Upcoming Event.

If you have friends residing in Marine Parade, please direct them to take a look at this poster. Thank you.

http://andrewsmu2005.googlepages.com/Learn-2-SkatePromo.pdf

Please click on link! ;p

technical mobilization

[Dear readers, sorry: this entry is really just a bitching entry.Sorry to bore you in this post. ;p]

Well, tomorrow i will be having a technical mobilization held by my reservist army unit. I would say i am a little apprehensive about it because this will be my 1st time wearing my army uniform again. You see i made the decision to defer my reservist training during my university days because i was reluctant to return to in-camp trainings when i should be enjoying life as an undergraduate.

I always have this utopic expectation that somehow i will be forgotten by Mindef but as efficient as the IRAS, Mindef sent me a letter a month after i graduated to inform me of my posting. Chee.. i was lamenting why did Mindef remember me???!!!!!!! You see i know of friends who deferred in-camp training in their uni days and subsequently they are forgotten by Mindef for the next 6-7 years. I brought this issue up to my dad and he made a remarkable comment, "Son, because your vocation is combat medic, the SAF is always short of combat medics. No way will Mindef forget you !!!!"

Oh well, anyway i was packing my field pack just now and my dad was laughing at my gungho-ness in following the packing list to the last detail.

Dad: "Son, speaking as a Old soldier of more than 40years, i tell you tomorrow, they will not even bother to check your field pack content. It's a Saturday and everybody wants to get it over and done with quickly so that they will not waste their weekend..."

Me: "Dad, but this is basic discipline. If i can't even adhere to this, then in every other aspect of life, i will also be this slack. Moreover.. i am a civil servant now..."

Dad: " [radio silence...] "

Oh well, i don't know why i suddenly feel like a new recruit again. Haha. I just finished polishing my boots to solid shiny black. I just ironed my uniform. My mum commented that it's a waste that i didn't sign on as a regular solidier.... duh.... haa

Run.. fat boy Run..

This is one memorable incident which partly prompted me to serve in my church's kids' ministry. I have not told anyone abt it except to Val.

It was a warm, bright and sunny day in Dec 2007. I was jogging in bedok reservoir park in mid day. It was the December school holidays and from afar i saw a group of kindergarden students. Apparently, they were on an excursion and were strolling on the tracks.

As i jogged past them, I don't know why i slowed down. Perhaps it was the heat. Perhaps it was the lethargy. But something surprising happened. Some of the kids at the end of the group started to run along side with me to spur me on. Then the rest of the kids cheered me and shouted "gor gor jia you", "gor gor jia you".

It was a scene which i will never forget. This genuine and spontaneous display of a child's kind-hearted spirit deeply struck me. So yup just thought i should share this with you.

Do you need a reason?

A few days ago, i was watching a HK drama and there was this scene which touched my heart. The child in the drama was making carnation out of straws and colored papers to give to his mother. When the mother received the carnation, she was pleasantly pleased and asked her child what was the special occasion to warrant this sweet gift.

The child in all his innocence replied thoughtfully, "Mummy, do you really need a reason before you can give a present to your family members?"

Now i understand that this dialogue came from the drama scriptwriters hence there is no way we can ascertain in reality if a child or even an adult might have the wisdom and maturity to utter such a line.

But, im indeed moved by this line. When was the last time you bought a nice sweet gift for your parents, siblings or your spouse/gf/bf without the need for a special occasion like birthdays or anniversaries?

Think...Ponder... Reflect.... ;p

A philosophical remark i overheard

Just like to update my readers that i have made a career switch from Market Research to the civil service. On Monday afternoon (21st Apr), i signed the appointment letter and subsequently i went to Raffles Hospital for my pre-employment health check up.

At the hospital, i was led to the X-ray department to take my chest X-ray. While waiting, I saw a few senior nurses were chatting with a doctor at the reception counter. I mean it was already close to 7pm (dinner time) and there were not many patients present. Hence, it is only human nature for people to congregate together to chat and gossip.

I was seated very near the reception counter and hence i could overhear their conversation. They appeared to be debating about the figures in some big ticket budget. The atmosphere and tone of their dialogue was amicable and jovial.

Then the doctor remarked, "You know the longer the days we work here, the more familiar we are with our work and with each other's work; so much so that nowadays we do not feel like sabotaging one another; instead we acquire the desire to help each other.." The senior nurses were awed by the doctor's comment and all concurred with the doctor's view.

