Christmas cookies or dirt cookies: some thoughts on Christmas

In a recent book that I read called Empty Promises by Pete Wilson, it says that that there are certain slum areas in India that are so poor that people have to make dirt cookies to fill their stomachs including that of their children. They know that these "dirt cookies" (literally made of dirt) have no or minimal nutritional value, and it is hard to swallow with awful taste, but yet at least the dirt cookies can keep their children from going to bed hungry for yet another night. My heart was wrenched when I read that story.

So I went to Youtube channel to see if I can find a video clip on dirt cookies. I couldn't find one in India, but there are similar incidents in extremely poor areas in Haiti where people make dirt cookies to keep them and their children from hungry too. Here is a video I found and I hope you will watch it:


After I watched it, I couldn't help but to think that every time I have proper meals on my table, I should thank Him for what He has provided for me - there should be no complaining of how bland the taste of food is and neither should I be choosy of my food.

Am I served dirt cookies on the table? If not, then I am rich. And I should remember there are many poor out there in slums like in India and Haiti who have to eat dirt cookies (and some of them are Christians too - they are part of the Body of Christ just like us). Why should God provide proper meals for me and not for them? Does that mean my life is more precious than them? How can the gospel make sense to them?

And every time we are able to give, we should thank God that we are able to give. Because when we are able to give, no matter how much or how little, it means that God has blessed us with more than what we need.

In this season of Christmas, it is prudent for us to remember that Christmas is not a time of shopping and hoarding for more, it is a time of giving. God gave Jesus for the redemption of humanity. But not all of us are called to go to Haiti or India to give, we can start giving within our own vicinity, at our own backyard. Poverty are everywhere.

And let's also remember that when God came near, as He did during the first Christmas to Joseph, Mary, the wise men, etc - our lives can never remain the same again. He messed up people who were involved in the first Christmas - Joseph having to admit that Mary was pregnant before they consummated their marriage, Mary was forced to carry a pregnancy that could never ever made sense as had never happened before, and the Magi had the travel miles and to avoid King Herod.

Every time I take a bite on a Christmas cookie, I need to remember that there are many who are biting on dirt cookies.

Reflection: If we say that we are a follower of Jesus, how could our lives remain the same as before?

Some thoughts on the Mayan prediction

A little thought on the Mayan's prediction - as a Christian, I used to quickly dismiss the possibility that the world would end on 21st Dec because of various reasons, e.g. 1) it is a pagan prediction 2) the Mayans did not take leap years into consideration, hence, the Last Day would have occurred even if the Mayans were right, etc, etc. But as I searched my heart deeper, I find that maybe the reason is not so much whether the Mayans were right or not, but maybe it is because I just don't want the world to end and I don't want Jesus to come back because I have so many good things to enjoy and plans I am not ready to give up. Because if the Mayans are wrong, I couldn't care less as my trust is in God but if the Mayans are right, I should be rejoicing because I am going to meet Jesus. I am not trying to convey a doom & gloom thought here but the reality is Bible says no one knows (young or old, rich or poor) the date or time Jesus is going to return - like you just can't plan for the unpredictables in lives - you don't plan for any disaster, any possible accident or the day you will die. Like while I am typing the next letter on this post, my heart could have just stopped beating and God could have snapped me back to heaven. Does that thought stagger you? I am not sure about you, but it certainly did for me. Is life on earth becomes so predictable for us?

Some reflection questions for you think about: How would you have lived your life differently if you know today is your last day on earth? Or tomorrow? Or every day is going to be the last day? What things you are doing right now that you would stop doing if you know today is your last day? Or what things you are planning and procrastinating to do today that you should actually be doing if you know today is your last day? Is there a grudge you should let go just because of some minor issues? Is there a person you need to forgive? A reconciliation to make? A sin you need to give up?

Book review: Christmas Stories by Max Lucado

This book is a compilation of Christmas stories by Max Lucado in a variety of settings, from ancient Bethlehem to rural England.

In the first place, I am not really into fictional reads but because it is a Max Lucado's, I want to give it a try and I must say, although I do not finish all, some of these stories are really heart-warming.

I love the stories of The Christmas Child, The Answer is Yes and the misconceptions surrounding Santa Claus. If you like Max Lucado, perhaps you should dip into this delight too.

