Above all else

The recent terror attacks in Mumbai and senseless killing of scores of people, including a Singaporean lawyer, may well make us question why, if there is a good God, do bad things still happen? For others among us, the current economic crisis along with job and investment losses may raise the same questions. But this is the whole story of the Bible, Jesus and those who follow him. Certainly, Jesus being whipped and strung up on a cross was a bad thing to happen. It was a bad thing for Joseph to be sold into slavery by his own brothers. It was a bad thing for the Israelites to be slaves for generations in Egypt. It was a bad thing for Daniel to be exiled to Babylon. It was a bad thing for Paul to be locked up in chains. Oftentimes, we will not be able to immediately understand why God has allowed terrible things to happen. But Hebrews 11:1 says: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." What then do we hope for? What are we certain of? Fi...

Wonderfully sung. I know that not everyone who read this will be immediately familiar with Christian precepts, and I distinctly recall a non-Christian once recoiling with horror when he heard about the "blood of Jesus" like he was in the middle of a bunch of bloodthirsty cannibals. So I'd better explain. The Bible records that God created man in His own image, so that man might enjoy eternal life and fellowship with God. But man chose to go his own way, essentially choosing to disobey God in the Garden of Eden. This is called "sin". Not just doing "bad" things, but simply separation from God, which is typically manifested as "bad things". Man instinctively longs to regain that fellowship with God. This is why religion is such a powerful force. There is a God-shaped hole in everyone's heart. We are wired like this. Some people try to regain it through good works. Some try religion itself. Some even try going to church. But the...

I know my Mum and aunties check in on my blog once in a while, and I know they love the Mamma Mia musical too, so here's saying hi to everyone :)

As part of our equipping for Christmas, we've been encouraged to dust off our testimonies as to how we came to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I feel it's important at this stage to emphasise that there is a difference between finding out who Jesus is, and accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I'll make this plain in the testimony that follows. ============ I have always thought of myself as a "good person" and have worked hard to live up to those expectations of myself, in my personal ethics, and my work (and when I was a student, my studies). As a child, I was a manic perfectionist. Those of you who are parents of school going kids probably yell at your kids (as I sometimes find myself doing) to do their homework conscientiously. As a kid, one abiding memory of my homework regime was relentlessly ploughing through assessment book after assessment book, refusing to stop until I had got at least one whole paper absolutely 100% correct, or until my Mum begged me ...

Had a rather odd conversation today. I was talking to my parents about how I'm settling into my new post, and the conversation came round to what I thought would help me to succeed. I said that one thing which I thought would be useful was that I was good at getting along with others and creating trust. My parents both thought this was probably true, but my Mum added that this was something she would not have thought I would grow into, having seen me as a kid. I thought about this for a while and realised this was true. I was really awkward as a kid, and found it incredibly difficult to make friends. I find it curious that today, I would say without hesitation, that one of my strengths is interpersonal relationships, though that is perhaps not necessarily the same as making friends. In fact I recall a recent "Strengths Finder" test which suggested that one of my main strengths was, in fact, "Relator". (Incidentally, another one was "Learner", which I c...

Another song I cannot get out of my head. And such a happy, bouncy choreographed sequence :)

I think I am a retro crackhead - first I put the Carpenters on my "Favourites" tag on Internet Explorer. Then I watched Mamma Mia the movie on my wedding anniversary date:) and I still cannot get the songs out of my head. I absolutely loved the musical when it came to Singapore, I think last year or possibly 2 years back, and I would watch it again in a second. Certainly on my DVDs to get list. Enjoy Chiquitita :)

Hey, it's been absolutely ages since my last post. Markets have gone absolutely bonkers over the last month, and with impeccable timing, I have transferred from my fly-on-the-wall post to the new slugging-it-out-in-the-trenches post. Horrible amount of things to chase down, especially with the transition at first, but this can only be good for cranking up the learning curve! Enough said about work, there's certainly enough press ink already and I don't need to add to that. Lots of things going on outside strictly work matters as well. The office prayer group has put together an event for the children of Life Community Services. It will be on 8 Nov 08, we'll bring the kids on a duck tour, then back to the office for a KFC lunch with entertainment courtesy of Chicky (old fogies that we are, we kept asking for Col Sanders and didn't understand who in the world Chicky was). Even managed to get the office premises open for a prayer team to come down to pray for the finan...

