Alex posted this on Facebook 呼應老友葛牧之《反智主義》一書：〈《基督教真偽辨》在中國教會的受容〉and I think it's worth checking out (Telling The True Gospel: The Reception of...) as I think I'm behind with names such as 趙天恩. Tong has a little bio on the late 趙天恩, that I think is worth copying into the comment below. Apparently, 趙牧師 is responsible for Stephen Tong's theology series.
First we look at J. Gresham's Machen's Christianity and Liberalism, translated into Chinese by American missionary Samuel Boyle (包義森, 1905–2002). (To be continued...perhaps after I finished reading and reviewing Christianity and Liberalism.
Basic look at training AI, on a laptop, in 5 minutes.
草船借箭 - fact or fiction? I've had trouble with this before, because I had tried to convince others of its factual origin without fact-checking this myself. The real truth is actually just a mystery. Zhuge Liang's story on this was only in the Romance of Three Kingdoms Novel and not the historical accounts (i.e. 三國志). However, there was an account that 周瑜 did turn his boats around in order to balance the arrow weight they received from their attackers. If it was solely Zhou Yu's plan, then the credit obviously does not go to Kong Ming.
8/13/2025 WednesdayThe origin of GIT, invention of Linus Torvalds after dispute with Bitkeeper. This could be a good motivator to learn GIT.
I don't have theological verdict on IVF yet. Thus far, I would only say it is the Catholic Church's doctrine that is against IVF, not a Biblical/Christian one. Eugenics is only bad if you replace human excellencies with selfishness, the science of it is not damnable in my view. But to understand further, knowing the capability of today's genetic manipulation is a starting point. Movies like Gattaca (1997) are not enough for any convincing message.
8/12/2025, Yes, this is my birthday. On our way to Pittsburg from Cincinnati, my wife and I had some disagreement on the definition of marriage, when the subject of some church attendees who were allegedly "unmarried" (did not go through proper legal channel) was brought up and how Pastor Chris handled it. Nadia was driving when this argument happened. I find that this is important to delve into and address it. The topic being: Does a marriage require a wedding ceremony/legal recognition/certificate?
My simple answer is, no. But at the risk of sounding like a liberal (that I am permitting everyone to have sex without a legal marital certification), the word, marriage, must be properly defined.
Marriage, from biblical term, is not wedding. Even though a marriage ceremony is essentially the same thing as wedding ceremony. Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman to commit be husband and wife. A wedding is a ceremony done before a third party/person which, like a marital certificate, affirms a marriage. The true definition of marriage is not the wedding (celebration/affirmation of marriage, not marriage itself) at Cana, but in Genesis 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." In a way, God was the one who officiated Adam and Eve's marriage (Genesis 2:22 "...and brought her unto the man"). Therefore, a marriage is true only in the context of holy covenantal commitment to each other before God's eyes (God's recognition/approval).
Affirmation of marriage is important. This is what a wedding/legal proceedings do. The affirmation is important as a public testimony of the covenantal vows. A true marital covenant will always result in a public affirmation, however, a public affirmation/legality is not always the result of a true marital covenant.
Therefore, the marital covenant (marriage) is to be prioritized before a public wedding/legality, not the other way around. In other words, two do not need to first go through the legalities of a wedding in order to begin a true marital relationship. Nevertheless, the law of the land, or the custom of the culture/society may require a formal legal ritual in order for the public to recognize the true marital relationship. Then let it be so (i.e. sex after LEGAL marriage), so that the public will acknowledge the marriage which was already a marriage before the acknowledgement of the public. Such is a public affirmation and celebration of the marriage. Nevertheless, the public can only determine/approve of a LEGAL marriage; God determines a TRUE marriage, which is defined by Genesis 2:24, which is free of the public's approval (Mark 10:9 "...let no man put asunder").
With the above understanding of what marriage is in mind, here is the summary:
--Should a legal marriage be a true one? Yes, it should.
