text:
Heralds of the King
- Dennis E. Johnson Editor
- 2009 8 Sep
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from Heralds of the King by Joseph V. Novenson (Crossway).
Living with a Gap
Genesis 17:1-14
This message was first preached in Lexington Presbyterian Church in Lexington, SC, as a portion of a Genesis series. It so caught my own heart and mind that I have returned to it to "mine" the riches of the text again and again.
This message has since been delivered in various contexts and edited according to those with whom I would be studying the passage. Believing the issue of living with this gap between our condition and God's calling is an important and oft disregarded reality of Christian living, I have spoken on this topic to Christian educators, to graduates from theological institutions, to parents who are trying to be faithful in their role of discipling children, to student service providers in academic institutions from around the country, and to university students in various contexts. The responses to the sermon have been mixed, but Christians' identification with a gap and accompanying spiritual and personal ambiguities has been fairly consistent. Believers in Christ seem consciously or unconsciously beleaguered by a growing sense of the enormity of the gap in virtually every context within which we serve. This consistency has served as a bit of a test. I have found this true both within contexts sympathetic to the Reformed tradition and those quite cynical about it. The soul cries out for sovereign grace that the redeemed sinner knows he or she cannot live without, even when the intellect scoffs at its particularities.
I found in Edmund P. Clowney a model of the Christlikeness commanded in Genesis 17 both in his preaching content and in the life he lived, and this made listening to his lectures and sermons stunningly compelling. It was his pleasure in the Old Testament's wonderful disclosing of Christ that I found most compelling. I remember him taking a passage in which I saw little or nothing of my King; and then faithfully he opened it in a way consistent with the text, consistent with the larger story of the narrative, and consistent with all of Scripture—portraying Christ in such a way that I was at times breathless and unable to take notes in class or in worship when he was preaching. I remember going up to him one time after a lecture that had left the realms of academia and entered the glories of preaching. My notes literally degenerated from sentences and concepts connected with the progress of his exegesis, to simply writing, "Glory! Glory! Glory!" When I went up to Dr. Clowney, I simply said, "Please don't give us a test on the lecture today because I couldn't take notes. I was too busy worshiping in light of the Scripture." He simply smiled knowingly as if to say he, too, was equally blessed by the privilege of being taught by the Word of God that he had simply been permitted to expound before us.
I always sensed that Dr. Clowney saw himself as a privileged steward of the mysteries of God. He regularly seemed amazed that he too had been entrusted with the unspeakable glory of preaching, though he never felt worthy in himself to handle the Word of God. He modeled before me this posture: he knew he could not preach the Word without the help of grace through the Spirit's ministry. That overwhelming sense of privileged delight was evident in him and magnetic for me.
I suppose Dr. Clowney's love for the redemptive historic model of preaching is rather well known. But the man himself, whom such a vibrant grasp of truth produced, has perhaps influenced me more than the manner of exegesis and homiletics that he taught.
Dr. Clowney was simultaneously one of the most brilliant and gifted men I have ever known, and one of the most thoroughly unimpressed with himself. He was simply swept off his feet by the wonder of his Savior and his salvation, and the meeting of those realities in his life made him a theaterplace for God's glory. I have met few people like him. He walked like his Master because he walked with his Master and talked of his Master with little or no attention to himself. When I was still quite cynical about the particularities of Reformed theology, I remember thinking, If that man (meaning Ed Clowney) is what Reformed theology produces, then I want to understand it. I listened to others in the Reformed tradition and watched them and got the impression that Reformed theology fostered becoming a "brain on a stick." I listened to still other proponents of Reformed thinking and got the impression that to be "Reformed" was to become a warrior with a weapon, or that it was erudition plus scholarship plus obscurity, wed to formality, which produced eccentricity. In Dr. Edmund P. Clowney, I saw that God's truth more fully understood would make someone more fully like Christ as one more fully understood his Person and work in the wonder of the preached Word of God.
One experience of note has been memorable to me through the years of my privilege of opening the Word of God. I remember standing in front of Dr. Clowney in an early preaching class. When the sermon was over, he gently asked me, "Where was my Savior?" My memory has likely edited the experience significantly. But what followed seemed to be an interminable silence on my part and on the part of the rest of the students in the room. The reality of my having opened the Word of the Savior, designed to disclose the Savior, and having not spoken of the Savior settled on us all. I could only stammer and stutter, and Dr. Clowney very kindly removed the obvious agonizing pressure of conviction that was cutting me to the quick and politely asked to speak with me privately. He then quickly invited the next student to stand and preach, and the moment passed. But when I spoke with him privately, he pressed home the fact that I must never miss any occasion of preaching to proclaim the person of Jesus.
Often now when I enter a pulpit, I quietly ask, "Where is my Savior?"
I will be Ed Clowney's debtor for the first several billion years of eternity for having shown me much of what it means to be a pastor and a preacher who is truly in the Reformed tradition.
The Scripture: Genesis 17:1-141
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as a everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."
Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not bee circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."
The Sermon I was in India during one of the most stirring cross-cultural mission experiences I have ever known. While I was speaking in southern India to the General Conference of the St. Thomas Evangelical Church, the police arrived and vigorously opposed, in their native tongue, my preaching the gospel. Seeing that I was confused due to my linguistic ignorance, an Indian translator calmly explained to me that the police did not want me to continue. Fear immediately shot through me like electricity as I found myself confronted by official opposition to my carrying on ministry. Actually, "terror" seems a reasonable description of my emotional state. With that terror I sensed afresh the enormous gap between my spiritually fragile inner man and the remarkably high calling upon my life as Christ's servant. My fear and his calling seemed separated by an unimaginably huge chasm.
This hardly seemed an appropriate moment to discuss options, but I awkwardly sought counsel from an Indian Christian near me.
"What should I do?" I stammered.
He calmly counseled me in great contrast to my obvious abject terror. In a very matter-of-fact manner, he indicated that his Bible had a few verses in it that said to keep preaching when people told us to stop. Then, in the same matter-of-fact tone, he inquired whether or not those verses were in my Bible as well.
Needless to say, his gentle rebuke to my fear hit me like a brick bat across the bridge of my nose, and I began to cry. I realized, in my fear, that I was now standing where, for thousands of years, my forefathers and foremothers had stood when the authorities ordered them not to preach God's truth. This brief mental connection with
Christian history heightened my sense of the gap between my horribly fearful and weak condition and God's incredibly high calling upon my life.
Now it was my turn to stand! Me? No, it couldn't be! It was almost overwhelming. I began a familiar and vigorous internal argument with myself, and all within seconds:
"Who are you to preach in a place like this? You're afraid to preach when you are told to stop . . . but you just can't give up. . . . Who are you to be a representative of Jesus to these brothers and sisters in India?"
"I can't do this! I need to stop! But I can't! I simply can't!"
"You bet you can't! What will people think?"
"Who cares, I don't want to go to jail."
"But what about trusting God?"
The gap I was sensing seemed almost to drip from my pores like perspiration. Surely, it was sadly obvious to my Indian brothers and sisters that all I had within me was a frightened, self-absorbed, broken little heart.
Apply my experience to us all because I believe my time in India merely illustrates a foundational and critical question that must be asked by all Christians: how can the living God advance his kingdom through weak and shattered little people like me and like you? Putting it another way: what possible resources does God impart to his church in order that his way and his wonder may advance, despite all the human frailty and failure so obviously present in us, even after we're redeemed?
A vulnerable acknowledgement of one's own sense of the enormity of the gap between our human condition and God's calling raises just such questions. However, it seems, at least to me, that we Christians avoid these questions by committing two errors.
First, we dodge the gap between God's high call and our frailty through false humility. We hide behind what is understood or portrayed as humility when we describe our condition as "far too broken and so terribly weak" and "too foolish or simple" to even enter into any courageous ministry, mercy, sacrifice, or evangelism. Certainly we could not serve believers and unbelievers so radically as to change the world. We imply or plainly state our excuse: "I am just too spiritually immature."
Frankly, this has less to do with humility than it does with lack of faith. It may, actually, have its root in unbelief in who God is and what God provides. But this error is so common that it has become accepted and even seen as respectable!
A second error of those of us who are already redeemed is a naiveté about sin. The seriousness of one's tragically fallen condition simply underestimated. When we commit this error as followers of Christ, we actually rely on our own hustle and human effort to live as God's people for long enough and in large enough numbers that we can ignore or demean others' dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit as "unreformed" or "mystical." Such a Christian experience is lived by a kind of teeth-gritting effort for as long as we can keep it up, until eventually we collapse in on ourselves. Functioning for days, weeks, months, or years as if we could possibly accomplish the calling that God has given us without his glorious intrusive grace, we busy ourselves with spiritual activity until the powerless exhaustion from overwork crushes us, our mates, and our families or colleagues. Moral and personal chaos often ensues.
The question looms before us again: how does God advance his kingdom with people as broken as we are, who serve him day in and day out? How does he advance his glorious work through sinners like us, redeemed yet so obviously flawed?
The answer is found in Genesis 17:1-14. There the gap is clearly portrayed, and God's provision for advancing his kingdom is even more gloriously declared. Moses places these two issues in stark contrast.
The Gap Portrayed
To see the gap portrayed, note that Genesis 16 closes with the "father of Israel," "the father of the faithful," Abraham himself, committing an illegitimate act built upon illegitimate thinking because of the acceptance of illegitimate cultural norms that have given rise to an illegitimate relationship that produces an illegitimate son. And all of this is to actually attempt to "do" God's will in accord with God's covenant. One might expect Genesis 17 to begin with God saying, "Are you kidding? Who do you think you are? You're fired! You betrayed me."
Instead, the calling of God on Abraham is freshly declared in Genesis 17. It is stunning because it seems that Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, intentionally presented God's call to contrast with chapter 16. As one chapter ends with such sad and sinful circumstances, the next begins with a glorious calling. The thirteen year gap between chapters 16 and 17 certainly did not cause God to forget that Abraham had sought to accomplish the will of God by basically sleeping with the kitchen help, if I may be blunt. Still, God commands him and entrusts him with the responsibility of covenant headship for the people of God. How can this be? How can a holy God use such a twisted servant and call him to such a high and holy task? The answer is found in four things that God provides to advance his kingdom despite the disservice of Abraham.
- God provides peerless power to advance his cause.
- God provides peerless transformation to perfect his servants.
- God gives the always-transforming servant a universal and eternal purpose
- God provides a gospel-centered sign to keep the cross and the King vivid in our hearts and minds.
