Sunday, September 27, 2009

Book Review: Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs


In Love and Respect, Emerson Eggerichs uses Ephesians 5:33 "However, each one of you [husband] also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband (Ephesians 5:33 NIV)" and dissected it to show that the love a wife longs for and the respect a husband yearns for mutually compliments each other in order to build a solid foundation of a marriage.

In Chapter One, the author shared on how, as a pastor, out of his need to counsel couples, that in 1998, God gave him the insight to see the inter-connectivity between love and respect. In that chapter too, the author is honest enough to share with the readers of his own difficult times he had with his wife, Sarah. The author made no attempt to hide his own weaknesses or appears as one whose marriage is perfect, without struggles. As the author said, the problem with life is that it is so daily, so routine that we may take our spouses for granted.

The first seven chapters form the first part and this basically deals with some of the common problems husbands and wives face. While it is good that the author shared many real life examples, nevertheless, I find that there are just too many testimonies and stories. And this has made the reading of this part very tedious and lengthy. Probably the author could have saved some of these testimonies to be included in an online supplementary section or in a blog or in the Love and Respect website (http://www.loveandrespect.com/), etc. Having too many testimonies tend to result in a loss of focus of the gist of the message.

Part 2 (chapters 8 - 22) is about the energizing cycle, where the author spelled out the six aspects of the love that a husband needs to show to his wife, and the six aspects of the respect that the wife ought to give to her husband.

The love that a husband should show to his wife can be defined by the acronym C-O-U-P-L-E:
C - Closeness
O - Openness
U - Understanding
P - Peacemaking
L - Loyalty
E - Esteem

The respect that a wife should give to her husband can be defined by the acronym C-H-A-I-R-S
C - Conquest (appreciate the husband's desire to work and achieve)
H - Hierarchy (appreciate the husband's desire to protect)
A - Authority (appreciate the husband's desire to serve and to lead)
I - Insight (appreciate the husband's desire to analyze and counsel)
R - Relationship (appreciate the husband's desire for shoulder-to-shoulder relationship)
S - Sexuality (appreciate the husband's desire for sexual intimacy)

The author elaborated each aspect of "C-O-U-P-L-E" and "C-H-A-I-R-S" in a chapter each.

A side note: on page 156, the author said that God intended for some conflict to exist in a marriage. When my wife and I sat down together to discuss on this, we find it hard to agree with the author on this statement. While God can turn a conflict into a victory, conflict exists, rather, as a result of the Fall back in Genesis.

I have always been cautious of books that offer "a number of" steps to success, "a number of" steps to overcome bad habits, etc. We must not be over-simplistic. Some of the problems that exist in a marriage could have deeper roots than what they appears to be. It could be due to past sins, past painful memories, past bad experiences in a previous marriage, previous traumatic experiences like being raped, etc. For such cases, simply applying these steps may not work; rather in such cases, forgiveness, emotional healing, counseling, etc is needed.

Nonetheless, I still do find this book to be pretty useful. To me personally, the greatest value of this book lies in the concrete and specific suggestions and steps found at the back of each of the chapters in Part 2. I find these suggestions to be very helpful, and can be easily turn into a-resolution-a-day kind of exercise. In other words, this book is actually more of a "to-do" book rather than a "to-read" book. As such, this book, should be more concise, direct to the point, focused, trimmed down, and should include more interactive features and questions for the readers to think and to reflect as they go along.

Feeling Inadequate?

Jeremiah’s Call and First Visions (Jeremiah 1:4-10 NLT)

4 The Lord gave me this message:

5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.

Before you were born I set you apart

and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!

10 Today I appoint you to stand up

against nations and kingdoms.

Some you must uproot and tear down,

destroy and overthrow.

Others you must build up

and plant.”

This passage in Jeremiah 1 on Jeremiah’s call also reminds me of my own situation.

Being called to preach in church as a lay leader at age 35 years old, sometimes I must say I really feel inadequate. Although it is a small church, I still do feel the inadequacy, but yet, if we were to wait for the “right” time, the moment may never arrive. Our feelings of inadequacy may cripple us. When will we ever be ready, if we were to wait for the right recipe, the right formula, as judged according to our own timing?

If God says can, who am I to say can’t? That’s why knowing that I am known is important. Knowing who I belong to, gives me a sense of confidence to move forward.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Observing the Sabbath: Am I Deceiving Myself?

25 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 26 He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”

27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
(Mark 2:23-27 NLT)

In this age where we are constantly being bombarded with overloading amount of information, all the more we need to take a day off to be still with the Lord. To wait for Him. To linger in His presence. To be renewed. To be restored.

For me, personally at least, I know, I needed to observe the Sabbath. I know sometimes I am deceiving myself, thinking as if I am observing the Sabbath by staying away from my workplace physically, but my mind is still occupied with the workload, and even bringing back stacks of paperwork to do.