Christmas Stories - Heartwarming Classics of Angels, a Manger, and the Birth of Hope - Sample

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book review: Real Church in a Social-Network World - Leonard Sweet

Real church in a social-network world is an exclusive e-book by Leonard Sweet.

Contrary to what I have thought initially, this e-book is not directly about how the church should respond to the explosion of social medias today but rather it is a compilation of articles previously released books by Leonard Sweet and they are on how the church has lost sight of reaching the current generation of TGIFs as he called them (T = Twitter, G = Google, I = iPhone and F = Facebook; I guess Samsung isn't going to be very happy with this acronym :) but that's beside the point), thanks to the influence of these media.  I have never personally thought of social media as inherently bad, a internet tool is an internet tool, it is morally-neutral just as an axe is morally-neutral. As such, it is the misuse and abuse of the people that is the problem here. In fact, the church should thank God for the explosion of these tools for the advancement of the gospels throughout the world.

In fact throughout these chapters, you will find that there are very little references to these social media. These chapters can indeed standalone without any particular reason to be tagged under a big heading of "social media" except for the introduction. I guess these slightly inter-related chapters are pulled from different previously released books and tied together under the label of "social media" in a newly written Introduction section.  And because these chapters are from different previously released books, you may find them to be slightly disjointed.

In any case, nonetheless, I still find some good challenging lessons in these chapters:

Chapter 1 - talks about our fixation with our beliefs and doctrines so much so that as Leonard puts it, we have the issue of "sterile orthodoxy" when really biblical truth should be a balance between orthodoxy and orthopraxy.  Or as he put it in chapter 2: "We may be doctrinally correct, but we have become spiritual cadavers". If right teaching supplies the complete answer to the life of faith, then why hasn't our society sold out to God? What's missing (in the church and among believers today) is the right relationship, a deepening relationship with God. Jesus didn't call his disciples to regular discipleship because Jesus is not a regular guy. Regular discipleship would mean staying in Jerusalem, found a religious school, studied the words and works of their master, carefully screened and admitted only the most promising students. On the contrary, Jesus commanded ensured that the disciples would go out to the people, not sit and wait for an interested few to come to them.

Chapter 2 - is about what it means to follow God. To follow means to move alongside. You can't follow Jesus and still stay where you are, or remain the same person you are. Following denotes a movement, leaving where you were, and always finding yourself in a new location - the place where Jesus wants you to be. It is interesting to note that in Gen 18:1-15 that in the middle of his prayer, three strangers appeared to Abraham who were later found out to be angels bearing a message about the future. What if Abraham says, I can't open the door because I am in the midst of prayer. A prevailing wrong notion among Christians is the notion that non-Christians have no meaning and that everyone outside the faith needs to "get a life". But it is wrong for Christians to assume that only they are the ones on the planet who have meaning. Life is not about "go Google yourself" but "go Google God". " As Leonard says"

When many outsiders look at the "lifestyle choice" of Christians, who spend their lives sitting in the same pew, singing the same songs, reciting the same words, smiling at the same people, listening to the same thoughts, and building bigger barns that all look the same, they scratch their heads in wonderment that anyone in his right mind would want to choose that kind of life."

Chapter 4 - is about being authentic. As he says: "Authenticity is not about being more relevant but about being more Jesus. Do you speak with a Jesus voice?" The church has often taught evangelism as a meeting of two antagonists - one righteous and right, and the other dead wrong. The point of this type of evangelism is to win an argument. Evangelism has also been taught as a spiritual sales pitch! Somehow the church has lost touch with the meaning of good news. I don't know winning an argument would really be seem as a good news for our friends.

Note: "I received this e-book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Download FREE chapter one here.

Book review: A Year with G. K. Chesterton 365 Days of Wisdom, Wit, and Wonder By Kevin Belmonte

A Year with G. K. Chesterton is an anthology of some of Chesterton’s best works presented in concise, memorable selections.

But I personally find Chesterton's philosophy quite difficult to comprehend (although some of which I can appreciate to be deeply profound) and his poetic writing style is quite different from our modern-day writing.

