mummy it’s over…
Instead of celebration there was criticism. Lee Bee Wah became the headlines, not Lee Jia Wei and team who brought back the hard-earned silver medal for sg after a 48 year wait. The whole of singapore stood up against LBW and stood for Anthony Lee. I remembered reading the papers on Sunday and wanted to write in to give her a piece of my mind only to know that the following days, sph received 200 papers expressing displeasure.
After all the saga. MCYS says it’s over. Let’s move on. LBW apologized for the grievances and stress caused. Every statement coated with diplomacy. It’s as if someone said, ‘enough, stop making fools out of yourself, do the right thing and stop inviting anymore ridicule’
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/372602/1/.html (true blue diplomacy)
Do I want to see a fight? Like my MPs walk off in a parliamentary debate? no. dun think so.
Isn’t diplomacy good? Everyone looks good and move on.
Cover up?
No more sacking but will finish up olympic reports and move on to another committee. Cannot work together?
It happens. Clever and the best for everybody.
think twice before speaking to the press. it can blow you out of proportion 
sodomy and cheat money
I dread reading headlines. Bad news make news worthy to be news. Last 2 weeks, it was all about allegations of Anwar and Saiful committing sodomy. This week, we have Venerable Shi Min Yi being charged in court for financial mismanagement. What impact do such news have on us?
Let’s talk about Anwar and his alleged charges of sodomy. The ban on him to enter politics has just been lifted recently (after 5 years). Right before he makes himself heard on parliament, he was slammed with sodomy charges. His aide claimed that Anwar committed sodomy against him. Conspiracy theories loom. Whose side is the aide on? Could it be Anwar, trying to stir up trouble by planting this aide there to discredit the government? I don’t think so. Why should he because there are simply many ways to skin the cat. Rising cost of living and the recent hike in fuel costs for an oil producing and exporting country are enough ways to discredit the govt. Why become the scapegoat to skin the cat? What more, put his political re-entry on a halt. Anwar has no time for games. With Anwar and his sodomy charges occupying the headlines, who cares about rising cost or is it still a concern amongst many?
The other most illogical thing in this whole sodomy saga is this, Mr Saiful is a grown up man, couldn’t he have fend off a 60 year old man like Anwar? What were they doing in a condominium? Many loopholes. As the saying goes, “you can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the people all the time”. This sodomy charge has a familiar ring. A charge which Anwar was acquitted off without enough evidence. Please stop kidding the public.
This morning’s headlines, Venerable Shi Ming Yi was charged for mismanaging of funds. Sad because a lot of folks have donated money to Renci. First it was Mr Durai, now him. It has jolted public confidence against charity and those who do charitable works. To a certain extent, it has caused increased distrust. I believe many are not able to conceived how their well loved leader, figure of moral authority turned out to be someone whose integrity is being called into question now.
What are effects do such news produce upon the society? What is important? Tackling the rising cost of living or being informed about the ills of leaders? haha. it’s politics? diverting attention away from domestic issues?
ready or not ready
When Jesus gave the great commission to the 11 who were present after his resurrection,
Matthew 28:19 “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” (CEV)
The only time he told them to wait is found in Acts 1:4 & 8 respectively, verse 4: “Don’t leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do.”, verse 8 “But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”
Only the Holy Spirit can make us ready to tell the world about Him. Yes, it’s the idealist in me speaking up. All our talents, abilities, giftings pale in comparison when the Holy Spirit fills us with His power to proclaim His goodness and to be His witness. The Holy Spirit is never not ready for missions. His work is to empower us to proclaim that our Saviour is MIGHTY to SAVE!
If we look at ourselves and our own resources, we will never be ready and that’s why Jesus never told his disciples to get themselves ready because they will never feel ready to do God’s work of proclaiming the good news. Only the Holy Spirit can make us ready. Jesus didn’t tell his disciples, “When you are ready, GO”. Instead, He said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go….” – Matthew 28:18 – 19. Our readiness will never be the means by which we determine to go or not. We go because all the authority has been given to Jesus and He is the one who commissions us.
If we wait for ourselves to be fully prepared and ready, missions will never exist. Looking at what we have almost always dissuade us. Our circumstances, abilities and strengths will always make us feel small.
In Acts, the apostles continued to stay on in Jerusalem until after the death of Stephen. After his martyrdom, everybody was scattered and they went preaching from place to place. Acts 8:4. Did it require a persecution? The blood of the martyr is the seed of the church? God has his ways. It’s a mystery I embrace because I love love His Majesty. Were they ready to move out of Jerusalem, their comfort zone? Probably not and a persecution scattered them all over. Persecution is the exemption not the rule and so we go in good times or bad times. Don’t wait for a persecution.
