The Toronto Deception

I try not to re-post, but this is a testimony that deserves proper archiving. And I have been to the TACF, so it is of interest to me.

From http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/TheTorontoDeception.htm

"

The Toronto Deception

By a former Toronto Vineyard Pastor

It has taken me nine years to actually come to the place where I would write this story. Part of the reason was because I was not fully convinced that it is appropriate to speak out against weaknesses in the body of Christ publicly. Another reason is because it has taken years of soul searching to become convinced that what happened in the Toronto Airport Church was actually all bad or at least more bad than good!

For the past number of years I have called it a mixed blessing. I think James A Beverly called it this in his book Holy Laughter and the Toronto Blessing 1994. Today I would call it a mixed curse concluding that any individual good that came from this experience is far outweighed by much harm and satanic deception. I suppose that therein has been my dilemma. I have tried to live my life in the fear of the Lord and Jesus told us that the unforgivable sin was the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Attributing to Satan what was in fact a work of God. If pressed as to whether or not the Toronto blessing is all God or all Devil I will still be hedgy, but I am convinced that Satan has used this experience to blind people to the historical doctrines of God, to produce fruit in keeping with repentance, to failing to test and discern the spirits and failing to test prophecy.

After three years of being in the thick of the Toronto blessing our Vineyard assembly in Scarborough ( East Toronto) just about self destructed. We devoured one another, with gossip, backstabbing, division, sects criticism etc. After three years of ‘soaking,’ praying for people, shaking, rolling, laughing, roaring, ministering at TACF on their prayer team, leading worship at TACF, preaching at TACF, basically living at TACF we were the most carnal, immature and deceived Christians that I know. I remember saying to my friend and senior pastor at Scarborough Vineyard Church in 1997 that ever since the Toronto Blessing came we have just about fallen to bits! He agreed!

My experience has been that the manifestation of spiritual gifts mentioned in 1^st Corinthians 12 was much more common in our assembly, before January 1994 (when the Toronto blessing started.) than during this period of supposed Holy Spirit visitation.

During 1992-1993 when praying for people we would experience what I believe was genuine prophesy, deliverance and much grace and favour from the Lord. After the Toronto Blessing started, all ministry time changed, the only prayers were ‘More Lord MORE ’, the shouting of ‘Fire’ the jerky shaking of the body with the ‘ooh ooh OOH WOOOAAH’ prayer. (I kid you not!)

On January 20^th 1994 about 15 people from our church traveled over to Toronto Airport Vineyard in order to listen to Randy Clark, a Vineyard pastor from the USA. John Arnott had called our senior pastor to invite us. He communicated that Randy had been to the Rodney Howard Browne meetings and that the stuff had broke out in his church in the following weeks. John was hoping that something might break out with us too. We were only too happy to travel over. We were a church plant out of the Toronto Airport and we started in 1992. In those days there were three Vineyard Churches in Toronto. One Down Town church, Scarborough vineyard church to the east and the AirPort Church. We were one big happy family. Because we were small in number we did special meetings, conferences etc, together.

The year before most of our leadership teams joined and had headed to Nicaragua for a short term missions trip. We had genuine love and fellowship with each other. Since leaving the Vineyard churches I have read a fair bit of analysis from the critics. Some make out that the Toronto Blessing was one huge conspiracy to lead the body of Christ into heresy. Heresy and apostasy I suspect may well be the result, but none of these destinations were intentional. I am honestly convinced that the leaders in the Vineyard churches are genuine born-again Christians who love the Lord, but have fallen into deception. They have not loved the Lord enough to keep His commandments. They have failed to obey the scriptures and have been led astray by our longing for something bigger and brighter and more exciting and dynamic. I am guilty of this sin also. I have preached renewal in Korea, the United Kingdom, the USA and here in Canada. I am genuinely repentant and in writing this story I would ask you the bride and body of Christ to forgive me. Especially the Pentecostal / Charismatic Christians among you, for you are my immediate family theologically. I am an evangelical Christian, I always have been but I do not believe in the cessation of the spiritual gifts at the end of the apostolic era. I believe that it was my evangelical roots (my family are Baptists and I was born again in the Presbyterian Church.) that started to open my eyes to problems with this so called renewal. In hind sight I look back and think how could I have been so blind? I laughed at people acting like dogs and pretending to urinate on the columns of the TACF building. I watched people pretend to be animals, bark, roar, cluck, pretend to fly as if they had wings, perpetually act drunk and sing silly songs. How I thought that any of this was from the Holy Spirit of God amazes me today. It was loud irreverent and blasphemous to the Holy God of the Bible. I suppose in my mind I reasoned that as long as they did not teach any thing in direct violation to scripture then it was what we called the exotic. This is a buzz word for manifestations that could not be justified from a biblical perspective. I was taught from the pulpit that we had two options. The order of the nursery full of life and messy or the order of the graveyard, very orderly but dead! As a young immature pastor I wanted life with mess. I failed to remember that God wants us to become mature and grow up in him. I became disconcerted by the prophetic words that came forth especially one by Carol Arnott in which she had her bride experience where she was taken into the very presence of Jesus and said that the love that she experienced was even better than sex! I was shocked in my spirit and thought how can one compare the love of God with sex? When we suspected that demons were running riot in our services John Arnott would teach that we should ask are they coming or going. If they are leaving then that is ok! John would defend the chaos by saying that we ought not be afraid of being deceived, if we have asked the Holy Spirit to come and fill us then how could Satan come and deceive us? This would make Satan very strong and God very weak! He said that we needed to have more faith in a Big God to protect us than in a Big Devil to deceive us. This sounded very convincing but was totally contrary to scripture for Jesus and Paul and Peter and John all warn us about the power of deceiving spirits and especially so in the last days. Again we did not love God enough to obey His Word and the result was that we opened ourselves up to lying spirits. May God have mercy upon us!

Finally the penny dropped for me as I was rolling around one night ‘drunk in the Spirit’ as we would say. I started singing and as I rolled around the floor the Nursery Rhyme ‘Mary had a little lamb its fleece was white as snow.’ came to mind. I sang this in a mocking spirit and instantly my heart told me this was a demon. Instantly I repented and was in total shock. How could a demon get into me? Did I not love God? was I not zealous for the things of God? Was I not nuts about Jesus? I knew that an unclean spirit had just manifested through me and I was guilty of great sin. After this experience I stayed away from TACF. I did not go back there any more. I did not possess the conviction to denounce the whole experience but thought that we where failing to pastor the Blessing well enough.

