My new product

I am launching my new product. It's call RTP stencil - or Ready-To-Print Silkscreen Stencil. Buy from me by email or phone. Each RTP stencil can be used to print at least 2000 T-shirts.

Peacock and Peahen

Watch these 2 videos. then answer the following 'quiz' question:






Why in the PeaBird World, the male Peacock is more pretty than the female Peahen, whereas in the Human World, the female woman is more pretty than the male man ??
(Continue reading this Blog for the answer.)

Some Christian organisations will last, some will not

Old Churches such as Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, have existed for a long time. Some Churches, like New Creation, City Harvest, are relatively 'young'.

When an organisation is young, there are few rules and regulations.

As an organisation gets older, 50 years, 100 years, 500 years, an organisational culture develops. The volume of rules, regulations, codes of conduct grows so huge that the organisation may even need an 'Archival Department'!.

Many independent churches were started by zealous and charismatic leaders. But when the first generation leaders passed away, these churches weaken and finally cease to exist.

The first generation lasts about 70 years. The next generation overlaps the previous generation by 30 years and lives another 40 years. The next next generation last another 40 years. Hence 3 generations would mean a total of 70+40+40 = 150 years.

Memories last only 3 generations. We can remember our grandparents in some detail. But we cannot remember our great-grandparents in detail.

Hence, the critical year is about 150. If a church or a religious organisation could survive 150 years, it is likely to live on. An organisation which is less than 150 years old has a high probability of dying out.

So you can expect many Christian organisations, though successful they may be at present, to cease before they reach their critical years equivalent to 3 generations. New religious organisations will always sprang up to take their place.

Are you with an organisation that is less than 3 generations old? Are the first two generations putting in place a robust succession plan?

Haiti unites the world (for a moment)

To get quarrelling members of a team to unite, we give the whole team a project with a common objective. As the members work on the project towards that single objective, members put animosity behind them.

Countries of the world are always quarrelling. When God look down from Heaven, He sees a divided world.

I was thinking, perhaps when there is a need to fight off aliens from far-away galaxies attacking earth, the countries of the world will have a common objective to be united.

Haiti had been reduced to nothing by an earthquake 3 days ago. Sadly, Haiti now faced the same destruction as Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot escaped and his wife turned into a pillar of salt (Gen 19:1-29).

All the countries in the world (well, almost all) are preparing to help. Well, at least the world is united, for a moment.

• Give thanks by Give thanks

More Give thanks music on iLike

Dear All,

Just a beautiful song to end the year 2009.

Wishing you all a Blessed year 2010.

December Busy-ness

Dear Friends,

In Nov/Dec 2009, I have started conducting T-shirt Printing Workshops at RCs (Residents' Committees).

21 Nov 09 at Cheng San (Ang Mo Kio) Zone C RC
5 Dec 09 at Yio Chu Kang Zone 9 RC
12 Dec 09 at Toa Payoh Central Zone 3 RC

It was a new experience to conduct T-shirt Printing lessons for paying adults. They were all very enthusiastic, otherwise they would not have signed up voluntarily.

Above are some photos.

A "Great Video'' Which is no good

MY teenage children love to listen to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" very much.

I viewed the video a few times too. Gaga's performance was creative and brilliant. It's seems 98% harmless, only 2% of shocking dance steps and words like "I want your psycho...your vertical stick...want you in my rear window..."

Do you find this video shocking too?




Just like to compare this video with what we are bombarded today...

We face false teachings, false reasonings and false prophets today. The tricky part is that we can hardly tell whether they are True or False, Good or Evil. You see, even evil is camouflaged by 98% harmless, and we may miss the 2% harmful !!!

Humans will always feel for God

Whether in a modern society, or in a tribal society, humans feel for God even if they do not acknowledge Him or they reject Him.

These 2 quotes summarise the human longing:

"I don't believe in God, but I miss him." Julian Barnes, writer

"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." VOLTAIRE

Christ's Second Coming -- Too many false alarm !