So I will do what has been deposited in my heart since youth. It has never left me. To go. Give them something to eat, offer a drink, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit those in jail – Matthew 25:31 – 45. The least of these I do, I do it for thee.
Sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility
This is a big subject and has generated countless debates across centuries. Even in seminary, professors can take on different views. As I was meditating on the topic on God’s sovereignty, the very natural question came to my mind, how far then should I exercise my human responsibility. Do I sit still and not do anything because God is sovereign and things are working out despite my non participation or God is sovereign and things are working out because his people choose to obey Him and do His will which includes human responsibility and decisions.
To say that God is sovereign is to say that God is in control of all events taking place in the world, in past and present situations. No event takes him by surprise and all that happened, good or bad, happened with his permission. So, God permitted Hitler to slaughter about 5 million Jews during the holocaust? Yes. Recently, I watched the show “The Black Book” which showed how a Dutch lady who witnessed her family being brutally killed by the germans during WW2. After she was being rescued, she joined the dutch resistance forces against the germans who stationed themselves in Poland. Instead of sitting around and watching events unfold, she got involved with one of the German generals in hope that she’ll get some information of their next move and also to rescue some of the Dutchman who were in the resistance. Corrie Ten Boon and her family also sheltered Jews during the WW2 and that was against the government’s requirement. Yet they continued and was found out later on and her whole family were sent to the concentration camps, spread all over the country.
Does God’s sovereignty negate human responsibility? Absolutely no.
Moses was called by God to lead the Hebrews out of Eygpt. Pharoah was not agreeable on one occassion and on another occassion, he sent his troops to chase after the hebrews. If God sovereignty would to negate human responsibility, God wouldn’t need Moses. Moses heard God and submitted to his plans. His act of submission was human responsibility. Yes, a choice was needed and he made that choice to choose God’s plan over his own fears and inadequacies (although they continued to exist).
Esther, when was told by her uncle Mordecai that Haman was plotting to annihilate the Jews. Esther called a fast and decided to see the King without being asked to be seen, was as good as asking for an execution. Yet if she was born for such a time as this, she would risk her life if she has to. She fasted and pray and acted despite the protocols of the days.
David, although hotly pursued by Saul, when given the opportunity to kill him refused to lay his hands on him because he chose not to touch the Lord’s anointed. David submitted himself to God’s sovereignty by choosing NOT TO kill Saul. It was still exercising his human responsibility as he understood that the perogative to remove God’s appointed one belonged to God alone. He refused to advance himself as King of Israel before His time was up.
The word of God is clear. God is sovereign means that He is in charge but he has chosen his people to serve Him and those who submit to Him and His plans will continue to exercise this God’s given responsibility bestowed upon them. Together with God, we carry out his sovereign plans although what we do and see may only consist of a small little part of His Kingdom.
Noah saved his family from the destruction of the flood, Abraham moved out of Ur, Isaac was born in Abraham’s old age, Jacob wrestled with God and served Him, Joseph was betrayed but rosed to power by God’s grace and preserved Egypt and his family from the nationwide famine, indirectly preserving the nation of Israel. Moses was born during the time where the Pharoah ordered a massacre of babies and he was divinely rescued by Pharoah’s daughter and was raised in the palace. When the time came, God called him to lead the Israelites out of Eygpt to the Promiseland of Canaan. Moses didn’t make it to Canaan and so did the rest of the 3 million Hebrews except Joshua and Caleb because they walked in fear and not in faith.
What God has call us to do, we must do. What we do, is a little but what God can accomplish through the little is beyond our imagination. Bless the Lord Oh my soul.
NB; another interesting article on God’s sovereignty and prayer can be found in this link by John Piper.
inherited sense of justice?
My Dad just drove me home after we had dinner at his place.
We were talking and I was just telling him how I really dislike those who like to talk behind people’s back.
I realized that when I was a child, I was also filled with indignant whenever I hear my aunties (dad’s sisters) gossiping about my mum. This strong feeling carried on to teenage years and till now. I do not know where I inherited this sense of ‘justice’ from but I can even remember where and when my mum was being ‘gossiped’ about.
To me is this. What’s the point of talking behind someone’s back if you can say it in front of him? Many times we don’t want to say in front of the person because we relish in gossip. We delight in putting someone down so that we can appear more right and strong. We gossip because the person we talk about is not there to defend himself, so that we can enjoy the uninterupted time of verbal diarrhea.
To me the more honourable thing is to say it in front of the person and not do it behind him. What’s the point of saying, “if he is here, i will still say the same thing”? It doesn’t justify the act unless there’s something constructive to be done out of the whole discussion. i.e. “I think he is not stable and is going to kill his children anytime, let’s do something about it.”
