I have been back living in America for 253 days and counting.
Why does this feel like such a long time?
My life took an interesting turn a few years back. Since then, I have been out of the country every year. First Taiwan. Then Taiwan again. Then Mexico. Then Taiwan again, then Taiwan again for a year, then while there, Macau, then the Philippines, then Macau again, then China, then back to the US, then to Mexico again, and soon, Taiwan for the 5th time.
Seeing a pattern? I love travelling, and I really love Taiwan. (我真的愛台灣!)
The life of travel appeals to me in many ways. How can it have become part of my life so quickly? My family didn't travel, and my parents have very little experience out of the country.
Somehow, on my first trip to Taiwan, something was unlocked inside of me, that developed more and more with each subsequent trip out of the country. Now I feel at home in international airports, like living out of a suitcase rather more than from a wardrobe, miss my change drawer with several currencies prepared against visa trips, and suspect my passport may be be in need of extra pages before it expires.
And this is only the beginning.
I have some cursory knowledge of Chinese East Asia, and to a lesser extent Mexico.
Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, remain totally unexplored.
Will I get there? I hope so. One might say that it's simply a matter of going, but time and funds are always a factor in traveling, and preparing for a life of ministry does not provide one with either in excess.
But soon I will be back in Taiwan. Even though it's merely for two weeks, I'm so excited.
Taiwan feels like home, in an odd way. Not home as in the place you have spent most of your life, but more like a place you moved from when a small child, and that stirs emotions in you on your return.
I long to be there, especially in Taipei again, my adopted home city. The morning sandwich shops, the sun rising over the encircling mountains, the 101 looming hazily on the horizon, the little moon-walking men on the crosswalk lights, the MRT, "surfing" the MRT, the omnipresent 7-11's with their frosty breath in the summer, the orange bottled milk tea available at those 7-11's, catching buses at the last minute, losing myself among quiet streets, studying Chinese, trying out new phrases and listening for them in random conversations on the bus, meeting my friends randomly for lunch or dinner, crowded nightmarkets with their unique lights, colors, smells, and sounds, traveling down the east and west coasts, so different and yet so uniquely Taiwanese, Dan Shui in the rain, Nantou in the mist, the green fields of Da Jia in the summer, the waterfalls of I-lan, the black sand at Da Xi on the east coast with Turtle Island visible at sea, Taroko Gorge in Hualien, with the leaping fish rock and the water cave, small beach towns and high mountain hamlets, downtown Taipei with christmas lights, the wind at the top of the 101 building, the sun on the roof of my apartment, Yong Kang street and the restaurant Lao Bans who knew me on sight, Sababas and the online scrabble game that won me a free drink there, Jin Ji Yuan, that yellow dumpling place, passion fruit red tea, bubble tea, Oolong tea with pocky, Green tea with chocolate, Coffee in Dante's downstairs with my Chinese textbook, Church on Sunday mornings, lunch at church after the service was over, teaching English to Taiwanese students, writing my own lessons, translating for friends who knew even less Chinese than I did, live music in the park near my home, the crowds in the main transit station at rush hour, my attempt to hack my yo-yo card so it would fit in my watch (it will work next time!), the appreciative smiles of Taiwanese people when they realized I really did love their country, the joy that filled every day, the thrill of living abroad that somehow never diminished, my friends, my acquaintances, my co-workers, my God...
All this is but a sample. I could write pages. I could describe days and days of experiences that I will never forget, or that will become blended with time into a happy memory of a year unlike any other.
But one cannot go back, one can only move forward. It is my determination that each part of my life will have unique meaning, without which my life as a whole would be incomplete, so that I can never truly say the best of my life is behind me.
Lord Willing, it shall be so.
I will not say that Taiwan lies ahead of me, because that knowledge is not given to me. I can strive towards a goal, but I cannot guarantee that I will reach it, or even if it is the goal to which God is moving me. The disciples rowed with all their might against a storm towards the place Jesus told them to go, so that they might meet Him on the water, and He might send them to a different place.
So now I am rowing towards that goal, and we shall see where I end up.
God already knows, and He will inform me in His good time.
Meanwhile, I intend to enjoy the journey.
-Joseph
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Dynamic Unequivalency
It is my determination to not be a Bible translation/adaptation snob.
