While reading the article below, I can't help but to think aloud the defintion of progress, as often mentioned everything, especially by the government in the newspaper report. Some food for thought...
Living with stigma of leprosy
By Cheong Suk-Wai, Senior Writer
The Straits Times
LOCATED on the eponymous isle that flanks Penang Bridge, the Jerejak Rainforest and Spa is an idyllic retreat hugged by thick Malaysian jungle.
The visitor is greeted by glossy darkwood floors, intricate wood carvings adorn its walls and the linen is spotless white-and-blue. But for those old enough to remember, from 1871 till World War II, this was a fearsome no-go area that served to isolate leprosy patients .
It was, in fact, colonial Malaya's first such colony, to be followed much later in 1930 by the Sungai Buloh leprosarium set up in Selangor.
In Singapore, from where the British governed the rest of Malaya, there were holding areas for leprosy sufferers only in Kandang Kerbau Hospital and then McNair Road. Eventually, such patients were sent to Pulau Jerejak for good.
What a world away Jerejak's Balinese body scrubs, steam baths and jacuzzis seem from the frightful 4,000-year-old disease whose name comes from the Greek word lepis for scale.
Since 1873, leprosy has also come to be known as Hansen's Disease, after Norwegian scientist G.H. Armauer Hansen, who first discovered that it was caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
Up till the early 20th century, leprosy was thought to be incurable, but a cocktail of drugs proved to be effective in stamping out this badly disfiguring and nerve- deadening disease that often results in the loss of sight and limbs.
Unfortunately, it was often confused with syphilis and thus erroneously thought to be highly contagious when, actually, scientists have since found that 95 per cent of people are immune to leprosy.
All this makes the disease's tortuous and sometimes callous course in Malaya all the more tragic.
It was only in 1949, after three British nuns from the Catholic order of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood settled down here and agreed to nurse leprosy and tuberculosis (TB) patients, that the British authorities were willing to set up a leprosarium proper, the Trafalgar Home in Woodbridge.
Such things are all but forgotten these days, but local historian Loh Kah Seng has just launched his book, Making And Unmaking The Asylum: Leprosy And Modernity In Singapore And Malaysia.
The book tracks how the British authorities were bent on compulsory segregation of all sufferers, which in effect rendered anyone stricken by leprosy effectively a walking corpse.
It was from late 2004 that Dr Loh had been researching the history of leprosy in Malaya for the International Leprosy Association's Global Project. His core finding is that, in banning leprosy sufferers from mingling with the rest of society as a means of minimising the risk of contagion, Singapore's early governments prioritised the control of society for economic progress and modernisation above the needs of individuals.
Dr Loh, who has also studied the effects of the Great Depression in 1930s Malaya, points out that even so, the British were selective in how they regarded leprosy sufferers in their colonies. For example, he argues, because Singapore was important to them economically, they made it illegal not to confine institutionally anyone with leprosy. In India, under its 1898 Lepers Act, by contrast, only paupers had to be segregated.
While the colonial government pursued compulsory segregation on the grounds that leprosy was highly infectious, Dr Loh points out that they backslid badly when they were short on funds. In 1937, when the Great Depression squeezed budgets and housing people became a great cost, the British government in Malaya admitted that leprosy was only 'very slightly infectious' and that compulsory segregation was 'unnecessary and costly'.
His book abounds with examples of the British taking a sledgehammer to flies in dealing with the hundreds of leprosy sufferers, especially considering that TB was vastly more contagious but patients were allowed to roam freely.
Dr Loh records former leprosy sufferer Kuang Wee Kee as saying that, of the most-feared diseases in mid-20th century Singapore, 'leprosy, TB and mental illness were the three brothers. Mental illness was...the little brother. Second brother was TB. Leprosy was the big brother. These were the three big clans'.
Once segregated, however, the leprosy sufferers were well fed and encouraged to be active in the open air as much as possible. They even grew vegetables and tended livestock, albeit within the confines of their delineated compounds.
Many gave up the struggle against the hopelessness to which society had consigned them. Many thus became incorrigible gamblers, instigating fights and killing themselves.
Yet many other leprosy sufferers 'unmade the asylum', as Dr Loh puts it, by founding musical troupes, writing and performing plays, and publishing inmates' stories in magazines for sale.
Unfortunately, the push of progress continues to belittle their efforts to live with self-respect. In September 2005, residents of the Singapore Leprosy Relief Association had to move from their leafy premises with generous spaces to a flatted factory-like building. There, even for married couples, privacy is no priority. Finding their own digs is often a pipe dream given the stigma that still sticks to the disease.Noting how contagious diseases are rearing their ugly heads these days, Dr Loh muses: 'We have a social duty to be mindful of how ordinary people are treated, and mistreated, in the campaign against disease and infection.'
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Random Musing - Awareness
Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Musings on teachability
"The illiterate of the year 2000 will not be the individual who cannot read and write, but the one who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." - Alvin Toffler
"The most successful corporation of the 1990s will be something called a learning organisation."- Fortune Magazine
"The most successful corporation of the 1990s will be something called a learning organisation."- Fortune Magazine
Friday, October 16, 2009
Essence of Christian Growth - Lesson from Willow Creek Community Church
I have just stumbled upon this article while reading my daily read from Ravi's Zacharias Ministry. The article is food for thought, especially on how some church leaders do church nowadays.
Having been experienced my part of being required to fill up statistics of members' attendance weekly for Sunday services and cell group meeting as a leader, and having required to attend endless leadership meetings after meetings on Sunday, I realise the futility of such activites, if it is not translated into something that is more relational-based, spiritually rejuvenating, sustainable and life-giving.
All the records of attendance only serves to interpret participation and nothing else. Yet, the church leaders were so insistent of doing this weekly with legalistic emphasis on its meaning to church health. Their basis of argument? Simply that a healthy church will result in numerical growth, not just quality growth. After 10 years of my experience in my previous church, I beg to differ. Both are very important and are very related to church health. However at different stages and seasons of a church's life, its growth takes place differently. There may be some seasons of the church being cleansed and pruned for its mistakes and therefore it may be inevitable that some members will leave. It doesn't mean that it isn't healthy.
Sometimes, it does matter a lot to the church, to God and to the leaders themselves, if they bother to stop whatever they are doing, and reflect upon themselves whether what they are doing are still relevant to the needs of the people in the current culture and context.
Willow Creek Repents?
Why the most influential church in America now says "We made a mistake."by ChristianityToday, 18 October 2007
Few would disagree that Willow Creek Community Church has been one of the most influential churches in America over the last thirty years. Willow, through its association, has promoted a vision of church that is big, programmatic, and comprehensive. This vision has been heavily influenced by the methods of secular business. James Twitchell, in his new book Shopping for God, reports that outside Bill Hybels' office hangs a poster that says: "What is our business? Who is our customer? What does the customer consider value?" Directly or indirectly, this philosophy of ministry - church should be a big box with programs for people at every level of spiritual maturity to consume and engage - has impacted every evangelical church in the country.
So what happens when leaders of Willow Creek stand up and say, "We made a mistake"?
Not long ago Willow released its findings from a multiple year qualitative study of its ministry. Basically, they wanted to know what programs and activities of the church were actually helping people mature spiritually and which were not. The results were published in a book, Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek. Hybels called the findings "earth shaking," "ground breaking," and "mind blowing."
If you'd like to get a synopsis of the research you can watch a video with Greg Hawkins here. And Bill Hybels' reactions, recorded at last summer's Leadership Summit, can be seen here. Both videos are worth watching in their entirety, but below are few highlights.
In the Hawkins' video he says, "Participation is a big deal. We believe the more people participating in these sets of activities, with higher levels of frequency, it will produce disciples of Christ." This has been Willow's philosophy of ministry in a nutshell. The church creates programs/activities. People participate in these activities. The outcome is spiritual maturity. In a moment of stinging honesty Hawkins says, "I know it might sound crazy but that's how we do it in churches. We measure levels of participation."
Having put so many of their eggs into the program-driven church basket, you can understand their shock when the research revealed that "Increasing levels of participation in these sets of activities does NOT predict whether someone's becoming more of a disciple of Christ. It does NOT predict whether they love God more or they love people more."
Speaking at the Leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings this way:
Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back, it wasn't helping people that much. Other things that we didn't put that much money into and didn't put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for.
Having spent thirty years creating and promoting a multi-million dollar organization driven by programs and measuring participation, and convincing other church leaders to do the same, you can see why Hybels called this research "the wake-up call" of his adult life.
Hybels confesses:
We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ?self feeders.' We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.
In other words, spiritual growth doesn't happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage.
Does this mark the end of Willow's thirty years of influence over the American church? Not according to Hawkins:
Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture. Our dream is really to discover what God is doing and how he's asking us to transform this planet.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Importance of History to Our Faith and Life
Below is a great article that I have read today, reminding all Christians on the need to remember and make sense of the past, and its relationship to the present. We are all people with a past - we are who we are, due to the events and experience that took place in the past. Strangely, this importance was never talked about in the previous church I was in. As a result, we miss certain deep truths of life and our understanding of our faith in God when we failed to comtemplate make sense of the past happenings, be it in church ministry, work or our personal lives. To those who only have time to serve God but never anytime to reflect, this article is directed towards you.
People With a Past
by Jill Carattini, managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia
I confess that I have never been a student especially enticed by the subject of history. Whether studying the history of the Peloponnesian War or the history of Jell-O, I associate the work with tedious memorization and an endless anthology of static dates and detail. But this stance toward history, coupled with our cultural obsession with the present moment, is a powerful force to be reckoned with and an outlook I have come to recognize as dangerous. It is a thought perhaps to take captive, lest it produce in me a sense of forgetfulness about who I am and from where I have come.
