Food for Thought

Saturday, 31st March 2007

Dear Theophili and Theophilae

Planning to blog on a "heavy" topic -- righteousness -- over the next few days.

So meanwhile, I will spare you guys over the weekend, and blog on a couple of light-hearted topics.

Like food, for example...

I have discovered that "fast food" like McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and Subway can be found in practically every country.

When my family was in Sydney last year, we saw Hungry Jack stores everywhere (which is what they call their Burger King).

When I was in England and Germany a week ago, I went to McDonalds at Frankfurt Airport, Burger King in Birmingham Airport and Subway at Birmingham New Street railway station.

When in doubt, we tend to stick to the familiar.



However, I did venture by choosing something that cannot be found in the menu here in Singapore. Hence at Macs, I ate a chicken wrap.

At Burger King, I ate some meat burger (sorry, but I forget the name now).

And at Subway, I ate a meatball footlong.

Of course, I also tried the national dish of England (which is Fish & Chips) and the national dish of Germany (sausages).

Shalom
Malcolm

Feeding on His Word (with the Aid of Modern Technology)

Friday, 30th March 2007

Two Sundays ago, I was not in Singapore because I was in England watching a soccer game.

I did not miss out on feeding on the Word of God, however.


Knowing that I would be away from Singapore for a week, I had ripped JPM's sermon series on "Live the Let-Go Life" into mp3 format and loaded it onto my PDA phone.

Thank God for modern technology.

[Actually, there was a "church" called Birmingham Chinese Methodist Church located near to where I was staying. However, the service was at 2pm (and the game was at 1.30pm, so I could not attend it). But I digress... ]

I have also shared with quite a number of you about how I nearly left the church of my forefathers to join 15,000 others. However, God has raised me to be both a cell leader and a member of the church's executive committee. Hence, my season is still here.


The LORD, in His wisdom, has however enabled me to continually feed on the message of the gospel of grace and finished work of the cross, as spoken through His anointed servant, Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church.

Their website allows one to subscribe to ongoing sermons. What this means is that each Thursday or Friday, I will receive in the post the Sunday and midweek sermons that were preached the week before. In this manner, I can remain in sync with the other 15,000.

Meanwhile, I will continue to serve as a cell leader and the treasurer of my church, since God has called me to do so, and remain with the church of my forefathers until such time God tells me otherwise.

By the way, Pastor Prince has been speaking on the topic of righteousness recently. If you want to borrow any of his messages, please drop me an email. I have also just updated the JPM catalogs.

Shalom
Malcolm

Quality and quantity go hand in hand

Thursday, 29th March 2007

Many of you out there would have known by now that my recent spiritual spurt is due to the fact that I have been feeding on the Word of God through one the LORD's most anointed messengers - Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church.

I hear that their congregation has now surpassed the 15,000 mark!

There are people who say that quality is more important than quantity.

I beg to differ. Both should go hand in hand.

I remember RevBarnz saying over the pulpit sometime last year that quality time implies quantity time. For example, how can someone claim to be spending quality time with his children if it is only 5 minutes out of his 24 hours per day?

Reminds me of an advertisement by Malaysian Airlines where this guy was in the garden encouraging his toddler to take his first steps to walk towards him. The next scene shows the poor toddler looking around confused, because his father had suddenly disappeared, apparently rushed off to the airport to catch a flight.

Seems like the term "quality time" was coined by someone as a means to justify the lack of time he was able to invest in his family, because he had many other commitments that took priority (and hence also a large quantity of his time) each day.

If something is important to us, we will make time for it.

Someone who claims to be a child of God cannot set aside only 5 minutes each day for his Quiet Time. Jesus would get up early every morning to spend quality and quantity time communing with His Father.

Back to the topic of church membership. A church with 15,000 members is not to be sneered at.
The LORD says in Matt 7:16 that "by their fruit, we shall recognise them" and again in Matt 13:8 that "seed sown on good soil will yield thirtyfold, sixtyfold and hundredfold". We also read in Isa 55:10-11 that when the Word of God goes forth, it does not return to Him void but accomplishes its purpose. Just like the rain that falls from heaven waters the earth, so that it furnishes seed for the sower and bread for the eater.

The largest church in the world is Yoido Full Gospel Church located in Seoul, Korea and led by Dr. David Cho. It has 800,000 members.

Quality and quantity membership.

The ministry of Dr Cho and Pastor Prince has yielded thirtyfold, sixtyfold and hundredfold in terms of membership growth because God's Word has gone forth and not returned back to Him void.

Quality and quantity go hand in hand.

Shalom
Malcolm

Beware of Counterfeits!

Wednesday, 28th March 2007

Confession time. I have finally succumbed and bought myself one of those slippers/shoes with its trademark holes that provide lots of ventilation.

