tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192398812024-02-07T22:51:06.557+07:00OceanicThaiAmerican in Thailand 19 Years and CountingOceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.comBlogger460125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-70090506106782244102020-02-05T09:37:00.002+07:002020-02-05T09:37:44.104+07:00Brief initial thoughts on Jayson George's book, Ministering in Patronage Cultures
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I am currently reading Jayson George's book on patron/client relationships, Ministering in Patronage Cultures: Biblical Models and Missional Implications published in November 2019. My reading concerning the patron-client relationship is minimal and so as I read and learn I Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-47467400428963720982020-01-15T09:33:00.001+07:002020-01-15T09:33:12.137+07:00Helpful Worldview Chart
This chart was introduced in a philosophy class I took last year. I have found it to be a very useful tool to understand worldview from this particular perspective. It has also served as a way to help me evaluate the differences between Buddhist and Christian worldviews.
A colleague noticed it is very Western and does not leave much room for "phenomenology" but after a long discussion about Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-27761968145029279332020-01-14T13:57:00.003+07:002020-01-14T13:57:37.728+07:00Excerpts from a paper on the Buddhist Worldview
A BUDDHIST WORLDVIEW
This paper addresses and briefly explains the basic components of a Theravada Buddhist worldview. A worldview encompasses life’s most pressing questions, such as, “What really is?” “Where did everything come from?” “What is good, what is evil?” “What is the meaning of life?” and “What is the destiny of the human race?” These are questions that make up the bedrock of one’s Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-19316866598106165452020-01-14T13:44:00.000+07:002020-01-14T13:44:14.020+07:00Social Distinctions Between Our Cultures There are social distinctions between the Thai and American cultures that bear consideration. In the East, the apologetic task of the
Christian looks much different than in the Western context. There are significant distinctions between these worlds that ought to be understood as one shares the Gospel.
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Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-75689982241020446892018-05-09T11:54:00.001+07:002018-05-09T11:55:17.207+07:00Tripitaka
I am finishing up two months of studying Theravada Buddhism. I have been doing a weekly interview of a well-read devout orthodox Thai Theravada Buddhist as a part of my studies. My seminary class starts in a week and I will need to focus on that so I will set this study aside for a season. I do not have the freedom to share much of what I have discovered and how I feel about it. It is an Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-52483234780440198772018-05-05T12:29:00.001+07:002018-05-05T12:29:51.971+07:00Connecting, Locally and Abroad
Thomas was a fellow student in seminary that became a friend. Thomas was unusual in that he was an artist and lived an interesting lifestyle compared to most folks in our little institution. He wore black jeans and Docker boots. He practiced yoga and subsisted on juice concoctions with Brewer’s yeast. He was a creative mind, a most diligent student, and I enjoyed our talks outside of class Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-50880200573088615312018-04-29T07:38:00.002+07:002018-04-29T07:38:43.634+07:00I am a Transplanted Tree
I do not know what “coming home” means anymore. I step off the airplane, that wormhole between one world and another, and suddenly I am in a space where I haven’t been in 4 years. It feels uncomfortable and strange. I no longer have my kitchen, my bedroom, my garden and my house, but I am a guest in someone else’s space. I can’t do the things I am usually doing at this new time; I will be on a Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-26022941046599486602015-08-16T19:18:00.000+07:002018-03-27T13:08:15.913+07:00Missionary Shoes
Strange things transpire when we step into the shoes of a missionary. We are fitted into this institution called missions as vocation, and in that moment we receive a new identity. This identity has many friends and enemies, and it is much bigger than ourselves, but all of a sudden we are representatives of it, and are identified with it.
The implications of this upon our personal lives are Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-16822637995771780072013-12-30T17:00:00.000+07:002013-12-30T17:01:38.239+07:00How Thais think about words vs. actionsOceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-68069578534788151782013-12-28T20:59:00.000+07:002013-12-29T08:42:42.389+07:00Appropriate Dressing
Urban
Thais put a lot of time and care into their appearance. First impressions and appearance are very
important in Thailand. Thais are careful
to dress appropriately and people who dress well are treated with more
respect.
Many
expats coming to Thailand are often in the role of a teacher in some form or
another. Teachers are held in high
regard and Thai Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-1907818823441860112013-12-15T16:19:00.002+07:002013-12-15T16:19:31.230+07:00Money
Money is probably one of the most challenging aspects of
missionary work in Thailand. This is a
sensitive and difficult topic, but one that is of value, especially for people
new to this country.
