Yunnan trip! - Part 1

It's been a couple of weeks since I've visited China, so, finally, here are some of my experiences. I went with my parents and my aunt. We joined this tour with my mom's old childhood friend, who went on this trip with a large not-for-profit organization that she was involved with. [My mom was also very involved with it back in the day.] The organization actually had an objective to promote cultural exchanges, so we visited a lot of cultural and historic memorials. Also, everyone on the tour pretty much knew everyone else (except for my family), which probably made for a generally better tour than otherwise.

Rundown of the tour:

Fly to Kunming from Hong Kong, toured a historic event memorial, had dinner, and stayed for the night. It was much cooler than expected! Thankfully, no one got sick (it was ~14 degrees and felt much cooler because it was rainy... but we were wearing our Hong Kong clothes).

Drove to DaLi (~ 4-6 hours??) - An economically thriving city in Yunnan. Three attractions: (1) a traditional (rather wealthy) "Bai" people's house, very decorative, beautiful stones. The natural stone design paintings were very nice. (2) The three towers temple. Because of the economic wealth, the temple area was completely renovated. Amazing greenery surrounding it. (3) A historic market [recurring theme =p]









I thought these gigantic incenses were pretty funny. =p


My mom wanted a picture with all the monks, haha

Where to start? Some milestone dates...
Recital - September 10
Departure - October 1
Now - October 7

The recital was great, beyond my expectation [true, I generally have no expectations for many things]. Despite my terrible piano playing, it was just fun to share about me, to just be myself! It was great to have so much support and helpers... it was great to have everyone work together [thanks for dealing with my last minute stressing, my general last-minute everything, and non-detail-orientedness! ;)] in order to make everything run as smooth as it did. Hopefully, people enjoyed themselves too! Overall, I hope it was clear that this move to Hong Kong was a long time in coming, and to me, God had paved the way to make things happen with a great job opportunity, a good time in my life and in my career, all motivated by various things including the objective to improve my Chinese, catch a glimpse of the booming Asian economy, and to participate in other professional services trips into China. I'm also affirmed by other things such as starting work with Ray, who will also be based out of Hong Kong for now and having another co-worker from Toronto join the same group as me. It has been amazing how things have panned out over the past couple of years, including having waited until now.

Further, I am simply reminded of the nature of the community of believers... thankful that through different social circles, there still exists a spiritual and eternal bond between us. I am so thankful for being blessed by so many people who have played a part in my life, in building up who I am.

Then, after the recital, it was a mission to clear out my room and get rid of any nonessentials! The beneficiary [if you can call it that ;)] of my old CA magazines was Agincourt Collegiate Institute! It was funny to visit and see a couple of old teachers who were still there (although, retiring by end of this year). I saw my old calculus and algebra teacher, Mrs. Chow, who was known to be the hardest [and of course, because I had her for both subjects, I was called "double Chow girl" as an affectionate pitying name. haha...] It was just funny to hear her teach her current class with the same tone and same lines as before ["I want you to reduce the radicals to the *general* form! *General* form!"] Too bad my old accounting teacher wasn't in!

I was able to adequately clean out my room (and pack) in good time... my old clothes will go to the Salvation Army, and all that's left in my room are mainly books, my old notes, and various stuffed animals! I also successfully re-archived my old greeting cards, which was a painful exercise of anal attentiveness. The exercise was also nostalgic as I read over various cards from different points of time in my life... one distinct phrase was for my baptism in 2000, "...if we've had an effect on your life, it's because you let us." That is how I feel in response to the many encouragements that I have received for my going away...

Then, leading up to October 1, it was a rush to finish off as much work as I could while meeting up with people, including good times of prayer. I took various days and timeslots off, but ended up going into the office on Friday, September 29, which probably wasn't the wisest thing to do. =p Oh well, I did as much as I could...! [And fortunately (or unfortunately), I care soo much about work. =p]

Now, it has been a nice time of doing nothing at all in Hong Kong! Nothing really tourist-y, good family time with my parents... funny to meet up with my mom's old friends (they left 30 years ago and have only been back 2 or 3 times) and be a good daughter, haha. No shopping yet either!

