and shared faith. Viewers who knew these kinds of churches may have longed for the communities they had growing up, imperfect but loving in their fellowship. One Korean American pastor friend shared that it reminded him of the moment he said yes to Jesus in college, even though he grew up as a pastor’s kid. Others saw Danny’s tearful visit to the church more negatively. They remembered the ways they were manipulated by church leaders, disillusioned by a performative spirituality, and hurt by the people they were told to trust. The church sanctuary in Beef took them back to spaces where they were ostracized, exploited, and even abused—toxic and traumatizing places that they have worked hard to escape. One reason the worship scenes felt real to us and could immediately trigger our memories may be that the worship was real. That’s what Citizens LA pastor Jason Min, whose praise band played for the church scenes, shared with me. By Min’s account, they were actually leading worship before the cameras, not performing or pretending to do so. Many of the extras in the congregation came from Citizens LA church, and they worshiped like they do each Sunday morning. I know because they were my worship band when I lived in LA. Their worship in Beef resonated before it even aired. The show has an all-Asian cast, and many of those who were working on the set or in the background commented that the worship set scenes impacted them. Min told me that people at the filming commented on the peace they felt or said that singing the lyrics to “O Come to the Altar” a hundred times did something to them. They shared that they didn’t know whether it meant they would go to church or go back to church but that they would be sitting with what they experienced for some time. Article is finished at its source Read the full article

[medlineacademics]

Unveiling the Secrets of Andrology

The study of male reproductive health and medicine is known as andrology. In contrast to gynaecology, which focuses on the health of women's reproductive systems, it is a relatively new subject and has only lately been acknowledged as a specialist medical study.

The earliest accounts of male infertility were published in the early 20th century, marking the beginning of andrology. The profession didn't start expanding quickly, though, until the 1960s, when advancements in science and medicine made it possible to better comprehend the physiology and pathology of male reproduction.

The American Society of Andrology, the first organisation devoted solely to andrology, was founded in 1973. Similar organizations were then founded all over the world, including the Asian Society of Andrology and the European Academy of Andrology.

Andrology now includes a wide spectrum of disorders impacting male reproductive health, including erectile dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, and testicular cancer, in addition to male infertility. Today, men with these disorders receive comprehensive therapy from andrologists who collaborate closely with urologists, endocrinologists, and other medical professionals.

How will Andrology Course help in understanding Male Infertility?

A thorough grasp of the origins, diagnosis, and treatment of male infertility can be obtained by enrolling in an andrology course with a focus on male infertility. The testes, epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, and prostate gland will all be covered in the course's discussion of the anatomy and physiology of the male reproductive system. The many causes of male infertility will also be covered, including hormone imbalances, hereditary abnormalities, and lifestyle choices like smoking and obesity.

The curriculum will cover the various methods for assessing male fertility, including genetic testing, hormone testing, and semen analysis. Also, it will discuss the many methods of treating male infertility, such as prescription drugs, surgical procedures, and assisted reproductive methods like intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Students can obtain the knowledge necessary to accurately diagnose and treat male infertility by enrolling in an andrology course with a focus on this difficult medical condition. Also, they will learn the most recent methods and research in the industry, which will help them keep abreast of new developments and give their patients the finest care possible. Generally, anyone interested in a career in male reproductive health or fertility medicine can benefit from taking a male infertility course.

Current Trend

In India, Andrology Fellowship programs are becoming increasingly popular among medical students who wish to specialize in this field. An Andrology Fellowship is a postgraduate medical training program that provides advanced training in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of male reproductive and urological disorders.

The duration of an Andrology Fellowship program in India varies from one year to two years. The program typically includes both theoretical and practical training in areas such as male infertility, erectile dysfunction, penile prosthetics, andro-oncology, and male sexual dysfunction. During the fellowship program, the trainee works under the guidance of experienced Andrologists and Urologists in a clinical setting, gaining hands-on experience in diagnosing and treating patients with male reproductive and urological disorders.

The National Board of Examinations and the Medical Council of India (MCI) both endorse the Andrology Fellowship Programme in India (NBE). Many medical schools and hospitals across the nation, including the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, offer the curriculum.

Candidates must have obtained both their MBBS and a postgraduate degree in urology or general surgery in order to apply for an andrology fellowship programme in India. For them to practice medicine in India, they also need a current medical license. Typically, a written exam is used to choose candidates for andrology fellowship programmes, which is followed by an interview.

