There are stories of those from homeless to Ivy League schools. But the reversal seems impossible. Was it pride or something else?
There are however plenty of cases from Ivy leagues to suicide. Exhibit 1.
A person is not illegal. Hence, the term undocumented. I think it is a pretty solid grammar. But that's beside the point. Now, I see young minds are being manipulated to support drastic immigration measure.
When I saw discrimination in America, particularly in the Bible Belt territory (I supposed many of them cannot tell Christianity and patriotism apart), I thought...perhaps the immigrants should try to impress the unprivileged Americans so much that soon, they will see those immigrants kinder to them than their own kins so much that they would do exactly what had just happened.
Nonetheless, though I favor the end, I do not feel it is heading the right direction. The methodology and cause is wrong. It's analogous to a sort of pity, which instills pride. Here, the liberals' extending equal rights to all humans would unfortunately triumph over the former ideology.
The program that does the wonder: Readiris.
Readiris Corporate 12 Asian in my case.
Either scan from a PDF file or scanner (Use OCR Wizard)
Two ways of converting the scans into readable PDF: Via OCR Wizard-PDF(Image-Text), or Format, Recognize + Save buttons -> Choose PDF(Image-Text).
Note: Don't choose PDF (Text-Image), because fonts will change and images will be distorted. (Image-Text) version retain the original look while making the PDF searchable.
Now, I can scan books - rare books.
The Charismatics forge fellowship by not judging others; The Reformed forge fellowship by praising others vainly.
The Charismatics lack social mandate; The Reformed "forget" the Gospel mandate in their social mandate.
All are erroneous.
Special 3 morning services with lessons and carols. (8:30am, 10am & 11:30am)
They were all great. Bisgrove sermon was unusually to the point and christocentric. Perhaps was the short time slot. Although, his use of "Jesus became a fool for us" reminded me of his love for semantic incorrectness. I think he was referring to 1 Corinthians 4:10. Either way, bad choice of word is still a bad choice, regardless of your intention. The more you are insistent of being "unique" in that, the worse you become (pride, rebellious).
Strings (with one trumpet) and solos sang from Messiah to famous Christmas songs. The congregations followed with some similar hymns.
Martin Bashir was one of the reader.
Observation: Asians appear to dominate the orchestra. Particularly violins.
*** Program
The Third Sunday of Advent - A service of Lessons and Carols
Reflection from C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
There is something which unites magic and applied science [technology] while separating them [both] from the wisdom of earlier ages. For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem of human life was how to conform the soul to objective reality, and the solution was wisdom, self-discipline, and virtue. For the modern, the cardinal problem is how to conform reality to the wishes of man, and the solution is a technique.
Preparation by Rev. Abraham Cho.
Prelude - Sinfonie from Messiah - G. F. Handel
Congregational Carol: O Come, All Ye Faithful - Latin, attr. John Francis Wade, 1743
Prayer
Lesson I - Issiah 60:2-3; Psalm 24:7-8; Isaiah 40:4-5
The Coming of the Messiah is Foretold
Reader: Stephanie Rawnsley
Anthem - Every Valley Shall be Exalted (Isaiah 40:1-4) from Messiah - G. F. Handel
Bray Wilkins, tenor
Lesson II - Luke 1:26-35; 2:1-7
Luke Tells of the Birth of Jesus
Readers: Eric and Barbara Boe
Anthem - Domine Deus from Mass in C minor - W. A. Mozart
Joanie Brittingham and Michelle Jennings, sopranos
Lesson III - Luke 2:8-20
The Shepherds Go to the Manger
Reader: Whitney Edge
Congregational Carol
O little Town of bethlehem by Philips Brooks, 1868
Lesson IV - John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:17-20; Matthew 16:15
The Mystery of the IncarnationReader: Martin Bashir
Anthem - O Holy Night - Adolphe Adam
Laura Pfortmiller, soprano
Congregational Carol
Joy to the World by Isaac Watts, 1719
Announcements
Scripture Reading - Matthew 2:1-12
Sermon - The Magi and Jesus - Rev. David Bisgrove
Third sermon in series: The Messiah According to Matthew (Advent Series)
Offertory - The Shining Star (A Magi's Tale) - Tom Jennings
Kyle Pfortmiller, soloist
Congregational Carol: Angels We Have Heard on High - French carol
Benediction
Dismissal
Second Sunday of Advent
Reflection (If it's prepared by Bisgrove, it's definitely a step up from the Buddhism quote before) from Michael Green's The Message of Matthew
This [Matthew 1:21-22] does not fit with the modern idea that we are all getting through to God in our own way. No, says Matthew. God has got through to us in this way. And Jesus is no great teacher, no guru, no peer of Mohammed or Gandhi. He is God with us. That is the essential claim on which Christianity is built. It is a claim which cannot be abandoned without abandoning the faith in its entirety.