"In the days after that time of trouble the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses. The Son of Man will appear, coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He will send the angels out to the four corners of the earth to gather God's chosen people from the end of the world to the other. ... In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin. Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died." Mark 13:24-30.

Throughout history, too many people had claimed 'divine predictions' on the second coming of Christ.

The most famous of which is case of William Miller (1782-1849). (Wikipedia on William Miller, Seventh-Day Adventist Movement) Miller was born in 1782 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and though coming from a Christian ome, he became a skeptic and rejected the Bible as divine revelation. However in 1816, he was converted from his skepticism and began to study the Bible intensively. Two years later, he came to the conclusion that the world would come to an end in 1843!

When the year came and the Lord did not return, there was intense disappointment among Miller and his followers. Samuel Snow, one of the leaders with Miller later came up with the conviction that the 2300 days in Daniel 8:14 will end on 22 Oct 1844. As 22 Oct approached, there was great excitement but Christ did not return on that day.

There were hundreds more predictions - all came to nothing.

As for me, I believe Christi's second coming will take place some time in the far far future. But it will not take place in my lifetime.

So I will not be physically present to welcome and to meet Christ in His Second Coming.
Most likely, I would be dead, cremated or buried by then.

What is Purgatory! (General Knowledge)

"Eternal Truths" are part of the doctrine of eschatology, or the study of Last Things. Eschatology is a branch of theology concerned with the end of the world and the final destination of a soul after death.

Death, judgment, heaven and hell are the four "eternal truths" sometimes referred to as the four Last Things.

[The Catholic Church, being the oldest Church of 2000 years, and a mega-scale organisation, has lots of ideas and teachings written down, but not taught to the average church-goers. If you are interested in a certain topic, you need to seek an expert and ask.]

The Catholic Church believes in and teaches the doctrines of heaven, hell and purgatory.

Heaven is described as the happiness of the just, who will one day be with Christ.
Hell, by contrast, is the eternal punishment of the unrepentant sinner, deprived of the sight of God.
Purgatory is the possibility of purification for repentant sinners before they see God. This purification is very different from the punishment of the unrepentant sinner in hell.

... Just a bit of general knowledge...

Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Integration

What cause diseases?

In Western medicine, germs and viruses are the primary causes.

In Chinese medicine, the causes are divided into 3 categories:
1st: External causes, namely wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness and fire.
2nd: Internal causes, namely the 7 emotions, joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, shock.
3rd: fatigue and foods.

Traditional Chinese medicine has grown out of common human experience of over 2,000 years. The concept of germs and viruses are not used at all. Instead, the main focus is on other factors familiar in human experience.

We are faced with 2 very different approaches to diseases and healing!

I am writing this to demonstrate that human thinking and experience could be as diverse as East and West. The twine never meet as they started from completely different starting points.

So are religious ideologies. They would never meet.

But today, Western medicine and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) are sometimes used together for some illnesses. Trying hard to integrate, right?

So too are religious ideologies - there are people who try to integrate them. Trying very hard!

Be Very Suspicious of 'New Revelations'

Hebrews 1:1-2 says "Then, after speaking in many and varied ways through the prophets, now at last in these days God has spoken to us in His Son..."

God sent His Son, the Eternal Word, who enlightens all men, so that He might dwell among men and tell men of the innermost being of God (John1:1-18). Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, was sent to us." He "speak the words of God", and completes the work of salvation which His Father gave Him to do. To see Jesus is to see His Father(John 14:9).

For this reason Jesus has perfected revelation by fulfilling it through his work of making Himself present, and manifesting Himself: through His words and deeds, through His death and glorious resurrection from the dead. And finally He sent us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.

So when someone, or some sects or groups, including self-proclaimed yoga groups, tell us 'New Revelations' about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and when these 'New Revelations' conflict with what the Bible says, then we must be wary and suspect heresies.

