Love someone

Got this from my friend's blog. Very interesting.

- Ed -
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Written by Adrian Tan, author of The Teenage Textbook (1988), was the guest-of-honour at a recent NTU convocation ceremony. This was his speech to the graduating class of 2008
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I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you’ve already won her heart, you don’t need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You’re done learning.

You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process” and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters’ degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don’t you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they’re wrong.

The bad news is that you don’t need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You’re in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I’m here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There’s very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they’re 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn’t meet their life expectancy.

I’m here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it’s calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don’t need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life’s a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.

Don’t expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills. The Japanese have a term “Karoshi”, which means death from overwork. That’s the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there’s nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”. No, they’re not. They’re dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan “Arbeit macht frei” was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn’t do that, I would’ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don’t imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I’ll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I’m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn’t say “be loved”. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one’s looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn’t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.
You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

"The trial of your faith" 1 Peter 1:7

I think this echos what we discussed in cell last Friday about the temptations we face:

"The trial of your faith." - 1 Peter 1:7

"Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too.

Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them: the full portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you cannot yet claim the result of long experience, thank God for what grace you have; praise him for that degree of holy confidence whereunto you have attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities." Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

The temptations around are trials to make our faith stronger.

Anna

To communicate.....

I remember that in the anthropology class, Richard once said that human being is superior than animals because we have developed language. We are able to communicate with each other using language. And we pride ourselves in that.

However, I really wonder if we have really put this intelligence to good use. I'm really frustrated at times when there are either reluctance of communication or inability to communicate.

At work, different teams although speaking in English, but just don't seem to get messages across in meetings. Very often, I find myself more confused after meeting than before.

In day-to-day life, some of my friends prefer to avoid communication and even tell me that communication is not necessary.

I used to be very afraid of animals because when I look at them, I have no idea what they are thinking. I cannot communicate with them. I had this naive thinking that human beings are less dangerous because we can communicate. But I really think that in the modern society, this is really true.

The advance of technology has robbed people off of the ability to communicate perhaps. People think that smses, emails and so on are the replacements of talking face-to-face. To me, these are all subject to personal interpretation of the readers and they are the worst form of communication.

I think a vital quality for being true to Christ is in our relationships with God and with other people. These are also embedded in the ten commandments to love. Shouldn't proper communication be used to facilitate this and make things simpler in this world? Or am I just one-sided in this view?

Anna

A Beautiful Psalm

Psalm 32:7 - 11

⁷ You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.

¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

-Ed-

Bible Verses

^{Joshua 1:8
8} Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Exodus 15
¹¹ "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?

¹³ "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

for the past week, these verses have ministered to me. Just thought of sharing this with everyone.

-Ed-

I CAN DO IT

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13.

The below scene from "Facing the Giants" really encouraged me when I felt like giving up. It's about how a coach motivated the american football team when they were discouraged despite that his job as a coach was at stake of being replaced due to several poor seasons as well as some family issues. In order to find a solution to these problems, he prays to God for help. He creates a new coaching philosophy and decides to praise God after each game, no matter what the result. At the same time he guides and urges each one of his players to give the maximum effort, and motivates them to believe they can win under God´s guidance. This reminded me of how Jesus is always cheering us on when we feel like giving up! DON'T GIVE UP! YOU CAN DO IT!



In the second video, Nick Vujicic, borned without limbs, asked "What do you do when life seems to have put you into a position where everything seems hopeless, difficult and pointless?" His attititude of gratitude is inspirational. NEVER GIVE UP is his motto. When we fall, we need to get back up! Not easy but we can do everything through Him who gives us strength!



-Diana-

I AM

I was regretting the past
And fearing the future…
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
“MY NAME IS I AM.” He paused.
I waited. He continued,

“WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE PAST,
WITH ITS MISTAKES AND REGRETS,
IT IS HARD. I AM NOT THERE. MY NAME IS NOT I WAS.

WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE FUTURE,
WITH ITS PROBLEMS AND FEARS,
IT IS HARD. I AM NOT THERE. MY NAME IS NOT I WILL BE.

WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE MOMENT,
IT IS NOT HARD.
I AM HERE. MY NAME IS I AM.”

- Ed -
taken from a book i read

If I had my life to live over again

If I had my life to live over again, I’d try to make more mistakes next time.
I would relax, I would limber up, I would be sillier than I have been this trip
I know of very few things I would take seriously.
I would take more trips. I would be crazier.
I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets.
I would do more walking and looking.
I would est more ice cream and less beans.
I would have more actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I’m one of those people who lives life prophylactically and sensibly hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it over again I’d have more of them.

In fact, I’d try to have nothing else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead each day. I’ve been one of those people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hotwater bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, aspirin and a parachute.
If I had to do it over again I would go places, do things and travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.
I would play hookey more.
I wouldn’t make such good grades, except by accident.
I would ride on more merry-go-rounds.
I’d pick more daisies.

-Ed-
lifted from a book i am reading

Joy

1. Love is essential to being joyful
When my family/friends overcome a crisis or something good happens to him, I am joyful. This can only happen if I love them

2. When we meet God’s purpose, we become joyful
I was full of joy when Yuxing and my grandma came to Christ.
I was full of joy when cell group is so happy together and growing in Christ
I was full of joy during praise and worship

3. Joy can exist in times of persecution
Lifted from “The Story of Early Christianity: The first 500 years”

The Twelve Christians of Carthage
On July 17 (ed: today is July 17!!!), AD 180, twelve faithful Christians were beheaded at Scilli near Carthage for refusing to deny their Lord Jesus. The proconsul (Roman Administrator)…gave the order for them to be executed, they exclaimed with joy. “Thanks be to God!” This was their chance to show their love for Jesus.

Blandina, a young slave girl
Blandina was the last to die. The bloodthirsty mob had never seen such courage. She had earnestly encouraged her friends to remain steadfast to the end even as she watched them die. The day before, she had been tortured, hung on a stake, lashed and roasted on the iron chair. Despite what she had gone through, she entered the arena with joy and thanksgiving. A wild and angry bull rushed in. It took her upon its horns and tossed her into the air several times before she finally died.

4. God is interested in us
God is interested in us, not just the rewards but in our character. He desires us to be mature and complete.

James 1:2-4
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

-ed-

Good bible commentary website.

Good bible commentary website.

http://www.enduringword.com/library_commentaries.htm


I often read David Guzik's commentary. Highly recommended. Two thumbs up!!

-ed-

How the Lord really bless Moses, even when he is a baby?

Exodus 2:1 – 10

1. Moses is a fine child. Some translation says beautiful

2. Moses’s mother managed to hide him for the first 3 months without getting caught

3. It is someone special who found Moses.
- Pharaoh’s daughter
- Pharaoh’s daughter have to be bathing at that exact time. Right place, right time
- She has to feel sorry for Moses
- She did not kill the baby despite knowing that he is a Hebrew baby

4. They found Moses’ mother as the Hebrew mother to nurse Moses. Now, Moses’ mother is paid to raise Moses. Tragedy to blessing. Amazing!  Never lose hope even when the cards are down.

5. Moses was blessed to be the Pharoah’s son. He is so blessed as illustrated in the below commentary.

Being the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, Moses was in the royal family. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus says Moses was heir to the throne of Egypt and that while a young man, Moses lead the armies of Egypt in victorious battle against the Ethiopians. Certainly, he was raised with both the science and learning of Egypt. Acts 7:22 says, Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. Egypt was one of the most academic and scientific societies on the earth at that time. It is reasonable to think that Moses was instructed in geography, history, grammar, writing, literature, philosophy, and music.