The fad here is Singapore probably started about a year ago, where the price of these slippers were close to S$60 each. Now a pair costs about S$50 each, so I decided to get one for myself.

The one I chose is called Hydro, and is more formal because it is not open-heeled. I even bought a soccer and smiley button, and letters that form the words "ASTON VILLA".

You must have heard of the phrase "imitation is the best form of flattery". Because of the popularity of this footwear, imitation versions started to spring up everywhere, and you can probably buy a pair at a "pasar malam" for slightly above $10 each. There are however high risks that come with these counterfeit products because the motive of these pirates is purely profit. There is no element of quality control at all. We have read stories in the newspapers about cases where children had their slippers stuck in elevators, and one of them even had her toe nearly ripped off. Chances are these kids were wearing the fake versions, because the real ones would have been subjected to very stringent measures. After all, the head office is in Colorado, USA and we know how strict the legislation in that country is.

I went to their website and here is a write-up on their trademark Croslite™...

Croslite™, a proprietary Closed Cell Resin (PCCR) which is NOT plastic NOR rubber. Croslite™ is closed-cell in nature and anti-microbial, which virtually eliminates odor. It is an extraordinary impact absorbing resin material developed for maximum cushioning. Its closed cell properties resist odor, inhibits bacterial and fungal growth and are non­toxic. This versatile material can be worn next to skin and be cleaned with just soap and water.

Aah.. So that's why it costs S$50 and not S$10...

Which reminds us to beware of counterfeits, and I can think of at least 3 areas for this.

1. The Gospel

The real gospel of Jesus Christ is that of grace and finished work of the cross. Any other gospel is counterfeit. We read in Gal 1:6-9 how Paul admonished the church in Galatia for doing so...

Gal 1:6-9 No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

I have written a separate blog entry on this topic.

2. Love

Real love is the unconditional one that God demonstrated to us. Any other kind of "love" is not genuine and will not stand the test of time.

3. Intimacy

The real kind of human intimacy is that which is to be shared between a husband and his wife. The devil has perverted intimacy with other forms, such as fornication (between unmarried persons), adultery (between persons not married to each other), incest (between relatives), homosexuality (between those of the same gender), bestiality (between human and animal), necrophilia (with a dead person) etc. These will not bring fulfillment, because sex was created by God for humans to connect at 3 levels -- physically, emotionally and spiritually. The 3rd dimension will be missing if it is not carried out according to God's design.

Shalom
Malcolm

Radio Deo

Tuesday, 27th March 2007

Two weeks ago, at our cell meeting, my co-leader mentioned that there are 2 radio stations broadcasting Christian messages and music at certain times during the day on the FM frequency.

They are as follows:

FM 102.3 - Voice of Grace

This station broadcasts Christian programs from 8am to 10am, and from 11pm to 1am daily.

The programs are in English, Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese.

FM 107 - Hope

This station broadcasts Christian programs as follows:

Lifestyle : 8-9 am
Crossroads : 9-10am

KidsConnection : 4-5pm
Crossroads: 5-6pm
Reflections : 6-7pm

Lifestyle: 8.30-9.30pm
RadioYOUth : 9.30-10.30pm

I happen to be tuning in to 102.3FM this morning on the way to work, and heard a message on how to apply "The Five Love Languages" based on the book of that name by Dr Gary Chapman.

Instead of listening to the usual secular stations playing secular songs, maybe we should tune in to Radio Deo every now and then.

Oh, and by the way, Deo means God in Latin. Gloria in excelsis Deo = glory in the highest to God.

Shalom

Godliness with contentment is great gain

Monday, 26th March 2007

Having just got back from overseas, got a bit of "blogger's block", so I am very pleased to have received an email from a dear brother of mine from my previous cell group.

Here are that email's contents, reminding us to be contented.







Like what Paul tells Timothy in 1 Tim 6:6, Godliness with contentment is great gain... which incidentally is the theme for a youth event that Pastor B will be organising at the end of the year.

In Retrospect

Sunday, 25th March 2007

As I come to the end of yet another week, and reflect upon the events that have taken place over the past week, I really want to thank God for His protection and providence.

This was the first time I was travelling on my own for a non-business / business trip.

I remember when I went to Shanghai 2 years ago and Bangkok 3 years ago on business trips.

When taking the transport from the airport to the hotel, there were moments when fear gripped my heart because you read stories about bad taxi drivers, etc. The taxi driver who drove me from Shanghai to Suzhou was driving at more than 120 km/h and I remember whispering a prayer under my breath during those times.


Yet this time around, I was never fearful even though it was my first time in Birmingham and Munich.