Even after I stopped going over to TACF, I had to pastor the fruit of it. One example was when some of our people returned from a meeting there asking us if we had all received the golden sword of the Lord? I asked them what they were talking about thinking that it was some prophetic reference to the Holy Scriptures but they said, ‘no, its not the Bible, it’s an invisible golden sword that only the really pure can receive. If taken in an unrighteous fashion then the Lord would kill you. But if you are holy enough to receive it then you can wield this sword and it will heal aids, Cancer etc. and bring salvation. How one wielded this sword was by pretending to have this invisible sword in your hand and motioning to strike people with it when in prayer! I thought while even in deception at this time that the TACF had become Looney bins! This was purportedly first received by Carol Arnott and then given to the ones holy enough to receive it! Another thing was the golden fillings in the teeth. We had people in our assembly peeping down one another’s throats looking for the gold fillings that God had placed there to show how much he loved them! In all my time there I only heard one message on repentance given by a visiting speaker from Hong Kong named Jackie Pullinger. It went over like a lead balloon. We were not there to repent, we were there to party in the Lord! After one year into the blessing I spoke out at a pastors meeting and said ‘guys we have shaken, rattled, rolled, laughed cried and bought the tee- shirt. But we have no revival, no salvation, no fruit and no increased evangelism so what’s the deal?’ I was soundly rebuked - who was I to expect to see fruit when the Lord was healing his broken people? We had been legalistic long enough and God was spending this time restoring his wounded and freeing us from legalism I was told not to push the Lord and the harvest would come in his time.’

I knew this was wrong because the Lord had commanded us to go into all the earth and make disciples! Not, that everyone should take a sabbatical for who knows how long, while God does some strange new thing! Ultimately I left over something as controversial as the ordination of women. Personally I believe from scripture that women should not be pastors/ elders in a local assembly. I could be wrong on this and there is much debate in the Church today but that is my conviction and in the Vineyard churches they were ordaining all the pastors wives to co pastor with them. I am certainly for women in ministry but believe that the Elder/ pastor role in a local assembly has been reserved for men. I did not write scripture but God willing I will have the grace from now on to obey it.

So there is my story. I could go on and document much excess, folly, sin and latter day reign teaching that manifest from the prophetic end of this Blessing but others have already done that. We sang about Joel’s army and the billion soul revival as if it were one of the Ten Commandments, and as always it was just around the corner. Next month, next year etc. Jesus said that when the son of man returns will he find faith upon the earth? And if he does not return when he does no flesh would be saved but for the sake of the elect he comes. This is a far cry from the domionism that is being taught all through the vineyard / prophetic/ spiritual warfare movement. I honestly think that they think they are going to take over the whole world! While in the Vineyard I embraced a life verse from the Apostle Paul the phrase do not go beyond what is written!

To finish I just want to say sorry for the damage, that I have personally done by teaching things that are not correct biblically. I repent before men as I already have before God. I will not excuse my falling into deception. I did not bother to test things when the scriptures commanded us to do so. Everyone who was there when this thing started knows that what I write is true, they would just come to different conclusions especially if they are still promoting the ‘river!’

To those in the river I would say swim out, there are things living in the water that will bite you real good! I love the people of TACF and the Vineyard movement but I think that we have much to answer for and may the Lord open your eyes sooner rather than later. I suspect that when this letter goes online I will get bombarded by emails from both camps, some damning me for still believing in the ministry of the Holy Spirit and still walking in deception and some old friends damning me for exposing dirt or being negative about the Lords anointed! Well, the Lord knows my heart and by his grace he will guide me into all truth as I seek to know Christ and him crucified! If you believe that I walk in sin and error please pray for me that the Lord would forgive me and open my eyes. I will study the word to show my self a work man approved! I would call on all who read this to pray that the Lord would open the eyes of all who have been involved in this deception. Whether leader or follower, we are loved and the Lord is a forgiving God. He says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. I believe we are like the church in Laodicea, we think that we are rich, have prospered and need nothing, we do not realise that we are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. We must take the Counsel of Jesus and buy gold refined in the fire (which is his suffering, not a false spirit!) white garments to clothe our shameful nakedness and salve for our eyes that we might see again. Jesus is calling us to repentance and thank the Lord that he is, for it will lead us to true restoration with our Father! If God has forgiven me and opened my eyes then he can do it for all those caught in deception too. I will finish with a warning from Paul, he says if you think you are standing firm be careful lest you fall.

Sincerely Paul Gowdy.

"

Interesting T-Shirts

(Sold in the USA, of course)

Movimento Gospe

Vem aí o Movimento Gospe.
O Movimento Gospe terá mais interesse fora dos evangélicos. Um grupo de pessoas interessadas no modo de vida de Jesus sem a linguagem e os simbolismos desgastados.

Aguardem!

Cabra Safado - Polícia nigeriana apresenta cabra como suspeito de roubo

Da agência de notícias Reuters

"
Nigéria
Polícia nigeriana apresenta cabra como suspeito de roubo

Lagos - A Polícia do Estado de Kwara, no centro da Nigéria, apresentou uma cabra como um dos dois presumíveis ladrões armados que tentaram roubar uma viatura, noticiou hoje, sexta-feira, a imprensa local.

O porta-voz da Polícia, Tunde Mohammed, declarou aos jornalistas estupefactos que o "suspeito" será detido até ao fim do inquérito.

Segundo ele, guardas de um bairro de Ilorin, capital do Estado de Kwara, perseguiam dois homens que tentaram roubar um veículo quarta- feira, quando um deles voltou-se contra uma parede antes de se transformar em cabra.

"Eles capturaram rapidamente a cabra", disse Tunde, acrescentando que o outro suspeito fugiu.

As histórias de seres humanos que se tranformam em animais são frequentes na Nigéria, um país de 140 milhões de habitantes onde o limite entre o folclore e realidade é facilmente transposto.

"

Open the lid of my jar, Gord

Open the lid of my jar, Gord
Open the lid of my jar
I want to eat it
I want to eat it

To eat it right and beef it up
Shinin' in the pan on your griller
Pour out your powder on stove
As we sing Rolie, Polie, Olie

Rolie, Polie, Olie
Rolie, Polie, Olie
Rolie, Polie, Olie
I want to eat it

(keywords: open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Michael W Smith)

Você Já Experimentou Música Evangélica?

