Just play a game! Pt1

I like video games! I always have. Despite the fact that my parents never bought any kind of video game console for my brother and I when we were growing up (although someone did give us one of those brick shaped Gameboys when we were young) we have both always loved video games. Let me just point out that I appreciate my parents never buying us one, it taught us some valuable lessons.

Anyway, about 18 or more months ago my brother Daniel showed me a video on TED (Warning: if you are prone to time wasting, like watching clever videos or have an addictive personality you probably shouldn’t visit TED) about a guy who was taking the principles of game theory and linking them to social media and marketing. Game theory examines what makes certain video games popular and tries to apply these principles in real world situations (i.e. completing quests/tasks, leveling up, earning rewards, battling etc.). One excellent example of this is the Pokemon games. Over the past 15 years the Pokemon franchise has released approximately 30 video games for handheld consoles (I’m not counting the console games because I never got to play them). More than half of these games are the exact same format and formula! Nintendo had discovered what made gamers want to keep playing and captivated the attention of Tweens, teens and young adults for 15 years! To this day Pokemon is my favorite handheld console game because it gives me what I want from a video game. Anyway This guy had created an app (only available in the US) that did this. At the time I thought it was really interesting but didn’t see any application in my areas of interest/study/ministry.

About 3ish months ago one of my Facebook friends put up a link to a story about a school teacher using game theory as a behavior management system in his year 5-6 classroom. Suddenly I could see the application! I spoke to a few people about what I had read and they were happy for me to be excited about something that made almost no sense to them. My wife in particular could quite grasp the idea because she never really played any video games. But I knew my brother would appreciate it.

Anyway a couple of weeks later my brother and I went a played a round of Supa Golf (if you’re not from Perth you won’t know what that is but it doesn’t matter). As we were walking around the course we started talking about game theory and how it might be applied to my children’s ministry. The results have been great.

For the sake of keeping posts relatively short I’ll stop there and you’ll have to wait for the next one to find out what we did and how it works!!

Arrow School of Ministry, Day Four

Everyday we have been starting the teaching sessions with a quiz on yesterday’s topics. So far many of the students have been doing quite well so I decided to make this one a little harder. It worked well enough. A few of the 100% club got one or two wrong so I felt satisfied.

 

The sessions I taught on today was “The Work of the Holy Spirit”. I only ended up teaching the one session all morning because it was a good session and like I said before the students are beginning to open up a lot more so I was able to have some interaction with them. For example, I was discussing the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and was using Samson as an example. I invited the skinniest, scrawninest young man I could see, his name was Reymar, to come and stand at the front of the room with me. Then I asked them which one of us (me or Reymar) they thought was more like Samson (I was also wearing my Superman t-shirt). They all laughed and said “You sir, of course”. I told them I disagreed and said that if Samson had such big muscles (like me!!) then why would the Philistinesnhave wondered where his strength came from.

I'm teaching at the front and Reymar is next to me - which one of us looks more like Samson?

Later on I was talking about Exodus 31:1-3 where God said that he had anointed some people to be skillful in all crafts and to make the Tabernacle. I was talking about how God said that they had to decorate certain items which images of things they had never seen before i.e. cherubim. So I wrote the word QUOKKA on the board and invited one of the boys who likes to draw to come up and try and draw a quokka but I didn’t give him any clues or tell him how to do it. It was great. Eventually I tried to draw a quokka but my drawing skills never progress beyond year 2 so it was pretty bad but they all got the point and we had fun. I got through all the notes just before lunch so in order to kill time I taught them Jay Thomas’ “Song of Love” which they enjoyed as much as Majestic.

 

At lunch time Sharon called one of the boys over and told them to climb the nearest coconut tree and get a coconut for Nathan. So up he went. It ended up turning into a 20min affair. The boy, whose name was Jestoni, ended up climbing three different trees trying to find a ripe one that would taste nice. In the end when I finally got one I felt bad because I didn’t even finish it after all of Jestoni’s hard work (fortunately Manny helped finish it off). I spent the time after lunch recovering from the night before by sleeping and journalling. I was so engrossed in my journalling that I didn’t realize that I was 15mins late for class. Fortunately no one else seemed to care and it wasn’t until 530pm that class began…sort of.