To tell the difference between Divine Revelations and Non-Divine Revelations, read http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html

Integrative Religions and Ideologies

The idea of Integrative Religion has always been attractive to some groups.

I was told that Sahaja Yoga urges its followers to accept the divinity of gods of different religions. And the chakra points in our body are the site of different gods. I think, by so doing, Sahaja Yoga hopes that followers of various religions will not reject the practice of Sahaja Yoga, and even embrace it.

The religion call Cao Dai, with a magnificient temple in Saigon is said to have millions of followers. This religion amalgates other religions - Chinese religion, Buddhas, Hindu gods, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad, and so on. It is really a melting pot of religion under the name CaoDai-ism. (Surf www.wikipedia.com, and Youtube, search for 'cao dai')

Well, the founders of these Integrative Religions may think they have a solution to the divisive nature of religious ideologies. But....it's going to be very messy!!

Accommodative Religions and Monotheistic Religions

Generally, polytheistic religions are accommodative and changing. Monotheistic religions are not.

Religions such as Taoism, Hinduism and tribal religions accept many gods, even the Christian and Muslim God. 'New' gods are added over time.

That is not the case with Christianity. In the Bible, God has revealed Himself and His thoughts progressively. It is very clear when God said:
"I am your God. You shall have no other gods but me..."
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life..."
The "10 commandments" are clear.

God is God. There shall be no idolatry. No compromise. Black is black and white is white. There are no grey areas concerning God.

Chinese religion is different. Chinese temples may have several gods and deities. Chinese religion adapts and accommodates gods of other faiths too.

Buddhism is also accommodating to changes. Jane Hope, in her book "Buddha For Beginners" wrote:

"In the Buddhist lineage, knowledge is not handed down like an antique. One teacher experiences the truth of the teaching and hands it down as inspiration to his students. That inspiration wakens the student who passes it on further. The teachings are always up to date, they are not thought of as 'ancient wisdom'."

"The Buddha encouraged his followers to put everything he said to the test, and therefore, through the ages, followers of the Buddha have trusted their own wisdom, rather than trying to interpret what might have been meant in old texts."

"The doctrine of change and impermanence which is at the heart of Buddhism constantly breaks any tendencies towards fundamentalism."

Buddhism is changing and adapting all the time!

When is a foetus alive?

An unborn baby's heart begins to beat at 18 days.
At 43 days, the baby's brain coordinates movements.
All of his or her organs are functioning at eight weeks.
At nine weeks, he or she has permanent, individual fingerprints.
The baby's sense of touch, including comfort and pain, begins at 10 weeks.
At 12 weeks, the baby can smile, suck his or her thumb, and make a fist.

These medical facts are provided by Prolife Across America.

So when is a foetus alive? Are you pro-life or pro-choice?

I am both.

Hijacked Practices

Societies have so closely associated some practices to specific groups that other groups avoid those practices.

Valentine's Day practice has been 'hijacked' by Christians. People strong in other faiths tried not to be associated with Valentine's Day and are searching for different ways to commemorate Love instead.

Vegetarian practice has been 'hijacked' by Buddhists. Other religions do not promote this livestyle very much as it sounds so Buddhist.

Chakra meditation practice has been 'hijacked' by Indian and Eastern religions. Western cultures view the ideas of Chakra points, inside and outside the physical body, both mystical and unholy.

The practice of speaking in tongues is 'hijacked' by charismatic Christianity. Although Chinese religions, mediums and tang-gi, have the practice of being spirit-possessed.

Chanting is a practice 'hijacked' by Buddhism. Followers of other religions are generally not encouraged to chant like monks.

The Holy Spirit

On 5 Aug 2008, I wrote about the 'unpardonable sin' in this blog. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin. (click 'search blog' unpardonable sin)

In his book 'Good Morning Holy Spirit', Benny Hinn explained why:

Benny, can blasphemy against the Father be forgiven?" a new Christian asked recently.
"Yes," I answered.
"What about blasphemy against the Son?"
"That can be forgiven too," I said.
"Then can you tell me why blasphemy against the Holy Ghost can't be forgiven?" ???