Today is the mid-autumn festival celebration and had a family dinner with my aunt and her sons.. and their kids. Came back up to the apartment after dinner for some taro (a traditional thing??), mooncake and fruit. She has a nice view to a park on her balcony... take a look at all the kids playing with electronic lights instead of lanterns [this was taken at 11pm so it was cleared out already]! Because of the danger of kids playing with fire, wax burning is now prohibited everywhere. [Now, it is 12:45am, and I *still* hear kids running around outside... ah... Chinese families, haha!]



Waking up early for another day with the Yam (or, Yan) extended family...

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

One whole month with no reflections! =p

It's been a good summer. *Kind of* makes up a *little bit* for the busy year that I've had, basically from last September to June, with a slight break in January. =p

So, the much-anticipated recital has come and gone. It's amazing how God is faithful; it turned out way beyond my expectations... only by God's grace, especially considering how much effort I put in. =p Perhaps, though, seeds may have been planted? All entrusted to Him...

Finally, today, I had a little bit of resolve to start cleaning my room and packing things into boxes. I guess I have more books than I thought [I am majorly "spatially challenged" --> cannot estimate if a certain volume can fit into a box. =p] But, it's starting to kind of shape up, and I think I have finally come to terms that I will never look at my CA magazines ever again to give them away. Why am I such a pack-rat??

I also found two years worth of "golden bricks" way back from high school fellowship. Golden bricks were simply encouragement notes that we wrote to each other at our winter snow camp. The first year was my first year attending church (not sure if I actually accepted Jesus Christ by then) and I didn't really know the rest of them. It's funny how I've grown since those days of "You don't talk much do you." "You are so quiet!" A very respectful one was to Gladys, "my silent but honourable friend". Hahaha..

The second year was more meaningful after I started building some relationships... it's cool to read back on those encouragements. By then, I had accepted Christ and was serving in various capacities. It's also amazing how the Holy Spirit works in the provision of spiritual gifts. Yes, spiritual gifts are developed and matured over time, but reading back on these notes from ?? years ago also kind of affirmed what I believe are my spiritual gifts now. And, it demonstrates to me that the spiritual gifts were definitely provided to me... especially for someone who didn't speak at all a year before that! =p God is good. All right, maybe I'll keep these notes for another 10 years or so. =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. - Ephesians 3:20

Probably, if I were to characterize the year by a Bible verse, the above verse would stick out in my mind the most. Not that I necessarily engage in such annual characterizations, but I was obviously reminded this year by a friend of my "likely last birthday in Canada" -- at least for the near term. I leave it open as to where I will be in the long term.

Annually, though, I *do* take a step back and stand in awe of the abundance of blessings that have been showered on my life. And annually (especially documented since 2002... some years more elaborate than others =p), the theme recurs -- of praise and thanksgiving to God for the blessing of a community that is bound together in Christ.

I echo my sentiments from 2004 as I see that by God's grace, he has expanded this small band, "Despite being in all different years, I consider them all to be peers whom I admire and strive to embody their various virtues. It is our peers who walk alongside and pick us up when we need it, yet, understand the trek while we are walking it, unlike mentors or other authoritative people who have walked ahead of us." It is evident that I have continued to seek for that which is real... real friendships... real people... real life... what is the real me?

This year has been an interesting discovery into the "real", through challenges in seminary, looking at behavioural experiences in the corporate environment, and through encouragements from brothers and sisters in Christ, I have seen a slight maturation of understanding... and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to experience my real struggles and insecurities, only with the support of so many real people. But not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [Phillippians 3:12] Today's Sunday sermon also validated this challenge with much timeliness -- to dig through the illusory and temporal things of this world in search of the real... which is also lasting.