How many people in the workforce actually subscribe to the doctor's remark? In this man-eat-man society where one man betrays another to climb up the corporate ladder; can the doctor's view ever grow roots and anchor well in the workforce?

I believe that there are indeed nurturing work environment in the workforce where there are no office politics. For example, my friend, Jane tan (not Jane loi ;p) remarked that for her, going to her office feels like going to church because the majority of her colleagues are christians. The overflowing peace, favor and wisdom that floods her office is indeed gratifying for her. Of course i am not implying that a nurturing work environment only exists in a christian dominated workplace.

I pray and hope that my new work environment will be 100 fold nurturing and 100 fold blessed. Amen..

Our children of GOD.. so smart, so cute!!

In every Kids' Ministry sunday service, there will be an allocated time when the young children* are escorted to the toilet for their toilet break. One teacher will be in the toilet to ensure the children wash their hands. Subsequently the teacher will help dispense a paper towel to each child to dry his/her hands because most of the children could not reach the paper towel.

During one Sunday service, i was assigned as the teacher in the toilet. One of my favourite student, Ruben did a remarkable thing. Without prompting, he washed his hands with soap and he insisted that he reach for the paper towel himself. He tip-toed and succeeded in reaching for one paper towel. I was so utterly impressed. On our way back to the service room, i praised Ruben.

Me: "Ruben! you are so smart today to wash your hands and reach for the paper towel yourself!!"

Ruben: [in a very sweet voice, tilted his head, winked his watery eyes and gave a wide open grin] , "Yeah i know...hee hee"

Haha i blurted out laughing. To hear these words of wisdom from a really sweet, cute, innocent and adorable child is indeed comforting. Chee our children of God are so intelligent!..

*The children here are only 5 years old hence they need close proximity escort and supervision.

Gear up for Your Battle everyday

Genesis 3:15

15 And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel."

Genesis 3.15 has been dubbed as Abba's declaration of the coming of the Messiah, through whom the serpent, Satan, was to be destroyed. The woman's seed will "crush" the head of the serpent. Note the Hebrew word for the verb (sûp, "bruise, strike, crush") suggests that the seriousness of the assault depends on the part of the body that receives the wound, in this case the head of the serpent.

Then in the famous story of David vs. Goliath, Goliath's head was cut by David and David returned the slain head to Jerusalem. Although the scriptures did not elaborate where Goliath's head was buried, my church's position is that Goliath's head was buried at Mount Golgotha. Observe that "Golgotha" is the same place where Jesus was crucified. Golgotha resembles “the place of a skull” (Matt. 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17). Hence, Jesus’ cross stood on “the skull aka Golgotha” and pierced it; this is synonymous with the same scene when David stood on Goliath and drew Goliath’s sword to cut off Goliath’s head. Most importantly, it fulfilled what Abba has declared in Genesis 3:15, that the serpent's head (aka Goliath's slain head) will be crushed (by Jesus's cross).

Building on this background knowledge, last Sunday during holy communion, pastor drew a very memorable illustration. He referred the Devil as the headless cooked chicken hanging on display at our hawker centre chicken stalls. LoL, he even commented that when we rebuke Satan, we proclaim "You Headless chicken, you have no dominion over me."

Anyway, as far as Christians are concerned, the days when Devil point to you at a snap of his finger and commands you to drop dead are OVER. Devil's powers has been clipped and removed by Jesus's Victory at the cross. Remember Headless Chicken? Appreciate that what the Devil can do today is merely to input words, thoughts into your head and tempt you to commit things you shouldn't and to tempt you into disbelief. Of course, the biggest danger posed by the Devil is that because he is a fallen angel ; he knows the bible very very well and he will attempt to mis-use the scriptures in the bible to sway you to do things against God's will.

What can you do about Devil's lies? God instructs Christians to use a very specific set of armor and weapons for us to rebute the Devil, counter attack and be reminded of Jesus's victory. Ephesians 6:11-18 provide a very detail description of the armour and weapon Abba has given you.

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

In anycase, trust in these Armour and weapon given to you by Abba... ;p

God left us clues

I have this interesting article from my kids ministy leader. This article talks abt the clues Abba implanted in fruits and ground produce which resemble the various organs in the human body. Just for your leisure reading! ;p

Dealing with Death.

