Steve Roy, January 31 1990 - September 30 2011

How much death and disease does it take for us to think seriously about the end of our days? At the risk of turning this blog into an obit column, I'm penning my thoughts on a shocking death in our family yesterday. Steve Roy died in a motorcycle crash last night in Kerala, India in a collision with a truck. He was 21 years old and the only child of his parents. I don't have any words at this time to describe the impact of this on his near and dear ones.

A friend of mine came through Brain Tumour 14 years ago and currently works in a mission organization dedicated to seeking justice among bonded laborers in India. Her recent comments on her Facebook page about this:

Its been 14 years....2nd Sept 1997, I underwent a surgery to remove a brain tumour...my only hope and assurance was that if I died I would be with Jesus and if I lived I had a purpose to live for the one who overcame death through His resurrection-Jesus...Who sustains me and has given more than I could've ever imagined or dreamt of!

I responded to her a second time after Steve's death:

I'm re-reading your post and trying to derive comfort from what God has done for you and through you. As I see people I know dying one by one and I get shocked into questioning God I need to hear a testimony like this to help me understand his goodness. Thanks again for saying these words.

Her response to this:

I know what you mean, I see suffering and injustice everyday and did question God's goodness but the perspective of seeing God from eternity and his provision to change our destiny eternally helps me see this as a momentary suffering...gives me the joy and peace to enjoy today and hope does not disappoint, it strengthens faith and keeps fear away...if there was no eternity and redemption then I would be shattered...remember the Trichy trip when we sang the song Rev 21:4 -He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.

We will never make sense of death and will always be shocked at it this side of eternity. On the other hand we will continue to live as if we will not die any time soon. Every time it happens to someone close to us we are filled with doubt and fear. And as Christians this still happens when we know and cherish the fact that he will wipe every tear away. I don't have any words to describe this reality that conflicts with our experience.

In a later, more advanced age, human beings may find a way to save cases like Steve's, and using technology give people like him a new lease of life, at once making the person more and less human at the same time. We do our best to cheat death, but as surely as the world is fallen, death overrides attempts to delay or eliminate physical atrophy, repairs to the mind and body and all other efforts we put in to further life, not knowing that eternal life is something else entirely.

Sandra McCracken's song, 'The Tie that Binds' was written about a little girl who died. The words express with pain what I can't at the moment:

The sorrow of a friend
From a long way we stand
Grief is second hand
But I'll send my tears in a locket

Amelia smiles under lights & wires
Thorns for every flower
We number every hour
And live the days we are given

Oh, the pain
It makes you feel alive
Oh, the broken heart is the tie that binds
And I pray to God, these things will be made right

When the morning shines
On tear stained eyes
Oh we shall overcome
The Father gave the Son
To break the curse we are under

Oh the pain that no man can escape
Oh the sting of death, the empty grave,
And I pray to God where comfort has no place

When our tired eyes look through the veil
The colors are so pale but we raise high the sail
And call the winds to carry us home
Call the winds to carry us home.

Commentary on Psalm 84:11 from Sir Richard Baker

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly

I heard this commentary at a Sara Groves concert yesterday- she shared this and I later looked it up.

But how is this true, when God oftentimes withholds riches and honours, and health of body from men, though they walk never so uprightly; we may therefore know that honours and riches and bodily strength, are none of God's good things; they are of the number of things indifferent which God bestows promiscuously upon the just and unjust, as the rain to fall and the sun to shine. The good things of God are chiefly peace of conscience and the joy in the Holy Ghost in this life; fruition of God's presence, and vision of his blessed face in the next, and these good things God never bestows upon the wicked, never withholds from the godly, and they are all cast up in one sum where it is said, Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt: Blessed are the pure in heart (and such are only they that walk uprightly) for they shall see God. But is walking uprightly such a matter with God, that it should be so rewarded? Is it not more pleasing to God to see us go stooping than walking uprightly, seeing stooping is the gait of humility, than which there is nothing to God more pleasing? It is no doubt a hard matter to stoop and go upright both at once, yet both must be done, and both indeed are done, are done at once by every one that is godly; but when I say they are done both at once, I mean not of the body, I know two such postures in the body both at once are impossible; but the soul can do it, the soul can stoop and go upright both at once; for then doth the soul walk upright before God, when it stoops in humility before God and men.

Although I agree with largely, I have some nagging questions:

1. Material things or lack thereof affect us, in soul formation.

2. We are meant to provide for others' material needs.

3. We ask God for our daily bread.

How are these things then not "good things"?

