Tag, You're it!

Isaiah at Joie de Vivre tagged me to reveal seven things that most people don't already know about me. So, here it is...

1. I like to reminisce about the good ol' days even though they're not really all that good (especially the 80s).

2. I don't like pets (except maybe gold fish. It's something to do with the water and the way they swim; It looks so relaxing)

3. I'm quite a gadget freak. Don't even start with me regarding Apple stuff.

4. I know I shouldn't but I have problems with self-confidence.

5. I like to travel and watch time-travel movies. If I could travel through time, I definitely would go back to the 80s.

6. I can't stand self-righteous or legalistic Christians.

7. I like to cook (I make mean hot-and-sour soup) and watch cooking show or go to cooking blog (I'm not saying whose...Carol)

That's it about me. Now I'm gonna tag:

1. Jeremy Myers of Till He Comes Blog
2. Carol Rode of Oh for the Love of Food Blog
3. Michael Rumende of Rejoice in the Lord Always Blog

C'mon guys. Keep the ball rolling. This is fun.

The Dog and The Shadow Pt. 2

When I was in Singapore Bible College, I had a lecturer who later became my spiritual mentor. His name is Sabin Huang. I would go to his house every Monday morning to talk to him about anything and absorbed his wisdom as much as I could. His style was rather unconventional, to say the least. He was not a conformist, but in a good way. He's a brilliant lecturer, an astute Bible student, and to me, a wonderful mentor. He even preached at my wedding and was instrumental in my going to Dallas Theological Seminary.

One of the things I remember he taught me was the spiritual application of this fable. He even drew up a diagram (see above) which I think connects brilliantly a lot of theological truth taught in the Scripture. He said, ”The devil often tries to make us think like the dog and plays mind games with us and tricks us into giving up what we already have to get what we do not need. What we have is Christ. He fulfills all our Needs. We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10) But the devil makes us think that we need more. - More love, more security, more approval and acceptance. When we try to grab the Idols that seem to provide us with more love, more security, and more approval, we lose the opportunities to enjoy our abundant life in Christ. “

Distinguishing between what is real and counterfeit, between needs and wants, between what God offers and what the devil offers, is indeed critical to the success of our walk with God.

The Dog and The Shadow

I love Aesop's fables. I think the dude was a genius. One of my favourites was a story about a dog and his shadow. A Dog was crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of meat in his mouth, when he happened to see his own reflection in the water. He thought it was another dog with a piece of meat twice as big; so he let go his own meat, and dove into the water to attack the other dog to get the larger piece. But, of course, he got neither. One meat was only a shadow, and the real meat he already had was carried away by the current.

What shadow have we been chasing in place of the real thing? Lord help us not to become like that dog.

So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us.
(Romans 1:24-25; the message)

Thank You Jeremy!

As promised, I want to give credit and say a quick thank you to Jeremy Myers of TILL HE COMES Blog. He has kindly given me the permission to reproduce the "What would you say?" article in my previous post. I highly recommend his blog (now linked to mine) for the much needed teachings on the unconditional grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for sinners (which is the theme of my blog). You will also find solid teachings on the Bible, Church, and Theology there. So far, he hasn't written anything I would consider heretical... yet. Ha! Just kidding Jeremy :-) Keep up the good work brother!

What would you say?

Imagine yourself in church, and as the service starts, a young couple sits down in front of you. You are a bit surprised to see them in church, because you know one of them from work. He is not the kind of guy you think would come to church. But here he is!

As the service starts, the worship leader invites everybody to stand and greet those around them. You do, and warmly greet the couple in front of you. The guy you know from work says they came because you are always talking about how great your church is. You are excited he came because of that, but are a little nervous because you know he isn’t the church type. The couple isn’t married, but is very sexually active, and don’t have any qualms about public displays of affection. You hope they don’t hold hands or kiss during the service.

But wouldn’t you know it…as the music starts, each puts one arm around the other and they hold each other close. Then, after a few minutes, they start holding hands. You look around nervously. Not even many married people hold hands when they are in your church, and you are afraid how this couple’s affection will be taken, especially since you know most people know that they are not married.

During the sermon, they sit close enough to each other that they are touching, but that’s about it. After the service is over, they turn around to greet you again, and say, “You were right! We really liked attending here. I think we will come again next week.”

What would you say to them? Who would you introduce them to? Would you tell them to not hold hands next week? Would you tell them about a six-inch rule for unmarried couples? Would you tell them that sex before marriage was a sin and God did not approve of fornication?

Oh, and before you answer, I forgot to tell you… The couple is gay. It’s two guys. Now, with that information, what would you say?

(I got this from another blog. I've been talking about inviting people to church, so I think this is relevant. I really want to know your answer, so please leave your response by clicking the "comments" below. I'll tell you where I get this from later because I don't want you to read people's responses there.)

