God is Spirit

July 31, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

According to Jesus, “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). But what is spirit? Well, the New Testament was written in Greek and the word used here for spirit is pneuma which simply means wind. The word pneuma is where we get the term, pneumatic pump, as an example. The English word, spirit itself comes from the Latin word, spiritus which also means wind or breath. Even the Hebrew word, ruach for spirit also means wind or breath. So it all means essentially the same thing, wind or breath. So, is Jesus then saying that God is wind or breath literally? Of course not. It’s descriptive or figurative language—not literal.

Unfortunately, some people think that the Bible must always be interpreted literally and that could be problematic at times when interpreting Scripture.

God, Time and Space

Whenever we talk about God, let us remember that God created everything—visible and invisible (Col. 1:16). He created time and space and he is not bound by it. He is outside and not subject to time and space—the realm of the natural, physical world. Matter or energy is created by God whether it’s visible or invisible. God is not limited by time and space. He is outside of it—“outside the box,” so to speak. So when we talk about God and Spirit, let’s not put limitations on God and place him—“inside the box.”

When Jesus said that God is Spirit, he meant that God is invisible because that is one of God’s qualities or attributes. It doesn’t mean God is part of matter or energy or that God is literally wind. The ancient people did not have precise words to describe the unlimited God. Human language is limited to describe God fully. Even today, our human language is inadequate to fully describe God and so therefore we can only use inadequate, insufficient descriptive or figurative language to describe our infinite and unlimited God. That is why Jesus said God is Spirit (wind) using the language of his day.

When Jesus said “God is Spirit,” I take it to mean the very opposite of matter or energy. It take it to mean that Spirit means non-matter. It is infinite, it is one whole, indivisible. No one has seen the Father. He is Spirit. The Word is Spirit too. And the Holy Spirit is of course also Spirit. They are one, indivisible, infinite. That is why the Bible says God is one. God is one divine being in three persons: Father, Son and Spirit. Now do I fully and completely understand this concept? Of course not. I can’t. It’s beyond my human comprehension because God is not part of the created order. He is “outside the box” and is beyond my human comprehension. He lives in a different dimension which I could not fathom. But I believe it.

Why? Because that is what God reveals in Scripture. I believe it even though I don’t understand it fully and completely because that is the revelation from Scripture. This is the difference between relying on pure human logic and trusting on God’s Word because that is what he reveals in Scripture whether one understands it or not. To me, to trust God’s Word that God is one divine being who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the logical thing to do. Trust in God’s Word. That’s logic.

Photography

Nikon Lens Mount Adapter for Lumix GF1

July 25, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

Back during the 80s, I had a Nikon EM camera which was somewhat semi-electronically operated. This was back during the film days. It had an aperture priority setting and depending on what lens opening you will use to take a shot, the speed automatically adjusts itself. You also have to rotate the focus ring on the lens to manually focus on your subject. After the passing of many years, the camera body finally gave up and that was it. Many decades have passed and about a year or so ago, my daughter gave me a wonderful gift—a second hand Panasonic Lumix GF1 digital camera! It has a zoom lens called 14-45mm or the equivalent of 28mm to 90mm zoom lens. Finally, after so many decades, I have another good quality camera. But I didn’t have a normal lens (50mm).

This led me to think about my f1.8 50mm Nikon lens attached to my old Nikon EM camera. Thankfully, I was able to buy a Nikon lens mount adapter at ebay and after waiting for some 24 days the gadget arrived from Hong Kong. And now I’m able to take good photos using it. The lens was already filled with molds but I was able to open it and clean it. It really takes good shots! The only downside is that, since it is an old lens, it has no electronic connections to my new high tech camera, the GF1. You have to go manual and set the aperture and focus on the subject manually. It’s challenging and exciting. But I’m enjoying it!

Bayugan City Church Bell Tower

July 19, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

I’ve just visited Bayugan City, my home city yesterday for my youngest brother’s burial who died of sickness last Sunday. While there, I took several shots of what one can see from the balcony of our family home. The Catholic church bell tower is prominent in the photo with the city gym in the background. The church building is on the right with the red roofing. It was a clear day and the cloud formation attracted me to shoot these photos. Every morning at 5:00 a.m. this church bell wakes us all up whether we like it or not — it’s the biggest alarm clock in the neighborhood haha!

bayugan city church bell tower2 — Click to zoom.

I wrote about the history of Bayugan City and how it grew from a small settlement to become what it is now. This is where I grew up as a young boy. My dad happened to be involved in the early beginnings of this city. As the saying goes, “there’s no place like home” and it’s good to go back “home” once in a while. I now have a family of my own and “home” is where my own family is right now (far away from Bayugan) but for me, Bayugan will also always be “home.” I guess that’s how it is with everyone isn’t it? We want to go back “home” where we grew up and reminisce the good old days.

Life & Love

Caves at Initao National Park

July 13, 2013 Len Joson Leave a comment

Back in April 2004, I had the opportunity to get involved in a youth summer camp that was held at Initao, Misamis Oriental. And one of the adventures that all the youth campers and staff enjoyed was the visit to an underground cave at the Initao National Park. It’s a well-preserved, densely forested area with really huge and tall trees all over a wide stretch of land in-between Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City. If I’m not mistaken, this park has been intentionally preserved by the government—which is good. I’m not sure though if it is still being well-maintained after the passing of many years.

All of us—campers and staff—descended into a small, dark hole or opening on the ground and once inside, it was a big surprise to know that there was such a big cavern underneath! And then the challenge began for all of us. We had to crawl and pass through a small hole just enough for one person to pass through one at a time in the dark. But surprisingly, “at the end of the tunnel,” you get up looking gladly at the deep blue sea. What a wonderful experience it was!

Life & Love, Photography

Kawasan Falls in Cebu

July 8, 2013 Len Joson 1 Comment

Kawasan Falls-11 — A nipa hut — Pinoy folk architecture — just near the dam high up in the mountains. (Click to zoom)

Back in May 2007, I was invited as one of the staff in a youth summer camp that was held in Cebu. I didn’t realize that it was near Kawasan Falls, a beautiful resort area where tourists visit. From the camp site beside the beach, we had to hike about 45 minutes or so to reach Kawasan Falls with its many falls along the way as you go up higher. Yes, that’s right! It’s all going up—high up in the mountains! Whew! That was tough for me haha! I was not expecting the hike to take that long with my old heavy laptop in my backpack! Anyway, I survived haha!

Here are the shots I took using my point-and-shoot Mercury digital camera. In the photo above, I took that shot because I thought that it’s an example of Philippine folk architecture. The rest are shots I took along the way.