Friday, September 25, 2009

How should I live in this evil world?

11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. (Titus 2:11-14, NLT)

Sometimes when I look at the evil, injustice, corruption, inequality of treatment, dirty political tactics, both in my country and around the world, I get very dejected, discouraged, and disappointed. Is there any reason for living in my country? Yet, these verses show us that:

“11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed…”

We are INSTRUCTED, we are commanded, we are exhorted to live a life of
- wisdom
- righteous
- devoted to God.

Why? Because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Unless we know who we really are, our identity, and our position, we can be easily swayed away.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Finishing what You Have Started

11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. 12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. (2 Cor 8:11-12, NLT)

I am drawn to the word “finish”, or in some translation “to complete”. It is often easy to start something, to promise something, but to complete, needs perseverance.

Everyone can start a new project, a new blog, a new decision, a new resolution, but how many can follow through til completion.

Along the road, there may be many obstacles, many challenges, many things that distract us from the important things of our lives.

I need to remind myself of important things to me:
1. God - is my relationship with Him affected?
2. Family - is my relationship with my family members taken its tolls due to my busyness in the workplace, being too ambitious, being wanting to do too many things that distract me from my real focus.
3. Then only it comes to my work.

And that’s when we need to depend on the Lord, rather than on ourselves. We need to go to Him daily. I find it impossible to live the Christian life on my own strength.

In verse 12, “give according to what you have…”, in other words, if we have not first received from Him, how can we give? The giving of course, could means more than just financial giving. It could also means giving of our time, our talent, our attention. Have I first received from Him?

Monday, September 21, 2009

Actions Speak Louder Than Words



(These are some of my thoughts I have made as comments to Chapter 3 of John Maxwell's forthcoming book)

John Maxwell says: "Many times each year I am engaged as a speaker..... often I request a call with someone in the organization prior...to learn the expectations of my host... My goal is never to simply deliver a speech. I want to add value to people...I always spend time tailoring what I’m going to say to fit what they need."


From personal experience, oftentimes, what determine whether I will successfully connect with my students or not is not really the contents of the lecture (though that is important); but rather, whether I am REAL or not.

I personally experienced and believe that people can see through you, beyond your talk, beyond your slides, beyond your outward appearance. They can see whether you are really genuinely care for them and concern for their performance and grades, or whether you are just up there to showcase how much you know.

At times, really, action speaks louder than words. Respect has got to be earned. When you earn their respect, you win the right to hold their ears for your talk.

In that book, John Maxwell quoted television executive, communication consultant and author Roger Ailes for the seven-second rule to make the first impression:

"You’ve got just seven seconds to make the right first impression. As soon as you make your entrance, you broadcast verbal and nonverbal signals that determine how others see you. In business, those crucial first seven seconds can decide whether you will win that new account, or succeed in a tense negotiation." I personally think we have got more than 7 seconds but no more than, probably, first 5 – 10 minutes to make that first impression. Within the first five to 10 minutes, they will decide whether you are worth their attention or not. You can force their presence in the room or hall, but you can’t force their attention and mind to your talk.

“People will not always remember what you said. They will not always remember what you did. But, they will always remember how you made them feel.” - Mike Harrison

Saturday, September 19, 2009

I walked a mile with Pleasure

My comments:
Although I like this quote, I do not believe that all pleasures are bad. Some pleasures are legitimate. James 1:17-18 says: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." It is the lustful, illegitimate pleasure that we should be careful of.


I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser,
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me!

- Robert Browning Hamilton

Into The Arms of Divine Love



As soon as I woke in the morning I threw myself into the arms of Divine Love as a child does into its father's arms. I rose to serve Him, and to perform my daily labor simply that I might please Him.

If I had time for prayer, I fell on my knees in His divine presence, consecrated myself to Him, and begged Him that He would accomplish His holy will perfectly in me and through me, and that He would not permit me to offend Him in the least thing all through the day.

I occupied myself with Him and His praise as long as my duties permitted. Very often, I had not leisure to say even so much as the Lord's Prayer during the day; but that did not trouble me. I thought it as much my duty to work for Him as to pray to Him, for He Himself had taught me, that all that I should do for love of Him would be a true prayer.

I loved Him and rejoiced in Him. If my occupations required all my attention, I had nevertheless my heart turned towards Him; and, as soon as they were finished, I ran to Him again, as to my dearest Friend.

When evening came, and every one went to rest, I found mine only in the Divine Love, and fell asleep, still loving and adoring Him.
--ARMELLE NICOLAS

Psalm 23 Explained

(This post was from an email forwarded to me by Gabriel Matthew Fletcher. Thanks Gabriel!)