But anyhow, below are some of the quotes which I like very much:

• To let no bird fly past unnoticed, to spell patiently the stones and weeds, to have the mind a storehouse of sunsets, requires a discipline in pleasure and an education in gratitude
• As an old-fashioned person, who still believes that Reason is a gift of God and a guide to truth, I must confine myself to saying that I do not want a God whom I have made, but a God who has made met
• The devil can quote Scripture for his purpose; and the text of Scripture which he now most commonly quotes is, “The Kingdom of heaven is within you.” That text has been the stay and support of more Pharisees and prigs and self-righteous spiritual bullies than all the dogmas in creation; it has served to identify self-satisfaction with the peace that passes all understanding.
• As we have taken the circle as the symbol of reason and madness, we may very well take the cross as the symbol at once of mystery and of health. Buddhism is centripetal, but Christianity is centrifugal: it breaks out. For the circle is perfect and infinite in its nature; but it is fixed for ever in its size; it can never be larger or smaller. But the cross, though it has at its heart a collision and a contradiction, can extend its four arms for ever without altering its shape. Because it has a paradox in its centre it can grow without changing. The circle returns upon itself and is bound. The cross opens its arms to the four winds; it is a signpost for free travellers
• Here am only trying to describe the enormous emotions which cannot be described. And the strongest emotion was that life was as precious as it was puzzling. It was an ecstasy because it was an adventure; it was an adventure because it was an opportunity. The goodness of the fairy tale was not affected by the fact that there might be more dragons than princesses; it was good to be in a fairy tale. The test of all happiness is gratitude; and I felt grateful, though I hardly knew to whom. Children are grateful when Santa Claus puts in their stockings gifts of toys or sweets. Could I not be grateful to Santa Claus when he put in my stockings the gift of two miraculous legs? We thank people for birthday presents of cigars and slippers. Can I thank no one for the birthday present of birth?
• ...the paradox of Christianity; that we can only really understand all myths when we know that one of them is true
• It is always simple to fall; there are an infinity of angles at which one falls, only one at which one stands
• But charity means pardoning what is unpardonable, or it is no virtue at all. Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. And faith means believing the incredible, or it is no virtue at all
• Nothing short of the extreme and strong and startling doctrine of the divinity of Christ will give that particular effect that can truly stir the popular sense like a trumpet; the idea, of the king himself serving in the ranks like a common soldier. By making that figure merely human we make that story much less human. We take away the point of the story which actually pierces humanity; the point of the story which is quite literally the point of a spear
• We must hate the world enough to want to change it, and yet love the world enough to think it worth changing
• And the more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild
• It is the highest and holiest of the paradoxes that the man who really knows he cannot pay his debt will be forever paying it. He will be forever giving back what he cannot give back, and cannot be expected to give back
• You can only find truth with logic if you have already found truth without it.
• Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite. The result is mental exhaustion.... To accept everything is an exercise, to understand everything a strain. The poet only desires exaltation and expansion. The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head -- and it is his head that splits.
• Man has always lost his way. He has been a tramp ever since Eden; but he always knew, or thought he knew, what he was looking for. . . But in the bleak and blinding hail of skepticism to which he has been now so long subjected, he has begun for the first time to be chilled, not merely in his hopes, but in his desires. For the first time in history he begins really to doubt the object of his wanderings on earth. He has always lost his way; but now he has lost his address
• The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people
• A man who has faith must be prepared not only to be a martyr, but to be a fool.
• Don't ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up
• The command of Christ is impossible, but it is not insane; it is rather sanity preached to a planet of lunatics
• Truth, of course, must of necessity be stranger than fiction, for we have made fiction to suit ourselves
• When Christ at a symbolic moment was establishing His great society, He chose for its corner-stone neither the brilliant Paul nor the mystic John, but a shuffler, a snob, a coward - in a word, a man
• Until we realize that things might not be, we cannot realize that things are. Until we see the background of darkness we cannot admire the light as a single and created thing. As soon as we have seen the darkness, all light is lightening, sudden, blinding, and divine.
• Humility was largely meant as a restraint upon the arrogance and infinity of the appetite of man. He was always outstripping his mercies with his own newly invented needs. His very power of enjoyment destroyed half his joys. By asking for pleasure, he lost the chief pleasure; for the chief pleasure is surprise. Hence it became evident that if a man would make his world large, he must be always making himself small. Even the haughty visions, the tall cities, and the toppling pinnacles are the creations of humility. Giants that tread down forests like grass are the creations of humility. Towers that vanish upwards above the loneliest star are the creations of humility. For towers are not tall unless we look up at them; and giants are not giants unless they are larger than we. All this gigantesque imagination, which is, perhaps, the mightiest of the pleasures of man, is at bottom entirely humble. It is impossible without humility to enjoy anything-- even pride
• All men are ordinary men; the extraordinary men are those who know it
• One is the paradox of hope or faith – that the more hopeless is the situation the more hopeful must be the man
• Christianity is always out of fashion because it is always sane; and all fashions are mild insanities
• There is a great man who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the man who makes every man feel great.

