Monday, January 27, 2014

In simple English

I've noticed this trend in my church recently where non-Christians are no longer called non-Christians. They're now "pre-believers".

We're supposed to "reach out" to the "pre-believers" in our "oikos". We wait for a "kairos moment" to "share the good news"... or just for one of the evangelistic events at church, and invite them to it. We pray for God to "touch them" and to "minister to them".

How is it that no one else seems to notice the amount of jargon we use in everyday Christianity?

I'm part of a church that doesn't call church service "church" any longer; it's called "celebration". So people go to celebration instead of attending church. Every church ministry has a special name (hint: the worship team is not called a worship team). The whole thing bothers me a lot.

I was reminded of this recently when one of my connections on Facebook posted a link to this article about "church jargon". I don't identify with most of the examples given, but I agree that we need to take a closer look at our 21st century church culture. Jargon creates a divide. If you do not know what I'm talking about, you're in the outer circle; if you do, you're in the inner circle.

I don't know why we can't just say things plainly.

    We have friends and family members who do not yet know our God in the same way we know Him. We are going to pray and ask Him for the right time to speak with them. We may invite them to an evangelistic meeting where we pray they will understand and respond to God's great love for them.

How hard was it to say that?

Monday, January 20, 2014

Two birds with one stone

I shower in the morning not so much to get clean, but to wake myself up. Getting clean is just a happy side effect.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Shoe fetish

Have resorted to labelling my shoeboxes so I can remember what shoes I have and easily find the ones I want to wear. 43 pairs at last count, not including 4 which need repair... No more shoe-buying for the rest of the year, Sunflower! >.<


I was a Boy Scout in a previous life

I am not ever going to run out of brads in my lifetime. Maybe even three lifetimes.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Embarrassing moment of the year #1

Applied for CNY leave on the wrong dates. OBVIOUSLY have been working too hard.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Whoa, kinetic memory!

Played scales this morning for probably the first time in 15 years or so. It's true what they say -- the fingers remember where to go!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Shattering preconceptions

That moment when your dad sends an SMS saying, "TQVM" and you realise that your parents are more hip and "with it" than you thought.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Impatience

Note to self: Checking email a dozen times within the span of five minutes will not make something magically appear.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Smooth, man. Real smooth.

A friendly tip to the single guys out there: If a woman tells you she's uncomfortable with your extravagant and effusive compliments because you hardly know her well enough to have been able to decide that she's all you've said she is, you are not going to endear yourself to her by saying, "I guess you are not used to people complimenting you; hence you take it the other way round."