BOLIVIAN BEAT

To all the world...: Spare me the gurus, please.

2009-07-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

To all the world...: Spare me the gurus, please.

2009-06-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

"LORD, SAVE ME"

THE HOLY TRANSFIGURATION MONASTERY

2009-06-26T04:47:00.000-07:00

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958 -2009

Michael Jackson didnt just appear on the scene, he exploded in the universe like a glowing super nova!

The early innocence, his brothers and those brilliant pop classics Rocking Robin, I'll Be There, Gotta Be There spoke for an entire generation. Never Can Say Goodbye has yet to lose its lustre after 30 years!

The photo on the right is from his early years with the Jackson 5. He was at his peak then. His voice was sweet, powerful, very emotive and smacked the daylights out of the competition. An incredible talent!

His angst and broken voice opened the door to a fantasy world. He gave us Thriller - the gloves, dark glasses, red jackets, white gloves, tassels on the shoulder pad,

And the moonwalk!

It was suddenly cool to be black kid in the whole universe! Didnt matter if you were an Indian teenager from Sembawang or a kid from the ghetto. Michael was our hero. His props became ours - the red jackets, the sunglasses, white socks etc.

He was an Obama to a hip generation of dark skinned people who'd normally not be given a second look. Thank you Michael Jackson.

His religious beliefs were cloudy - was he a Jehovah Witness or a Muslim? we'll never know. May the Lord have mercy on him.

2009-06-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

You Who Wronged

by Czeslaw Milosz

You who wronged a simple man
Bursting into laughter at the crime,
And kept a pack of fools around you
To mix good and evil, to blur the line,
Though everyone bowed down before you,
Saying virtue and wisdom lit your way,
Striking gold medals in your honor,
Glad to have survived another day,
Do not feel safe.

The poet remembers.
You can kill one, but another is born.
The words are written down, the deed, the date.
And you’d have done better with a winter dawn,
A rope, and a branch bowed beneath your weight.

2009-06-20T03:09:00.000-07:00

PRAY FOR IRAN!

The people of Iran need our support and intercession. Pray for an end to injustice, tyranny and a return to human decency and true law and order.

2009-05-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

KRIS WAS BETTER THAN ADAM…YEAH!!

Kris is the American Idol.

He was the better singer, especially when the song matched his voice. There were times however in the competition when he sounded pretty light weight. It was great however to see him crowned as the American Idol. His shy and retiring manner helped him connect with folks and maybepeople identified with his humble, down to earth folksy style.

Why the judges gushed in adulation over nearly all of Adam Lambert’s performances remain a mystery. Even Simon got carried away…describing one of his performances as immaculate! He was good but not immaculate.

Some of Adam’s performances were out of this world. His rendition of Smokey Robinson’s Tracks of My Tears was awesome. But flattery from the judges stroked his ego and clouded his judgment. Every song had to be a stellar, crowd pleasing performance; angst and desire to impress replaced the need to simply sing a song effectively. And the screaming just got in the way at times.

Was it a surprise therefore when he was at the bottom three in some of the previous episodes?

All of this should not detract us from recognizing Adam’s talent. The guy has an incredible voice range and charisma. He needs a good producer and a clever manager who can get him to focus on the basics and cut all the American Idol hype. Reduce the screaming, remove some of the poseur attitude and get back to the art of singing a song.

Congratulations Kris Allen! You deserved to win.

2009-05-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

DARTH VADER: HERO OF STAR WARS!

C'mon... without Darth Vader the Star Wars mythology, as the Americans would say, aint worth a plug nickel!

George Lucas's 3 prequels The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith fell way short of expectations because Anakim Skywalker became Darth Vader only in the final hour of the 3rd movie!

We had to endure watching Anakim Skywalker as a kid and a teenager for 2 1/2 movies. What was the point? Anakim's a bore compared to Vader. Lucas should have turned Anakim to the dark side in the Phantom Menace and then showed Vader gradually slipping into his own personal hell in the next two movies. Now, that would have made the prequels a rip roaring success.

The Empire Strikes Back was the best Star Wars movie; the action was fast moving; it laid the groundwork for developing Vader into a tragic hero a la Shakespeare. Revenge of the Jedi, picked up the storyline and showcased Vader's final redemption from the dark side.

Forget Anakim. Bring on Vader!

2009-05-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

SINGAPORE MASS MEDIA…FEROCIOUS SHARKS?