Candidates can work as andrologists or urologists in hospitals, clinics, and fertility centres after finishing an andrology fellowship programme. Further specialization in fields including andro-oncology, male infertility, and erectile dysfunction is also an option for them. Also, certain andrologists may decide to participate in the development and study of fresh medications and treatments for urological and male reproductive problems.

Medical students who want to concentrate on male reproductive and urological health should take advantage of India's andrology fellowship programme. Pursuing an Andrology Fellowship can offer a satisfying and exciting career path for medical professionals interested in this discipline because there is a growing need for Andrologists in India.

Are online courses for the Andrology program available?

Yes, Andrology online courses are available. Students will gain knowledge about male reproductive and urological problems as well as their treatments through these courses. Due to their accessibility from anywhere in the globe and flexibility, online andrology courses make it simple for students to learn at their own pace. These courses include a variety of subjects, such as male infertility, erectile dysfunction, andro-oncology, among others. Medical students and other professionals who are interested in learning more about andrology may find these courses to be useful resources even though they may not offer the same hands-on training as a conventional fellowship programme.

For more details, visit: www.medlineacademics.com

[dislocatedchristians]

Looking down over the #offices of Nepal #leprosy #fellowship who celebrated their 25th #anniversary yesterday. #congratulations to them. I was so pleased to join you for the #celebrations I'm currently #writing a #book about #Christianwomen in #Kathmandu, #Nepal. Please follow me to see where my #research takes me and to know more about what life is like in this #beautiful #Asian #country. #Christian #Faith #Womensrights #AuthenticMedia #Amazingwomen #InspiringStories #leprosy #chaupadi #humantrafficking #mentalhealth #trauma #Godsaves #migrantworkers (at Letang Morang Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXCuMKehI1G/?utm_medium=tumblr

[panatmansam]

BEING BUDDHIST

A friend of mine has traveled and taught English in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos for the last twenty years. These countries are culturally Buddhist the way Britain is culturally Christian and Turkey is culturally Muslim. This friend is a practicing Buddhist with a Secular outlook. He meditates and lives the compassionate life.

He just wrote a telling observation. He said that the common people, the villagers, no longer connect with Buddhism but connect more with the fellowship they find in Christian churches. The missionaries there provide actual material assistance to the people.

He said the people themselves know nothing of the dharma, I too have found this to be the case among many Asian cultural Buddhists. They often revere the Buddha and have an image in their home but aside from some miracle stories they know very little. Giving to the monks is mostly a way to gain merit for a better birth in the future.

Being Buddhist is not something you are "born into". It is a thing you "do". First, one learns the 𝘥𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢/𝘥𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢. The word means "Truth". A lot of teachings may seem complicated at first. Not to worry. A lot of it is repetitive. You learn the essence first and then practice it.

This includes our ethical code. In Buddhism, we say a thing is "skillful" or "unskillful" rather than "good" or "bad" because we are all aiming at improving ourselves as we strive toward 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘩𝘪, awakening, nirvana. In Buddhism, we are competing with our personal best. So "being Buddhist" is being compassionate, kind, and keeping the precepts. It is meditating and following the Buddha's dying words "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness! (to attain Bodhi for yourselves)

[foodreceipe]

‘Let us adore and drink!’ A brief history of wine and religion

December 23, 2014

Wine, Benjamin Franklin wrote, is ‘proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.’

In a letter to the Abbe Morellet in 1779, Benjamin Franklin mused that the strategic location of the elbow is proof that God desires us to drink wine. After all, had God placed the elbow lower on the arm, our wine glass would never make it all the way to our mouths. Had the elbow been placed higher, our glass would shoot straight past our lips.

“From the actual situation of the elbow,” Franklin wrote, “we are enabled to drink at our ease, the glass going directly to the mouth. Let us, then, with glass in hand adore this benevolent wisdom; – let us adore and drink!”

Franklin’s contention was offered as lighthearted fun. But it does remind us that wine, more than other beverage, is intimately connected to celebration and worship.

Wine and religion: ageless companions

The Egyptians, for example, associated several gods with wine as early as 4,000 BCE. Hathor, the Egyptians’ patron god of wine, was duly honored on a monthly “Day of Intoxication.”  

Similarly, the Greeks hailed Dionysus as the giver of all good gifts and identified him as the patron of wine. Dionysus was said to offer ecstasy and spiritual vision to his devotees. The Romans, meanwhile, believed that wine was bestowed upon the human race by Jupiter, the great god of air, light, and heat.

