Judas Asparagus!

Its been a really busy month for me and i haven't got to sitting myself properly to blog. Things have been piling up with uni, church, The Ambassadors and others. I will try to put some of my thoughts down soon. In the mean time, enjoy this article which found me laughing, crying, rolling, smiling, jumping all at the same time. Reminds me once again why Jesus cherished them so much and even commanded us to have faith like a child!

A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible. This is what one of them wrote. Enjoy and be blessed!

The Children's Bible in a Nutshell:
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.
Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.
Then God made the world.
He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.....Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.
After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet yourneighbor's stuff.
Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.
One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot.. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.
There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats.
Jesus also had twelve opossums.
The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.

But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.
Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

The renewing of our mind..

This is a follow-up to the previous post on my conversation with God where He used the analogy of the computer to teach me lessons. A couple of days later after that conversation, God had a part 2. He started to explain to me about the different parts and functions in a computer and how it related to Him and my life.

1. Hardware

The hardware of the computer is the physical components onto which can be loaded into a multitude of software that enables the computer to perform functions. Hardware is liken to the Word of God. The Word is the foundation of all we can do. It provides our core values and belief systems. It is the basis of whatever we do and determines our actions and words.

2. Software

Computer software is a general term which sums up all the programs that perform some tasks on a computer system. Software is liken to our understanding, our mind or our intellect.

(a) Anti Virus

Anti Virus is like our defense system against the evil one. We are constantly in warfare and need to be updated with the latest and most efficient tools. No use defending with a wooden shield when others have missiles. We need to be aware of the enemies viruses that seek to corrupt our mind and most importantly know how to defend ourselves or counter attack.

(b)Programs

Programs are like new artillery. New programs enables us to carry out tasks in a more efficient way. Imagine still entering numbered codes to type out a letter. We need to have innovative ways to carry out the assignment that God has given us. We need to keep up with times and constantly update ourselves to keep up with our surroundings. We should actually be the ones coming out with the new programs with Godly and kingdom principles. We should be the trend setters, not trend followers!

3. Warranty (Authorized Dealer)

All products have a warranty and the company will only honour the work of an authorized dealer in regard to repairs, and any violation of this agreement would result in the cancelation of the warranty. God (Manufacturer) created us (Product) humans to be placed on earth for a purpose. Since Adam violated the warranty, God sent His one and only Authorized Dealer, Jesus Christ to repair our damaged relationship with the Manufacturer. Therefore, our relationships with God can only be restored through Christ.

4. Source of Power

With all the hardwares and softwares in place, it will not power up without the source of electricity or power. Therefore, the Authorized Dealer (Jesus) came to restore the Spirit of the Creator to our lives. We are now able to connect to our Power source. God is our only source of power and we cannot do anything without Him.

As the old chinese saying goes, 'As we live to a ripe old age, so we will learn to a ripe old age'. The hardwares need to be changed over time as we grow in maturity. The hard disk needs to be upgraded to have larger space to accomodate the things that we have learnt. The softwares need to be up to date with the newest technology available to be relevant to the world and aligned with God's new move and plan. We must always rely on our only Authorized dealer, Jesus and not violate the warranty. Finally, our power comes from the ultimate source of all, God our heavenly Father.

The mental transformation in this computer analogy would be the downloading or updating of new software. It is a process that will take time and it will involve the changing of ingrained perceptions, thoughts and habits. It involves the passing of the old and installation of the new. This is the process of the renewing of our mind.

'And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.' Romans 12:2

Time to upgrade!

I was feeling down but not knowing the reason. I was feeling moody which was totally unlike me at all. I didn't know what was going on with me. Others realised it, and asked me how they can pray for me. I didn't know how to answer them because i genuinely do not know why. I just felt it. I cried out to God. It was a strange feeling because i didn't know what i was crying out about. But the following was my conversation with God.

God:' Isaac, why are you still using windows 95?'

*Wah, this hit me like a brick. I knew what it meant straight away. I have been living on my past. I have not been growing enough. I thought i was accomplished enough. I was in the mindset of mediocrity. I did stuff just enough to get by. One specific area i knew He was refering to me was in the studying of His Word.*

God:' Isaac, i want to teach you how to use Windows 2011. Ok?'

Isaac: *very excited* 'Yes, of course i want to learn. Teach me now!'

God:' Ok then, i will install it for you.'

*after a short pause*

God:' Sorry, i couldn't install because there wasn't enough memory. Too much junk. And you really need to update your anti-virus software.'