MEDIA AND AWARE
Very rarely have the Singapore mainstream media gone after a story with such unbridled passion...like ferocious sharks thrashing about in a feeding frenzy!Yup, I referring to the controversy surrounding AWARE.

Unless you were on a holiday in Mars, you'd probably have read or heard about the AWARE saga. For the uninitiated AWARE is a civil organization dedicated to the well being of women.

A few ladies, led by Josie Lau, took over the leadership of AWARE at the group’s annual AGM. The new team were trying to steer the organization back to its original purpose of only dealing with women’s issues. AWARE’s growing links with the gay lobby in Singapore were viewed as a distraction to the group's purposes. A training manual, sponsored by AWARE, on sexuality which was used to prepare trainers for sex education in schools was found to encourage homosexual behavior.

THE MEDIA POLARIZES
The ousted old of guard of the organization hit back hard. They managed to convene an EGM and recaptured the reins of power at the meeting. What was surprising however were the endless stream of stories and columns in the press which further polarized the supporters of old guard from the new team. Much was made of the new team's church affiliation and christian background.

The Singapore mass media are a tame lot. They’re into nation building (euphemism for communicating government views) and normally avoid stories which portray Singapore as a conflict ridden society divided over issues. Appearance of a well run country is a central motif in newspaper reporting. If there was an academy award for self censorship, Singapore mainstream media would blow the competition away.

And so the sight of the media inciting rivalry between the two opposing groups was surprising to say the least. Singapore media have learned a thing or two from their Western or Latin American colleagues.

ARE WE IN BOLIVIA?

Was I in Singapore? For a moment I thought I was in Bolivia. The Bolivian media, not unlike the media in freewheeling liberal democracies, are experts in the area of playing up opposing viewpoints in a social conflict for the sake of sensationalising issues. And many of us know that sensationalism sells newspapers and strong sales bring in advertising revenue.

Some of the reporting was balanced…but by and large the media-driven stereotype of Josie's team as narrow minded Christian Talibans sunk them.

Josie's team should have been given a chance, a year at least, to work at their plans and prove themselves to the AWARE members. A challenge to dismount her team could have been initiated at the following AGM. Unfortunately an EGM was convened by the older leadership to reverse the decisions of the AGM.

Hopefully the mainstream media would have learned a thing or two from this episode and refrain from exhibiting their bias toward the gay lobby.

2009-05-07T10:15:00.001-07:00

THE BOLIVIAN FOOD WE MISS!

Majadito de Pato is one of my favorite Bolivian dishes. The rice is mashed and mixed with what appears to be a curry paste; the result is porridge with slices of duck or chicken meat. An egg is fried and neatly placed on top of the rice. A slice of fried banana is neatly tucked away on the side of the plate.

Great stuff!

2009-05-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

BACK TO WHERE I BELONG!

Time waits for no man (or person)!

Its hard to believe we're in the month of May 2009. Come June I would have served as Vicar of Christ Church for a year. The work at Christ Church is demanding but also fulfilling. Worshipping in Tamil is a great experience.

Elijah will be finishing his National Service commitments in 5 months. Michelle continues to enjoy her ministry in the creative arts.

We all miss Bolivia!

2009-01-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

FRANK TEO

A TRIBUTE – ONE MISSIONARY TO ANOTHER

Brudder, we miss you.

Frank Teo, a friend of mine, and a missionary to Pakistan passed away recently. I had a chance to meet up with his 2 sons, wife Mabel, Kenny, the brother & Frank's mum during the wake and funeral.

Frank and I spoke the same language when it came to missions. One matter close to our hearts was the deep concern for the overall well being of the country where the Lord had called us to serve. I never understood his deep seated anguish at having to leave Pakistan and return to Singapore several years ago until circumstances conspired to do the same to me.

Not surprisingly, he was not on vacation but in the “trenches” where he breathed his last.

Frank was busy organizing a relief effort, bringing tents and blankets etc, to refugees in South Asia, when his heart gave way to the strain. He suffered a similar episode a few months ago. A mighty effort was launched to bring him back to Singapore. Attempts to resuscitate him failed and the portals of heaven opened to receive a faithful son of the gospel.

We miss you.

Frank and I had a few things in common. We went to the same school, served in the same church. Soccer gave us lots to think about. Our mother tongues always eluded us but were blessed with graces necessary to speak the language of the people we worked with. A sense of homecoming filled our hearts in the land of our missionary endeavors. Both our wives were “Ms” – Mabel and Michelle.

We miss you.