Nearly all Roman religious festivals coincided with important phases of the grape-growing and wine-producing agricultural cycle. Asian cultures, too, associate wine with the spiritual, as seen in the large casks of sake located at Japanese Shinto shrines and the placement of wine on the ceremonial altars honoring the Chinese god of prosperity.

The “cult of wine” has permeated both Judaism and Christianity since ancient times. In ancient Mediterranean culture, wine wasn’t a luxury – it was a staple of life, drunk by people of all classes and all ages. For this reason, it’s no surprise that Hebrew scripture depicts wine as a sign of God’s blessing (Genesis 27:28, Deuteronomy 7:13, Amos 9:24).

The Christian New Testament reports that Jesus’ first public miracle occurred at the wedding at Cana, where he turned water into wine. The Christian sacrament of communion illustrates how fully the subtle pleasures of wine drinking became associated with the spiritual urge to find both union with God and fellowship in a community of love. For centuries, Catholic priests preserved and propagated the skills of winemaking as they supplied sacramental wine to worshipers in the Old and New Worlds.

One nation, under God – with wine for all

The intimate association of wine and religion carried over to the American colonies. The Pilgrims began making wine shortly after they landed at Plymouth and used their wine to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in 1623. In 1697, Father Juan Ugarte led a small group of Jesuit priests from Mexico into the Baja region of California, where they immediately planted grapes to supply the mission with a reliable source of wine for celebrating Communion and to supplement the priests’ otherwise meager meals. New missions were eventually built in San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Francisco – which, together, resulted in California becoming the wine-producing nucleus of the nation.

The religious settlers of America’s Midwest were no less interested in sharing wine as a way of forging community. The German Protestants who settled in Missouri, as well as those who founded Iowa’s Amana Colonies, discovered that drinking wine provided a sense of camaraderie and festivity that bonded them together in Christian community. Meanwhile – in what may come as a surprise to readers – during its early years, when congregations existed in places like Kirtland, Ohio and Nauvoo, Illinois, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints found that drinking wine produced altered moods conducive to religious fervor.   

Nectar of the gods or ‘cup of devils’?

It’s no wonder, then, that the ���wine question” was a point of debate among temperance advocates who pushed for the total prohibition of alcohol.  

There were many social and cultural reasons for Prohibition, like concerns about economic efficiency, protecting women and children from alcoholic men, and safeguarding the nation’s Protestant heritage from Irish Catholic immigrants.

Still, lawmakers ensured that the “Medicine of Life to the Nations” would be protected. The passage of the Volstead Act that enforced Prohibition in the United States from 1920 until its repeal in 1933 was politically possible only by making provisions for the continued production of wine for both Christian and Jewish congregations.

Interestingly, in their zeal to promote Prohibition, many conservative Protestants argued that scriptural references to wine had mistranslated original texts: they claimed that scripture had intended to refer to simple, unfermented grape juice. While virtually no serious scholars support this view, it does remind us that many Christians find the consumption of alcohol to be a vice and substitute grape juice for wine in their religious services.

https://theconversation.com/let-us-adore-and-drink-a-brief-history-of-wine-and-religion-35308

[wyllzel]

writing nametags for a (largely asian) christian fellowship is like *writes jonathan/nathan 20 times*

[psalmonesermons]

The 7 churches of Revelation

What can we learn from them? 3. Pergamum

To the Church in Pergamum- The compromised church

The city of Pergamum was built in land on a rocky hill and was about 25 miles inland. The city was filled with statues and tributes to the serpent-god Aesculapius a clear sign of Satan. The rod of Aesculapius was adopted by many healers and magicians as a symbol and today appears on NHS ambulances in England and Wales. The city also had an alter to Zeus the king of the so-called gods of Greece. Pergamum was also the centre of emperor worship. Evidences of Satan and his activities were all over the place. Not an easy place to be a Christian! Sin city!