Genesis 17 is arguably the hinge pin of all ministry, for it is quoted ten times in the book of Hebrews, eight times in the book of Galatians, eight times in the book of Romans, and it is a main focus in Peter's sermon at Pentecost. Stephen even brings it up just prior to being stoned to death. Since it is a theological and missiological hinge pin upon which much of redemptive history turns, it should not be surprising that its application is not only for that one moment of time when Abraham walked the earth. It timelessly applies to the advance of God's kingdom itself in and through the lives of all followers of the living God for all time.
Before we examine God's four provisions in Genesis 17, we should note that for Abraham it has been over twenty years since God promised that Abram and Sarai would have a child. The delay itself must have been difficult. Don't we find God's delays enough grounds for our sinful selective disobedience, accompanied by our assumed impunity from guilt? We say "God, you just are never on time! So I'm going on a little 'vacation' from obedience!" And we do so only because our schedule is different from God's.
Also, Abraham is no longer a young man. He was over 86 years of age as chapter 16 came to a close. Again, don't we rationalize regular extended "vacations" from passionate obedience by assuming, in our spiritual weariness, that our past faithfulness has "earned" our right to coast for a little while, drop our guard, and just barely comply with God's commands? None of this is said to excuse Abraham, but it may cast light on some of the choices that he made. You and I have more in common with him than either he or we would want to admit.
Ask yourself whether the pressures that are upon you have heightened your own awareness of the gap between your human condition and God's calling, and thereby increased your desire to cry out for God's provision. Or, on the contrary, do you increase your accusing of the Lord, implying that your circumstances are really God's own fault and failure? Perhaps you, like me, are never quite so ruthlessly direct with the King about your rationalized sin. Still, search yourself and ask, "What pressures are there to which I yield and then rationalize disobedience and distorted thinking?"
God's Kingdom Plan Revealed
Now let's examine God's provision for advancing his kingdom through people like us, despite our deep corruption.
God Provides Peerless Power to Advance His Cause
Moses introduces the covenant with God's words, "I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers" (Gen. 17:2). Abram then responds in verse 3 by falling face down. God then says to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you . . ."
God follows that statement with a series of twelve affirmative and definitive statements: "I will, so . . . you will . . ." again and again! There could well be an exclamation point after each declaration of God's promised power.
The sheer repetition is like a rhetorical jackhammer blasting away upon the hardened, self-reliant heart previously shown by Abraham and evident in all humanity. Although God makes the positive statement, "I will, so . . . you will . . .," twelve times, God could just as well have said it negatively, "You can't, you won't, you shouldn't, and you wouldn't." This is a declaration of sovereignty and a clear affirmation of God's utter power. It also makes me think of a baseball outfielder waving off the teammate soon to collide with him as both reach for the pop fly, repeating a cry in the outfield heard even in the stands; "I got it! I got it! Mine! Mine!" God is saying exactly that to Abraham: "I got it! I got it!" He waves Abraham and you off! Did you hear him? Did you? Or are you still trying to make the catch on your own? Do you feel the chest-heaving exhaustion beginning to cripple your self-centered effort?
Let's apply this more expansively from beyond the text. A quick summary of Scripture reveals that God often discloses the immensity of his peerless power for the sinners whom he has redeemed at the very moment that their corresponding poverty of human ability is most evident. Still, sadly, we choose self reliance and hustle! Yet God seems to time the disclosure of his provided power just in the nick of time.
One example of this paradox may be found as Stephen is about to be stoned in Acts 7. As the soon-to-be martyr nears the moment of unimaginable pain at the hands of unjust treatment, God tears open heaven and gives him a vision of heaven's courtroom with Stephen's Lord rising to his defense, to sustain his faith as he is crushed in utter weakness beneath stones thrown viciously by a crowd gone wild with rage. God tilts Stephen's chin up as if to make him look at the real and final courtroom, the right and accurate judgment, and the righteous and truly powerful Judge rising in his behalf, lest he languish in a foolishly narrow view of life in all its horrible fallenness. God calls Stephen, like Abraham, to behold his peerless power in the midst of human sin.
Similarly, John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John, Jesus' closest disciples, are the only four people in the New Testament to sensibly experience the Trinity. John the Baptist encounters each person of the Trinity at the baptism of Jesus. He sees the Son standing before him and beholds the descending dove, the theophanic appearance of the Holy Spirit, as he hears the Father's voice: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Then, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John likewise experience the Trinity. The Old Testament manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the shekinah glory-cloud, the pillar of fire and smoke, encompasses Jesus, the Son, who stands before them. And the Father speaks once again, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" Note that each of these men—John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John—would face their utter weakness and poverty as they were all horribly persecuted for their faith and (with the exception of John the Apostle) eventually martyred.
Think of it! John the Baptist would have his head removed for the maniacal pleasure of Herod. Understandably, John the Baptist would send to Jesus from his prison cell the question, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Luke 7:20). Surely his weakness loomed before him as he sent messengers to put such an inquiry before the Son of God!
James would be the first apostle to lay down his life for Jesus (Acts 12:2). History and legend admittedly combine, but it seems verified that later Peter was horribly martyred under Nero's reign. All three of the apostles closest to Jesus would face the end of their lives in a hurricane force gale of injustice and physical and relational pain. Surely, they looked dead in the eyes at the depths of their human frailty. But the Triune God also reveals himself to them in glory, so each one is given a peerless vision of God in all his Trinitarian power and wonder. I suggest we find here this principle: God advances his kingdom with weak servants by graciously disclosing his peerless power to sustain, keep, and move them.
To illustrate the principle, think of the protective equipment worn by gymnasts as they practice floor exercises. Athletes must throw the weight of their body in rapid succession, flipping into cartwheels and handsprings and vaults. Without a securely worn protective harness and pulley system held by trained spotters, by which the gymnast can be lifted into the safety of mid-air should he or she fail in the exercise, practicing such events could literally result in serious injury or death. I know because I remember my brief high school participation in gymnastics. After months of practice, I was told by my gymnastics coach, Coach Cunningham, that we all had "graduated from" the safety harness and now would have to begin to practice floor exercise without it. Of course that's the goal for a gymnast. But not me! The next day when gymnastics practice took place, I was definitely absent! I never went back again! You see, I knew that without the harness I would hurt myself, so I never returned. As the saying goes, "My mama didn't raise no dummy!" I didn't want to die! I had to have protective power or my courage to take risks would be gone!
Genesis 17 is God's promise to Abraham that he would never, ever remove the harness. God says to his broken servants like Abraham and all of us, "I will . . . I will . . . I will!" How much more spiritual courage, sacrificial risk, committed obedience, profound and vulnerable repentance would mark us if we actually applied such a promise of provision of peerless, kingdom advancing power? I think we'd shock ourselves and the watching world if we were "practicing Calvinists"! We are all "closet Arminians"! People like me, sympathetic to the Reformed position, are so often articulate in describing our position; but we fail in our application of its implications. My friends in India, of whom I spoke earlier, taught me that God's sovereignty ought to make me look a lot more like Mother Teresa in lifestyle choices. If I believed, really believed, that God never removes his harness, I believe I would be much more "conformed to the likeness of" Jesus himself (Rom. 8:29).
God Provides Peerless Transformation to Perfect His Servants
God transforms his people first in their person and then in their purpose.
Genesis 17:1, God's covenant disclosure, begins with a command, preceded by a weighty self-identification by God: "I am God Almighty; walk before me2 and be blameless."3
This is a command for peerless transformation. "Blameless" is the English translation in the NIV for tamim in Hebrew. Variously translated elsewhere "whole, complete, finished, not missing any essentials," this is a startling command. How can God give such a command to a man who for many previous years has shown himself to be anything but "tamim"—anything but blameless, whole, and complete? In fact, Abraham has shown himself to be personally and repeatedly missing faith, integrity, courage, consistency, and obedience.
God shows his answer to this problem in several ways.
First, Abraham has been commanded by one who has just identified himself as "God Almighty." Let's paraphrase God's opening words: "Because I am who I am, all powerful, I command of you to do what you cannot do and to be what you cannot be. For I can and I will give to you that which you do not have so you will be tamim. You will be tamim because I command it."
This can be likened to Jesus commanding Lazarus to "come forth" from the tomb, though Lazarus had been dead for days. Abraham has spiritual death oozing from almost every choice he's made. His middle name, spiritually speaking, is often "Rigormortis." He is and ever will be "anti-tamim". . . unless Someone else has the ability to transform his person, to make him what he cannot be in himself.
This is where the gospel floods him with grace. The apostle Paul addresses this very issue and uses Abraham as his primary illustration when he argues for imputed righteousness provided by Almighty God, who is absolutely just and the perfect justifier when he leaves "sins committed beforehand" by people like Abraham "unpunished" and finally punishes Jesus fully for them in the atoning death of Calvary:
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. (Rom. 3:21-27) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (Rom. 4:1-3)
Paul says it explicitly, though not using tamim, when he writes that Abraham was "credited" with righteousness—that is, accounted as tamim—by God Almighty. Without the gospel, God's command to Abraham is an utter impossibility for a wretch like him—or you, or me. In fact, any command without gospel-given grace can never, ever be kept by a sinner, even a redeemed one.
Think about the grand plan of God in Eden. Pre-fall humans were designed to obey in the context and condition of perfect tamim with God. We have lost that "completeness" due to sin. But in Christ and in Christ alone, Abraham and you are given tamim. Through grace imputed to you once-for-all by the Father and through grace infused by the Spirit, you can and finally do love truth and actually start to want to sacrifice, and even sense a beginning growth toward real honor. We develop yieldedness and surrender to God's kingdom cause, and all because of that imputed righteousness and the infused grace that follows from it. Soon, we find ourselves not merely admiring William Wilberforce, or Amy Carmichael, or John Paton, or Mother Teresa. We yearn with tearful passion to be like them.
I remember Professor John Frame looking me in the eyes at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia and saying to this young idealistic student, "You want to study Francis Schaeffer. But I want to help make you into another one like him." As God imputes tamim to Abraham and us, the Spirit infuses tamim into us; and then, as Mr. Frame hoped, we are transformed. Unfortunately, this hope of Mr. Frame's is far from being realized in me, but that's not the point. God can do so if he pleases, and will do so in the end! That is the point!
That brings us to the second dimension of tamim: God transforms our purpose.
Genesis 17:5 reads, "No longer will you be called Abram [great father], your name will be Abraham [father of many nations]. . . ."4
Then God speaks of all Abraham's "descendants" and all the "generations" and all those "born in your household or bought with your money." His purpose is parental and familial, not unlike the purpose given to Adam in the garden before the fall into sin.
It is also reminiscent of Genesis 15:5, which reads, "He [God] took him outside and said, 'Look at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. . . . So shall your offspring be.'" Abraham would now be re-defined by the sort of impact he would have upon others. Abraham was being told that he would reassume the responsibility imparted to Adam to be a blessing to the world by filling it with "God lovers." Hence in Genesis 12:2 God says, "You will be a blessing."