 

Just as class began at 530pm Sharon came in and told me we were going out for dinner and if we wanted to see the sunset at this special romantic location then we needed to go right now. So she rescheduled class for two hours later (3.5 hours later than the original time) and off we rushed…or not. What I’ve discovered is that although Sharon might seem in a hurry, and reasons are usually legitimate, it doesn’t always translate to quick action. We didn’t end up leaving for another 15mins. Now we really had to hurry and Manny was doing his best to make sure we got to the location as quick as humanly possible. It is normally a 40min trip which took us about 25-30mins. I’m not exactly sure how long it took because I was more concerned with trying not to throw up from motion sickness caused by the ducking and weaving of Manny’s driving combined with the generally very uneven roads in the Philippines. When we finally turned off the road I though relief had come but we drove past a sign that said “Antulang Beach Resort 8kms”. It was the longest, most gut wrenching 8kms of my life! It wasn’t a real road, just a dirt track with lots of dips and bumps and I just kept praying that Godnwould prevent me from throwing up. I don’t drink hot drinks but I was seriously considering a ginger tea to help calm my stomach. The food was very nice and the view was very beautiful. The restaurant where we ate was located on a cliff with the waves crashing into to the base of the cliff. It was very peaceful and serene and Sharon nearly feel asleep sitting up waiting for the food to come out.

The ride home was just as gut wrenching though not quite as harrowing. Saron had told the students that we would have class at 730pm when we returned from dinner except that we didn’t return from dinner until 850pm so I dismissed them and sent the girls home (which they did) and the boys to bed (which they didn’t). And I took myself off to bed as well.

Arrow School of Ministry, Day Three

Note: I am writing about the events of Wednesday on Thursday trying to make it sound like its Wednesday and I’m reasonable certain my tenses will keep changing…oh well.

As I sat down to breakfast today and looked at the rice on my plate I suddenly realized that I was beginning to approach my threshold for rice. It’s not like the food is bad, in fact the cook, Ryan, cooks very tasty meals its just that I’m not used to having so much rice. I have begun to eat quickly at the start of the meal and then by the end of it each mouthful of rice is taking me a minute or two to chew and swallow but I feel obligated to finish it because I think it would be rude not to. I’m thinking about asking for only half rice.

Today’s class began slightly differently to the other days in that Manny was late which meant that one of the students, Dexter, had to step in and do his best to translate until Manny arrived. It worked out alright. Manny came and took over towards the end of the first session. The two sessions we worked through today were “Assurance of Salvation” and “The Lordship of Christ”. Both of which were well received and were particularly applicable to the newest students who are “in limbo” about whether or not they have surrendered their lives to King Jesus and about what it means to be a Christian.

After class was finished Sharon was telling me about her trip to Hong Kong she returned from last night (which is the reason Manny was late I later found out) and then suddenly she announce that she was taking me out for lunch, which was nice. Only thing was that I had planned to go with Geraldine back to her house so I could use the Internet (I had arranged to Skype with Lauren). Fortunately Geraldine jumped in and told Sharon that I had made plans. Unfazed, Sharon simply changed the location so I could still keep my appointment and get lunch as well! We ended up at a little cafe that served Italian food where Sharon ordered us (Sharon, Manny, Geraldine, Boyet and myself) bowls of spaghetti. Not exactly what I would have expected in Philippines but it was tasty nonetheless.

When we got to Geraldine’s house I was able to use the Internet and Skype with Lauren, check emails and read a bit of the news and find out what’s going on back home. It was a great opportunity to just relax and have a break from being at the Bacong site before the workshop begins at 4pm…or so the schedule says. We didn’t end up leave Bacong until about 445pm and I’m not sure why. I just know that I come when called and I wasn’t called until 445pm.