Sometimes people say untrue, bad things behind someone so that they can cause doubts in others about that person. If I trust person A and person A tells me bad things about person B, I will naturally be weary of person B next time I see him. Hence, instead of allowing person B to make his own judgements, person A already shared his judgements.
Another reason why they do not take it to the person himself is because that person has no guts to do so. Simple. Only have guts to do cowardice acts such as saying things behind his back. Not constructive.
So, whatever. See the plank in our own eyes and the speck in others becomes insignificant.
causes
“We had a cause and people with causes become difficult people to play against” – Sir Alex Ferguson made this statement after Manchester United won the champions league title against compatriot club, Chelsea. The winning margin was narrow and was decided via penalty kicks.
I used to think that football was a stupid game until i started watching the 1996 world cup and was smitten by the Swedish and the Brazilians. It’s an amazing game where you see 22 strong and abled men running for a ball and trying to put it into the net. On field, a mixed of skills and emotions are display and it’s a rare thing to see men, expressing themselves emotionally. It’s also a game of strategy coupled with chances and individual slew of talents, foresight, spatial awareness, luck all put in one place. The drama, the spontaneity is something not even a well choreographed script could tantalize anyone’s senses for 90 minutes.
Chelsea was not a pushover. They had to talent and strength to win the champions league but situation has turned out that the penalty would be the means by which the winner would be determined. Postmorterm reports blames Drogba for committing a silly offence and thus being sent off and hence disqualified for taking the penalty which might have caused Chelsea the championship title. John Terry and Anelka both missed the kicks and Edwin Van De Sar (Goalkeeper of Man United), claimed he knew where Anelka was kicking the ball to.
Perhaps, it’s not so much the causes that Man U was playing for (Alex Ferguson dedicated the win to the memory of Busby Babes when United was ripped abpart in the Munich Air disaster in 1958 when 8 of Mat Busby’s young side were killed in a plane crash after beating Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup quarter-finals.) but more like Chelsea gave away their chances.
Was it luck, the lack of it or personal responsibility in seeing the big picture, in the case of Drogba, was he prepared for a penalty shoot out? It’s anyone’s opinion now but I’m sure playing for a cause kept Man United focused, all the way to the end.
Charis-Ma
Being a mum of a 13 month old girl is both a joy and a blessing. Charis is simply a fun person to be with. She is always smiling and usually obliging. It’s always nice to hold her and she just puts her entire weight on me, leaning and trusting that I will hold and love her.
She is learning to walk recently and sometimes she can be a little ‘lazy’ and refusing to walk. When that happens, she would sit down where she is and refuse to move sometimes attempting to cry. Knowing that she is throwing a ‘tantrum’, I would walk towards, her, ask her to give me her hand and I would walk her out of the room (usually). Being a parent has made me see more things from God’s perspective. A Father, walking towards us in our moments of weakness and sometimes unwillingness. Like the Father, who ran towards the prodigal son when he saw him from afar. The prodigal son was received and accepted into the family.
I will not try to humanize God. Yet his love is something we have to emulate.
John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” Not an option but a command to love from someone who love despite betrayal.
Jesus loved Judas and washed his feet.
Jesus loved while we were still sinners. Unfit for Him.
He chose to love.
It’s easy to love Charis because she has no guile in her. She is untainted and a child. Innocence spreads all around her and so it is easy to love.
The hardest thing to do, is to wash your enemy’s feet, knowing that he has something against you and is plotting for your death. Jesus did. He loved. He chose love.
What will I choose?
focus on God
Another timely reminder for us to focus on God.
Mr Lau Tak Siong highlighted 3 men who focused on God
1. Joseph, despite being betrayed
2. Job, despite losing it all
3. Nehemiah, despite facing opposition
It is so important to fix our eyes on the Lord and not on circumstances and other things. Let the Lord direct and guide my every step. It’s You I will follow and It’s You I adore.
What’s worth? part 3
Luke 12:6 – 7 ”Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
God does not forget the sparrows but will feed them. That’s worth.
what’s worth part 2
1 boy, with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. 5000 to feed. What would he do?
If he gave it all, he will have nothing.
The disciples thought of the most practical idea. Ask them to go somewhere to buy. The situation was real, the need was real, how about some reality tv?
the boy deliberated. finally decided to give it all. In the hands of Jesus, 5 loaves and 2 fishes became the meal for 5000. Jesus multiplied it. If Jesus had waited for a committee to decide on what to do with the crowd of 5000, the miracle wouldn’t have come. The committee would probably reacted like the disciples,
‘where will anyone be able find enough to satisfy these men with bread here in a desolate place?”,
“The place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”, “But He answered and said to them, ‘You give them somthing to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?”
“We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.”
what’s worth? Never know how little it takes to give our all. Never know how little God needs to show His power.