Learning Lesson
If the Lord is your backer, he will really take care of you. Even when tragedy strike, no worries. God will still change it to a blessing. I can recall some ex in my life:
i) Daddy died - My whole family turned to the Lord
ii) Wallet lost - My faith is strengthened as the Lord answers my prayer

God is amazing. Just let him take care of you. No need to worry. He has a great plan for us. Just enjoy life. Be joyful and be in cruise control. God is real and he loves us. I am so blessed!!!

-ed-

Heart of service

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angles, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 (NASB)

I suppose a sincere smile on a person's face is an indication of the presence of this "love" and it can only be reflected from someone who draws strength from God's everlasting source of love and reflect it in everything he does --> the fruit of the Spirit --> the distinction of a true Christian.

Anna

Our Struggles Can Glorify God

Hi everyone, I would like to share what I've learned on Sunday from Pastor John Loong's sermon.

For the past 2 weeks, I have wondered why God has allowed certain struggles in my life. Doesn't God want me to have a victorious Christian life so that I may be joyful to praise him? Why then does God allow me to be defeated by struggles then?

I believe that today's sermon by Pastor John has shed some light. He mentioned that contrary to my belief that struggles are bad, they can actually be used to glorify God.

Psalm 50:15

"And call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

Recently, I met Jonathan for dinner on a weekday. He mentioned something that really impacted me. "Our struggles can drive us two ways, either away from God or towards God"

I now personally believe that struggles are not to be shunned or despised, they can bring us closer to God and can be used to glorify him. In our struggles in life, we can give glory to God when we see that he has brought us through.

Rui Jie

Be confident in the Lord

Pro 3: 5-6 (Amp version)

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

-ed-

The Supremacy of Christ

Col 1:15- 20

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

-ed-

Joy is contagious and good

I learnt 2 things about joy as I read an article by Spurgeon on Philippians.

This blessed grace of joy is very contagious
It is a great privilege, I think, to meet a truly happy man, a graciously happy man. My mind goes back at this moment to that dear man of God who used to be with us, years ago, whom we called "Old Father Dransfield." What a lump of sunshine that man was! I think that I never came into this place with a heavy heart, but the very sight of him seemed to fill me with exhilaration, for his joy was wholly in his God! An old man and full of years, but as full of happiness as he was full of days; always having something to tell you to encourage you. He constantly made a discovery of some fresh mercy for which we were again to praise God. O dear brethren, let us rejoice in the Lord, that we may set others rejoicing!

Joy in the Lord is influential for good
There are many more flies caught with honey than with vinegar; and there are many more sinners brought to Christ by happy Christians than by doleful Christians. Let us sing unto the Lord as long as we live; and, maybe, some weary sinner, who has discovered the emptiness of sinful pleasure, will say to himself, "Why, after all, there must be something real about the of these Christians; let me go and learn how I may have it."

-ed-

Everything is a loss except for knowing Christ

Philippians 3:7-8 (New International Version)

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What 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

Philippians 3:12-14 (New International Version)

Pressing on Toward the Goal
12Not 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. 13Brothers, 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, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
----

Knowing Jesus Christ, our Creator and King, is something so precious. Everything will fade away except for the knowledge of knowing who Christ is.

Maybe our trials and temptations are all parts of God's plan & purpose for us to know him better. And, in this perspective, it will mean that we should be thankful for life's ups and downs, for we can discover the hidden gems of who God is and what God is doing through our life.

-ed-

Jesus - our humble King!

Jesus - our humble King!

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!