In essence, Abraham is being told he is no longer a "guest" on God's planet but joins God's great mission to advance his kingdom, and hence becomes a "host." Abraham, like Jesus himself, is not here to be served but to serve and to give his life for many. God is utterly redefining the Middle Eastern bedouin named Abram to make him a servant for the accomplishment of God's kingdom purposes. His name will be "Abraham." Five times he is told to be and to see himself as the "father of many nations."
One might conclude the name change of Abram to "father of many nations" is a purely metaphoric adjustment of title and has no reference to any God-intended methodological approach to ministry that would be clearly familial, loving, and warm. But that position disregards the weight of redemptive history, which, when read as context for this name change, seems clearly to teach a rich, warm, and robust familial approach to all ministry associated with Abraham's descendants.4 So let's first examine a redemptive historic sketch of the familial fabric of God's kingdom advancement. Then, we'll apply its implications.
Redemptive Historic Summary on the Familial Character of God's Kingdom Program.
Even before creation the Triune God, who would create image bearers called humans, already had an "eternal familial quality" as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as he would later reveal himself in the Bible. Familial relating, communicating, and loving within the Trinity precede creation, and in fact cause creation. If, then, God ever takes his name "father" and gives it to someone else, how important might you reckon that to be?
At creation Genesis begins with a family, Adam and Eve, commanding them to love, in order to fill the earth with God lovers as the Triune God's image bearers. They will be physically "one" as their God is mysteriously and perfectly one, and children born from their union will love God and fill the earth . . . if sin and death have not intervened.
As history progresses the repeated genealogies of the Torah show the importance of family structure, naming in detail a host of otherwise unknown individuals. Noah is given the same familial command previously given to Adam and Eve. Now Noah hears it post-flood. He is to repopulate the world with God lovers in a familial way.
Within our study of Genesis 17, Abraham's name is indicative of a familial fabric of this new kingdom, for he is not named "leader of many nations" nor "pastor of many nations." He is not called "prophet, priest, or king of many nations," as important as these titles are. Abraham's title is not ecclesiastical, civil, governmental, or professional. It is clearly familial.
The covenants God makes with his people progress through family ties from Abraham, to Isaac, then on to Jacob and his sons, and to the tribes and clans that they father. Joseph rescues his brothers in familial faithfulness and affection, despite their bizarre familial trespass against him. Moses is commanded to arrange the tent city of nomadic Israel in the wilderness by tribes, which are merely big families. Joshua enters the land and divides it up familially according to tribes. The family theme continues in the Psalms and the Prophets:
Psalm 68:4-6 reads: "His name is the LORD. . . . A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows. . . . God sets the lonely in families. . . ." Isaiah 66:13 records God's poignant reassurance to errant Israel: "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. . . ." Hosea the prophet points us to God's familial way of redeeming a people at great personal loss, even when the one whom Hosea loves is reprehensible, like the Lord's wandering wife, Israel.
In the New Testament Jesus is revealed to us as our "older brother" and the "first born among many brothers," who is not ashamed to call us "brothers" and who makes us "co-heirs with him" by "adoption" into a "new family." He will conclude his redemptive restorative work with a familial "wedding feast" to which we are invited and for which we are being prepared as a "bride." James records in his epistle that true religion is "to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27). True religion has a familial focus to restore broken families.
Officers in the New Testament church are required not so much to pass certain seminary courses, but rather to love and care for their families (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1). Jesus prays that the Trinitarian familial love among the persons of the Godhead, specifically between the Father and the Son, would be experientially normative among us, so we are to be as Jesus prayed: "one, Father, as you are in me and I am in you. . . . May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:21-23). Jesus wants the love the Father has for the Son to be in us (v. 26).
Paul says it perhaps most directly as he connects God's familial care to ours in Ephesians 5:1-2: "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. . . ."
Now, let's apply. The sheer weight of redemptive historic momentum shown in this brief summary casts light on Abraham's new name by giving context from a much larger picture. We simply must conclude that God is saying, "My kingdom will advance with familial treatment of people within and even outside the covenant community." Cold, sterile, professional, antiseptic, task focused, relationally distant, personally unconcerned ministry practice is inherently forbidden and contradicts the very personality of the Triune God!
This kingdom is to pulse with familial affection, sacrifice, and relational involvement that should find no human cultural peer at any point in history, nor in any place on planet Earth. There is to be only one community where creatures can love like the Creator: the kingdom of God.
Unreconciled, bitter, or faction-filled believers do nothing less than lie about the King and his kingdom before they've said a word! More pointedly, our relational dissonance or distance models heresy, though our words may be utterly orthodox.
Dr. Cornelius Van Til once stated in a lecture I attended at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, "All truth is the externalization of the personality of the Trinity." I was so struck by those words that I could not take notes for the remainder of the class. His brilliant presuppositional statement is reflected in the renaming of Abraham. God, who is the Father, is renaming a father to carry out his kingdom family agenda in a familial way because every family reflects the parent. This "family" has no less than God himself as our Father. Glory be to God on high! How dare we act in contradiction to his character and think it acceptable?
Time and time again this familial approach for world transformation is magnified in the Word of God. This is exemplified by the apostle Paul in Romans 9:3 as he calls the unbelieving race of Israel, to which he is seeking to proclaim the gospel, his "brothers." Paul says, "I wish that I myself were cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race." The apostle does not use this word "brothers" loosely. He appears to be adopting the familial approach to world transformation delineated in the Abrahamic covenant and applying it even to some people who want to kill him. Simply put, Paul is implying with this language that, if there is not a deep and abiding love for those served in mission, then we are not doing ministry in accord with the prescription laid out before Abraham by the living God in Genesis 17.
The apostle Paul again exemplifies this kind of familial care for his flock when he describes himself in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8: "We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." He is even more pointedly familial in verse 17, when he writes about the separation from Thessalonica as follows: "But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you." The words "torn away" are a translation of one word, aporphaniz . At its heart is the Greek word orphan, which is the source of our English word for a child who has lost parents. It calls to mind the media pictures of parents being separated from a child by some unjust court order requiring that the child be wrenched from his loving parents' hands while they reach yearningly for the child, screaming over the separation. This is the picture Paul paints of leaving the Thessalonian church. So God advances his kingdom with people who have been designed to address the world with a familial-like love that has no peer.
Puritan history exemplifies this familial approach to ministry. In the 1780 collection of the letters from John Newton originally entitled Voice of the Heart: Cardiphonia, there is a biographical sketch in which the Rev. R. Cecil frankly assesses Newman's weaknesses as a preacher:
With respect to his ministry, he appeared, perhaps, to least advantage in the pulpit, as he did not generally aim at accuracy in the composition of his sermons, nor at any address in the delivery of them. His utterance was far from clear, and his attitude ungraceful.5
Newman's biographer is quick to add, however:
He possessed, however, so much affection for his people, and zeal for their best interests, that the defect of his manner was of little consideration with his constant hearers. At the same time, his capacity, and habit of entering into their trials and experience, gave the highest interest to his ministry among them. . . . The parent-like tenderness and affection which accompanied his instruction made them prefer him to preachers who, on other accounts, were much more generally popular. . . . His ministerial visits were exemplary. I do not recollect one, though favored with many, in which his general information and lively genius did not communicate instruction, and his affectionate and condescending sympathy did not leave comfort."6
In other words, John Newton ministered in a familial way to his flock. John Newton himself commented on his manner of gently and lovingly ministering to people even from the pulpit, relative to his peers: "Perhaps it is better to feed our people like chickens, a little and often, than to cram them like turkeys, till they cannot hold one gobbet more."7
How this approach might well temper our pulpits and blogs and lectures as we expound and apply the Word of God in the Father's church! The familial purpose should be evident in all we do!
O Jesus, forgive our antiseptic professionalism and scholastic sterility!
God Gives the Always-Transforming Servant a Universal and Eternal Purpose Abraham is not only redefined by his impact on others and commanded to do so in a familial way; he is to do so without accepting any cultural, racial, linguistic, or social barrier whatsoever. The impact that God's kingdom advance is to have upon the world is universal. It is in the DNA of God's kingdom people to be omnicultural.
In Genesis 17:4, we read that Abraham is to be "the father of many nations." This is repeated in verse 6, where he is told, "I will make nations of you." Hence, he is to be ministering in a multicultural manner, to say the very least. But in Genesis 12:3 God told Abraham, "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." We see Abraham's calling as not only multicultural, but it is omnicultural. For Abraham to live in a parochial, self-absorbed, monocultural manner would betray the transforming work of God's advancing kingdom. Every human and sin-made barrier must fall before God's advancing kingdom. Babel's dispersal will be undone by God's grand reversal.
This means that the late missiology professor of Westminster Seminary, Dr. Harvey Conn, was right when he said, "The kingdom of God is not uniform, but unified." Cults are uniform, but the kingdom is unified. This multinational view is so prominent, that when God speaks in Genesis 25:23 about the children inside of the beloved Rebekah's womb, he does not say there are two children within her. He says, "Two nations are in your womb."
This omnicultural ministry, empowered by God, is also eternal. Genesis 17:7 calls this promise of such empowering grace from God to love and serve every nation "an everlasting covenant." Verse 8 promises "everlasting" placement on the earth. Verse 13 identifies the sign of this promise as "everlasting." There is therefore, no "plan," no exceptions, no options or alternatives . . . now or ever.
What a privilege! What an honor it is to be placed into the longest standing, most multilingual, multinational, multiracial, multicultural organization in the history of the cosmos, the kingdom of God! This kingdom will be among God's tools to heal the cosmos, and you and I are placed in it! This alone should thrill us and motivate us by glorious privilege to passionate obedience and service.
This provision of God means that the slightest hint of racism is hereby condemned as abject heresy among God's people. Monocultural or single race supremacy of any kind is an aberration. Cultural elitism is a contradiction of our kingdom calling, both then and now, because God's people are to participate in a kingdom that is universal, and this intent of God is eternal.
When God's people have been gripped by this thrust of God's advancing kingdom, they have often been lonely voices among the overt and covert cultural racists of their moment in history. In the 1800s the Scottish Presbyterian missionary, John G. Paton, exemplified this commitment to God's omnicultural kingdom, standing all but alone amidst the culturally self-impressed of his age. As he both went to and returned from the ministry to the New Hebrides and their cannibalistic cultures, he received mixed response and even rejection among his own race and denomination for his care for "brutes." When he traveled to Australia for prayer support and fund-raising, he found church members who doubted that aboriginal tribes' people even had souls. Thankfully, in a visit to England he would find a Baptist brother and sister named Reverend and Mrs. Charles H. Spurgeon, who would support him when some closer to him in theological persuasion would not!8