No doubt these reflections have been likely catalyzed by my preparations to relocate, and I realize the significance of the move is (finally) starting to hit me... I look forward to sharing my reflections before the time comes, and afterwards for those who wish to keep tabs on me ;). On the other hand, perhaps with age, maybe I'm just reflecting all over the place in too many abstract ways, haha.

Thanks for sharing in a truly fruitful year... to help me continually see God in so many ways. Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

FINAL DATE for Recital!

Sunday, September 10, 2006 3pm

Sorry for the switching... sigh.

On a good note, work has been very nice lately, allowing me to catch up with deliverables within reasonable control. I'm thankful for this slower summer period!

Sigh sigh sigh... I've been extremely conflicted lately about this recital date, and likely stemming from a lack of prep and a hasty move of the date the first time, I've been thinking about moving it again to September 10... which would have been better if I had just moved it there the first time. =p

Will keep you updated..

OK, I've been really lazy... so, here is my main thought coming back from Hawaii:

The most striking observation for many people (including myself) is that there are a lot of Asians in Hawaii. Although they're not all Chinese, walking around the city (non-tourist areas) does feel like walking around in First Markham Place.

Although there may be an "assumed look" of a Hawaiian, it's interesting to trace their ancestry because the history of the island is not extremely old. And, being volcanically formed islands, there are no indigenous peoples. Apparently, the first inhabitants may have come from the nearby Marquesas islands... but I don't know about the details tracing back. There are, however, many many Asians who settle there from all over (which is why whenever we're served at a restaurant, they assumed we were Japanese... I think because there are many Japanese tourists, but also many locals). A number of locals that we met were always mixed... Filipino and Chinese, or mix from Vietnam, etc... and so, maybe within these lifetimes, there may not be a "predominant race" in Hawaii.

Which led me to think... will heaven embody this aspect? From a humanistic point of view, the mixing of gene pools is a good thing. =p As cultures develop, with world travel, etc. there will be less and less pure peoples.

I mean, in Genesis 11, peoples were spread out as a result of their sin... as a result of the separation, peoples and nations developed... would heaven, with the defeat of sin, result in a merger of sorts? Hm...

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

September 3, 2006
Tyndale Seminary Chapel
25 Ballyconnor Court (Bayview / Steeles)

See link to invitation to the right!

Vacation...

You can read more details of our vacation on Ina's vacation blog.

It has been a very restful and sun-filled vacation -- a lot more sun than i would have liked, but oh well... that's why we come to Hawaii, i suppose! I kind of burned my legs, which is very very surprising because my legs don't easily tan at all. I need to compare the skin tone of my face before and after this trip. I'll be using my whitening mask often enough after I get back. =p

Ina and I are enjoying our last restful day in Honolulu before going to San Francisco / San Jose for a couple of days before returning back to Toronto. (Janey left yeserday evening.) We attended took the bus to church this morning at Kapahulu Bible Church (we searched for churches last night), a small congregation not too far away from our hotel. It was a nice and simple service, but very pleasantly refreshing to worship God (on land -- there was no service on the cruise) in his house. It's always a comforting reminder that Christ prepares a community for his believers (I've been trying to get through Cost of Discipleship), although his call to us and our response is an individual journey.

The main reflection of this trip is definitely the awesomeness of God's creation. Hawaii is an amazing chain of volcanic islands, and it's fascinating to learn about the geological and anthropological history of the now American state. The terrain of the islands is beautiful with mountains, valleys, and many varieties of plants and trees. It's amazing to realize that these islands were created via the lava flow of volcanoes... the lava which destroyed all life standing in its path on eruption was the mechanism for much new life. And the ground that is formed from this destructive lava is very rich in mineral content, providing noursihment for all the future life living on it. Amazing...

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Hopefully, now, I will be less busy. Sigh... been working way too much, and finally, it's time for a much needed vacation. ;)

Before I go, I'll follow up on a promise (quite a while ago) to blog about JEDP. [As an aside, I really do miss the Tyndale classes which were mentally, spiritually, and even emotionally stimulating. However, I'm thankful for the small opportunities here and there that allow me to do the same thing on an informal basis...]