There was one difference. He was a lay missioner; I’m ordained. He was made for better things. There was absolutely no way that he could have matched his achievements if he was ordained. His destiny was greater than that of a mere clergyman. I shared these thoughts in one of our conversations over the matter of ordination nearly 20 years ago at the Cathedral.

We miss you.

Not once did he speak ill of anyone. A ready smile greeted friends, acquaintances and colleagues. Another thing about ol’ Frank: what you see was the real thing. He was the same person - be it in the pulpit, at the food court, a committee meeting or a private conversation.

Our last conversation was centered on a crazy idea of throwing a huge party for hundreds of foreign workers in Christ Church. It was a mind boggling idea. But that was Frank…crazy right to the end.

Brother, the BEST IS YET TO BE…you’ve gone home and how sweet it must be…the best on the other side. Enjoy the party. And don’t forget to reserve a seat for us!

Till then...we miss you.

2008-12-26T00:24:00.000-08:00

DIP IN BLOGGING!!!

No, I have not given up blogging! I miss blogging but time as the saying goes, waits for no man.

Work in the parish of Christ Church and responding to my FACEBOOK account has eaten into my time.

Hope to have more time in 2009 (Sounds like a lot of wishful thinking!!)

2008-12-25T18:36:00.000-08:00

A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!

May the Lord grant grace to know afresh His great love for us this Christmas!

A Christmas Carol poem- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I
The shepherds went their hasty way,And found the lowly stable-shed Where the Virgin-Mother lay: And now they checked their eager tread,For to the Babe, that at her bosom clung,A Mother's song the Virgin-Mother sung.

II
They told her how a glorious light,Streaming from a heavenly throng.Around them shone, suspending night!While sweeter than a mother's song,Blest Angels heralded the Savior's birth,Glory to God on high! and Peace on Earth.

III
She listened to the tale divine,And closer still the Babe she pressed:And while she cried, the Babe is mine!The milk rushed faster to her breast:Joy rose within her, like a summer's morn;Peace, Peace on Earth! the Prince of Peace is born.

IV
Thou Mother of the Prince of Peace,Poor, simple, and of low estate!That strife should vanish, battle cease,O why should this thy soul elate?Sweet Music's loudest note, the Poet's story,Didst thou ne'er love to hear of fame and glory?

V
And is not War a youthful king,A stately Hero clad in mail?Beneath his footsteps laurels spring;Him Earth's majestic monarchs hailTheir friends, their playmate! and his bold bright eye Compels the maiden's love-confessing sigh.

VI
Tell this in some more courtly scene,To maids and youths in robes of state!I am a woman poor and mean,And wherefore is my soul elate.War is a ruffian, all with guilt defiled,That from the aged father's tears his child!

VII
A murderous fiend, by fiends adored,He kills the sire and starves the son;The husband kills, and from her boardSteals all his widow's toil had won;Plunders God's world of beauty; rends awayAll safety from the night, all comfort from the day.

VIII
Then wisely is my soul elate,That strife should vanish, battle cease:I'm poor and of low estate,The Mother of the Prince of Peace.Joy rises in me, like a summer's morn:Peace, Peace on Earth! The Prince of Peace is born!

2008-11-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

EVANGELIZING SPANISH SPEAKING LATINOS IN SINGAPORE!

Michelle and Elijah met up with a group of South Americans in Singapore and yakked away in Spanish with them.
I was caught up with work and could not be a part of this event.

Victory Family Centre, a dynamic church dedicated to missions and outreach, is trying to reach out to Spanish speaking folk through their missionaries who served in South America!

Ten years ago the idea of Spanish speaking Singaporeans
reaching out to Latin Americans would have been unthinkable!
Its amazing - the world has shrunk.

Michelle and Elijah enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

2008-11-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

YES WE CAN!

Unbelievable!

A black man is elected President of the US.

This cartoon in the Washington Post sorta says it all.

The mind boggling American melting pot continues to inspire!

2008-10-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

DRIVING, SANTA CRUZ

The clogged intersection is a vivid reminder as to how crazy it can get in the roads of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. There are no traffic lights in some of these places. The result is congestion, jams and fearless driving!

Driving thru this maze requires skill and a gung ho atitude. I kinda miss it!

2008-10-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Quality of Mercy is not Strain'd

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

-- William Shakespeare

2008-10-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

JB JEYARETNAM - R. I. P

Voice for the Voiceless

Jan 1926 - Sept 2008

I recieved news of JB Jeyaretnam's death through a SMS at a meeting. I was shocked because of the suddeness of his passing away.