Phi 2:6-8

-Ed-

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."(Psalm 37:4)

I was reminded of this simple yet wonderful verse. Found the below devotion piece on the www

…He has our best interest at heart…He is always with us…He never fails us…Delight yourself in the Lord…He will lead you…He will guide you…He will direct you…He will enlightened you…"In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."(Prov.3:6)…

If you are looking for direction in your life…acknowledge Him…He gives good counsel…God is our delight…He loves us…He protects us…

If you are going through a rough place…call on Him…don't aimlessly seek direction…call on Him…don't dwell on hurts…dwell on the all encompassing power of God…choose to be happy…make it a definite choice…dwell on His provision…dwell on His help…dwell on His promises…delight yourself in Him…Let these thoughts sink into your being…remember He is on our side…rejoice…we can not lose..He sees us through…

When you feel a wave of despair approaching…call on Him…He will lift you up…whenever you are afraid…put your trust in Him…Jesus is able to turn things around…He tells us over and over again in His word to fear not…He tells us He is with us…He tells us the enemy can't triumph over us…God is our defense…

Trust God with your life…watch what He is doing in your life…You will cry as the psalmist did in Psalm66:5 "Come and see the works of God,He is awesome in His doing towards the sons of men."…Nothing is to hard for the Lord…His power is truly awesome…Amen

-ed-

Getting there

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village.

A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long." they answered in unison.

"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"

The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs.

We have a full life."

The tourist interrupted,


"I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day.
You can then sell the extra fish you catch.
With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?"

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City , Los Angeles , or even New York City !

From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?"

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting, " answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen..

"After that you'll be able to retire,
live in a tiny village near the coast,
sleep late, play with your children,
catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

"With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what we are doing now. So what's the point wasting twenty-five years?" asked the Mexicans.

And the moral of this story is:

......... Know where you're going in life.... you may already be there!!

- ed -

Wonderland...

I was rather restless, uninspired and desiring very much to escape into my own wonderland on Friday afternoon while sitting in front of my desk.

I looked around at the colleagues around me, everyone seemed to be so engrossed in their own world. Nobody was talking, not sure what they were thinking. I walked outiside to a bigger office area, where the supposedly more fun-loving colleagues were sitting, again everyone has dived into their own world. There used to be colleagues that I could talk to, and yet, out of my control, they seemed not to be willing to talk to me. I don't know exactly why, perhaps because of some strained relationships between me and them, perhaps because of other colleauges who have strained relationships with them and I happened to be close to these colleagues... or perhaps simply because I've been very anti-social lately so people just found me unapproachable. Whatever it was, I just found that the office was cold, gloomy and unfriendly.

I carried this heavy heart to class, to home. Comfortably I saw this verse on the calender:

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7

How great and wonderful the world, especially the office will be, if only just a quarter of the people in the office can remember to love one another, not to blemish, not to play politics but just to genuinely love one another!

Sometimes I find that the office is really a harsh secular world, if only I can escape into my own wonderland...at least I can find this true love in my wonderland....

Anna

Personal Perception

Different people have different perception. One man ' s meat could be another man ' s poison. A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home, a boy commented, "Very stupid. Why neither of them rides on the donkey? "Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them. Later, an old man saw it and commented, "The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?" Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey.

Further on the way home, they met an old Lady. She commented, "How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman."
The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey. Then, they met a young man. He commented, "Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you." Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carried it on their shoulders.

It seems to be the only choice left. Later, on a narrow bridge, the donkey was frightened and struggled. They lost their balance and fell into the river. You can never have everyone praise you, nor will everyone condemn you. Never in the past, not at present, and never will be in the future.

Thus, do not be too bothered by others words if our conscience is clear..

- got this email excerpt from someone.
- ed

God of This City - Chris Tomlin

I came across this song today during worship. There is something amazing about this song. The rhythms are so easy to catch, you just automatically flow with it and want to dance with it. The melody blends into our secular society so well, and yet reminds us that God is in the midst of us.

It's like the presence of God among us is so real that this feeling just keep burgeoning in between the lines and the melody.

Ha, I'm not exaggerating but this is really how I feel about it. Ha. The video is full of energy too.

Anna

Acting according to our own conscience

Many times I wonder why a non-christian is more morally sound than a Christian. They have better conscience than Christians. They are more upright than many Christians that I know. There are also friends who told me that as long as they act according to their own conscience, they are alright.