Somehow, I could sense the LORD's presence throughout each step of the journey, and remembered to give thanks to Him upon safely reaching each and every destination (ie. Frankfurt Airport, Birmingham Airport, Conference Aston, Villa Park during the 1st three days...

...and then Munich Airport, NH Unterhaching, Infineon Headquarters and Maximilian Bad Griesbach during the next 3 days).

Every single destination was a new experience for me, and yet somehow, it was like his angels had already gone ahead of me to clear the place of any danger.

In particular, He provided an English-speaking gentleman to select the correct fare for the trip from Munich Airport to Unterhaching station.

Just like the 4-day trip to Seoul last November, I thank God for this wonderful experience. These are moments (especially the first 3 days) I will treasure for the rest of my life.

OK, it's back to the "grind" tomorrow...

Ta for now.

Shalom
Malcolm

Home Sweet Home

Saturday, 24th March 2007

Frankurt is the commercial capital of Germany. Hence, those who need to fly out of Europe from other parts of Germany will have to take a domestic flight to Frankfurt first.

To fly to Singapore, we had to first make that interconnecting flight from Munich to Frankfurt. This we did, via an Airbus, which carried about 500 of us there.

I guess it would make sense for Lufthansa to invest in Airbuses since a few thousand passengers would probably be making trips of a similar nature each day.

The plane from Frankfurt to Singapore was a 300-seater 757. Even though the journey home was slightly longer than the journey there, it was somehow more bearable.



In fact, I even managed to catch a few zees on the plane. As you can see in the photo, the headrest can be folded inwards to form a makeshift pillow.

Touched down at Singapore Airport at about 5pm and my wife and kids were there to receive me. I thank the LORD for protecting them when I was out of the country.

There's no place like home.

Got to sleep off the jet lag. Till next time.

Shalom
Malcolm

Brand Loyalty

Friday, 23rd March 2007

The workshop ended today, and we took the bus to Munich Airport.

When I wandered into a couple of shops at the airport, I noticed that they had dedicated an entire section to selling memorabilia of their local soccer team -- Bayern Munich. This include replica jerseys, footballs, mascots, etc.

What impressed deeply upon me was the great sense of loyalty that this town seems to have for its home-based club.

Contrast this with the situation at the Birmingham Airport where I was on Tuesday morning. There was not a single shop selling any Villa stuff! Yes, there was a bookshop there, but it was selling books on Man U, Liverpool and Chelsea! Yet nothing on its own home clubs Aston Villa and Birmingham.

Somehow, this reminded me of the Jews in the Old Testament who were embracing the gods of the nations that surrounded them.

While one town shows a great sense of loyalty, the other lacks it totally.

It dawned upon me that brand loyalty is to the secular world as faithfulness is to the Christian.

In fact, faithfulness is one of the fruit of the Spirit as recorded in Gal 5:22-23.

God remains faithful to us even when we were unfaithful. In 2 Tim 2:13, we read that "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." It is against God's very nature not to be faithful, just like it is against God's nature to lie.

In Rom 5:18. we read that God demonstrated His love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Now waiting for the plane to Frankfurt en route to Singapore.

Till tomorrow, auf wiedersehen!

Brand Awareness

Thursday, 22nd March 2007

Today is the 2nd day of the workshop.

As I sit here listening to the various speakers, I notice that there are numerous stuff around me with the Infineon logo.

- pen
- writing pad
- mints
- gummy bears
- chocolate

All these items have our company logo imprinted on them so as to create awareness of our brand.

As I look at them, it dawned upon me that brand awareness is equally applicable to the Christian.

Jesus said in John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, that you have love one for another”.

The logo is to the corporation as love is to the disciple.

When someone sees the Nike swoosh or the American Express centurion, a certain impression (ideally a positive one) is formed in that person’s mind.

Likewise, when someone sees the love that we have for our fellow brother- or sister-in-Christ, they should know straightaway (hopefully) that we are Christians.

The chorus of the song "We are One in the Spirit" aptly says that "they will know we are Christians by our love".

We are one in the Spirit we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit we
are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity will one day be restored
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yes they’ll
know we are Christians by our love.

Shalom
Malcolm

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Wednesday, 21st March 2007

When I woke up this morning, I noticed that it was snowing. It was truly an awesome sight, like a winter wonderland. I really thank the LORD for allowing me to witness and appreciate the beauty of His creation.



When I went down for breakfast, I met up with several of my colleagues. Since there were a total of 6 of us, my boss decided that it would be better o book a cab to our office headquarters, rather than for us to take the SBahn and then lug our luggage the 500m from the nearest train station.

While awaiting the cab’s arrival, I examined the freshly-fallen snow that was on the shrubs and bushes. Unlike the artificial man-made snow in Snow City, this natural God-made one was very fine and light to the touch, and could easily be rolled into a snowball even with one hand, as you can see in the attached video.