Life seemed fragile. A great man had died. A heart attack was the cause, I found out later.

He was not a stranger to my family. Scenes of our past encounters flashed through my mind: a chance meeting in a lift; discussions in church, buying his book in the streets.

I met him several years ago in a personal capacity as a young deacon in St Andrews Cathedral. He was a server and carried the cross during the choir procession at the 8am service. He had an easy smile and fulfilled his duties with sobriety and dedication. We chatted about family and life in general. I lost contact with him after leaving the Cathedral but we bumped into each other on more than one occasion. He will certainly be missed.

Jeyaretnam was a special man who pulled no punches, especially when locked in debate with his political opponents. He gained their respect for his tenacity and perserverance in the face of huge obstacles and attacks. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a very unusual gesture, mentioned Jeyaretnam in a parliamentary speech as a positive example of someone who stuck it out in Singapore through thick and thin.

Singapore is not a paradise. It has its fair share of people who struggle to eke out a daily living. And believe me these people struggle! They do not win scholarships nor are they given medals during national day celebrations. Wealth is supposed to trickle down to them. And sometimes this trickle is a literal trickle, nothing but left overs. Without these strugglers however a wealthy economy is only an idea in a textbook.

Falling through the cracks the marginalized face poverty, they dont fit into a fast moving urban city nor are they selling points of a successful social system. You seldom see them in church on Sundays. They're busy working, hustling for every cent in order to meet basic needs and pays the bills. Its easy to sideline marginal groups as part of a "small" social category and claim the sanctimonious priority of keeping one's eye on the whole picture of a nation's prosperity

Many a time their discordant voices are drowned out by statistics and pragmatic reality. Until someone brave enough steps up to the plate and begins to respect their dignity and speak for them. Jeyaretnam was brave enought to stand up and speak out for them. Seah Chiang Nee a former journalist characterizes him as someone ready to fight for the ordinary folk, especially the poor:

The greatest loss is felt by lower-income people who feel left out by “elitist” policies that cater more for profits than their welfare.

This class of people regards Jeyaretnam, a long-time socialist, as someone who genuinely cared and was ready to fight for the ordinary folk, especially the poor.

JBJ Jeyaretnam, voice for the voiceless.

His speeches and work as a politician arose out of a conviction that the weak and oppressed needed to be looked after and empowered. Man is not a digit in the economy but a sacred being made in the image of God and worthy of treatment befitting his dignity.

He was a patriot - a citizen fulfilling our Lord's calling to love our neighbour.

His legacy? I'd like to think of him as a voice for the voiceless.

2008-10-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

THE J. I PACKER INTERVIEW

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
9/29/2008

You would think that British-born theologian Dr. J. I. Packer - a man with impeccable Anglican credentials, multiple accolades, numerous books and now in his 82nd year -- might just be permitted to kick back and listen to Jazz music (his favorite), write more theological tomes and exempt himself from the current culture wars in the Anglican Communion.

Not a chance.

The distinguished octogenarian Canadian, Anglican, theologian, teacher, author and priest, has experienced the culture wars first hand. At the age of 81 and with more than 60 years as a priest in the Church of England and the Anglican Church of Canada, he experienced the shock of being defrocked by a revisionist Canadian Anglican bishop and then re-ordained by an orthodox Anglican Archbishop from another jurisdiction.

A lesser man might have had heart failure and shuffled off to glory.

But this thoughtful, quiet, seemingly under-stated theologian has a rod of iron spine and a clarity of vision and purpose about the gospel and church that shines forth from the pages of his books, from his life, from the pulpit and from within the sometimes messy confines of a press conference.

In Virginia, this past weekend, he was the keynote speaker at the Anglican District of Virginia (ADV) ( a division of CANA's) second annual Synod Council at the Church of the Epiphany in Herndon. Packer ripped a proposed covenant that would include "heretics" as an unworkable solution to holding the Anglican Communion together, saying that a North American Anglican Province was absolutely necessary for orthodox Anglicans in the US and Canada.

He hinted darkly that the GAFCON Primates might be forced to form their own Anglican Communion, free of the heresies of Western Anglicanism sunk in the mire of Tillichian Christianity foisted on the West by the German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher.

"Because of liberalism, the sort of liberalism that came into the church from the end of the 19th century into the 20th century, it was never challenged and corrected. If there is a weakness in historic Anglicanism it is a willingness to tolerate the intolerable and that has betrayed us. Tillich's position affected all the seminaries of North America. This is where we are today in the West."