You can easily read more into JEDP at Wikipedia. However, as a summary, as part of biblical research, there is a study called "documentary hypothesis". The Documentary Hypothesis studies how the Bible came into its final form, especially focusing on the Jewish Torah, also known as the Pentateuch of the Bible -- the first five books. Although the Pentateuch is generally attributed to the hand of Moses, the hypothesis proposes that there were four "root" sources: the Jahwist (J), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D) and the Priestly (P) sources. These four sources had their own writings and collections, and finally, some redactor (or, editor, but academically referred to "R") took pieces of each of J, E, D, and P, and put together what is known now as the Pentateuch.

Researchers have come up with this hypothesis as a result of different and unique styles that occur throughout the Pentateuch, most prominently through the words used to describe God (hence their names) and other foci for each of the four sources.

Anyway, I won't explain too much more... the documentary hypothesis isn't studied that much anymore -- it is more of a "modernist" approach starting during the mid-to-late 1800's. Whereas it is interesting to dig into the possible sources of each studied text, the more "postmodern" approaches take the Bible as a text as it is presented in its final form [what we generally do now]. Many older Bible commentaries will, however, go into the nuances of each JEDP source for each verse -- and that was what I was sifting through for my assignment on Exodus 1-15.

That's all!

So... other than getting some much needed rest from work, I hope the vacation does give rise to some reflection time; probably not difficult at all as we take in some views of God's amazing creation.

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Wow, my parents moved fast to buy air tickets... so I followed suit.

Drop dead date: October 1, 2006. One-way.

Can't believe how swamped we all still are...

Can't believe it's already mid-May... although *can* believe that I have not yet opened my CFA materials!

It has still been busy, although I'm glad that I've been generally in a good mood likely because I was able to make it out to Ultimate (although terribly late...) and because of the teams that I've been working with lately. Next fieldwork starts in two weeks... it all keeps on coming.

But thank God for carrying me through... I desperately need him... by His grace.

A verbal contract is still a contract, although, soon, I'll be bound within contract law by the "mailbox rule" anyway -- October 16, 2006. Countdown begins...

Actually, I was *going* to segue from my accounting / biblical interpretation post into finally explaining the change of my blog name!

Hm.. let's go back in time to May 29, 2002:

What *is* it about balance that we strive to achieve it? We (should?) strive to balance our diet, balance our time, balance our life. (Not to mention balance our chequebook; how fitting that I'm an accountant. =P)

OR, is it worth striving for at all? Does balance lead to mediocrity across the board and lack of excellence in any particular area?

I always thought it interesting that "balance" is such an oft-used word (or, maybe, just by me =p) mainly because we know that extremes are dangerous. I think the word merely expresses the recognition that we cannot *be* on any extreme -- the ideal position is *somewhere* in between extremes. [I'm not talking about black/white or right/wrong issues here...] So, the accounting illustration is another simple illustration of the pull between the two extremes...

Last term in Biblical Interpretation, the prof was developing a model for interpretation that recognizes the meanings that are inherent in the text (including the historicity of the text, original audience, etc. but also relating to the textual characteristics such as narratives, poetry, etc.) but the significance that we read as a reader. Therefore, the person sitting beside me could take away different things out of the text... of course, on the extreme, one can argue that the Bible could then have an infinite different definitions. Of course, that does not make sense (especially if we were to go into the realm of heresy), so that's where the role of the Holy Spirit comes into play.

As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit that has changed us such that we strive to be:
- God-fearing [one who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15)],
- Bible-believing [believe that the Bible is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16)], and
- faith-seeking-understanding [we do not believe in Christ because we gain a full understanding, rather, growth in our faith increases our understanding (Acts 17:11)] followers of Christ...