(Artistic impression of the Burial of Sarah in the cave of Machpelah)

This is a topic which recently sprung up in my mind when I learnt that my good friend's loved one passed away. I have yet to experience death of my closest loved ones; thus i felt inadequate in consoling my good friend.

I tried to look through the scriptures on anything that talk about dealing with death. Then Genesis 23: 1-20 came to my attention. This chapter talks about the death of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Of the 20 verses, only 2 verses dealt with the emotional grief experienced by Abraham; while the remaining 18 verses focused on the purchase of a burial ground for Sarah. I believe Abba wants us to focus more on these 18 verses.

(Godly Grief)

I believe Abba condones griefing as a way to cope with the Death of your loved ones. In Genesis 23: 1-2, Abraham is mentioned to be weeping and griefing for Sarah. As you see, Abraham expressed the grief common to those who face the death of a loved one. Faith is not manifested by a stoic, stainless steel attitude toward death. Look even Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35).

(Purchase of the burial plot)

Let's examine the remaining 18 verses. Firstly, Sarah’s death brought Abraham to a point of decision. Most often when a burial plot is purchased for the first partner another is bought alongside for the surviving partner, and frequently a whole family plot is secured simultaneously. When Abraham decided upon the burial place for Sarah, he also determined the place of his burial and of his descendants.

Abraham thus bought a burial plot from the Hittites for himself and his family. Notice the irony here: He was compelled to buy a portion of the land God had promised to give him and his descendants(Genesis 15:18-21). How ironic that Abraham should humbly bow before these people and petition them for a piece of ground.

(Implications of the Purchase of the burial plot)

1) Abraham's act of purchasing the plot signifies his submission to the earthly authorities. Just as Christians are citizens in two worlds, not just one. While our inheritance is in heaven, “imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away” (I Peter 1:4), we have duties and responsibilities in this secular world. We must submit to earthly authorities and institutions (I Peter 2:11ff), obey the laws of the land and pay our taxes (Romans 13:1-7).

2) The covenant of God should be the basis for our actions and decisions. Abraham’s faith was in God, but it was not a nebulous, groundless faith. It was his faith in God’s ability to keep His covenant which prompted his purchase of the plot where he was to be buried.By determining that Sarah, and later he and his descendants, would be buried in Canaan, Abraham “staked his claim” in the land which God had promised. The land where he would be buried was to be the homeland of his descendants.

3) It indicates that in the Old and New Testament, the grave is the symbol of hope to a true believer in God. The cave of Machpelah stood for centuries as a monument to the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The empty tomb of our Lord guarantees the Christian that the grave is not our final resting place but an abode for the body until Christ returns for His own (I Corinthians 15)

(Concluding remarks)

Biblical scholars concur that Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age is revealed. She passed away at one hundred twenty-seven years old. In Abba's grace and mercy, Sarah lived a ripe old fulfilling age. Look even at the age of ninety, she was a woman attractive enough to catch the eye of Abimelech (20:1-2). In Abba's eyes, Sarah have found her fountain of youth and beauty. Look on the bright side, Sarah lived her life to the fullest.

Next, with regards to coping with grief, there is a noteworthy view from my good friend Jackie. In his view, until Rapture arrives, the body is not still not perfect and deaths occur inevitably. Abba prepares us mentally to deal with the eventual death of our loved ones. This preparation may first begin with say the loss of a pet when you are a small child. Then it advances to say perhaps the demise of a hi-bye friend, a very close friend, then eventually to the demise of your closest loved ones such as your children/spouse/parents. You agree on this?

Anyway, as deliberated so far in my writing, of the 20 verses in genesis 23:1-20, only 2 verses dealt with Abraham's griefing while the bigger portion of the verses centered on the purchase of the burial plots. Hence, I believe no doubt that Abba condones us to grief but He does not want us to sink in the sea of grief forever but rather to immerse in the bigger positive biblical implications from the purchase of the burial plot as a result of Sarah's death. The 3 implications discussed here are not limited as Im sure there are even greater truths to be learned from it. Of course, it takes time, time to heal and forget. It is not easy to get over it. Jia you MY....

Setting a Faith date

Out of an innate sense of nostalgia, i watched the drama series Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO) on crunchyroll.com. Although this drama was produced in 1998, some of the ideals preached by GTO are still relevant to this day and age.


There was one scene when GTO was involved in persuading one of his students to quit school & pursue her dream as a teen idol. The student had a deep conviction to pursue her idol dreams but she faced intense opposition. Her parents wanted her to merely graduate quickly, get married and be a good housewife. Her Headmaster concluded there was no future in the entertainment industry and rejected her request to drop out.