-Should a true marriage be a legal one? Yes, it should. What God has joined as husband and wife is no secret matter, God is not a liar.
-Is a legal marriage equivalent to a true marriage? No. Many legal marriages end in divorces.
-Is a true marriage equivalent to a legal marriage? No. Such as different age requirements for legal marriages (e.g. You can get legally married at 15 in Mississippi but it considered illegal in New York)
-Is sex before/outside of marriage a sin? Yes if we're talking about TRUE marriage. Not necessarily, if we're talking about LEGAL marriage. (e.g. sinful for a 15 year old in NY but not sinful in MS; also, some states/countries require parental approval for LEGAL marriage)
-Is making a marriage legal a requirement of a true marriage? No, because of Genesis 2:24 and Mark 10:9. However, legalizing a marriage should be sought after for we are to testify what God has done before the public.
Conclusion:
A true marriage (not a legal marriage) should the basis of any discussion on marriage. A distinction between the two kinds of marriage must be clear.
So Nadia asked me to get Tuesday (8/12) and Wednesday off from work, in order to celebrate my birthday in 2025. She thought about Maine road trip at first. But I said, do it in the Fall (fall leaves in Maine would be spectacular), and suggested Kentucky's Ken Ham (Answers in Genesis)'s Creation Museum (built 2007). Then I realized that the Ark Encounter "museum" (built 2016) is actually a separate location from the Creation Museum.
I suggested flight, Nadia preferred driving. So we drove East on Saturday (8/9/2025) morning at 7:15 am. I drove first. I've charged and loaded both my E-scooter and Nadia's E-bike into the trunk of the car the night before. However, I've left the air pump charging and forgotten to bring it along after filling both scooter and bike tires with air. I've also made sure I've brought my goggle and underwater headset as my wife prepped my swimming trunk. I also downloaded a bunch of youtube videos on the two museums as well as tips on Columbus & Cincinnati, OH & Pittsburg, PA. I purposely picked two videos on these museums from Atheists' perspective. Primatologist, Erika's quite impressive despite being possibly atheist. Nadia had booked the hotels using my $300+ OneKeyCard credits from Wells Fargo. It was a big saving!
Saturday 8/9:9:30am, stopped at Costco Gas Station in Harrisburg, PA to fill gas and ordered Costco's Cold Brew Mocha Freeze. Nadia thought she could just walked straight to the Costco Canteen without scan, but we were caught by the membership counter person, Nadia thought that staff got nothing better to do, I told her it's our fault, not hers. Nadia drove from here.
1:51pm, stopped at Ohio Westbound I-70 Rest Area for a quick restroom break. Very clean area. We finished some left over Biryani lamb rice here. I drove from here.
4:10pm, Arriving at Columbus, filling gas at Costco first in Easton, before checking in a few blocks away in Hilton's Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus-Easton Area Hotel. We then tried out the Skyline Chili (signature dish of Kentucky & Ohio), the 3-Way and 2 of their Cheese Coneys. We loved it.
6PM, Nadia drove us to downtown of Columbus, parked for free at Scioto Audubon Metro Park and biked along the Scioto River northward. This took up about 1 hour.
7:30PM, We drove to the more Asian neighborhood (more like Japanese), which is the Tensuke Market plaza. We thought of visiting OSU (Ohio State University) on the way but gave up on it, and went back to the hotel by 8PM. I drove. I swam in our hotel's pool for about 30mins.
Sunday 8/10/2025
8AM, Ate hotel's complimentary breakfast (no promised bacon - promised by the check-in staff the day before), but it's still a good standard meal (scrambled eggs, sausage patties, oatmeal, juices, etc.).
9:24 AM, checked out and drove to Cincinnati. I drove.