The Art of Selfish Obfuscation

I came across this article in the conservative periodical, the Weekly Standard. The article makes the argument that while the inalienable rights as defined in the Constitution as the freedom to worship, free speech, presumption of innocence until proof of guilt and so on are natural and does not require human intervention to create them. On the other hand rights which are pushed by the political Left, such as the right to a job, right to income, right to the best available healthcare, etc are paid for by human blood, sweat and tears, and therefore need to be compensated. The article lauds the Left for having the best intentions, but portrays them as being naive in imagining that any of these provisions could or should be provided free by some of us who pay taxes. It goes on to explore the failings of many welfare states.

I emailed the author with the following note:

This is a good argument. I'm a centrist and hold no political ideology to be above moral absolutes. I have a gripe about this though.

Although the Left packages many goods as rights I don't believe they think these are inalienable rights. Rather, they think these are collective responsibilities. The Jeffersonian ideal of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness may not have been inherently selfish, because it was drafted by people who wanted these things for their countrymen and not simply for themselves; but it has been understood in a narrow sense of "what is in this for me" by contemporary Americans. We only think of rights as being sacrosanct, and not of responsibilities. Or, some responsibilities. Our successive governments have not hesitated to rush arms and soldiers to foreign countries when there was no threat to the US from those countries- all at the cost of the taxpayers. We regard this as a responsibility. Somehow we do not think of taking care of the elderly and the sick among us as being a collective responsibility. There are other things you mentioned which do not merit such collective pooling of resources. But atrophy, disease, old age and intensive care are among the kindnesses a humane society cannot do without. The pursuit of happiness precisely this- to build such a community of responsible people. Without this we would simply become greedy and selfish, all the while justifying it with ideology and the oft-repeated excuse that there is no free lunch. There isn't, of course, but no responsibility is painless; and a society that cannot bear any pain to do something good is a society that is in decline.

I wonder if the distinction between the Left and the Right is not so much naivete or unkindness on either part as the article seems to imply, but a wrong understanding of our responsibilities and others' rights. Fighting someone else's war even on serious grounds presents moral dilemmas that noone should think of war as being a good choice under any extenuating circumstances. It is wrong, period. As wrong as it is to justify the Holocaust because as a result the Jewish people got a homeland or to justify the horrors of the British Raj because Indians received the benefits of the English language, law and a democratic government. These are excuses to justify our prejudices or selfish interests. I'm not saying that we should never fight wars- simply that even when we have no choice in the matter, we are doing something wrong. And our soldiers whom we pray for are killing people daily, which is wrong. It takes a toll on them for good reason. If it didn't we should be afraid, that somehow we have become numb to the guilt in our consciences that was intended by God to turn to Him.

To withhold care from the aged or infirm because of the financial strain on taxpayers would be irresponsible and simply adding to the me-first mentality that we have come to prize in our super-private society.

Back in the day when choices were limited, there was only one brand (I think) if you wanted "squash", a sort of punch drink in India. That brand was Dipy's. Its mascot was a blond cowboy with a smiling face playing/mock-fighting with Native Americans. The ads were usually in cartoon-strip format with a one-page storyline with a plot straight out of any scene from the dime-a-dozen Italian spaghetti westerns that abounded in the 70s. Except that the Native Americans' aim was always to get the squash from the cowboy (named Dipy). Dipy managed to ward them off with this superior lassoing, gun-toting skills. Besides the Natives were portrayed as pretty pathetic, goofy guys. Sometimes Dipy encouraged them to leave their violent ways and share with him in tasting the squash. Train robberies, horse chases across the prairie, were all part of the lore. I have not seen any of these ads since the mid-Eighties. It was fun to read them as a kid.

I saw a smaller, non-plot version of these ads from another blog featuring vintage Indian print ads (on the left). The memories came flooding back. The punchline for these ads was always the cowboy riding into the sunset singing, "Dipy Dee, Dipy Doo, Dipy Dum Dum". I just can't find a full cartoon strip version on the Internet.

On the other hand when I look at it now, these sure weren't politically correct, and would never fly in today's America (or perhaps even today's India). A similar cartoon strip format was used to market Poppins, small candy packed in bunches in a roll. It was clever because the kids' magazines that carried the ad usually attracted the kids' attention due to their cartoon format. And now, if I could only find a vintage cheese ad from Amul that keeps playing in my mind!

Oh the Humanity!