Richard Weaver is one among many who have warned about the dangers of presentism, the cultural fixation with the current moment and snobbery toward the past. More than fifty years ago, Weaver warned of the discombobulating effects of living with an appetite for the present alone:
"Recurring to Plato's observation that a philosopher must have a good memory, let us inquire whether the continuous dissemination, of news by the media under discussion does not produce the provincial in time. The constant stream of sensation, eulogized as lively propagation of what the public wants to hear, discourages the pulling-together of events from past time into a whole for contemplation."(1)
Weaver contends that carelessness about history is in fact a type of amnesia, producing a mindset that is both aimless and confused. For how can we understand the current cultural moment without at least some understanding of the moments that have preceded it? History is not a static bundle of dates and details anymore than our own lives are static bundles of the same. But instead, history is the vital form in which we both take account of our past and fathom the present before us.
This point was driven home for me in a church history class full of future pastors. We were studying the fourth century, which was privy to a great influx of believers who left their communities behind and fled to the desert in search of solitude. To a group of people called and passionate about the church as a community, the great lengths some of these pilgrims went to live solitary lives was hard to understand. Words like "abandonment" and "responsibility" readily crept into our conversations.
But imperative to understanding this flight of believers (and arguably to understanding a part of our own story) is recognizing that this history did not come to pass in a vacuum. Up until the fourth century, the church had been under fierce persecution. Torture and martyrdom were prevalent; believers were recurrently in danger and often met in secrecy. When Christianity was suddenly made legal in 313, the church found itself in the midst of an entirely different set of challenges. People were now coming to Christianity in droves, and for the first time in the life of the church, nominal belief and careless faith was a reality. In this historical context, pursuit of the desert life was an expression of faith in response to faithless times. For the dynamically committed Christian, the desert was viewed as a way to not only secure and live out one's convictions, but to preserve the faith itself.
We may not understand the motives of those who chose to live their lives in caves of prayer and solitude, but I believe it is quite possible that God continues to set apart remnants who stand in the midst of time "like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not depend upon people or wait for any mortal" (Micah 5:7). Refusing to be historians, we miss truths such as these. We are people with a past that locates us in the very story we live today.
For the Christian, history is all the more a sense of hallowed ground, for it is ground where God has walked and faith is kept. We believe that history resides in the able hands of the one who made us to live within time. We believe that who we are today has everything to do with events we have not seen ourselves. And we live as a people called both to remember and to be ready, for we look to the author of the entire story, who was and is and is to come.
(1) Richard M. Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984), 111.
People With a Past
by Jill Carattini, managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia
I confess that I have never been a student especially enticed by the subject of history. Whether studying the history of the Peloponnesian War or the history of Jell-O, I associate the work with tedious memorization and an endless anthology of static dates and detail. But this stance toward history, coupled with our cultural obsession with the present moment, is a powerful force to be reckoned with and an outlook I have come to recognize as dangerous. It is a thought perhaps to take captive, lest it produce in me a sense of forgetfulness about who I am and from where I have come.
Richard Weaver is one among many who have warned about the dangers of presentism, the cultural fixation with the current moment and snobbery toward the past. More than fifty years ago, Weaver warned of the discombobulating effects of living with an appetite for the present alone:
"Recurring to Plato's observation that a philosopher must have a good memory, let us inquire whether the continuous dissemination, of news by the media under discussion does not produce the provincial in time. The constant stream of sensation, eulogized as lively propagation of what the public wants to hear, discourages the pulling-together of events from past time into a whole for contemplation."(1)
Weaver contends that carelessness about history is in fact a type of amnesia, producing a mindset that is both aimless and confused. For how can we understand the current cultural moment without at least some understanding of the moments that have preceded it? History is not a static bundle of dates and details anymore than our own lives are static bundles of the same. But instead, history is the vital form in which we both take account of our past and fathom the present before us.
This point was driven home for me in a church history class full of future pastors. We were studying the fourth century, which was privy to a great influx of believers who left their communities behind and fled to the desert in search of solitude. To a group of people called and passionate about the church as a community, the great lengths some of these pilgrims went to live solitary lives was hard to understand. Words like "abandonment" and "responsibility" readily crept into our conversations.
But imperative to understanding this flight of believers (and arguably to understanding a part of our own story) is recognizing that this history did not come to pass in a vacuum. Up until the fourth century, the church had been under fierce persecution. Torture and martyrdom were prevalent; believers were recurrently in danger and often met in secrecy. When Christianity was suddenly made legal in 313, the church found itself in the midst of an entirely different set of challenges. People were now coming to Christianity in droves, and for the first time in the life of the church, nominal belief and careless faith was a reality. In this historical context, pursuit of the desert life was an expression of faith in response to faithless times. For the dynamically committed Christian, the desert was viewed as a way to not only secure and live out one's convictions, but to preserve the faith itself.
We may not understand the motives of those who chose to live their lives in caves of prayer and solitude, but I believe it is quite possible that God continues to set apart remnants who stand in the midst of time "like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not depend upon people or wait for any mortal" (Micah 5:7). Refusing to be historians, we miss truths such as these. We are people with a past that locates us in the very story we live today.
For the Christian, history is all the more a sense of hallowed ground, for it is ground where God has walked and faith is kept. We believe that history resides in the able hands of the one who made us to live within time. We believe that who we are today has everything to do with events we have not seen ourselves. And we live as a people called both to remember and to be ready, for we look to the author of the entire story, who was and is and is to come.
(1) Richard M. Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984), 111.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Random Musing - War that We Constantly Fight Against
2 Cor 10:3-7
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he."
We are constantly at war and fighting, not just at the spiritual front, but at the ideological front for God's truth to be revealed. Strangely, the battlefield doesn't just lie in the marketplace, where we pit our weapons against the ideology of the world, but the battlefield extends deeply into our own homeground - The Church.
In the passage Paul was putting up his defence of his ministry towards the Corinthians, in an effort of repealing off the "bullets" and "arrows" of the untruth spreaded by other immatured and incorrect Christians. Thus it would not be strange if almost 2000 years later, such phenomenon still exists in the church.
According to Paul, he described the kind of war that Christians would have to fight. Compare the weapons that Christians use VS weapons the world uses. Christians use biblical truth from the bible, which Paul described as having "divine power" to demolish "strongholds". The soundness and the wisdom of the bible, vindicated by historical outcomes have such power to tear down and vanish strongholds of unbalanced, unsound, unbiblical, untrue, legalistic and illogical worldview and convictions that had been so entrenched to be considered "strongholds".
As Christians, Paul mentioned that we would need to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God..."
What arguments have we heard recently from other Christians or church leaders that seemingly right but we felt strangely uncomfortable towards, or that we observe things been seemingly bad when such arguments are being lived out by others?
Have we considered clearly the full counsel of God's Word, instead of just consulting our shepherds? What do the other Christians from other churches say about the arguments? From the way Paul said, it was as if the pretension comes very stealthily, and often very hard to be "detected", since it is "clothed" with "camouflaged truth".
Have we spotted any arguments and every pretension later? Are we doing anything to demolish these arguments?
Paul also mentioned that"...and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ..." Not just 90% of the thoughts or ideals but 100%. Any unbalanced and erroraneous ideology and practice would have to be made known and submit under the authority of Christ.
What would be the impact to the lives of people we cherish in church if such arguments and every pretension are not addressed promptly? I like this quote from Martin Lurther King - "Our lives will end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be unaware of the constant battle of beliefs and ideology within our minds, but learn to discern those which are right and uphold these beliefs and ideology against erosion by others.
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he."
We are constantly at war and fighting, not just at the spiritual front, but at the ideological front for God's truth to be revealed. Strangely, the battlefield doesn't just lie in the marketplace, where we pit our weapons against the ideology of the world, but the battlefield extends deeply into our own homeground - The Church.
In the passage Paul was putting up his defence of his ministry towards the Corinthians, in an effort of repealing off the "bullets" and "arrows" of the untruth spreaded by other immatured and incorrect Christians. Thus it would not be strange if almost 2000 years later, such phenomenon still exists in the church.
According to Paul, he described the kind of war that Christians would have to fight. Compare the weapons that Christians use VS weapons the world uses. Christians use biblical truth from the bible, which Paul described as having "divine power" to demolish "strongholds". The soundness and the wisdom of the bible, vindicated by historical outcomes have such power to tear down and vanish strongholds of unbalanced, unsound, unbiblical, untrue, legalistic and illogical worldview and convictions that had been so entrenched to be considered "strongholds".
As Christians, Paul mentioned that we would need to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God..."
What arguments have we heard recently from other Christians or church leaders that seemingly right but we felt strangely uncomfortable towards, or that we observe things been seemingly bad when such arguments are being lived out by others?
Have we considered clearly the full counsel of God's Word, instead of just consulting our shepherds? What do the other Christians from other churches say about the arguments? From the way Paul said, it was as if the pretension comes very stealthily, and often very hard to be "detected", since it is "clothed" with "camouflaged truth".
Have we spotted any arguments and every pretension later? Are we doing anything to demolish these arguments?
Paul also mentioned that"...and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ..." Not just 90% of the thoughts or ideals but 100%. Any unbalanced and erroraneous ideology and practice would have to be made known and submit under the authority of Christ.
What would be the impact to the lives of people we cherish in church if such arguments and every pretension are not addressed promptly? I like this quote from Martin Lurther King - "Our lives will end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be unaware of the constant battle of beliefs and ideology within our minds, but learn to discern those which are right and uphold these beliefs and ideology against erosion by others.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Service to God
I was reading Philip Yancey's book entitled "The Jesus I Never Knew" just now, on the chapter pertaining to the profile of Jesus when I saw these descriptions of Jesus.
"Jesus did not mechanically follow a list of "Things I Gotta Do Today"...He attended wedding feasts that lasted for dys. He let himself get distracted by any "nobody" he came across, whether a hamorrhaging woman who shyly touched his robe or a blind beggar who made a nuisance of himself. Two of his most impressive miracles took place because he arrived too late to heal the sick person...
Jesus was "the man for others"...He lept himself free - free for the other person. He would almost accept anybody's invitation to dinner and as a result no public figure had more a diverse list of friends, ranging from rich people, Roman centurions, and Pharisees to tax collectors, prostitutes, and leprosy victims..."
What struck me was the example of Jesus in living His Father's will in such a manner (He lived his life normally, going about doing his daily chores and duties while ministering to other people through his daily activities) - a stark contrast as to the example of Paul, whose famous words is to be Acts 20:24
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."