Subsequently GTO erupted into a fiery speech. "Why do you want her (the student) to lead a life in other people's expectation? Why do you hesitate and only engage in things where you know the outcome for sure? If you ask me if she will succeed? or If i know where she will be in 10, 20 years time? I don't know. But i only know the present; to pursue our dreams & live each day to the fullest."

This dialogue is so relevant to our daily lives. We are living in such a "kia-see society" where so many of us postpone our dreams. These dreams include like getting married, going to that dream holiday, changing your profession to one which you like or pursuing that higher education etc. People postpone their dreams because they lament that 1) they do not have enough savings or time, 2) their parents impose a different set of expectations on them, 3) they simply lack the guts to step out of their comfot zone.

How about trusting in Abba and setting a faith date for your dream? Just proclaim and declare to Abba that you will realize your dream by a particular date. Believe in Him that he will provide whatever you lack; be it money, time or dissolving social pressure. This is most true in the area of say Marriage. Typically guys will proclaim "I will only marry you when i'm successful in my career; or when i saved up enough money". DUH! common, so how long is that? Some christian couples i know simply set a faith date say to get married in 2 years time despite their lack. And literally up to the days before the wedding dinner, the financial resources just flow in by Abba's supernatural grace and favor.

Let us speak to Abba and set a faith date today for our dreams together ok? ;p

Is there a biblical way to bring up your child?

This is a topic which is particularly appealing to me because of my ministry area. From what i have gathered from listening to my senior pastor's sermons, the fundamental essence in child upbringing lies 1st in establishing their identity with Abba. Now for a long time, christian parents lament at being unable to discipline their children without invoking the 10 commandments from the law era. You do appreciate that it is difficult to discipline a child not to lie, steal , fight or quarrel etc. Invoking the 10 commandments will certainly inculcate a life of bondage and law in the child. So instead of telling your child, "Son, stop lying/fighting/stealing because the 10 commandments say so"; you could try, "hey, (name of your child), you are Jesus' boy/girl, and you are Daddy's God Beloved Prince/Princess. Now, a Jesus' boy/girl will not lie/fight/steal ok?"

I think secondly, it is about listening to your child with a graceful heart; ensuring that you are not quick to judge or condemn your child. For example, your child may tell you that he picked a fight today with his classmates. An over zealous christian parent will instinctively correct the child, "Oh!! you shouldn't do that. Oh!! you know that Jesus tells us to love our neighbours. Oh!! why are you so naughty?". I assure you, your child will never share with you such incidents again because they know you do not bother to hear them out. Parents, how about holding your horses and first probe why your child picked the fight? Let your child finish his words first. Perhaps, his classmates scolded your child? Perhaps, some kid snatched your child's lunchbox? Perhaps his classmates called you names and your child was trying to defend you? There are a host of reasons. Hear your child out and show your empathy 1st. Ask you child, is he/she hurt? Its important to acknowledge his/her emotions, in this case, anger. "Oh, yeah those kids are so wrong. What they did to you is terrible!". Then slowly talk to your child that being a Jesus's Prince/Princess, he/she should not fight and that a Jesus's Prince/Princess forgives because Daddy God loves everyone.

Thirdly, i observed that parents are fond of instilling redundant fear into their children. For e.g., "Son, stay away from the pool because there is a BIG shark in the waters" or "Son, stop hiding under the table or the bogeyman will bite you" or "if you won't stop crying, i will feed you to the dustbin. There is a wolf in the bin." Let me recall to you a personal anecdote. When i was around 5 years old, i needed to pee badly after watching a Chinese Zombie movie.( It was the 1980s, this Chinese Vampire craze was pretty rampant in the cinemas then.) So i couldn't hold back and relieved myself on the grass patch. My mum was pissed and declared, "stupid boy, Awwww your pee went into a coffin underneath the grass. The zombie will RISE and hunt you tonight!". That episode spooked me for the next one year, as i was terrified of going near grass patches or even walking on them. That is ignorance on my parents' part. I believe that our children of God should not be cowed into fear and submission with some man-made fear. Christin parents ought to reflect on this.