I've heard about flight attendants calling for medical doctors over the PA system, but it was the first time I'd been in such a flight. I was flying United 635 from Chicago to Seattle early this week, and heard this announcement. A lady had fainted out of low BP and they needed someone to assist. Strangely there was not even one doctor on board. The stewardesses spent the rest of the flight (about 3 hours) caring for the passenger. They were about to change the flight to Denver as it was closer, but the person felt better and after consultations with doctor on the ground through 'Medlink' they decided to stay on course. I was impressed withthe flight attendants who cared for her. Somehow in our busy world that seems to not care a hoot about the next person it came as a reassurance of our purpose in life.

4G Nonsense

Close on the heels of people wondering what an iPad actually does that is groundbreaking, here is another set of lies around 4G. The whole world knows by now that what are being touted as 4G are really 3G'S latest versions. Worse still are the claims to having the largest, fastest, most evolved 4g networks in the world. Here are 3 serial offenders I know of- it hurts me to see their ads when I open Yahoo or a tech magazine:

Verizon

T-Mobile

AT&T

Remembering Elizabeth Mary Nicholas, 27 Jan 1921 - 30 Jan 2011

Another person whose life marked a milestone in the life of our family passed this week to the world of light. VJ Elizabeth Mary, later Mary Nicholas, my maternal grandma was 90 years old on January 27^th this year. On January 30^th she breathed her last, having fought to keep her life for 2 days on a ventilator. She suffered a heart attack as her body functions gave way one by one, and in a moment she was gone. I traveled to India to send her on her way home.

Her passing left a gap and this was evident by the sense of disbelief on her loved ones’ faces. She was 90, but no one really thought grandma would go at this time. In every way healthy and vibrant, an accomplished woman for her times, a person full of life and ambition to her last day, she is remembered by every one for her sheer involvement in all things contrary to what others of her age were involved in. So many travels in her golden years, many overseas. She visited me once and was thinking of another trip to the US as she neared her 90^th birthday. Her tour of the Holy Land was the highlight of her traveling life. Her insistence on having a leaf from a tree at the Mount of Olives led to a fellow traveler obliging her for one- the leaf, plucked illegally, still resides among the pages of her Bible.

I can’t get used to not seeing her around ‘Old House’ which is what we called her home. Turn a corner and you see a bar of Pears soap, used only by her. Indeed it may have been used just 2 days before her death, marked as it is by the solidified lather on its surface. Move around and you see volumes of correspondence, photos, memorial cards of friends who have passed, old bills, postcards from the 1940s through the 2000s. Grandma was perhaps not a hoarder in the American sense but she saved mostly reminders in paper form and some in the cloth form. I have a baptismal dress from 1947 which belonged to my mom. She gave it to Alma the last time we visited a year and a half ago. When I go to her grave, now adorned with flowers, I fondly recall the feast days, particularly the ‘All Souls Day’ on which we (as kids) would go with her to the family grave (in which her parents and husband were buried) to light candles and place flowers on it. Just a few months ago my aunt remembered those days and mentioned how she looked forward to the occasion.

I see a note of encouragement written by a friend to her son, my uncle when he first started his teaching job as a college lecturer. He is now retired. I see pictures of me, my siblings and my cousins, which when I see them I realize I’d forgotten they ever looked like that. I see pictures of my mom as a baby- which I’d never seen before. I see pictures of her younger brother, who died in 1996. He is standing proud and tall in this pre-World War II Royal Indian Air Force uniform. The later story is that he was given a medal for his bravery in the India-China-Burma theater of the war. I see pictures of her youngest brother when he was a boy. He is still alive, and I saw him at her funeral.

Although she was fascinated by my experience of coming to Christian faith and constantly sought after the born-again experience (which I believe she did have, though not in the Damascus Road sort of way I experienced it), and was constantly reading the Bible in the 3 years before her death, grandma was not used to the idea of death. She did not prepare for it in a financial sense until the month of her death. It seems like she had a sense of what was coming in the last month of her life. Strangely she wrote vast sums of money as a gift for my dad and my elder brother, after initially offering (and being refused) to write my Dad a blank cheque. She wanted them both to buy the best shirts available in the city. My dad bought some decent shirts which cost a lot less than she gave him, and with her permission, bought a large supply of food for the ‘House of Providence’, a Catholic charity which cared for old people who were generally poor. A few weeks prior, she was watching a Latin mass being offered and told my Dad that she wished to have the same priest officiate at her funeral. Dad went through many hoops to get information on the priest and on the singing group and spoke to them at the time about potentially having them officiate at a wedding in the future. It turned out that they officiated at her memorial service (n the 7^th day of her death) according to her wishes. It was the most beautiful liturgy (as far as I could figure it out) I’ve heard and truly beautiful singing in Latin. Out of the blue, she had insisted that her body be displayed in the living room of her house for visitation. This too was done.