In the pulpit and at a later press conference where VOL posed a number of questions, Packer put into perspective what he saw as the current state of affairs in the Anglican Communion today.

Question: What hope do you have in a Covenant as a solution to holding the Anglican Communion together?

Packer: I don't think it can be the solution as the matter is being handled from Canterbury, because the Covenant is being handled to include and provide for the heretics in the church and de facto what is coming out of the hopper is being drafted to keep everyone inside who are also outside of historic diocesan structures.

The liberals are maintaining positions not tolerable and need to be explicitly excluded in any future working basis. I am not thrilled at the process going on. From Rowan Williams' standpoint nothing else needs to be done. His position sympathizes with the heretics and he doesn't want appear to be dragging his feet. He doesn't want to see Anglicanism restructured or redefined so as to leave those people out. He encourages the covenant process, at the same time the covenant will be exclusive of some.

(Historically) what happened in the 19th century is that bishops and the archbishops of Canterbury began a pattern of tolerance with a standard of tolerance that became (over time) a virulent liberalism because of the teaching of (German-American) theologian Paul Tillich. Episcopal leadership has been ruined from that day to this.

This has been going on in TEC and CofE for the last half century and is something like suicide. It is a process of ensuring that the life is drained out of the church and the leaders do this by encouraging various forms of liberalism. This does not communicate life and it doesn't build up congregations, it only weakens and shrinks them.

Question: Are you in favor of a new Anglican province in North America?

Packer: Yes, I am and I hope that the movement that is underway is a non-geographic one both for the U.S. and Canada. I believe it is going to succeed. We must make it succeed. I hope it would be recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It will certainly be recognized by the majority of primates of the Anglican Communion.

(CANA missionary Bishop Martyn Minns said he hopes the Communion will recognize it. He said it would function like a province and work coherently and be recognized by GAFCON groups. Asked about a time line, Minns said a proposal would be submitted to the GAFCON Primates Council by the end of this year. It will be a short time line. By early next year recognition will come, he said.)

Question: What is your opinion of the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury? Do you have any regrets calling for the resignation of Rowan Williams?

Packer: The Archbishop of Canterbury is an honest man and by being honest he has positioned himself over a barrel, and as long as he is the ABC he will be over the barrel. Is it comfortable? No. Is it helpful for the world Anglican fellowship? Again, no.

Yes, he has admitted before becoming ABC that he said and did things, which sanctioned gay unions. When he become ABC, he said as far as the gospel is concerned, he was going to fulfill the role of the champion of Anglican order and the Lambeth Conference.

The '98 conference declared itself categorically against homosexual unions and homosexual activity and anonymous marriage and the ABC said he must and will uphold the standard. But his moral credibility is shot. The gay way is ruinous in all sorts of ways. Anglicans have rightly to be concerned about this.

Personally he is not in a position to being himself or to encourage or bring discipline on bishops with such a point of view that he embraces himself. So he is over a barrel. It seems to me the best way out that the Holy Scripture recommends as wisdom is that following this Lambeth, he should be finished as archbishop and move back into the academic world. He is a fine scholar. There are many institutions that would be glad to have him on their faculties.

Question (from VOL): Do you see GAFCON as a possible alternative Anglican Communion?

Packer: Speaking very cautiously, the answer is yes. One possibility will be that the orthodox Anglican communities will be organized in a fellowship which has GAFCON roots and has as its center the leadership of the Primates.

The churches of the old West are unable to enter that circle. We cannot walk together with heretics. These folk in the northern western world are heretics. What that means for the Church of England and provinces deeply infected with a lesser form of liberalism and what that means for the churches of North America is beyond me to guess. There is a sorting out going on and we shall all come out of the hopper better.

Question: What is your assessment of the Charismatic Movement?

Packer: I have assessed the Charismatic Movement and taking and looking at it piece by piece, the Charismatics really believe in exuberant praise. Praising the Lord is a central aspect of worship. It is a delightful activity, a powerful activity and the effect is charismatic. Am I cool to the charismatic movement? Oh no, I am not cool to the Charismatic Movement. I am very grateful for it, because it brought praise and giving glory to God. It is a group, corporate and needed in our personal lives. We need the Charismatic Movement to come and show us that.

Asked by VOL if this was a paradigm shift in his thinking from his Reformed theology, Packer said no. "This is not a paradigm shift. We (evangelicals) are not in the habit of giving glory to God. Charismatics help us emphasize the glory of God.