I was reminded today in church (yet again) that we are called to make a difference in the world. It's sometimes said that Christians are so spiritually minded as to be of no earthly use! This shouldn't be. Gen 1:28-30 explains that God gave Adam the earth and everything in it, for Adam to rule over. Matt 5:13-14 explains that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world . Habakkuk 2: 14 says that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea". The Lord's prayer's first request is that "[God's] will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". One of my favourite verses Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do". Obviously, God has expectations of what we are to do in the time we have on earth. 1. Don't get caught up in the mundane Pastor encouraged us to be bold and zealous in...

Just came back from 3 day trip to Ho Chi Minh. Impressions: a. Always take a pedicab, if only to see what it's like to have multiple near death experiences. I've been on the Bangkok tuktuk but the Vietnamese pedicab takes the cake. You HAVE to try it. Absolutely thrilling, and having just gone to the Gold Coast last month, I must say it beats "Batman - the Ride" hands down. These are the 5 laws of traffic: The first law appears to be "Avoid ever coming to a halt, regardless of traffic lights, pedestrians, cars, oncoming monster trucks and "One Way" signs". The second law is "never give way unless grievous bodily harm is threatened, and even then, make the other guy give way." The third law is "Wantonly horn at everyone in your way, and if no one is there, horn anyway to keep up appearances". The fourth law is "Ignore anyone who horns at you and blithely continue riding your bike in the middle of the road going the wrong way...

Fruitfulness is God's desire. John 15:1-8 describes how the Father cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, and for those branches which do bear fruit, he prunes them, so that they become even more fruitful. Verse 8 explains that "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.". So what fruit are we talking about? Well, Galatians 5:22-23 says "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." What else? Certainly in some cases, it is tangible, such as when he blessed Abraham with great material success (Gen 13:2). And it can also mean fruitfulness in family, in which I would include spiritual families (Gen 17:5b). In this regard, I was struck this morning when we were praying for Singapore and the nations, that while we make this prayer, somebody must also be doing the actual work on the ground. Both prayer and action are important. And whi...

I recently read this in Os Hillman's book. As Christians, we need to move away from the "my business, my way" mindset. Clearly, doing our own thing our own way is not satisfactory. So some of us succeed in getting to "my business, God's way". This means we go about our lives at home and at work, while successfully maintaining God's principles in the way we do these things. Make no mistake about it, it is not easy to do "my business, God's way". But even this is not enough. We need to get to " God's business, God's way". This means surrendering our family and our work, our time and our energy, wholly unto Jesus. So that it is not just addressing our agenda his way, but addressing His agenda, His way. John F Kennedy famously said "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." For Christians, we similarly need to move away from the idea of God as th...

Really one of my favourite songs, ever since Kermit sang it on the Muppet Show, on a lazy Saturday morning in the sepia tinged days of childhood. This version is sung by one of my favourite singers too. Tell me you don't tear up when you listen to it while thinking of a loved one.

In the midst of my hectic work schedule and turbulent financial markets, my wife often reminds me of the importance of travelling light. It's funny how, the more you have of something, the more important that thing becomes to you. David Eddings, in his Belgariad series (which started as one of my favourite book series but unfortunately descends into farce towards the tail end, but I digress), writes about Murgo gold - a kind of red gold purveyed by the bad guys of the series. The gold has a spell cast on it, so that the more red gold you have, the more you need it, until you are enslaved by it. It's a bit of a coarse allegory, but the point is all the clearer for it. I think the same thing can probably be said about most material things - money, car, house, career. The more money you have, the more you need, the more measures you take to protect it, to invest it, until the fact of having money itself becomes a problem. Which FD has the highest yield? Which stock or unit trust i...