I shall not re-produce Benny's answer in this blog.

In his book, Benny Hinn revealed that he had a very special relationship with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is real to him. Benny talked to the Holy Ghost all the time. Benny even heard the Holy Spirit weeping quietly.

In other words, Benny Hinn claimed special divine revelation from the Holy Spirit. After reading his book, I have found no reason to doubt his claims.

Email me if you want to borrow Benny's book from me. It is refreshing to know how someone could be so close to the Holy Spirit.

Learn About Euthanasia

Euthanasia is the deliberate, intentional termination of a person's life for the benefit of that person.

In general, enthanasia involves medical doctors making decisions which result in shortening a patient's life, and these decisions are based on the belief that the patient would be better off dead.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and the American state of Oregon are the only 4 jurisdiction in the world where laws specifically permit euthanasia or assisted suicide. In February 2008, Luxembourg became the 3rd European country to legalise euthanasia.

In 2002, the Netherlands became the 1st country to legalise euthanasia. According to the BBC, euthanasia now accounts for between 4,000 and 5,000 deaths a year in the country.

The practice is tightly regulated and it is estimated that doctors - the only people allowed to perform euthanasia - turn down 2/3 of requests.

Under the law, euthanasia will be administered only to patients who are in continuous, unbearable and incurable suffering. A 2nd opinion will be required, the patient must be judged to be of sound mind, and his or her request to die must be made voluntarily, independently and persistently.

Doctors carrying out enthanasia generally administer a lethal injection to their patients, and those assisting in suicide prescribe drug overdoses. Euthanasia is also allowed for babies with incurable conditions including severe spina bifida and a painful skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa.

Belgium also legalised euthanasia in 2002. Patients there must consciously make the demand and be under "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain" resulting from an accident or incurable illness. 2 doctors must be involved, as well as a psychologist if the patient's competency is in doubt. The doctor and patient negotiate whether death is to be by lethal injection or prescribed overdose..

In the United States, Oregon is the 1st state to allow lethal prescriptions. Doctors can prescribe lethal drugs to help patients commit suicide but cannot administer them.

This is also the case of Switzerland - you have to be able to physically carry out that final act yourself.

What Euthanasia Is Not

There is no euthanasia unless the death is intentionally caused by what was done or not done. Thus, some medical actions that are often labelled "passive euthanasia" are not forms of euthanasia, since the intention to take life is lacking.

These acts include not commencing treatment that would not provide a benefit to the patient, withdrawing treatment that has been shown to be ineffective, too burdensome or is unwanted, as well as the giving of high doses of painkillers that may endanger life, when they have been shown to be necessary.

All these are part of good medical practice, endorsed by law, when they are properly carried out.

(Quote From Sunday Times 26 Oct 2008)

(Note: My personal opinion is against euthanasia.)

The meaning of John 14:6 "I am The Way..."

Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." John 14:6

I was puzzled by this verse for a long time. Now I understand.

Now you see, Jesus is always at the RIGHT hand of God the Father who sits on the Throne in Heaven. See Acts 7:56, Rev 4:2-3.

Now, on Judgement Day, Christians and non-Christians, Jews and Gentiles, will come before the Throne of Grace and face God Father with Jesus on His right.

Whatever is communicated to God Father, must first pass through Jesus!

So when a christian steps forward to face the Throne, Jesus immediately recognises him and may say "... I have already redeemed you by dying on the Cross for you. Welcome..."

So when a non-christian steps forward to face the Throne, Jesus may say "...eh..eh..your have not been saved by my redeeming grace. Now lets look at your conscience and what you have done and achieved..."