It had been wish ever since she’d heard of the Titanic in her teens or twenties that the hymn ‘Nearer my God’ should be sung at her funeral. Sure enough, it was sung several times, once by a beloved nun who came to her funeral, later at a memorial service by the Latin choir and several times played over a PA system for the group of well-wishers who had gathered at our door before the funeral.

When I think of her my thoughts drift to the many trips we’ve taken with her of which the pictures remind us constantly and strongly, of the childhoods fun we’ve had with her, of her singing us lullabies to sleep (one, titled ‘Evening is Falling to Sleep in the West’ is a rare song from the 1920s she had learnt in school, which after a lot of research I received information on the composer and the complete lyrics from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2002), of her tales of her ancestors (one of whom was reputed to have heroically fought a leopard by his bare hands and killed the animal) and her voice keeps repeatedly ringing in my ear, often calling my name or telling me to preserve the memories by taking some of the old pictures or keepsakes with me.

It seems amazing now, I had a wonderful experience in India during this visit, bonding with many relatives I had long ceased to connect with. Grandma’s passing brought us all close together. It was painful to leave. A trip to India always leads me to question myself as to what I’m doing in this modern Tower of Babel, 2 oceans and 12000 miles away, feasting in plenty when others needed my presence and my support in so many ways. But this time it brought me so much clarity as to how close relationships are in India. I miss that terribly. No, I’m not homesick at all. My family took root in the US, and after 11 years we have many good reasons to call it home. But we are at once at home and at once in exile in the US, so lonely, so focused inward, and yet so familiar. Will my kids ever know the laughter and warmth that marked the gathering of our family members when we were kids? I hope they can get a glimpse of it in their short visits to India.

She never got to see our second child, David, although she was overcome with joy when she heard the news of his birth. She loved the name. Someday I will write about all of these for my kids to read and know. Someday when the realization hits me that she is gone. Gone home, no doubt, but gone from us nonetheless. Until then. Goodbye, Ammachi.

Thoughts on Real Needs and Investing in Them

You have to wonder how much longer the demand for gold can last. Gold has no real value in that there is no real need for gold. People have a clearly established need for essentials like food, water, air, clothing, shelter, education, health, relationships, quality of life, fiscal stability, stability in governance, physical safety and so on.

Assuming that only such essentials were invested into, one also encounters strange hybrid beings stalking this investment landscape that drive up or down the prices of even these essentials: complex derivatives, debt-leveraged and price-inflated artificial demand, instruments that are meant to distribute risk (like mutual funds) but due to their mix of different types of products, presenting a dubious proposition- and so on.

In the past few years we have seen the rise and fall of many hypes, translating into bubbles and bursts, among them real estate (which is a 'real need'). The derivatives and easy credit clearly inflated that market, and the instance serves as a good example of a situation in which investors put the cart (derivatives, credit-fueled prices, capital gains prospects) ahead of the horse (the real need for housing).

A few months ago an investment advisor warned me against placing any money in the realty sector in emerging markets. As an Indian I wasn't seeing what he was seeing- a crash in the real estate funds as well as one large realty company. I was seeing parcels of land in rural southern India which I bought at a reasonable price, which has appreciated on expected lines. The land lies in a zone which is seeing demand from people returning from overseas or others who wish to live just outside of the cities in which they work. The demand is also fueled by infrastructural developments in the vicinity of these parcels. The 'real need' usually pays. The derivatives are priced at perceptions of capital gains of those derivatives and not necessarily the underlying asset. This market is volatile due to any number of reasons, significantly the worldwide loss of faith in real estate.

Let's take the example of clothing. There are many brands that are mere relics of once-famous icons. In the US, the demand for clothing is pretty consistent but the demand for brands is more volatile. What are the essential clothing? Well- the essentials literally. Underwear, socks, casual jeans and so on. There are good ways to judge a sound investment in these categories by the volume and scale of their reach and their portfolio of clothing options.

Water is a real need. Water purification systems may be here to stay. And so may be safety systems. Hoping for quick capital gains based on derived demand may prove to be the long term loser.