Therefore, as we truly seek to understand God's word, the Holy Spirit keeps us from going to extremes between being totally subjective and totally historical. You may call it a healthy tension, and this healthy tension is good because it keeps us from going to either extreme.

So, with this general, overall model, I draw parallels to all aspects of life, where we are faced with many opposing tensions that pull us on either side. So, with all tensions, we can be pulled more to one side at one moment, but then get pulled to the other... is that necessarily healthy? Recognizing that the tension is a dynamic one, we did see the challenge as finding a certain point of sustainability between the two -- that, to me, is a more precise articulation of what I was seeking to say back in 2002. So, for example, in terms of my sleeping patterns, what is my sustainable point? I can survive on five hours all week but then will "crash" on the weekend... that's not necessarily a sustainable point. =p I actually think I need 7 hours but haven't been able to figure how to implement that one yet. =p

Anyway, so, there's no *real* change in the name of my blog, just a more precise articulation of the dynamics of the process throughout life =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

I am (unfortunately) still going pretty strong but am happy to clear at least some items off of my plate. Of course, there is still enough left on there...

I seriously think that if it were not for Tyndale class this term, I would have had a nervous breakdown already due to stress from work! (Sigh..) I am very thankful for the class as it constantly encourages and challenges me to think about my faith and how I integrate it into my life, how I think about the world and the "order" of things -- and my place within it all. The course has been very enriching and stimulating; it has truly renewed me... and I am so very thankful for this. I was thinking back to a year or two ago, again at busy season, and remember feeling very stagnant and sluggish -- never really *thinking* about anything of substance... so this year has been an answered prayer.

I was trying to determine when I used to feel that way by reviewing my old blog entries... it's so funny to read about those select points over a period of a year or two in a few minutes! Now that I've been through two Tyndale courses, I cannot imagine what I used to do when I studied for those Certified Business Valuator courses and the CFA because I had/have zero passion for those studies. [On the other hand, I can't believe how busy I am now compared to when I used to have time to study for additional exams...]

But, I guess my overall point is, I am thankful that God has totally renewed my thinking and transformed my mind through the courses. I am thankful to be empassioned with these studies and to apply (or "appropriate": a-pro-pri-ehte) them into the rest of my life and share it with those around me. I'm not sure I can really go back to studying other business-related courses that I don't really care about [even though I already knew I did not have such passion before when I wrote those exams...]

I often say, "motivation is an interesting thing". Interesting because we often need and seek it, but don't know where to find it. How do some people have such a strong internal drive? Is it possible for external influences to trigger or stimulate our motivation? How do we "force" ourselves to be motivated to accomplish something which we do not care about?

Haha... so now, I'm debating if I want to study for CFA. =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

I'm alive! Praise God for carrying me through this busy season (it's my first really bad one) and I'm happy there is some end in sight (albeit likely just a temporary one.) I'm also happy I got to finish my assignment for Old Testament Theology, although only slightly late. It's been a rough week for many of my co-workers and I am truly blessed to share our burdens with a number of sisters in Christ at work. Through the struggles, it's been a very reflective week and I hope to post some of those thoughts later...

For now, I leave you with a "reading response" from class. It's a personal response of an article.. and I realize you have not read the article! But, I just see this response as an expression of how I see similarities between Accounting and Theology (or basically, the application of Christian principles) [sorry, it's long, but I *do* find it interesting =p]. I'll supplement if people don't understand...

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After having taken Biblical Interpretation (BIBL0501) at Tyndale last term, the majority of the discussions presented by Silva were not new for me. I thought his article very thoroughly and systematically presented the issues surrounding the development of biblical interpretation from the historical-critical method, to the autonomy of the text, and finally to the role of the reader.