11:13 AM, Lunch at Skyline Chili in Hebron, Kentucky. Our 2nd Skyline Chili meal. This time I looked at their menu and we ordered 2 5-Ways, small. Still delicious. The I drove us to England Idlewild Park in waiting for Creation Museum to open at 1pm. Nothing much at the park. I drove us to the Creation Museum using the shortest route which is the country road with not so bad scenery.
12:53AM, Arriving at the Creation Museum. There's a line (about 50+ people) by the entrance of the Welcome Center. Went through a quick security check. And we walked pass the garden in order to get to the museum.
I took virtually all of the Museum's displays with my Insta360 and my phone camera. Their Planetarium isn't as impressive as I thought, the projector they use is common, not pairing with laser lights used by some museum (NYC's Hayden Planetarium) to show more realistic stars. I almost fell asleep in the middle of the 25 min Created Cosmos show. Their 4K 3D theater however, was spectacular. Battery operated 3D glasses were used. We watched at 2pm, Encounter the Wonder (10 min of brief timeline from creation to salvation), then at 2:30pm, Dragons: Quest for Truth (10 min about dragons vs. dinosaurs). The graphic effects and music were marvelous. The 3rd and last show was "In Six Days" at 5:15PM for 25 mins. It was also beautifully presented. I only have a minor beef with this last show as it starts with "DAY ONE" before reading the first chapter of Genesis with great graphics. You don't start with DAY ONE because God didn't start with Day One. God counted the days following the work done on that day, and only after the light has been created. This is a Young Earth Creationist error, by presupposing a 6,000 year creation of the universe and then force interpreting the Genesis beginning starts with Day One. Biblically, we need not necessarily count day 1 starting from the 1st verse. Though I have long seen Ken Ham as a SOLO Scriptura guy, this museum does get credit for presentation, which is a rare thing for Fundamentalist Christians. Also, I have purchased the only book at the giftshop that interest me: Miraculous! The Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis Story by Ken Ham. I also picked up a free Christian Blue Pages (Christian Business Directory) just to check it out before I discarded it. I think the businesses are probably by faithful Christians of a wider spectrum (they are promoting The Chosen TV series after all), not likely all would hold to Ken Ham's narrow view on Creation.
Nadia noted some interesting Q&A problems in their Answers in Genesis books. One in particular, 365 Days of Faith and Science with Ken Ham, was the question "Is the Bible a Science Textbook?" and Nadia immediately recalled what I taught Eleni and Rudolfo the distinction between Solo and Sola Scriptura. Ken Ham's answer to this question, also posted in AiG website, is a clear example of Ken Ham being a Solo Scriptura person. An error that Reformed theologians would fully be aware of. His answer, which Nadia had me taken photo of the pages, was basically Yes. The Bible is a science book as well. Galileo knew better in his "God gave us two books: The Bible, Nature" in distinguishing two different revelations of God (General & Special), which fundamentalist folks like Ken Ham obviously conflates. However, he tried to show he knew better by following Henry Morris' distinction of Observational (operational) Science and Historical (origins) Science. That the Bible would be responsible for historical science. This distinction, when I first saw it, is unnecessary. It's a made up term by an for the YEC folks to make themselves look smarter.
7:08PM, Checking in at The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Florence - Cincinnati Airport Hotel. Then we dined at Chuy, Mexican restaurant next block. I ordered a small Tortilla Soup and Chuychanga from House Specialties while Nadia had the seasoned ground beef burrito (Big as Yo' Face). It was good and too filling. I swam in the pool, cleaner than the previous one and all by myself this time, for about 30 mins.
To learn about the college drop out behind FIGMA, Dylan Field and Mark Zuckerberg both had the backing of entrepreneur Peter Thiel, with Field partnering with his Brown University TA, Evan Wallace, started Figma as web apps. Now this company went IPO last week from $33 to $120. Now it's around $70. Some called Dylan the most humble billionaire.
A few days ago, I learned from AI source that Kathy Keller was originally studying to be a PCUSA pastor. I'm not referencing it here as there are many sources out there online.
