Tag Archives: whaleoil

Goals should be written with pencil, not chiseled into stone.

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Today is December 31. End of the year, and the issue of New Year’s resolutions is coming up. Alte gives an example of how goal setting can work for you.. Now, there is a truth here. Setting goals, writing them down, helps concentrate the mind.

Last year I resolved to lose my excess weight and work out regularly. I’ve achieved that. I think that this year I’ll resolve to read a book every evening, and spend less time blogging. I’ve somehow slipped out of the book-reading habit, which is something I never thought possible. Hopefully, the blog will profit from my improved literacy through better articles, even as it suffers from my less frequent commenting.

But things happen. (As Cam Slater is showing, in today’s series of posts about what happened this here in NZ. We have had earthquakes, mining disasters, floods, an election, and we are watching the global economy crunch in slow motion. We cannot control these things. So when we plan, we have to balance this.

James 4:13-17, 5:7-11

13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” 14Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.

7Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Goals for this year?

  • There are a pile of work related ones: I have enough projects to keep my going through 2012 and there is a long-term one that I need to research before committing to.them. In addition, my clinical workplace is moving from one hospital site to another.
  • From the fitness point of view, I want to run some trial runs/races. This requires quite a lot of gym time as I have chronic injuries (lots) & I need to be cautious.
  • Musically, I’ve committed to sitting viola exams, and I have to practice my fretted instruments as well.
  • Alte is challenging me on reading as I have been blogging too much and not reading enough.
  • And… I have to get kid one through NCEA II and kid two through Year 10. And support the Canadian family as well.  I need to get to one overseas meeting next year, and visit them during that.

But all the detailed plans have to be written in pencil. Written yes,  but I have to be able to let things go… the aims I have in January may not be able to be done this year. For instance, the running goal is the same as last year, but this year I managed to injure myself (again).

It is time to break out Google calendar, and start planning. But lightly. I literally don’t know what God has in store in the next decade. The one thing I do know is that things change.

Power and Stumbling.

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There is a lot of newsworthiness in being contrary. A few examples over the last days… such as charity being bad because it destroys dignity. (Yes, Charity requires you accept what you have not earnt, and that destroys self worth (which is what the author meant) and builds humility). Or pretending that child abuse is not an issue in certain groups (in New Zealand, Maori) and calling any discussion of this racist. Again, it is not about preserving the feelings of adults. It is about preserving the welfare of the little ones.

For in todays reading Jesus says that the angels protecting children are always before God.

Matthew 18:1-14

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2He called a child, whom he put among them, 3and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

6“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!

8“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.

10“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

So what are the stumbling blocks I need to be aware of? I don’t beat my kids into a pulp. But at times I am less holy than I ought to be — and my boys see that. I don’t pretend that I am a ruler of the church or in the kingdom — but I am going to work today, where I run (or rule) an acute psychiatric ward. I cannot pretend that I am without power.

And to offend… these little ones, puts one at risk of great punishment. Calvin notes.

But whosoever shall offend one of those little ones. This appears to be added for the consolation of the godly, that they may not be rendered uneasy by their condition, if they are despised by the world. It is a powerful obstruction to the voluntary exercise of modesty, when they imagine, that by so doing they expose themselves to contempt; and it is hard to be not only treated disdainfully, but almost trodden under foot, by haughty men. Christ therefore encourages his disciples by the consoling truth, that, if their mean condition draws upon them the insults of the world, God does not despise them.

But he appears to have had likewise another object in view; for a dispute had arisen amongst them as to the first place of honor, from which it might naturally have been inferred that the Apostles were tainted with sinful ambition. Every man who thinks too highly of himself, or desires to be preferred to others, must necessarily treat his brethren with disdain. To cure this disease, Christ threatens a dreadful punishment, if any man in his pride shall throw down those who are oppressed with poverty, or who in heart are already humbled.

