Carpe Diem! Jason K

Carpe Diem! Jason K
Who is this Jason K? Well, he's my friend, a very good friend. It's
been more than 5 years I've known him (sometimes, I wonder why most of
them left after 5 years). He's leaving to Klang Valley because of his
new job. A job which he has been aiming for all this while. Praise God
for blessing him with his dream job.

Well, I'm not writing to talk about his job. I want to talk about him.
He is a man of character. He is a mover, always wanting to see things
moving, growing and becoming better. He has in him the vast supply of
optimism, positive thinking and self improving energy which is why he
is interested in training others. Being with him for 5 years and
listening and seeing what he has gone through is a blessing to me and
(I believes) to others also. He has shown that what he believes in is
not just theories but can be backed up by his own life testimonies.

He likes to share what he has gone through. If you want to be his
friend, be a good listener. If you have good ideas, I'm sure he'll
appreciate you sharing it with him. And he is also a humble student,
always willing to learn from others.

What I appreciate about him the most is his loyalty. Once he believes
in a certain friendship, he'll go all out to show it. He is a friend
in deed, not just in need. His friendship is something that I'll
treasure.

Oh ya, I also know the bad side of Jason K. But why dwell on the bad
side of others when I'm still struggling to overcome my own bad side.

It will be sufficient for me to summarize that Jason K is a man of rarity.

May the Lord continue to bless and use you Jason K, wherever He may
call you to go. Carpe Diem!

Persecution.

"Let us not be shocked by the suggestion that there are disadvantages
to the life in Christ. There most certainly are. Abel was murdered,
Joseph was sold into slavery, Daniel was thrown into the den of lions,
Stephen was stoned to death, Paul was beheaded, and a noble army of
martyrs was put to death by various painful methods all down the long
centuries. And where the hostility did not lead to such violence (and
mostly it did not and does not) the sons of this world nevertheless
managed to make it tough for the children of God in a thousand cruel
ways."
- A. W. Tozer

Cultural Understanding. – Differences in culture.

James F. Downs writes:
I… cringe to think of all the rupees I have wasted because I always
forgot in the early part of a trip to India, that agreement is often
indicated by a short shake of the head to the right that very closely
approximates our own sign of disagreement. When it came to tipping
coolies for some personal service, I was uncomfortable like most
Americans unaccustomed to dealing with persons in menial positions.
Uncertain about exact rates, I would offer what seemed to be a
reasonable amount. The coolie would invariably shake his head in
agreement. I would invariably interpret it as disagreement and press
more money on him. Such and exchange usually left me feeling vaguely
exploited and angry because I suspected I had paid too much. It
probably left the coolie feeling totally baffled by a crazy man who
kept giving him money after he had said he had enough.

Language and people

Few interesting thoughts on language.

Tzeltal has 25 different words for “carry”.
Malay has “membawa”, “membimbit”, “menjunjung”, “memikul”, “menjinjing”, “mengandar”, “mendukung”, “menatang”, “menghayun”, “mengheret”, “mengusung” “mengpimpin”, ….
What else lah? Can anybody think of other terms used…?

What is hope in God?
The Valiente’s word for it is translated as “resting the mind in God”. This is a good description of what hope really is.

What is “worry”?
The Navajos use “My mind is killing me” for the word “worry”.

How do you worship God?
The Cuicatec (Mexican Indian) word for “worship” means “to wag the tail before God”. The Cuicatec Indians have recognized that the attitude of worship is similar to that of a dog before his master.

Wishing Well To a Colleague

A colleague of mine left the job last Saturday. There's no party, no farewell to send her off. There's no speech given. She has been working in the same office for 5 years. Lots of things and experiences that we went through the last 5 years. Some are good ones and some not so good but God has kept us there for 5 years.

Would things be the same? I guess yes! and no! Yes because I still have to go to office whether I like it or not. Yes because I still have to do my work. No, because her presence will no longer be there. No, because the office will be a quieter place than before. Yes, my colleague is the talker and me the listener. And etc etc.

I guess there is no need for a party because most people would want her to continue. I guess there is no need for a farewell because she will still be close to the people's heart. Why a farewell when she is always near your heart. Why party when you are sad that she's leaving? Why farewell speech when you've learned much from her advice and life testimony. I guess it would be nice to have party, farewell and speech but that was done weeks before personally.

To her, I give my deepest appreciation. A colleague is easy to find but to this colleague of mine, she is also a friend and a sister. Thank you Lee Tian, and may God bless you richly in your new work.


David Bong