I had come across some individuals within church in the past who kept on glorifying this ideal. They would often quote the example of Paul in fulfilling the Great Commission and would use this verse to urge all their followers to follow the example of Paul. The result of such kind of ministry is that the church simply have no time for people who can't match up nor measure up. Another result is that the church don't have time to reflect upon past mistakes, nor change for the better. "Move on with God and serve God" they said and "Leave the past behind."
There is nothing absolutely wrong with the life of Paul. The issue arises when his ideal and the example is overly emphasized by some individuals as compared to other biblical heroes whose faith, character, belief and deeds ought to be embraced as well. After reading this descriptions from Philip Yancey, I can't help but to say this - I would rather follow the example of Jesus than Paul, to the dismay of those individuals whom I had encountered in the past.
To those who are still in such a system whereby serving God equals to giving all your time to church and its activities, and you do not simply have time for other peope, a food for thought- How to reconcile the life of Jesus (seemingly free and available for people) as compared to the life of Paul (rushed, kept on doing things for God)?
What is God's will when comes to serving Him? What constitutes our service to God?
"Jesus did not mechanically follow a list of "Things I Gotta Do Today"...He attended wedding feasts that lasted for dys. He let himself get distracted by any "nobody" he came across, whether a hamorrhaging woman who shyly touched his robe or a blind beggar who made a nuisance of himself. Two of his most impressive miracles took place because he arrived too late to heal the sick person...
Jesus was "the man for others"...He lept himself free - free for the other person. He would almost accept anybody's invitation to dinner and as a result no public figure had more a diverse list of friends, ranging from rich people, Roman centurions, and Pharisees to tax collectors, prostitutes, and leprosy victims..."
What struck me was the example of Jesus in living His Father's will in such a manner (He lived his life normally, going about doing his daily chores and duties while ministering to other people through his daily activities) - a stark contrast as to the example of Paul, whose famous words is to be Acts 20:24
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."
I had come across some individuals within church in the past who kept on glorifying this ideal. They would often quote the example of Paul in fulfilling the Great Commission and would use this verse to urge all their followers to follow the example of Paul. The result of such kind of ministry is that the church simply have no time for people who can't match up nor measure up. Another result is that the church don't have time to reflect upon past mistakes, nor change for the better. "Move on with God and serve God" they said and "Leave the past behind."
There is nothing absolutely wrong with the life of Paul. The issue arises when his ideal and the example is overly emphasized by some individuals as compared to other biblical heroes whose faith, character, belief and deeds ought to be embraced as well. After reading this descriptions from Philip Yancey, I can't help but to say this - I would rather follow the example of Jesus than Paul, to the dismay of those individuals whom I had encountered in the past.
To those who are still in such a system whereby serving God equals to giving all your time to church and its activities, and you do not simply have time for other peope, a food for thought- How to reconcile the life of Jesus (seemingly free and available for people) as compared to the life of Paul (rushed, kept on doing things for God)?
What is God's will when comes to serving Him? What constitutes our service to God?
Friday, September 11, 2009
Funny Joke
There was this Japanese tourist who goes on holiday in the States and goes to a money changer to convert his yen into dollars and is disturbed to find that he gets fewer dollars than he expects.
“Why so little ne?”, he asks,
to which the helpful money changer explains that it’s due to “fluctuations”.
Shocked, he yells at the money changer, “Well, fluck you Amelicans too”.
PS: Can you catch the joke? Focus on the pronuciation of “fluctuations”. Cheers
“Why so little ne?”, he asks,
to which the helpful money changer explains that it’s due to “fluctuations”.
Shocked, he yells at the money changer, “Well, fluck you Amelicans too”.
PS: Can you catch the joke? Focus on the pronuciation of “fluctuations”. Cheers
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Cult Watch
I know that some of you are following my blog. Just want to share with you this website that I have been introduced recently and it had certainly helped me made a great deal of sense of things that had previously happened in church. I hope to share to all of you, so that you too can "open" your eyes, and be free from human "indoctrination" of teachings which are not as biblical as claimed to be by the church leaders.
http://www.cultwatch.com/
For those who knows me, do feel free to ask me out to clarify more on the article.
Bless!
http://www.cultwatch.com/
For those who knows me, do feel free to ask me out to clarify more on the article.
Bless!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Important Things in Life
I've received this story from my CEO (Yes, it's the CEO of NCSS. She's actually very nice and always motivates us by sending us inspiring stories and quotes) and immediately some thoughts come to my mind. We all know that almost intuitively that our family, children, health, friends, etc are the most important things in our lives. However, it's funny that some churches preaches otherwise, that "serving God to the utmost", to the point whereby we sacrificed these important things to show our love to God is the noblest.
Food for thoughts on what exactly is God's will for each of our lives.
Enjoy the story!
The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle, when 24 Hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls..
He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. ! He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf ball. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it
into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.. 'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, friends, and favourite passions - Things that if everything else was lost and only they! remained, Your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else --The small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and! inquired what the coffee
represented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
Please share this with other "Golf Balls"
Food for thoughts on what exactly is God's will for each of our lives.
Enjoy the story!
The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle, when 24 Hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls..
He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. ! He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf ball. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it
into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.. 'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, friends, and favourite passions - Things that if everything else was lost and only they! remained, Your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else --The small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and! inquired what the coffee
represented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
Please share this with other "Golf Balls"
Monday, September 7, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Muser over Kong Hee's Blog
I came across this blog from the Pastor of City Harvest Church.
http://www.konghee.com/www/category/blog/
Inside the blog, there are a lot of postings of his own personal take as a Chrisitian on some of real life issues and concerning recent happenings in Singapore. Moreover, it generates a lot of discussions, further insights, alternative perspectives and more other questions revolving around these issues.
Personally I think that is a great way of growing in being word-centered, especially pertaining to comtemplatory issues that we have to deal with but yet, there are few channels to discuss. Moreover non-believers who have misconception about the Christian faith and belief can see the discussions for themselves to have an accurate, better and complete understanding of the Christian faith. Moreover, the Pastor understands the "potential", "power" and the "reach" of Internet to engage people through the use of his blog.
Well done.
http://www.konghee.com/www/category/blog/
Inside the blog, there are a lot of postings of his own personal take as a Chrisitian on some of real life issues and concerning recent happenings in Singapore. Moreover, it generates a lot of discussions, further insights, alternative perspectives and more other questions revolving around these issues.
Personally I think that is a great way of growing in being word-centered, especially pertaining to comtemplatory issues that we have to deal with but yet, there are few channels to discuss. Moreover non-believers who have misconception about the Christian faith and belief can see the discussions for themselves to have an accurate, better and complete understanding of the Christian faith. Moreover, the Pastor understands the "potential", "power" and the "reach" of Internet to engage people through the use of his blog.
Well done.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Parable of the Good Samaritian
Luke 10:25 - 37 (NLT)
“A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
It is so interesting to experience the bible so directly in our lives and to translate the knowledge from an intellectual one to an experiential one. Recently I have the "privilege" to come across this story from my friends who was preparing for their marriage.
They were once very fervent in serving the church and the church community but because of some incidents were no longer doing so. Recently as they were preparing for their wedding, they needed some people to be their key helpers for the event. Due to their commitment to the church community previously, they were not so in contact with their own friends outside the church community. As such, they could only turn to those whom serve with them in the past from church for help.
They encountered mixed responses to their requests from the people they asked, ranging from the enthusiastic and supportive ones to those who were hesitant. The interesting fact was that those who were hesitant were the ones who served as fellow church leaders with them in the past. They were hesitant as they needed to be involved to run service on Sat for their group. I can imagine myself in the shoes of my friends and how they are to make sense of these people.
How to we serve God? Does serving God entail only doing religious matter, e.g. running church service, leading caregroup, etc? Or is it that helping a fellow brother and sister in Christ who's getting married once in a life time, less desirable than running service (which takes place 52 weeks a year?). Does it mean that we are loving God lesser if we were to help out in the wedding while ignoring running of service?
We have on hand, a real-life case study for Luke 10:25 - 37, and something for us to experience and learn experientially. It beats having to attend church service and listen to pastors preaching week after week.
My personal reflection is this: I would rather have a Samaritian for friend anytime than a Priest or a Temple Assistant. The Samaritian may not be perfect or religious (attending service or caregroup regularly) but at least the Samaritian reflects Christ and His love in my life.
“A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
It is so interesting to experience the bible so directly in our lives and to translate the knowledge from an intellectual one to an experiential one. Recently I have the "privilege" to come across this story from my friends who was preparing for their marriage.
They were once very fervent in serving the church and the church community but because of some incidents were no longer doing so. Recently as they were preparing for their wedding, they needed some people to be their key helpers for the event. Due to their commitment to the church community previously, they were not so in contact with their own friends outside the church community. As such, they could only turn to those whom serve with them in the past from church for help.
They encountered mixed responses to their requests from the people they asked, ranging from the enthusiastic and supportive ones to those who were hesitant. The interesting fact was that those who were hesitant were the ones who served as fellow church leaders with them in the past. They were hesitant as they needed to be involved to run service on Sat for their group. I can imagine myself in the shoes of my friends and how they are to make sense of these people.
How to we serve God? Does serving God entail only doing religious matter, e.g. running church service, leading caregroup, etc? Or is it that helping a fellow brother and sister in Christ who's getting married once in a life time, less desirable than running service (which takes place 52 weeks a year?). Does it mean that we are loving God lesser if we were to help out in the wedding while ignoring running of service?
We have on hand, a real-life case study for Luke 10:25 - 37, and something for us to experience and learn experientially. It beats having to attend church service and listen to pastors preaching week after week.
My personal reflection is this: I would rather have a Samaritian for friend anytime than a Priest or a Temple Assistant. The Samaritian may not be perfect or religious (attending service or caregroup regularly) but at least the Samaritian reflects Christ and His love in my life.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Muser over Foreword by PM Lee
The following statement made by PM Lee as the foreword for the book "Economics in Public Policies - The Singapore Story" caught my attention and is so apt to describe my thoughts towards the church.
"A better informed and engaged citizenry will more likely support rational policies that ensure our continued growth and success..."
For more information on the context of this statement, you can refer to the following link below.