*I was speechless. This was a follow-up to His recent directions in asking me to FOCUS. I had too many things on my plate and needed to focus and prioritise on the things that matters most. I needed to clear out lots of the rubbish that i have been having. I need to free up memory for the new software.*

I think this is God's way of telling me that i need a renewing of my mind!

Every few years, we get a new handphone. Why? Because our old one broke or most of the time we felt the need to upgrade. There are new technologies and we want to keep up with times. Every few years, we get a new laptop or computer. Why? Because the old version is too slow. New softwares, hardwares and systems are available.

How often do we upgrade our spiritual system? Are we constantly updating our spiritual softwares? Are we keeping up with the spiritual times? Do we have the latest spiritual anti-virus software to protect our system?

Like everything else, we need to keep up to date with times. We need to constantly study the Word of God. We need to be up to date with God's move in His church locally, nationally and internationally. Renewing our mind. Changing from the old to new wineskin. Constantly listening to Him day by day, not get a word and feed on it for the next 1 year. We need a fresh Word from God every single day.

Lord, may my mind be renewed every single day or my life. May i be broken before you everyday. That i will be constantly aligned with Your will and purpose. That i may not stray from Your plan and Word. That my eyes will always be fixed and focus on You! This i pray Lord, Amen.

Being still in the midst of the storm..

I recently attended a business conference by a well known American Christian business man. It was very interesting, and a first such conference of its kind for me. One of the principles that he spoke about was ‘Focus’. It’s a simple principle but one that few master. He was explaining about our productivity rate. Most people operate at a 20-30% rate of productivity when carrying out a particular task.

The reason: We are often distracted by our surroundings.

Our mobile phones are usually the biggest distractions. An incredible piece of technology that has revolutionised our lives has become more of a nuisance than an asset of convenience. A loud beep like thunder announces the arrival of a text message into the inbox. Fancy music rings into the air of an already sound polluted environment. It has become a habit for most that we must attend to the beeping of a text message or a ringing of a call, immediately. Our minds cannot refocus until we reply that message or see whose call we actually missed. Sound familiar? An average manager is being interfered by their mobile phone every 7 minutes.

There was a study that was done by the University of Michigan. A particular guy was able to operate at an 80% level of productivity when on a particular task. What they did was to place another project file on his desk for his next task even before he had completed the first task. At that point of time, his productivity immediately dropped from 80% to 50%. When yet another file was place on his desk his productivity dropped yet again to about 20%. Therefore, a crowded or in most cases a messy work table, results in a low productivity rate. Some people might beg to differ.

I have actually personally experimented this and I found it to be true. I’m naturally quite tidy and can’t work with a messy table. But I will usually place my assignments or tasks that are to be done stacked orderly on the side. But when my eyes appear to catch that piece of work on the table, my mind immediately wanders about those projects. So now, I put them away under the table or in a drawer. And I realise that I get the job done quicker. Not only quicker but at a standard of higher quality. I never thought about it before, but it trains my mind to be focus.

According to research, it is said that students usually only have an attention span of 20 minutes. Sermons have to be cut short because the congregation has a short attention span. Conferences now have multiple tea breaks for just a morning session. These are all just excuses of indiscipline. What has happened? Man has allowed too many distractions into our lives that we have lost the ability to be focussed.

In the same way, it is similar to hearing the voice of God. The famous quote from the Bible, ‘Be still and know, that I am God’. How often are we still before God? Can we focus on God? When we are in church listening to the sermon, are we actually hearing from God or thinking about what we will be having for lunch later. When we are doing our quiet time, are we actually focussed on God or thinking about which route will allow us to avoid the jam to school. When we are worshiping, are we actually worshipping or thinking about making new friends with that new girl.

Have you ever thought why we close our eyes to pray? Who came out with this bright idea? Did Jesus pray with his eyes closed? I don’t think so. The Jews pray with their eyes open. They still do. Somewhere along in history, someone started to pray with their eyes closed to help focus on God better. That is usually the explanation given. Why? It was because the surrounding was a distraction. I am not trying to open a debate about open and closing of eyes, but merely pointing it out as a thought to think about.

I realise that as we practice concentrating our focus on the Lord. Focus on tuning our frequency to the Lord’s. Shutting off all possible distractions when we come before Him. And just being STILL before the KING. It is a special moment of reverence before our creator. When all things around us do not matter. The storm, the wind and the snow fade in the background. Our eyes are fixed with total FOCUS on Jesus! It is then that we truly experience the awesomeness of God!

Do not ask God to still the storm, instead that we may be still in the midst of the storm!

