Comments for the ancient art of shalom http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots thots on sustainable spirituality in san francisco Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:10:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on Downtown SF, 8:29am: 2nd and Mission by Jason http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2010/07/17/downtown-sf-2nd-and-mission/comment-page-1/#comment-513 Jason Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:10:58 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=384#comment-513 @George - yep! I went smaller, got a micro 4/3, and definitely enjoying it. You still shooting Olympus? @Remy - oh yeah. I just got one used, and it's really, really nice. I got one of those adapters that can stick nikon lenses onto the E-P1. It looks pretty ridiculous with the 80-200 on there. :) we must go shooting again... @George – yep! I went smaller, got a micro 4/3, and definitely enjoying it. You still shooting Olympus?

@Remy – oh yeah. I just got one used, and it’s really, really nice. I got one of those adapters that can stick nikon lenses onto the E-P1. It looks pretty ridiculous with the 80-200 on there. :) we must go shooting again…

]]> Comment on Downtown SF, 8:29am: 2nd and Mission by Remy http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2010/07/17/downtown-sf-2nd-and-mission/comment-page-1/#comment-512 Remy Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:30:54 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=384#comment-512 Love the 105 f/2.5 AIS. Still use it regularly. Glad to see it's usable on the Olympus. 4/3 form factor? Love the 105 f/2.5 AIS. Still use it regularly. Glad to see it’s usable on the Olympus. 4/3 form factor?

]]> Comment on Downtown SF, 8:29am: 2nd and Mission by George http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2010/07/17/downtown-sf-2nd-and-mission/comment-page-1/#comment-511 George Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:30:37 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=384#comment-511 Hey Jason. You have an Olympus now, cool! :-) Hey Jason. You have an Olympus now, cool! :-)

]]> Comment on The Old Testament and Material Possessions by zucchiniboy http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2010/06/14/the-old-testament-and-material-possessions/comment-page-1/#comment-502 zucchiniboy Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:40:26 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=316#comment-502 Danny - interesting question. I think bless in the OT is used pretty widely (422 times on my simple search), and there are certainly many times where it refers to tangible blessings (the land, offspring), but it also refers to God's presence or more intangible things. Gordon Wenham writes on the Aaronic blessing passage, "Though blessing is a broad term, it has a quite specific content in the Old Testament. God blesses people by giving them children, property, land, good health, and his presence (Gen. 17:16; 22:17f.; Lev. 26:3–13; Deut. 28:2–14)." For the Israelite, those two categories weren't necessarily mutually exclusive, because physical blessings were inextricably tied to the providential God. However, I do believe that the blessing of God's presence carries more weight than the blessing of God's provision. When preaching through Job, it was eye-opening for me to see that Job's faith was restored not when he got his stuff back (provision), but when he saw God (his presence). I've got to think a little bit more about David and Goliath, but to give a little more context to Blomberg's #5, he is referring to the things like leaders working for bribes (Micah 3:11) and turning a blind eye to justice issues in spite of their position of power (Isa. 10:1-2). At the same time, he also refers to the possibility for leaders to be led astray or falsely motivated for financial reasons, all areas that the church today needs to be wary of. In David's example, the text doesn't give a pronouncement on the morality of his choice, as is the difficulty with a lot of OT narrative (Was it okay for Abraham and Sarah to lie?). In sum, I think that blessing in the material sense and blessing in the spiritual sense are more tied together than we typically operate, and at the center of it is the blessing of God's presence, from which flow material blessings. Just my three cents. Danny – interesting question. I think bless in the OT is used pretty widely (422 times on my simple search), and there are certainly many times where it refers to tangible blessings (the land, offspring), but it also refers to God’s presence or more intangible things. Gordon Wenham writes on the Aaronic blessing passage, “Though blessing is a broad term, it has a quite specific content in the Old Testament. God blesses people by giving them children, property, land, good health, and his presence (Gen. 17:16; 22:17f.; Lev. 26:3–13; Deut. 28:2–14).”

For the Israelite, those two categories weren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, because physical blessings were inextricably tied to the providential God. However, I do believe that the blessing of God’s presence carries more weight than the blessing of God’s provision. When preaching through Job, it was eye-opening for me to see that Job’s faith was restored not when he got his stuff back (provision), but when he saw God (his presence).

I’ve got to think a little bit more about David and Goliath, but to give a little more context to Blomberg’s #5, he is referring to the things like leaders working for bribes (Micah 3:11) and turning a blind eye to justice issues in spite of their position of power (Isa. 10:1-2). At the same time, he also refers to the possibility for leaders to be led astray or falsely motivated for financial reasons, all areas that the church today needs to be wary of. In David’s example, the text doesn’t give a pronouncement on the morality of his choice, as is the difficulty with a lot of OT narrative (Was it okay for Abraham and Sarah to lie?).