Mysterious "missionaries" using secret audio devices to evangelize Brazil’s isolated peoples. Reported by BBC. Broadcasting biblical messages (Bible & American Baptist pastor's sermons, etc.) in Spanish and Portuguese, a device found in Korubo village in Brazil.
"The device that reached the hands of the Korubo is called Messenger and is distributed by the Baptist organisation In Touch Ministries, based in Atlanta, Georgia. It is now a curiosity in the possession of the Korubo community matriarch, Mayá."
Psalm 19:3 无言无语，也无声音可听。
8/3/2025 Sunday
"Not found else where", Stephen Tong's definition for Faith: 信是理性歸回真理 is the return of the created reasoning to the revealed truth:
Rational vs. Rationalist: Rationalists replace God with reasoning power. Our reasoning power is created, limited, polluted. Only humans are created with reason, animals are not. So we must use reason.
＃為何基督徒應當是理性的，但絕不是理性主義者❓（希伯來書要理問答 第784問）
After this, I will not be posting these Hebrews series of Stephen Tong here (Weekly Journal entries) but in the relevant entries such as the Bible Study entry on Hebrews.
Sunday School, week 3 on The Medieval Church:
The Holy Roman Empire was neither "holy" nor "Roman" nor truly an "Empire" as it began with Charlemagne's (Charles the Great) coronation (800AD), essentially a Frankish-Germanic kingdom. Reformed education, supported monasteries, enforced Christian law, modeled himself after Israelite kings, used Carolingian script.
Allie Beth Stuckey's team does a good job on this overall. This is not her first dealing with Catholicism. She's talked with George Farmer (Candace Owen's shy Catholic husband), Trent Horn (Catholic apologist), Lila Rose, Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles. Each probably worth a look into.
When we talk about Mariology, we are basically talking about 4 things about Mary, mother of Jesus:
Mother of God (Theotokos - God-bearer) Legit.
Immaculate Conception (Mary being born sinless, without original sin) Catholics error.
Perpetual Virginity (Mary never have other children nor had sex with Joseph) Catholics error.
Assumption (Mary ascended to Heaven skipping death) Catholics error.
I would disagree with Allie on #1. when she said ours and Catholics have different view on this. It's possible that some Catholics were misguided on Theotokos, but that doesn't represent Catholicism as a whole on this.
#2. Comes from Catechism of the Catholic Church: Article 9, Paragraph 6: calling Mary as Queen over all things. Weak but their best scriptural basis: Luke 1:28. Augustine of Hippo also cited as a special Mary in terms of sinfulness in 415AD.
#3. From 2nd council of Constantinople in 553AD: Aeiparthenos, some defend it using Luke 1:34, John 19:26 (no siblings to take care of the mother?), as Mary's vow, Matthew 1:25 "Joseph knew her not". Protoevangelium of James (Gospel of James) of 150AD, is also another of their source.
Allie's response: "Until" in Matthew 1:25 means a change after the stated time. John 2:12 "siblings" = from the same womb, not cousins. Luke 2:7 "first born" not "only child". Acts 1:14, John 7:5 Matthew 13:55-56
#4. From Pope Pius XII in 1950, based on Enoch and Elijah's testimonies. Though not clear on if she was assumed after death or no death. No remains of bodily Mary as relics. Used Revelation 12:1-6, but not all Catholics agree on this, as some (Trent Horn of Catholic Answers) say it's symbolic. I would disagree with Allie that "if you're not a Christian I do not recommend starting in the book of Revelation." because of the false notion that Revelation is comforting only for Christians, an idea that many preachers hold. Revelation can also be a tool for the Gospel: the Good guy wins in the end!
Allie's response: Luke 11:27-28, on veneration of Mary.
Allie: The above 4 are Catholics teachings that all Catholics are required to hold.
