Re-examining (just a little)
I think I tried to make the last posting as hard to understand as I could have. BUt from here on out I'll try to make things clearer and keep things a little more in cheak.
From an issue of 'Crossings' by KYX last fall [from 'brothers abroad' section]:
[1]
I have truly missed my brothers in Christ from KYX. Thinking about Turkey-Fri and retreat and all the new fellas this year makes me pretty anxious to be home. But I try not to get lost in my thoughts of the past and future or I will be neglecting the great blessing God has given me in the time I have here. Learning to rely on God's strength and not depending on my own has illuminated Ephesians 3:20 for me. By discovering the gifts God has given in the solitude of the sanctuary within has allowed Him to do immeasurably more than I could imagine in China with his great power. I miss my family and friends very much but find peace in his grace daily.
and here is the one i submitted before our editor had a field day, feel free to skip (for my own comic relief):
[2]
Hello English, hello English, its good to speak you. What can I say in 50 word about my experiences abroad? It has been a journey this far and I still got about a month left. I have truly missed the brothers in Christ from KYX. Thinking about Turkey-Fri and retreat and all the new fellas this year makes me pretty anxious to be home. But I try not to get lost in my thouths of the past and future or I will be neglecting the great blessing God has given me in the time I have here. These are really exciting times and I have learned one of the good presents God gives us is the present. Learning how to truly trust him with everything and live in the present in the presence of God is truly a great present given by God - did I get all those "presents" right? Yes. Okay, so, living here has been a roller coaster of emotions, extreme pains and blessings. I find peace in that song that goes, .. da de da, "though theirs pain in the offering... Blessed be your name." Because there really is pain in offering your life to do things that are normaly not what you would do - like go to China. Learning how to find God's strenth and not depending on my own or brothers in Christ has illuminated Epesians 3:20 for me. By discovering the gifts God has given in the solitude of the sancuary within has allowed Him to do immeasurably more than I could imagine in China with his great power.
I miss my family and friends very much but find peace in his grace daily,
phew, thank you Matt Anthony for saving me from that.
So I'll read from the first one...
I'm not sure when I wrote this when I was in China last fall, but I can notice some eastern philosophy/thought influence already. It seems in the second sentence, "lost in my thoughts of the past and future or I will be neglecting the present time here" has a strong Chinese philosophy tone to it. You may know meditation has its foundation on the principal of becomming fully aware of your present surroundings while becomming very quiet - mind, body and soul. It seems I am working my Chinese philosophy into my spiritual language nicely. And then later I know after I wrote "in the solitude of the sanctuary within" was after my time studying taiji at WeiBaoShan, WeiShan mountain, but to explain that line is a whole-nother blog. . . .
After returting home I experienced what I later realized was normal for returning people who had an 'exposure' trip to another country: an intense dose of reverse-culture shock. In my struggle I found myself very confused and disoriented. I found it very hard to communicate with loved ones, and very difficult to express some of the knowledge I felt I had gained with the limited vocabulary I had to work with. WHat I come to understand now is that that confustion had a little to do with my identity in Christ (or my spiritual identity). I had no problem whatsoever in what I felt like my purpose was over there in China, but as soon as I came home clouds came out from everywhere. With the gained knowledge I was able to functon fine there. I was able to tell what Gods will was for me then, and able to carry it out without second guessing myself. BUT, when I returned home, things I learned there (specifically things related to what I experienced studying Chinese religion/philosophy and taiji) had all-of-the-sudden not worked themselves out in the life I tried to take on in America. They didn't translate well or cooperate with what I began to do here. They almost worked diametrically with everything I tried to do. -- I dont want to share too much of what I havent fully understood yet so I will stop here, and save you from further confusion. But anyways ...(long time later)... here, now in the present I have a different mindset of what I had then. Theres alot more to that story but this is just re-examining a little.
I also have much to say about my experience corn-huskin in Illinois but that will have to come later. I will say I got top-rookie making $1244 in 10 days and met some of the coolest people in the nation. I learned more than I would ever expected from the community I found there.