Eu até que tento ouvir música evangélica. Eu não conheço a experiência, mas deve ser que nem maconha: parece legalzinha na hora, mas com o barato vem junto a desconfiança de que a coisa não está te fazendo bem.

Atrocidades do Exército de Resistência do Senhor (LRA)

Ouvi hoje os relatos das atrocidades cometidas pelo Exército de Resistência do Senhor (LRA) no Congo e fiquei chocado.

Da Rádio CBC, programa "As It Happens", 21/1/2009:
"LRA: Atrocidades
Onde havia esperança, agora há terror.

Por mais de dois anos, o grupo do Exército de Resistência do Senhor esteve envolvido em negociações de paz com o governo de Uganda. Os dois lados estavam tentando acabar com mais de duas décadas de lutas no Norte de Uganda. Mas no final do ano passado, as negociações de paz estancaram. E agora, os rebeldes voltaram com seus métodos brutais.

Nas últimas semanas, o LRA saqueou, linchou até a morte e queimou vivas pelo menos 620 habitantes na República Democrática do Congo, onde os rebeldes estão instalados agora. Eles também sequestraram mais de 160 crianças. E os ataques continuam -- o mais recente relato veio semana passada, quando os rebeldes queimaram uma igreja cheia de fiéis.

Um time do Human Rights Watch gastou as duas últimas semanas investigando os ataques do LRA. Anneke Van Woudenberg foi uma pesquisadora sênior nesta equipe. Ela está em Kampala, Uganda.

Um aviso àqueles que tenham perto ouvintes pequenos, a entrevista que segue contem conteúdo chocante.
"
>O que você testemunhou?
Woudenberg> Passamos duas semanas lá. Esses são alguns das piores massacres e abusos que testemunhamos. Eu documentei por 10 anos guerras no Zaire. O que o LRA fez foi atacar simultaneamente pelo menos 3 locais no dia de Natal, deliberadamente visando a pessoas enquanto se encontravam e ceavam o Natal, ou indo a igrejas. Esperaram elas se encontrarem e mataram-nas.
Por exemplo, na cidade de Batande, o LRA separarou os homens das mulheres enquanto ceavam o Natal. Imediatamente mataram os homens e meninos batendo na cabeça deles com machados e porretes grandes, esmagando seus crânios, matando um por um. Depois pegaram as mulheres e meninas. Separaram em pequenos grupos. Primeiro estupraram-nas depois mataram-nas esmagando seus crânios. Isso aconteceu vila após vila, homens, mulheres, crianças, bebês.

> O massacre no dia de Natal - é verdade que cearam logo depois de matar as pessoas?

Woudenberg > Nesse lugar especificamente, foi isso que fizeram. Enquanto os corpos se espalhavam no lugar onde foram brutalmente mortos, eles comeram a ceia que as pessoas haviam preparado para o Natal, e depois dormiram no mesmo lugar entre os corpos mortos antes de continuar no dia seguinte para a vila seguinte onde fizeram as mesmas coisas horríveis.
Em vários lugares - nós documentamos isso - eles fingiram haver festa e cantoria para que mais pessoas viessem e que pudessem matar o maior número de pessoas.
E nós também notamos que eles não quiseram usar balas para matar as vítimas. Eles usaram machados ou porretes grandes para esmagar seus crânios. E às crianças pequenas tentaram matar torcendo suas cabeças.
Eu mesma me encontrei com duas meninas que ainda estão no hospital na cidade de Jeruma (?). Têm apenas 3 anos cada. O LRA tentou matá-las torcendo suas cabeças. As duas meninas ainda estavam vivas e agora têm feridas críticas no pescoço num hospital bem pequeno de Jeruma (?) que nem tem médico - só tem enfermeiras que estão tentando fazer o melhor para as meninas.

[...]
> Eu soube que além das matanças o LRA continua sequestrando crianças.
Woudenberg> Um dos lugares que atacaram no dia de Natal foi em Feragi (?). Eles esperaram até que houvesse um concerto de Natal na praça central, onde, claro, várias crianças tinham ido. Nesse lugar em particular eles sequestraram 160 crianças enquanto celebravam no dia de Natal. De novo, o LRA foi extremamente brutal e eficiente. Eles sequestraram as crianças e começaram a amarrá-las juntas. E então eles viram que entre as crianças haviam um grande número de menores de 9 anos de idade. Eram crianças que não eram tão fortes, que não eram na verdade o grupo alvo de crianças que queriam sequestrar. Em vez de deixar ir essas crianças, eles mataram-nas brutalmente. Incluía crianças de 6 e 7 anos. Sim, eles continuam a sequestrar as crianças, mas eles também estão deliberadamente matando as crianças quando não têm utilidade ao LRA.
"

Transcrição e tradução: Gustavo K-fé Frederico

Brasil

Eu odeio o jeitinho brasileiro. (Com isso não quero dizer o jeito brasileiro)

Software Reuse is Bad For You - II

On Software Reuse

(Note: I don't actually mean that software reuse is bad for you)

"You" this time is the developer. Developers in this industry move frequently between companies. The idea is that software that is reusable, easy to extend, easy to integrate is more difficult to create (and easier to maintain). If a developer stays a short period in the company, why should he/she bother to spend the extra time to create software with these long-term qualities? More often than not these good qualities are 'invisible' and not immediately recognized by local management or the customer. My advise to local management? Check out which software or modules have less maintenance, look at the software and think about the reasons why. My advise to customers? Learn more about software quality. Ask tough questions not only about what will work for you tomorrow but years from today.

Evangélicos na Colômbia

Paz, amigos e amigas,

Entrevistamos a  Edwin Villamil e David Montealegre para conhecer mais a história dos Evangélicos na Colômbia. Eu e o Obadias de Deus somos os entrevistadores. Alguns temas que discutimos:

-Desafios sociais hoje na Colômbia
-Como surgiram os evangélicos
-A guerrilha e os evangélicos
-Os evangélicos e os discursos de esquerda
-A presença dos pentecostais e neopentecostais brasileiros na Colômbia
-A percepção da realidade pelos evangélicos colombianos
-Entendendo a timidez dos protestantes frente aos problemas da
sociedade colombiana
- A Teologia da Libertação na Colômbia
-A percepção da realidade pelos evangélicos e carismáticos em particular
-Os evangélicos "separados do mundo" e "salvando almas"
-A relação entre pastores e poder

Links abaixo

Parte 1

Parte 2


 abraços fraternos,
Gustavo Frederico

----------------------------------------

(English to follow after the Portuñol...)