So everyone will pass 'through' Jesus who stands on the right of God Judge. Jesus is THE way, the ONLY way to reach God the Father on Judgement Day.

Paradox: God the Father, God the Son, are in Heaven. But they are here!

Jesus foretold His death, and told His disciples that He could not bring them along. He went back to Heaven to be with the Father. In Acts 7:56, Stephen said "Behold I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

God the Father and God the Son are now in Heaven. They are not here on Earth.

However, go ahead and pray to the Father and the Son. They are omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. They are here by your side and listening and answering your prayers. (This is a paradox - They are in Heaven, yet They are here.)

Before Jesus returned to Heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit. And yes, after a few weeks, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in a spectacular manner, empowering the believers, changing them from discouraged people to mighty men and women.

So now, who is on Earth, and who is in Heaven ? Answer is obvious.

The Holy Spirit is here on Earth with us. He is our Helper. Pray in the Holy Spirit.

The Great Paradox - Christ is The Way...

Priest Father Herman Roborgh wrote about the '5 Paradoxes of Christianity' in the journal Dialogue Australasia. I would like to capture 1 of the 5 paradoxes here to illustrate what I wrote earlier in this blog.

Paradox: Christians and Muslims regard their own faith as the true way, yet also affirm the truth of other paths.

It is clear that, for Christians, Christ is the Way to God. Yet Jesus is also presented as saying "many will come from the east and the west to take their places with Abraham". The Catholic Church also acknowledges that those outside the community of the Church can attain salvation, thereby recognising the value of other paths to God.

Similarly, the Qur'an says that God has chosen Islam as the true religion: "Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My blessing upon you, and chosen as your religion islam." But the Qur'an also acknowledges the faith of those outside the community of Muslims: "The Muslim believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians - all those who believe in God and the Last Day and do good - will have their rewards with the Lord." (Sunday July 5 2009, Catholic News.)

Personally, I think this is Father Herman's liberal thinking. It may be right, it may be wrong. But we cannot deny that this remains a Great Paradox.

Conversations in Heaven?

I have just finished reading 'FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN'. I have read 'Tuesday With Morrie' a few years ago.

The author was very good in the use of words to weave subtle changes in emotions. The heavenly conversations with 5 people were filled with surprises. It is a good book that can set your mind thinking .

The books are not about religion. They simply give glimpses of the meanings of life.

I would recommend both these books to you.

Lessons

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me... It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words “In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Banner

Hehe! That's my banner at Cheng San Residents' Committee Centre

Some Information on Joseph

Some of us already know something about Mary, the mother of Jesus. But few of us know much about Joseph the father of Jesus. Here is a bit of information.

The Catholic Church has its root from the time of Christ. The first Pope is considered to be Peter. It was Jesus who appointed Peter "You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build My Church...Matt16:18". Hence it is Catholic Church that provides us with 'tradition information' that are not found elsewhere.

This article appearing in 'Dear Padre' on June 14,2009. It's an answer to the question "How did Joseph die?"

"The Church teaches that Mary did die, after which she was 'assumed' into heaven, meaning she was taken up not by her own power, but by the power of God. Assumption is not to be confused with Jesus' ascension into heaven, in which he was taken up by His own power.

We don't know how Joseph died, but we believe he died in the regular fashion and was not assumed into heaven. Tradition teaches that when Joseph died, both Mary and Jesus were at his bedside. For this reason, Joseph is called the patron of a happy death. The customs of the day dictated that, as Joseph's only child, Jesus would have made the arrangements for his father's funeral, possibly preparing the body for burial and washing, anointing, and wrapping Joseph's body, as others would later do for Jesus. We cannot know for sure what Joseph's death and burial were like, but we can assured that Jesus cared for his foster father with the utmost love.

Each of us can only hope that, as he was with Joseph, Jesus will be at our side when we breathe out last."

This is just a bit of information for those who are interested. It's not important though.

The Gospel of Prosperity?