My office headquarters is like a huge campus. There are 10 buildings of about 4 storeys each, and the one housing the staff canteen is on a lake. Am not able to show you photos of the place because of office security policies.

The coaches to take us to the venue of our workshop were ready to go, and the journey there took about 2 ½ hours. It is located in an area called Bad Griesbach, which is east of Munich. The first thing that visitors see when they enter the resort is a little chapel, which is a reminder to me that God should be first in our lives.



Upon entering the Maximilian hotel itself, we saw a big Infineon banner at the reception check-in area. This is not surprising since our company block-booked this hotel and there must be at least 200 of us here from different parts of the world.

The hotel room is not as big as the one in Unterhaching, but it is well-equipped nonetheless. They have this practice of leaving a sweet / chocolate on the pillow, and the entire place has a golf theme.



After checking in, we went for lunch, which was really HEAVY. There were 2 types of soup (French onion and tomato soup) and a large buffet spread including lasagna, beef, fish, chicken, etc etc.

The workshop itself started at 2.30pm and during one of the presentations, it started to snow again and I just had to film it.




To quench our thirst, they provided us with drinks that were in capped-covered bottles. Have not seen bottle caps in Singapore for ages, so this was a pleasant sight.

And to keep us awake, there was also mints that came in containers imprinted with our company’s logo.


We will be at this resort until Friday, so will keep you posted on the proceedings.

Till tomorrow

Shalom
Malcolm

From Pleasure to Business

Tuesday, 20th March 2007

Today is when the "official" business trip starts :-)

I checked out of Conference Aston after having my breakfast, and was pleasantly surprised that the receptionist charged me for 2 nights' stay (instead of 3 days' stay).

On the way from the restaurant to the reception area, saw this cute little fireplace (that works using gas or electricity rather than wood), so I just had to capture it on video.




Was planning to take a cab to New Street Station, but there was none around so early in the day, so I had to pull my luggage all the way to the train station. The train to the airport took another 10 minutes.

Had to sit a skytrain from the airport station to the airport terminal, and guess what I saw advertised in the skytrain? American Express is ubiquitous, and there is even a card targeted at kids :-)

I think it is England that has imposed the strict checks. The other day, when flying into Birmingham from Frankfurt, I was subject to a full-body check. Today, again when departing Birmingham and going to Munich, I had to go through yet another thorough customs check.

The Lufthansa plane was a 100-odd seater Skyliner Avro RJ85. Check out the tiny flight of stairs that was placed against it when we alighted at Munich Airport.

The airport was somewhat deserted (being the middle of the afternoon), so clearing customs was a breeze. The customs officer asked me whether Munich was my final destination.

I suppose it would be unusual for an Oriental person like myself to be flying from Birmingham to Munich. I think I was the only Chinese on the plane. There were a couple of passengers with Indian origin, but the bulk of them were Europeans.

The S-bahn is Germany's train system. I could not understand the ticketing instructions, so I thank the Lord for the kind gentleman who helped me to buy a ticket.

The route from the airport is known as S8. In order to get to the hotel, had to change to another train plying the route S5. If you think Dhoby Ghaut interchange is huge, wait till you see the 8 platforms of the Ostbanhorf interchange station!

The trip from the Airport to the hotel in Unterhaching was about an hour long.

Along the way, I saw cars, trees and houses covered with snow. It must have been snowing more heavily here as compared to Birmingham.


Unterhaching is a cosy little suburb south of Munich. Here is a picture of the hotel from the outside.

What really surprised me was the size of the hotel suite -- it is probably the size of a 3-room HDB flat!


You can check it out here.





Work officially starts tomorrow, so after catching up on my office emails, I am now making this blog entry and getting ready to call it a night.

Till tomorrow, God bless you all!

Shalom
Malcolm

Second Day in the Second City

Monday, 19th March 2007

Birmingham is called the second city of England (the first being London).

I was flipping through a booklet called "Exploring Birmingham" and 2 things stood out in the Birmingham Attractions section -- "Aston Villa Stadium Tours" and Cadbury World" chocolate factory tour.

No prizes for guessing which one I chose :-)

So just like yesterday, I took the train from New Street to Witton.

As I made my way to Villa Park, noticed this signpost pointing the way to "Aston Villa F.C."

Must be meant for the away fans.




Upon my arrival at Villa Park, was disappointed to learn that the stadium tours only takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays!

So much for the accuracy of that "Exploring Birmingham" booklet :-(

Since I was already there already, I decided to make the best of the situation, so I took several pictures of the stadium surroundings (including the one on the left).