Paz, amigos y amigas,
Una nueva entrevista con Edwin Villamil y David Montealegre. El tema principal: una breve história de los evangelicos en Colombia. Yo y Obadias de Deus entrevistamos a los dos teólogos jovenes.
Algunos de los temas discutidos:
- Desafíos sociales hoy en Colombia
- Cómo surgieran los evangelicos
- La guerrilla y los evangelicos
- Los evangelicos y los discursos de izquierda
-La presencia de los pentecostales y neopentecostales brasileños en Colombia
- La percepción de la realidad por los evangelicos colombianos
- Comprendendo la timidez de los Protestantes frente a los problemas de la sociedade colombiana
- La Teología de la Liberación en Colombia
- Los evangélicos "separados del mundo" y "salvando almas"
- La relación entre pastores y poder

Par oír la entrevista, haga click abajo

Parte 1

Parte 2


En Cristo,
Gustavo Frederico

---

Peace, brothers and sisters,
The new interview with Edwin Villamil and David Montealegre is available here.
The main theme is a brief history of the evangelicals in Colombia. I and Obadias de Deus are the interviewers. Some of the themes we discussed include:
- Social challenges today in Colombia
- How the evangelicals came to be
- The guerrilla and the evangelicals
- The evangelicals and the left-wing discourses
- The presence of Brazilian penthecostals and neopenthecostals in Colombia
- The perception of reality by colombian evangelicals
- Understanding the shyness by Protestants before the problems of the colombian society
- Liberation Theology in Colombia
- The evangelicals "set apart from the world" and "saving souls"
- The relationship between pastors and power

Here is the interview in Spanish.

Part 1

Part 2


In Christ,
Gustavo Frederico

(keywords: Colômbia, Colombia, FARC, Teología de la Liberación, evangélicos, Teologia da Libertação, pentecostal, teología)

Ateus Pela Graça de Jesus de Nazaré

Copiado descaradamente de Ignacio Simal (http://simal.es/?p=357) via Monja:

Translating the Emerging Conversation into Portuguese - V

One constructive critic I have of certain expressions of Christianity in the US is the problem with proselytism. I think the best person that illustrates the problem is Mark Driscoll, from Mars Hills Church.
There is something in the American culture that impels Christians to 'evangelize' - read proselytize. That is, to go on in campaigns to inculcate one's faith onto another person, the target. I suppose this urge comes from their capitalistic worldview, but this is my speculation and it doesn't matter much for this argument. I recall what the theologian Stanley Hauerwas wrote:
"Consider the problem of taking showers with [Christians]. They are, after all, constantly going on about the business of witnessing in the hopes of making converts to their God and church. Would you want to shower with such people? You never know when they might try to baptize you."
Yes, we are called to spread the good news, but little time is devoted even in the US to understand what the good news is (recall that the medium is the message), let alone on the ethics and ways of 'spreading it'. Not to mention that evangelism is one praxis of the Christian faith, but definitely not all there is to it. I remember what I heard from a biologist describing male bees: they were sperms on wings, in her own words. That is, they existed to procreate. They existed as a function of themselves. That's a terrible answer to the existential question.
Back to Driscoll, I listened to many of his sermons from Mars Hills Church. And by other associate pastors. Frankly, I couldn't see much difference from other conservative evangelicals (other than perhaps a behavioural attitude that is a tinny different).
Here's the problem in a nutshell, IMHO: come-to-us, seeker-sensitive, let's-grow-and-multiply (and take over the world?). Ok, we drink beer. Ok, we listen to rap. Ok, we use technology. Ok, we are in Seattle and not in Texas. But so what? Beyond that I still listen to the blah blah blah of homossexuality (like a broken record), how to be a good husband, three steps to overcome sin, how the Bible is right and careful there are a lot of herectics out there, missing the point on The Shack, and on and on and on. (end of rant).
Ok, now the difficult step: translating that into Portuguese...
I think that we in Brazil must look beyond these quarrels and limitations of the American de facto Christianity. We must be ready to speak and listen in a globalized world. And believe me, homossexuality is not on top of the agenda. We must take a look inside our borders (within Brazil) and understand what is going on. We must take a pulse and feel our own culture and desires and aspirations. We need to learn our own History (we don't even know it, let alone interpret it). We need, then, to think about our Christian/Brazilian identity in a globalized (postmodern, postcolonial) world.
That is why I think we must be very careful in importing or praising some models of American Christianity, taking them at face value. I think that the new expressions of church, the folks at very early stages of rethinking church must be very open minded and work and cooperate with different voices of the Christian faith. In Portuguese, in Spanish and in English (perhaps in this order).

Traduzindo a Conversa Emergente para Português - IV

Não acho que essa seja uma imagem muito representativa do pós-modernismo:




Acho esse tipo de imagem mais representativa:

Translating the Emerging Conversation into Portuguese - III

Consider Europe, a post-Christian region. (I suppose the de facto religion in Europe is the Islam)
How may we translate the religious news from Europe to Brazil?
- Well, that's quite a generic question, Gustavo!
I know, I know. Bear with me.
Consider this:
- Christians are a minority in Europe
- Despite the rich Christian history at hand in Europe, the newer generation has no references. The symbols and language of Christiany mean almost nothing to them.
My conclusion: they are in a good position to reinvent their expressions of Christianity, which is a good thing. What are the hints to me? Alt.worship. I like alt.worship a lot. The Greenbelt festival. Ikon. And so on.

While we, Brazilians, may find weird and may even be shocked at some of the religious manifestations coming from Europe (both from christians and agnostics), we should learn how to express and incarnate the Gospel in our Brazilian culture. We, Brazilian Christians from many parts of the spectrum, are still not well versed in how to embbed ourselves in our own culture. We are still not good at setting appart what is not essential. We are still not good at letting go concepts and practices of a biased evangelical subculture. We still carry a weird bagage of misconceptions.

Music and software

I shake my head when I hear about software that manipulate sound instead of symbolic representations of music. It is like hearing about a compiler that processes the voice of the programmer instead of source code in text format.

Real World Software Engineering – XVI

On Software Complexity

You know you work developing a complicated software when you don't quite know it inside out, but you somehow manage to work with it. This means the software could be simpler. And I'll bet there is problem with the language around the software. There is, the language used by documentation and the community around the software is not very clear.

Unfinished business

I guess I have some unfinished business with Brazil.