All these really undermine my faith in the power of God, to be honest. But I just chose to ignore because my faith for the existence in God is stronger. However, yesterday, I read the following statements, which sort of gave an answer to my problem:

"Look within you. Look at your sense of right and wrong, your code of ethics. Somehow even as a child you knew it was wrong to hurt people and right to help them. Who told you? Who says? What is this magnetic pole that pulls the needles on the compass of your conscience, if not God?"

God does play a part.

everytime i see those old couples (ah bei's and aunties) walking hand in hand, a sense of admiration & respect fills me. its not those young handsome pretty couples that draws me to wow but those oldies that have gone thru the thick & thin together, in sickness in health, in richness in poverty..& their still very much in love with each other that brings me to an admiration level for them.Chanced upon this article today & coupled with always seeing the sick in the hospital,a common qn tat i would ask: what happens if my spouse was very sick? this article speaks it all:


A Special Love Story
David Langerfeld
Feb 10, 2010

Although most of you have read this story many times, I share it every year during Valentine's Week in tribute to the greatest, most wonderful woman I know...


A Special Love Story

Her family had come to America from Sweden. She had a typical Scandinavian look... Long blond hair; blue eyes; long slender legs; soft, blemish-free skin. She was gorgeous - she was beautiful. In fact, a professional international photographer in her hometown thought she was so pretty that he used a photograph of her to advertise his business.

But that was not her real beauty.

She was raised by some wonderful Christian parents and had become a Christian at an early age. Integrity, honesty and sweetness were just a few of her characteristics. In fact, at her engagement party, her sister, who knew her better than anyone, said that she had never heard her tell a lie. All of her friends said the same thing about her: She was the sweetest girl they knew. She would never speak a harsh word about anyone. Everyone loved to be around her.

A young man she met in her freshman year started dating her and fell in love with her - both her exterior photographic beauty and the wonderful godly character of her inward beauty. She fell in love with him and they spent every free moment they could with each other over the next four years. They were committed to each other and they believed in waiting long before the "True Love Waits" Campaign ever existed.

One week after they graduated from college, they were married. They loved each other's company. They would walk together, exercise together, go on bike rides together, chaperone youth trips together - go to movies, watch TV, eat pizza, travel - all the things any normal couple would love to do together. They were so much in love.

She taught school for a year and then became a bookkeeper for a surgical supply company. One day, while she was working, for no apparent reason, she lost her balance and fell on the floor. She was later able to get up and went to see a doctor that night. He set her up to see a Neurologist.

The following day, it happened again. For no apparent reason, she lost her balance and fell. This time, though, she couldn't get up. She had lost all feeling in her legs. They wouldn't move. Her husband, had to come to the office and pick her up in his arms and carry her to the hospital. After six days in the hospital, the doctor gave this beautiful, active young lady the dreadful news. She had Multiple Sclerosis and she would continue to deteriorate.

This young couple, who had now been married only 18 months - who loved to go everywhere together and do everything together - would now face some new challenges. All their future plans would change, everyday life would change. They would change.

For the next 30 years, this young lady did deteriorate. She had to take steroids (not the kind athletes use, but anti-inflammatory steroids). Her bones became brittle, breaking easily. Her face became puffy and bloated and she could not even put on make-up. Her body was a mess. She went from a walker, to an electric scooter, to a wheelchair. She could no longer feed herself, write her name, or control her own bodily functions. She now had to have someone stay with her 24 hours a day.

If that couple had not had the kind of committed love that's based first on a personal relationship and a commitment to Jesus Christ and second, on a love that's based on a commitment to each other, the marriage never would have lasted. In fact, a large percentage of the marriages where a spouse has MS, the other spouse leaves them. The other spouse won't stay committed to the constant care and the continual physical, psychological and mental changes that continue to occur.

Please hear me carefully - those two people are not heroes. They are not super-saints or super-Christians. They will be the first to tell you that they are not super Christians. Those two people are normal, ordinary people, empowered by the Love of God and a love for each other, to do what the world considers beyond normal and extraordinary.