As you know, my wife's grandfather and my grandmother passed away recently. My wife was feeling a little gloomy one day when she happened to walk outside her parents' house where her grandfather used to stay, and she saw this amazing rainbow right on top of the house, in the middle of a bright and sunny day! Thank you Jesus, for your close comfort. Therefore, "we do not grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." 1 Thess 4:13

If you are a regular reader (yes, all 3 of you), you will have noticed that I haven't updated this website for 3 weeks! It's been absolutely hectic at work with full-year results and board meetings coming up, and this all comes on the back of ECA (not Extra-Curricular Activity, but Especially Critical Activity!) like the upcoming office volunteer event which the office fellowship is spearheading, and a nascent church cell which I am learning to lead, and more importantly, love. 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 says: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be re...

Not because of what we've done, or who we are, but because of who He is, and what He has done for us, who are merely fading flowers, and vapours on the wind. And so He tells me who I truly, truly am - simply His. His love always amazes, always abounds, always is.

The past week has been an eventful one. My grandmother and my wife’s grandfather were both admitted to hospital on 29 June 08 Sunday afternoon, and both of them passed away a few days later – my grandmother on Wednesday evening and my wife’s grandfather on Thursday morning. They were 84 and 90 respectively. My grandmother brought me up when I was a kid, up until and through primary school. She would faithfully turn up during my recess time with prawn mee and chicken wings, both of which I loved! I stayed in her 4-room Bedok North flat at Block 82, along with my uncle and his wife, two other aunties and my parents. She was strict with me and my brother when it was required, either locking us into the storeroom or expelling us of the front door while we wailed and held on to the sofa legs! Unfortunately, none of the kids could really speak Teochew well, and her favourite story of my growing years was about the time when she told me to wait next to the “zha bou” (girl) after school, and I...

God provides the bread of life When I think about why Jesus had the crowds following him around during his 3 years of ministry, I tend to imagine that they must have been amazed by the miracles he was doing, in casting out demons, healing the sick etc. But it was pointed out to me on Sunday that in fact, they were following him for much more mundane reasons: Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” John 6:26 I never noticed that before. Isn’t that interesting? They were just hungry for the physical food he was providing! Even today though, I think we often follow Him for similar reasons: help me to do well in school/at work, help me to have good health, help me to have obedient and successful children etc. But Jesus said to the people then, and He says to us now also: Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you...

It's been one year since my brother passed away. Well Wayne, I'm sure you know this in heaven already, but in case you're busy, we didn't manage to win the Champions League or the Premiership, but Fernando Torres has turned out to be a really good buy. And your Lakers are in the NBA finals! I'm still rooting for the Celtics though, I'm sure you wouldn't want me to cop out on that :)I miss you man.

I had some devotional time with the kids recently and the theme was obedience for children. We discussed 3 key elements: a. obedience = obedience that is STRAIGHTAWAY b. obedience = obedience that is done AS WELL AS YOU CAN c. obedience = obedience that is WHAT GOD WANTS, NOT WHAT YOU WANT I thought this was an excellent description of obedience and I made my kids memorize it - “straightaway”, “as well as you can” and “what God wants, not what I want”. 1 John 5:3a says “This is love for God: to obey his commands.” So we can't run away from it – if we say we love God, we demonstrate it by obeying his commands. Anything else, no matter how we try to rationalize it, means that we fail to love God. Interestingly, 1 John 5:3b goes on to say “And his commands are not burdensome.” Isn't God a wonderful God? So today, take some time to internalise this. Obedience is done STRAIGHTAWAY – when God speaks, through His word or through the advice or example of Godly family and friends, obey ...

I first watched Enchanted on the plane to New York in early 08. Hearing this song made me really miss my wife and want to appreciate her much much more. I know, I'm sappy. Anyway, I unashamedly admit that this cheery, artfully choreographed piece is now one of my favourite songs. Enjoy!

Some more funny moments: 1. We were all at my parents' place and I'd brought over our Wii so they could see the Wii sports games. My Mom and Dad were pretty impressed with the golf and bowling games! So anyway, I'd gotten to demonstrating Dragon of Fury or something - I can't quite recall the exact name of the game now, but it basically involves wildly swinging the WiiMote like a sword and blasting assorted baddies into the ether. I got to the boss stage and but kept getting defeated. This caused Daniel to get more and more upset, and when I got to my last life, he muttered something under his breath and ran into the bedroom and closed the door. I thought he was grumpy about me not being able to beat the big bad baddie so I went after him and sternly asked him why he was so worked up over a game. His answer? "But Daddy, if I hide in the room and don't watch, you will win." I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I can hardly blame him, because my own p...