Reverend Paton wrote:
A book once fell into my hands, entitled, "Sermons on Public Subjects," by Charles Kingsley. I knew him to be a man greatly gifted and greatly beloved; and hence my positive distress on reading from the eighth sermon, page 234, "On the Fall," the following awful words: "The Black People of Australia, exactly the same race as the African Negro, cannot take in the Gospel. . . . All attempts to bring them to a knowledge of the true God have as yet failed utterly. . . . Poor brutes in human shape . . . they must perish off the face of the earth like brute beasts." I will not blame this great preacher for boldly uttering and publishing what multitudes of others show by their conduct that they believe, but dare not say so.9
Paton ministered in utter contrast to these prejudices in such passion and in such deep commitment to the universal nature of God's kingdom advancement that when he left Australia he could write:
At my farewell meeting in Melbourne, Sir Henry Barkley presiding, I pleaded that the Colony should put forth greater efforts to give the Gospel to the Aborigines: I showed the idols which I had discovered amongst them; I read Nora's letters; and I may, without presumptions, say, the "brute-in-human-shape" theory has been pretty effectually buried ever since.10
May Paton's confidence be found true of us. Would that we were changed by the Abrahamic covenant and never saw another human as a "brute-in-human-shape"!
Social statisticians estimate that the North American Anglo citizens will be the racial minority within twenty to fifty years, conservatively speaking. God is bringing the nations to North America. The sovereign placement of God's people in an omnicultural kingdom ought to thrill us with the prospect of our cities, our neighborhoods, and our churches going through cultural shifts. As Christians, we should be the first at the door to welcome our neighbors who look, dress, speak, and act so differently from us. We should be the first to flex, serve, respect, welcome, and "love our neighbors as ourselves," like a family.
However, with all that God has provided, outlined thus far in Genesis 17, we often fail miserably. We live frightened, self-absorbed, culturally sequestered little (very little) lives. We do not live "large," which seems to be the call of the Abrahamic covenant!
"God, I'm a failure! God, we are failures! Help me!"
He does! He does! He does help us!
God Provides a Gospel-Centered Sign to Keep the Cross and the King Vivid in Our Hearts and Minds As a groom places a "sign of covenant" and love on his bride's finger, so God gives a gospel-driven, christocentric sign to remind his bride that he will pay the price necessary for all of her failings, her sins, her false starts and inexcusable stops. Hence he commands circumcision as the sign of the covenant. The text reads in Genesis 17:9, "As for you, you must keep my covenant. . . ." 11 Then verses 10 and 11, "This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you."
How stunning this is when you see it in context! After twelve "I will . . . you will" statements, God's primary requirement of Abraham is to bear the sign of God's faithfulness to the covenant, not Abraham's faithfulness. His role is to point himself and his family and everyone in the kingdom to the covenant faithfulness of God. His role is to bear the sign that points away from his ability and toward God's ability to deal somehow with our sin. Abraham knew of this dealing with sin in such a limited way, through the foreshadowing that he glimpsed in the sign of circumcision. You and I, however, know of this so much better, for we know the truths of salvation to which the sign points.
But for now, note that this sign places Abraham in a position much like the transportation department worker who stands on a road under repair, holding a sign that points away from the workers as they wave drivers off, a sign that points to where drivers should direct their attention. Abraham similarly is to direct attention away from humans to God's faithfulness. What's the direction of your life's signage? Do you attract people's attention to you or to Jesus? Do you take center stage in your ministry, or do you gladly step aside as God's power is seen elsewhere: in other people, in other elders, in other staff? Your ministry and life point somewhere! Dare to ask yourself, "To whom does my life point?"
The sign itself is shocking!12 I think we must admit it. Though culturally common then, still circumcision is stunning. I suspect that I might have responded to God by saying, "What! Did you say that the sign of the covenant is circumcision? Excuse me, but that seems a bit strange. Perhaps I can understand that you want to remind me that there will be no forgiveness for my sins without the shedding of blood, but please prick my finger or my ear lobe or perhaps my heel. Why such a sign? Why there? This is a bit odd!"
No, on the contrary: rather than odd, it is supremely brilliant and pointedly vivid!
To explain this, we must refer to Colossians 2:11 and the following verses that identify the cross of Jesus Christ as "a circumcision [not] done by the hands of men." So, connect the dots! We infer that God is saying in Genesis 17 by this sign that no God-ordered ministry will be done, or can be done, without remembering the cross. He seems to be telling us:
- We must remember the cross so vividly . . . it is even scarred into the flesh. The law was merely nailed to doorposts or woven into hair and head garments.13 But the gospel is "cut" deeply into our person.
- We must remember the cross in a place (the location of the sign) in which we will not often think of spirituality and theology and truth and God.
- During our moments of sexual intimacy with our spouse, we should even be mindful of the cross.
- We must remember the cross at the moment a child is conceived.
- We must remember the cross every time we change a diaper.
- We must be "cross-eyed" as we look at all children and every marriage and experience of human love and physical intimacy and passionate sexuality and family.
- Basically, we should only be able to look at all of life "crosseyed."
I have personally evaluated my grasp of God's intent with this sign by asking all three of my children, who are now grown, to leave the room on one evening during family devotions when they were quite young. I invited them back into the room one at a time so none of them could hear their siblings as I asked them a single question; "What is the most important truth that I have taught you as your father?" My eldest son said to me, "Always do the right thing!" My younger son said, "Always keep the rules and do your best." But my youngest child, my daughter, then in preschool, simply said, "Jesus loves me." I looked at my wife and said in sorrow, "Great! I've raised two Pharisees and one Christian." Although in many ways that is an oversimplification, there is great truth in it. It is an oversimplification because all three of my children have become believers in Jesus Christ. Thanks be to the Sovereign King of grace and glory!
But the truth of this statement is measured by this: The emphasis in raising my first two children was far more upon our rule-keeping than upon the Savior reigning. It was far more upon obedience than it was upon delight in a sovereign, electing salvation. It was far more upon externals than it was upon internals. It was far more upon acting so that I would respond to them favorably than on their believing so that faith would immensely deepen them in obedience. It took me three children before I became more faithful to God's covenant and its sign in the way that I saw family and marriage and parenting. How about you, Dad or Mom? Are you "cross-eyed"?
Failures like us are called and commissioned because the cross is sufficient. Remember! Remember! That's the reason for this sign. God will advance his kingdom as the gospel is made clear for the forgiveness of sins to the sinner and the magnification of Christ's work is made vivid to the broken. We are to constantly think of the perfection of saints by imputed righteousness, or we'll give up. Even in physical places where most folks don't consider Christ at all. We must remember the gospel! Then the self-reliant human heart will beat out a rhythm that stops being utterly contradictory to sovereign, electing grace. That's what circumcision was to teach. If we as failed servants are covered by grace, we should be the biggest, fastest, deepest repenters the world has ever seen.
There is peerless privilege to be savored by us who have been so graciously rescued, when these ways of God's advancing his kingdom are graciously given us. It is much like purchasing tickets for your very favorite musical performance with a favorite artist. Perhaps it is a classic, Celtic, folk, jazz, or bluegrass concert. No matter. You have invested a significant amount of money, and you're still only in the "nosebleed seats" in the third balcony. Imagine, for the sake of illustration, in the midst of the concert, the performer you so enjoy and have finally come to see in person addresses the audience just before the intermission with the following words: "Is the following person here?" and then the artist says your name. Just imagine the shock and even terror that might course through your heart and mind, having heard your name coming from his or her lips in that massive auditorium. This would probably be paralyzing. But then imagine that the performer whom you so deeply love and profoundly respect says the following: "I know you're here. I know you bought a ticket. I made sure you got that ticket." A spotlight begins to sweep through the entire audience until it finally locates you sitting in the balcony. Your sense of embarrassment is now almost intolerable, and then the performer who has captured your heart and imagination for so many years affectionately says these words to you: "There you are. I am so glad I found you. I would like to invite you to come down onto the stage to play and sing this next song with me!" Can you even imagine the swirling sense of terror, privilege, and joy that would course through you?
May I tell you something even more marvelous that has happened? The living God has turned to you, Christian, weak and broken sinner that you are, and called upon you to sing the music of the gospel before the entire world. His electing grace has sovereignly found you and made you his own; and he has now commanded you to sing a "life music" that is familial and universal, unstopped by racial or social barriers, a melody that is driven by a gospel attention that is life-constraining. He wants you to play his song before the world. Do you sense the privilege? You see, you and I will never play the music of his kingdom any better than a middle school band member plays Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Have you ever listened to middle-schoolers play Beethoven? Someone has said wisely, "It's music only a father could love."
The miracle is, the Father does love the music that you sing, and he will actually change the world when people hear you singing the song. He will make sure they hear his message in your song. Welcome to the "band," fellow follower of the Most High God! Take your place in his orchestra with a fresh sense of his full provision, and play with pleasure!
1. Scripture citations in this sermon are from the NIV.|
2. Walk in front of (like its parallel, "stand in front of") is well chosen. The phrase usually expresses the service or devotion of a faithful servant to his king, be the latter human (1 Kings 1:2; 10:8) or divine (Gen. 5:22, 24; 6:9).
3. Blameless "This Hebrew word, t mîm, is used frequently in the sections of the Old Testament dealing with ritual procedure. It is imperative that the animal brought for sacrifice be one that is unblemished." Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990), 461.
4. Ibid.: "It is the first time that an individual's name is changed" (464). Hamilton also observes: "We have noted above the shift (v. 1-8) from second singular to second plural . . . most of this section (v. 9-14) is cast in the plural, and the reason for this should be plain. The prescriptions covered in these verses are to become legally incumbent upon all generations. God is speaking to those who are not yet born" (468).
5. R. Cecil, "Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton," in The Works of the Rev. John Newton to Which Are Prefixed Memoirs of His Life by the Rev. R. Cecil, A.M., (Thomas Nelson & Peter Brown: Edinburgh, 1827), 68. Also cited in John Newton, Voice of the Heart: Cardiphonia (repr., Chicago: Moody, 1950), 18. Previous editions published under the title Cardiphonia, various publishers.
6. Cecil, "Memoirs," 68 (emphasis added).
7. Newton, Voice of the Heart, 21.
8. John G. Paton, Missionary Patriarch: The True Story of John G. Paton, Evangelist for Jesus Christ to the South Sea Cannibals (1891; repr. Vision Forum: San Antonio, 2002), 434-35.
9. Ibid., 263-64.
10. Ibid., 275.
11. Hamilton, Genesis, 468, comments on verse 9: "For your part. The emphatic pronoun 'atta puts the spotlight on Abraham after a series of "I will's" by God, Abraham becomes the subject of the verb, instead of an object."
12. Ibid., 470-71.
13. Ibid., 473-74.
Heralds of the King
Copyright 2009 by Dennis E. Johnson, Ed.
Published by Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.