There are some christian communities that advocate the idea that God wants His people to be very rich: "Look at King David, King Solomon, Abraham. They were godly men, though at times they sinned badly. God had blessed them, they were the richest men during their era! God will always want to prosper His people!"

As I mulled over this idea, I realised that all these 'rich' examples were from the Old Testament.

In the New Testament, the emphasis is not material wealth or prosperity. There was no mention of any 'very rich' believers. Jesus exhorted "...Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy...But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys...Matt 6:19."

None of the 12 (13 including Paul) disciples were wealthy. (I was told not to cite the 12 disciples or the tribe of Levites as examples because God had chosen and destined 10% of His people to be priests or other christian vocations. Understandably, they will be have no time to be wealthy.) But for us,the other 90%, God clearly intended us to be prosperous!

I too believe that God did not intend for us christians to be poor. "Look at the birds of the air...Observe the lilies of the field...Do not be anxious then saying, 'What shall we eat? What shall we drink? With what shall we clothe ourselves? ...But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you...Matt6:31".

So the focus is on His kingdom and His righteousness, NOT on prosperity.

If a man focuses on Getting Rich, then "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God...Luk 18:25".

So don't focus on making money or acquiring wealth. Don't even aspire to earn a million $ to donate for God's work or for charity. God is not poor that He needs you to work day and night to earn money for Him.

Click below. Hope you will be inspired.

http://www.imeem.com/jesusistheanswer/music/kxXIutn5/psalty-kids-praise-seek-ye-first/

God is all-knowing, even about disasters.

SAO PAULO (Brazil) - AN AIR Air France jet Flight 447carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris hit strong turbulance and lost contact with air traffic controllers over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said on Monday. Brazil began a search mission off its northeastern coast.

God is omnipotent, omniscient - all-powerful, all-knowing...

Flight 447 left Rio on Sunday 31 May 2009, 7 pm local time. At 10.15 pm, the 3 pilots on board steered the plane through a thunderous zone of strong turbulence. The pilots did not know that in 2 minutes time, disaster would strike and the plane would sink to the bottom of the ocean, somewhere 300 km northeast of the coastal city of Natal.

But at 10.15 pm, God knew exactly what would happen in 2 minutes time. God is all-knowing. He knew that 228 lives would perish.

He could do something to avert the disaster because He is all-powerful. But He did not.

He allowed "acts of nature" to take their course.

God had been asked a billion times "Why don't you intervene to save the innocent from disasters?" How can all disasters "...work together for the good of those who believe Him?"

God did not answer the questions. It will remain a mystery. We will never know.

And this is where FAITH takes over. If we know the answer, or if we know of an explanation which is acceptable to us, then where is faith? Then our belief in God is based on knowledge, and not by faith.

"Faith is the assurance of things hope for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11.1.

In the end, our Christian belief is based on Jesus Christ, who died, was buried and rose again and appeared to hundreds of believers.

Besides Jesus Christ, all our belief is faith - because we really don't know anything else for sure.

And our faith actually comes from God. Thank God for His grace for giving us the gift of faith.

My neighbour was a medium

Years ago, when I lived in a village, I had a neighbour who earned extra income by being a medium.

Ah Tim built a shed near to his house and installed an altar in it. On the altar sat an idol whom he would offer jossticks day and night. When customers came to consult him, he would light extra jossticks, josscandles and burnt some josspaper.

As it happened very long ago, I have forgotten much of the details. I vaguely remember that he could have an average of 1 or 2 customers a day. They came to ask him about the predicament of deceased relatives, asked whether they had offended any spirits, and very often, to get 4-D numbers to 'buy lottery'.

Ah Tim would go into a semi-trance and conversed with his customers in a mumbly voice. At times he would grab some pomelo leaves and stuff them inside his mouth to chew while meting out advice and information to his customers.