The Lord is my Shepherd = That's Relationship!
I shall not want = That's Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures = That's Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters = That's Refreshment!
He restoreth my soul = That's Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness = That's Guidance!
For His name sake = That's Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death = That's Testing!
I will fear no evil = That's Protection!
For Thou art with me = That's Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me = That's Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies = That's Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil = That's Consecration!
My cup runneth over = That's Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life = That's Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord = That's Security!
Forever = That's Eternity!


Face it, the Lord is crazy about you.

Why Are So Many Speakers Fail to "Connect" With Their Audience? Some Humble Ramblings From Me

(Note: These random ramblings were my thoughts that I have posted at http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com as my comments to Chapter 2 of John Maxwell's new book to be published in 2010)

Although John Maxwell has stated immaturity and ego as 2 out of the 3 reasons why many people fail to connect, I think a deeper reason (especially within the context of public speaking) under-girding their immaturity and ego-centredness is INSECURITY, especially for new speakers. I can remember the first few times when I am asked to speak: I was literally shaking.

When the speaker is insecure, he will want to seek the approval from his audience. And the more he wants to seek approval from his audience, the more engrossed he is in his own self, and how he can impress others, and as a results, he is more likely to fail to meet the needs of the moments.

Communication is very fluid and dynamic. I can speak on the same lecture many times, but each group of audience has its own expressed and implied needs, and the dynamics of the communication would be totally unique and different.

Sometimes it depends very much on whether the speaker can "catch" the non-verbal cues being signaled and transmitted from the audience. A joke may sound funny to one group of audience but it can be not funny or even offensive to another group. For that reason, I believe jokes can never be re-cycled. We cannot tell the same joke in the same intonation, the same manner twice. For that matter, sometimes I find prepared jokes to be very artificial. Jokes have got to be spontaneous.

Another problem I find as a barrier to "connectedness" with audience is Power Point presentation. Sometimes power point presentation can paradoxically kills the spontaneity of the communication. Power point presentation can be a friend or a foe. I find it to be true with many speakers (and myself have made the same mistake too) that we speak for the sake of speaking. We are obsessed with the goal of finishing off the many slides we have prepared without really thinking whether the audience can understand the meaning or not.

Different audience will have different attention span (although a common rule of thumb would be no more than 45 minutes). For that matter, nowadays I am no longer dictated by my clock or by the number of slides I have prepared to know when to stop talking. I take it that the first audience member who yawns as a sign that I should finish off and wrap it up soon (usually to take 15 minutes or so although that is not a hard and fast rule).

Why are there so many Christian denominations?

Why are there so many Christian denominations?

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Friday, September 18, 2009

E-mail Tips from Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Inc.

This post contains many tips that I have found useful and I have condensed them from three articles by Michael Hyatt, the President and CEO of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE
Suggestions for better e-mail communication and etiquette (Note: These pointers are taken and adapted from an article by Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publisher. I do not list all 18 of his recommendations. I only list those that are, in my opinion, applicable to me. For a full description of his recommendations, click here):

1. Understand the difference between “To” and “CC.”
As a rule of thumb, the more people you send an email to, the less likely any single person will respond to it, much less perform any action that you requested.

The people you include in the “To” field should be the people you expect to read and respond to the message.

The “CC” field should be used sparingly. You should only CC people who have a need to stay in the know. The “BCC” field should be used even more sparingly. People you include in the “BCC” field will not visible to others.

2. Keep messages brief and to the point.
Make your most important point first, then provide detail if necessary. Make it clear at the beginning of the message why you are writing.

There is nothing worse for the recipient than having to wade through a long message to get to the point. Worse, if you send long messages, it is much less likely that the person will act on what you have sent or respond to it. It’s just too much work. It often gets set aside and, unfortunately, forgotten.

3. Don’t discuss multiple subjects in a single message.
If you need to discuss more than one subject, send multiple e-mails. This makes it easy to scan subject lines later to find the message you need. It also contributes to briefer e-mail messages and a greater likelihood of a response. Also, the more specific you can be about your subject heading, the better.

4. Reply in a timely manner.
E-mail does not demands an instantaneous response but you must reply in a timely manner, otherwise you will incrementally damage your reputation and decrease your effectiveness.

5. Be mindful of your tone.
Unlike face-to-face meetings or even phone calls, those who read your e-mail messages don’t have the benefit of your pitch, tone, inflection, or other non-verbal cues. As a result, you need to be careful about your tone. Sarcasm is especially dangerous. If something gets “lost in translation,” you risk offending the other party. The more matter-of-fact you can be, the better.

6. Don’t use e-mail to criticize others. E-mail is a terrific way to commend someone or praise them. It is not an appropriate medium for criticism. Chances are, you will simply offend the other person, and they will miss your point. These kinds of conversations are usually better handled face-to-face or, if necessary, over the phone. Especially, don’t use e-mail to criticize a third party. E-mail messages live forever. They are easily forwarded. You can create a firestorm of conflict if you are not careful.