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Managing a Multigenerational WorkforceBy Samuel Greengard
Managing a Multigenerational Workforce
Different generations have always clashed about how to approach work and use various tools and technologies. But in an era of mind-bending and unrelenting change, the challenges--and the gulf between generations--have grown exponentially. As more and more young workers push the envelope on consumer devices, including smartphones, and organizations rush to adopt collaboration tools, social media, location-based services, cloud services, virtualization and other systems, many CIOs find themselves reeling.
"People bring radically different assumptions and preconceived notions into how they view technology and its role in the workplace," says Andrew McAfee, associate director and principal research scientist of the Center for Digital Business at MIT's Sloan School of Management.
"Conventional thinking has always been that the younger workers adapt to the tools and systems an organization already has in place. But this business model no longer applies. The rules are being rewritten on the fly."
Welcome to the new workplace. For CIOs and other business leaders, it's an era filled with risk and opportunity. Those who take too conservative an approach--severely restricting devices and software--may make an organization less attractive to young workers, while inhibiting overall productivity. On the other hand, embracing new tools too eagerly can result in security and compliance risks, IT headaches and disenfranchised workers.
Amid the chaos, it's critical to sort through the tangle of issues and develop a road map for dealing with these new and difficult times. "There are many myths, misconceptions and stereotypes to sort through," says Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, director of the Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College. "Smart organizations attempt to understand the underlying issues and ensure that various age groups aren't marginalized or excluded from the process. Workers of different ages have different things to offer to an organization."
Managing a Multigenerational Workforce: Age Matters
New tools and technologies have always created displacement and disconnect. However, these days, the landscape is changing faster than the view from a TGV train speeding through the French countryside. The consumerization of IT has reached full throttle, and with it comes a tangle of complex issues, including who has access to data, how to best manage the data and how to get groups with very different mind-sets to work together most effectively.
It's no news bulletin that attitudes across generations differ greatly. Consulting firm Accenture describes Millennials--those ranging from their mid-teens to late twenties--as "rocking the foundation of information technology." In many cases, says Gary Curtis, chief technology strategist for Accenture, younger workers are thumbing their noses at IT policies, using nonstandard applications and "improving" things whenever and wherever they deem it necessary. There's a prevailing attitude that rules and policies are meant only for guidance, he notes.
An Accenture report, titled "Jumping the Boundaries of Corporate IT," found that 87 percent of U.S Millennials decide where they will work based on their ability to use state-of-the-art technology. Also, these individuals expect to use their own technology at work and tap into their preferred technology apps regardless of any compliance policy. A staggering 61 percent use social networking services that aren't supported by their IT department. In addition, 43 percent tap into nonsupported instant messaging, 31 percent rely on rogue open-source technologies and 26 percent use their own online collaboration tools.
At the other end of the cubicle row are Boomers and some Gen-Xers. A 2010 Pew survey found that only 20 percent of adults between ages 50 and 64 use social networking sites on a daily basis, up about 10 percent from the previous year. However, a 2008 AARP survey shows that older workers aren't quite the Luddites that some would make them out to be. It found that only 26 percent of older workers report that they have difficulty keeping up with the new technology required to do their jobs, and a similar proportion (29 percent) express resistance to learning new skills at this stage of their careers. (For pointers on how to make the most of your multigenerational workforce, see "5 Ways to Narrow the Age Gap.")
MIT Sloan's McAfee says the challenges extend beyond attitudes and the way different age groups think about technology. Radically different taxonomies and data structures have created a need to work in new ways--and use different technologies and tools as the navigation system. "People have to connect to data pools that simply didn't exist in the past," he says.
The advantage that many younger workers have, Accenture's Curtis says, is that their minds are wired for technology because they've been digitally immersed from a young age. "They only know a world with global connections and data streaming in every direction all the time," he adds.
Managing a Multigenerational Workforce: Closing the Gap
A starting point for navigating this brave new world, Boston College's Pitt-Catsouphes says, is to recognize and respect differences while avoiding stereotypes. "It's important to understand that people have grown up in different eras and have different ways of thinking about work and technology," she says. "But it doesn't mean that older workers can't learn new systems and that every young person is a technology guru."
MIT Sloan's McAfee argues that the consumerization of IT isn't going away and that eschewing it--and turning off younger workers--puts an organization at a distinct competitive disadvantage. "Executives must alter their thinking and modify their ideas and expectations--even though this is the opposite of what many of them believe," he says. "In many cases, Millennials are on the right track with the way they want to use technology in their jobs. They're holding a flashlight to the future." (For a look at how one company is addressing mobility in the workplace, see "Connecting a Multigenerational Workforce.")
It's critical for organizations to address multi-generational challenges, Accenture's Curtis says. First, he recommends developing a well-reasoned and balanced technology policy and ensuring that employees read and understand it. (For a look at how one company addressed this issue, see "Policy Matters at Unisys.") "Unfortunately, many companies lack policies, or they're entirely incomprehensible or unreasonable," Curtis says. "It needs to be in plain language rather than legalese. Employees must know why various provisions are important."
Second, it's critical to provide training to workers--particularly older employees who may be well-versed in using email and Web tools, but are lagging in areas such as social media and crowdsourcing. Many younger workers, Curtis notes, solve problems by integrating colleagues and friends into the process. As a result, some organizations have latched onto the idea of younger workers reverse-mentoring older workers. At the same time, younger workers can gain a greater appreciation for the business and security issues that prevent the unrestrained use of personal technology.
Finally, it's important to rethink security and threat management. Clinton Smith, manager of IT risk and compliance for professional services provider Grant Thornton LLP, argues that organizations must focus on opportunities as well as risks. "It's critical to protect the data rather than the device," he argues. "Trying to build the ultimate padlock is both impractical and inefficient." Consequently, some organizations are focusing heavily on endpoint security and a more holistic protection model. Others, such as IBM, are building app stores with approved software.
Yet, in the end, there's no way to build airtight rules and policies that guarantee security. Nor can we assure that every application, method and technique used by younger workers benefits the organization. Savvy CIOs, Curtis says, recognize that the tech genie is out of the bottle and the physics of the 20th century no longer apply. Forward-thinking CIOs view the situation with open eyes and an open mind, and they embrace the opportunity to innovate.
There's certainly no turning back. "Executives might find younger workers and the way they use technology somewhat challenging," Curtis concludes. However, "they're guiding the way to the future of work. They can serve as intelligent critics. They can provide enormous insights. Wise business leaders listen to them and learn from them."