Question: Do you have any words of encouragement for the Diocese of Pittsburgh?

Packer: I have three words, VOTE FOR IT. Pittsburgh will be No. 3 diocese to leave The Episcopal Church. I hope they do come under Archbishop of the Southern Cone into a world of sunshine and peace.

Question: Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori says there are no goats, all are saved. Do you believe that?

Packer: Bishops should be guided by the teaching of the Bible. The Bible standard is that the human condition is lost and that we are without Christ. The Bible recognizes that there are those who are not saved. All of that determines our view. Faith in Christ is the path of salvation and without faith in Christ we are not in position to say anyone is saved.

DURING the course of his sermon, Dr. Packer said the following things that VOL believes are quotable and usable quotes:

"Our calling is be faithful and energetic in our walking and keep on keeping on...it is a life of steady walking..."

"We are walking home to heaven. We walk in company in, with, and under the Lord Jesus Christ..."

"The life of communion with God and with Christ is the path of holiness..."

"There are three questions we must ask when we read Scripture: "What does this tell me about God? What does it tell me about life's ups and downs, and what does this to say to me about my life today."

"Theology is for everyone...it is thinking together under the authority of scripture. It means we have access to God and we believe in the sovereignty of the living God."

"The glory of the Trinity as the divine team - Father Son and Holy Spirit...we praise the Trinity. "

"The sinfulness of sin cannot be over-emphasized. The world is convinced that the individual is basically good. We need to hammer away that we are sinners and the gospel is Good News for bad people."

"The Gospel stresses the sinfulness of sin and stresses the glory of Jesus Christ. He is loving, serving, ministering and going to the cross to bear our sins away."

"Don't be afraid of penal substitution...it is Christ in our place..."

"Penal means he endures the penalty of our sin. He takes the sort of separation from God that impenitent sinners face. He bears this.

"The lord lays on him the iniquity of us all..."

"Our guilt goes to him. His righteousness...and we start over with God...our sins are forgiven...our past is blotted out..."

"Stress the graciousness of his salvation...the supernaturalness of his church of being born again.
"Stress that God moves to draw near to us..."

"The hope of heaven should be stressed..."

"Stress the glory of God in creation, providence and grace."

"Glory is God's self disclosure."

"Praise to God for the praiseworthiness He deserves...God is adorable let us praise His name."

Packer said that catechizing had fallen out of use in teaching children. Kids can learn the basics of the faith from the age of 3. They can learn what their heavenly father can do.

"Christian doctrine is not a series of abstractions...."

"We become life-long teachers and life-long learners..."

"You never come to the end of the realities that Scripture presents to us. Keep learning and keep on applying what you learn to life."

ON BISHOPS: "When bishops are good value, they are very good value. When bishops become heretical, then parallel jurisdictions become favorable. As tensions increase for faithful Anglican congregations, they must come under helpful new bishops."

"Bishops are overseers of pastoral ministry in stated areas. That used to be the Anglican way. Episcopal oversight has had to be set up geographically alongside of Anglican pastoral structures in the same geographic area because of the present situation."

ON METHODS OF TEACHING:

"Monologue is basic."
"Q & A is the form of catechetical answer."

ON THE PRESENT SITUATION:

"I have re-aligned. CANA is part of the realignment. We are being overseen by Southern part of South America..."

"God is using the present situation to squeeze the liberal leadership out of the Anglican Communion..."

"We need to restore a sense of mission in a truly pagan world..."

"We are to be counter cultural..."

"We are called to live as the Early Church did...in the world we won't be understood."

"We are new creatures in Christ..."

"I see this as a temporary phase until Anglicanism restored to its former glory."

END

2008-09-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

DESPERATION!

Here is a picture of mobs, followers of the government, entering the periphery of Santa Cruz with sticks and weapons.

Armed groups in Santa Cruz are ready to engage these mobs in violent confrontations.

This threat of a violent clash between the government and the civic authorities in Santa Cruz forms the backdrop to continuing negotiations between the Government and opposition groups, led by Santa Cruz.

All of Bolivia is hoping and praying for a settlement which will bring to an end this seemingly never ending conflict between the highlands and the lowlands.

2008-09-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

BLOOPER!

Oh dear...in my great enthusiasm I gave the mistaken impression, in my previous post, that the government and the opposition from the lowlands signed an agreement to bring an end to the social upheaval in Bolivia.

Actually they only agreed to an agenda for negotiations. It was a positive step but the problems remain.

Government's supporters have laid seige to Santa Cruz!