7. Don’t reply in anger. In anger, we may have written things that we would never have the guts to say face-to-face. This is precisely why you should never ever fire off an e-mail in anger. They almost never serve their purpose or your long-term interests. They burn up relationships faster than just about anything you can do. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and write the message, then delete it.
Usually a day or two after you didn’t send an angry e-mail, you’ll understand the wisdom of restraint.

8. Don’t overuse “reply to all.” Example, personal information which may not be necessary for everyone to know.

9. Don’t forward chain letters. Nine times out of ten, the information is bogus. It is often urban legend. If you feel you absolutely must pass it on, please make sure that it is valid information. If in doubt, check it out at Snopes.com, a Web site devoted to tracking urban legends and rumors.

10. Don’t write in ALL CAPS.
This is the digital equivalent of shouting. Besides ALL CAPS are harder to read (as anyone in advertising will tell you.)

11. Don’t send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks. If you do so, you can put yourself or your company at risk. You could be sued for simply passing something along, even if you aren’t the original author.

12. Use a signature with your contact information. This is a courtesy for those receiving your messages. It also cuts down on e-mail messages, since people don’t have to send a second or third e-mail asking for your phone number or mailing address.

13. Use your spell-checker.
Take your correspondence seriously. It reflects on your professionalism and that of your company.

14. Re-read your e-mail before you send it.

HOW TO STAY ON TOP OF YOUR EMAIL?
Click here to read the entire article by Michael Hyatt.

1. Empty your inbox everyday. This must be your goal. You want to be able to go to sleep with every message processed. That doesn’t mean you answer every message. However, it does mean that you have processed every message. There’s a big difference between answered and processed.

2. Don’t get bogged down, keep moving. The key is that once you start processing your inbox, you must move quickly. Read each message once and answer this question: “Is this message actionable?” In other words, “Am I being asked to do something?”

A. If actionable, there are only three possible actions (3 Ds):

2.1. Do—take action on the task now. David Allen’s two-minute rule: If I can do what is being requested in less than two minutes, I do it immediately. This gets stuff off your to-do list before it ever gets on it. This has the added advantage of making you look responsive.

2.2. Delegate—pass the task along to someone else (if you are the boss or superior). Oftentimes someone else is better equipped to fulfill the sender’s request. Try to focus on where you add value and offload everything else.

2.3. Defer—consciously decide you will do the task later. This only applies to asks you cannot complete in two minutes or less or can’t delegate to someone else. You can either add the task to your to-do list or schedule an appointment with yourself to complete it.

B. If it is not actionable (i.e., the sender is not requesting that you do something), or not actionable any longer because you have taken action on it, then you have two options.

Delete—determine if you might need the information later. If not, delete it. My own assumption is that if it’s really important, someone, somewhere else in the world, has a copy of it.

File —if you think you might need the information, file it. But do not create an elaborate set of file folders. This is the single most important piece of advice I can give you. Just file everything in one folder, you may name it “Processed Mail", "Importance", "Worthy to keep..."

Every time you communicate, you are making a “brand impression”—for you—and for the organization you represent. What kind of impression are you making? Is it positive or negative?

What do your email messages say about you? (This section is adapted from an article by Michael Hyatt. Click here to read the article)

As most of communication today comprises of emails (90%) here are five ways to make a positive impression with your email messages:

1. Respond in a timely manner.
Aim to respond to all emails the same day I receive them.

2. Address the sender personally.
Don’t just start writing. Use the person’s name. Nothing is sweeter to the recipient’s ear than their own name. And in the age of unprecedented spam, using a person’s name indicates that you are a real person, not a robot.

3. Use proper grammar.
You don’t have to obsess about this, but observe the basics: use complete sentences, check your punctuation and spelling, and proofread your message. And please, don’t use ALL CAPS.

4. Keep the message short and your intention clear.
As a recipient, there is nothing worse than receiving a long message from someone, reading it, and still not knowing what the person wants or is saying. When in doubt, use short sentences, short paragraphs, and short messages.

5. Use a proper signature block.
Use your email program to create a standardized, email signature that includes your full name, logo, company, address, telephone numbers, website or blog, twitter handle, etc.

Blog a book review and get FREE book?

To date, I have found three sites that offer free books in return for the reviews that you write for their books:

1. By far, Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program, to me, is the best. Simply request a book, and they will send you the book. Read it up critically, and write a constructive, fair and balance review. Click here to join. This program also has a self-regulating mechanism, in that, you can only request one book at one time, and may not request for another until you have posted your review. For some books, you also have to submit the review by a dateline. According to Michael Hyatt (the President and CEO of Thomas Nelson) their goal is to recruit 10,000 active bloggers to join the program.

2. Ligonier Ministries is a Reformed, evangelical, non-profit organization founded by renowned Calvinist theologian, R. C. Sproul. This site has a Blog For a Free Book program, but they will send a pdf copy to review first, and only send you the physical copy upon completion of your review; and everyone knows the difficulties to reading the entire book on your laptop screen. Click here to join.

3. NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators. They have a Blogger Review Program for their selected books. Enter the coupon code and the price of the book will be deducted down to the absolute $0.00. However, you still have to pay for the shipping fees and this can come up to be quite a lot if you are staying in a far away Asian country like me. Click here to join.

Benefits of joining a blogger book review program

Besides the advantage of getting the book you reviewed for free, you also get the chance to read other people's reviews, and in some sites (e.g. Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program), you can also take advantage to use the free resources like cover art, video or audio clips (when available), external links to other related items, etc to include in your review. Another advantage is, by joining a blogger book review program, we can discipline ourselves to finish reading a book within a stipulated time.

How to write a review?

I have found two helpful articles with very practical tips. I have summarized the main points of the two articles here. For details, click here and here to read the articles in entirety.

1. Review title: Use the book title as a guide for your headline title and post slug

2. Introduce the book, author, and the topic in the first paragraph.

3. Keep it all simple, readable and maybe to less than 500 words (or depending on the stipulated number of words allowed by the specific website you intend to send your review to)

4. It doesn’t have to be a seminary-worthy book critique or sophisticated. Take out your academic formality, just tell us about the book, how it impacted you and interact with the content.

5. Include what you liked (or loved), what you disliked (or hated). Rate it too.

6. One of the best ways to give a short review is to talk about one chapter specifically.

7. Give practical takeaways. “On page 13, he talks about this great marketing idea, so I implemented it in my church and saw [number] of people fill out guest cards, etc.”

8. Add an appropriate category, like “leadership.”

9. After you’re done, read through and do a quick edit of your post before publishing.

10. Include two or three related books in bullet points form that people could check out (including your Amazon links in those as well)

11. If you have time and the book you're supposed to read is interesting-read the whole thing.

12. While you're reading take notes (either by highlighting the book or jot down in pieces of paper) of whatever strikes you as interesting or powerful, or wrong.

13. Start writing your review whenever something you read triggered your thoughts or opinion. Continue reading the book. Continue writing.

14. But what if you do not have enough time? You can still write a great review even if you do not have time to read the whole book, or if it's boring. In that case, make sure to read as many of the beginning chapters as you can. Then read the book from behind, as much as you can. While doing that, remember step 12, make as many notes as possible (either positive or negative way). After reading the front and the back, skim the rest of the book to connect the dots.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

The Faith of Moses' Parents





By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. (Heb 11:23 NIV).

Dr. Tee Meng Hun's sermon on 11 September 2009 touched on the story of baby Moses being hid in a basket on river Nile. Hebrew 11:23 talks about the faith in doing so. But whose faith? Moses? No. The parents.

Yet, the parents' names were not mentioned in the first mention of the story in Exodus 2. The names of the parents only be mentioned in Exodus 6: Amram and Jochebed.

Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. (Exo 6:20 NIV)

The parents' names were rather obscured. Mentioned only in the genealogy (that shows that genealogy is important).

This part of the story shows that to have great faith does not mean we need to have great names, doing great things only. It is not about doing great things per se, it is about doing things with faith in a great God.

Selective Hearing (Selective Obedience)



Pastor Koshy Thomas' message on selective hearing in CF meeting (16 September 2009) has certainly convicted many people.

Using Samson as the example (Judges 13 - 16) Ps Koshy pointed out five characteristics of someone with selective hearing = selective disobedience = selective obedience = no obedience.

Samson was to be a Nazirite—a person who took a vow to be set apart for God's service. Samson's parents made the vow for him. A Nazirite vow was sometimes temporary, but in Samson's case, it was for life.

From Numbers 6:18, as a Nazirite, Samson could not:
- cut his hair
- touch a dead body, or
- drink anything containing alcohol, grape juice or anything from grapevine.

Judges 14:1-4 recorded Samson's first act of selective hearing - marrying a Philistine woman. Although God can turn the situation over for His advantage (Judges 14:4), this is not an excuse for us to disobey God.

The first point about people with selective hearing is:

1. People with selective hearing have already pre-determined or made up their mind even though they know that their course of action is sin or disobedience to God.
2. Secondly, people with selective hearing will not budge or change from their pre-decided course of action to disobey God despite being advised to do so (like in the case of Samson being advised by his parents)

In fact, people with selective hearing often seek out people who say things they want to hear.

Judges 14:8 - Samson already touched a dead body (violated his Nazirite vow).

At this point, Pastor Koshy touched on the issue of "unequally yoked" - a Christian going out steady with a unbeliever. A catchy phrase he used: "Marriage is not be tried out as a mission field." Want to go mission? Go to places like Myanmar, Vietnam, but not trying out in marriage.



