chapter 17
EPHESIANS 5
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
ONE WEDDING AND A WHITE SUIT
Arriving back in China in early October, we had to organise the wedding, lots of friends helped us, people from Helen's church did the photos and the video, my friend from Chinese class Adam who was already in China, came and was best man.
Another church leader was host and our Pastor Ji Tai, married us.
In China, you can get legally married very quickly, as the country is not Christian, you can get marriage certification in a few minutes, but many couples want and have a ceremony, which usually takes place in a large hotel.
So Helen and I along with our friend Samuel, organised the wedding, we had photos taken at a photo shop and ordered a cake from the local cake shop, which we managed to transport to the venue, but not before, it had half collapsed.
Helen had a beautiful wedding dress and she looked stunning, she took a long time, getting made up, I took thirty seconds, although I had my hair dyed and it was now orange!
Samuel decided to come in a white suit, he looked very dapper, I expected everyone to come in formal wear, but everyone came in fairly casual clothes.
We said our wows and then I was invited to speak, Helen's father spoke, as did Adam (in fluent Chinese) and Pastor Ji
We had our own little choir made up of church members and some friends sang our favourite songs.
There were twelve tables and everything had a good feed, well except us, we had to go round and toast everybody (twice), so we ended up having nothing to eat.
At Chinese weddings, instead of giving gifts, people give red envelopes filled with money, the usually amount is 500 -1000 Yuan (around 80 -150 English pounds).
Our wedding was on the 28th October 2012 and this year, it will be 14 years, we are still happy, despite many obstacles and challenges, I thank God for the gift of my wife.
Devotional thought
Things are very different at Chinese weddings, we will have a full update of our daughter's wedding, later in this book..
Getting married to Helen is probably the second best thing I have ever done, after trusting Christ.
Marriage has not been easy for both of us, remember that marriage is between two sinners. Christian marriage is a challenge as the devil hates it and tries all he can to disrupt it.
The only difference in a Christian marriage is that the Lord is right in the middle of it, he is the controlling factor.
What is the thing that helps beyond anything else, it is to pray together, we find that praying together helps us greatly. This allows us to focus on the same things.
When we don't pray together, we have problems.
Recently we have gone out together sharing the gospel, to do things together is the best thing, we make dumplings together and have just been to Vietnam together.
So do things as one and pray together and that will make a happy marriage.
CHAPTER 18
A PIGEON, KING AND MICHAEL JACKSON
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
So now I was living in Nanjing, but what was I going to do, I hadn't grasped the language, so it was suggested that I help Chinese students grasp mine.
Our friend Chen said she knew of some teenagers who would like to learn English, so I went along to her house one Saturday morning accompanied by Samuel for moral support.
We met eight young teenagers and to break the ice, I suggested they introduce themselves with their English names, Girls were first and we started with Catherine, then Celia, all good English names. Then Pigeon, who calls themselves pigeon, Ok I thought, who's next....Michael.. good.. the guy sat next to him. Is Jackson. So I had Michael Jackson in the room and he could actually moonwalk.
The final boy introduced himself, as KING. Yes that's right, my first class had a pigeon, a king and Michael Jackson in it!
I remember I asked them to describe a way they would get to class, and Jonah, came on a motorised elephant, I actually thought he would of come by whale power.
I started to have some students, there was an Australian Chinese couple in the complex and they had two sons, their sons said to their Chinese mother, I saw an Englishman in our complex, she didn't believe him, until we bumped into each other a few days later.
I started to have some students, I remember with fondness Fiona, Seven , Andy, Rain and others, all of which are now in their twenties. When I came Helen was always bumping into old students, now I am doing the same.
At one point, I had thirty students and had 4-5 classes at the weekend, Now I have lessened those classes, but I give thanks to the students and their parents, who have allowed me to teach them, I can't say enough of my time, with students such as Sophia, Anthea, Kevin, Rose x2, Adam (who I taught for six years), Jack and Jerry, to name but a few.
I am slowing down my teaching now and gradually reducing numbers, but will continue to do the teaching as long as God brings the students to me, My current students especially little Rui, Bowen, Joy, Jerry and Mary.
I charge a little, I could charge more, but I want to help Chinese children learn English.
Thanks God for all his blessings in allowing me to touch many lives.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT
God has a sense of humour, you remember that Keith was a terrible student, he drove his teachers totally nuts, so can you imagine, Keith is now a teacher.
What would some of his teachers think, Keith a teacher, are you kidding me!
I hope he gets back what he gave.. ha-ha
Whenever I have a badly behaved student, who won't listen, I think to myself, well that was you many years ago.
Being able to help Chinese children learn English is a great honour and privilege, but it is nothing to teaching them the precious word of God.
Parents, it is your responsibility to teach your children, the buck stops with you, it is not the responsibility of the church.
If you don't teach them the bible, the world will mould them into it's own image, the school system will fill their heads with atheism and humanism.
The place where all these ISM'S can and should be challenged is the home, you can not be an absentee parent, always seeking to gain to more money or another promotion, whilst leaving your family to manage with one parent.
So many families in China are controlled by the mother, that is not God's ideal, the man is the leader.
Are you as a man, leading your family?
By setting a godly example.
By leading the family altar
By providing protection for your family by prayer and sacrifice.
Men, it's not all about money.