Revelation 2:12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Satan’s throne may refer to the 200 foot high alter to Zeus specifically or in all the Satanic symbolism throughout the city. Jesus commends the church in Pergamum a highly satanic city for their refusal to deny Him and clinging to their faith even when Antipas the first Asian martyr was put to death in Satan’s hometown as it were. History records that Antipas was burned to death in a large bull-shaped copper vat for daring to cast out demons which were worshipped by the local people. In Pergamum the rulers enforced the Roman policy of confessing ‘Caesar is Lord’. Each citizen was required to offer a pinch of incense to Caesar and make a public declaration that ‘Caesar is Lord’ after which they were given a certificate showing they had done this. Anyone refusing to do this was immediately put to death. Quite a test for the Christians living then who saw this as a clear case of needing to declare instead ‘Jesus is Lord’ thus forfeiting their lives.

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam [1], who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Jesus now turns his attention to the various criticisms of the church in Pergamum. Some of the church members were mixing their Christianity with pagan practices including eating meat sacrificed to idols and actually taking part in immoralities of the pagan festivals. The teaching of Balaam and later the Nicolaitans encouraged God’s people to licentiousness by sexually intermingling with the pagan peoples during rituals thus mixing the true religion with an evil one. The church needed to discipline those people who were mixing their faith with outrageous pagan practices. They probably did this to keep their livelihoods. Christians would be thrown out of their various guilds and their employment if they did not participate in the worship of the local god of that particular guild. Jesus condemns these practices and calls the church to repentance warning them that He is coming soon to deal with such enemies.

17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who are victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Whoever is able and willing to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying and is obedient to it will receive true food –the bread of Heaven- and be satisfied with it. The white stone may represent the inner person of Christ as revealed personally to the recipient. The stone (psephos) is like a ‘not guilty’ voting chip from God and is a token of a wonderful and everlasting personalised fellowship with the believer and with Jesus’ new name reflecting on the believer in some way perhaps giving them a new name too. The bestowing of a new name on God’s servants was prophesied by Isaiah [2]

Further commentary from Jacqueline Wilson (the contribution of the late David Hilsley is acknowledged)

Pergamum was the Capital city of Asia until the close of the first century. It was a city given over to the worship of many Greek idols. Two of the most prominent religious systems of the city were the worship of Bacchus (the god of revelry) and the worship of Asclepius (the god of healing)

Verse 13 twice refers to the city as the place where “Satan’s throne is” or where Satan dwells.” Satan has a kingdom; Babylon has from earliest times been considered the capital of this kingdom. Idolatry gained its start in Babylon through Nimrod and his mother inspired by Satan. As long as Babylon was a dominant world power, it made an excellent headquarters for Satan’s attack on mankind. However, when Babylon’s glory began to decline and it was left desolate Satan looked for another location. He selected Pergamum because of its strong idolatrous religions.

The Indulged Church A.D. 312 - 606

Satan learned from his attack on the church of Smyrna that persecution only caused the Church to flourish and continue in a perpetual state of revival. After Diocletian’s unsuccessful attack on the Church, Constantine succeeded him as emperor of Rome. Constantine’s ascendancy to the throne was not without controversy, and it had far-reaching effects on the Christian Church of the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries.

Constantine, already attracted by Christianity, allegedly saw a vision of a fiery cross in the sky and heard a voice saying, “In this sign conquer”.

Paganism introduced into the Church

The influence of paganism on the Church increased over the years step by step. The Church began to shroud itself in “mystery” and ritualism that had a strong resemblance to Babylonian mysticism. The following is a partial list of unscriptural changes introduced during this age. Gradually these changes became more prominent than the original teachings of Christianity.

A.D. 300 - Prayers for the dead

A.D. 300 - Making sign of the cross

A.D. 375 - Worship of saints and angels

A.D. 394 - Mass first instituted

A.D. 431 - Worship of Mary began

A.D. 500 - Priests began dressing differently than laymen

A.D. 526 - Extreme unction (a sacrament in which a priest anoints and prays for the recovery and salvation of a critically ill or injured person.)

A.D. 593 - Doctrine of purgatory introduced

A.D. 600 - Worship services conducted in Latin

A.D. 600 - Prayers directed to Mary

From A.D. 312 on, the Church became more Roman and less Christian on its practices. The Roman Catholic Church of today is hard put to trace its ancestry beyond A.D. 312.

The name Pergamum literally means “marriage” or “elevation”. As the Church became married to the governmental authority and elevated to a place of acceptance, it declined in spiritual blessing and power.

Postmillennialism Introduced

As the Church became rich and powerful, it was suggested that the world was getting better and better, that Jesus’ kingdom was already ushered in, and that he would come at the end of the thousand year reign. This demanded reinterpretation of the status of Israel, which was accomplished by suggesting that Israel had been “cast off forever” and the promises of Israel now applied to the Church.