Lastly, whenever you bring your child to Sunday church, please for the love of God, don't say, "ah boy/girl, come let's go Sunday School ok?" For the entire week, your child has been in school; telling a kid, he has to go school again on SUNDAY!! That is so depressing yeah? How about rephrasing it as "hey let's go to children church to have fun, hang out with your brothers and sisters and celebrate Daddy God's love for you! Woo Hoo".

At this point in time, i have a strong conviction that bringing up/handling a christian child is definitely different from a secular child. For example consider two different job roles. One is a childcare teacher in a secular childcare centre whereas the other is in a Sunday school. The teacher in the secular setting can scold the kids at will and discipline them as harsh and frequent as the teacher pleases. However, in a Sunday school setting, the teacher is more restrained in scolding the children and tends to treat the children with more love, respect and restrain.

I did share this thought with my good friend, nicknamed "Unsolved" who is also a believer. Unsolved's reply struck me and he corrected me. As a believer, we should handle every precious little child (saved or unsaved) with the same love, respect and in accordance with the four guidelines i have mentioned so far. There should not be any discrimination, e.g. Oh this child is unsaved, so we can raise our voice louder and scold them whereas oh this child is saved, lets treat this child with more love and respect. This discrimination is not right because Jesus loved everybody, saved or unsaved. The only difference is that as a believer, we share a deeper intimate relationship with Jesus, we know the greater truths and we can enjoy the fruits of Jesus's unmerited & undeserved favors...

All right, just to update you, I love my time and work serving in my kids' ministry. Just 2 weeks ago, i helped my kid clean up after he poo poo. It's my 1st time doing this. lol! This is a valuable internship in raising kids!!. Ha each time i serve in my kids ministry, i'm also learning to be a better Daddy. When the time comes to clean up my own kid, i will know what to do. My 12 SIm Shong bo's and 12 Shong bo-rinas will be so lucky to have me as their Daddy. ;p

Balanced Work-family Life?

I once attended a job interview & i was asked to define what constitutes an ideal career. Without hesitation, i said, "An ideal career is one that gives me a balanced work family life". The interviewer let out a very cynical laugh and stared at me; as if i am a retard. Prophetically, he declared that a balanced work-family life merely means you work like there is no tomorrow in your prime and subsequently make up for your loved ones near retirement. He also declared that the whole concept of work-family life balance we learn in schools is merely a conjured concept. Of course, as a fresh grad, i humbly nodded my head then.

If you think in retrospect, Jesus was perfectly balanced in his ministry, mission, work , spiritual and social life. He had a perfect balance of action, power and wisdom. There are a variety of views on God's definitions of a balanced life. One camp feels that to live a life like Christ is balance itself. How this is fulfilled will differ in each person's life because each person is fearfully and wonderfully made - like snow flakes, no two alike. And to go with these differences in bodies and personalities, God has given us different skill sets as well as different spiritual gifts and different life goals and challenges. Hence, to live a balanced life is to live like Christ - to the glory of the Father. Therefore, [see Roman 12:2-3(Amplified bible)] perhaps we could pray to Abba to ask Him to renew our minds and reveal to us what true balance means to each of us.[what constitutes a true balanced life will be unique to each of us depending on our calling, stage in life, ministry area etc.]

Some suggests that being able to see the "fruits of the spirit" is a measure of whether one's life is in good work-family balance. For e.g. is the family living in comfort? Are your children laughing and smiling all the time? Are you feeling refreshed, radiant, alive and annointed? Are you and your family getting the blessings and favors? Others subscribe to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and they believe that to everything there is a season. A time to plant and a time to harvest. Hence, they believe a balanced life is about being sensitive to the seasons of one's life and then respond accordingly. Others also feel that the crux of a balanced life lies in 1st fulfilling the 2 commandants given to us by Abba in the new convenant. In Mathew 22:37-40,

37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

38This is the first and greatest commandment.

39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

What is your biblical definition of a balanced life?

The 2 talking animals in the Bible.

Do you know that there are 2 animal species who were able to speak in the bible? Ha this interesting information was 1st mentioned by my friend Jackie. Subsequently, i have been entertaining my friends with this piece of information. All right, if you have guessed, the 1st animal species was the Serpent and the second one was the Donkey!!! ;p

Refer to Numbers chapter 22. Balaam lived in Babylon and was believed to have the ability to bless or curse people. During that time, the Israelites were being led into the promised land by God and were commanded by God to destroy all of the current residents of that land. The Amorites were exterminated and the Moabites were next to be targetted. Balak, the king of Moab was worried sick. He devised a plan to engage Baalam to curse the Isrealites.