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC090723-0000127/That-deadly-deficit-hangover
Simply translated in the church context, it means "Better informed and engagaed church members will more likely to support comprehensive, well-considered and thought through policies that ensure our substained, continued growth and success..."
Is it sufficient at the level of information dissemination by the church leadership?
Is it sufficient at the level of members' engagement in decision making of important things?
How does better informed and engaged church members "fit into" the vision of "Fulfilling the Great Commission by raising Christ-centred disciples to plant vibrant, biblical churches in our city, country and all over the world"?
If raising Christ-centred disciples means making disciples who are engaged in Kingdom business, whose convictions and conclusions of their surroundings are based on truth and adequate information about the happenings, then is the leadership doing enough to promote this?
Is it time to align our leadership practices to our beliefs?
"A better informed and engaged citizenry will more likely support rational policies that ensure our continued growth and success..."
For more information on the context of this statement, you can refer to the following link below.
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC090723-0000127/That-deadly-deficit-hangover
Simply translated in the church context, it means "Better informed and engagaed church members will more likely to support comprehensive, well-considered and thought through policies that ensure our substained, continued growth and success..."
Is it sufficient at the level of information dissemination by the church leadership?
Is it sufficient at the level of members' engagement in decision making of important things?
How does better informed and engaged church members "fit into" the vision of "Fulfilling the Great Commission by raising Christ-centred disciples to plant vibrant, biblical churches in our city, country and all over the world"?
If raising Christ-centred disciples means making disciples who are engaged in Kingdom business, whose convictions and conclusions of their surroundings are based on truth and adequate information about the happenings, then is the leadership doing enough to promote this?
Is it time to align our leadership practices to our beliefs?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Glorifying God - Faith VS Thinking
I have just came across this statement from someone in facebook, "Faith is living in advance when thinking is reversed." The person proclaimed that this is the way that this was the way he/she would live. Well, this is not the first time which I have experienced such belief from Christians, not this is the first ever issue to be debated in Christiandom. The issue of faith VS thinking had been long standing.
Matt 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27 all talk about loving God with our minds. How do we love God with our minds if we were not to "think" with our minds? After all, isn't that what our minds are to function?
Or what about Matt 25:14-28 pertaining to stewardship? God has entrusted us to grow and develop what He had given to us. If he has given us the capacity to think and rationale, then shouldn't we try to do our best to develop it?
Or what about Phil 1:9-11? If we don't think, how can our love be abound in knowledge and grow in depth of insight? How are we to discern what is best so that we may be pure and blameless? Simply by feeling alone?
Now let's consider faith. Heb 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." The statement is self-explanatory.
I will like to suggest that it is possible to assimilate both truths into our worldview to have a balanced understanding to things. I dare to suggest that in this world (given Murphey's Law and the many factors which interacts to affect the outcome, nothing is absolutely certain). No matter how much we plan, think and think of all the contingencies, we would still have things which are uncertain. It is therefore still necessary for us to live our lives in "faith" and on dependence on God as nothing is for certain. We can only trust in God for things to turn out as we have hope for and think. Thinking is about stewardship and after that, it's all about faith. We can excel as Christian believers in both.
I think I have given a brief but concise thoughts about the issue of faith VS thinking. For those who aren't convinced and still "glorifies" faith in absence of thinking", may I suggest that you apply Revelation 3:15-16. Either go all the way for your belief and conviction, and simply kiss your brain goodbye, or stop and "think" for a while.
Matt 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27 all talk about loving God with our minds. How do we love God with our minds if we were not to "think" with our minds? After all, isn't that what our minds are to function?
Or what about Matt 25:14-28 pertaining to stewardship? God has entrusted us to grow and develop what He had given to us. If he has given us the capacity to think and rationale, then shouldn't we try to do our best to develop it?
Or what about Phil 1:9-11? If we don't think, how can our love be abound in knowledge and grow in depth of insight? How are we to discern what is best so that we may be pure and blameless? Simply by feeling alone?
Now let's consider faith. Heb 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." The statement is self-explanatory.
I will like to suggest that it is possible to assimilate both truths into our worldview to have a balanced understanding to things. I dare to suggest that in this world (given Murphey's Law and the many factors which interacts to affect the outcome, nothing is absolutely certain). No matter how much we plan, think and think of all the contingencies, we would still have things which are uncertain. It is therefore still necessary for us to live our lives in "faith" and on dependence on God as nothing is for certain. We can only trust in God for things to turn out as we have hope for and think. Thinking is about stewardship and after that, it's all about faith. We can excel as Christian believers in both.
I think I have given a brief but concise thoughts about the issue of faith VS thinking. For those who aren't convinced and still "glorifies" faith in absence of thinking", may I suggest that you apply Revelation 3:15-16. Either go all the way for your belief and conviction, and simply kiss your brain goodbye, or stop and "think" for a while.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tis the season to be free and have fun, experience life to the fullest, re-establish deep and meaningful relationships
Rom 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
__________________________________
The recent development of things have skewed my thoughts towards desiring something that is further and further away from what I've always believed in the past. God knows how much I have felt for some issues and how I have struggled intensely, hoping to see light and hope in the situation.
If Romans 8:28 is true, all the events are pointing towards breaking free from an institution which no longer engages me, in which its followers are into producing "unthinking" replicates and clones of themselves, and in which its leadership is not based on openness, soundmindedness, wisdom, accountability and establishing trust but rather in blind faith and trust, hierachy, and advocation of unbalanced truth.
Tis the season to be free and have fun, not to be too overly concerned with things that I couldn't change which others are blind to.
Tis is the season to experience again life to the fullest, without the hindrances by people whose vision are narrowed and short-sighted.
Tis is the season to re-establish deep and meaningful relationships, free from commitment to a "family"of mere acquaintance, who pledged their allegiances which they aren't able to keep.
Thank God for the revelation of reality VS distorted perception.
Blue pill or the red pill?
I will rather take the full truth of things anytime than water-downed and distorted fairy-tale.
__________________________________
The recent development of things have skewed my thoughts towards desiring something that is further and further away from what I've always believed in the past. God knows how much I have felt for some issues and how I have struggled intensely, hoping to see light and hope in the situation.
If Romans 8:28 is true, all the events are pointing towards breaking free from an institution which no longer engages me, in which its followers are into producing "unthinking" replicates and clones of themselves, and in which its leadership is not based on openness, soundmindedness, wisdom, accountability and establishing trust but rather in blind faith and trust, hierachy, and advocation of unbalanced truth.
Tis the season to be free and have fun, not to be too overly concerned with things that I couldn't change which others are blind to.
Tis is the season to experience again life to the fullest, without the hindrances by people whose vision are narrowed and short-sighted.
Tis is the season to re-establish deep and meaningful relationships, free from commitment to a "family"of mere acquaintance, who pledged their allegiances which they aren't able to keep.
Thank God for the revelation of reality VS distorted perception.
Blue pill or the red pill?
I will rather take the full truth of things anytime than water-downed and distorted fairy-tale.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
How many true friends are out there to help fight for our interests?
I have just came across the article below about 2 weeks ago. At the same time, there occurred an incident, in which some church leaders handled with insensitivity and lack of discretion, resulting in some other people and myself to feel not valued and with a bitter after-taste. On our part, we had already feedback the leaders and had established some understandings of the matter.
As I read the article below, I can't help but to ponder about the responses of the people whom I had shared with on the actual incident that happened and what to make sense of their responses. It is obviously that I have a case to make, and with the exception of a few individuals who were in the same boat as me, the people whom I shared with didn't respond in a way that they felt unjust on our behalf and spoke against the way it was done. I can't help but to wonder this: If this is someone whom you considered your friend and he is being treated like that, how would you respond? How come you can respond so calmly and not feel anything nor speak about the unjust things that were done? This is so in contrast with the points in bold below.
Are you a true friend? When is the last time you fought for the rights of your friends?
___________________________________
The Many Faces of Humility
I don’t want to walk with the proud. But neither do I want to be counted among the humble.
Humility has P. R. problems. Pride has done a good job ruining the reputation of its rival. Many of us cannot even think of humility without suspecting pride in disguise, or an unhealthy and self-defeating personality.
Part of the problem seems to be that humility acts a lot like pride. Both show up at the same parties. Both have a closet full of disguises. Both try to avoid detection. What is different, however, are their motives. While pride hides to avoid guilt and conviction, “H” stays in the background because of its concern for the joys and pains of others.
With these differing motives in view, see if you recognize the following tactics and strategies of the “H” factor.
Leading humility—While known for producing followers, the “H” factor can also produce leaders. Caring about the needs of others can be a strong motivation for taking the risks of leadership.
Hating humility—While having a reputation for genuine love, humility also knows how to hate anything that threatens the well-being of others.
Speaking humility—Sometimes seen as shy, humility will speak up quickly and loudly, even at its own expense, when it sees the interests of others at stake.
Defending humility—Often known for “turning the other cheek” in response to insults, humility can use physical force against an enemy if the situation calls for personal or national self-defense.
Receiving humility—Known for giving sacrificially to meet the needs of others, humility also knows when to gratefully receive help and kindness.
Laughing humility—While humility knows when to cry, it spends a good deal of its time laughing with the joys of others and enjoying the favor of God.
Urgent humility—More often than not, the “H” factor practices patience so as not to force its will on others. But sometimes, when conditions call for it, humility runs to the side of those who need help.
Well-groomed humility—Humility has made a name for itself by knowing when to rip its clothes and wear the look of dustcloth and ashes. But more often than not, the “H” factor hides behind “normalcy” to avoid advertising its presence.
Discontented humility—Most people see humility as willing to be satisfied with what it has been given. But nothing is as dissatisfied as the “H” factor when it sees the needs of others being ignored.
Nondeferring humility—Known for taking insults rather than repaying evil for evil, humility also knows when to stand up to threats if it is in the interests of others to do so.
Unforgiving humility—Humility has a deserved reputation for giving to others out of the forgiveness that it has received. But the “H” factor also knows how to lovingly hold feet to the fire when there is a lack of repentance.