Whenever a local Church or denomination has maintained a strong emphasis on the second coming of Jesus, it has been an evangelistic, missionary-sending station. Where this doctrine has been neglected, the church has become cold, indifferent, and worldly.

The Nature of Jesus Revealed to Pergamum

To Pergamum he revealed the “sharp two-edged sword” which without question

refers to the Word of God. The cure for the problems of the local Church at Pergamum, of the Pergamum age of the Church, or of any church is the Word of God

Jesus used the Word of God to sanctify His Church (John 17:17)

to clean it (John 15:3)

to bring it joy (John 15:11)

to bring it peace (John 16:3)

Had the church of Pergamum and the Pergamum age heeded the Word of God, the evils of the Dark Ages could well have been avoided.

Jesus’ Commendation to Pergamum

The commendation of Jesus to Pergamum, in verse 13 falls into three basic categories.

1. I know your works, and where you dwell, even where Satan’s throne is.

2. You hold fast to my name. Criticism cannot be hurled against the Doctrine this Church or church age, for they were doctrinally pure. But they sinned by taking in the ceremonies of paganism.

3. ..and hast not denied my faith. Much of this has already been covered.

Condemnation

The condemnation of Jesus given to the church of Pergamum reveals that although their theological doctrine was correct, their practical doctrines were radically evil. These false doctrines fell into two main categories.

Revelation 2:14

The Doctrine of Balaam

The Doctrine of the Nicolaitans

Counsel

Repent or be judged by the Word of God

Jesus’ Challenge to the Church of Pergamum

It is directed to overcomers - two beautiful symbols loaded with meaning

“hidden manna” and “a white stone”

Hidden manna (Expanded in Conversation)

The White Stone (Expanded in Conversation)

Amen

[1] Numbers chapters 22-25 and 31 see also 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11.

[2] See Isaiah 62:2 and 65:15

[solatgif]

TGIF: Roundup for March 24, 2023

SOLA Network is proud to announce a partnership with the Bamboo Pastors Podcast! The podcast is hosted by Jalon Chan of Chinese Christian Fellowship Church and Jon Mann of San Jose Christian Alliance Church as they explore the joys and challenges of being English-speaking pastors in the Chinese church.

As part of this partnership, SOLA will feature episodes of the podcast through links, short audio clips, and/or transcripts of episodes. To introduce this podcast, Ben Pun and Hanley Liu had a discussion with Jalon Chan and Jon Mann about their experiences in the Chinese heritage church.

This newsletter is one of the many ways you can keep in touch with us. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram.

Enter to win these excellent books! When God Seems Gone by Adam Mabry, How Can I Feel Closer to God? by Chris Morphew, Mental Health and Your Church by Helen Thorne and Dr. Steve Midgely, and Helen Roseveare: Do Great Things for God by Lauren Caputo-Wickham. Thanks to The Good Book Company for providing these books for our giveaway, in partnership with my newsletters for @diveindigdeep and FCBC Walnut.

Articles From Around The Web

Adam Salloum: Don’t Worry About Your Ministry Brand

“Let’s find ways to highlight the good work God is doing through other groups and support their work through finances and volunteering. Let’s cast vision for partnership in a way that promotes unity without denying the particular calling of our community.”

Dan Stegeman: 6 Ways Churches can Support Foster or Adoptive Families

“If your church is not actively involved in offering support of this kind, encourage your pastor and leaders in that direction. Foster and adoptive families face enormous challenges, but they are doing a great work that honors the Lord. Let’s support them and lift them up any way we can!”

Renee Zou: How to Increase Your Desire for the New Creation

“As Christians, we must remember: We are on a one-way trip to the new creation. Our life on this Earth is a passageway to our final destination: the new heavens and the new earth.”

Join us on Substack as we prepare to share a series of devotions for the Easter season. These devotions will be sent to your inbox for free, and a fresh way to reflect on Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

Books, Podcasts, Music, And More

The Gospel Coalition: Feast with a King by Julius Kim

“At TGCW22, Julius Kim delivered a powerful message on how King David’s sacrificial love toward Mephibosheth points us to the sacrificial love of God through Christ.”

Ekstasis: Winter Collection

The wrap up of the Ekstasis Winter Collection is now available! Highlights include Paying My Way to the Promised Land by Yi Ning Chiu and Theatre of the Mind by Abbey von Gohren.