(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

Other quotes by G.K. Chesterton found in the internet:



“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.”

“The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.”

“There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.”

“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

“There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.”

“To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.”

“If there were no God, there would be no atheists.”

“The word "good" has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.”

“Dear Sir: Regarding your article 'What's Wrong with the World?' I am. Yours truly,”

“Love is not blind; that is the last thing that it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind.”

“A dead thing goes with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

“We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. When man's terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God.”

Book review: Grace More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We - by Max Lucado

I have read a large number of Max Lucado's books including his previous book, In The Grip of Grace.

I personally believe that this current book on Grace is not as good as his previous book, In The Grip of Grace. In The Grip of Grace really has a grace-transforming effect on my personal life, and that book was one of the key that lifted the burden of guilt and sins on my spiritual life.

However, for this current book, I kind of find that Max was rather fuzzy and has not really articulated well the various effects of Grace as he has done before in  In The Grip of Grace.

Any how, my favorite chapter in this book is chapter 11: Heaven - Guaranteed. His illustration of the standby passengers for a canceled flight was a similar one that I have read in one of his previous books. Nevertheless, I thought this chapter on the burden of work-based salvation is a well-done chapter. In this chapter, Max says:

"Conventional wisdom draws a line through the middle of these fluctuations. Perform above this line, and enjoy God's acceptance. But dip below it, and expect a pink slip from heaven. In this paradigm a person is lost and saved multiple times a day, in and out of the kingdom on a regular basis. Salvation becomes a matter of timing. You just hope you die on an upswing. No security, stability or confidence. 

This is not God's plan. He draws a line, for sure. But he draws  it beneath our ups and downs..... Bridges and burned, and the transfer is accomplished. Ebbs and flows continue, but they never disqualify. Ups and downs may mark our days, but they will never ban us from his kingdom. Jesus bottom-lines our lives with grace...

On-and-off salvation never appears in the Bible. Salvation is not a repeated phenomenon. Scripture contains no example of a person who was saved, then lost, then resaved, then lost again."

Overall, I do enjoy this book, but I still believe In The Grip of Grace is a more life transforming book, so much so, at times I wonder, why did Max sort of re-write what he has already written so well before?

************
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

GRACE - More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine - Sample

Review: I Exalt You, O God by Jerry Bridges

I have always enjoyed Jerry Bridges' books. Jerry has been able to bring out the essence of the holiness of God without compromise and yet able to present the gospel of God's grace through Jesus Christ in a way that does not condemn the sinner, yet condemn the sins.

In this 31-day devotional,  Jerry guides you into God’s throne room for an intensely personal time of worship. From this book, you will be invited to exalt God for

• His Greatness...beyond measure, beyond compare
• His Holiness...transcendent majesty
• His Wisdom...skill and splendor on display
• His Love...the infinite love of an amazing Father for His child

In the first part of the book, Jerry gives an overview of what worship really is. Romans 12:1 says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." (Rom 12:1 NIV)

From this verse, to worship God means to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Offering ourselves as living sacrifices mean offering our entire being - including our mind, our emotions, our will to Him - all that we are, have and do.

Jerry further elucidates that in order to render heartfelt worship to God, we must be gripped in the depth of our being by His majesty, holiness, and love. Our praises and adoration should never be mere empty words. And in order to worship God wholeheartedly, we need to recognize that all that we have belongs to Him. David says in Psalm 24:1 "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" (Psa 24:1 NIV).

 Jerry also explains that our corporate worship must in line with our private worship. In other words, worship is not just an external act. True worship must come from the heart and reflect a sincere attitude and desire.

Overall, this is a great book to read. It is packed with clear, compelling, biblical teaching on these four aspects of God’s nature (His greatness, his holiness, his wisdom and his love) that will guide your heart into reverent praise and thanksgiving.

***********************
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from Blogging for Books review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”