I was a little concerned about the workshop because they have been ok but I wanted them to be something more. Ever since arriving I have been trying to get the students to ask me questions about anything. If they are asking questions then I know they are listening and I really enjoy answering their questions, it builds relationship. So on the car ride back to Bacong (about 35 minutes with traffic) I felt like I received inspiration from God. As soon as I arrived back class began. The first thing I did was tell them all to read Matthew 5 and I told them that they have to ask me questions about it. I am by no means an expert of the Sermon on the Mount but if it is Christianity 101 then they should read it. This worked a treat! They ended up asking questions for over two hours! We every delayed dinner because they were asking questions. Some of them were cheeky questions and others were really very genuine. One cheeky boy asked that if Jesus said “give to the one who begs of you” does that mean he needs to give his girlfriend whatever she asks for. All of this needed to be translated first so Manny had a bit of a chance to scold the boy, in good humour, before telling me the question. When I found out what the question was I had 4 words come to my mind and I think it was the Holy Spirit (it might not have been but whatever). I said to the boy “be generous, not stupid!” Everybody laughed including the boy and I got to share about the difference between being generous and being irresponsible. It was great.

Some of the more serious questions came from some of the young ladies. One girl asked about “let your yes be yes and your no be no” and whether breaking promises was a sin. So I got to talk about how important relationships are and the need restore relationships when they are damaged. Another girl asked about unforgiveness and what to do when the person you are in conflict with refuses to forgive you (I’m articulating these questions differently to how they were said to me). I even had one boy, who was late to class so he didn’t read Matthew 5, ask about mercy killing because apparently the Roman Catholic church in the Philippines endorses mercy killing (which I guess is logical considering that they also say suicide will send you to hell). It was great and the students got to see me freeze a few times and struggle to answer some of their questions and I got the chance to help them understand what it means to live like Jesus. I was so happy!

And the good times kept on rolling with Sharon’s birthday party that night! We had a whole pig roasted on a spit delivered to the school for dinner.

The pig!

Sharon invited me to help prepare the meal by cutting up the pig skin with scissors (I’m being generous by saying invited. It would be more accurate to say she thrust some scissors and pig skin into my hand and said “quickly cut, cut! But that’s Sharon and we love her!). Dinner was already delayed by the question time (which went until 730pm when dinner is usually around 6) and the guest of honor was also delayed picking up her cakes so nobody ate until 830pm but it was a very tasty pig. After all the food had been eaten and the tables wiped down it was time for cake…at least that’s what I thought.

The cakes (two big cakes) were brought out, we sang Happy Birthday and they were cut up and I was ready for bed by now because by now it was 930pm and I was hoping to get to bed in the next 15mins…no such luck.

Once the song was finished Manny began to share about how great Sharon is and then Sharon wanted to say something and then Manny invited anyone else to say something and about two people did. Then Manny started to talk/preach about something (I’m not sure exactly what because it wasn’t in English) and then Sharon wanted to say something again and then Manny invited anyone to come and say something and a few more did.

Manny talking about how amazing Sharon is 🙂

Then it was time for a prayer of blessing for Sharon so everyone gathered around and they all began to pray out loud at the same time and then one voice began to rise above the rest (screaming volume) and the praying continued. Then another voice rose up (screaming volume again) and the praying continued. Then it began to die down and I thought it was over but no, it seemed that they were just catching their breath before starting up all over again. When it eventually did stop, with a resounding AMEN that shook the ceiling, it was 11pm! I laughed when I saw the time because only a few hours earlier Sharon had been scolding all the students for staying up too late and failing to attend the daily devotions time at 530am everyday. The night still wasn’t over. By now all the students were so tired they were getting a little bit silly and began to have a small food fight. They were chasing each other around the building trying to smear the butter icing from the cake onto each others faces. There was lots of screaming and lots of laughing and a great big mess. Fortunately for me the guest teacher is never a target unless I wanted to be and by now I just wanted bed. I said goodbye to Geraldine (she left for Australia in the morning) and went to sleep very quickly.

Ricardo with cake smeared on his face
(In the background: Geraldine is cuddling Jocell)

Arrow School of Ministry, Day 2

I was woken this morning at 5:45am to the sounds of laughter, showers and drums! I rolled over and waited for my 6am alarm to go off. When it did I realized that I could hear the students singing during morning devotions which is really nice and it means that the showers are free so I took advantage of that and had a shower.