From an issue of 'Crossings' by KYX last fall [from 'brothers abroad' section]:
[1]
I have truly missed my brothers in Christ from KYX. Thinking about Turkey-Fri and retreat and all the new fellas this year makes me pretty anxious to be home. But I try not to get lost in my thoughts of the past and future or I will be neglecting the great blessing God has given me in the time I have here. Learning to rely on God's strength and not depending on my own has illuminated Ephesians 3:20 for me. By discovering the gifts God has given in the solitude of the sanctuary within has allowed Him to do immeasurably more than I could imagine in China with his great power. I miss my family and friends very much but find peace in his grace daily.
and here is the one i submitted before our editor had a field day, feel free to skip (for my own comic relief):
[2]
Hello English, hello English, its good to speak you. What can I say in 50 word about my experiences abroad? It has been a journey this far and I still got about a month left. I have truly missed the brothers in Christ from KYX. Thinking about Turkey-Fri and retreat and all the new fellas this year makes me pretty anxious to be home. But I try not to get lost in my thouths of the past and future or I will be neglecting the great blessing God has given me in the time I have here. These are really exciting times and I have learned one of the good presents God gives us is the present. Learning how to truly trust him with everything and live in the present in the presence of God is truly a great present given by God - did I get all those "presents" right? Yes. Okay, so, living here has been a roller coaster of emotions, extreme pains and blessings. I find peace in that song that goes, .. da de da, "though theirs pain in the offering... Blessed be your name." Because there really is pain in offering your life to do things that are normaly not what you would do - like go to China. Learning how to find God's strenth and not depending on my own or brothers in Christ has illuminated Epesians 3:20 for me. By discovering the gifts God has given in the solitude of the sancuary within has allowed Him to do immeasurably more than I could imagine in China with his great power.
I miss my family and friends very much but find peace in his grace daily,
phew, thank you Matt Anthony for saving me from that.
So I'll read from the first one...
I'm not sure when I wrote this when I was in China last fall, but I can notice some eastern philosophy/thought influence already. It seems in the second sentence, "lost in my thoughts of the past and future or I will be neglecting the present time here" has a strong Chinese philosophy tone to it. You may know meditation has its foundation on the principal of becomming fully aware of your present surroundings while becomming very quiet - mind, body and soul. It seems I am working my Chinese philosophy into my spiritual language nicely. And then later I know after I wrote "in the solitude of the sanctuary within" was after my time studying taiji at WeiBaoShan, WeiShan mountain, but to explain that line is a whole-nother blog. . . .
After returting home I experienced what I later realized was normal for returning people who had an 'exposure' trip to another country: an intense dose of reverse-culture shock. In my struggle I found myself very confused and disoriented. I found it very hard to communicate with loved ones, and very difficult to express some of the knowledge I felt I had gained with the limited vocabulary I had to work with. WHat I come to understand now is that that confustion had a little to do with my identity in Christ (or my spiritual identity). I had no problem whatsoever in what I felt like my purpose was over there in China, but as soon as I came home clouds came out from everywhere. With the gained knowledge I was able to functon fine there. I was able to tell what Gods will was for me then, and able to carry it out without second guessing myself. BUT, when I returned home, things I learned there (specifically things related to what I experienced studying Chinese religion/philosophy and taiji) had all-of-the-sudden not worked themselves out in the life I tried to take on in America. They didn't translate well or cooperate with what I began to do here. They almost worked diametrically with everything I tried to do. -- I dont want to share too much of what I havent fully understood yet so I will stop here, and save you from further confusion. But anyways ...(long time later)... here, now in the present I have a different mindset of what I had then. Theres alot more to that story but this is just re-examining a little.
I also have much to say about my experience corn-huskin in Illinois but that will have to come later. I will say I got top-rookie making $1244 in 10 days and met some of the coolest people in the nation. I learned more than I would ever expected from the community I found there.
posted by mg at 1:19 AM
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