While walking back to Witton station, I saw that Villa Chippy (the one with the long queue yesterday) just opened for business. On their menu was what they call a "Villa Special" (which is mini fish and chips with a side order of sausage/fishcake and peas/curry sauce).

Since it was already lunch-time, I decided to get one of that.

Continuing my journey back to Witton station, I saw a car parked nearby with melted snow on its boot.

It must have been the remains from the blizzard evening (which I will talk about later on in this blog entry).

Taking the train back to the City Centre, decided to do a bit of shopping, and managed to find some interesting stuff for the kids.

After shopping, I felt exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel, rather than visit the Cadbury factory.

Coming back to the car in the photo above, while waiting to catch the train back to the City Centre after the game yesterday, it started to snow very, very heavily, as you can see in the video below.



The last time I saw actual snow was when we were on our honeymoon in 1993. We took a 4-day tour called Gems of Britain. While in Edinburgh, we saw little tiny flakes of snow falling. But nothing like this blizzard.

Oh ya. During that same tour, the guide explained to us the difference between a town and a city. It is not based on the size of the place, but based on the existence (or otherwise) of a cathedral (Anglican church). He gave us the example of a district in the northeast of England called Durham. Even though its area is much smaller than most towns, yet it is called a city because there is a cathedral there, presided by the Bishop of Durham.

Flying off to Munich tomorrow. Till then, TTFN.

Shalom
Malcolm

The Pilgrimage

Sunday, 18th March 2007

I have been an Aston Villa supporter since 1977, when I first saw them on TV winning the League Cup final replay against Everton. It has been my dream ever since then to visit Villa Park.

Well, 30 years later, on 18 March 2007, the LORD has granted me the fufillment of that dream.

Allow me now to journal down that pilgrimage...

0005 hours (Singapore time):
Lufthansa LH779 departs from Changi Airport

0540 hours (Germany time):
Some 13 hours later, the plane lands at Frankfurt Airport.

0600 hours:
I try to enter the gate for the connecting flight from Frankfurt to Birmingham, but I am told that it only opens at 7am.

Since I am an hour early, I wander around Frankfurt Airport, and discover that there is a MacDonalds located within the premises. Unlike the Macs in Singapore, this one serves both breakfast and regular meals in the morning. There is also a playroom for the kids, the entrance to which is in the shape of the golden arches.

0710 hours: The gate is now open. Wow, they really do a thorough full-body check, and even ask me to open up my luggage. They find that I have brought a bottle of shampoo and 2 deodorants, and tell me that I can only bring 1 with me in my handcarry. I choose the Rejoice shampoo (hotel shampoos tend to cause my hair to itch, so I have to bring-my-own), and the customs security guy nonchalantly discards my 2 bottles of deodorants into the bin.

0820 hours:
After quite a long wait, we take a coach to where the plane is located on the runway. There is no aerobridge, so we have to climb a flight of stairs to board the plane. Lufthansa LH4900 is a 150-seater Boeing 737, and this one has only got about 50 or so passengers on board. That figures I suppose, because not many people would be flying to Birmingham on a Sunday morning. After boarding, we are told that the plane was delayed in its earlier route and hence this flight is also delayed by half an hour.

0915 hours (England time):
The plane lands at Birmingham Airport. The immigration lady asks me what brings me to Birmingham, and I tell her that I am a Villa supporter who has come to watch a soccer game. She appears somewhat bemused that I would travel all the way from Singapore, so I explain that I am en route to a business event in Munich.

0930 hours:
The rail does not operate on Sundays. Instead, it is a coach that takes people from the Airport to the City Centre.

1015 hours:
Checked into Conference Aston, which is located in Aston Business School, one of the schools located in the campus grounds of Aston University). The University is a 15-minute walk from the City Centre.

After being on the move for nearly 16 hours, it was good to finally settle down. And nothing like a good warm bath to freshen up.

1100 hours:
Had a chat on Skype with my family members. Then it was time to make a move again and head for the soccer game.

1200 hours:
While waiting at the Birmingham New Street Station (the name of the station located at the City Centre) platform 9A, I looked around and found that there were dozens upon dozens of others also making their way to Witton Station (which is about a 5-minute walk to Villa Park). The train that we boarded was a "football special", which meant that it travelled there directly without making any stops in between.

1245 hours:
Having arrived at Witton Station, up to a couple of hundred of us alighted to make that 5-minute walk to the stadium. Even though I did not know anyone around me, there was a certain sense of identity because we support the same team.

On our way there, saw some people queueing at Villa Chippy to get a quick bite of Fish & Chips before the game.


1250 hours:
Finally... a sight to behold... It was the moment of truth. The fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

VILLA PARK at last!