There was a plan to invade and create havoc in the city. By God's grace nothing of the sort happened. The government managed to calm the situation by insisting that their supporters remain in the outer fringes of Santa Cruz and to not do anything.

Meanwhile some sectors in Santa Cruz have armed themselves and are ready for a bloody confrontation. Businesses have reinforced security in their shops. Its tense in Santa Cruz.

Lord have mercy on Bolivia!

2008-09-17T02:01:00.000-07:00

BOLIVIAN GOVERNMENT AND HIS OPPONENTS SIGN AN AGREEMENT!

Thanks to outside mediation, President Morales and his opponents have agreed to terms which will cool tempers and hopefully bring the current violent upheaval to an end. The terms of the agreement as reported by CNN appears to favor Morales's opponents in the valley and the lowlands.

Thank you for all your prayers.

There are still critical issues which have not been resolved, the approval of the new constitution being one of them but on the whole Bolivia and its adopted sons (I'm one of them!) heave a sight of relief.

The photo above shows the Cardenal Terrazas receiving a copy of the accord from Mario Cossio, the governor of Tarija, which was signed by the goverment and the governors of the various regions. The man seated is the governor of Santa Cruz, Ruben Costas

2008-09-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

PRESIDENT MORALES DECLARES MARTIAL LAW IN PANDO
By Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 13, 2008

BUENOS AIRES -- Bolivia declared martial law Friday in the isolated northern state of Pando, site of violent clashes a day earlier that left at least nine dead and dozens injured.

The move was the government's most dramatic action yet against a wave of violence this week in provinces opposed to the leftist leadership of President Evo Morales. The violence had prompted widespread speculation that the government would declare a national state of siege.

But Friday's announcement was limited to Pando, where the order limits public gatherings, bans protests and imposes a midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew.Morales warned Thursday that "patience has a limit," as his nation endured its third day of clashes and attempted sabotage of natural gas pipelines.

On Friday, amid relative calm, officials signaled that a harder line was likely."We are not going to tolerate any more the actions of radical and violent groups that are only causing confrontations among Bolivians, causing pain and suffering among brothers and threatening the national security," Gen. Luis Trigo, Bolivia's military chief, declared in a statement.

Outnumbered troops and police officers have generally stayed out of the way of violent groups such as those who sacked government buildings in the eastern city of Santa Cruz, a center of opposition to the central government in La Paz. The general also rebuffed an offer of help from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a close ally, who this week pledged to come to Bolivia's assistance should Morales face a coup. The armed forces, Trigo said, "emphatically reject foreign interventions of any kind."Across the region, many are worried that the nation of 9 million could veer into civil war.

"There is no question that these conflicts this week have pushed Bolivia farther toward the abyss than at any time since the return of democracy a quarter century ago," Jim Shultz of the Democracy Center, a nongovernment group based in Bolivia, wrote in his blog. "And what makes it so is the absence of any obvious way for it to end."Bolivia is deeply divided even though Morales won 67% of the vote in a national recall referendum last month.

A conservative opposition bloc comprising the leadership of five of Bolivia's nine states is demanding greater autonomy and a larger share of revenue from natural gas and petroleum sales. Most energy fields are situated in opposition strongholds.Both Morales and Chavez have accused Washington of working with right-wing agitators in Bolivia to topple the president, an allegation denied by the Bush administration.Bolivia and Venezuela expelled their U.S. ambassadors this week in protest against Washington. The State Department responded with expulsion of the Bolivian and Venezuelan envoys.On Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Chavez aides and Venezuela's former interior minister, Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, for allegedly aiding leftist rebels in Colombia.

Morales was scheduled to meet Friday with opposition Gov. Mario Cossio, of gas-rich Tarija province, in what was described as an effort to head off further conflict. However, the daily La Razon reported that Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera participated instead of Morales."I am completely convinced that this is the last opportunity to begin a process of reconciliation and leave behind the process of confrontation," Cossio told reporters before the meeting.As the unrest eased Friday, an atmosphere of tension remained in much of the country, according to reports from Bolivia.

Road blockades were causing shortages of food and fuel in Santa Cruz. Long lines were reported for diesel and cooking gas.Gov. Ruben Costas of Santa Cruz province, a leading opposition figure, blamed the central government for the shortages, saying Morales' supporters were exacting revenge. Coca growers loyal to Morales were reported to be blocking the main road that links the central city of Cochabama to Santa Cruz. Pando, home to only 60,000 people, is an Amazonian state that borders Brazil and counts nuts and latex among its main products.