Tommy Tenney (Godchasers) was in town a couple of weeks ago and he gave one of the most amazing series of sermons I have ever been through. The session lasted from morning to evening. Lyn and I had actually planned to leave early to pick up our kids, but I was enjoying the sermons so much and when Lyn saw my face when we were going to leave, she asked me if I wanted to stay and of course I said yes (let me say it again - I have the best wife in the world!). I know it makes me sound like a goody-two-shoes to want to listen to a sermon, but it really was an amazing sermon. But this is the funny bit. Now, sitting down two weeks later, I can't remember what it was about. And oddly, this is EXACTLY what Tommy Tenney said would happen. He asked us (and this is the one thing I actually remember!) whether we could remember how we felt the last time we had a special encounter with God in church. Of course most of us could remember. And then he asked us if we remembered what the pastor had p...

It finally happened. I bought the Nintendo Wii over the weekend – the first time I have ever spent money buying a device whose clear purpose is to be completely antithetical to the productive use of time. Oh wait, I forgot my TV. Um, and my entire collection of “Way of the Tiger” and “Grailquest” role-playing books. And, come to think of it, my Newsweek subscription :P Anyway, the kids and I (more on the wife later) had a thoroughly enjoyable long weekend over Vesak Day, bowling, golfing, driving, violin playing (a favourite for Natalie!) and slaughtering hordes of lizardmen (a favourite for Daniel!). And all that on the free games that came with our package. I have no doubt that the package bundles all the rubbish games that no one can sell on their own, but still, it was fun. It all seems quite normal now that swinging a small wireless white stick causes Dal the Dragonslayer to mirror your action by smashing a helpless log into splinters with his giant red claw, but I think maybe jus...

Nat (in loud whisper): we're going to make a surprise for Mummy tomorrow OK? Dan (looking excited): Yah, surprise OK? Nat: follow me to the fridge Daddy... ... Nat (opens fridge): See, we're going to make breakfast for Mother's Day. We got the cream cheese and bread sticks (points out the cream cheese), and we can put the cheese on the other cheese (Kraft square slices), because, you know, we have no bread, and we have the milk, low fat Mommy, normal for me, and um, that's all. Beams at me, clearly very pleased with the plan. Me: Uh, OK. Try not to make a mess. Nat (as I switch off the light after they get into bed): Can you wake us up at, like 8 o'clock, and remind us to do it? Dan: Yah, SEVEN o'clock! Me: uh, sure. (make mental note to sleep in)

I have a question on evolution. The idea is that organisms change over thousands and thousands of years, one tiny little random mutation at a time. Take the case of the bat. The commonly held theory is that it adapts to its environment. To be more accurate, random mutations occur, and the chaps who don't get the random mutation die out. As the bat retreats further and further into the cave, it mutates more and more. Here's the thing. 1. What are the odds that a particular random mutation keeps moving along a specific trajectory to a useful purpose e.g. the development of the bat's echo directional sense? Let's say bats are 200,000 years old as a species. I'm fairly certain if I randomly chucked a lot of screws, gyroscopes and radar screens down a cave for 200,000 years, I wouldn't come up a sonar. If I were working in the cave with screws, gyroscopes and radar screens, with detailed instructions (a torchlight would help as well), I just might be able to, afte...

Heck, decided to post this up. See post below :)

Nat really loves playing Monopoly. I mean, REALLY. I don't get it. Maybe she enjoys beating me. For some reason, I consistently lose to her. We have a Disney themed set and instead of Chance cards, they're called Magic Moments or Show Time. And they must be rigged or something, because I keep getting "Hypnotized by Kaa. Pay $100." or "Caught by the dog catcher. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go." And Nat keeps getting "Dumbo's magic feather lets you fly. Collect $100" or "Tinker Bell transports you to Go. Collect $200". RRRGGH. It does not help that Mummy does not let me fleece Nat when it comes to bartering properties :P On the bright side, Nat is starting to cotton on to the nuances of Monopoly, like, don't bother getting the properties which are too expensive, because you never have enough to build any houses. She is even starting to catch me when I try to fleece her. Me (in a fake grudging tone): OK Nat, I'll be kind....