I'd rather have a messy son...

Just in case you read this and you don't know, Hulda and I've been married for 10 years before we finally have Jayden in January 2006. He truly is a miracle baby because doctors told us that the only way we can ever hope to have a baby is through IVF. I guess God had other plans.

So Jayden is almost two and he's at a stage where he knows how throw tantrums, blows at people he doesn't know, and generally disobeys our orders. I have to be honest that it can be frustrating at times and I often wonder if I could return him to where ever he came from. JUST KIDDING!!!

A couple of days ago Jayden had terrible fever. His temperature was high (39.6 deg c) but his hands and feet were cold. I rushed back from the office to take care of him as it was too late for Hulda to cancel her teaching. I gave him panadol and put cool wet cloth on his forehead to keep the temperature down. Later that day we took him to the doctor and the doc said he has gastroenteritis. I thank God for concerned friends who prayed for him and for us.

That afternoon, seeing Jayden just laying there helplessly in my arms made me realise how much I love him despite his tantrums and his disobedience. I'm sure I'm not the only parent who feels this way but I really wish it was me who was sick.

As our heavenly Father, I'm sure that's how God feels when he sees us suffer or struggle with sins. He's not the God who just can't wait to punish us every time we made a mistake. Exodus 34:6 says that The LORD is "the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." Similarly, Numbers 14:18 says "The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion."

We waited 10 years before we had a son. Yea, Jayden frustrates me at times. But, I thank God that I even have a son. I wouldn't trade him for anything. I think that's exactly how God feels about me and you. The message of the well-known story of the prodigal son who decided to come home to his father after living a life of sin is loud and simple but clear. God is saying to us "I'd rather have a messy son than have no son at all."

Quote of the Week and apologies for Lack of Updates

I want to apologise to my few but faithful readers out there in the blogworld for the lack of post in the last couple of weeks. I'm not making any excuses but I've been preoccupied lately with work and my son Jayden has not been 100%. Praise God things are looking up now and God willing, I shall post a new entry soon. Meanwhile, here's a quote for you to ponder. "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's Beautiful

I was reading from John's Gospel this morning and came to this verse. I realized once again why I love this verse so much. Bob Wilkins from the Grace Evangelical Society wrote a nice article called "Whoever Means Whoever" explaining why this verse is so wonderful. Here's an excerpt from that article.

John 3:16 is special in its brevity, beauty, and breadth--all spoken by the Lord Jesus well before His death and resurrection and the birth of the church.

BREVITY: Just 25 words in the English text. If anyone ever asks you to share the gospel in 25 words or less, quote John 3:16.

BEAUTY: Look at the words. God. Love. The world. His only begotten Son. Whoever. Should not perish. Has everlasting life. All of the themes of a great novel are present: a Lover and His beloved, a self-sacrificing death, deliverance from a terrible fate, and living happily ever after" (i.e., living joyfully forever). Whenever I read this verse or hear it read I warm up inside. This is such a beautiful verse.

I lied

I said in my earlier post that I was going to test drive my new head shaver this weekend and post a review here. Well, I LIED. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to try the shaver, so I guess my review is gonna have to wait. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the cartoon.

I feel Good...

Last Sunday I got this awesome gift from Ming and Carol. It's a shaver. Not just any shaver. It's an ergonomically-designed razor made for shaving the scalp. It's apparently so good that it's been voted Top 10 Design of 2000 by the TIME Magazine. I'm looking forward to TEST DRIVE this baby this weekend. I will write my review of it here, so watch this space...hahahahhaa.

I'm not gonna lie, receiving gift makes me feel good, but receiving gift from a friend is that much sweeter. It's never about how expensive the gift is, but the thoughtfulness is what makes your day. So thanks Ming, Carol, and all of you who've been friends to me. You're awesome and I thank God for bringing you into our world.

I need help

It's official. I need help. My addiction to everything Apple has gone to yet another level tonite. I can't believe I stayed up until 2.30 a.m. glued to my trusty macbook to follow a product announcement. Anyways, his highness Steve Jobs introduced a new iMac today. And it's gorgeous. That's all I have to say now cause I have an early appointment tomorrow. I still can't believe it. 2.30 a.m. Sheesh...

The Porn Myth

I was talking to a friend last night about how going to an all-boys school growing up caused me to not feel confident when talking to the opposite sex (at least I know where NOT to send Jayden to school). Then I 'accidentally' found a link to an article by Naomi Wolf from the New York Magazine about how the widespread use of the Internet Porn have a huge effect on how people interact.

Here's an excerpt from that article:

"... the effect is not making men into raving beasts. On the contrary: The onslaught of porn is responsible for deadening male libido in relation to real women, and leading men to see fewer and fewer women as “porn-worthy.”