Vai, meu irmão
Pega esse avião
Você tem razão de correr assim
Desse frio, mas beija
O meu Rio de Janeiro
Antes que um aventureiro
Lance mão

Pede perdão
Pela duração dessa temporada
Mas não diga nada
Que me viu chorando
E pros da pesada
Diz que vou levando
Vê como é que anda
Aquela vida à toa
E se puder me manda
Uma notícia boa

Pede perdão
Pela omissão um tanto forçada
Mas não diga nada
Que me viu chorando
E pros da pesada
Diz que vou levando
Vê como é que anda
Aquela vida à toa
Se puder me manda
Uma notícia boa

Real World Software Engineering – XV

On Documentation

Documentation is one place where you can see the discrepancies between marketing and the real product (or maybe not).

Falsos inimigos: Instituição

Artigo originalmente publicado no Renovatio Café:

http://www.renovatiocafe.com/index.php/Artigos/Brasil/Falsos-inimigos-Instituicao.html


"
O inimigo neste caso é a Igreja Instituição. Esta idéia de instituição estaria associada à burocracia derradeira, à centralização de poder decisivo, à vivência em função de si, ao fluxo nebuloso de dinheiro, a estruturas sem vida desconexas da realidade e à apatia às pessoas. Essas imagens certamente são ruins. Mas não podemos tão automaticamente associar uma idéia de instituição com esses problemas.

O termo "instituição" pode ser usado de diferentes formas. Assumamos que uma instituição é, de forma genérica, um fundamento, um estabelecimento, uma criação. Nesse sentido existem vários exemplos de instituições. O casamento é um exemplo. O Congresso Nacional é outro. Notemos que instituições nessa discussão incluem pessoas. Depois incluem também estruturas e processos.

Entendo grande parte das pessoas que são contra a Igreja Instituição. Mas temo que a expressão e a idéia sejam abrangentes demais para concordar com elas.

Lembremos das palavras de Jesus:

"[...] sobre esta pedra construirei a minha Igreja, e nem a morte poderá vencê-la. " Mateus 16.18 b

Portanto,

- A Igreja é de Jesus

- Jesus é quem a constrói

Mesmo que uma pessoa esteja em um estágio da caminhada da fé em que não acredite em igreja instituição (e eu entendo bem essas pessoas), aconselho que tome cuidado com a forma de criticá-la. Por maiores que sejam os defeitos que tenha essa instituição, ela e o crítico fazem parte da mesma Igreja Universal.

Eu particularmente acredito que na prática não tem como uma igreja local não ser uma instituição. Mesmo que esta "igreja" seja a coisa mais simples do mundo, para mim já é inerentemente instituição. Mesmo que esta "igreja" tenha o formato mais diferente e alternativo que alguém consiga imaginar.

Por outro lado, entendo que muitas instituições cristãs incluindo denominações, organizações paraeclesiásticas e igrejas necessitem de uma profunda reforma. Ao ouvir esses irmãos e irmãs que se dizem ser contra as instituições, simpatizo com elas sabendo que igrejas construíram muitas coisas supérfluas, e que uma espécie de megalomania criou monstrengos, e abusou da fé de várias pessoas inocentes. Ergueram Torres de Babel. O lado engessado, lento, e apático dessas instituições está em tensão com a realidade pós-moderna na sociedade brasileira. Esta reforma não será trivial nem instantânea, mas julgo que será necessária. Pessoas dizendo que "são contra a instituição" é um dentre vários outros sintomas.

Finalmente, lembremos que a presença de Jesus é garantida quando dois ou três estão juntos em seu nome:

"Porque, onde dois ou três estão juntos em meu nome, eu estou ali com eles." Mateus 18.20

Para refletir e debater:

- O que mais além de estar reunidos em nome de Jesus é preciso para um grupo de pessoas ser considerado igreja?

- O que mais além de estar reunidos em nome de Jesus é preciso para um grupo de pessoas ser considerado instituição?

- O que Jesus quis dizer com vinho novo em odres novos (Mat 9.17)?

- Como seria a igreja que você, com a ajuda do Espírito Santo, plantaria entre índios brasileiros?

- Como seria a igreja que você, com a ajuda do Espírito Santo, plantaria entre tribos urbanas?

"

Real World Software Engineering – XIV

I wonder how music would be if it were like software development. I think it would be something like this.

The Ottawa Brass Ensemble was a very good ensemble. One day, at the end of a rehearsal, Mr. Borremans, the Artistic Director, arrived with the good news:

- We'll perform the Neck Cracker for the official visit of Mr. Schneider to Ottawa next week.

Mr. Schneider was the Foreign Minister of Lichtenstein, the small European autonomous enclave. His unpredictable temper was notorious.

John, who played the tuba, was the first one to speak.

- But the Neck Cracker is a symphony for a full orchestra.

- Yes, I know. Don't worry, we have already ordered the remaining instruments.

The musicians had mixed feelings. This was their chance to grow into a full orchestra. And the Neck Cracker wasn't just any ordinary symphony. It was a masterpiece by Maître Dubois, the famous Modern French composer. Just hours before dying, Maître Dubois wrote this masterpiece for his mistress and hid it in a safe so that his wife wouldn't claim it.

- The concert is set to June 1st. We have lots of work to do.

Next Monday, April 3rd, was the first rehearsal. The musicians arrived and were greeted by Borremans and another man.

- May I introduce you to Monsieur Rousseau. He is our guest conductor for the June 1st concert. He is a prestigious conductor and I'm sure you will all be able to do a great performance that day. As you all know, Mr. Schneider is a high official, and his visit is very important to our representatives. This concert is very important and we have to execute it perfectly. The media is already speaking about it. There is no margin for errors. I'm confident you are competent musicians that will perform very well. With that said, let us welcome Monsieur Rousseau.

After much applause, Monsieur Rousseau began to work right away.

- Merci, merci, my friends. For this concert, we'll be employing the Presto Methodology.

The Presto Methodology was the latest buzzword in Orchestral Engineering. In it musicians were supposed to memorize the whole score and practice in invisible instruments. Each section would practice separately, instead of the classic whole-orchestra rehearsal all the time.

- Mr. Borremans, when will the other musicians arrive to complete the orchestra?

- We are already interviewing several candidates, who should arrive next week, if everything goes well with HR.

- And how will we practice without the other instruments in the meantime?

Mr. Borremans hadn't actually thought about that, but he needed to answer the question.

- I've consulted with Monsieur Rousseau, and we've decided that we'll be transitioning some of you to the other instruments. It is only a temporary measure until the other musicians arrive.