(This photo is of the boys singing in morning devotions)

After having breakfast we had a short time of worship before class started (I had arranged the worship time with Jun yesterday). The way these students worship is wonderful! They truly love Jesus! The drums are rubbish, the guitars and bass are all out of tune and not in tune with each but they worship like it is irrelevant and truthfully it is. Many of them abandon themselves to God in worship and it warmed my heart and as I watched them from the back of the room. I could feel God’s delight in them. It was a beautiful time.

After worship was a quiz on yesterday’s topics. GCE has asked the teachers to prepare a short quiz for each session so that they can test how much information is being retained by students. The tests are marked by peers and the grades are recorded. While the quizzes are important, they don’t make or break you as a student. They are to help Sharon and Manny know how the students are tracking. The quiz I gave this morning was 8 questions long and worth 20 marks. About 8 students scored 100% with only about 9 or 10 not scoring better than 50% which is encouraging given the varying education levels present (some only finished Grade 3, Manny was telling me).

After the quiz giving, scoring and announcing we began Session 1 for the day, “The Power of Prayer”. I was supposed to get through the first and second session this morning but I only managed to get through the prayer notes because things need to be translated for them and…it’s the Philippines, everything runs on a different pace here.

I was also blessed this morning by some tasty snacks from Roger and Geraldine which was great. They bought me mangoes, bananas and sugar coated peanuts!

After lunch I took a nap until I was woken up to the sound of construction outside my open window. Directly below my window is the half-built swimming pool. Apparently, originally it was supposed to be a spa but the boys kept making it bigger. Sharon kept telling them off until she just gave in and now they have a pool that is about 6ft deep at the deep end and about 15m long! What I find funny is that last year they told us they don’t/can’t swim so I guess swimming lessons will become part of the GCE curriculum.

The workshop this afternoon was better than yesterday. Still no questions (guess I haven’t been controversial enough yet) but I taught them a song. I wrote up the words for Jon Thurlow’s Majestic on the whiteboard and taught them. I’m not sure whether it’s a Filipino thing or a GCE thing but these students seem to be always singing one song or another and once I taught them this song, they continued to sing it for the next three hours. They never tire of worshipping Yahweh! It’s awe inspiring.

I went for my first ride on a scooter today and lived through it. I was given the opportunity to go to the local mall, Robinsons, which is about 15 mins from the GCE training centre, but the only transport was on the back of a scooter driven by Baldo (we met him last year). At first I wasn’t sure where to put my hands. I wasn’t really keen on hugging him so I put them on his shoulders. After about 15 seconds (half the time it takes to get from the training building to the road) I realized that this wouldn’t work, I couldn’t balance or brace. So then I tried grabbing the handrail attached to my seat and we had a winner! Then we got onto the road… At first I had my eyes shut because I felt safer not watching, then as I began to enjoy it I opened my eyes only to shut them a short while later because of the amount of stuff in the air that was getting into them (did I mention I’m in a t-shirt, shorts, thongs and no helmet of any kind?). By the end of the trip I began to feel like I could drive a scooter on the roads here (although traffic was “light” so it might be a bad read of the situation on the roads).

At Robinsons, the mall, I met up with Roger, Geraldine and little Jocelle for dinner. Jocelle is a 5 year old little girl who is part of the malnourished program who the Maddrells help to look after. Roger told me that on the World Health Organisation bell curve for height and weight for her age she isn’t even on the bottom of it. She is so small but she certainly has personality! Anyway we had dinner at a place called Mang Inasal which is basically a chicken place which Sharon took us to last year and I really loved it. The chicken is very tasty.

The best part about going to Robinsons was the free wifi which meant I was able to call my wife and speak to her for about 10 mins. I’ve been missing her.

Then I returned back to the training centre, jammed with some of the boys again and went to sleep.

And that was day two!

Arrow School of Ministry, Day 1

Well today is day one of five. I left Cebu this morning at 6:30am and arrive at Dumaguete at 7am. One of the GCE students, Peter, who Lauren and I met last year was there waiting for me at the airport. We then made the 30-or-so-minute drive to Bacong where the Bible school is located. The newly finished school building is quite impressive considering that it was built by the staff and students of GCE with limited time and resources. My room is located at the back of the main building. It comes off the classroom and is directly opposite the bathroom (which makes sleeping in beyond 5:45am a non-option). There is a window in my room that opens up towards the ocean which allows me to get the sea breeze when there is one.