If you ask any seasoned missionary about difficulties
they have had concerning money here in Thailand, they will have stories to tell
you. We all have our stories and I will
tell youOceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-26057860601798379972013-11-20T19:17:00.000+07:002013-11-20T19:41:47.148+07:00Ladies Only
A literary work called "Exhortations to Women" (Suphasit Son Ying) by Sunthon Phu, a famous Thai poet who was designated by the UNESCO a Classic Poet of the World in 1986, describes the duties of a good wife:
A wife should show her respect to her husband every day. When the sun sets, she will not go anywhere but prepare the bed for her husband. When the husband goes to bed, she krap him at Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-38839095367703748042013-10-30T11:01:00.000+07:002013-10-30T11:01:03.227+07:00The Art of the Thai "Wai"The Thai “wai” is so much more than a casual greeting here in Thailand. It means more than hello or goodbye; it also expresses honor, respect, and thanks. It is a gesture that reveals Thai values and attitudes. It can convey what might remain unspoken but deeply felt. Sometimes even hidden feelings can be expressed in a “wai,” as well as underlying attitudes. There is no equivalent that I know ofOceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-41109591148988901282013-10-22T11:47:00.001+07:002013-10-22T11:47:36.505+07:00king cobraking cobra, a photo by oceanicthai on Flickr.Trying to get this picture back where it belongs...Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-33824288834192178772013-10-21T09:59:00.000+07:002013-10-21T13:24:31.065+07:00Hospitality in ThailandIf you have ever been a guest at a social gathering or at someone’s home in Thailand you were probably impressed with their incredible hospitality and ability to make you feel like a VIP. As soon as you show up they hurry to greet you and take care of you. Perhaps you noticed that they made sure you had a refreshing drink and refilled it for you several times. Perhaps you also noticed they made Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-32088884114077972642013-10-18T11:03:00.002+07:002013-11-21T19:42:11.916+07:00Body LanguageBody language and facial expressions are so important in Thailand they often trump words as to what is being communicated and believed about a person.
Courtesy and respect is communicated not merely by words, but how one holds the body while talking, or the expression on the face while listening to the Thai speaker. I think it is helpful to think of proper etiquette as being gentle, slow, Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com2Chiang Mai, Thailand18.7877477 98.99313110000002814.9398442 93.829557100000031 22.6356512 104.15670510000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-71521764584942550062012-02-26T14:56:00.009+07:002012-03-06T15:31:29.385+07:00Life LessonsI have been asked to share a couple of life-lessons from my 13 years here in Thailand. I am touched that someone has asked this thoughtful question.A Few Things I've Learned Through The Years1. Being a language learner is an excellent ministry tool.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />Thais love to help you learn their language. If you tell them you want to Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-37638706327480992182012-02-01T09:17:00.004+07:002012-02-26T14:16:02.076+07:00Feeling Is Not EnoughCompassion is a worthy feeling, so is concern, empathy, and a desire to make a difference. These, however, are only the beginning of what really matters, and that is our actions. It is not enough to feel compassion and empathy for someone who is suffering, or a people group who is suffering, there must be movement of our hands, mouths and feet to make a difference.I am reminded of a short story Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-77535265736791168382012-01-30T15:48:00.005+07:002012-03-06T15:24:36.647+07:00The Importance of ShowersI chose to wear a skirt for my first day of volunteer work at the center. Put together, capable, clean and professional. If I wear jeans I will look sloppy and unable to function in the role I will be taking there. I will wear jeans later. I love wearing jeans, soft old ones, with a soft old t-shirt.I will be sure to take a shower in the morning. Most Thais bathe their children before school and Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-20528751090372543292012-01-30T12:02:00.003+07:002012-01-30T12:24:49.749+07:00Relational ComplexitiesHuman relationships are so complex in general, and then the rules change in another culture. Starting a new partnership with a blend of both Thai and Western non-Thai and some-Thai speakers is a great example of a complex set of relational rules to follow. Verbal, non-verbal communication is a challenge-you must act one way around the westerners, another way around the Thais, and if you have a Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-80975337843600174852012-01-02T11:28:00.002+07:002012-01-02T11:33:50.712+07:002012 Goals* Be faithful to do Thai language study from 9:30a.m. to 11:30a.m. Monday through Friday. * Take the OMF level 2 test and then begin studying for the level 3 test.* Continue to disciple the women at WonGen Cafe'.* Seek for more women who are ready to be discipled.* Continue to pray for all the ministries happening at WonGen Cafe'.* Nurture and love Kennedy, Poppy & Jasper.* Keep running. Run Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-73820413815422826422011-12-25T19:34:00.003+07:002012-01-02T11:34:34.494+07:00Goodbye To Private Merry Little ChristmasesChristmas is a time of frantic frenzied activity within the Christian community here in Thailand. It is a time of outreach, giant neighborhood parties and trying to explain to everyone we are not celebrating the birth of Santa Claus, but in fact are celebrating the birth of Christ.A typical party are tents and booths pitched outside on the dirt, sweaty crowds of people showing up for the food, Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-70039580933474790902011-12-08T13:26:00.010+07:002011-12-26T11:38:23.840+07:00Why I Work at WonGenI work 3 days a week during the busy hours at WonGen Cafe'. I take orders, bring food and drinks, and work the cash register. I also help clear and clean tables when the customers leave. I wash dishes. It's probably not exactly what our supporters envision their missionary doing.In all relationships, communication is essential, time together is important.Where I am from, getting together once a Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19239881.post-71964822527385126502011-11-20T07:04:00.002+07:002011-11-20T07:11:17.248+07:00I Dreamed About WendiI dreamed about Wendi last night. We were at some kind of fair. We took a picture together and Wendi smiled her beautiful smile. We watched a gorgeous sunset together over an ocean city filled with water. The water was reflected in beautiful colors over everything because it was flooded. I kept crying and wanting to sing you songs, I knew I wouldn't see you again. You seemed distracted and kept Oceanicthaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06812469075620067916noreply@blogger.com1