Above all else

There is a law of the universe that what we sow, we reap. When we are students, if we put in study, we get... more study.  We strive to do well to get into better classes and schools to get more, tougher schoolwork.  I bet if you ask a teacher what to do with a high achieving student, the answer would be... more work to challenge that student. In our careers, if we put in work, we get... more work.  We strive to do well in the workplace to get the challenging, rewarding roles and assignments.  If you ask any manager worth his salt, he will tell you that, to the person who does his work faster and better than the others, he gives... more work to challenge that person. In physical exercise, if we put in more training, we get... more training.  We strive to run and jump faster and further so that we can run and jump even faster and further.  We run 5k so that we can run 10k.  We clock 7 mins/km so that we can get to 6 mins/km. These are all good things.  It's a great thing

I definitively became a Liverpool fan in 1986.  I'd already been watching football a couple of years before that, although football wasn't shown very much on TV in those days. But what really got me hooked were the Liverpool-Everton derbies, especially the FA Cup Final clash of 1986 and later, 1989, following the Hillsborough disaster.  The defeats that still irritate me to this day are the 1988 FA Cup final loss to Wimbledon, and the ridiculous FA Cup semi-final 4-3 loss to Crystal Palace in 1990, the same year Liverpool had actually beaten them 9-0 earlier in the season. The goal that really sticks in my head is the Kenny Dalglish goal against Chelsea to win the league in 1986.  The ball was dropping over his head, he had a defender draped all over him, but he took the ball on his chest and volleyed it sweetly into the corner. 4 years later, in 1990, Liverpool won its 18th league title.  While there have been some great highlights in between - the 2001 cup treble, the

Being surrounded by good people is a blessing.  As the Chinese proverb goes 近朱者赤，近墨者黑 (Get near to vermillion and you will be stained red, get near to ink and you will be stained black).  Last week, I wrote about how a friend taught me not to think too highly of my own ability.  So, while it is our duty to right that which is wrong, we do so not because we think we are better, but because we recognise our own failings. This week, I learned another lesson from my friends!  Another friend was facing problems with some transactions and immediately , even in the midst of a hectic working day, the community of friends jumped in to help out and offer expertise,  advice and assurance.  I am deeply thankful for being part of a genuine faith community which really endeavours to mirror who God is to us, not a far away friend, but "a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1), and lives out the exhortation that "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,