Questioning humility—In noted cases, the “H” factor does what it is told without asking questions. But it is not too proud to ask for clarification—or even for justification—when the needs of others seem to be at risk.
Skeptical humility—Humility knows when to give others the benefit of the doubt. But on important occasions it knows when to lovingly and courageously disbelieve what it is hearing.
Noncompliant humility—The “H” factor has a reputation for being cooperative. But there are times when humility scorns the kind of pride that would comply with evil rather than risk the disapproval of others.
Self-protective humility—Although humility doesn’t protect itself at the expense of others, it does know when to look after its own interests to avoid becoming burned out and useless to others.
Self-helping humility—While self-help can be an arrogant way of rejecting the help of God and others, humility also knows when to educate and improve itself for the good of others.
Successful humility—While the “H” factor doesn’t seek honor or success to put itself in the spotlight, humility is comfortable with recognition that is good for the general welfare.
Attention-seeking humility —Humility doesn’t call attention to itself for its own sake. But it knows when to pick up a towel, wash the feet of others, and say “follow my example.”
Knowledge-seeking humility—While knowledge can give big heads to those who amass it (1 Corinthians 8:1), humility knows how to lovingly seek out information and truth for the sake of others.
In each of these examples it should be clear that humility is not made out of appearances. On the contrary, the “H” factor is another way of looking at honest love. When we genuinely care for the needs of others in the Spirit of Christ, pride is displaced by humility.
There is no better description of humility than that described by the apostle Paul. While pointing his readers to the example of Christ, he wrote, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus . . .” (Philippians 2:3-5).
As I read the article below, I can't help but to ponder about the responses of the people whom I had shared with on the actual incident that happened and what to make sense of their responses. It is obviously that I have a case to make, and with the exception of a few individuals who were in the same boat as me, the people whom I shared with didn't respond in a way that they felt unjust on our behalf and spoke against the way it was done. I can't help but to wonder this: If this is someone whom you considered your friend and he is being treated like that, how would you respond? How come you can respond so calmly and not feel anything nor speak about the unjust things that were done? This is so in contrast with the points in bold below.
Are you a true friend? When is the last time you fought for the rights of your friends?
___________________________________
The Many Faces of Humility
I don’t want to walk with the proud. But neither do I want to be counted among the humble.
Humility has P. R. problems. Pride has done a good job ruining the reputation of its rival. Many of us cannot even think of humility without suspecting pride in disguise, or an unhealthy and self-defeating personality.
Part of the problem seems to be that humility acts a lot like pride. Both show up at the same parties. Both have a closet full of disguises. Both try to avoid detection. What is different, however, are their motives. While pride hides to avoid guilt and conviction, “H” stays in the background because of its concern for the joys and pains of others.
With these differing motives in view, see if you recognize the following tactics and strategies of the “H” factor.
Leading humility—While known for producing followers, the “H” factor can also produce leaders. Caring about the needs of others can be a strong motivation for taking the risks of leadership.
Hating humility—While having a reputation for genuine love, humility also knows how to hate anything that threatens the well-being of others.
Speaking humility—Sometimes seen as shy, humility will speak up quickly and loudly, even at its own expense, when it sees the interests of others at stake.
Defending humility—Often known for “turning the other cheek” in response to insults, humility can use physical force against an enemy if the situation calls for personal or national self-defense.
Receiving humility—Known for giving sacrificially to meet the needs of others, humility also knows when to gratefully receive help and kindness.
Laughing humility—While humility knows when to cry, it spends a good deal of its time laughing with the joys of others and enjoying the favor of God.
Urgent humility—More often than not, the “H” factor practices patience so as not to force its will on others. But sometimes, when conditions call for it, humility runs to the side of those who need help.
Well-groomed humility—Humility has made a name for itself by knowing when to rip its clothes and wear the look of dustcloth and ashes. But more often than not, the “H” factor hides behind “normalcy” to avoid advertising its presence.
Discontented humility—Most people see humility as willing to be satisfied with what it has been given. But nothing is as dissatisfied as the “H” factor when it sees the needs of others being ignored.
Nondeferring humility—Known for taking insults rather than repaying evil for evil, humility also knows when to stand up to threats if it is in the interests of others to do so.
Unforgiving humility—Humility has a deserved reputation for giving to others out of the forgiveness that it has received. But the “H” factor also knows how to lovingly hold feet to the fire when there is a lack of repentance.
Questioning humility—In noted cases, the “H” factor does what it is told without asking questions. But it is not too proud to ask for clarification—or even for justification—when the needs of others seem to be at risk.
Skeptical humility—Humility knows when to give others the benefit of the doubt. But on important occasions it knows when to lovingly and courageously disbelieve what it is hearing.
Noncompliant humility—The “H” factor has a reputation for being cooperative. But there are times when humility scorns the kind of pride that would comply with evil rather than risk the disapproval of others.
Self-protective humility—Although humility doesn’t protect itself at the expense of others, it does know when to look after its own interests to avoid becoming burned out and useless to others.
Self-helping humility—While self-help can be an arrogant way of rejecting the help of God and others, humility also knows when to educate and improve itself for the good of others.
Successful humility—While the “H” factor doesn’t seek honor or success to put itself in the spotlight, humility is comfortable with recognition that is good for the general welfare.
Attention-seeking humility —Humility doesn’t call attention to itself for its own sake. But it knows when to pick up a towel, wash the feet of others, and say “follow my example.”
Knowledge-seeking humility—While knowledge can give big heads to those who amass it (1 Corinthians 8:1), humility knows how to lovingly seek out information and truth for the sake of others.
In each of these examples it should be clear that humility is not made out of appearances. On the contrary, the “H” factor is another way of looking at honest love. When we genuinely care for the needs of others in the Spirit of Christ, pride is displaced by humility.
There is no better description of humility than that described by the apostle Paul. While pointing his readers to the example of Christ, he wrote, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus . . .” (Philippians 2:3-5).
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Class for "The Meaning of Life" Begins
Recently I have read a classic entitled "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. I have heard of it since a long time ago but never have I take the time and action to read it. Finally the chance came when Chon Thye, my colleague told me that he had the book and I borrowed from him.
The beginning of the book is inviting and interesting.
"Chapter One: The Cirriculum
The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week...The class met on Tuesday...The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience.
No grades were given, but there were oral exams each week. You were expected to respond to questions, and you were expected to pose questions of your own...
No books were required, yet many topics were covered, including love, work, community , family aging, forgiveness and finally death. The last lecture was brief, only a few words.
A funeral was held in lieu of graduation.
Although no final exam was given, you were expected to produce one long paper on what was learned. That paper was presented here.
The last class of my old professor's life had only one student.
I was the student."
As I read Chapter One, many thoughts and questions started to appear.
We teach Maths, Science, English and Chinese in our school cirriculum in equipping and preparation our children to provide for themselves when they grow up. Where then do we go for our lesson on "The Meaning of Life"? Isn't it something important and significant enough to be taught? Unless it is not as important as learning of hard skills taught in mainstream schools?
How can we know if we pass the tests and exams on "The Meaning of Life" lesson?
What differentiates between those who pass or fail?
What are the merits and demerits of enrolling in such a course?
What difference does it make whether you enroll in such a lesson or not?
What are the syllabus covered under such a programme?
Can there be anyone who is qualified to teach such a topic?
I welcome postings and comments of thoughts and insights to my questions.
The beginning of the book is inviting and interesting.
"Chapter One: The Cirriculum
The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week...The class met on Tuesday...The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience.
No grades were given, but there were oral exams each week. You were expected to respond to questions, and you were expected to pose questions of your own...
No books were required, yet many topics were covered, including love, work, community , family aging, forgiveness and finally death. The last lecture was brief, only a few words.
A funeral was held in lieu of graduation.
Although no final exam was given, you were expected to produce one long paper on what was learned. That paper was presented here.
The last class of my old professor's life had only one student.
I was the student."
As I read Chapter One, many thoughts and questions started to appear.
We teach Maths, Science, English and Chinese in our school cirriculum in equipping and preparation our children to provide for themselves when they grow up. Where then do we go for our lesson on "The Meaning of Life"? Isn't it something important and significant enough to be taught? Unless it is not as important as learning of hard skills taught in mainstream schools?
How can we know if we pass the tests and exams on "The Meaning of Life" lesson?
What differentiates between those who pass or fail?
What are the merits and demerits of enrolling in such a course?
What difference does it make whether you enroll in such a lesson or not?
What are the syllabus covered under such a programme?
Can there be anyone who is qualified to teach such a topic?
I welcome postings and comments of thoughts and insights to my questions.
Came across an article today which serves as a good primer for the church to start thinking proactively and to anticipate opportunities (areas of God's working in Singapore) that come with an aging population.
The church can certainly make use of the opportunity (indicated in bold below) to outreach, make a difference and impact lives.
__________________________________
27 May 2009
The Straits Times
Forum
Missing: Social software for the elderly
The 'hardware' required to meet the needs of a boom in elderly population, outlined by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan in last Thursday's report ('S'pore gears up for silver tsunami'), is staggering in cost and manpower and will burden future generations.
In just five years, for instance, Singapore needs to have 2,000 more nursing home beds, train a large number of health-care personnel and set up complex financial schemes to cope with the expenses.
Are there other strategies which we can adopt to minimise the impact?
Perhaps, we still have time to look deeper into the development of the social software needed to alleviate the oncoming shock waves.
For example, Health Ministry estimates put the number of elderly people suffering from dementia to rise from the current 20,000 to 45,000 by 2020.
In my interaction with retirees, I found that their common problem is the lack of a sense of purpose in life. There is nothing they can look forward to in their daily lives. Such emptiness and hopelessness can cause depression and eventually, dementia.
Keeping retirees socially connected and providing them with mental challenges is necessary to maintain their overall health; and this is where social software schemes, which mobilise mass involvement, or social enterprises can make use of their skills and experiences.
All these can keep them mentally alert and physically healthy.
Many social schemes and enterprises require creative design and innovative organisation and may not necessarily involve substantial costs.
On the other hand, they can contribute much social benefits and to national well-being.
President S R Nathan's Address to Parliament stressed the need for new strategies to cope with the new economic environment, and an ageing population is a challenge facing us.