Love through a child's eyes..

LOVE.. Many people try to complicate this word. The most powerful word cannot be fully explained in mere words but through expressions through the works of our hands. I came across an email recently about a research that was done among children ages 4-8years old on the meaning of love. I was really touched and nearly put me to tears after reading their findings.

In Matthew 18, Jesus said:' Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes a humble place—becoming like this child—is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.'

There is so much we can learn from these little ones. Their understanding is truly out of this world, heavenly. Be Blessed!

WHAT LOVE MEANS TO 4-8 YEAR OLD

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries
without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before
giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.' Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.' Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones..' Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.' Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8

And the final one ...

The best of all was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

Embrace the dawn of hope

When was the last time the headlines of the newspaper was about something good? Nowadays, the majority of front page newspapers are often bombarded with tragedies, wars, credit crunch etc. One of the main sources of media that we all excess to feeds our eye and ear gates with all kinds of rubbish and depressing news. It has a psychological effect on the people, therefore we succumb ourselves to unnecessary panic, blame the government for everything under the sun (to the point that the government pays those who don’t work), rumours and gossip or better known as coffee shop talk. The world is being painted to be a picture of turmoil and suffering with a never ending chain of problems. The media seems to give the impression of, ‘If you can’t stop it, live with it’ attitude. Steps are taken to try and curb the problem or seemingly taking a course of action to help the public. Often things need to be politically correct and manipulation seeps in.

What has become of our world? End of times? Is there still hope?

As Elron, Lord of the Elves once said: ‘As the darkness grows in the east, the fate of man lies in the balance, but all hope is not lost yet.’

2009 is a year to be hopeful for. This is going to be a year of acceleration. A year of consecration of God’s people.

The number 2 speaks of division and separation.

The number 9 speaks of judgement.

3+6=9
The number 3 represents God.
The number 6 represents Man.

There is going to be conflict between God and Man. It will either be God’s way or Man’s way. We will have to choose. No more lukewarm-ness. No more grey areas. No more ‘just sit and wait’. God is looking for the nation changers and people willing to answer His call. Its time for us to wake up and press in.

2008 may have been a good or bad year for some. Whatever it is, 2009 is a new year!

Memories of yesterday, Challenges today and Anticipation for tomorrow.

Analogy of the Farmer:
'The farmer had a bad year of harvest. There was not enough rain, the seeds were not planted properly and there were prowlers who damaged the crop. He does not curse the gods for not providing enough rain. He does not fault the ground for being infertile. Neither does he blame the prowlers for being the spoil spot.

Yet, he picks up his tools and puts his hands to the plough once again. He gathers the failed crop not to throw them away, but to bury them. He turns the failed crop under the soil and plants the new seeds on top of it. The failed crop is used as fertiliser for the new harvest. He works hard, not knowing what season lies ahead. The ecosystem is messed up and he cannot predict anymore.

Nevertheless, when the rain comes, the farmer and his field will be ready. He is putting himself in preparation for the abundance.'

The farmer let the failed crops be the compose for tomorrow’s harvest!

Barack Obama, the new American president was lauded for his campaign slogan of ‘CHANGE we can believe in’. In his victory speech, he reiterated his stand and stated: ‘Today, Americans can HOPE once again’.

Joshua chapter 5 speaks of the Israelites preparing and strategizing to conquer Jericho. Jericho seemed too strong a fortress to subdue. Joshua is then confronted with a Man whom is the commander of the Lord’s army. The Man draws his sword against Joshua, not to engage but to challenge him to HOPE for the task ahead. The Lord will fight the battle on behalf of us, but we must do our part. Joshua laid his HOPE in the Lord for He has promised. He then goes back to his generals, scraps and CHANGES all the plans and applies God’s strategy. The Israelites did what seemed absolutely ridiculous by marching round Jericho city. I’m sure there was certain moaning and doubt of such an insane plan as they marched for 6 days. The Jericho-ites must have been laughing at the Israelites of what looked like a little ‘merry-go-round’. But on the 7th day, Jericho fell. Joshua was fixed on the dream and goal of taking down Jericho.

Don’t worry about the 6 days of marching, fix our eyes on the 7th day of triumphing!

God is our hope. Hope is the assurance for the future. Hope is the glimmer of possibility in the wake of uncertainty.

Let us bury our failures, prepare ourselves for the harvest and fix our eyes on the goal!

'Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 3:12-14

A home or merely a house for the Holy Spirit?