What greets those that come from the Witton Station is the Doug Ellis Stand.


1330 hours to 1415 hours:
A capacity crowd of 42,551 turned up to watch Villa hold Liverpool to a goal-less draw, and the LORD gave me the privilege to be numbered among them :-)

The wind was blowing throughout and it must have been about 5 degrees celsius, I reckon.


After the match, it started to snow. I hung around the stadium to first take pictures of the exterior surrounding the stadium (you can see snow on the steps behind me in the photo on the left)

No trip to Villa Park is complete without visting the Villa Village, which is the souvenir shop. (see photo on the right). I managed to pick up a handful of souvenirs and memorabilia there.


Anyway, it is now 7.50pm London time, but I can hardly keep my eyes open because of the jet-lag and the post-match adrenaline depletion. Will call it a night.

Till tomorrow, God bless!

Shalom
Malcolm

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Saturday, 17th March 2007

Today is a special day because my darling daughter Rachel turns 11.

She celebrated it two days ago by inviting some close friends over for a quiet party followed by a sleepover.

She has come of age. For the last 10 years, the party's program was organised by us as her parents. This time around, our only involvement was to order pizzas from Pizza Hut and a cake from Bengawan Solo. We left the proceedings very much to her.

We thank our God for blessing us with her, and she has brought so much joy to us.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

I mentioned in an earlier blog entry that she was recently made captain of her school's table tennis junior team, and how I thought it would be good to bless the team with a tshirt. The competition starts on 22 March, and I went to pick up the tshirts printed at Spectrum this afternoon.

The prints on the tshirts need to be ironed to preserve their colours, so I made an "instructional" video (which she filmed) and uploaded it to YouTube.



Oh ya. I'll be catching the flight to Frankfurt enroute to Birmingham in another 3 hours. Will update my blog upon my arrival there.

Till then, ta ta for now and God bless!

Shalom
Malcolm

Barbers and God exist!

Friday, 16th March 2007

A colleague of mine once asked me whether there are occasions where I do not have anything to blog about. I told him that when I do, I will blog about songs.

Well, today is another one of those days that I have "bloggers' block", so it was really timely that my co-leader sent me an interesting email this morning with the subject God Exists! He said it was an interesting angle to evangelism, which indeed it is.

I have gotten his permission to reproduce it as today's blog entry.

Have a good weekend ahead! I'll be flying to Birmingham (via Frankfurt) tomorrow, so I will probably blog about my adventures in Europe until I return to Singapore the following Saturday.

Here's that attachment for your reading pleasure...

God Exists - Best explanation ever!

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering
that I have seen:

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they
eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that
God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go outin the street to realize that God doesn't
exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people?
Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither
suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these
things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't
want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer
left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long,
stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and
unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he
said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a
barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did,
there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that
man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to
me."

"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES
exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to
Him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the
world."

Destined for Greatness

Thursday, 15th March 2007

Just last Saturday, we were special guests at our previous cell's potbless, and that was when I found out that RevBarnz's youngest son, Josiah, is left-handed and wants to be a doctor when he grows up.

I happen to be left-handed too, and because we left-handers use the right-side of our brain, we are said to be more creative. I happen also to be an accountant, which is a strange combination, because accountants are supposed to be boring people who spend their time counting beans. I also tell people that they should be wary of left-handed accountants because we have a propensity for creative accounting :-)

But I digress...

Coming back to the earlier story, I notice that those who want to pursue medicine tend to know what they want in life at a tender young age. When I was in primary school, I had a classmate whose ambition was to be a doctor. Well, he is now an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at KK Hospital. I also read in the papers recently about the top PSLE student from RGS, who also mentioned she wants to be a doctor.

I recall when I was in Kindergarten being asked by an aunt what I wanted to be when I grew up. Back then, I was fascinated with huge vehicles like cement mixers and tow trucks, so I told her I wanted to be a lorry driver. I think my parents' jaws must have dropped all the way to the ground when they heard that.

I have shared in a testimony about how I felt I had let my parents down by not studying hard enough to pursue medicine. My relationship with my dad was strained for several years when I was a teenager because both of us struggled with the "what could have been", and to come to terms with the "what was".

Well, I thank God for restoring my relationship with my dad. The turning point came when my dad told me when I was an undergrad, "Son. I know of people who are miserable as doctors because they were never interested in medicine, but pursued it nonethless because of family expectations. I would rather you be a good accountant, than a lousy doctor."

Those liberating words were the breakthrough, and I can tell you that my relationship with my dad has never been stronger. Just about a month back, I spent quality time with him and my mom having breakfast and lunch, and we went to various parts of Singapore to take pictures of places that are of sentimental value to him.