3. People with selective hearing will do their acts of disobedience in secrets or in the dark but behaves innocently in public. Example of Samson in Judges 14:9 where after Samson touched the carcass of the dead lion to get the honey to eat, he kept it a secret from his parent:

which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass. (Jdg 14:9 NIV)

Though we may do acts in secrets, God knows and sees every thoughts and every acts done.

The next part that was shared is the account of Samson's infatuation with Delilah. Motivated by greed, Delilah used her persistence to wear down Samson. Samson's infatuation blinded him an he paid a great price for giving in to her persistence nagging.

4. People with selective hearing often refuse to see the reality (although deep down they may know it is wrong).

5. People with selective hearing continues disobeying God thinking that they will not be facing any consequences of their acts.
God is not impressed with our external acts. He looks at the heart. In fact the Bible says: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Gal 6:7 NIV)
We often do not understand the agricultural principle of sowing. We don't sow one seed and expect to receive the harvest of a one new seed. We sow one seed, and expect to harvest at least, say, one hundred seeds. Sowing one act of disobedience, reaping at least, say, one hundred consequences of our action.

Isn't it selective hearing = selective obedience = selective disobedience = no obedience. If Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.

We ended up that night by prayer, opening up the time for us to confess before our merciful God, a God of the second chance.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

When are you most likely going to face temptation?

When are you most likely going to face temptation?

Wayde Goodall answered in an article, that we are most likely to face temptation in the event:

· 81% - When you have not spent much time with God

· 57% - When you have not had enough rest

· 45% - When life is difficult

· 42% - During times of change

· 37% - After a significant spiritual victory

· 30% - When life is going smoothly


He draws the example of Job. Job's commitment stemmed from:

1. Job’s covenant:

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” Job 31:1

Job made up his mind that he was going to control lust in his life.

2. Job’s awareness:

“Does he not see my ways and count my every step?” Job 31:4

His awareness of God’s presence and God's knowledge of all his actions and thoughts motivated him to say, “I’d give up anything to keep God’s presence in my life.”

God counts your every step—minute by minute, day by day, year by year.

3. Job’s Commitment:

“If my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled, then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.” Job 31:7-8

Job was so committed in the area of lust-free living that he said to God; “If I blow it in this area, take everything away from me.”

Wayde further outlined six steps to control lust:

1. Be honest with yourself—own up to any problems you have and admit

2. Don’t feed your lust in any way, e.g. magazines, movies, television, telephone, “cyber-porn”.
Carnegie Mellion University found that 98.9% of cyber-porn (on-line) users are men.

3. Divert your attention when you are tempted (a hobby or activity that you can turn your thoughts to)

4. Don’t rationalize and say that lust is not a big deal—lust in your heart is wrong. You don’t have the right to take anyone to bed with you in your imagination.

5. Remember how others have failed—let it scare you.

6. Think about why you are struggling in this area - is it because you let yourself get involved in sexual conversations with other guys? Is it because you watch the wrong TV programs, look at the wrong videos, or go to the wrong movies? If you think about it, it will be easy to understand why you are struggling.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Does God Exist? A YouTube Video






“Does God exist?” and was nodded by his students in return.

He then argues…

“If God exist, then he is evil!”

“Did God create everything that exists?”

“If God created everything, then he created Evil!” (Which is invalid…these is a mere violation of the syllogism rule)

He continued…

“Which means God is evil!”

But his argument was stopped by a boy who started to ask…

“Excuse me Professor?”

“Does cold exist?”

The Professor immediately responds…

“Of course cold exists!” and asked if he (referring to the boy) have never been experiencing cold.

And then the boy said…

“In fact Sir, cold doesn’t exist. According to the law of Physics what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat.”

The boy also added another argument that made the professor thinks…

“Professor Does darkness exists?” asked the boy.

“Of course it does!” the Professor said.

The boy immediately uttered. “You are wrong Sir. Darkness doesn’t exist. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study but not darkness. Evil doesn’t exist. It is just like darkness and cold. God didn’t create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his head.”

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Run For The Nation 2009

Spread RunNat 2009 Affiliate Button


Run For The Nation - Kelantan Run 10/10/2009

Click here to download the list of runners and their routes/groups:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AX-SR8F60uezZGM4cWdjZHhfMGZrbmp0dGR3&hl=en


Route A: starts 5.30 am
Route B: starts 6.10 am
Route C: starts 6.50 am
Route D: starts 7.30 am
Route E: starts 8.10 am
Route F: starts 8.50 am
Route G: starts 9.30 am
Route H: starts 10.10 am

Meeting for team leaders on 11 September 2009 at 2 pm First Assembly Of God Church.