The first day of teaching is always a little bit awkward. The students don’t ask questions because they are shy and this group of students are not as vocal as last year’s group…yet. There are about 40 new students this year plus about 10 who are still part of GCE from last year (although they are not part of the class because they are busy working on different construction tasks around the site).

Today I taught about the importance of the Word of God (Session 1) and having a lifestyle of worship (Session 2). The material is pretty good (I am teaching from an existing curriculum) but I was a little nervous and they were quite shy. There was a large editing process going on as I was teaching through the notes because I begun to realise how much in the notes wouldn’t make sense or wasn’t relevant to their situations. They have been unable to secure the services of an outside translator which has its advantages. It means that Manny is the interpreter which is good because he translates the concepts rather than just the words and goes into detailed explanations of things they don’t understand. Plus he gives them a good ‘kick in the pants’ when they need it eg. we’re not going to coffee break until someone asks a question!

The workshop session today was interesting. I had nothing to teach them because we had gone through all of the two sessions for the day in the morning. So I gave them all the gifts I had brought for them. Before leaving Perth I went to a souvenir shop and bought a bunch of those small koalas that clip onto things and the students loved them (thanks for the idea Dad). The koalas wear vests that say “I heart Australia” and I saw some of them write “and God” underneath. Then I told them about some of the animals we have in Australia and how God has made them unique. Not quite as successful as I had hoped but not bad nonetheless. Then I performed some magic tricks for them which they loved. Thankfully the tricks seem to have helped them open up a bit more and get beyond the shyness (this group is a lot more shy than last year’s group).

After dinner I watched some of the GCE veterans (those that were here last year) jam and sing worship songs. After a while I went to my room to do some prep work for tomorrow. Then I went out to see how they were going and they invited me to play drums for a while so I did, which was fun. Then it was time for bed and I was tired.

That’s how Day 1 went.

3 Travel Tips to make life easier at airports

It’s been quite a while since I’ve used this blog. I just felt like I had nothing to say but I have something I’d like to say now so here we are again.

So I’m traveling at the moment. I’m on my way to Cebu in the Philippines to teach at a Bible school for a week. I also happen to be traveling by myself for the first time which means that instead of sharing my thoughts with my family, you all get to hear it.

Traveling shouldn’t really be that difficult. Apart from the lack of sleep, pain in the bum from sitting too long, the aching in your legs from not walking around, the long waits at airports for your connecting flights … Ok maybe traveling can be a bit difficult.

But today I watched a number of people make it look exceptionally more difficult than it should be because they didn’t think ahead. It may be that they are first time flyers who don’t know any better but I hope that after having read this you will know what to expect and how to make the trip run smoother.

Disclaimer: I travel regularly. Not often but regularly and I have spent a bit of time on airplanes but I am by no means George Clooney’s character from the movie “Up in the Air”. These are some of the things I do/don’t do when I travel
Tip #1
Always bring a jacket of some sort.

Even if you are traveling in the middle of summer a lite jacket serves a multitude of purposes. For starters the airplane will be air conditioned and you will have very little control over that so if you don’t have some way of warming up en you are stuck feeling cold during the flight (this also makes it difficult to sleep on the plane). Even if you doubt you’ll need it a jacket can be your best friend at a security screening point. Instead of emptying your pockets into those little trays the security guards provide put everything into the pockets in your jacket! Most airports ask that you remove your jackets and put them through the X-ray machines anyway. By putting all of your stuff into your jacket (or carry-on luggage for that matter) you are able to walk straight through the screening point grab your jacket and bag and keep moving, thus avoiding those awkward moments where the line is backing up behind you because you’re struggling to put your phone, wallet and loose change back into your pocket while inevitably dropping something because of the rising panic you feel for holding the line up. This reminds me of a scene in “Up in the Air” where Clooney is coaching his apprentice on how to travel well. He tells her to line up behind asian businessmen because the have perfected the art of getting through security quickly. Sadly this is not true of all Asians, especially at Perth International.