Answers from some bursary winners in a magazine that I just read: Q: How do you think the bursary benefited you? Did you study very hard? A1: I can buy more books. Study a bit (!) A2: Don't know, I didn't study hard. I got the bursary by luck (!!) A2: I can ask mummy to buy me books. I didn't study (!!!) Classic.

I've been reading the Psalms since the New Year as part of the church program, and recently got past the super-long 119th Psalm! It seems to be that God has an odd sense of humour. The 119th Psalm is possibly the longest chapter in the Bible with 176(!) verses - certainly it's the longest psalm - and the topic is, appropriately, loving the Word. So the question that I posed to myself that day, even as I thought about all the work that needed to be done (it was a Monday!), was do I really love the Word enough to get past the psalm that goes on and on and on. And on and on and on :) I like to say that one of the most important reasons why we need to read the Word on a regular basis is to soak up the Word and its distilled wisdom until we are at saturation point. Then, whenever the world exerts pressure on us, just squeeze and righteousness gushes out. Or when a friend needs advice, just squeeze and wisdom comes out. Otherwise, all that comes out will be empty air. And everytime w...

My 6-year old daughter Nat wrote this when I wanted to update my blog and she said it was her turn to write a story. Next stop, punctuation ville :) =========== once upon a time there was a beautiful princess she lived with her mummy and daddy one day she was playing in the garden and five minutes later a witch snatched her away when her mummy saw what was happening she was very worried and scared as she ran after her when she got there the witch said if you want your child back i turn you into a snail yes or no no said them mother i don't want to be a snail then you will never see your child again bye bye then the witch plucked a flower and put it into a vase and she took the princess she snatched and put her into the flower and she said a magic spell on the flower and every day the flower will drop one petal when the flower drops all its petals the witch will lock the princess up in a tall tower and on her sixteen birthday the witch will lock the door up in the highest floor and ...

Funny. The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of the main computers resolved, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. ' Hello ? ' 'Is your daddy home?' he asked. ' Yes ,' whispered the small voice. 'May I talk with him?' The child whispered, ' No .' Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, 'Is your Mommy there?' ' Yes ' 'May I talk with her?' Again the small voice whispered, ' No ' Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, 'Is anybody else there?' ' Yes ,' whispered the child, ' a policeman . ' Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?' ' No, he's busy , ' whispered the child. 'Busy doing ...

Dear friends We haven't met in a quite a while - partly because so many of us are so busy - I was looking at next week's schedule and realised that every single lunch slot is occupied with a working lunch! Let's fix the next meeting now on 8 May 2008 (Thu) at 12.30 pm on the 20th floor. I don't know if you recall my sharing at the end of 2007 about how the new year plans were completed by God's grace - click here. Anyway, I realised that it is coming to the end of April and I haven't figured out what the plan for 2008 is! It was an amazing experience seeing God fill in the blanks over that one year, and I would strongly recommend it to all. While it is inappropriate to box in what God can do in our lives, it is also not productive for us to float through life without focus. If you haven't created the framework and space in your own life for God's miracles to take shape, why not consider the following matrix: Theme ====== Family ===== Workplace ===== Mini...

This is really charming. And a wonderful song too. Enjoy!

A friend of mine asked me these questions after a Nicky Gumbel talk, and I thought it was interesting enough to share. Q: Do religious values change to fit the times e.g. church used to condone slavery but later rejected it as being socially unacceptable, so if for example divorce becomes socially acceptable does that mean it’s OK? A: I think there is ONE answer to every question, ethical or otherwise, and that there ALWAYS has been. The problem is, we don't know what the answer is. So from time to time, what WE or SOCIETY think of as "right" may change. But in fact what WAS right hasn't changed and never will change. God and his values are immutable. The earth was always round - it was men (and mind you, often earnest, honest men) who were wrong. So, the answer is religious values may change, but the RIGHT values don’t. Q: Is it the personal relationship that counts above the church? A: It's true that religion is not the same as faith. Religion typically refers t...