Under the word offend he includes more than if he had forbidden them to despise their brethren; though the man who gives himself no concern about offending the weak, does so for no other reason, than because he does not render to them the honor to which they are entitled. Now as there are various kinds of offenses, it will be proper to explain generally what is meant by offending If any man through our fault either stumbles, or is drawn aside from the right course, or retarded in it, we are said to offend him. 504 Whoever then desires to escape that fearful punishment which Christ denounces, let him stretch out his hand to the little ones who are despised by the world, and let him kindly assist them in keeping the path of duty; for Christ recommends them to our notice, that they may lead us to exercise voluntary humility; as Paul enjoins the children of God to

condescend to men of low estate, (Ro 12:16,)

and again says that

we ought not to please ourselves, (Ro 15:1.)

To hang a millstone about a man’s neck, and drown him in the sea, was the punishment then reckoned the most appalling, and which was inflicted on the most atrocious malefactors. When our Lord alludes to this punishment, we are enabled to perceive how dear and precious those persons are in the sight of God, who are mean and despised in the eyes of the world.

Now how do we offend? I do not think this is about feelings. I think it is about disrespecting the status of the poor, the downtrodden and oppressed, as adults. As equals. Adults do not need protection from harsh words, or being told “No, you cannot afford this”. Adults have a role — to protect their little ones. Adults need to work — to provide for their children, to improve their community, to ensure that the little ones are protected, safe and growing.

We spend too much time being careful about what we say, and not dealing with problems in our society. Among Maori, some leaders acknowledge there is a problem with violence. If you do not name the problem, confess the problem, you leave a stumbling block. And when people in power prevent this, there is a great evil — as Calvin points out, Jesus teaches this, by alluding to a terrible punishment.

NOTE ON IF YOUR HAND OFFENDS YOU. Jesus teaches by parable and hyperbole. He does not command us to take those who lie and drown them. In the same way, he does not command us to cut various parts of our anatomy off, What he commands is that we examine ourselves, and surrender all of our lives to him. Which is as painful, at times, as having an amputation without anaesthesia.

On the notes I write.

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Dalrock once said that this blog is hard to categorize. He’s right. Some people blog on a theme. I don’t. I tend to blog about:

  • The lectionary
  • Church and Christian life
  • Behavioural science, psychology and psychiatry.
  • Politics from a conservative & liberterian position
  • Local and international news.

The postings are generally what I think is interesting this day. That would be the “brightness” in the title. This contrasts with my fairly pessimistic view of the future from an economic and political point of view. Like many Presbyterians, I do not see human beings as some form of angelic being that is perfectable. I see anything good as coming out of the grace of God. We have a reputation of being dour and bleak for a reason. Hence the word “Dark”.

I generally start with part of the lectionary. This is from today:

1 John 3:11-18

11For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

18Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Mission and Ministry — GAMC.

In my younger years I studied this — including reading it in Greek. Every time I read this I’m challenged. This piece leaves me dumb: it challenges me on if I am truly caring for those around me practically.

This piece is not about feelings, it is about getting results. But… it damns anyone who does nothing or sits and talks instead of acting. Blogging… a form of talking… can lead to this. The people I respect most are doing and reflecting on what they do: whether it is Alte home schooling challenging kids or Cameron raising money by being pummeled in Charity Boxing matches, or Daegus being a student in the People’s Republic of Toronto — they are acting to make change for the good.

About half the time I post on the lectionary.

The rest… is driven by the news, or what people are writing elsewhere.

This place is eclectic. I can’t see that changing.

Silly tests; typealyzer

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You can check your personality by your blog. The analysis indicates that the author of https://pukeko.net.nz/blog is of the type:

INTP – The Thinkers

The logical and analytical type. They are especialy attuned to difficult creative and intellectual challenges and always look for something more complex to dig into. They are great at finding subtle connections between things and imagine far-reaching implications.

They enjoy working with complex things using a lot of concepts and imaginative models of reality. Since they are not very good at seeing and understanding the needs of other people, they might come across as arrogant, impatient and insensitive to people that need some time to understand what they are talking about.

Whale oil put the standard through this and came  up with the same result. Since most psychometricians say the INTP group is fairly rare and I test (see previous silly tests) as INTJ most of the time, this is just fun.
Looking at local right wingers…
Whale oil   ESTP  “The doers”
Kiwiblog ESTJ “The guardians”
The prickly expatriate ISTP “the mechanics”.
Now if the aforementioned want to ping those on their link lists, they will find (cam, please take note) that personality types are scattered from the right wing to the left… but to be fair, let’s avoid multi-authoured sites.