Prelude - Concerto for Trumpet in E-flat Major - Johann Neruda
I. Allegro
Preparation - Rev. David Bisgrove
Choral Introit - Gloria in Excelsis Deo from Gloria - Antonio Vivaldi
Hymn: Angels From the Realms of Glory
Words by James Montgomery, 1816, 1825Music by Henry Smart, 1867
Call to Worship - Isaiah 9
Prayer of Adoration (Concluded by the Lord's Prayer)
Doxology
Silent Praise and Thanksgiving
Prayer of Confession
Private Confession
Confessional Response - Thou Who Was Rich - F. Houghton/T. Jennings
Words of Encouragement - Galatians 4:4-5
Hymn: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear by Edmund Sears, 1850
Announcements
Offering - And the Glory of the Lord (Isaiah 40:5) from Messiah - G. F. Handel
Scripture Reading - Matthew 1:18-25
Sermon - The Fathers of Jesus - Dr. Timothy Keller
Second sermon in series: The Messiah According to Matthew (Advent Series)
Note: Keller mentioned Dorothy Sayers who wrote herself into her detective novel as Harriet Vane who felt pity on Lord Peter Wimsey and married him. Then Keller compared such fiction to cosmic reality when God sent His Son to the world. This reminded me of my answer to the heavy boulder paradox. Sometime yesterday, I also heard someone Janet Mefferd interviewed using God "writing" himself into the world (I believe it was the podcast of 12/12/2014 Hour 2, with Apologist Alex McFarland on what are the 21 toughest questions your kids will ask about Christianity).
Celebration of the Lord's Supper
The Apostles' Creed
Prayer of Approach
Words of Institution
Prayers for Those Not Taking the Lord's Supper
Distribution of the Bread - In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti, 1872 - Harold Darke
Distribution of the Cup - What Child Is This adapted William Dix, 1865
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Benediction
Dismissal
Postlude - Concerto for Trumpet in E-Flat Major - Johann Neruda
III. Vivace
Which has strong ties with Columbia University (I can see why some, especially Chinese, love to study here. Because they can put themselves as Columbia University graduate on their resume even though they studied at UTS. And in Chinese, everyone thought it's THE Columbia U.)
Nonetheless, UTS is well known to be liberal. John Sung saw it. And now,Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
"There is no theology here....they talk a blue streak without the slightest substantive foundation and with no evidence of any criteria. The students....are completely clueless with respect to what dogmatics is really about. They are unfamiliar with even the most basic questions. They become intoxicated with liberal and humanistic phrases, laugh at the fundamentalists, and yet basically are not even up to their level." - Metaxas, Eric: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy 2010, Thomas Nelson Publishers, p. 101
This just makes me respect Bonhoeffer even more.
Affiliated persons of note:
Harry Emerson Fosdick
Paul Tillich
Reinhold Niebuhr
Charles Briggs
The ability to maintain a good learning curve even when Bible teachers or pulpit sermons suck.
My own phrase.
Many American Christians (usually in leadership or related roles) love to call foreign theological researchers to go back to their home countries (the reason given being to build their own countries), I think this is due to distrust or jealousy.
Distrust because they were afraid that the foreigners would want to "steal" their jobs in America. Jealousy because the reason for their distrust.
Nonetheless, I agree with the notion of taking what you've learned back home. However, the problem is identifying those foreigners who sincerely intend to do just that. If it is so, I don't think I need to call them out or remind them of their goals. Otherwise, unlike the Americans, I wouldn't even bother whether they stay or leave.
The reason I call these Americans hypocrites, is because they do not ask their missionaries to stay in other countries for good as much as they want the foreigners to leave theirs for good. Missionaries should live their calling, not treating it as a temporal phase of their lives. That would be vacation, showing off, risk toying, bride seeking, etc.
Preaching to Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, and preaching to Osama Bin Laden, which one is harder?
So, when I said I don't want to do my ministry in the States, I am merely picking the easier way.