The next generation has to be taught about the scriptures, we must pass on the truths of the bible to our children and grandchildren, if we don't fill their minds and hearts with bible truth, someone else will fill them.
chapter 17
EPHESIANS 5
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
ONE WEDDING AND A WHITE SUIT
Arriving back in China in early October, we had to organise the wedding, lots of friends helped us, people from Helen's church did the photos and the video, my friend from Chinese class Adam who was already in China, came and was best man.
Another church leader was host and our Pastor Ji Tai, married us.
In China, you can get legally married very quickly, as the country is not Christian, you can get marriage certification in a few minutes, but many couples want and have a ceremony, which usually takes place in a large hotel.
So Helen and I along with our friend Samuel, organised the wedding, we had photos taken at a photo shop and ordered a cake from the local cake shop, which we managed to transport to the venue, but not before, it had half collapsed.
Helen had a beautiful wedding dress and she looked stunning, she took a long time, getting made up, I took thirty seconds, although I had my hair dyed and it was now orange!
Samuel decided to come in a white suit, he looked very dapper, I expected everyone to come in formal wear, but everyone came in fairly casual clothes.
We said our wows and then I was invited to speak, Helen's father spoke, as did Adam (in fluent Chinese) and Pastor Ji
We had our own little choir made up of church members and some friends sang our favourite songs.
There were twelve tables and everything had a good feed, well except us, we had to go round and toast everybody (twice), so we ended up having nothing to eat.
At Chinese weddings, instead of giving gifts, people give red envelopes filled with money, the usually amount is 500 -1000 Yuan (around 80 -150 English pounds).
Our wedding was on the 28th October 2012 and this year, it will be 14 years, we are still happy, despite many obstacles and challenges, I thank God for the gift of my wife.
Devotional thought
Things are very different at Chinese weddings, we will have a full update of our daughter's wedding, later in this book..
Getting married to Helen is probably the second best thing I have ever done, after trusting Christ.
Marriage has not been easy for both of us, remember that marriage is between two sinners. Christian marriage is a challenge as the devil hates it and tries all he can to disrupt it.
The only difference in a Christian marriage is that the Lord is right in the middle of it, he is the controlling factor.
What is the thing that helps beyond anything else, it is to pray together, we find that praying together helps us greatly. This allows us to focus on the same things.
When we don't pray together, we have problems.
Recently we have gone out together sharing the gospel, to do things together is the best thing, we make dumplings together and have just been to Vietnam together.
So do things as one and pray together and that will make a happy marriage.
CHAPTER 18
A PIGEON, KING AND MICHAEL JACKSON
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
So now I was living in Nanjing, but what was I going to do, I hadn't grasped the language, so it was suggested that I help Chinese students grasp mine.
Our friend Chen said she knew of some teenagers who would like to learn English, so I went along to her house one Saturday morning accompanied by Samuel for moral support.
We met eight young teenagers and to break the ice, I suggested they introduce themselves with their English names, Girls were first and we started with Catherine, then Celia, all good English names. Then Pigeon, who calls themselves pigeon, Ok I thought, who's next....Michael.. good.. the guy sat next to him. Is Jackson. So I had Michael Jackson in the room and he could actually moonwalk.
The final boy introduced himself, as KING. Yes that's right, my first class had a pigeon, a king and Michael Jackson in it!
I remember I asked them to describe a way they would get to class, and Jonah, came on a motorised elephant, I actually thought he would of come by whale power.
I started to have some students, there was an Australian Chinese couple in the complex and they had two sons, their sons said to their Chinese mother, I saw an Englishman in our complex, she didn't believe him, until we bumped into each other a few days later.
I started to have some students, I remember with fondness Fiona, Seven , Andy, Rain and others, all of which are now in their twenties. When I came Helen was always bumping into old students, now I am doing the same.
At one point, I had thirty students and had 4-5 classes at the weekend, Now I have lessened those classes, but I give thanks to the students and their parents, who have allowed me to teach them, I can't say enough of my time, with students such as Sophia, Anthea, Kevin, Rose x2, Adam (who I taught for six years), Jack and Jerry, to name but a few.
I am slowing down my teaching now and gradually reducing numbers, but will continue to do the teaching as long as God brings the students to me, My current students especially little Rui, Bowen, Joy, Jerry and Mary.
I charge a little, I could charge more, but I want to help Chinese children learn English.
Thanks God for all his blessings in allowing me to touch many lives.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT
God has a sense of humour, you remember that Keith was a terrible student, he drove his teachers totally nuts, so can you imagine, Keith is now a teacher.
What would some of his teachers think, Keith a teacher, are you kidding me!
I hope he gets back what he gave.. ha-ha
Whenever I have a badly behaved student, who won't listen, I think to myself, well that was you many years ago.
Being able to help Chinese children learn English is a great honour and privilege, but it is nothing to teaching them the precious word of God.
Parents, it is your responsibility to teach your children, the buck stops with you, it is not the responsibility of the church.
If you don't teach them the bible, the world will mould them into it's own image, the school system will fill their heads with atheism and humanism.
The place where all these ISM'S can and should be challenged is the home, you can not be an absentee parent, always seeking to gain to more money or another promotion, whilst leaving your family to manage with one parent.
So many families in China are controlled by the mother, that is not God's ideal, the man is the leader.
Are you as a man, leading your family?
By setting a godly example.
By leading the family altar
By providing protection for your family by prayer and sacrifice.
Men, it's not all about money.
The next generation has to be taught about the scriptures, we must pass on the truths of the bible to our children and grandchildren, if we don't fill their minds and hearts with bible truth, someone else will fill them.
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