Balak sent the 1st batch of messngers to Baalam and Baalam's reply to them was that he would need time to think about this assignment. That night, God warned Baalam not to accept Balak's assignment because the Israelites were blessed by God. So Baalam declined Balak's messengers.

Balak, the king of the Moabites sent a 2nd batch of messengers to Balaam; this time he promised Baalam great fortunes and wealth for cursing the Israelites. The great riches were too much for Balaam to resist. Balaam prayed to God once again to see if God would change his mind. God had already told Balaam what to do so this prayer was an insult to God. When dawn came, Balaam left with Balek's messengers. God is furious and decides to kill Balaam for his disobedience using an angel to carry out the death sentence.

Numbers 22: 22-35 contains the entire episode of what transpired. In summary, Balaam was riding on this donkey on the road and then the Donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with a drawn sword. The Donkey then detoured from the Angel 3 times. Balaam was way pissed and he whipped the Donkey. God then opened the mouth of the Donkey and an interesting quarrel occured between Balaam and the donkey. Eventually Balaam realized his mistake. Nonetheless, he was still commanded by God to go to Balak. (See Numbers 22:35)

35 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

What became of Balaam? When he tried to curse the Israelites, all he could do was utter blessings. This was very frustrating to a man who was only interested in getting his money. Balaam should have given up trying to curse the Israelites and just accepted God's will. Instead, his greed caused him to come up with a new plan: he told Balak to tempt the children of Israel to sin. Rev. 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

This plan worked because it was Israel's continuation in sin that finally led to their captivity by the Babylonians and ultimately to their being dispersed among the nations starting in 70 A.D. God was not pleased at all with Balaam. So what happened to the man who thought a talking donkey was nothing extraordinary? He was killed by the Israelites with sword when they were destroying the Midianites. (See Numbers. 31:8)

Happy Biblical Birthday to me!

I recall with nostalgia that i embraced the altar call on 2th April 2006 (Sunday) and accepted Jesus Christ into my life. It was one day after Aprils' Fools Day in 2006 and most certainly my secular friends then thought i was playing an April's fool prank on them when i told them i embraced Abba.

There is no way i could have imagined myself to embrace Abba; certainly not 10 years ago. I have always been a very scientific, stubborn and logical person. People who know me all my life since young will never imagine this day. lol.

Anyway as the saying goes, "Do you have to understand how the Aircon works before you enjoy the aircon?" In the same context, there are still a lot of wisdom and rich nuggets of truths in the bible to be discovered by me. However in the meanwhile, it's good to just be at rest and enjoy the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross; enjoy the unearned and undeserved favors from Abba; savour Abba's wisdom which has been imparted to me to help me in my everyday decisions and be aware that Abba loves me dearly.

Happy 2 years old! ;p So, I am officially 2 years old now. YaY!.

A touching sight (Part II) Rebuilding of the Second Temple

This scale model of the Second Temple is based on descriptions of its architecture of the Herodian period, 1st century B.C.E. The temple of Zerubbabel's rebuilding was not quite so grand. [2]

The Israelites traced their common lineage to the biblical patriarch Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. An united Kingdom was established under King Saul and continued under King David and Solomon. King David then conquered Jerusalem (first a Canaanite, then a Jebusite town) and made it his capital. After Solomon's reign, the nation split into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel (in the north) and the Kingdom of Judah (in the south).

The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrian ruler Shalmaneser V in the 8th century BCE and the Israelites were spread all over the Assyrian empire, where they were assimilated into other cultures and came to be known as the Ten Lost Tribes. The Kingdom of Judah continued as an independent state until it was conquered by a Babylonian army in the early 6th century BCE, destroying the First Temple that was at the centre of Jewish worship. The Judean elite was exiled to Babylonia where they served the king of Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:12; 29:10) known as the "Babylonian Captivity"

Subsequently, a Persian King Cyrus brought about the fall of Babylon and ended the New Babylonian Empire in 539 BC. He was "the battle- axe" with which Abba used to shatter Babylon (Jeremiah 51:20), and Cyrus was welcomed and appointed by Abba as the liberator of the Israelites.(Isaiah 44:26-28). Within a year of the entry of Cyrus into Babylon an edict was issued (2 Chronicles 36:22,23; Ezra 1:1), granting permission to the exiles to return and build a house for the Lord in Jerusalem. Cyrus also returned the vessels of the Temple which Nebuchadrezzar[1] had carried away and handed them over to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. A total of 42,360 exiles returned under Sheshbazzar and among the exiles were Joshua the son of Jozadak the priest, and Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel.