We must mobilise every able person to work together to create a new social structure in which the elderly can live in dignity and self-respect.
Jackson Chia Sze Soon President Active Retirees' Association
The church can certainly make use of the opportunity (indicated in bold below) to outreach, make a difference and impact lives.
__________________________________
27 May 2009
The Straits Times
Forum
Missing: Social software for the elderly
The 'hardware' required to meet the needs of a boom in elderly population, outlined by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan in last Thursday's report ('S'pore gears up for silver tsunami'), is staggering in cost and manpower and will burden future generations.
In just five years, for instance, Singapore needs to have 2,000 more nursing home beds, train a large number of health-care personnel and set up complex financial schemes to cope with the expenses.
Are there other strategies which we can adopt to minimise the impact?
Perhaps, we still have time to look deeper into the development of the social software needed to alleviate the oncoming shock waves.
For example, Health Ministry estimates put the number of elderly people suffering from dementia to rise from the current 20,000 to 45,000 by 2020.
In my interaction with retirees, I found that their common problem is the lack of a sense of purpose in life. There is nothing they can look forward to in their daily lives. Such emptiness and hopelessness can cause depression and eventually, dementia.
Keeping retirees socially connected and providing them with mental challenges is necessary to maintain their overall health; and this is where social software schemes, which mobilise mass involvement, or social enterprises can make use of their skills and experiences.
All these can keep them mentally alert and physically healthy.
Many social schemes and enterprises require creative design and innovative organisation and may not necessarily involve substantial costs.
On the other hand, they can contribute much social benefits and to national well-being.
President S R Nathan's Address to Parliament stressed the need for new strategies to cope with the new economic environment, and an ageing population is a challenge facing us.
We must mobilise every able person to work together to create a new social structure in which the elderly can live in dignity and self-respect.
Jackson Chia Sze Soon President Active Retirees' Association
Monday, May 25, 2009
Reflection - God's Purposes in Our Lives
Since we are recently on the topic of pondering over God's will for our lives as Christians, I am posting up this article in order to gain a holistic favour of God's will for our lives. I remember coming into contact with this concept of the five giants in this world when Rick Warren came to Singapore some years ago to share about "Affluence and Influence". His sharing was one of the best and most illuminating sharing that had made a difference in my life as a Christian. I would consider his sharing as important and foundational teachings in order for Christians to understand the holistic will of God.
_____________________________________
Facing the world's five giants!
by Rick and Kay Warren
The world is full of problems. Some are small and some are huge. As Kay and I considered the problems facing the world today, we concluded there are five giants -- five pervasive problems that affect billions of people.
These are the ones we want to tackle, believing God gets the most glory when we attack the biggest giants. These problems are so huge that they can only be addressed with total dependence on God and with all of us -- your congregation and mine, Christians all around the world -- working together to confront them.
Here are the giant problems, as we see them:
1. The first global giant is spiritual darkness.
Here’s a startling truth: Billions of people have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ. Three thousand distinct people groups around our world wouldn’t even know the name of Jesus if they heard it.
“Who is that?” they’d ask. “What’s so significant about that name?”
These people know nothing about Jesus or about God. If you were one of those who had never heard the name of Jesus, wouldn’t you want somebody to come tell you about our Savior, our Lord? The Bible says in Romans 10:14 (NCV), “Before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them.”
The greatest giant in our world today is the fact that billions of people do not know Jesus Christ.
2. The second giant we want to tackle is the lack of servant leaders around the world.
Around the world, there are plenty of people in leadership who abuse their power. Many refuse to use their power for the good of their people -- instead they choose to use it for themselves. This has created chaos in the world.
Leaders must have moral basis. They must have wisdom. Proverbs 11:14 (NLT) says, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls.” Proverbs 16:12b (Msg) says, “Sound leadership has a moral foundation.” And Zechariah 10:2 (TEV) says, “People wander around like lost sheep. They are in trouble because they have no leader.”
In the developing world there are 2.1 million pastors and church leaders. Of those, 1.9 million have never had any training at all. Not only have these leaders not gone to seminary or Bible school, they haven’t even gone to high school or primary school. They have no training whatsoever -- and yet they lead the church. This must be remedied.
3. The third giant we’re going after is poverty.
More than half of the world -- that’s three billion people -- live on less than two dollars a day. One-sixth of the world’s population lives in slums. Those are heart-breaking statistics. Proverbs 28:7 (NIV) says, “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”
It’s easy to live in a bubble and think the rest of the world lives like we do. When we go about our daily lives forgetting how most of the world lives, we tend to judge people for being poor. Job 12:5 (GW) says, “A person who has an easy life [that would be you and me] has no appreciation for misfortune. He thinks it is the fate of those who slip up.”
Tell that to the parents of 10 million little girls who’ve been sold into prostitution in Southeast Asia. Their families exist in such grinding poverty they see no other way to feed their families than to sell their little girls into prostitution. It’s a horrible existence.
4. The fourth giant we want to attack is disease.
Billions suffer the effects of famine and drought. They are homeless, hungry, and helpless. They’re ill. We can do something about that.
Psalm 38:6-11 (GW) says, “I am bent over and bowed down very low. ... My insides are filled with burning pain, and no healthy spot is left on my body. I am numb and completely devastated. ... I’ve lost my strength. Even the light of my eyes has left me. My loved ones and my friends keep their distance and my relatives stand far away because of my sickness.” We have seen the effects of poverty as we've traveled. We’ve seen the effects of people with HIV/AIDS. The stigma is enormous. People are abandoned by their own families. Their bodies slowly waste away from opportunistic infections. As Christians we cannot ignore these people.
Ezekiel 34:4 (TEV) says, “You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed the ones that are sick, bandaged the ones that are hurt, brought back the ones that wandered off, or looked for the ones that were lost. Instead, you treated them cruelly.”
5. The fifth giant we want to tackle is ignorance.
Over half the world is still illiterate. How can a country grow and be strong economically when its citizens can’t read, can’t write, and don’t know the fundamentals of math and science that we take for granted? It’s no wonder these countries aren’t strong. Hosea 4:6 (NIV) says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” There’s a desperate need for teachers and schools and materials to help people grow. These five giants can be toppled. We can make a difference. In a future issue, we'll talk about why the church is the perfect tool for toppling giants.
_____________________________________
Facing the world's five giants!
by Rick and Kay Warren
The world is full of problems. Some are small and some are huge. As Kay and I considered the problems facing the world today, we concluded there are five giants -- five pervasive problems that affect billions of people.
These are the ones we want to tackle, believing God gets the most glory when we attack the biggest giants. These problems are so huge that they can only be addressed with total dependence on God and with all of us -- your congregation and mine, Christians all around the world -- working together to confront them.
Here are the giant problems, as we see them:
1. The first global giant is spiritual darkness.
Here’s a startling truth: Billions of people have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ. Three thousand distinct people groups around our world wouldn’t even know the name of Jesus if they heard it.
“Who is that?” they’d ask. “What’s so significant about that name?”
These people know nothing about Jesus or about God. If you were one of those who had never heard the name of Jesus, wouldn’t you want somebody to come tell you about our Savior, our Lord? The Bible says in Romans 10:14 (NCV), “Before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them.”
The greatest giant in our world today is the fact that billions of people do not know Jesus Christ.
2. The second giant we want to tackle is the lack of servant leaders around the world.
Around the world, there are plenty of people in leadership who abuse their power. Many refuse to use their power for the good of their people -- instead they choose to use it for themselves. This has created chaos in the world.
Leaders must have moral basis. They must have wisdom. Proverbs 11:14 (NLT) says, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls.” Proverbs 16:12b (Msg) says, “Sound leadership has a moral foundation.” And Zechariah 10:2 (TEV) says, “People wander around like lost sheep. They are in trouble because they have no leader.”
In the developing world there are 2.1 million pastors and church leaders. Of those, 1.9 million have never had any training at all. Not only have these leaders not gone to seminary or Bible school, they haven’t even gone to high school or primary school. They have no training whatsoever -- and yet they lead the church. This must be remedied.
3. The third giant we’re going after is poverty.
More than half of the world -- that’s three billion people -- live on less than two dollars a day. One-sixth of the world’s population lives in slums. Those are heart-breaking statistics. Proverbs 28:7 (NIV) says, “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”
It’s easy to live in a bubble and think the rest of the world lives like we do. When we go about our daily lives forgetting how most of the world lives, we tend to judge people for being poor. Job 12:5 (GW) says, “A person who has an easy life [that would be you and me] has no appreciation for misfortune. He thinks it is the fate of those who slip up.”
Tell that to the parents of 10 million little girls who’ve been sold into prostitution in Southeast Asia. Their families exist in such grinding poverty they see no other way to feed their families than to sell their little girls into prostitution. It’s a horrible existence.
4. The fourth giant we want to attack is disease.
Billions suffer the effects of famine and drought. They are homeless, hungry, and helpless. They’re ill. We can do something about that.
Psalm 38:6-11 (GW) says, “I am bent over and bowed down very low. ... My insides are filled with burning pain, and no healthy spot is left on my body. I am numb and completely devastated. ... I’ve lost my strength. Even the light of my eyes has left me. My loved ones and my friends keep their distance and my relatives stand far away because of my sickness.” We have seen the effects of poverty as we've traveled. We’ve seen the effects of people with HIV/AIDS. The stigma is enormous. People are abandoned by their own families. Their bodies slowly waste away from opportunistic infections. As Christians we cannot ignore these people.
Ezekiel 34:4 (TEV) says, “You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed the ones that are sick, bandaged the ones that are hurt, brought back the ones that wandered off, or looked for the ones that were lost. Instead, you treated them cruelly.”
5. The fifth giant we want to tackle is ignorance.
Over half the world is still illiterate. How can a country grow and be strong economically when its citizens can’t read, can’t write, and don’t know the fundamentals of math and science that we take for granted? It’s no wonder these countries aren’t strong. Hosea 4:6 (NIV) says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” There’s a desperate need for teachers and schools and materials to help people grow. These five giants can be toppled. We can make a difference. In a future issue, we'll talk about why the church is the perfect tool for toppling giants.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Church – the greatest force on Earth
I came across this article just recently and thought that it's a pretty great article to ponder over, especially when some of us may be having second thoughts and are disillusioned towards church being an institution from God to bring about His will.