The musicians thought that was a bit odd, but were still excited to try out the Presto Methodology and the different instruments.

In the next day, the musicians arrived at the theatre and saw the list of sections with their names in them.

Looking at the list, John commented with Joseph:

- Did you realize that we'll need to learn a brand new instrument?

- Don't worry, John, it's only until the string players are hired. And it's not so difficult. After all, we are all musicians.

But M Rousseau announced shortly after:

- HR is still interviewing the new musicians. We realized that we may not have enough time, so we'll need you to be prepared to play the string and percussive instruments for the concert just in case.

The musicians were surprised. M Rousseau continued:

- But don't worry. We have already scheduled for a famous violin player to come and give us a Master Class on how to play the violin. I've also rented the movie 'The Fiddler in the Roof'. My daughter saw it yesterday and thought it could help us. I thought it was a wonderful idea. We want to equip you to be successful by all means, so feel free to order any books and expense them.

Now the musicians were worried. Most of them had only a few weeks to learn a brand new instrument, practice and perform the difficult Neck Cracker sounding like a professional orchestra.

The new rented instruments arrived. The musicians took them and sat down in their named chairs.

- Hey, Brown, where is the score?

Brown was the first-chair clarinet, and had been promoted to concertmaster.

- We have a small problem with the score. Don't worry. As you know, Maître Dubois locked it in a safe before dying. The grandson of Maître Dubois, Bob Dubois, had promised me that he would get it to me last Sunday. But he called me yesterday saying the lawyer of Maître Dubois' wife spoke to him. The wife's lawyer had a subpoena to take the score. But don't worry, our lawyers guaranteed me that we'll have it next week. Luckily, Bob Dubois heard his grandpa whistle it many times at his cottage. Just in case we have no access to the score, Dubois will be helping our contracted Score Consultants to rewrite the score. The Score Consultants will fly in from New York tomorrow. They will be brainstorming with Bob. I think we are in the right path. In the meantime, take the time to assemble your instruments, install the strings and familiarize yourselves with them.

The musicians had no alternative. They went on to get their instruments in order.

• M Rousseau, I think we have a small problem with the instruments here. We can't find the cellos in the order. They sent violas instead.
  
• Ask the section leader what to do. I'm comfortable with whatever decision she makes.
  

  Sandra said:
  

-We'll just put the cello strings in the violas. It should be alright.

- Hey, Brown, did you notice that the violins only have three strings? There was a flaw in the design of the violins by VonderBuick. I told the Procurement Department not to order the violins from them, but I guess they lost my memo in the paperwork.

- Yes, I noticed it too. Don't worry, Peter. The newer version of the violins by VonderBuick already fixed the problem. They promised me they will mail the newer versions next week with no extra charge, and we get to practice on the current violins for the time being. It's not much different playing in three or four strings anyways.

The next day was the brainstorming session with Bob Dubois and the Score Consultants from New York. Of course, they were all in pink suits and relayed lots of confidence in what they did.

• Mr. Dubois, the first thing that we should do is to write down the Vision Statement for the concert. Let's begin brainstorming, and my colleague will translate the keywords from the sticky notes into the Vision Statement. This is how it works: we say a word and you say the next one. Like ping-pong. Ready?
  

- Yes

- Concert?

- Beautiful!

- Music?

- Dream!

- Did you capture that, Joe? I feel that "Dream" is a keyword. Very important.

- Do-re-mi?

- The Sound of Music

- Wow, that's good. I think we are getting somewhere.

- Mr. Schneider?

- Wild horses!

- Beautiful, beautiful.

After one week of work, Dubois and the Score Consultants had a draft version of the score. The layers were still arguing over Maître Dubois' real score. Meanwhile, the musicians were trying to learn everything they could at the violin master class.

• Look, it's easy, the bow goes up, and then it goes down. You see? Up, down, up, down.
  

The next day, the Score Consultants and M Rousseau gathered the musicians to introduce the score.

• As you know, the Neck Cracker is a masterpiece. It's a modern symphony in four movements: Allegro, Vivo Misterioso, Lento, and Presto Senza Perdere di Vista la Chiave ad Una Vita Bucolica e Tranquilla Ricordandosi che Cosa gli Uccelli Fanno Quando Copulate Ma Non Troppo.
  

This was the score:

Allegro Maître Dubois

Vivo Misterioso Maître Dubois

Lento Maître Dubois

Presto Senza Perdere di Vista la Chiave ad Una Vita Bucolica e Tranquilla Ricordandosi che Cosa gli Uccelli Fanno Quando Copulate Ma Non Troppo

Maître Dubois

John was the first musician to speak:

• The score surely looks great. But it doesn't have notes in it. There aren't enough details for us to play it.
  

The Score Consultants explained:

• The Neck Cracker is a beautiful modern piece that has the spirit of innovation. Bob Dubois will agree with us that it captures well this spirit.
  

Monsieur Rousseau jumped in to avoid any confusion:

• The score is a powerful tool to convey the principles of the Neck Cracker. It's a starting point and this draft will allow us to move forward. The musicians will look at the pictures and just play the emotions that come to mind. Let's think outside the box and be a bit creative here. The requirements are clear. We need to leave a good impression on the public and on Mr. Schneider June 1^st. It needs to be a moving, powerful and beautiful piece played skillfully. By the way, how are the Presto Methodology-oriented practices going?
  

The musicians went home and practiced as if they had air instruments. For days they were supposed to look at the pictures and let the emotions flow. The following rehearsal, May 2^nd, began not without debate.

• M Rousseau, the first violins are feeling that we aren't prepared to play the piece. We just don't have enough time to learn to play the violin. It is not an easy instrument.
  
• What's the problem that you are having more specifically? Is there any note you can't play?
  
• Well, it's not that there are specific notes we can't play. It's that we just don't feel we have the right techniques and enough training to do so.
  
• Have you been to any of the NAC concerts any Tuesday night?
  
• Yes, as a matter of fact.
  
• Then try to seat in a row nearer the orchestra. Do you understand? Nearer the orchestra. I have brought Bob Dubois here. He will be helping us to perform the Neck Cracker as it should. He will be advising us in terms of overall quality. He has heard his grandfather, Maître Dubois, whistle it many times and we have no one more equipped to help us in that aspect. Ok, folks, I don't need to take more of your time. Let's rehearse now with the instruments. First movement, da capo.
  