I am going to continue my response by drawing parallels from Silva’s discussion to my area of expertise and vocation: the field of Accounting. I enjoy the study of accounting very much because I see a similar process to that of Theology; in Accounting, there is a pool of technical guidance akin to the “Bible” – generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In Canada, GAAP is mainly governed by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accounts (CICA) Handbook. When businesses perform transactions, accountants look to GAAP for guidance and interpret it to apply the principles in order to ultimately conclude on a numerical analysis. However, as technical and objective accounting may seem, I realize how subjective it can really be.

All advanced accounting students in University will take courses called “accounting theory” whereby the general framework of GAAP is laid out. There are two fundamental extremes: reliability – where a financial number is determined based on objective evidence, or relevance – the information value portrayed by that financial number. For example, when a company purchases or builds a building, they will pay an original cost, say, $1 million – this is a reliable figure, based on objective evidence (say, cash payment). After 10 years, the value of the building will decrease due to age or required repairs. What is the relevance of this figure? The building is hardly worth $1 million after 10 years of age. How should the company present this value on their financial statements? It would even be misleading to present the then-reliable figure of $1 million; this number is now not relevant. To get into some technical detail, the accounting industry has developed methods to approximate the decrease in value over time, for example, decreasing the value every year on a straight-line basis over the useful life (say, 20 years) of the building. After 10 years, we say the building is worth $500,000. Clearly, this is only an estimate – not very reliable – but it is more relevant.

The accounting industry, in conjunction with the world markets, has found a methodical medium between the two extremes by developing such methods to approximate relevant figures. Still, there are many areas of contention. Similar to the world of biblical interpretation, it is interesting to see how accounting principles have progressed over the past five years. Understandably, the world markets see the difficulties in producing purely relevant financial statements – there would be too much subjectivity and the result would be companies issuing financial statements that may be outrageously optimistic without basis. Unfortunately, the world of accounting does not have a Holy Spirit to keep the tension in check! But, an estimated “reliability” is not necessarily a better solution.

To go back to Silva’s article, he expresses my sentiments exactly on page 112 in discussing the progression towards reader-response theories, “To a practitioner of the historical method, it is simply shocking to hear that eisegesis may be a permissible – let alone the preferable! – way to approach the text.” To all Bible students, we must have heard countless times of the dangers of eisegesis. However, as I better understand the current environment, coupled with my understanding of relevance for readers of financial statements (would you invest in a company that only has their original costs on their financial statements?), it is clear that the purpose of a text is to effectively communicate an intelligible message that requires a response (pg. 121).

A quick post -- for once I am home relatively "early"!

Trying to really get into the richness of Exodus 1 to 15, the subject of our upcoming assignment. I'll see how fast I can write up this essay! Haha, meanwhile, I'm trying to drink of "God as the redeemer God"...

An aside on the mechanics of (Biblical) interpretation -- with reference to the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

All in all the movie was pretty true to the book, which is not *too* much a surprise as I'm sure it was quite a long journey for the producers to get the movie rights to begin with. Overall there were two things that I've wanted to blog about, ever since watching the movie way back when...

Whereas it was generally true to the book, the love of Aslan's sacrifice was only mentioned once -- and that in mockery by the white witch ["You call this.. love??"]. For those who do not know the story, I wonder if they understood the full impact of his sacrifice. For me, armed with a "pre-understanding" of the symbolic imageries, I found myself to be unexpectedly emotionally wrought, naturally drawing parallels with the extent of one man's own human and bodily sacrifice in the Passion of the Christ. Perhaps it was more effective that this was a children's movie portraying a brutal sacrifice of a noble lion -- which brought me down in worship.

The second item that I thought about was as a geeky student of biblical interpretation. BEWARE the dangers of interpretation by only looking at the level of the text (or, if you will, the "world of the text!) The white witch neglected to interpret the "world behind the text and her interpretation proved to be imcomplete, leading her to misapply, to her detriment! Aslan also did not forget the "world in front of the text as he understood the implications for himself!

Haha... anyway, back to the Bible commentary... and trying to determine whether I should consider the differences of JEDP. ;)

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

A peaceful comfort in the middle of client-service busy season...