subset: commoncrawl


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Free cyber-safety class aimed at businesses of all sizes
Any business no matter what size is at risk of cyber crime. That's according to WC4, the Washtenaw County Cyber Citizenship Coalition, which is hosting a free class Monday, Nov. 12, about protecting businesses from cyber attacks.
Participants will learn what it looks like to get hacked and what to do to make your computers and data less of a target.
"The No. 1 security risk is your own people," said Noël Quiton, co-chair of WC4.
"The owner fired the employee and changed the lock on the front door, but didn't change the employee's password, " said Quiton. "The employee then locked the owner out of her own system."
Quiton also cites a recent scam in which local business owners were sent emails that looked like they were from their banks.
"It's what's called a spoof email," said Quiton. "The business owners were told to change their passwords because there was a breach. But they were giving their usernames and passwords to the bad guys."
Quiton says that another topic the class addresses is when and where to access certain websites.
She says, "If you log in on a Wi-Fi network at Starbucks, for example, it's not a good idea to go to your bank's website there because it's simple to collect data over Wi-Fi networks."
The class is called "Cyber Security for Business 101" and is taught by cyber security professionals Joe Eastman, adjunct faculty at Eastern Michigan University, and Jeff Haller, a consultant for Information Assurance. The class begins at 9 a.m. Monday at the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce, 115 W. Huron on the third floor. Parking is available at First and Huron Streets.
To register for the class, go to http://wc4-november.eventbrite.com.
WC4, which includes prosecutors, law enforcement officials and a variety of other members, has the goal to educate people about cybercrime and teach them to protect themselves. WC4 been has been contacted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to get ideas about how to teach cyber safety.
Lisa Carolin is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com.
Larry Works
Tue, Nov 13, 2012 : 6:04 p.m.
I took this class yesterday. Exceeded my expectations. Information was presented in a manner anyone can understand. They demonstrated the risks, shared simple yet effective solutions to making my business more secure and clearly answered all of our questions. In particular, they shared the fact that ALL wireless devices (ie. smartphones, tablets, laptops, bluetooth) are particularly vulnerable and desirable targets. Because many of us rely on them daily to in our businesses learning how to manage the risk is a good way to protect yourself and your customers information. I was able to take what I learned in the morning and share it in the afternoon with a local non-profit. Effectively helping them to make their customer data more secure and closing an open wireless access point they didn't even know was operational! If you don't know WHY 9-character passwords are better than 8, WHY PCIDSS compliance is important BEFORE you swipe a customers credit card in that FREE CARD READER on your smartphone. IF you don't know how EASILY credit card information can be stolen right out of your wallet or purse then do your business a favor and take a couple hours to learn how to manage the risks and protect both you and your customers data from the unthinkable. The price is right...FREE! Thanks WC4. PS. Even for those of us with a strong IT background, getting a quick CyberSecurity refresher is a good idea.


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People of the DeerBook - 1952
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I started this book but didn't like the writing style. I switched to The Long Exile by Melanie McGrath and I'm enjoying it. I believe the two books overlap in content and historical events.
This book's most powerful aspect is without a doubt Mowat's ability to share with his readers the awe, fascination and ultimate humility by which he was struck upon entering the northern realm of the Ihalmiut people. Much is to be learned and experienced by reading this tale of the true nature of Canadian indigeneity, both tragic and lovely.
Fantastic if you love Aboriginal Culture and history! Mowat is a visual writer, and his accounts of the Ihalmuit's culture is amazingly detailed. Here is a passionate account and acknowledgement of the blood that stains Canadian history... much unknown to the greater Canadian populations. This book is great for educational purposes and when partnered with comprehensive histories of the Plains Indians, makes Canadian History very exciting and the reader much more empathetic to the country we assume is naturally "kind" and accepting. A real eye opener.
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Chancellor "Chauncey" Olcott (July 21, 1858 – March 18, 1932) was an American stage actor, songwriter and singer.
Born in Buffalo, New York, in the early years of his career Olcott sang in minstrel shows and Lillian Russell played a major role in helping make him a Broadway star. Amongst his songwriting accomplishments, Olcott wrote and composed the song "My Wild Irish Rose" for his production of A Romance of Athlone in 1899. Olcott also wrote the lyrics to "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" for his production of The Isle O' Dreams in 1912.
He retired to Monte Carlo and died there in 1932. His body was brought home and interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.


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ERBE ~ Rusty VXL ~ Pede VXL ~ 2 Slash 4X4's
ERBE ~ Rusty VXL ~ Pede VXL ~ 2 Slash 4X4's
New Vids
ERevo │ E-Revo BE
nothing special just me and the boys doing our daily routine. A mix of jumping and some rock crawling.
stampede (stock)
E-Revo (stock)
stampede (stock)
E-Revo (stock)
Stampede Build
DeWalt 12v E-REVO on 4s
Stampede Build
DeWalt 12v E-REVO on 4s
E-REVO 5s lipo dewalt motor with HPI 5B paddle tires
take it home in a bucket
Stampede VXL
E-ReVo Brushless edition
contributing some onboard footage, the specs are in the video description. (:
Last edited by ksb51rl; 10-17-2010 at 12:31 PM.
free quality RC vids
hear is people some crazy erevo video you have to see it with 6s in snow vs flux 6s
Just got a set of mudslinger 40-series tires on pro-line tech 5 wheels, and new body. Gonna have to gear down some more for these bad boys. I hope the driveline can take em. Maybe I'll just use em for display!
It's my youtube channel. I have tons of vids of my E-Revo, Twin KD motors with the latest vid. If u got a youtube account and like RC vids, please subscribe. Just got a Spartan, vids of that coming soon to.
Hi Guy , I just did a little vid this morning with my E Revo with go pro hero on board
and another i did :
Last edited by Banzee; 06-19-2011 at 02:36 PM.
Been running longer get you more fun longer !!!
A video and pictures of my just-completed E-Revo Body project, the truck itself is stock. This is my first attempt at painting/fabrication so please leave feedback, but in the youtube comments section of course
little video of my e revo
Here's my latest bashing video, will have another excellent one to post tomorrow hopefully
PS - It helps to land on your wheels
Last edited by revo fan2; 01-17-2012 at 10:49 PM.
This one is good too
Same spot as the above posted video, just a good long long long crash
Have any of you tried 8S in your CC/2200 combo? I have, no problem!
As you can see from my videos above, my E-Revo is my friend. I take it with me where ever I go. It's also very versitile (sp?), it can be a street car, basher, rock crawler (not the greatest there but whatever), or dune jumper (rules here!!)
Here's some terrible video of some speed runs I tried, I never did try it with better batteries on more level ground but oh well, some day I'll have a few more people with me to help video - not gonna strap my Contour HD helmet cam on this quite yet.
Don't worry my young skywalkers, the front diff was disconnected.... stuck some big LST2 tires on rear and layed some rubber!
This is way old school. Didn't have the cc/2200 combo in yet, this was before the combo even came out... yet I have an E-Revo! I'm such a die hard! ha ha PS - I hated this combo, heated up all the time and not as much power.
My biggest jumps yet. 80'+
A great day to bash. Nephew's T-Maxx with freshly installed 3.3 upgrade. My E-Revo is box stock.
ERBE, MERV, REVO, E-Maxx
[QUOTE=forescott;4757252]Just got a set of mudslinger 40-series tires on pro-line tech 5 wheels, and new body. Gonna have to gear down some more for these bad boys. I hope the driveline can take em. Maybe I'll just use em for display!
So what happened???
New vids every week! I've got a few of my E-Revo running in deep snow and a few with on board cams. Go check it out!