The Church will last for eternity, and because it is God’s instrument for ministry here on Earth, it is truly the greatest force on the face of the Earth. That’s why I believe tackling the world’s biggest problems – the giants of spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance – can only be done through the Church.
The Church has eight distinct advantages over the efforts of business and government:
For example, about 100 million people in the United States went to church this past weekend. That’s more people than will attend sporting events in the United States throughout this year. The Church is the largest force for good in the world. Nothing else even comes close.
2. The Church provides for the widest distribution.
Consider this: The Red Cross noted that 90 percent of the meals they served to victims of Hurricane Katrina were actually cooked by Southern Baptist churches. Many churches were able to jump into action faster than the government agencies or the Red Cross. Why? The Church is literally everywhere, and Christians who could provide help to the Gulf Coast communicated with Christians in need of help so relief could be sent immediately.
3. The Church provides the longest continuation.
Why? Because it’s the Church that Jesus established, and it is indestructible. The Bible calls the Church an unshakable kingdom. In Matthew 16, Jesus says, “I will build my Church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” All the powers of hell – in other words, no hurricane, no earthquake, no tsunami, no famine, no pandemic, no army will ever conquer the Church established by Jesus Christ.
4. The Church provides the fastest expansion.
In one country that is closed to traditional Christian missions, more than 60,000 house churches have been started in one province by the work of lay people, no different from the people who fill your church sanctuary every weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If we’re going to tackle global giants like poverty, disease, or illiteracy, then we must be part of something that’s growing faster than the problem. The Church is doing just that!
5. The Church provides the highest motivation.
We’re motivated to keep at the hard work of ministry because we love God, and our love for God compels us to love other people. It is love that never gives up; it is love that keeps moving forward despite the appearance of impossible odds; and it is love that outlasts any problem.
6. The Church provides the strongest authorization.God authorized the Church to take on global giants, such as spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance. With God’s authorization, the outcome is guaranteed to be successful.
When you know that God has authorized you to do something, you don’t worry about failure because God doesn’t sponsor flops. If God says we’re going to do it, it’s going to happen. It is inevitable. In fact, the Bible teaches that God will give us his power to complete the task. This is God’s way - ordinary people empowered by his Spirit.
7. The Church provides the simplest administration.
The old wineskin of command and control won’t work well in the 21st century. The organization of the future is the “network.” And there’s no better worldwide network than the Church, where every member is a minister and empowered to do what God wants done.
The P.E.A.C.E. Plan
Consider it this way – tens of millions of Christians in millions of small groups that are part of churches around the world can take on the global giants with no other authority than that given from Jesus Christ. In other words, we have God’s permission and we have God’s command to do it. There is no need to seek permission from anyone else.
8. The Church provides for God’s conclusion.
When you consider these eight advantages, think about the exponential explosion of ministry when millions upon millions of small groups in millions upon millions of churches organize in such a way that each person can do their part in attacking the five global giants.
What do you think could happen if God’s people prayed against these global giants, prepared for action against these giants, and then moved through faith to tackle these giants?
We may look at these problems and think, “These are too big! How could we possibly solve them?”
But with God, nothing is impossible – and if we all work together as his Church, we’ll see these giants falls just as Goliath fell when faced with David’s obedience to God.
Pastor, it is a great privilege and an awesome responsibility to lead a local church. God wouldn’t have placed you where you are if he didn’t believe you could handle the task before you. You play a vital role in tackling these global giants. It is my privilege to co-labor with you.
The Church – the greatest force on Earthby Rick Warren
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Church is everywhere in the world.
There are villages that have little else,but they do have a church.
Rick Warren
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Church is the most magnificent concept ever created. It has survived persistent abuse, horrifying persecution, and widespread neglect. Yet despite its faults (due to our sinfulness), it is still God’s chosen instrument of blessing and has been for 2,000 years.
The Church will last for eternity, and because it is God’s instrument for ministry here on Earth, it is truly the greatest force on the face of the Earth. That’s why I believe tackling the world’s biggest problems – the giants of spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance – can only be done through the Church.
The Church has eight distinct advantages over the efforts of business and government:
1. The Church provides for the largest participation.
Most people have no idea how many Christians there are in the world: More than 2 billion people claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. That’s one third of the world’s population! The Church has about a billion more people than the entire nation of China.
For example, about 100 million people in the United States went to church this past weekend. That’s more people than will attend sporting events in the United States throughout this year. The Church is the largest force for good in the world. Nothing else even comes close.
2. The Church provides for the widest distribution.
The Church is everywhere in the world. There are villages that have little else, but they do have a church. You could visit millions of villages around the world that don’t have a school, a clinic, a hospital, a fire department, or a post office. They don’t have any businesses. But they do have a church. The Church is more widely spread – more widely distributed – than any business franchise in the world.
Consider this: The Red Cross noted that 90 percent of the meals they served to victims of Hurricane Katrina were actually cooked by Southern Baptist churches. Many churches were able to jump into action faster than the government agencies or the Red Cross. Why? The Church is literally everywhere, and Christians who could provide help to the Gulf Coast communicated with Christians in need of help so relief could be sent immediately.
3. The Church provides the longest continuation.
The Church has been around for 2,000 years. We’re not a fly-by-night operation. The Church has a track record that spans centuries: Malicious leaders have tried to destroy it, hostile groups have persecuted it, and skeptics have scoffed at it. Nevertheless, God’s Church is bigger now than ever before in history.
Why? Because it’s the Church that Jesus established, and it is indestructible. The Bible calls the Church an unshakable kingdom. In Matthew 16, Jesus says, “I will build my Church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” All the powers of hell – in other words, no hurricane, no earthquake, no tsunami, no famine, no pandemic, no army will ever conquer the Church established by Jesus Christ.
4. The Church provides the fastest expansion.
Did you know that every day 60,000 new people come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? By the end of today, thousands of new churches will be started throughout the world, and that will happen tomorrow and the next day and the next.
In one country that is closed to traditional Christian missions, more than 60,000 house churches have been started in one province by the work of lay people, no different from the people who fill your church sanctuary every weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you’ve got a problem that’s growing at a rapid rate, then you need a solution that will grow even more rapidly. For instance, HIV/AIDS is growing at an incredibly fast rate in the world. Yet thank God, the Church is outgrowing the disease, so more and more believers can help minister to those with HIV/AIDS.
Rick Warren
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why is fast expansion important? If you’ve got a problem that’s growing at a rapid rate, then you need a solution that will grow even more rapidly. For instance, HIV/AIDS is growing at an incredibly fast rate in the world. Yet thank God the Church is outgrowing the disease, so more and more believers can help minister to those with HIV/AIDS.
If we’re going to tackle global giants like poverty, disease, or illiteracy, then we must be part of something that’s growing faster than the problem. The Church is doing just that!
5. The Church provides the highest motivation.
Why do any of us do what we do in ministry? It’s not to make money, not to make a name for ourselves and not for duty to our nation. We do it out of love. Jesus stated it as the Great Commandment: “Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” We wouldn’t do the hard work required to tackle these global giants for money, for fame, or for anything else. It just wouldn’t be worth it; we’d quit before the end.
We’re motivated to keep at the hard work of ministry because we love God, and our love for God compels us to love other people. It is love that never gives up; it is love that keeps moving forward despite the appearance of impossible odds; and it is love that outlasts any problem.
6. The Church provides the strongest authorization.God authorized the Church to take on global giants, such as spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance. With God’s authorization, the outcome is guaranteed to be successful.
When you know that God has authorized you to do something, you don’t worry about failure because God doesn’t sponsor flops. If God says we’re going to do it, it’s going to happen. It is inevitable. In fact, the Bible teaches that God will give us his power to complete the task. This is God’s way - ordinary people empowered by his Spirit.
7. The Church provides the simplest administration.
The Church is organized in such a way that we can network faster and with less bureaucracy than most governmental agencies or even well-meaning charities. For instance, the organizational structure at Saddleback, which is based on the New Testament model, holds that every member is a minister. Each person in our church family is encouraged to use his or her own S.H.A.P.E. (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences) to do what God has called him or her to do. There is no bureaucracy or hierarchy. There isn’t a single committee, and the process doesn’t require a long list of approvals.
The old wineskin of command and control won’t work well in the 21st century. The organization of the future is the “network.” And there’s no better worldwide network than the Church, where every member is a minister and empowered to do what God wants done.
The P.E.A.C.E. Plan
Want to learn more about Rick Warren’s historic plan to tackle the global giants of spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance? Check out Purpose Driven Ministries’ P.E.A.C.E. Plan Web site.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consider it this way – tens of millions of Christians in millions of small groups that are part of churches around the world can take on the global giants with no other authority than that given from Jesus Christ. In other words, we have God’s permission and we have God’s command to do it. There is no need to seek permission from anyone else.
8. The Church provides for God’s conclusion.
Since we believe the Bible is God’s Word, we already know the end of history. Jesus said in Matthew 24: “The good news about God’s Kingdom will be preached in all the world to every nation, and then the end will come.” It is inevitable and unavoidable.
When you consider these eight advantages, think about the exponential explosion of ministry when millions upon millions of small groups in millions upon millions of churches organize in such a way that each person can do their part in attacking the five global giants.
What do you think could happen if God’s people prayed against these global giants, prepared for action against these giants, and then moved through faith to tackle these giants?
We may look at these problems and think, “These are too big! How could we possibly solve them?”
But with God, nothing is impossible – and if we all work together as his Church, we’ll see these giants falls just as Goliath fell when faced with David’s obedience to God.
Pastor, it is a great privilege and an awesome responsibility to lead a local church. God wouldn’t have placed you where you are if he didn’t believe you could handle the task before you. You play a vital role in tackling these global giants. It is my privilege to co-labor with you.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Just Thinking Aloud - Strategic Direction Should Be Proactive in Meeting Future Needs/Issues?