Thursday's violent confrontations in Pando resulted in at least nine deaths, the highest toll yet in Bolivia's civil conflict. Media accounts from the isolated zone indicated that most died of gunshot wounds.Unconfirmed reports circulated Friday that six other bodies were found in the Tahuamanu River in Pando.

One government official, Sacha Llorenti, who holds the title of deputy minister for social movements, was quoted in news accounts as labeling the killings a "massacre" by anti-Morales gunmen.

2008-09-12T02:45:00.000-07:00

BOLIVIAN UPHEAVAL CLAIMS 8 (its now 15) LIVES!

The Final Showdown?

Pando, a small state in Eastern Bolivia (lowlands) was the scene of major confrontation between the government and political and civic leaders from the East.

The government's decision to use the newly won revenues from oil companies as a handout to the elderly and a plan to go ahead with a nationwide referendum to approve the new constitution was the spark that set the lowlands on fire.

The result: 8 ( now 15 )deaths with countless injured.

Eastern Bolivia is now entangled in a violent engagement with the government. Sectors of the local population under the leadership of civic leaders have clashed with police and seized government buildings. The army is on alert. The President's para military are heading toward the East. Its spinning out of control.

Is the stage being set for the final showdown??

2008-09-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

BOLIVIA ORDERS US AMBASSADOR OUT!

Breaking News
Sep 11, 2008

(picture on the right shows the ambassador with a member of the cabinet in happier moments)

LA PAZ - PRESIDENT Evo Morales of Bolivia on Wednesday ordered the US ambassador expelled, accusing him of contributing to divisions in the country which the government warned was headed towards 'civil war'.
Ambassador Philip Goldberg was to be sent an official message from the foreign ministry 'informing him of the decision by the national government and its president that he should return to his country at once' and that he was 'persona non grata', Mr Morales said.

The move came amid violence in several regions that Mr Morales's spokesman, Mr Ivan Canelas, said were creating conditions for 'a sort of civil war'.

Anti-government protesters on Tuesday ransacked government offices, and seized oil facilities and three regional airports.

In south-east Bolivia, a gas pipeline was blown up Wednesday in what head of the state energy company YPSL, Mr Santos Ramirez, said was a 'terrorist attack' by anti-government protesters.

The explosion occurred in Yacuiba, near the border with Argentina, causing a cut in natural gas supplies to that country and to Brazil.

The unrest was a worsening of a political conflict between Mr Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, and rebel governors in five of the country's nine states.

The conservative governors are opposing Mr Morales's bid to reform the country along socialist lines designed to benefit the indigenous majority, and are encouraging the protesters in their actions.

They have also made moves towards autonomy, something Mr Morales has branded as illegal. Two weeks ago, he ordered troops to guard gas facilities and government offices in their eastern lowland territories.

In his speech on Wednesday, the president accused the US ambassador of aiding his opponents.

Last month, his foreign ministry protested a high-profile meeting Mr Goldberg held with the governor of Santa Cruz state, Ruben Costas, Morales's chief foe.

The government also noted this week that the head of the Santa Cruz employers' federation, Mr Costas's ally Branko Marinkovic, had just returned from the United States.

In Washington, the US State Department said it had not received a formal order from Bolivia to withdraw its ambassador.

A spokesman, Gordon Duguid, said Mr Morales's charges against Mr Goldberg were 'baseless'. Bolivia, South America's poorest nation, has been in the grip of the contest between Mr Morales and the rebel governors for months, but the risk of widespread violence had up to now been tempered by political moves by both sides.

Last month, a referendum called by Mr Morales delivered a strong confirmation of his leftist mandate, with two-thirds of voters backing him. But in the rebel states, voters also returned most of the governors forming the opposition coalition.

After failed negotiations to find a compromise solution, Mr Morales announced two weeks ago a new referendum, for December 7, to vote on his rewritten constitution, which would redistribute land and national revenues to give more to the indigenous population.

The opposition coalition, which also includes town mayors, have focused their attention on the main source of Bolivia's income: the natural gas fields that lie in their eastern half of the country.

Militants linked to the opposition group set up road blocks to add pressure to the governors' demands for more control over gas revenues.

On Wednesday, pro-Morales supporters did the same, cutting roads from the capital La Paz to Santa Cruz.

The situation has created a divided Bolivia, one riven by ethnic confrontation between the indigenous community and the population in the more prosperous east which is largely of European and mixed descent. -- AFP