Buddha has more karma in his finger than…

A relic supposed to be Buddha’s finger was put on display in Hong Kong. Somehow I missed it when I was there this past weekend. Just missed Michael Jordan too. Equally upset by both huge disappointments.

Buddha’s finger or even his hair seem to generate a lot of interest and devotion. Not bad for a dead guy. Fortunately for us, we don’t have any relic of Jesus’ body. Unlike Buddha, he rose entirely from death to life. He took a dead, decaying body and, showing his surpassing power, brought it back to life. He showed himself to hundreds of people and then, after teaching his friends for 40 days, he took that body into heaven and sat down at God’s right hand. From their he rules his church. In time, that physical body will return to earth, still alive, perfectly glorified. He will raise his saint’s dead bodies to life and we will rule with him.

We don’t have a piece of bone or a skull. We have an empty tomb and a risen savior. Somehow I just can’t get to excited by Buddha’s finger, anymore than I could about Lenin’s body or Peter’s bones. In contrast to Jesus, these things seem small and foolish.

By the way, “Buddha’s Finger” would be a cool name for a rock band.

It was a wonderful trip to Asia! God did many things through/without/despite us. We had meaningful discussions with over 100 people and 43 professed faith in Christ.

My role on this trip was not frontline evangelism, I never got to the point of sharing in depth with anyone and so never lead anyone to salvation. My role on this trip was prayer and discipleship. For example, three Asian girls adopted me. We were sitting in a coffee shop when one of my team members pointed to a girl he’d been talking with and said that she had decided that she wanted to become a Christian. I told my girls and told them to explain to her what was involved and how to do it then I sat back, watched and prayed. The idea was to spark a church planting movement and not just have the believers sit on their hands until the Americans showed up again. That is exactly what happened and God granted a bountiful harvest.

I don’t want to reveal too many details on the Internet because the country is still somewhat closed and I don’t want anyone to get in trouble. If you want to know more, e-mail me, if I know you I’ll tell more.

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. – Zechariah 2:10-11

I’ve just finished my last final exam of the term. Shew. Hope I passed. I’ll be leaving tomorrow for a short term mission trip to Asia for a few weeks. No updates after tonight.

Not sure about progress on getting the comments fixed, I do have a few ideas to try. Later, will work on them latter.

For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
and declares to man what is his thought,
who makes the morning darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth?
the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name! – Amos 4:13 (ESV)

Alice Cooper is indeed a Christian. I’ve heard he golfs with RC Sproul too. Go figure. I guess his album “Alice Cooper Goes to Hell” is now a misnomer. BTW, he is not Fred Rogers’ son, his birth name was Vince Furnier before he changed it to Alice Cooper.

I recently bought the Master & Commander soundtrack. Now I have the music stuck in my head. I’m listening to it so much I’m afraid I’m wearing grooves in my iPod or something. I can’t wait till this passes.

Since I first started using Microsoft Office on the Mac (after years of using it on the PC) I have said a number of times that the Mac version is better. Well now none other than Time Magazine agrees! Here’s the heart of it:

My verdict: Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac is clearly superior to its PC counterpart for most users.

Last fall Microsoft put out a bloated update of Office for Windows that focused more on collaborating with other users than on making it easier for you to get your own work done. The streamlined Office for Mac puts individuals first. Developers, developers, developers indeed!

Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD your God? – Joel 2:14

It is good to read this stated so clearly. I tend to think that the things I offer to God are gifts to him from me. I give him 10% of my money (aren’t I generous?) and I give him my future career plans (provided he handles them the way I want) and I give him… You get the idea.

In Joel, the terrible “day of the Lord” is threatened and yet God makes this promise. Though his army will march across the earth and leave destruction in its dreadful wake (2:1-11), yet he calls for repentance and faith even in light of the brimming destruction and wrath (2:12-17).

So why is it that I don’t get that? Why is it that when I consider my life I feel like I’ve made a terrible decision in coming to seminary? Why is it that I demand that God tell me why I’m doing this? I’m like Job, “I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me.” (Job 10:2). My underlying assumption is that God owes me an explanation. He has to tell my why he has called me to this and what he wants me to do with it or I cannot obey in the doing.

When will I remember (and act like it) that anything I have to give to God is only what he has already given me? Am I offering to God my life which he didn’t already own? Do I control my future so that I can direct it to God or away from him? Just who do I think I am? God may yet leave me days which I can give back to him as a grain offering and life that I may pour it out as a drink offering. Either way, if he does or doesn’t I’m not giving to him anything which he didn’t already own.

This whole “living sacrifice” thing is difficult. It sure is hard to stay on the altar. Sometimes I wish what critics of Calvinism say were true, I wish I was a robot.