I know this for a fact - because that woman, that beautiful young lady who will never walk again, who can't even feed herself, is Lynda Langerfeld - my wife. She's not a hero. I'm not a hero. We're children of God, doing what the children of God are supposed to do. Doing what His children are called to do. Doing what God expects of every man and every woman who make a vow before God on their wedding day.

Quite often, Hollywood will portray a "hero" sacrificing his life for his "heroine" in a film. In the world's eyes, he's a hero. In God's eyes, he's an ordinary man making an extraordinary sacrifice that every Christian who's committed to his spouse ought to make. Sacrificial, Committed Love is the rule, not the exception. We're not super-saints, we're not heroes when we're being faithful and committed to our mates. We're doing what God has called every husband and wife to do since the beginning of time

_Chris_

Lord of the Sunshine..

He's the Lord of the sunshine,
the Lord of the rain.
He's the Lord of the good times,
the Lord of the pain.

He's the Lord of the mountain,
the Lord of the sea <& stars =) >
He's the Lord of the music,
the Lord of the children,
He's the Lord of.. you and me..

_chris_

Thanksgiving

Nissi had a refreshing retreat from the wonderful place of Bintan. I guess it is a cell retreat that has been long overdue.One of the memorable things that happen during the trip is the restoration of thanksgiving and praise.

I notice that living in Singapore encourages a spirit of complaining. Singaporeans love to complain. Our eyes are fixed on the negative things. We put these frustrations so close to our eyes that it blocks out other things. Our perspective becomes hindered and we miss the complete picture of what is going on.

It is good to relook at this bad habit. We need to restore the spirit of thanksgiving. Instead of complaining, we should give thanks. It is also interesting to note that complain and thanksgiving is mutually exclusive. We cannot both complain and give thanks at the same time.

Perhaps it is time to turn the things that are frustrating to things that we thank God for. For example, a new task can be interpreted as an opportunity to increase skills and experience, instead of looking at it as an ‘arrow’. Maybe, an unfavorable circumstance in the office can be a platform to show your ‘salt and light’ testimony to your colleagues. Maybe, it is time to thank God for the weather instead of complaining about it.

Thanksgiving also serve a greater purpose. It is God’s will for us to give thanks in all circumstances (1Ths5:18). Also, in a practical manner, thanksgiving helps us to be joyful. When we give thanks, we put on a smile and become joyful and appreciative. This is clearly much better to always complaining and becoming frustrated or worried.

I thank God that the retreat has reminded us the need to be thankful and always fill our hearts with appreciation instead of mindless complains.

-ed-

Fear of the Lord

I have always had problems submitting myself to the doctrine of Fear of God. Fear has always had a negative connotation to me. I did not think that 'Fear' will ever be able to make me succumb to authority and cause me to surrender myself to. It's only the love of God and for God that is so amazing and powerful that draw me to God, listen to Him and surrender myself to Him.

However, recurrent surfacing of this doctrine has finally made me realise that without the fear of God, something is just missing and a person's relationship with God is just incomplete, imbalanced and insufficient. Love is unarguably the greatest amongst all that soften everyone's heart and warm every soul to be faithful, listen to God and wanting to follow His will. However, human is just inadequate on his own and always has the tendency to disobeying and the laziness to adhering to what God has commanded. For true obedience and complete surrender, fear of God slips into the picture perfectly. Having this characteristic of fear of God probably is like the Holy Spirit giving us a discipling master to guide us in our conduct. Without which, it's like a person not being completely filled with the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, how can a person be charming?

No wonder the Bible says, "' Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." Proverbs 31:26-

Thanks Diana for sending that Bible verse...

Anna

Contemporary Paul.....

If you have a friend, who responds to your emails in such a way that makes you feel that you are reading letters from Paul, how would you respond to it?

Anna