"Here is what young women tell me on college campuses when the subject comes up: They can’t compete, and they know it. For how can a real woman—with pores and her own breasts and even sexual needs of her own ...—possibly compete with a cybervision of perfection, downloadable and extinguishable at will, who comes, so to speak, utterly submissive and tailored to the consumer’s least specification."


I have to say that I'm no saint in this area. Growing up, I too have had my exposure to the world of pornography (in my days it was mostly printed). But as the article points out, there is a huge difference between pornography then and now. "For the first time in human history, the images’ power and allure have supplanted that of real naked women. Today, real naked women are just bad porn."

I found a website www.cp80.org dedicated to fight pornography. As a concerned parent, what is worrying is internet pornography is so easily accessible even for a child that left unchecked, their natural curiosity can turn into a fatal addiction that can literally ruin their lives. God helps us and parents beware.

Jesus, a party animal?

I don't mean to be irreverent with the post title or the picture :-) but we often box God to our own little understanding. If God is this, then He can't be that. If God is holy, he can't be fun. As I read my Bible, I realised that Jesus had gone to every single party that he was invited to. Jesus was a party animal! Hahaha. Don’t tell people this...[whispering]...At one wedding where he was a guest, he even changed water into booze. He did! The Bible NEVER says 'don't drink wine.' It does say "don't get drunk with wine." Unlike what has been portrayed by some people, Jesus is not a killjoy. In fact, he says that he came so that we can live life to its fullest. God doesn't hate us. He wants us to have life, even life eternal.

Emerging Posters

Emerging movement is all the rage now. I haven't really seriously looked into this movement. I will soon and post my findings. Meanwhile, Grace at http://emerginggrace.blogspot.com/ has some really cool posters that I like. Follow the above link to check out the complete set. Below are some of my favourites:

Hahaha.. I love this

No Holiness, No Heaven?

This week, through my encounters with some individuals, I have been thinking a lot about the whole issues of holiness, especially as it relates to the question of who can be in the ministry.
Hebrews 12:14 says "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." (NIV)

I have heard preaching from this verse that in order to make it to heaven (or even to be 'qualified' to serve) I have to achieve certain level of holiness. This strikes me as odd for a few reasons:

1. Who decides how holy is holy enough? (for heaven or for ministry)
   
2. God promises salvation to all who simply recognise their sinfulness and believe in Jesus Christ as their Saviour (John 3:16);
3. Failure is not only possible but a certainty in our walk as a Christian (1John 1:8-10)

So, what is the writer of Hebrews saying here? He's not teaching us to be perfect in holiness or be burned in hell forever. He's saying to "make every effort" to live in peace and to be holy as we, in Christ Jesus, will be when we finally see the Lord face to face.

How can this be? When I stop putting my trust in my good works and put my trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, the holiness of Jesus Christ becomes mine (Romans 5:19). So, in God's sight, He sees me as holy because of the holiness of Christ in me. However, in real life, we are still oh sooooo very far from being holy. The writer of Hebrews is simply encouraging us to pursue holiness because that's who we are in God's sight now and that's what we will be when we see the Lord.

1John 3:2 says it best. "Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is." (NLT)

There's hope yet for a messy pastor like me. :-)

Quote of the Week

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." - William James

In this blog, I will attempt to cover up my lack of writing prowess with pictures. If I can't find a picture that matches the entry, like in this instance, i will just show a picture of my lil mate Jayden. :-)

Hillsong Conference 2007

This year conference is my first HSC. I found some of the speakers sounding more like a good salesman trying to sell me a product that will benefit me than God's messenger with a message that God wants me to hear. No disrespect to the other speakers, but Louie Giglio is easily the speaker I respect the most. Over all, I feel really blessed attending this conference. Hanging out with my Sydney friends (Michael, Citra, Maureen, Lia, and others) is as much blessing as the conference itself! So, if you're reading this, thank you guys. You're awesome!!!

Friday arvo with my son

My wife and I took our son Jayden to Heath Cote Park Friday afternoon (click picture to enlarge); got some nuggets and fries from McD (Jayden loves fries) and then we just enjoyed watching him running around chasing the sea gulls at the park. Aaah... Thank you Lord for the joy of the simple things in life.

Listen to the Man

So, who's this Mike Yacono-who guy? Here's an interview with my hero.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. This site is dedicated to the late Mike Yaconelli, author of "Messy Spirituality." I'm doing this blog first of all for myself as an outlet but of course, anyone who find my rambling amusing can lurk around anytime. I don't think I'm a good writer and I'm gonna talk about anything and everything I find interesting here. You will find, more often than not, that I will write about my imperfect life as a 'messy' follower of Jesus Christ, my love for my God, my family, and Apple products (in that order.) This is my second attempt at blogging and knowing me, it may end up like the first one. So, let's see what's gonna happen! P.S. That's my miracle son Jayden. I love him more than anything :-)