Meeting for all runners on 4/10/2009 Kota Bharu Baptist Church
(Thanks to Andrew Yeap who prepared the list of runners)
Update (10/09/09)
People with paid T-shirts order

1. Teo Sin Yee (S)
2. Tan Swee Mang (M)
3. Chee Wai Hong (L)
4. Karen Voon (S)
5. Loo Hun Ching (M)
6. Siew King Wei (L)
7. Gabriel Matthew Fletcher (M)
8. Tan Yee Lin (M)
9. Pang Kin Tong (L)
10. Dawn Tan Gim Cheong (XL)
11. Tan Tze Ling (M)
12. Ling Heng Wei (M size)
13. Lim Jin Lee (M size)
14. Edwin Pheng (M size)
15. Wong Su Yun (S size)
16. Wong Chu Ann (S size)
17. Teo Jen Keat (M size)
18. Lim Cher Wee (S size)
19. Patrick Lee Liang Hoong (M size)
20. Rachel Lin Yen Hwa (S Size)
21. Gloria Guok (L size)
22. Chew Keng Sheng (XL size)

List of volunteers:
1. Wong Siew Ting
2. Lily Kou
3. Mary Chieng
4. Mary Wong Hui Jing
5. Rose Wong Mee Ting
6. Teng Kee Nieng
7. Lau Siik Jing
8. Rachel Lin Yen Hwa
9. Sze Hua
10. Gloria Guok


Latest T-shirt order by 12/09/09
Please note: The T-shirt is black in color, nice elegant design, but may not be suitable running especially under hot sun!!! This T-shirt is for you to keep and wear as remembrance
The design of the T-shirt is as below:

Father Jacob's Message on Developing Intimacy With God




As always, Father Jacob, or Father J as we fondly known him from students' days, shared with much zeal and enthusiasm - his usual way and charisma, typical of a soldier's style (since he was an ex-army).

Father J's message on developing intimacy with God is as simple as ABC. Indeed ABC - A: ask in prayer, B - Bible reading everyday, C - Church attendance. He is one who lives out his message more than preaches out his message.

I was particularly challenged by his waking up everyday 5.30 am, when hearing the azan for the Muslims to pray, he also wakes up to pray. It is always easy to start something, but to persist and to do it everyday is the real challenge. Don't believe? Try reading the entire bible in a year.

Do I find it a routine sometimes when I discipline myself to complete the bible reading in a year? Yes indeed. There are times when I feel it is more of a chore to read through, but that is part and parcel of disciplining ourselves.

I am also very challenged when he said something like rain or shine, holiday or no holiday, he must read his bible for that day before starting his work. Without finish reading what he has to read, he will not start. Can we learn from him? An ex-army has shown the way, and the way may be tough, but in the end, it is worth it...for the more you get to know God, the more He reveals Himself to you.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Using Rock as Pillow - an Experience to Meet God for Jacob




Genesis 28:10-22 NIV

(10)  Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.
(11)  When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
(12)  He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
(13)  There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.
(14)  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
(15)  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
(16)  When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it."
(17)  He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
(18)  Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.
(19)  He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
(20)  Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear
(21)  so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God
(22)  and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."


Sometimes when we think about meeting God, we always think that it has to be in a conducive environment of a comfortable church, equipped with hi-tech equipments, good music, etc. But in this passage, Jacob met God in the MIDST of tiredness, fresh from his unpleasant stress with Esau, with nowhere to lay his head except on one of the rocks.

[Note: The journey from Beersheba to Haran was a long one of about 550 miles. Why didn't Jacob get a rented room to sleep on?It could be either when Jacob arrived, the gates were already closed, or he was so depressed that he didn’t want to be sociable. Click here for a fuller explanation on this.]

But in the end, Jacob said:

"How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."

What did Jacob do? He slept. He dreamed. He only had rocks with him to be used as pillow.
Sleeping using rock as pillow can turn into an awesome experience of meeting God.

It is not about us. It is not about our doings. It is not about our music, not about our buildings, it is His doing.
We can meet God in the simplicity of things around us.

Book Review: FEARLESS by Max Lucado


To me, reading Max Lucado's FEARLESS reminisces back about reading his other two books that have equally impacted me tremendously, In The Grip of Grace and Traveling Light. I feel like as if a heavy baggage has been lifted away, a dejected spirit restored, and it is time to laugh again and a time to stand tall.
As I walked through the pages of this book, I felt like I have dipped into the sweet honey of God's grace again - especially when I reached Chapter 3 and 4.

I am glad Max did not trivialize the impact of fear, as shown in Chapters 11 and 13. God is not insulating His believers in giant spiritual bubble from life's shares of pain and heartaches in this fallen world; or as Max puts it, a "decaffeinated" life. In fact, storms of life sometimes are blessings in disguise. As Max puts it (in his dealing of the biblical account of Peter asking Jesus to command him to walk on water), to quote:

"Peter never would have made this request on a calm sea. Had Christ strolled across a lake that was as smooth as mica, Peter would have applauded, but I doubt he would have stepped out of the boat. Storms prompt us to take unprecedented journeys. For a few historic steps and heart-stilling moments, Peter did the impossible. He defied every law of gravity and nature; “he walked on the water to go to Jesus.” (Fearless, Chapter 6)

I am glad he treated this delicate subject of fear in a balance manner; for some fears are real, born out of legitimate concerns. I like the way he differentiated between prudence and paranoia in Chapter 7. Jesus was honest about His fear and Jesus made his fear public in the Garden of Gethsemane.
I am also glad too that Max was blatantly honest about his own fear especially about his fear and doubt that haunted him occasionally during his sermon preparation time (Chapter 12). This goes to show that this book is not just a "to-do" manual, with how many steps to eliminate fear. Rather this book was born out of the author's own personal experiences (including a personal experience of being admitted for a life and death surgery). In other words, it is not just about head knowledge, but heart knowledge.