In the first year, an altar was built and in the second year the foundations of the Temple were laid by Zerubbabel. However, the adversaries of the Jews, especially the Samaritans, expended great efforts to hinder the Jews from building the Temple. A letter is written by the Samaritans to Cambyses II to procure a prohibition of the construction of the Temple, and the work is interrupted till the second year of Darius.

As you may see the Israelites faced a HUGE mountain of criticism and accusations from the adversaries of the Jews. The accusations were so strong that the Israelites bowed down to the verbal attacks and lost the faith, courage and confidence to resume rebuilding of the temple. This changed at the 2nd year of Reign of King Darius, when Abba spoke to the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah. At their exhortations, the Israelites led by Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest regained their faith to rebuild the temple.

Let us probe in the Book of Zechariah. In Zechariah 1:18-21, Abba mentioned to Zechariah that HE will sent four craftsmen to hammer down the four horns which oppressed the people of judah such that no one could raise his head uphigh. Subsequently, in Zechariah 3:1-2 (NIV),

" 1 Then He showed me Joshua [a] the high priest standing before
the angel of the LORD, and
Satan [b] standing at his right side to accuse him.
2 The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD,
who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you!
Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?"

I believe Abba is pledging that he will HAMMER down & REBUKE the ACCUSATIONS from the adversaries of the Jews which led to the halt of the rebuilding of the temple.

Then in (Zechariah 4:2-3), Zechariah saw in his dream "a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." Subsequently, the angel said this to Zechariah: (Zechariah 4:6-8,Amplified Bible)

6 So He said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:
'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. 7 "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'Grace! Grace to it!'
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

Abba declares it so clearly, It is not by your Might nor your power, but by His spirit which ensures NO MIGTHY MOUNTAIN will stand in your way for they will become level ground by solely believing His Grace and His Spirit.

Indeed the overflowing grace and favor that ensured led to the successful rebuilding of the temple. Tatnai, the governor upon seeing the Jews rebuilding the temple again under the leadership of Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel, sent a report to King Darius to complain. King Darius managed to find the decree of Cyrus in the archives of Achmetha (Hamadan), and commanded Tatnai not to disturb the Jews in their work. He also exempted the Jews from paying tribute and that Tatnai and the adversaries of the Jews must supply everything necessary for the offerings.(Read Ezra 6: 6-15). The Temple was finally finished in the month of Adar, in the sixth year of Darius, and is dedicated with great solemnity.

[1] In the third year of Jehoiachim, the eighteenth king of Judah (B.C. 605), Nebuchadnezzar having overcome the Egyptians at Carchemish, advanced to Jerusalem with a great army. After a brief siege he took that city, and carried away the vessels of the sanctuary to Babylon, and dedicated them in the Temple of Belus (2 Kings 24:1; 2Chr 36:6,7; Daniel 1:1,2).

[2] Source: Professor Barry Bandstra
Hope College Department of Religion
326 Lubbers Hall126 E. 10th Street Holland, Michigan, 49423
Office 616.395.7752
Home 616.335.3345
Email: bandstra@hope.edu

A touching sight (Part 1).

Last sunday during service, a very touching sight caught my attention. There were 3 youths seated 2 rows in front of me. The middle youth appears to be deaf because the two friends beside him gave him a handsign translation throughout the entire 1.5hrs sermon. I can't help but be touched by the deaf youth. His disability did not stop him from coming to church, nor did his disability kill his hunger for the Word of God. An innate sense of affection flooded my guts. This scene matched coincidently with what Pastor was preaching in the book of Zechariah.

(Zechariah 4:6-8,Amplified Bible)

6 So He said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:

'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
7 "What [a] are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'Grace! Grace to it!'

8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

Abba declares it so clearly, It is not by your Might nor your power, but by His spirit which ensures NO MIGTHY MOUNTAIN will stand in your way for they will become level ground by solely believing in His Grace and His Spirit. Indeed, NO MIGHTY MOUNTAIN AND NO MIGHTY ACCUSATIONS/RIDICULES ABT HIS DEAFNESS detered this young deaf man from seeking Abba.

I am so deeply touched...

(I will continue in Part II to give you more insights into the context in which Zechariah 4:6-8 came about.)