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- Income Investing
Sandler O'Neill Cuts AGNC, ARR Mortgage REITs To Sell
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
It's been a brutal few months for mortgage real-estate investment trusts, and it looks like Sandler O'Neill is ready to abandon ship on a couple of them, as it downgrades both American Capital Agency (AGNC) and ARMOUR Residential REIT (ARR) to Sell from Hold today. From Sandler O'Neill's Christopher Donat and Robert Haderer:
While stock prices and book values per share of both companies have been adversely affected by bond market activity in early 2013, we believe that the stock prices do not fully reflect the current risks to the agency mortgage REIT model. These risks are: (1) price volatility in mortgage-backed securities (MBS), (2) the overhang of what the Federal Reserve will do with $1.3 trillion of MBS on its balance sheet, (3) other MBS holders might become sellers, including mutual funds and mortgage REITs, (4) retail investors selling of mortgage REITs could contribute to a persistent disconnect between shares of mortgage REITs and the underlying portfolio values, and (5) the transition to a new Federal Reserve Chairman. While we are not changing our EPS estimates on either AGNC or ARR, we are lowering our price target on AGNC to $21.00 from $25.00 and for ARR to $3.50 from $4.50.
The first half of 2H13 was volatile for agency mortgage REITs, and we don't think all the volatility is behind us. In 1Q13, average book value per share of agency REITs decreased 4.5% sequentially, and it dropped another 14.7% in 2Q13. In general, prices of agency mortgage REITs trade as a function of their book values per share. A lesser factor is their dividends. Book values will generally move with the value of the leveraged MBS on the asset side of their balance sheets. A key driver of MBS prices is their spread to Treasuries. In benign markets the spreads are relatively low. For agency MBS, price performance can vary widely across securities based on a range of factors, including fixed versus floating rate, maturity, prepayment protection, and, of course, the behavior of other market participants.
Another factor in mortgage REIT book values is the performance of interest rate swaps and other hedging instruments. Our primary concern is that a combination of (1) unfavorable interest rate moves, (2) basis risk to U.S. Treasuries, and (3) selling by other participants in the MBS market could cause another reduction in book value by 10-25%. Moreover, we expect that agency mortgage REITs will trade at a 10-20% discount to their book value per share as long as the Fed remains a potential seller of MBS.
AGNC is down 11 cents at $23.63 early Monday afternoon while ARR is up 1 cent at $4.05. Looking across the mREIT sector today, Annaly Capital Management (NLY) is down 5 cents at $11.95. MFA Financial (MFA) is up 17 cents, or 2.26%, at $7.48, while Two Harbors Investment (TWO) is up 14 cents, or 1.15%, to $9.80.


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Nurturing healthy babies, growing healthy families
In this time of COVID-19, Childbirth Graphics remains committed to meeting your childbirth education and training needs. In compliance with local, state, and federal directives, we are working to ensure the health and safety of our customers and employees. Please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com for any questions or requests.
Minimum Purchase of $25
1 of 6


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Scale, Extensibility, Openness
Cisco fabric innovations simplify the path to the world of many clouds.
Cisco continues to provide innovations that make Unified Fabric more scalable, extensible, and open. Learn about new developments that strengthen the role of Unified Fabric as the optimal framework for cloud networking.
High Density, Compact Form Factor
Cisco Nexus 6000 Switches offers highest density 10 GE and 40 GE Layers 2 and 3 fixed switches.Learn More >
Provides Consistent Visibility
Cisco Nexus 7000 Network Analysis Module offers visibility regardless of workload location.Get Details >
Gain Flexibility with a Hybrid Cloud
Cisco Nexus 1000V InterCloud extends your enterprise environment into the cloud. More easily locate applications and data.Find Out How >
Programmable Control of Your Network
Get updates on the Cisco Open Network Environment (ONE), including the new Cisco ONE Controller.More Information >


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Teen Writing Workshop
May 6, 2019 @ 5:15 pm - 6:30 pm EDT
An event every week that begins at 5:15 pm on Monday, repeating until May 20, 2019
Teen Writing Workshop: Grades 8-12
Meet weekly with a supportive group of fellow students. Learn more about creative writing from crafting personal essays to free writing, poetry, crafting a story, and character development. Students will be encouraged to participate in a public performance at the end of the program. And don't forget free pizza! This is an ongoing program running weekly on Mondays throughout the school year. Public performance: Sunday, June 2nd, 11:00-1:00 pm.
These workshops are underwritten by generous donations from the friends of Jeanette Sarkisian Wagner, a long-time advocate of youth literacy programs.


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Arco & Frecce Super Store
Viale De Gasperi 117, Hamlet: Mazzo
20017 Rho (Milan) - Italy.
Phone number: +39.02.9370.030 extension 8 for English
Fax Number: +39.02.93909055
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
GPS coordinates: 45° 31' 42" N - 9° 5' 15" E
Opening hours: 09:45 - 13:00 e 14:00 - 19:00. Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays.
Arco & Frecce was established in 1987 in Sumirago (Varese) by the fondness of Diolaiti Giulio, who has been an archer since 1972.
Arco & Frecce began as a small manufacturing company of archery accessories (afterward featured by the Best brand), but it soon started opening his first retail shop: it was pretty small at first but it grew bigger and bigger year after year.
Importing directly from manufacturers all over the world, Arco & Frecce increased his range of products and the prices became the most competitive on the market: the shop started becoming a real point of reference for the archers all over Italy.
As the demand for the products was very lively, also by mail orders, in 1989 the first color illustrated catalogue was printed.
Sport Arco & Frecce also became a wholesaler and in 1995 landed on WWW: the first Archery trade web site has finally been born in Italy!
At the end of 1997 the historical base located in Sumirago was not able to stand the large range of products that was become bigger and bigger, so Sport Arco & Frecce made a "Huge Step": it opened a big store in Pero, closed to Milan. Thanks to the change of location, Diolaiti Flavio, son of the founder and hugely fond of Air soft game, introduced a new business division exclusively dedicated to air soft rifles, pistols and tactical garment.
All over these years, Flavio has personally took care of the air soft department, which by the way has been widened many many times and the range of products went on to become really huge.
In 2004, going along with the passion of his co-workers, a new department dedicated to RC models has been introduced.
In 2007 Sport Arco & Frecce had to move again as the range of products was so big and the place was not enough: the store moved to Rho (industrial zone also closed to Milan) where is now located.
An area of 1000 square meters, equipped with an extended shooting line and full services for each department.
In 2008 an Armoury sector has been introduced, typically focused on Dynamic and defence pistol shooting and Ammo reloading. The large range of military equipment and garment completed the wide set dedicated to the Law Enforcement.


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Rebels say fighter jets carried out eight airstrikes on Daraya, a strategic suburb close to a key military air base southwest of Damascus.
Syrian warplanes bombed rebel-held areas near Damascus on Thursday as President Bashar Assad's troops battled opposition fighters for control of a strategic road that links the capital with the main airport.
The fighting around Damascus is part of the government offensive to dislodge rebels from towns and villages ringing the Syrian capital that have been opposition strongholds since the beginning of the uprising against Assad's rule nearly two years ago.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighter jets carried out eight airstrikes on Daraya, a strategic suburb close to a key military air base southwest of Damascus. The group, which relies on reports from activists on the ground, also said heavy fighting was going on Thursday near the Damascus International Airport, and that the regime was shelling the town of Aqraba along the airport road. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
According to the United Nations, more than 60,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since it began in March 2011. What started as peaceful protests against Assad's rule turned quickly into a civil war after some opposition supporters took up arms to fight a brutal government crackdown on dissent.
Because of its strategic location near a military base, Syrian troops have been pounding rebel positions in Daraya for weeks. Earlier this month, the government claimed its troops had regained control over much of the district from where the rebels have been threatening Damascus, the seat of Assad's power.
Daraya is flanked by the key districts of Mazzeh, which is home to the military air, and Kfar Sousseh, where the government headquarters, the General Security intelligence agency head office and the Interior Ministry are located.
State-run news agency SANA said Thursday that troops have been battling rebels in the oil-rich province of al-Hasaka in the country's northeast, killing and wounding several terrorist. The government and state media refer to rebels as terrorists.
Also in the north, SANA said terrorists shot a math teacher in the town of Hmaida in Raqqa province. The report said the teacher, Nabih Jamil al-Saad, was killed near his home on Wednesday.
A day earlier, a doctor was killed in front of his clinic in Sheik Mheddin area of Damascus, SANA said Thursday, saying that terrorist were behind the killing of Mamdouh Abudllah Bin Abd Dibeh, who was a cardiologist.
It was not clear if either the teacher or the doctor had ties to the regime. Rebels have targeted government officials, civil workers and prominent personalities, such as actors, known Assad supporters.