@27:00 Mary venerated as Mediatrix by Catholicism. Allie: 1Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:26-27, 2Corinthians 1:11 (no indication of praying to saints/Mary with supernatural languages ability)
@32:10 Mary as the new Eve, because Jesus called Mary "Woman". Mary was also referenced as the new ark of the covenant from Exodus 25:10.
@40:30 Allie seems uncomfortable with using "theotokos", unless it's said in the context of a fully God fully man, Jesus, "we might affirm the title theotokos", otherwise she just prefers "Mother of Jesus" (a Nestorian view). This maybe due to her flawed baptist view that Jesus' human nature is NOT created.
8/2/2025 Saturday Just came across the pastor's uncle's sermon in 2020: Pastor_Basile_May_3,2020-_AudioTrimmer.com.mp3 who saw Jesus' strongest anger against Peter by calling him Satan @9:00. I didn't listen the entire thing. Was just trying to hear what our pastor's uncle's sounded like. And I do like this part of his sermon. I remember our pastor once tried to play down Jesus' anger ("Jesus was likely saying that in a kindly low tone) against Peter when I mentioned that Jesus' strongest rebuke was against Peter, much more than the Pharisees. Joseph Basile was also known for opposing the plan for mosque in Bayonne: Media file: "Home of pastor outspoken against proposed Bayonne mosque vandalized in New Jersey - ABC7 New York.mp4"
8/1/2025 Friday I foolishly, I think, set my notification to 7/30 for FIGMA IPO date, a day too early, and now I missed it by a day. It went from $33 to $122 in just two days. This is my fault. Let's see if I can be more disciplined on coming Monday for this.
Stephen Tong on John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion and why Calvin, Karl Barth and Augustine did not use the term Systematic Theology (Because it is connected to Rationalism of the Enlightenment Movement):
＃加爾文是如何竭力進到完全的地步❓（希伯來書要理問答 第783問）
Tong on correcting today's Christian view (Roman Catholics, work-based fundamentalists, etc.) from reformed theology on sanctification - It's quantitative, no longer qualitative. Qualitatively, we can be no better than the first day of our conversion, the new quality of the reborn will never degrade:
I think today's hard Calvinists and Fundamentalists either justify their complacency from not living a triumphant Christian life because they can only see the qualitative but not the quantitative; or that they try to get others to work like themselves because they can only see the quantitative but not the qualitative.
If you only see the qualitative (justified by Christ forever), then you will justify your laziness, your pride, from doing anything that you think might jeopardize your "qualitative" value by working "too" hard and fail.
If you only see the quantitative (work for the Lord as sanctification), then you will justify your work and your demand for others (attend Church, do not work on Sundays, do this, do that) lest your/their lack of this quantitative will "degrade" your/their qualitative.
On Bible Study, Tom asked @57:46 "Isn't it, pastor, God, immediate family, church...am I wrong?" And the pastor responded "I don't think there's a passage that ranks it that way..." My correction @59:15 "God, then God's family and then immediate family..." as I believe many Christians make this mistake. I didn't quote the verse, but the foundational verse for this would be Matthew 12:50. The definition of God's people or the Church in this case obviously is thus defined by Jesus: "Whosoever does the will of my Father which is in heaven..." and therefore, would not be referring to some stranger down the street or some "Christian" on paper. And the context would not really be about "helping" others (thus neglecting servicing one's own immediate family) but more of a relationship. Sure, some would claim what if immediate family is already Christian, which fits perfectly to Jesus' principle, because if they are not, then make them Christians [so they would do the will of my Father] @59:55.
I think this is also a good reflection and for discernment. How church members treat each other and how they treat their own family. Compare and contrast. Then you know who does the will of the Father.
Frank's first murder trial was interesting @51:25. I wasn't listening before. But it's about the wife becoming Christian and wouldn't give the husband a divorce so that she could keep putting [Gospel] tracks on the bathroom door when he was in it, so he killed her. It's interesting because there's so many variables from just this surface of the story. It could be God's way to convert this man and he would regret not seeing his wife's love; It could also be the wife's shallowness, unwise approach, perhaps even in a very twisted sense of Christianity, that elicited more annoyance than love to her husband. So the pastor was right, to just leave this to God.