Speaking of which, our relationship with our earthly father is but a shadow of the relationship with our Heavenly Father. When He first created Adam and Eve, His intention was to have an initimate relationship with the creation that He considered to be "very good". He must have been disappointed when they disobeyed Him to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Yet, already then, He already had plans to redeem man back unto Himself when He told the serpent in Gen 3:15 that Jesus would be the one to crush its head.

Being made in God's image, we are all destined for greatness. God tells us in Jer 29:11 that His plans for us is to prosper us and to give us hope and a future.

So whether we are doctors, accountants, taxi drivers or janitors, it does not matter to God. The most important title is not PhD, MBA, BBM or PBM. It is COG -- Child of God.

Shalom
Malcolm

Kids' Day of Fun

Wednesday, 14th March 2007

The Lord has been impressing upon me that one way of outreach is through children, because they tend to be more "impressionable".

For example, I have been giving a ride from Kim Seng Bowl to ACSJ to a couple of my son's bowling CCA friends each week. By doing so, I hope to be sowing seeds of God's lovingkindness into their hearts. Inspiration for this was actually drawn from my cluster leader Yeok Ming. Her room provides her with a captive audience to do fishing, and so likewise does my car :-)

Another opportunity arose during the recent Chinese New Year. I made it a point to find out which of my colleagues had children, and decided to give them a red packet each via their mother. (What I did not expect was that they would reciprocate by giving my kids red packets in return!)

Anyway, sometime last week, I thought it would be a good idea to invite the kids of my colleagues aged between 7 and 12 to come over to my (dad's) place for a day of fun. Three of them responded in the affirmative, and so at this very moment, I am "babysitting" a total of 6 kids -- the three of them, Pastor B's 2 elder kids, and my own dear son. (Mrs Barnz Chong kindly agreed to let her two elder boys come along as well as they would be a good influence on the rest of the kids).

My colleagues (and the kids themselves) would probably be wondering why their boss would be willing to open up his home and provide lunch for their kids. This becomes yet another opportunity for me to share with them about my God. The legacy I hope to leave behind at my workplace is that this boss of theirs is different, and the difference is because of what Jesus has done in his life. Amen?

Seven Habits of Highly-Effective Christians

Tuesday, 13th March 2007

Yesterday, I blogged about how I have started to put the 3rd Habit "Putting First Things First" into practice, by filling up my schedules with "big rocks". The Lord also brought to mind what Pastor Peter shared at the PIC-CL two days ago, and that was about the need to Sharpen the Saw, which incidentally is the 7th Habit.

It suddenly dawned upon me that the Seven Habits can actually be applied to Christian living!

The Seven Habits are as follows:
1 Be Proactive
2 Begin with the End in Mind
3 Put First things First
4 Think win-win
5 Seek first to Understand, then to be Understood
6 Synergise
7 Sharpen the Saw


1 Be Proactive

As Christians, we need to be proactive. Nothing happens to us or around us by chance. We are placed where we are (be it in our family, our school or camp, our workplace) to make a difference to those that are in our oikos. I remember someone saying that the only difference between a Christian here on earth and a Christian up in heaven is outreach. In heaven, we can worship. In heaven, we can fellowship. But in heaven, we cannot reach the unsaved.

Jesus tells us in Matt 28:19-20 to "go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" and again in Acts 1:8 "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost ends of the earth". A witness is supposed to speak up about the mighty deeds that God has done in his life. A witness is not supposed to keep quiet. So let's be proactive and seize every opportunity to share Christ because that is what we are on earth for. Only when we have fought the good fight and finished the race are we ready to be united with the saints.


2 Begin with the End in Mind

We are supposed to be Christ's witnesses and ambassadors. Jesus said in Matt 9:37 that the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. So what is the purpose that we have been placed on earth? The "end in mind" is to win as many souls for Christ as possible! God does not want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentence (2 Pet 3:9).

Every time we come across a pre-believer, we should ask the Lord for wisdom on how to sow His word into that person's life, so that somehow, somewhere down the road, he or she will make the crucial decision that will determine his destiny.


3 Put First Things First

As Christians, we are to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness, and all the things we need will be added to us as well (Matt 6:33). When we start the day by beholding Jesus the way Mary did, He will then fill the rest of our day with meaningful events and put us in the right place at the right time.


4 Think Win-Win

One of the fundamental concepts of Economics is that of scarcity. Because economic resources are scarce, one can only achieve something at the expense of someone or something else. In God's economy however, abundance is the operative word. When God blesses someone with prosperity or health, it is not at the expense of his neighbour because God's resources are limitless. So it is very easy for a Christian to think win-win. Everyone of us Christians can progress and prosper simultaneously!