There are uses for most versions of the Bible, from simply-worded adaptations for new believers who are not familiar with common Christian terminology, to heavily annotated study Bibles designed to be used in conjunction with multi-volume concordances. (This grace does not extend to gender-neutralized adaptations; for those who wish to neutralize gender in violation of both Biblical, natural, and grammatical principles, I believe Paul had some choice words in Galatians 5 which might apply rather well.)
However, I admit that when possible, I prefer as little dynamic equivalency as possible.
I realize that some things in ancient Hebrew simply have no English equivalent, and thus must be taken over as a thought and not word-for-word, but in the NIV, for example, we have thought-for-thought taken so far that the original meaning can become obscured.
In a study of John I led a few years ago, we often came across places where Jesus says or does things that seem paradoxial. Not being eastern in our philosophy, we feel that these apparent paradoxes should be resolved, and that's where the trouble starts. When the NIV translators, with good and God-glorifying intentions I have absolutely no doubt, decided to smooth over a few passages by adding or changing a word here or there, they removed some of the "punch" of Jesus' words, and in a few cases nearly obscured the original meaning altogether.
One example we ran across was Jesus' first miracle, at the wedding in Cana.
When Mary asks Jesus to help, Jesus' response, in the NIV, is as follows:
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
Contrast this to His more literal reply in the ESV:
And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come."
The "Dear" is an addition. There is no "Dear" in Hebrew.
At this point, some are quick to rush in.
"But obviously Jesus wouldn't have been rude to His mother, so He must have meant it in a endearing way." Or more subtly, "'Woman' was considered a term of endearment in Hebrew culture at the time, so adding 'Dear' is just clarifying that for modern readers."
That may be so. But the fact remains that Jesus said "Woman".
If you want to know why He said it that way, go do some research. You might learn some things you wouldn't have otherwise. But don't change the Bible on the off-chance that some people might be confused about Jesus' philial piety, please.
The root of the issue is that we want Jesus to conform to our standards of morality.
"Oh, He wouldn't have done/said/meant that, so let's clarify it by adding something"
Jesus IS morality. He and the Father are One, and the Father is the Great I Am.
And all of creation has been placed specifically under His dominion. All laws that are true and binding have their source in Him.
We have no call to go trying to conform Him to our understanding of morality and right behavior.
The duty of any Bible translator is to as accurately as humanly possible recreate exactly what Christ said and did. If He did something that was apparently paradoxical, perhaps He intended it to be that way?
In the before-mentioned John study, we uncovered much valuable information by looking at these apparent paradoxes. What we found is that every time there is what appears to be a paradox, Jesus is being consistent, and we are being inconsistent. We were forced to change our thinking as a result, and learned a great deal.
Had we only had a dynamic equivalency text for study purposes, that learning would have been impossible, as the confusing portions would have all been glossed over, leaving us with something true, but less extensive, and certainly less mind-renewing.
As for me, I like my Bible with the crusts still on.
Don't give me the rounded-off edges of truth, please, it's demeaning to God and all of us to say that He didn't know what He was doing when He said that, or that we are not intelligent enough to figure it out.
-Joseph
PS: Did I mention I was excited that I'll be learning to read the Bible in its original languages soon? Greek and Hebrew, here I come...
There are uses for most versions of the Bible, from simply-worded adaptations for new believers who are not familiar with common Christian terminology, to heavily annotated study Bibles designed to be used in conjunction with multi-volume concordances. (This grace does not extend to gender-neutralized adaptations; for those who wish to neutralize gender in violation of both Biblical, natural, and grammatical principles, I believe Paul had some choice words in Galatians 5 which might apply rather well.)
However, I admit that when possible, I prefer as little dynamic equivalency as possible.
I realize that some things in ancient Hebrew simply have no English equivalent, and thus must be taken over as a thought and not word-for-word, but in the NIV, for example, we have thought-for-thought taken so far that the original meaning can become obscured.
In a study of John I led a few years ago, we often came across places where Jesus says or does things that seem paradoxial. Not being eastern in our philosophy, we feel that these apparent paradoxes should be resolved, and that's where the trouble starts. When the NIV translators, with good and God-glorifying intentions I have absolutely no doubt, decided to smooth over a few passages by adding or changing a word here or there, they removed some of the "punch" of Jesus' words, and in a few cases nearly obscured the original meaning altogether.
One example we ran across was Jesus' first miracle, at the wedding in Cana.
When Mary asks Jesus to help, Jesus' response, in the NIV, is as follows:
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
Contrast this to His more literal reply in the ESV:
And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come."
The "Dear" is an addition. There is no "Dear" in Hebrew.
At this point, some are quick to rush in.