Tip #2
Don’t bring any coins

Bringing coins to an airport in your pocket is just asking for trouble. Foreign exchange places don’t accept coins and they hold you up at security

Tip #3
When you board an aircraft be thinking about how you will get off

The location of your carry-on luggage in the too-small-to-fit-everybody’s-stuff overhead lockers is important. Try to avoid at all costs having your luggage behind your seat. This requires you to move backwards when every man and has screaming child is trying to move forwards. It makes it awkward and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Even if it means your luggage is three or four rows forward of your seat at least you will be moving in the right direction when it really matters.

Well I appreciate you reading what I have to say. I feel better for having shared it with you (plus it killed a lot of time during my layover, I’m all about two birds, one stone)

If I think of anymore things I’ll add them as a separate post.

3 Leadership Lessons I Learned From Watching “The Iron Lady”

On Thursday last week I went to see the movie “The Iron Lady” starring Meryl Streep about the political life of Margaret Thatcher. I usually don’t like the drama genre however I found that I enjoyed this one.

One of the things that I am endeavouring to do as I go about life is “look with leadership eyes.” I’m trying to see what I can learn in whatever situation I come across. There are many leaders all around me and many of them are making good and bad decisions. If I can learn from them then I don’t have to repeat their mistakes.

Anyway, here’s 3 things I learned from watching “The Iron Lady”

1. Tough Decisions Need to be Made

In leadership there are always tough decisions that need to be made. Unfortunately you can’t please everyone all the time. There is a great line in the movie where Margaret Thatcher is addressing the concerns of some in her cabinet regarding spending cuts which will make their party very unpopular. She says  “Gentlemen, if we don’t cut spending we will be bankrupt. Yes, the medicine is harsh, but the patient requires it in order to live. Should we withhold the medicine? No. We are not wrong. We did not seek election and win in order to manage the decline of a great nation.” The medicine can be harsh but certain decision must be made.

2. Listen to Those Around You

The movie portrays Margaret Thatcher’s downfall as something of her own creation. It seems that she spent so much of her political life fighting against the biases and cowardice, as she perceived it, of men that when these same men had worthwhile things to say she was closed off to the idea. The minute you decide to start ignoring the counsel of those in your leadership team is the minute you start sliding down a slippery slope.

3. Maintain Your Work/Life Balance

There comes a point in the movie where Margaret Thatcher’s daughter and husband both explode at her in anger and frustration because their lives are all about furthering her ambitions. There is another scene where her children (about 8 years old at the time) are begging their mum to stay and play with them and see their drawings and basically be their mum, however Margaret steels her emotions, ignores their cries and drives herself to work. The end result of that type of life is that now (2011/2012) she is all alone most of the time. Her husband is dead and her children don’t seem to want much to do with her. Your career will come and go but your family will be with you until the day you die. It is important to maintain your work/life balance.

If you’ve seen the movie let me know what you think about it. Leave a comment below.

Killer Prayer Tips

These guys are on to something…or just on something

How to Read the Old Testament For All It’s Worth

This is a guest post by my wife Lauren

This year I have started using an ESV Daily Bible Reading App. It’s so handy to have a constant reminder on my phone of what chapters to read for the day. The plan I’ve chosen is taking me through the Old Testament with a psalm-a-day thrown in.

In reading through the OT this year, I’ve been focusing on some areas I’ve previously skipped over because they were ‘boring’ – dates, places and genealogies. I encourage you to do the same.

 

1. Dates are important! Take note of them!

In the vast array of information presented in the OT story, we can often skip over verses that start with “On the fifteenth day of the second month..” etc. Don’t skip over it! Dates are valuable in giving context to the story being told. When we fail to pay attention to dates and times the whole OT story can just seem to roll into one and we fail to appreciate: how long journeys between towns took, or how long people waited for God to intervene in their situation, or just how quickly the Israelites grumbled against God.

Did you know that Noah and his family were in the Ark a total of 1 year and 10 days (this is determined by comparing Geneses 7:11 and Genesis 8:14)! That’s a long time to be cooped up with every kind of animal! If we fail to take note of those little references to time in Genesis 7 & 8, we may incorrectly conclude that Noah and co. were in the Ark for 40 or 150 days.