And the orchestra played it for the first time. As anyone would expect, it sounded weird. The section leaders were trying to make their best to convey the tempo to their sections gesticulating a lot. Nobody knew exactly what time to end. M Rousseau shouted

- Stop! Stop! It's sounding awful! This doesn't sound like the Neck Cracker. Section leads, what happened?

The cello lead explained:

- We are not familiar yet with the violas. We need more time to practice.

-We in the viola section are just trying to follow the score. But this first draft doesn't have enough details for us to play.

M Rousseau said angrily:

-Look, it's supposed to be grand and happy and yet powerful and moving. You played timidly sounding like a rutting gazelle. Can't you guys just read the score? It says Allegro! Allegro! Da capo!

And for weeks the musicians went on air playing their instruments in section rehearsals, struggling to perfect the Neck Cracker. The first version of the score, which was supposed to be temporary, became the de facto version. Of the string instruments that were to be hired by HR, only one violin player arrived weeks after because of budgetary constraints. Once in a while Bob Dubois would interrupt a section rehearsal saying

• Ok, stop, stop. That is not what my grandfather used to whistle, and I'm sure Mr. Schneider won't like it this way. Tuba, will you please play more gently? Oboe, the melody goes like this: la la la la laaaa la laaaa. Get it? Let's try again.
  

The section leaders got together in the pub around the corner, as they usually did Friday nights. The 2^nd violin lead went on to talk about his idea:

• What if we get together and write down the score? We could capture the basics, like tempo, metrics, key signature, improvisation sections and so on. We'll lock Bob in a room for four days and just write it down.
  

That sounded like a great idea. They called M Rousseau to show the PowerPoint presentation. M Rousseau was worried that it was a big risk not to be rehearsing, that it could jeopardize the concert. He was the one who suggested bringing in the Score Consultants, who were paid $150 per hour. The section leaders, however, convinced him that it would be worst to continue with the current score. And so it was: the section leads were locked in a room with Bob for four days writing down the score by hand.

In the next rehearsal the musicians were much happier. Now they finally had a better understanding of how the Neck Cracker should be. But things were still not perfect. M Rousseau stopped in the middle of the third movement angrily:

• Arrêtez! Arrêtez! That's not like it! It's sounding awful. Where's the harpsichord?
  
• See left earlier, sir.
  
• How come? We still have two hours of practice to go.
  
• Mary told us that she takes 2 hours to tune the harpsichord before every practice. She already completed 8 hours of work today, so she left.
  
• Ok, you there. Yes, you from the bassoon. Go there and play the harpsichord.
  
• But I can't play the harpsichord.
  
• It doesn't matter. We need this part. We are a team.
  

A few minutes later, M Rousseau stops again:

• Arrêtez! Arrêtez! Harpsichord, what's wrong with you? I can't hear you. Can you play louder please? This passage is fortissimo!
  
• I'm trying, sir, I'm trying.
  
• Harp, the same applies to you. Step on those pedals, will you?!!
  
• Ok, sir.
  

After weeks of hard work and long practices, M Rousseau announces changes:

• We don't have much time left until the concert, and I feel that we are lagging behind the plan. From now on, we'll play twice as fast the piece, so that we'll practice it more in less time. Please double your metronomes when practicing at home. I also realized that we are playing too many notes. We'll switch from the diatonic scale which has 7 notes to the pentatonic one which has only 5. This should make it easier for us to play. I also decided to remove the third movement altogether. It was kind of a downer anyways. We don't want Mr. Schneider to feel depressed. Are you ready to write down the notes we are taking out? It's very simple: please erase from your score all C sharp and F sharp.
  
• Sir, but the second movement is in C sharp. That's the tonic.
  
• Oops. Ok, in that case, we'll remove all D sharp. Call it version 2 of the score.
  

Rob Dubois complained:

• My grandfather liked D sharps a lot. It was the first note he learned on the piano. I think you should not remove the D sharps from the score. And you can't remove the D sharps without removing also all the G sharp, since they are a perfect fifth apart.
  
• Ok, we'll leave the D sharp, delete all C sharp and F sharp, except when any of these two are preceded by a lower A sharp. Call it version 2b of the score.
  
• Will you please make up your mind? I wrote the modifications by pen and now I can't erase it in the score.
  
• Sir, can you please confirm? For version 2 we'll leave all G sharp, delete all C sharp and F sharp, except when they are preceded by a lower A sharp? What about the D flats and G flats? They are not technically C sharp and F sharps, but they sound the same.
  
• Yes, you are right. We are calling it version 2b now …
  

And so they went discussing on for two more hours until the end of the rehearsal. At the end there were many different versions floating around, and the musicians had to spend time comparing notes measure by measure, which was quite time consuming.

A few days before the deadline, the challenges were still many.

• Folks, we still have a long way to go. We still need to practice more, but don't have much time to correct the errors. We decided to cut some measures. Please write down all the measures that we are deleting: 2, 76, 197, and 203 through 209, 305 and 776. Let's call it the amended version 7.5c now.
• But removing measure 76 the piece won't be moving and powerful anymore.
• Sir, the violins are playing one note that spans through 16 measures. It is too long.
• No worries. What if you tie one more bow on top of the current one?
  

When the whole orchestra began to play, M Rousseau had to stop the orchestra again:

• Stop, stop, stop! Viola, what happened? Why aren't you playing?
  
• Oh, for performance reasons we removed some notes we thought were unnecessary. We also removed all pauses, since we weren't doing anything. We just thought we could be more efficient this way. We ended the piece before the timpani solo.
  
• No , no, that's all wrong! Are you playing version 7.5c with yesterday's amendment? Violins, why are you all playing pizzicato all the time?
  
• Oh, sir, it's because the security in the building now classifies our bows as weapons. We needed to leave them in the coat room.
  
• Trumpets? What happened? You got all attacks wrong!
  
• Sorry, sir. We refactored the score. The 5/8 meter was causing integration problems with the rest of the orchestra, so we changed it to be 3/8 plus half of 2/4.
  
• Let me get my calculator. [Beep beep] Hum, I guess that could work. Let's compare measure by measure with all the other sections.
  

While they were speaking, the light went out.

• What now?
  
• The power went off, sir. I guess the UPS didn't kick in. When the lights are out we can't read the score.
  
• But according to the Presto Methodology you were supposed to memorize it anyways.
  
• Well, we thought we had agreed to play with our custom version of the methodology.
  

Mr. Borremans began to think he would have to cancel the concert and refund the tickets.