Aaron Lee: Related Works

Book Reviews: Touch the Earth by Drew Jackson, Prayers Inspired by the Psalms Boxed Set by Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.

Check out the new edition of our SOLA Network Magazine! Download it for free and share it with your friends as a great way to be introduced to the work we do at SOLA Network.

Featured This Week On SOLA Network

Aaron Lee: Open Up Your Eyes to Wonder: A Book Review of “Redeeming Vision” by Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt

How can viewing art reveal God to us? In Redeeming Vision, Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt provides a Christian guide to looking at and learning from art.

Ben Pun and Hanley Liu: Introducing the Bamboo Pastors Podcast: A New Partnership with SOLA Network

As part of this partnership, SOLA will feature episodes of the podcast through links, short audio clips, and/or transcripts of episodes. To introduce this podcast, Ben Pun and Hanley Liu had a discussion with Jalon Chan and Jon Mann about their experiences in the Chinese heritage church. We hope you are encouraged by their conversations.

TGIF: Roundup for March 17, 2023

Can Bubble Tea Bring Gen Z into the Chinese Church? / Is Jesus Really My Friend? / Gen Z: Let the Gospel Transform Your Creativity / Should Churches Be Slow or Quick to Embrace New Technology?

General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.

[maniacelite132]

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[bills-bible-basics]

Facebook Private Text Messages https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/facebook-private-text-messages/ Folks, unless you happen to be one of my longtime Facebook friends -- meaning that we have been friends for many years -- who I have grown to trust, and unless you have a very IMPORTANT issue to discuss with me as one of my longtime friends, please have the courtesy to NOT private message me. For the record, I did NOT join Facebook so that I can engage in private text messages. I joined it so that I can share the Christian Gospel in an open, PUBLIC forum; meaning on my timeline, on my Facebook page, and in the Bill's Bible Basics group. If you are really interested in the Word of God, then please visit one of those three pages. The way I see it, if something can't be said out in the open, in public, on Facebook, then maybe it shouldn't be said at all. If your true interest is God's Word, then please consider taking some time to visit my actual Bill's Bible Basics website at: https://www.billkochman.com Trust me when I say that you will find a lot more there than you will on any of my Facebook pages. The truth is that aside from the fact that I keep rather busy here working on the Bill's Bible Basics ministry, I get way too many private chat requests from people in African and Asian countries who have ulterior motives. I am sure that many of you reading this know exactly what I am talking about. Such people will start an innocuous-sounding conversation with a "Hello" or an "Are you there?", or some similar opening. After that, they will try to engage in a simple, casual conversation in their broken English for a while. But then, they finally reveal why they are really texting you. It is not because they are really interested in being your friend and having Christian fellowship with you. It is that they have this mistaken idea that all Americans are just loaded with money, and they are hoping that you will help them out. Trust me when I say that over the years, I have heard it all on Facebook. They want money to purchase school books. Their husband died, and now they are out on the street living with their kids. They have an orphanage full of starving children. They need money to build their church. Their children have no clothes to wear. They need Bibles for their congregants. And on and on it goes. As I said, I've heard it all. It's possible that some of these stories may be true; but I am inclined to believe that many of them are bogus, because I have caught some of these people in their deception. The bottom line is this: I am not a rich American. I am old and retired, and I live on a fixed income. My gosh, I don't even own a car. So I am really sorry, but even if your needs are real, I simply cannot help you. Then, of course, there are those women who seem to think that I would make a fine, Christian husband. Sorry, ladies, I mean no offense to you, but I am not interested, so please desist. There are also some well-meaning friends who constantly send me video links, news article links, links to petitions to sign, announcements regarding their new book, chain messages, etc. Folks, as I have mentioned many times before, it is my personal policy to NOT click or tap on any photos or links which are contained in private messages. Doing so is dangerous business, and it is risky. One never knows what might be happening in the background when you do that. You may end up embarrassing yourself. So I am sorry if it may offend some of of you, but I don't care who you are, or how long I have known you. I will NOT click or tap on your photos or links. Neither will I forward ridiculous chain messages. So please stop. Now if you choose to persist in sending me unwanted text messages, I will set you to "Ignore messages"; and if you really annoy me with your persistence, I may even unfriend you. I am serious. To those of you who respect my wishes, thank you for your consideration and cooperation! I appreciate it.

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