Psalm 100.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Sigh... ok, i'm not a huge fan of "tests" but this is just... a conditioned dream? I don't know. =p

You Should Get a MD (Doctor of Medicine)

You're both compassionate and brilliant - a rare combination. You were born to be a doctor.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Maybe I'll get around to it after I do an M.Div... haha... right.

As a personal response...[see this]

On this topic, would it be a reasonable assumption that we (as participants in this discussion, even if just in thought) are using "judge" as synonymous to "rebuke", and that we are not using "judge" in the "Divine Judge" sense? [as in to clarify, that we are communicating with a communal belief that we know we are not to judge as God judges and will (ultimately) judge] -- rather than to discuss semantics of those words...

But another question is -- what does rebuke mean?

Checking "rebuke" in Strong's concordance...

In the Greek, occurrences of rebuke as "elegcho" in Greek [Strong's G1651] have been used as "rebuke", "reprove", "expose", "convict", or "fault". I find it extremely interesting that a modern dictionary for "reprove" indicates gentleness or with kind intent. Rebuke doesn't, on the other hand. It's interesting that this instance of rebuke appears practically always in the context of Christian teaching, discipleship, and mutual edification.

Even more interesting is that the occurrences of "epitimao" [Strong's G2008] in Greek is largely used as "rebuke" or "charged" -- and primarily by Jesus only. There were only two instances when the word was not associated with Jesus speaking, and that's when Jesus' disciples started rebuking the crowd when everyone wanted to bring their babies so that Jesus could touch them, and bless them [Mark 10:13 and Luke 18:15 -- same incidence in both gospels], and the second instance was one robber rebuking the other robber as they were being crucified by Jesus.

Clearly, in the Greek, there is a difference even in the single English translated term "rebuke", essentially as his position as the Judge. In any case, I don't think we're disputing this... it's just so interesting!

Anyway, perhaps we are segregating among components of questions, for example:

- are we questioning people's hearts in the act of rebuking others?
- are we discerning among acceptable and unacceptable communication styles; since, what we encounter as the one who is communicated to may feel a different response than originally intended...
- and with a realization of potential misunderstandings, should a rebuker realize an ineffectiveness that may come with a "thou shalt be this way" attitude (or at least, the perception of this attitude even if it's not there)?

On the question of grounds... I think the short answer is Ephesians 5:21 -- of mutual submission. Interestingly, Ephesians 5:21 in the NASB is a direct continuation (rather than a new sentence and hence thought) from the previous passage and thought (pericope), and the G1651 "rebuke" is used as "expose" in Ephesians 5:11 and 13. [It's another interesting discussion on the translator's interpretation of the placement of Ephesians 5:21. ; )]

But some other instances of G1651 rebuke are:
Titus 1:9 - refuting those who contradict sound doctrine
Titus 2:15 - The truth of the gospel / grace of God will reprove with authority.
Matthew 18:15 - showing a brother his fault
1 Timothy 5:20 - a public rebuke against sin -- as a deterrent for others

But I am reminded by recent discussions and by Pastor Daniel's sermon today... that we are all fallen and inadequate... made to be righteous, was tainted by sin, was made righteous again, and by the grace of God... He continues to make us righteous in sanctification. And as all of us, who are God-fearing, Bible-believing, and faith-seeking-understanding followers of Christ... we do need each other as we work out our faith.

Do we all have moral authority? Yes. Do we all need to submit to it? Yes as well! Will we get a more positive response if we're harsher or gentler? Depends on who you're talking to! Are people more responsive to gentle rebukes? Probably!

I like the translation of G1651 into "convict" because it reminds me that we're used as messengers of the Spirit. Ultimately, it is the Spirit that convicts us of our sin... and it is the Spirit that convicts us to approach people of sin. But this conviction to approach people would also convict ourselves.

Nice discussion topic -- to make me think -- even if I didn't necessarily answer anything... it is so amazing to study the Word of God. Thanks. =)

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.