The best example of this is in currency markets. I know of people who have invested in Euros in the early stages of the recent recession. Clearly that did not turn out to be a good idea. The internet is buzzing with $500 billion disappearing from investors' wealth due to their holdings in foreign currency derivatives, notably those with the Dollar as the underlying asset. Their moment of loss came during the short term value loss which the Dollar experienced 2-3 years ago. Remember the value climbed significantly afterward. When the largest debt in the world and the vast majority of traded goods in the world are denominated in US Dollars, and the world's most forex-rich nations (China, South Korea, India) hold over $2 trillion in USD (and intend to keep its value high as they need this reserve to spend), it must be understood that the USD will have a high value in the medium term (and likely the long term as we know it). For a firm exporting its goods or services from a different country into the US, it was (as it always has been) much more advantageous to keep its earnings in USD within the US or in a tax haven. Instead many of these small scale businesses converted USD into local currency, then bought USD derivatives which saw their value trough out and peak in succession. When they troughed out these companies had their contracts cancelled and suffered a great loss of value in their wealth. When they peaked they no longer had those derivatives in hand and thereby could not get any of this value back. The financial institutions which underwrote those derivatives laughed all the way to the bank. The underlying asset- in this case the USD- proved far more reliable than its own derivative.

I believe in the future (and now) the investors who reap profits will be the ones who abide by Benjamin Graham's principles of 'real need' and 'understanding the business' in which you invest. Gold may have been somewhat stable. But in the absence of real need gold is about as wobbly a deck of cards as you can get. On the other hand watch out for artificial demand which inflates prices.

Climate Change in Chicago

Here is the historical climate date for Chicago, from over 100 years of data collection:

Climate data for Chicago (Midway Airport)
Month	Jan
Record high °F (°C)	67 (19.4)
Average high °F (°C)	30.7 (-0.72)
Average low °F (°C)	16.2 (-8.78)
Record low °F (°C)	−25 (-31.7)
Precipitation inches (mm)	1.95 (49.5)
Snowfall inches (cm)	12.9 (32.8)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	11.2
Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	6.2
Sunshine hours	136.4

And here is the same for Moscow:

Climate data for Moscow (VVC) normals 1981–2010, records 1879–the present
Month	Jan
Record high °C (°F)	8.6 (47.5)
Average high °C (°F)	-4.1 (24.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	-6.5 (20.3)
Average low °C (°F)	-9.1 (15.6)
Record low °C (°F)	−42.2 (-44)
Precipitation mm (inches)	52 (2.05)
% Humidity	83
Avg. rainy days	0.8
Avg. snowy days	18
Sunshine hours	33

Moscow, although in the same “humid continental climate” zone as Chicago, is colder by far, right?

Now compare today’s data for Chicago:

TODAY

Current conditions as of 11:51 AM CST

Fair

Feels Like: -18 °C

Barometer: 1,022.2 mb and falling

And compare this week’s forecast:

TODAY	TOMORROW	SUN	MON	TUE	6-10 DAY
Mostly Cloudy	Mostly Cloudy	Cloudy	Few Snow Showers	Partly Cloudy	Extended Forecast
High: -13° Low: -15°	High: -7° Low: -13°	High: -7° Low: -12°	High: -4° Low: -6°	High: -3° Low: -8°

I’m so moving to Moscow!!!

Notes on Reading Philippians

Text and Summary Points

Chapter 1

From To Greetings Affectionate remembrance Commendation Prayers Paul’s imprisonment and purpose Brothers preaching Christ Joy in any circumstance Exhortation in the face of future trials and call to stand firm in the Gospel

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God. Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Chapter 2

Call to love and unity in mind Christ’s example of humility and reward Call to work out salvation and God’s purpose Call to holiness and caution against grumbling Paul’s perseverance and joy Sending Timothy and commendation of his unselfishness Paul’s eagerness for news from Philippi Returning the Philippian messenger (and trustee of their offering) Epaphroditus with this letter Epaphroditus’ love for his people

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

Chapter 3

Rejoice Warning against Judaizers Paul’s pedigree as a Jewish rabbi Paul’s view of his pedigree as rubbish in comparison to his knowledge of Christ Paul’s desire to know Christ in dealth and resurrection Paul’s desire to eagerly fulfill Christ’s purpose Call to consider these things well Follow my example Warning and tears about wordly false teachers Citizens of heaven in comparison