In sum, I think that blessing in the material sense and blessing in the spiritual sense are more tied together than we typically operate, and at the center of it is the blessing of God’s presence, from which flow material blessings. Just my three cents.

]]> Comment on The Old Testament and Material Possessions by DC http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2010/06/14/the-old-testament-and-material-possessions/comment-page-1/#comment-498 DC Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:08:31 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=316#comment-498 Sam gave a somewhat provocative sermon a few weeks back that I'd love to get your feedback on, based on the Aaronic blessing. The main points were not controversial, but a he said a couple things I'm still chewing on. One, the word for "bless" as used in that verse (The Lord bless you and keep you") in the Bible usually refers to material blessings. Two, that David, when he volunteered to defeat Goliath, had a profit motive. He asked about the reward for defeating Goliath, and got it. This seems counter to your first #5. Honestly, I had trouble with both of those. You have a take? Sam gave a somewhat provocative sermon a few weeks back that I’d love to get your feedback on, based on the Aaronic blessing. The main points were not controversial, but a he said a couple things I’m still chewing on.

One, the word for “bless” as used in that verse (The Lord bless you and keep you”) in the Bible usually refers to material blessings.

Two, that David, when he volunteered to defeat Goliath, had a profit motive. He asked about the reward for defeating Goliath, and got it. This seems counter to your first #5.

Honestly, I had trouble with both of those. You have a take?

]]> Comment on Left foot 9.5, right foot 10.5 by Cho Yin http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2009/08/08/left-foot-95-right-foot-105/comment-page-1/#comment-490 Cho Yin Thu, 08 Apr 2010 03:26:52 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=150#comment-490 How old are you? Is 10.5 inch or shoe size? How old are you?
Is 10.5 inch or shoe size?

]]> Comment on Monday’s Musing: The Big Deal About Small by Daniel Curran http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2009/12/14/mondays-musing-the-big-deal-about-small/comment-page-1/#comment-423 Daniel Curran Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:16:19 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=216#comment-423 Jason, Your UC Berkeley technical training, your music background, and your theological education are all coming together in San Francisco brother and I'm excited about the future of the Church in the City. Do not despise small things or small beginnings. Think mustard seeds! By the way, friend in Berkeley is developing a technology for neighborhood mapping, one block at a time; mapping power usage, water consumption, ethnography, density that will make Google maps look like childs play, ...all based on the God-designed concepts you are discussing above. Might be a good tool for one wanting to see churches planted in every city block of a great city. Life takes place on the micro-level. Keep thinking and writing and following through on your micro-obediences. Be faithful in that which is least, Daniel http://www.wahl.org/fe/HTML_version/link/contents.htm (introduction to fractal course) http://www.wahl.org/fe/Flash_version/introduction.swf (introduction to fractal software) http://www.bernt.name/ (the developer) Jason, Your UC Berkeley technical training, your music background, and your theological education are all coming together in San Francisco brother and I’m excited about the future of the Church in the City. Do not despise small things or small beginnings. Think mustard seeds! By the way, friend in Berkeley is developing a technology for neighborhood mapping, one block at a time; mapping power usage, water consumption, ethnography, density that will make Google maps look like childs play, …all based on the God-designed concepts you are discussing above. Might be a good tool for one wanting to see churches planted in every city block of a great city.

Life takes place on the micro-level. Keep thinking and writing and following through on your micro-obediences. Be faithful in that which is least, Daniel

http://www.wahl.org/fe/HTML_version/link/contents.htm (introduction to fractal course)
http://www.wahl.org/fe/Flash_version/introduction.swf (introduction to fractal software)
http://www.bernt.name/ (the developer)

]]> Comment on Object Lessons from a Bookstore by Marcia http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2009/04/01/object-lessons-from-a-bookstore/comment-page-1/#comment-260 Marcia Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:52:58 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=102#comment-260 He brings life out of death. Such is His kingdom... He brings life out of death. Such is His kingdom…

]]> Comment on Go Warriors! by wugraph http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2007/05/02/go-warriors/comment-page-1/#comment-243 wugraph Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:22:37 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=96#comment-243 hey zucchiniboy (i have just discovered that i cannot spell zucchini!) - i just looked at your reading list. SO impressive! mine is dinky. are you going to post your awesome belly-flopping whopping video? inquiring minds want to know... hey zucchiniboy (i have just discovered that i cannot spell zucchini!) – i just looked at your reading list. SO impressive! mine is dinky.

are you going to post your awesome belly-flopping whopping video? inquiring minds want to know…

]]> Comment on In the blink of an eye by niftyken http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/2007/03/29/in-the-blink-of-an-eye/comment-page-1/#comment-242 niftyken Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:06:08 +0000 http://me.jasonkuo.com/thots/?p=93#comment-242 Oh man, I totally remember University and Donahoe! I would NEVER ride a bike there though. =P Oh man, I totally remember University and Donahoe! I would NEVER ride a bike there though. =P

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