 

2. Places.

The names of towns or cities listed in the Old Testament are important. The wonderful thing about the Bible is that particular towns or cities appear multiple times in different book. Places have significance and form part of history.

Take, for example, the city of Bethlehem- Jesus’ birth place. There is so much history in Bethlehem! Jesus was born in the same place that Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, died (Gen 35:19); he was born in the same place where Boaz became Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 1:1-2); and he was born in the same place were David grew up and was anointed by Saul (1 Sam 16:1). Thus, the very fact that Jesus is born in Bethlehem reminds us that He is our kinsman-redeemer, God’s anointed one, the fulfillment of the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

 

3. Genealogies.

In my recent reading of the OT I was reminded again that extended family members often married one another as the Israelite nation grew. If you pay attention to the genealogies , you will learn that:

*Lot was Abraham’s nephew (Gen 12:5)

*Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was also his step-sister (Gen 20:12)

*Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, was also his second cousin (Gen 24:15)

*Leah and Rachel were Jacob’s first cousins as well as their wives. Jacob’s mum, Rebekah, and Rachel and Leah’s dad, Laban, were brother and sister (Gen 28).

Genealogies also inform us of the origins of cities and towns; the meaining behind names; and they can also reveal the consequences of blessings that were spoken over individuals.

 

Other cool random Bible trivia I’ve discovered:

*Abraham is referred to as a ‘prophet’ (Gen 20:7) and a ‘prince’ (Gen 23:6)

*Jacob ‘tithed’ even before tithing was introduced (Gen. 28:22)

*When the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, the Israelite women asked the Egyptian women to give them their jewellery and clothing and they gave it to them?! And so the Israelites left rich (Ex 4:21-22). The Lord provides!

*Did you know manna could melt? (Ex. 16:21)

*The Israelites moved around the wilderness in stages/staggered starts because there was so many of them. (Ex 17:1)

 

I hope that inspires you to sink your teeth into the Old Testament! It’s glorious!

 

Lauren

Community is spelt C-O-N-F-L-I-C-T

Without conflict there is no true community (for a definition of true community look here). This is an inescapable truth and one that we must come to terms with if we want to have authentic Christian relationships.

God has designed relationships in such a way as to bring people into conflict with one another regularly. As I stated in a post about common myths about conflict (found here) conflict is not a bad thing and it is the means through which authentic community can be reached. M. Scott Peck outlines the development of community like this:

1. Pseudo Community

In this stage we are just starting to know one another. We spend our time focusing on what we have in common with each other. We get along with each other really well. Everything seems so easy and we feel like we are engaging in community with one another already.

2. Chaos

In this stage we begin to notice and focus on those things that make us different. This isn’t the cute kind of different where I might think you’re a unique individual or those are just your quirks, this is the “what is wrong with you!” stage. We get frustrated and disagree with each other. We often take it upon ourselves to “fix” the group by trying to make all of them more like ourselves.

3. Emptiness

In this stage we come to the end of ourselves. We are forced to get over our biasses and prejudices and stop acting in an ego-protecting manner.  We give up trying to fix one another and instead recognise that it’s ok for us to all be different. This is often the most difficult stage for people to engage with because it requires one to release themselves from their patterns of thinking that have been built up over the course of their lives.

4. True Community

In this stage people enter into true community. This stage looks very similar to Pseudo Community however the feel is entirely different. Disagreement still exists in this stage but heated discussions do not turn bitter. In this stage conflict is recognised as a positive thing.

More information about this and in much greater detail can be found in M. Scott Peck’s book The Different Drum which is available for purchase from here.

The saddest part about all this is that many people don’t make it beyond the second stage of Chaos. This is true for many marriages too. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the median length of a marriage in 2007 was 12.5 years with separations happening after 9 years. The problem is that people often feel that the pain of Chaos cannot outweigh the joy of community.

My wish is that when you are in Chaos you would stay with it and pursue community. God desires it for you and those around you. When, not if, it becomes too much embrace humility, swallow your pride and ask for help from those people who you know have wisdom. The pay off is worth it.