The chapter on financial fear was dealt with in a humorous, entertaining way, yet, full of wisdom. The chapter on the sovereignty of God, "Fear of God Getting Out Of My Box" (Chapter 14) is a must-read chapter for all believers.

In short, whatever your fears are, Max has a word for you. It is worth my time to read it, and I hope it is worth your time too, for who, has not, at one point or another experienced fear?


Links:
www.TheFearlesBook.com

www.MaxLucado.com/TownHall

www.ThomasNelson.com/Fearless


FREE resources of FEARLESS:

FEARLESS Sample chapters Download links:
Chapter 1 Click here
Chapter 5 Click here
Chapter 6 Click here
Chapter 9 Click here

Free download: Sermon Central Teleconference with Max Lucado Preaching on Fear to a Fearful Audience. Click the link here. (Right click to download)




Monday, September 7, 2009

Who Is Jesus Christ To You?



This article is based on the sermon shared by Bro Rodney Duncan on 19 June 2009 in Kota Bharu Baptist Church

Who is Jesus Christ to you?
Is he just a great teacher?

Scripture text: Colossians 1:15-23 (New International Version)

In Col 1:15-23 above, it is shown that Jesus is:

1. C = Creator (Col 1:16)

2. H = Head of the Church (Col 1:18)
- Don't be discouraged by people's folly.
People in church may discourage you.
But look to the Head, not to the people.
We are in the process of becoming perfect. We can't expect people to be perfect. But He is perfect.

3. R = one who Reconciles (Col 1:20)

"With regard to the relationship between God and man, the use of this and connected words shows that primarily "reconciliation" is what God accomplishes, exercising His grace towards sinful man on the ground of the death of Christ in propitiatory sacrifice under the judgment due to sin.... By reason of this men in their sinful condition and alienation from God are invited to be "reconciled" to Him; that is to say, to change their attitude, and accept the provision God had made, whereby their sins can be remitted and they themselves be justified in His sight in Christ." (Ref: Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words)

4. I = Invisible God in visible image (Col 1:15)
God become Man to show man the way back to heaven

5. S = Sustainer (Col 1:17)
In Him, all things hold together
If there is something that you could lose it one day, then it would not be called "everlasting".
But in John 3:16, eternal life is everlasting.
If satan can snatch a believer out of God's hand, then satan would have been more powerful than God.
If someone says: "If I can do this and this, achieve this and that, then I will get to heaven", in such a case, if he can achieve it by himself, then he does not need God after all.

6. T = Transformer (Col 1:13)
He has the power to transform, to change.

Conclusion:
From Col 1:15-23, who Jesus is can be remembered by this acronym: C.H.R.I.S.T
C = Creator
H = Head of the church
R = one who Reconciles
I = Invisible God in visible form
S = Sustainer of all things
T = Transformers of lives

Dealing With Our Broken Lives - Part 3

A message I shared in Kota Bharu Baptist Church

Dealing With Our Broken Lives - Part 2

A message I shared in Kota Bharu Baptist Church

Dealing With Our Broken Lives - Part 1

A message I shared in Kota Bharu Baptist Church


Used versus Loved



Used versus Loved

 
While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.
When the child saw his father..... with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'


The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.
Devastated by his own actions...... sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; 
the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'. The next day that man took his own life
Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life & remember this:


Things are to be used and people are to be loved.


The problem in today's world is that people are used while things are loved.
Let's try always to keep this thought in mind:
Things are to be used,
People are to be loved.


Watch your thoughts; they become words
Watch your words; they become actions
Watch your actions; they become habits
Watch your habits; they become character
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny


(Acknowledgment to Gabriel Matthew Fletcher for forwarding this mail to me)

Thursday, September 3, 2009

He Paid A Debt He Did Not Owe

He paid a debt He did not owe;
I owed a debt I could not pay;
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
And, now, I sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace.”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

He paid that debt at Calvary.
He cleansed my soul and set me free.
I'm glad that Jesus did all my sins erase.
I, now, can sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace.”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

One day He's coming back for me
To live with Him eternally.
Won't it be glory to see Him on that day!
I, then, will sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace.”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.
Yes, Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

Ellis J. Crum

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