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Chapter 4

Loving call to stand firm Call to specific people to agree in fellowship Joy, gentleness, contentment, prayer, thanksgiving, peace in Jesus True, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy thoughts Joy in their love for Paul (through their gift in his hour of need) No other church but you sent me gifts (though I lacked nothing) God will reward you richly Praises Final greetings Benediction

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Notes

People mentioned:

Paul: Writer of the epistle. Written in AD 62 whilst he was imprisoned in Rome. After having completed three missionary journeys around Greece, Asia Minor and lands between Palestine and Asia Minor, Paul traveled to Jerusalem in AD 57 where he was arrested in the temple (into which he went at James’ suggestion), held at Caesaria for one year and shipped to Rome via Malta (where he was shipwrecked). He remained in Rome (until sometime in the mid-sixties) where he was (according to tradition) beheaded under Emperor Nero’s reign. During the time of writing this epistle it is more than likely that he was expecting to be sentenced to death at any time. Nero ruled from AD 54 through AD 64 until the famous great fire of Rome and his subsequent death. According to secular historian Tacitus, Nero had blamed Christians for the fire and in the consequent genocide against them Paul may have been executed. Tradition holds that Peter was executed upside down. Paul, being a Roman citizen by birth, may have received the lighter sentence of death by beheading (as tradition has it).

Timothy: Mentioned as co-sender of the epistle although the text makes it clear it was Paul who composed the letter on his and Timothy’s behalf.

Epaphroditus: Philippian representative who had carried an offering or gifts for Paul from their church to Rome. From the epistle he emerges as a loving, kind, trustworthy man. He fell seriously ill whilst in Rome. His church back home learnt this and were concerned about him. This news in turn saddened him and after his recovery he is keen to get back to them. Paul sends his epistle with him as a harbinger of joy, thanks and good news. Paul urges the church to receive him with joy and honor men like him (2:29). He is only mentioned in this epistle.

Euodia: A Christian leader in Philippi who worked with Paul. She may have some disagreements with another such leader, Syntyche, both women.

Syntyche: The leader with possible disagreements with Euodia mentioned above. The disagreements may have been minor as Paul mentions them as having contended at his side for the sake of the gospel. Also his exhortation to them to agree does not seem too severe as other such exhortations in other situations have been.

Clement: Paul mentions him as having contended at his side for the gospel, like Euodia and Syntyche. Tradition identifies him as the first pope (from AD 92 to 99), honored as saint by not only the Roman Catholic but also several Orthodox churches- Greek, Russian, Alexandrian Coptic, and others, but there is no other mention of him in the Bible.

“My True Yolk-Fellow”: A man in the Philippian church who Paul urges to help find agreement between Euodia and Syntyche. He is unnamed but clearly a man whose word was respected. A possible explanation is that this could be Epaphroditus himself. Epaphroditus is not simply a messenger, but (in 2:25) an authoritative delegate and minister.

About Philippi and Background:

Founded as a Macedonian city by Greek king Philip II in BC 356, this settlement was abandoned in the 14^th century after conquest by the Ottoman Empire. In 167 BC the city passed into Roman hands and was the scene for the Roman civil war after Julius Caesar’s death in AD 42. The Battle of Philippi saw the defeat of his assassins at the hands of Mark Antony and Octavian. Some of their veteran soldiers settled in this place. Paul visited Philippe in AD 49 or 50 after having seen in a dream a Macedonian man pleading with him to come to his city. The gospel was thus preached for the first time in Europe at Philippi. His first convert there was Lydia, a purple dye merchant. Also at this time he freed a slave woman from demon possession. This created problems for him as the slave woman was used as a diviner by her captors/masters. Paul and his coworker, Silas, were arrested here. However after they prayed and sang aloud in jail, an earthquake resulted and the jail door was opened. The jailor there realized that this escape by wanted men would result in his own execution and was preparing to kill himself when Paul intervened and let him know that they had not escaped. This jailor then came to faith in Christ. After Lydia and the former slave woman he was perhaps the third European convert to Christianity. Paul visited Philippi again in AD 56 and 57. The Philippians seemed to have been mostly (but not all) poor, and Paul’s joy in receiving their offering was- according to him- not because he lacked in anything but because of their love and generosity. Paul’s confidence in the Philippians’ partnership in Christ’s grace with him stems from this joy. Consequently, he is always thankful, always full of joy and praise when he remembers them or prays for them. He therefore desires and prays for them to grow in love, knowledge and insight.