As far as my still able memory serves me, in my just over 2 decades of life do i not remember a holiday period that i felt bored. But i always remember and still get people telling me about how bored they are during their holidays. Not that they don't like it, but they just do not know what to do with it. So all they usually do is stay at home watch tv, play computer games, go out yamcha with friends, sleep for 18 hours a day, laze around like a bum etc. After 2 months (normal break), 6 months (SPM and STPMers) or for some 9 months of holidays. They look back not knowing what they have actually done. How sad..

On the other hand, i have been hearing about how busy some people are after their exams. They got a long list of things that they want to do. So many that many have told me that they feel more stress and busier than during exam periods. How nice for a change..

I have been more like the latter. I had a plan of a whole list of things that needs to be done. The very moment i handed in my last assignment for the semester i only had a moment for a sigh of relief. I had crossed the finished line, but now the real work begins.

One of my very first tasks was to attend a very much dreaded 'makeover' session which i was duped into on a recommendation by a friend. I shan't go into much detail but it was like torture to me. One of my friends even tried to encourage me by saying:' Maybe, it is a necessary grooming session.' Ah well, what comfort. But, it was an experience i would never forget for a lesson had to be learnt. Maybe not quite the grooming i had expected.

I was astonished at the magnitude of deteoriorating moral in the society that we all live in. Outward appearance has been place on such a high emphasis that we have somehow embarrassingly allowed ourselves to be influenced by it. Our judgemental mindsets eventhough never truly spoken in words (because Christians are supposed to love one another) has created a division of worlds, and people are trying to be someone else they are not. Forced to use phrases like 'Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder' to comfort themselves that someone out there, some where actually loves them. Then they spend all their time trying to emulate and copy models, celebrities or even popular classmates. I was also a judgemental person. I shamefully admit to the times even by a flicker of a second, sometimes unintentionally judging people based on appearance and using the standards of the world as a bencemark. Such is the impact of media and what we allow into our ear and eye gates.

Later, i read a section of the book, Prayer by Philip Yancey. A heart piercing reminder and follow up to my recent experience and conviction. And this is what was written.

'In the Last Supper conversation in which Jesus dequeathed his peace, he also promised a far greater gift; the presence of God, who would live not in some faraway heaven but inside us, in our very souls. He promised us the Holy Spirit, and the title he chose, the Counsellor, itself indicates one of the Spirit's main roles. The 'sense' of God's presence may come and go. Yet, the believer can have confidence that God is already present, living inside, and need not be simmoned from afar.

I have seen the evidence of God's presence in the most unexpected places. During our trip to Nepal, a physical therapist gave my wife and me a tour of the Green Pastures hospital, which specialises in leprosy rehabilitation. As we walked along the outdoor corridor, I noticed in a courtyard one of the ugliest human beings i have ever seen. Her hands were bandaged in gauze, she had deformed stumps where most people have feet, and her face showed the worst ravages of that cruel disease. Her nose had shrunk away so that, looking at her, I could see into her sinus cavity. Her eyes, mottled and covered with callus, let in no light; she was totally blind. Scars covered patches of skin on her arms.

We toured a unit of the hospital and returned along the same corridor. In the meantime this creaure had crawled across the courtyard to the very edge of the walkway, pulling herself along the ground by planting her elbows and drgging her body like a wounded animal. I'm ashamed to say that my first thought was:' She's a beggar. She wants money.' My wife, who has worked among the down-and-out, had a much more holy reaction. The old woman rested her head against Janet's (Philip Yancey's wife) shoulder and began singing a song in Nepali, a tune that we all instantly recognised:' Jesus loves me, this i know, for the Bible tells me so.'

'Danmaya is one of the most devoted church members,' the physical therapist later told us. 'Most of our patients are Hindus, but we have a little Christian chapel here, and Danmaya comes every time the door opens. She's a prayer warrior. She loves to greet and welcome every visitor who comes to Green Pastures, and no doubt she heard us talking as we walked along the corridor.'

A few months later we heard tha Danmaya had died. Close to my desk I keep a photo that I snapped just as she was singing to Janet. Whenever I feel polluted by the beauty-obsessed celebrity culture I live in, i pull out that photo. I see two beautiful women: my wife, smiling sweetly, holding in her arms an old crone who would flunk any beauty test ever devised except the one that matters most. One of that deformed, hollow shell of a body, the light of God's presence shines out. The Holy Spirit found a home.'

Oh Lord, I pray for the times that i have shamed your name with my thoughts and have allowed myself to succumb to the world. Forgive me. Give me the strength and wisdom for my days ahead. That my life would shine the light of Your awesome presence. Being the true light among the darkness. Amen