Recently i was told thru a friend that someone said i was “humble”.  Now that’s about the 2nd or 3rd most precious thing anyone could say about me, and made me more than ever want to learn the heart of children, so that i can present an acceptable sacrifice to God.

   (Psalms 51:17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

(1 Peter 5:5) Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Please give me more grace God.

Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

Recently i have had the privilege of watching over a 6 year old daughter of my friend.  Now i love kids very much, and since leaving Japan 2 1/2 years ago, have not had so much opportunity to be closely involved with them until coming to be a teacher in a school last August.  But a school setting and a home setting are quite different, bringing out different attributes of character etc.

Somehow i never really grew out of a childlike mentality in some areas.  That being good or bad, others may judge, but i have never really joined in the standard adult games of lying, looking down on or up to others, trying to win others to your point of view and so on.  Just tell the truth, believe others, do your best, expect the same from others, love God first, hope others do too (especially SDAs), and love your neighbor as yourself – not causing anyone trouble, and expecting no one to intentionally cause you trouble either.

“Uncle Daniel, why do they want to eat yucky pig?” is asked of me while we walk past dead, pink carcasses hanging in a row in the market.  “Because many people think it tastes yummy.”  “But why?”  “Either they don’t know God, or don’t want to do what he says.”  “Why don’t they know God?”  “Maybe no one has told them, or maybe they know but are too busy getting money.”  “But why do they want money?”  “Do you like to eat?”  “Yes.”  “Your daddy and mommy work to feed your belly.  They work so they get money to get you food and other things you need.”  “But why?”  “God said it is good for us to work”.  Now coming to this point, i get taught a good lesson.  I’ve told my close Brothers and Sisters that God has the biggest bank account in the world.  He owns everything.  But….do i live my life like that, with the simple faith that he will provide if we do everything according to his will?

Walking with her thru the metropolis of Bangkok helps me see things that i’ve come to take for granted, from a fresh eye.  It also has helped me see that nearly everything us adults do is bad – from our food to our music to our pollution to our clothes to our language to many of our businesses – the list goes on and on.  It is sickening to look at how nearly everything man touches goes bad. 

The “But why?” questions never get tiresome.  In fact, it is a pleasure to hear them, as it makes the mind think in new and creative ways.  “But why?” (after explaining that some people worship that big tree with the red ribbons hanging from it).  “But why?” (after being told that trash is everywhere because many people don’t care about this world)  “But why?” (after being told that the drawing of Jesus’ nail prints is incorrect – that they really should be shown in the palms of his hands).

Even this simple question tho is often looked down on by adults who are too busy with their own lives to consider things from a newly-functioning brain’s perspective.  Why not spend that extra minute letting the children know that we really are interested in them, rather than brushing them off?  Sure hope Jesus doesn’t get tired of our questions!!!

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like a little childRead More »

What should you do when your “Christian” workplace is not following Christian principles?  The teacher’s contract states that: “The above-mentioned teacher will: 3a. Faithfully serve God, as a Christian in good standing.”  This is the first item in the section about duties the teacher must perform.  Then in 5e, it says: “The teacher may not be absent from teaching for more than seven work (teaching) days during the whole school year…”.

As i write this now, March 16, i have not missed even one minute of school time in the little-over 7 months i worked there, except for one sick day last November.  Last Friday in our faculty meeting, i read 3 paragraphs from the Spirit of Prophecy about how the message of warning and reproof must live in the church, or we will get cut down by the slaughtering weapons of the 5 men in Ezekiel 9.  Then i gave that paper and a little letter i had given to some of the parents to the administrator, and read item 3a.  Then i looked up to the administrator, and said: “Our administrator —- has made it impossible to obey this item.  But i must obey.  I thank you for the opportunity to work here, i will not be returning”.  The administrator looked up with an astonished look, said “huh?”, so i repeated, standing up, then slowly walked out to sounds of laughter from the head teacher.

Of course i had thot of this a long time.  I had first mentioned grave concerns about our school honoring a false god around 4 months previous.  I had prayed and hoped and coaxed a bit to get the administrator to not only correct that problem, but other problems where Satan’s presence was being directly invited onto school grounds, as in allowing children to wear buddhist jewelry into the school etc..  But nothing was ever done physically by the administrator to remove the idols, or the stain of our honoring idols, from school property, and the name of the being in our school name – Christ.

During the last week i thot many times of the following two texts as applying to all the Seventh-day Adventist teachers at our school, and since the responsibility lies highest with the administartor, this applies with the most force to him – “(Matthew 6:23)  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”  and  “(1 Kings 18:17-18)  And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?  And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.”  For the word “Baalim”, insert “Buddha” to bring it up to date.

Please, please administrator and teachers, if you are reading this, “(Hebrews 3:15)  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.”

May the administrator repent, resolve to follow God fully, and remove the evil influences from the school so that item 3a in the contract CAN be fulfilled, and i will glady return to give glory to God.

May we put away the sins that so easily beset us, and run the race, the race leading to a glorious crown of eternal life that all may receive freely from the own mighty right arm of our lovely saviour – Jesus Christ.

Why do people want to worship or give honor to pieces of rock and stone? The logic escapes me, as most everything that this world likes to do does.

But what is really sad, is that many of God’s people, SDAs, condone the practice of honoring foreign gods who are not really gods. That is happening at all the SDA schools in Bangkok that i know of, and also at the school where i teach. No doubt stranger things will happen in the end times, when our own former brethern and sisters in the faith will become our bitterest enemies. By compromising in little matters, they become easy prey for Satan in the big matters. And he laughs all the way to eternal destruction. Oh, why will you fall for Satan’s traps, when God’s way is so clearly outlined?! Please repent and worship and honor the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. And you will have eternal life.

The cacophony of cicadas is one of my favorite ways to know that summer has arrived. For 15 years in Japan, the jet-beating noise of thousands of wings scraping together made for a pleasant sound when far off, and headaches when riding my bicycle under them 🙂

But of course, that was always in July and August, for just around 2 weeks, except for the odd guy who woke up late. But here in Bangkok, it started in earnest in February! There aren’t many trees, so not that much noise, and they are mostly drowned out by the buses anyway (cough cough), but to hear them in the background when retiring at nite – sweet dreams 🙂

Wonder if there’ll be cicadas in heaven?

World’s biggest market is in Bangkok, operating on Saturdays and Sundays.  Yesterday was my first time to go, and it was interesting to make one’s way thru the mazes of shops to see lots of junk along with some cool stuff and mostly just walk, and walk, and walk.

Final tally?  2 T-shirts and a present for my Japanese friend’s daughter, with some food and drink.  My friend bot a pair of slipper-style sneakers for her father.