7/29/2025 Tuesday
On Hebrews 6:1 Paradoxical Perfection ~ Stephen Tong: The more perfect, the less perfect you are. Once you get this paradox, you will harmonize the perfection, with Christ as the purpose, to be perfected progressively.
The secret to a Christian life: Only to please Jesus ~ Stephen Tong:
＃「惟獨討基督的喜悅」這動機的完全，如何保守唐牧師一生事奉為主所用❓
If nobody can be perfect, why God demanded perfection (Genesis 17:1, Matthew 5:48) [Sounds like Augustine vs. Pelagius]~ Stephen Tong: Qualitative perfection 本質的完全, not quantitative perfection 分量的完全.
Today I've learned from my cousin Grace, that her father, my last uncle, has passed away. I've saved the details onto my Drive's HOME folder. I know not how I could have talked to him. I want to. I supposed it's too late now. It would seem that he was a Christian. These are things I must always keep in prayer and ponder upon.
What an interesting coincidence that while I came across this article about choosing web apps (when available) over standalone client apps, Greg insisted that I test the Citrix client app of a consultant having issue with Citrix Workspace when I told him I've already instructed her to use the web app. Our conflict is I prefer web app while Greg prefers the client app (i.e. Outlook, etc.) and looks like more could be on my side. I promised him that I would go according to his plan..."eventually": It's not like the client app going to halt anything important anyway.
7/27/2025 Sunday
I fed today's Sunday School into chatGPT for comment and here it is:
This lecture script titled “The Medieval Church - Week 02” is rich in historical content, theological reflection, and pastoral commentary. Below is a commentary and fact-check with constructive notes, highlighting both strengths and any areas that may need clarification or balance.
STRENGTHS
1. Balanced Historical Overview
The teaching gives a comprehensive overview of the transition from the early church to the medieval period.
It recognizes both strengths (e.g., sincere missionary efforts, preservation of Scripture) and corruptions (e.g., simony, ritualism, monastic wealth).
Emphasis on the shift of authority from Scripture to councils and traditions is well-aligned with Reformed concerns.
2. Engaging Pedagogy
Personal anecdotes, humor, and rhetorical questions keep the lecture engaging and relatable.
The use of examples like “65 Ways to Give Evangelistic Invitations” effectively highlights dangers of replacing Scripture with emotion-driven methods.
3. Sound Theological Warnings
Warnings against elevating tradition or ritual above Scripture are classically Reformed.
The critique of territorial or cultural Christianity is strong and appropriately tied to historical events like mass baptisms.
FACTUAL ACCURACY & CLARITY
Generally Accurate Points
Pope Gregory I did fight simony and heresies like Donatism and Arianism.
Monasticism under Benedict of Nursia emphasized work, study, and self-sufficiency.
Islam’s early spread was not uniformly coercive; many Christians under Muslim rule were tolerated but restricted.
⚠️ Areas to Clarify or Nuance
1. Gregory’s View on the Papacy
"Gregory was sincerely devout. Protested titles and spoke against being supreme pontiff."
✔️ Correct that Gregory I resisted the title universal bishop and showed humility, ⚠️ However, he did expand papal influence politically and spiritually, which laid groundwork for future papal supremacy.
2. Islamic Doctrine: Allah as “Cause of Evil”
“Allah causes evil, even though Allah is apparently good.”
⚠️ Islamic theology (especially Ash'arite) teaches divine determinism, but “Allah causes evil” may be overly simplistic or misunderstood by Muslims. A better phrasing: “Islam teaches that both good and evil are ordained by Allah’s will, without distinguishing between primary and secondary causes as Christianity does.”