"But obviously Jesus wouldn't have been rude to His mother, so He must have meant it in a endearing way." Or more subtly, "'Woman' was considered a term of endearment in Hebrew culture at the time, so adding 'Dear' is just clarifying that for modern readers."
That may be so. But the fact remains that Jesus said "Woman".
If you want to know why He said it that way, go do some research. You might learn some things you wouldn't have otherwise. But don't change the Bible on the off-chance that some people might be confused about Jesus' philial piety, please.
The root of the issue is that we want Jesus to conform to our standards of morality.
"Oh, He wouldn't have done/said/meant that, so let's clarify it by adding something"
Jesus IS morality. He and the Father are One, and the Father is the Great I Am.
And all of creation has been placed specifically under His dominion. All laws that are true and binding have their source in Him.
We have no call to go trying to conform Him to our understanding of morality and right behavior.
The duty of any Bible translator is to as accurately as humanly possible recreate exactly what Christ said and did. If He did something that was apparently paradoxical, perhaps He intended it to be that way?
In the before-mentioned John study, we uncovered much valuable information by looking at these apparent paradoxes. What we found is that every time there is what appears to be a paradox, Jesus is being consistent, and we are being inconsistent. We were forced to change our thinking as a result, and learned a great deal.
Had we only had a dynamic equivalency text for study purposes, that learning would have been impossible, as the confusing portions would have all been glossed over, leaving us with something true, but less extensive, and certainly less mind-renewing.
As for me, I like my Bible with the crusts still on.
Don't give me the rounded-off edges of truth, please, it's demeaning to God and all of us to say that He didn't know what He was doing when He said that, or that we are not intelligent enough to figure it out.
-Joseph
PS: Did I mention I was excited that I'll be learning to read the Bible in its original languages soon? Greek and Hebrew, here I come...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Mind Games
Working hard these past couple weeks. What follows is merely an attempt to achieve catharsis through writing, so I apologize for what will sound very much like whining, and very unlike anything useful or edifying.
I seem to have a defect in my character, which is that while I am often very effective at tasks I have set my mind to, every so often I find myself nearly incapable of setting my mind to something, which makes it very difficult for me to accomplish.
The other side of this is that to do something well, I need to set my mind to it.
This means setting aside a certain amount of mental overhead, which varies depending on how natural the task is to me. Some things I can fully invest in, with enjoyment and little or no mental strain. Other things can require a constant effort to maintain focus, which in turn reduces mental energy available for other tasks.
My task of late has been my temporary job working out on the yard at the local branch of a company for which my father manages several offices.
The shift is 7AM to 3:30PM, if I don't go over, (we often do, to reach a good stopping point for the day, which means I have flex hours in case I can't make a full day at some point, due to illness or bad weather) which means I have to wake up at 5 or 5:30 every morning, and have 8 hours of manual labor (with 30min for lunch) every day, Monday to Friday.
That should be pretty straightforward, and it is, exhaustingly so.
Having to more or less forcibly shut off my brain for most of the day requires constant effort, as its natural state is to be spinning wildly. And then at the end of the day, I find waking it back up is difficult. My mind, consistently repressed, wishes to remain adapted to the new routine.
The physical side is reasonably laborious, but nothing like the strain of having to constantly pay attention to a mostly unchanging task. The best analogy I can think of is being required to watch water boil, for 8 hours a day, instantly removing the pot at precisely the boiling point and replacing it with a fresh one. Except that the pots boil at random speeds, requiring constant attention.
An additional difficulty is the very nature of the task to which I have been assigned.
While I won't go into excessive detail, it is essentially equivalent to being told to dig a hole and fill it in, or move a pile of dirt from here to there, then back.
My goal when starting any task is to finish it, and if possible, finish it in such a way that it never needs to be tackled again, leaving future energies for other tasks.
Now I find myself working almost for work's sake. If not for the purpose for which I am saving money, it would indeed be labor for labor's sake, considering my degree would allow me to work in a different field entirely, for a much higher hourly rate.
But I have already forsaken the path of personal prosperity, and each day I stay away from my career path is a little of my bridge burnt behind me.
I cannot fully feel the impact of this yet, I know. I'm young, healthy, and have no family or other dependents that would feel the stress of financial shortfalls. Later in life, if God permits me more decades, I will begin to fully realize the implications of my decisions now.
I have truly trusted God now, but I will have no choice but to fully trust Him then, when the funds run short and I'm not as flexible as I am now.
