Be ambitious for Christ

I visited Pastor Jeff’s blog  and included this abstract (below) here cos its kinda ‘links’ with my recent entries.

Check it out…

The motto of our generation is, “Safety first.” Many young men are looking for a safe job in which they can feather their nest, secure their future, insure their lives, reduce all risk, and retire on a fat pension.

There is nothing wrong in providing for your future, but this spirit pervades our lives until life becomes soft and padded and all adventure is gone. We are so thickly wrapped in cotton wool that we can neither feel the pain of the world nor hear the Word Of God…

Jesus did not remain in the social immunity of heaven, or hide away in the safety of the skies. He entered the zone of danger, risking contamination…

How can we make safety our ambition?

By Rev. Dr. John R. W. Stott

Are we following this script?

“If you track the life of average educated people, the financial script often goes like this:

The child goes to school, graduates, finds a job and soon has some money to spend. The young adult now can afford to rent an apartment, buy a TV set, new clothes, some furniture and, of course, a car. And now the bills begin to come in.

One day, the adult meets someone special, sparks fly, they fall in love and get married. For awhile, life is blissful because two can live as cheaply one. They now have two incomes, only one rent to pay, and they can afford to set a few dollars aside to buy the dream of all young couples, their own home.

They find their dream home, pull the money from savings and use it for a down payment on the house, and they now have a mortgage. Because they have a new house, they need new furnishings, so they find a furniture store that advertises those magic words, “No Money Down, Easy Monthly Payments.”

Life is wonderful, and they throw a party to have all their friends over to see their new house, new car, new furniture, and new toys. They are deeply in debt for the rest of their lives. Then, the first child arrives.

The average well-educated, hard-working couple,  after dropping the child off at nursery school, must now put their nose to the grindstone and go to work. They become trapped by the need of security simply because, on average, they are less than 3 months away from financial bankruptcy. From these people you often hear, “I can’t afford to quit. I have bills to pay,” or a modification from a song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, “I owe, I owe, so it’s off to work I go.”

Excerpt taken from The CASHFLOW Quadrant by Mr Robert Y. Kiyosaki

I have been thinking alot about this aspect of finance since picking this book.

Notwithstanding the controversies that surrounds this book, I find this book truly been helpful in terms of educating me in being more financial savvy or intelligent, instead of being rolled over and over in consumer debts and liabilities for the rest of our lives.

And I cringed at the thought of seeing myself embroiled by liabilities that would cripple me from being an effective instrument for God to use where I would be too tied down to be able to fulfill the Great Commission.

Final thought on this financial script: I guess this is how this life has to be (working or slogging hard and all that) as from Adam and Eve’s disobedience, we by default are under the same curse or punishment decreed by God (c.f. Genesis 3:17-20).

However, we can break this curse (especially the need of security on earthy things) with trusting Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Only He can redeem us and set us back to the original state with God and Man walking hand in hand; working smart and not working hard towards His blessings.

Learning to love the other half

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers

1 Peter 3:7 (NIV)

Hearing from the other sides…

As most are aware, the popular topic hawking the local headlines since last week had been the upcoming raise of the GST to 7%.

On the news front, we have have been reading and hearing primarily from our ruling party who have been presenting their points of justifying this move.

Now let’s hear from the other sides (Opposition Parties) and what they have to present for us to have a more balance view on the GST rise …

From the Worker’s Party (WP):

Parliamentary Speech- 28 February 2007

Budget Speech

Sir, the Second Finance Minister has outlined increased social spending in the years ahead. This is to be expected of any government faced with an aging population, an increasing income gap and the threat of an underclass developing if the income gap is unchecked. Looking at the Budget offerings, I support the principle behind supplementing low wages and keeping our low wage workers employed.

Read full speech here>>>  

From the Singapore People’s Party (SPP):

An excerpt from a MP’s dialogue session on 4 February…

We will like to propose to the Government, the humanitarian ways of helping the poor that without the need to increase the GST.

1.          To tax the rich to help the poor and not tax the poor to help the poor.

2.          To scrap the idea of lighting up the City skyline

3.          Put various  departments that are from same Ministry under one roof

4.          Cut down Government expenditure

5.          Stop or reduce assistance to neighbouring countries

6.          Stop spending too much money on fireworks  Ha ha ha ha!!! (laughter my own insertion =p) 

7.          Tax collection from IR, to be only use for helping the poor

8.          Optimize the land usage and release it to private for development

9.          Last but not least, exempt essential items that are necessary for our daily life from the GST.

 

View full details of dialogue session here>>>

The ultimate goal: 21st Century ACTS-men

As I was heading home and I was led to sketch this…

* Click picture to see bigger version

Wah Laaa…. like my masterpiece?? =P

Inspired after reading a story about Bill and Ed from the book CASHFLOW Quadrant. I was thinking hard on my own “water pipeline”. However my goal is not producing wealth, but ultimately developing 21st century ACTS-man for a globalised world.

They will be the leaders for tomorrow with cutting edge to influence, impact and intercede with towel and basin in hands, all ready to ‘wash the feet’ of others, especially in the global marketplace where the action is.

Building His Church

Frustation and anguish stirred within me as the sermon came to an end. And I did the next unthinkable thing. I cried. I really cried.

Pastor Kong Hee’s simple yet powerful message (video sermonThe power of pop culture) on how we, as Christians needed to be effective agents of God’s common grace to our world by using pop culture struck a deep chord in me. My burden was released onto God with every wail and tear.   

I was reminded of Nehemiah and how he too responded when he heard how Jerusalem was in shumbles and disgrace. He mourned, fasted and pleaded with God to redeem His people.

More importantly, Nehemiah made himself counted and eventually God used this cupbearer to lead the Israelites in rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem in merely 52 days! (c.f. Nehemiah 1:1-11, 12:1)

Likewise, my burden is about our Hope church (Adults). The nagging debt for the church building fund that is crippling us in progressing and our dwindling spiritual state. Though the numbers have grown (quantity) but in my honest opinion, it doesn’t reflect accurately the quality of us as His church in being relevant, compassionate and spirit-led/filled as Salt and Light in our community. 

We need to step up!

My cry: GOD PLEASE DO SOMETHING. PLEASE USE ME IN ANY WAY!!!

His reply: And I tell you…. on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (c.f. Matthew 16:18)

Everything happens for this purpose

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realise this. For the world was built to develop charcter and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in marching onward.

HENRY FORD

Time with Hong Teck and Mag

This evening our cell group had the privilege to have an upclose and personal session with one of our married couples- Hong Teck and Mag, from our church over dinner.

Hong Teck* is a full-time staff with Hope Church Singapore in the Hope kids ministry and has been married with Mag for almost 10 years with 3 wonderful kids.

 

It was a great time as not having many close ‘married with kids’ friends, I brought back many insights in what goes on in a marriage. Much thanks to them taking the time to be with us.

Many various questions were asked…

  • How and when did you both met and how did it hit off?
  • How do both of you resolve conflicts?
  • What are the common issues of conflicts?
  • How do you balance between ministry and family commitments?

And the lesson I learnt most: To be committed in co-supporting one another; when either party is weak or down, the  other should provide support instead of being impatient or selfish.

I truly thank God for godly married couples in our midst who choose to obey God and serve His Church despite the adverse difficulties pounded by the demands of parenting and providing the family.

Thank you Hong Teck for your obedience to His calling and thank you Mag for your great example as a sacrificial and supportive wife and mother!

* Hong Teck is incidentally another fellow Hope blogger. Visit his blog here>>>