• Folks, I was discussing with M Rousseau here, and we are thinking about putting an accompaniment track that we downloaded from the Internet in the background and for you just to pretend you are playing. Yes, we found a version of the Neck Cracker on BitTorrent. Strings: just rub some soap in your bow hairs. Woodwind: remove the mouthpiece. Harp: we were thinking about putting some laser beams…
  

The section leads were angry at the suggestion.

• We have practiced all these weeks and now you just want to substitute us with a recording? That's not fair! We are only a few days away from the big day!
  

After much debate, musicians convinced the conductor and the artistic director that performing live was the right thing to do.

Hours later Bob Dubois stood up and said:

• By the way, when are we going to practice with the choir?
  
• What choir? Asked Brown, the concertmaster.
  
• The big choir. The Neck Cracker must have a choir. My grandfather always spoke of a great choir singing in the Neck Cracker.
  
• "Yes, yes, I have a group of friends that sing beautifully. I'll give them a call tonight. ", said M Rousseau.
  

  Brown replied:
  

• I don't think it's a good idea to include a choir a few days before the concert.
  

Mr. Borremans jumped into the discussion, which took hours. It was too much risk to include a choir at the last minute. In fact, everybody knew the only reason Mr. Borremans did not go for it was the cost of paying for all the extra musicians.

Finally the big day arrived. June 1^st. Everybody was nervous. How would the orchestra sound?

Mr. Schneider was up there in the reserved mezzanine, looking rather bored. Instead of the traditional A, the oboe sounded an awful A flat for the other instruments to tune. After half of the orchestra began to tune in A flat, John, who had perfect pitch, tried to whisper rather loudly:

• Hey, hey, that's not an A! Stop, stop!
  

The oboe player noticed the problem and raised half a step. The violas, the cellos and the French horns also noticed the mistake and tuned in A. It was too late: the orchestra already had different tunings. M Rousseau walked in with confidence and joy and everyone applauded.

The concert began. It was a mess. But nobody noticed. After all, it was a modern piece. Mr. Schneider fell asleep by the 50^th measure. The public thought that it sounded alright for a modern piece. In reality, they couldn't tell. It sounded as good as any other modern piece. Despite being very weird, nobody dared to comment. As the end approached, Mr. Schneider woke up with the gentle poke of his assistant and applauded effusively. The concert was a big success!

'The Gift' of Father Suarez

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/features/faithandethics/story.html?id=e809589a-b6b4-4e3e-a8b1-df4e6f47bb2e

From the Ottawa Citizen, 2008

'The doors opened at noon for the 2:30 p.m. mass, and by 12:15, the pews were jammed. People kept pouring in anyway, filling the aisles. In the church basement, several hundred more sat before a television screen, awaiting the mass. Ushers tried to turn people away, despite the pleas: "My mother is in a wheelchair, please let us in." Father Suarez promised to bless them all, but they would have to wait six more hours.

Inside the church, the pastor, Father Bill Halbing, shouted like a DJ: "Let's get rockin' in the Spirit, because this is a day of healing! You will see signs and wonders today!"

After mass, people scrambled forward to have Father Suarez lay his hands on them, pushing and stumbling so much that his assistant, Father Jeff Shannon, had to appeal for good manners and forgiveness for queue-jumpers. Silently, Father Suarez put his hand on each forehead, shoulder, or neck, sometimes even tweaking a nose while Father Shannon kept up an encouraging patter: "Love, love, love! Happy, happy, happy!"

Some were so overcome they swooned to the floor. Others came forward to attest to their newfound health. Arthritis vanished, headaches eased, hearing suddenly became clear, no questions asked. Only the worst killjoy would douse with doubt the sense of joy and celebration.'

--

I was thinking the other day about tensions in relationships. One of the things that one professional Christian psychologist said was that we need to let our masks down. I began to think about what leads us to put the masks in the first place.

I suspect of images that are sold to us of happiness. Along with Father Shannon saying "Love, love, love! Happy, happy, happy!", there are many ads and tv shows repeating the mantra. Who doesn't want more happiness and love? Still, we shouldn't be naïve, living in la la land.

It appears that some of the happiest people on earth live in countries of Buddhist majority. Ok, Buddhism, as I was told, encourages people to change the reality in their minds, that is, their perception of reality. They find happiness in some other realm. People who became Christians in the pursuit of happiness may consider changing their religion.

And what to say of Nordic countries? Apparently, a larger percentage of the population there enjoy life better than in the US. The Nordic countries, as I was told, have some of the highest percentages of atheists too. Does that mean that to find contentment in life, Christians should consider becoming atheists?

Christians should be well equipped to perceive reality. And let them (/us) not foul themselves that the purpose of this religion is happiness or self-contentment. Perhaps it's time for them (/us) to read the Gospels.

Translating the Emerging Conversation into Portuguese - II

When translating the Emerging Conversation into Portuguese, consider the 'Yes We Can' factor.
Let me try to explain the 'Yes We Can' factor. It is a belief that things are possible. That an average person can carry out an endeavour and things will follow.
Culturally, I think that the 'Yes We Can' factor is a byproduct of the strong economy in the US. Yes, the current sense that the economy is not doing well is a small speck in the large historical trend of prosperity in the US. The underlying capitalistic view entrenched in the subconscious of most of North Americans stimulates them to venture into new business without fear. As long as they have the right ideas and the right tools everything else will follow.
So, in the emerging conversation, all one needs is to reimagine church, and there you go. Things will magically happen.
Not so in Brazil. Oh, yes, in Brazil we have been vaccinated against the Pollyanna syndrome. You may work hard, but there comes the thief and takes it away from you. Or there comes the government and overnight your money is locked in the bank without reach. Your rights are suppressed daily along with your democratic voice, and there's nothing you can do about it. The motto won't be 'Yes We Can'. Perhaps it will be 'Let's Pray So That We'll Be Able To'. Yes, because things will only happen with the divine intervention.

Real world software engineering - XIII

Software will more often than not have a very low quality. Population, therefore, will continue to have difficulties using and trusting software. The reason is that companies continue to seek the highest profit possible per project and impose the shortest deadlines, compromising quality this way.

Recebendo o Reino como uma criança

"Deixem que as crianças venham a mim e não proíbam que elas façam isso, pois o Reino de Deus é das pessoas que são como estas crianças. Eu afirmo a vocês que isto é verdade: quem não receber o Reino de Deus como uma criança nunca entrará nele. " Marcos 10.14,15