But to say it will be worth it is either to greatly understate, or to misunderstand the scenario entirely. Life is wasted when it is not spent in pursuit of God's plan and for His glory.
For a believer, this is what life is. Not to give God a substantial piece of 'your' time, but to surrender your whole life, all areas, all resources, all time, to the one to whom you owe your soul.
My life is a small thing to give the One who gave it to me, then died to give it anew, but it is all I have to give, and He knows that it is His.
So when I find myself writhing in the mental imprisonment of mostly mindless drudgery, I have to kick start myself a little. This is not for me, and it's not about me either. God who gave me my brain will keep it active enough to serve Him, and that is enough. Or should be. I have come so far, but only reached the top of the first foothill. Looking back, I can see myriads of people who will sadly never know the rewards of making it this far, but looking ahead, I see the mountain ranges yet to be crossed. What joys, pains, and glories lie in those sunny peaks and dark ravines, God knows. I do not. But I am impatient to be among them. In His time, in His time.
-Joseph
I seem to have a defect in my character, which is that while I am often very effective at tasks I have set my mind to, every so often I find myself nearly incapable of setting my mind to something, which makes it very difficult for me to accomplish.
The other side of this is that to do something well, I need to set my mind to it.
This means setting aside a certain amount of mental overhead, which varies depending on how natural the task is to me. Some things I can fully invest in, with enjoyment and little or no mental strain. Other things can require a constant effort to maintain focus, which in turn reduces mental energy available for other tasks.
My task of late has been my temporary job working out on the yard at the local branch of a company for which my father manages several offices.
The shift is 7AM to 3:30PM, if I don't go over, (we often do, to reach a good stopping point for the day, which means I have flex hours in case I can't make a full day at some point, due to illness or bad weather) which means I have to wake up at 5 or 5:30 every morning, and have 8 hours of manual labor (with 30min for lunch) every day, Monday to Friday.
That should be pretty straightforward, and it is, exhaustingly so.
Having to more or less forcibly shut off my brain for most of the day requires constant effort, as its natural state is to be spinning wildly. And then at the end of the day, I find waking it back up is difficult. My mind, consistently repressed, wishes to remain adapted to the new routine.
The physical side is reasonably laborious, but nothing like the strain of having to constantly pay attention to a mostly unchanging task. The best analogy I can think of is being required to watch water boil, for 8 hours a day, instantly removing the pot at precisely the boiling point and replacing it with a fresh one. Except that the pots boil at random speeds, requiring constant attention.
An additional difficulty is the very nature of the task to which I have been assigned.
While I won't go into excessive detail, it is essentially equivalent to being told to dig a hole and fill it in, or move a pile of dirt from here to there, then back.
My goal when starting any task is to finish it, and if possible, finish it in such a way that it never needs to be tackled again, leaving future energies for other tasks.
Now I find myself working almost for work's sake. If not for the purpose for which I am saving money, it would indeed be labor for labor's sake, considering my degree would allow me to work in a different field entirely, for a much higher hourly rate.
But I have already forsaken the path of personal prosperity, and each day I stay away from my career path is a little of my bridge burnt behind me.
I cannot fully feel the impact of this yet, I know. I'm young, healthy, and have no family or other dependents that would feel the stress of financial shortfalls. Later in life, if God permits me more decades, I will begin to fully realize the implications of my decisions now.
I have truly trusted God now, but I will have no choice but to fully trust Him then, when the funds run short and I'm not as flexible as I am now.
But to say it will be worth it is either to greatly understate, or to misunderstand the scenario entirely. Life is wasted when it is not spent in pursuit of God's plan and for His glory.
For a believer, this is what life is. Not to give God a substantial piece of 'your' time, but to surrender your whole life, all areas, all resources, all time, to the one to whom you owe your soul.
My life is a small thing to give the One who gave it to me, then died to give it anew, but it is all I have to give, and He knows that it is His.
So when I find myself writhing in the mental imprisonment of mostly mindless drudgery, I have to kick start myself a little. This is not for me, and it's not about me either. God who gave me my brain will keep it active enough to serve Him, and that is enough. Or should be. I have come so far, but only reached the top of the first foothill. Looking back, I can see myriads of people who will sadly never know the rewards of making it this far, but looking ahead, I see the mountain ranges yet to be crossed. What joys, pains, and glories lie in those sunny peaks and dark ravines, God knows. I do not. But I am impatient to be among them. In His time, in His time.
-Joseph
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