5 Seek first to understand, then to be understood

It is natural and instinctive for humans to look out only for himself, and hence he wants himself to be understood first. This principle of "putting others before self" should however be natural for the Christian. The acronym J-O-Y stands for "Jesus, Others, You", which means to say Jesus comes first, then others and then finally only ourselves.

Jesus said in Matt 7:12 to "do to others what you would have them do to you". If we want to be understood by others, we should first seek to understand them.

As we seek to first understand others, we will discover where their needs are, and God can then prompt us as to how we can used by Him to minister to those needs. Whatever we do to the least of our brothers (be it to feed, to give a drink, to clothe, or to extend hospitality), Jesus said that we are actually doing it to Him (Matt 25:40).

6 Synergise

Synergy is the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, ie 2+ 2 is > 4. This can be applied also to the body of Christ. When we work together, we can achieve more than if we work as individuals. I remember last year when our 3L Cluster held its Outreach Event and 75-hour Prayer. Various members with diverse gifts and talents came together, under the leadership of Sunny and Yeok Ming, and what resulted was carried out with a spirit of excellence.

Applying this to the national level, my desire is for the various churches in Singapore to work together as the larger body of Chist and be united in proclaiming the good news. Like King David says in Psalm 133:1 "how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity."


7 Sharpen the Saw

During the PIC-CL meeting 2 days ago, Pastor Peter gave the illustration of 2 men involved in a lumberjack competion. One of them worked non-stop in cutting down tree after tree because he did not want to lose time in resting. The other set aside time every now and then to sharpen his saw.

At the end of the day, the former cut down lesser trees as time went on because his saw became gradually blunter, causing him to spend considerable increasingly more time to cut down each succeeding tree. The latter who wisely invested time in sharpening his saw, cut down trees at a constant rate, and eventually emerged the winner.

As Christians, we should follow the example of our Lord, who got up early each day to commune with His Heavenly Father as a means of "sharpening his saw"/"recharging his battery", so to speak (Mark 1:35). As we draw strength from the Lord during our quiet time with Him, we can achieve much more than if we were to carry out His kingdom work using our own strength.

So there we have it --- the Seven Habits of Highly-Effective Christians :-)

The Biggest Rock

Monday, 12th March 2007

Those of us who are familiar with the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey must have heard of the term "big rocks". My company is a great supporter of the Seven Habits, and I attended the course in August last year.

The one thing that stood out for me was the illustration given where this lady was asked by Steve to fill a container with big rocks and tiny grains of sand. The first time around, the sand was already in the container, and she had difficulty fitting in the big rocks into them. The second time around, she was allowed to put the big rocks in first, and then she managed to squeeze all the grains of sand into the container as well.

The moral of that lesson was Habit 3: Put First Things First. The "big rocks" are what we consider to be important in life, and that should be placed into our schedules or blocked off in our diary first. The other appointments are the grains of sand that can be put in later.

Straightaway after that course, I put this into practice. Habit 2 is to "Begin With The End In Mind", and we were given an exercise to write a mission statement. My mission statement included being a loving husband and a good father, and hence the big rocks in my life include spending quality time with my wife and kids.

One big rock I have placed in my calendar each week is a lunch date with my wife. My colleagues (including my boss) know that they are not to schedule any meeting for me on Tuesdays near lunchtime because that time is set aside for my wife. Initially, some were not aware and tried to schedule meetings around then, but after I consistently and unapologetically rejected those appointments, the education process was effectively carried out and they got the message loud and clear.

Another big rock is to spend quality time with my kids. Weekends tend to be more activity-filled than weekdays for me. Yesterday, there was a PIC-CL meeting in church from 2.30pm to 4pm. From 11.30am to 2pm, I was with my daughter at Hougang Mall finalising the tshirts for her table tennis team, and buying goodies for her upcoming birthday party. From 4.30pm to 7pm, I was with my son at Serangoon Gardens Country Club having a time of bowling and bonding.

Yet another big rock for me is cell activities. The previous night (Saturday), we were the honoured guests at our previous cell 3L2's potbless, while two nights ago (Friday), our current cell 3L7 had its meeting in the home of one of our cell members. We were very encouraged because this couple are very private people, yet they trusted God to take a bold step of faith to open up their home for fellowship! God is truly doing wonders in our cell, Hallelujah!)

The "big rock principle" is based on the premise to "put first things first". As Christians, we are told by Jesus in Matt 6:33 to seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all other things will be added to us.

If there was a book called "Seven Habits of the Effective Christian", then Habit 3 would be Matt 6:33, and our "Biggest Rock" would be the Rock of Ages (Isa 26:4), the Rock that is higher than I (Ps 61:2). When we put Jesus first in our life, He will fill our days with divine appointments and all that we do will prosper! Amen?