3. Claim: “All Muhammad’s original writings were destroyed”
“All the writings that come from Muhammad have been destroyed.”
⚠️ Not entirely accurate. Muhammad was mostly illiterate; the Quran was preserved orally and compiled after his death, reportedly under Caliph Uthman (~650s AD). It’s true that some variant recitations were destroyed, but there is no claim that Muhammad himself wrote them.
4. Quranic Origin of “Allah” as Moon God
“Allah has its origin as a moon god…”
⚠️ This is a common claim in polemics but not well-supported by mainstream scholarship. “Allah” was the Arabic word for “God” even before Islam and was used by Arab Christians and Jews.
5. Muhammad’s View of Trinity
✔️ Accurate that Muhammad misunderstood the Trinity (e.g., assuming Mary is part of it, see Quran 5:116). ✔️ Also accurate that Islam emphasizes a strict monotheism and rejects incarnation and divine suffering.
CHILDREN’S TEACHING CONSIDERATIONS
Since you mentioned wanting to adapt content for children under 12, here are some quick notes:
Great stories to keep: Benedict’s monastery, Patrick & Columba, the "mass baptism" of Poland (with visual aid).
Skip or simplify: speculative claims about Muhammad’s nonexistence or “moon god” origins—too complex and debated for kids.
Rephrase for kids: Instead of "Islam causes panic like Babylon", say something like "a new religion spread fast and made many Christians afraid and confused, like in Bible times."
Introduce key lessons:
Always test ideas with God’s Word.
Doing rituals doesn't mean loving God.
Being a Christian is about following Jesus from the heart, not just what country you're in.
FINAL EVALUATION
This is a thoughtful, pastorally aware, Reformed-oriented lecture that:
Shows historical insight.
Is sensitive to spiritual lessons.
Generally accurate, with a few overstated or debated claims that could be improved.
Another fun fact today was I learned that "Francis" and his big family (10+), which I kept seeing growing in numbers every week, have all came from our previous OPC church in Westfield. During lunch refreshment, I talked to the whole family for the first time, with great excitement due to our shared criticism on Pastor Ferguson's leadership and theology. Nadia was incensed when I told her Ferguson allegedly suggested that if you are still feeling sad of your grandma's passing (due to Covid19), then you're worshipping your grandma too much. We talked for at least an hour, I think. They asked me of pastor Chris. I only hinted subtly that I have only a few minor disagreements with him, i.e. picturing Jesus (and P showed me his tattoo of Jesus on his left arm, I wonder if that was based off of Greek Orthodox icon).
While discussing about how Ferguson viewed his own church so narrowly that anything outside of his small circle (i.e. having your own family dinner rather than attending some church held gathering) would apparently seem not Christian or not obeying the CHURCH. I used that opportunity to emphasize what I think American churches, and perhaps Catholics as well, getting this from the theme of Fast & Furious movies (it's all about family ~ Dominic Toretto), is that God's family comes first, God's family comes before our own family. The way to make sense of it is to make our family become God's family (only the Gospel can do that, not some threats for obedience). However, I feel I need to clarify it to P, as he may think that I was criticizing him for not seeing the point with God's family, which far from it, I was agreeing with him against Ferguson's alleged view. One way to clarify, the next time I see P, is to say: God's family is my family is the chief principle which all Christians would have no problem agreeing to. However, it does not imply that my family is God's family! Which would be where Ferguson failed at understanding. It's not tautologous. You cannot be certain that your family is God's family! And Ferguson also runs the risk of tribalism. Nadia and I have been thinking of them these few days. I pray that by God's grace, we can keep this family. Amen.
With GoogleFinance function in GoogleSheets, I get to publish all kinds of data pertaining to stock market prices and currency exchange rates. I just found out this cool feature today. It can be embedded using iframe. A very strait forward method.
Example: Currency Rates I created in my Google Spreadsheet, with USD as Base, for the last 30 days, this values are live upon every loading of this page:
