Insight

An American consultant was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."

The American then asked, "Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said, "Well, I catch enough to feed my family."

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard graduate and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

"But what then, senor?"

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions, senor? Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

It all makes sense doesn't it? .... we just got so blinded chasing money till we cannot see what is so obvious and simple ....

Dua Ribu Lapan (2008)

A new year,

A time for new beginnings,

A time for new challenges,

A time for new ups and downs,

A time for new "hie"s and "bye"s..


But not everything will be new..

Even if everything under the sun were to change, God will always remain the same. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

We will also still need to depend on God and in all we do, strive to do to our very best for Him.

There may be new challenges and difficulties awaiting us this new year, but fear not, and be rest assured that God will walk by our side.
He will not leave us to walk on our own. Just as He has always been with His people, He will always be with us.
"Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you", says the Lord. Let's keep hold to this promise of His as we face this new year.

Take care, everyone!


And..


HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!!

Feliz Navidad!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Forgotten Man

Hey Everyone,

A Merry Christmas eve to you..



So how has this Christmas season been for you this year?

Hope it's been a joyous one..



Anyway, just some thoughts over Christmas..


Was having QT this morning and the title was about "The Forgotten Man".
Any guesses about who this 'forgotten man' could be?

No no.. it ain't a Baby, whose birthday we're celebrating. We rarely forget about Him, although we do have troubles letting Him play the main character in our Christmas celebrations sometimes.

Well, it's actually the man who was given the responsibility to help bring up this very special Child.
Yes, it is none other than Joseph, the husband of Mary, the young virgin who took upon her shoulders the responsibility of carrying in her womb the Saviour of the world.

Why are we talking about him? His role ain't as significant.
You think so?

Well, I've always thought so.. I mean, he wasn't the one who was going to suffer the pain of giving birth to a child, who was to eventually die a cruel death on the cross at Calvary.

But then, I forgot one thing... that was he didn't have an easy ride either in this preparation for the most important birth of the world - the birth of Christ.
Having an angel appear before him (though in a dream) must have been a real shock. Not just that. I believe it must have also been terrifying. If I was in his shoes, I would've certainly asked myself, "Why in the world would an angel appear to me now (just before he was going to secretly divorce Mary - so not to disgrace her by making a public divorce)? Oh no, what will God be asking of me?"; I would definitely not be able to sleep well after that.

And if having an angel appear before him wasn't frightening enough, being told to go against what he was planning to do, and to take up the responsibility to be the 'father' of the coming Saviour must have been overwhelming, to say the least.

I would honestly not know what to do if I were in his shoes (probably that's precisely why Joseph was chosen instead of me.. hehe). I would've probably chickened out and let God know that the task was way beyond me, was beyond what I can do.
Well, come to think of it.. it was away beyond Joseph too. But he didn't chicken out. He obeyed. Yes, he OBEYED.

He knew it would not be an easy ride after that. He knew what was going to come.
He knew that people would look at him differently. I mean.. a pregnant virgin? Yeah right..
Well, not everyone believed that with God, all things are possible.
Not everyone knew about Elizabeth, who was at a very old age when she had John the Baptist in her womb.
Not everyone remembered how God brought the Israelites out of Egypt.
And not everyone believed in the prophets, who prophesied about a virgin who were to give birth to our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

With his own strength, he would've failed. With his own efforts, he would've eventually given up. Only God would be able to bring someone through this difficult period.

He had full faith in God. He TRUSTED God.

He trusted and obeyed.




Would you? Would I?

Perhaps, this is something for us to think about...



_______________________



Anyway, a blessed Christmas to all of you!

Merry Christmas!



...

The Thief on the Cross (Justified)

It was as though a thousand layers
Of fraud and murder and affairs,
Each wrapped around his shrinking heart,
And hard as steel, had come apart.
He hung there silent, numb and hoarse
From screaming at the pain. The coarse
And filthy language of his soul
Dried scarlet on the splintered pole.
No strength remained to comprehend
How these few, quiet words could rend
The wicked wineskins of his life
Where every other moral knife
Had snapped like twigs against the rock.

The man had heard the soldiers mock
The Lord, and joined them at the first.
He saw him keep his peace, and thirst,
And with this tongue he whipped and sliced
The folly of a feeble Christ.
And then by some strange providence
Of grace, above his impudence
He heard the word of Life—not preached,
But whispered low; and that it reached
His ear above the blasphemy
Of his own lips was gift, as free
As gifts could ever be. He heard
Above the mockery the word:
"O Father, please, I beg of you,
Forgive, they know not what they do."
A curse, half-formed beneath his teeth,
Fell silent to the ground beneath,
Like slaving ropes and prison chains,
Like fears and rage and guilt and pains.
But then the lurid memories
Like waves from demon-laden seas
Broke savagely against the light
Of hope.

The lad had learned to fight
For garbage just to stay alive
Before he reached the age of five.
When he was nine he stabbed a man,
A beggar, just to have his pan,
Then threw up in the alley where
He ran to count the coins. He'd wear
A holy garment like a priest
When he was grown and rob the feast
And desecrate the holy meals.
And set the stage for his appeals
To lonely women in their grief,
Until they learned he was a thief,
And he escaped to Jericho.
He formed a group called Ganavo
And worked the wealthy routes until
The roads to Jericho were still,
And Roman legions searched the woods
And found him drunk among his goods.

The prosecutor's case was built
With ease. He bragged about his guilt,
And cursed his way from court to cross
Without remorse, as if the loss
Of his own soul to endless woe
Were sealed, and he would have it so.

But now his vicious mouth was still,
And something deep within his will,
Begotten by the quiet prayer
Of this reputed King, was there
As new and strange to wickedness
As orchards in the wilderness.
And from his lips there came a word
That none from him had ever heard.
He turned his head so he could see:
"Jesus, is there a hope for me?"

At first he feared the Lord was dead.
But then he lifted up his head
To see the fruit of his travail,
And softly spoke around the nail,
"Today with me in Paradise
You'll reign beside the feeble Christ."
And when he heard the Savior die,
He gave his agonizing cry:
"My God! My God! How can this be!
Why hast thou not forsaken me?"

And do we not this time of year
Repeat these words with godly fear,
And stand in awe of sovereign grace
That put a God in sinners' place,
And turned his head to hear our plea!
Who is a pardoning God like thee!

The awesome truth of candle three:
A sinner justified and free!

- John Piper