Now and then, a customer would return to Ah Tim and announced that he had won a 4-D lottery and would now wish to offer the idol thanksgiving and respect. Ah Tim would receive a thanksgiving 'red-packet' of course. Some neighbours would laugh and reasoned that if Ah Tim gave out 100 4-D numbers, surely 1 would 'open' as a winner.

By and by, all the families in the village were re-settled, and the area was renamed Potong Pasir Housing Estate instead. Ah Tim was re-settled in Toa Payoh. The last I heard was that he was doing pretty well as a medium.

I am writing this in my blog just to show that there are still such activities in Singapore.

We are never 100% sure !

If you have been reading my blog entries below, you would realised that I am always questioning, to the extent of being cynical sometimes. I have always questioned what I believe.

In my quiet moments, I would still ask myself "Are you sure you are a Christian? Are you 100% sure you believe in the right thing?"

As a "Doubting Thomas" by nature, I love to learn about apologetics. I think I can offer several reasons why Christianity is most creditable. I can cite many reasons, such as fulfilled prophecies, fulfilled claims of Jesus Christ, evidence of the empty tomb, Jesus appearing to hundreds of living people after he rose from the dead, real-life witnesses such as apostle Thomas poking his finger into the risen Christ's body, and the credibility of the many gospel books, etc.

But I am really not 100% sure. I have not seen Jesus Christ. I am only intellectually convinced. I am also experientially convinced. My heart has been touched many times by the grace of God. But, maybe, just maybe, I am only 95% sure or 97% sure....

I have never spoken in tongues. I do not have any gift of vision or healing or prophecy. Perhaps if I have such spiritual gifts and abilities, I may be 98.5% sure!

I would like to ask my mentors and seniors, people like Dr. Wilson Lau, like Dr Roland Tan, like my pastors, priests, bishops and even the Pope... Sir, are you 100% sure...?

If they understand my question, their answer would be no. No matter how brilliant we are, our understand and beliefs will not be 100% correct. We are corrected, time and time again for understanding the wrong thing - one moment, we are told drinking 8cups of water a day is good, another moment we are told drinking 8 cups of water is too much, etc. We will never be 100% right. Even godly men, in the bible stories, had their moments of doubt.

But even though I am not 100% sure overall, one thing I am 99.99% sure - that Jesus died, was buried and rose again on the 3rd day and appeared to a few, and then to hundreds at the same time.

With this 99.99% level of confidence, I know that Jesus Christ is alive somewhere. This is enough.

All the rest of my belief may be only 97% or even 50% sure. But, but all the rest of my belief, doesn't matter.

Still Surviving !

Over the last 3 years, I have the opportunity to dabble in a number of business ideas. I have earnestly tried going into the caregiver's business, the property business, the financial industry and some other business ideas. I have been waiting for the stock market upswing as well. (But I lost focus and I missed the boat now.)

Experience tells me that the chances of success in business is not much better than shrew timing when buying stocks and shares.

With holding power, it is unlikely that you will lose money in stocks and shares. In other words, you will not lose money if you are a long-term investor.

In business, the chances of profitability is probably 20% - i.e. for every 5 businesses that I spend time on, only 1 will succeed.

I am now expanding my small business in delivering training products. I started off by providing Silk Screening Worshops for Primary Schools. By God's grace, I am now a certified MOE AMIS trainer and a Peoples' Association (PA) trainer.

I have started extending the range of products to teaching Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship. Now I am considering adding Decoupageing as a new product. I am trying to extend my customer segment from schools to RC Centres (Residents' Committee Centres) too.

So what is the relevance of God in all these endeavours? As a 'free-lance businessman' I am totally dependent on God's grace for customers and opportunities to close deals. I guess hawkers and businessmen generally have a 'religious pre-disposition' for the same reason - sometimes, oftentimes, whether you can successfully close a sales contract, is not something that you can control.

This is just some private information I can share with friends and readers. Please let me know if you can introduce any school teachers or RC members to me so that I can introduce my products to them.

Thank you.