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Prospective Students
Graduate and undergraduate students interested in comparative endocrinology and reproductive physiology and behavior are encouraged to apply. Our current model organisms are naked mole-rats and cheetahs – refer to research tab for details. However, students are encouraged to consider other systems that might better address their area(s) of interest. Trainees in my lab learn and use a variety of techniques to research questions at multiple levels of investigation (e.g. qRT-PCR, microarray, measures of immune function, immunohistochemistry, behavioral studies, mating tests).
Students interested in pursuing graduate work in my lab should contact me directly after they have read the statement of my current research interests and some of the papers that are listed on my publication page. If you decide our interests are well matched, please send a letter and c.v. via email (firstname.lastname@example.com), and describe why you think my lab would be a good fit for you. I usually reply promptly, but send a follow-up email in a couple of weeks if you've not heard back from me.
I am a faculty member of four Graduate Fields, three of which are administratively housed in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University; the fourth is the Graduate Field of Neurobiology and Behavior (http://nbb.cornell.edu/graduate). Prospective students should apply to the Graduate Field that suits their interests best.
Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, and Molecular and Integrative Physiology are among several graduate fields that make up the Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University. Prospective students for any of these fields apply to the in Biological and Biomedical Sciences program (BBS), and specify their field of choice. Details regarding the admissions and degree requirements for each field can be found at the associated links. As part of the Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, students in these fields are expected to complete three lab/research rotations during their first year of study. Based on that experience, students then inquire about joining the lab that suits them best.


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The most powerful pedestrian electric tug offered by MasterMover is the PS3000+ which is capable of moving loads on castors up to 30,000 kg. A single operator can drive using a wireless transmitter to push, pull and manoeuvre loads aided by power steering, the only tug to boast this feature. A robust hydraulic mast and a coupling system provide maximum traction to the industrial drive wheel whilst the drive motor and side loading industrial capacity battery supply the power to move.
|Product code
|Recommended load weight - Castors
|30,000 kg
|Recommended load weight - Rails
|120,000 kg
|Machine weight including battery
|1,271 kg
|Drive type
|Electric AC
|Parking brake
|Drive wheel type
|Drive motor power
|5 kW
|Variable machine speed
|Ingress Protection
|Battery pack - sealed - 120Ah 48V - interchangeable
|Charger - external - 20A 48V - 85V-265V
|Charger - internal - 20A 48V - 85V-265V
|Charger - battery station - 20A 48V - 85V-265V
|Option - single battery transportation trolley
|Option - status light
|Option - lifting and anchoring points
|Option - on board camera
|Option - battery protection system
|Option - remote wireless E-stop - 1 machine
|Coupling - male - combi - extra large
|Coupling - female - extra large


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The oldest living city in the world, there is nowhere like Varanasi. Settled in a loop of the Ganges it teems with faith so intense that even the sceptic becomes religious for the duration.
Amid the chaos of the traffic – a system of incredibly close shaves – and the nonstop trading of goods and services in small shops and stalls – still humane while Tesco is still absent - the powerful conviction that drives and sustains the religious fervour here concerns reincarnation. If you die in Varanasi you will attain instant moksha, liberation. See Varanasi and die with the relief of having no further rebirths to face.
Mother Teresa once sent me in Calcutta to her home for the dying with the words, 'I hope you see a good death there. We have many beautiful deaths in the home.' She had clearly absorbed the Indian attitude to death which has none of the denial or cosmetic cover up of western culture. At the ghats beside the river bodies are burned day and night, more than three hundred a day. The bodies are carried down the steps to the wood pyres, through clutter and garbage, while the male members of the family watch fire reduce the loved one to ashes, which are then washed and thrown into the river. Even in death, caste and class operate – you can choose the expensive best wood or pieces of scrap. Either way it takes about three hours to see the process of death completed.
We were taken to a monastery where, we were told, monks come to wait to die. Only sannyasis (absolute renunciants, closer to St Francis' inimitable ideal of poverty than Benedictines), pregnant women and those who have died from snakebite are not cremated. The monks, it is believed, have already burned themselves away by their vow of homelessness and complete detachment. Their yellow robes represent the flames.
The old monks awaiting moksha, looked to me like monks in most monasteries, though more serene and content than most. Their life ticked gently away with the domestic routines of meals, prayers and talk. In small groups they chatted like the old anywhere, always finding something new to keep life interesting yet aware that everything that one day seems so important will pass away into a fading memory the next. A little like Chelsea Pensioners, they were used to being looked at and not averse to a conversation with visitors.
One frail old monk moved slowly from the group of those chatting to a flat couch on the porch. Once he had settled down, with the look of relief that the old have after painful exertion, he turned his patient attention to us. His eyes were gentle, strong, penetrating and detached. It was the gaze of someone who has stopped thinking about or evaluating themselves and who is no longer concerned with how they are seen and judged by others. Someone who does not need to be needed; and therefore someone worthy of trust.
One of our group who spoke Hindi tried to open a conversation with him. He didn't respond but, after some further questions and sign language, we learned that he was a muni, someone who has taken a vow of complete silence. The word is Sanskrit, with the dictionary meaning to think. But clearly, from his steady, kind, gaze it is a different kind of thinking from what we normally think thinking means. For us, in the flow and friction of language, thought is constantly moving, leaping between associations and connections, making and critiquing patterns and seeking something new or closer to the truth. But, without words, thought becomes still and centred and clear. It might at first make you drowsy because the chatty mind is suddenly sent off-duty. It thinks 'I am redundant and can shut down.'
If, however, you abstain from words and yet stay alert you become more awake than you had imagined possible. With that awakening of consciousness comes a discovery of the true nature of the mind and heart – good, kind, serene and gentle. The old muni taught more than he could have done with words.
We discovered that the ashram was not just for monks waiting for death. Old couples who renounced their possessions also came to live there, chat in the courtyard and wait to see who would be liberated first. A Sanskrit school in the same compound also housed a number of boys, who lived in strict training, because to learn Sanskrit should involve a way of life as well as a library of books. They were bright and infectiously happy. I asked them what their favourite time of the day was. 4am, they agreed, the pure beginning of each day with prayer.
A monastery very different from our ones, but one where St Benedict might well feel more at home.
Laurence Freeman OSB
The World Community for Christian Meditation, of which Laurence Freeman OSB is director, has recently opened a new outreach program – "Meditatio" (www.wccmmeditatio.org)


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You searched for: Format: Page Author: Bowring, John, Sir Image Date: 1850/1859 Image Format: drawings Image Geographic Information: Thailand Image Keyword: poetry
1 entry found
Search Results
1. The kingdom and people of Siam : with a narrative of the mission to that country in 1855, v.2 Page 278A
London, J.W. Parker and son, 1857, pg. 278A


text: Sacred Destinations Destinations Spain Cordoba Mezquita de Cordoba Mezquita de Cordoba Photos 14875 × share full URL share short URL embed link code photo 45 of 195 Previous | Next Forest of Columns and Striped Arches Interior of the Mezquita, with its forest of over 856 (originally 1,293) columns topped with piers and two tiers of red-and-white striped arches. The ancient columns - made of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite - were taken from the Roman temple which had previously occupied the site and shipped in from other ancient buildings. The arches date from the late 8th century, with expansions in the 10th century. Credit: Holly Hayes


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Now you can send a search result from the catalog to your cell phone!
Once you identify a specific item you would like to save, click the NYCCT link under availability on the results list page or the blue Location and Call Number button that appears in a specific record. Then click on the button titled "Send Info via Text" (next to the "Request a Copy" button). You will then need to enter your phone number and cellular carrier to receive a text message with the title, location, and call number of the selected item.


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Please provide a 500-character non-technical summary (without discipline-specific jargon) of your paper that may be used to promote your work to a broader audience. The summary should highlight your main conclusions and results, and what the implications are. If possible, please also summarize very briefly why you did the research and how you did it.
The most important information about your paper must be accessible and obvious to search engines and other machines that crawl the Internet for content. This ensures that members of the scientific community, as well as the wider public, can find your work more easily.
We do our best to work together with search engines. You as an author can also do something to make your research output more visible. Think about the keywords and phrases a person would type into the search engine if your paper is helpful for them. Include them in your title and/or abstract. Have a descriptive title that includes the keywords related to your topic. Have those keywords at the beginning of your title (first 70 characters), and keep the title as short as possible.
If you or your institute plans a press release or some other promotional work on your paper, please inform Media and Communications at Copernicus (email@example.com). We may be able to assist you and help distribute your work further.
If you wish to promote your work to journalists and the broader public, please do so only after the paper has been peer-reviewed and accepted. If you wish to promote it at an earlier stage, you should make sure to mention that the paper you are advertising has only been submitted to Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences and has been neither peer-reviewed nor accepted yet. We also recommend that you contact the editors of Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, as well as Media and Communications at Copernicus (firstname.lastname@example.com).
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