Just saw this article today and together with the rest of the article posted on my blog, the articles pointed out some emerging trends pertaining to our society. We as Christians are part of the society and such trends would in fact affect the church.
I'm thinking aloud on the role of church leadership pertaining to identifying and spotting social trends, and knowing such impacts to church and the lives of the members. Should strategic direction and initiatives be casted proactively so that as a church we could anticipate changes and progress steadily to meet the challenges, or should we always react at the last minute to changes around us?
E.g. Silver tsunami is inevitable and will hit Singapore and the church. What will the impact be to the church? How should the church respond? Are we prepared now? How can we bridge the gap?
2009 is the Year of Preparation. What are we preparing for?
_________________
21/05/09
The Straits Times
S'pore gears up for SILVER TSUNAMI
- 2,000 more nursing home beds in five years
- Eldersave, ElderShield, Elderfund being developed
- Manpower expansion and training in health care
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent
IN THE coming decade, Singapore's health-care system will come under pressure from an ageing population coupled with an increase in mental ailments.
To cope, the Health Ministry will add more than 2,000 nursing home beds over the next five years - with about half devoted to the care of the mentally ill.
In the Health Addendum to the President's Address at the opening of Parliament on Monday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan spoke of the need to prepare for a 'silver tsunami'.
The population here is ageing rapidly. The number of people who are over 65 years old is expected to treble to 900,000 by 2030 - from 300,000 today.
This is the driving force behind the development of a second heart and cancer centre, a new general hospital in Yishun and another in Jurong, and the expansion of the National University Health System's dental centre.
'We will increase our subventions to intermediate and long-term care facilities to help them meet growing patient needs,' said Mr Khaw.
These include community hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. New rates for community hospitals will take effect on July 1, that will see total subsidy go up by 15 per cent.
Work on five new nursing homes will start within two years, including a 300-bed home for patients with psychiatric problems to be ready by 2012.
Dr Tan Weng Mooi, chief operating officer for the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) said such a home is an important part of integrated community care for patients suffering from schizophrenia, mental retardation or bipolar disorder.
She said: 'IMH's philosophy is that those with mental illness should be allowed to stay on their own or with their families for as long as possible.'
But there might come a time when they need full-time care, but because their conditions are stable, do not need to be warded at IMH.
There are now three nursing homes that cater to such patients.
Another two new homes, each with 250 beds, will be designed for people suffering from dementia.
These homes will also take in other elderly patients.
A Ministry of Health spokesman said there are now about 20,000 elderly people in Singapore with dementia.
'This is estimated to increase to about 45,000 by 2020,' she said.
People with dementia suffer from loss of memory to the point where they are no longer able to do simple things like dress themselves or even eat. If diagnosed early, there is medication that could slow the progression of the disease.
Nursing homes for them need to provide lots of cues - such as signs, colour code and even music - to connect particular rooms with certain activities.
The ministry will also be releasing two plots of land for the building of private nursing homes. And it will help two existing homes run by voluntary welfare organisations (VWO) to relocate to new and larger facilities.
To help patients pay for all these services, the ministry will develop the 3Es - Eldersave, ElderShield and Elderfund.
Elderfund, set up as Medifund Silver in 2007, helps the elderly poor pay their hospital bills, while ElderShield is insurance for severe disability.
Eldersave is a new concept to help young people set aside enough of the Central Provident Fund money to provide for their health-care needs when they are old.
With so much in the pipeline, the ministry says it will need to recruit 4,500 people over the next two years, with 2,000 job openings in the next 12 months.
'Manpower expansion must precede infrastructure expansion,' the minister explained.
Manpower training in health care will be given a boost when the third medical school at the National Technological University opens.
Mr Khaw also touched on palliative care or the management of pain, and the need to let the elderly sick die with dignity, a theme he has touched on several times this year. He said: 'We will also build up capabilities on end-of-life care and expand the pool of palliative care specialists.'
I'm thinking aloud on the role of church leadership pertaining to identifying and spotting social trends, and knowing such impacts to church and the lives of the members. Should strategic direction and initiatives be casted proactively so that as a church we could anticipate changes and progress steadily to meet the challenges, or should we always react at the last minute to changes around us?
E.g. Silver tsunami is inevitable and will hit Singapore and the church. What will the impact be to the church? How should the church respond? Are we prepared now? How can we bridge the gap?
2009 is the Year of Preparation. What are we preparing for?
_________________
21/05/09
The Straits Times
S'pore gears up for SILVER TSUNAMI
- 2,000 more nursing home beds in five years
- Eldersave, ElderShield, Elderfund being developed
- Manpower expansion and training in health care
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent
IN THE coming decade, Singapore's health-care system will come under pressure from an ageing population coupled with an increase in mental ailments.
To cope, the Health Ministry will add more than 2,000 nursing home beds over the next five years - with about half devoted to the care of the mentally ill.
In the Health Addendum to the President's Address at the opening of Parliament on Monday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan spoke of the need to prepare for a 'silver tsunami'.
The population here is ageing rapidly. The number of people who are over 65 years old is expected to treble to 900,000 by 2030 - from 300,000 today.
This is the driving force behind the development of a second heart and cancer centre, a new general hospital in Yishun and another in Jurong, and the expansion of the National University Health System's dental centre.
'We will increase our subventions to intermediate and long-term care facilities to help them meet growing patient needs,' said Mr Khaw.
These include community hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. New rates for community hospitals will take effect on July 1, that will see total subsidy go up by 15 per cent.
Work on five new nursing homes will start within two years, including a 300-bed home for patients with psychiatric problems to be ready by 2012.
Dr Tan Weng Mooi, chief operating officer for the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) said such a home is an important part of integrated community care for patients suffering from schizophrenia, mental retardation or bipolar disorder.
She said: 'IMH's philosophy is that those with mental illness should be allowed to stay on their own or with their families for as long as possible.'
But there might come a time when they need full-time care, but because their conditions are stable, do not need to be warded at IMH.
There are now three nursing homes that cater to such patients.
Another two new homes, each with 250 beds, will be designed for people suffering from dementia.
These homes will also take in other elderly patients.
A Ministry of Health spokesman said there are now about 20,000 elderly people in Singapore with dementia.
'This is estimated to increase to about 45,000 by 2020,' she said.
People with dementia suffer from loss of memory to the point where they are no longer able to do simple things like dress themselves or even eat. If diagnosed early, there is medication that could slow the progression of the disease.
Nursing homes for them need to provide lots of cues - such as signs, colour code and even music - to connect particular rooms with certain activities.
The ministry will also be releasing two plots of land for the building of private nursing homes. And it will help two existing homes run by voluntary welfare organisations (VWO) to relocate to new and larger facilities.
To help patients pay for all these services, the ministry will develop the 3Es - Eldersave, ElderShield and Elderfund.
Elderfund, set up as Medifund Silver in 2007, helps the elderly poor pay their hospital bills, while ElderShield is insurance for severe disability.
Eldersave is a new concept to help young people set aside enough of the Central Provident Fund money to provide for their health-care needs when they are old.
With so much in the pipeline, the ministry says it will need to recruit 4,500 people over the next two years, with 2,000 job openings in the next 12 months.
'Manpower expansion must precede infrastructure expansion,' the minister explained.
Manpower training in health care will be given a boost when the third medical school at the National Technological University opens.
Mr Khaw also touched on palliative care or the management of pain, and the need to let the elderly sick die with dignity, a theme he has touched on several times this year. He said: 'We will also build up capabilities on end-of-life care and expand the pool of palliative care specialists.'
Reflection - A Holistic Understanding of God's Calling
I was reflecting on the following above when I read Huaqiang's blog posting dated 18 May 09, concerning The Great Commision. Below are my comment in response to his entry.
_________________
Bro,
Thanks for your sharing on our fundamental. A good reminder of what we are actually called to be as children of God. Our ultimate end goal is to build strong and biblical christians who loves God and people wholeheartedly. In order to fulfill this goal, there are many different components involved, planting churches, outreaching, discipleship, etc.
Since we are along this line of reflection and thoughts, I have considered some verses and questions in an attempt for all of us to “consider” a larger and more encompassing worldview of God's will for us.1. How can we as Christians be balanced and move in step with Holy Spirit to fulfill the Great Commission in being urgent but at the same time not being too compulsive and overlook other areas of importance as instructed by the bible? The part of fulfilling the Great Commission in our lifetime - Is it specifically mentioned by the bible or is it advocated by man? There is definitely a difference between desiring to fulfill, willing to fulfill versus “die die” must fulfill in our lifetime.
2. 2 Tim 3:17, Eph 4:12-13 – We as Christians are called to works of service (to do something) so that the body of Christ (church) may be built up until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature (essence of discipleship), attaining to the whole measure of fullness of Christ. Essentially, we also have the calling of building the church strongly through discipleship. To me, this shows me a glimpse of how church growth should be like – Not through conversions after conversions of new believers but with no matured Christians to take care of, but with the following:-
i. Effective and efficient system, processes and structure to facilitate containment of growth
ii. Christians with strong character, wisdom and competencies to contain the growth
iii. Wise board strategic direction from leadership to mobilise everyone to serve together
In essence, the church delivered “great performance” in fulfillment of its mission, making deep and heartfelt impacts in changing lives of people and finally one that is “enduring and sustainable” in a long run. Our present church leadership will not be there all the time. Fulfilling the Great Commission means continuity – when the present leaders are gone, there are replacements from people on the ground. Some questions I asked aloud – Who are the new and uprising leaders nowadays in church, district, sub-district, unit and CG? Are they really competent as compared to the old guards? How long on the average does it takes to develop a leader? Given that our church size is about 4000 in congregational size, how many pastors, DLs, SDLs, Uls, CLs are needed for optimal functioning? How many actual leaders do we have now and what is the gap? What are we doing now to plug this gap? Are the leaders and members aware of such gaps? Are there any attempts to help all of us to see the actual gaps?
3. The bible also mentions specifically of:-
i. Jer 29:11, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4 - Specific plans for individual with different giftings and talents to serve differently
ii. Matt 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-27 - The concept of stewardship; The need for us to be faithful to ultilise our talents, giftings which God will call us to be accountable for. How does such different giftings play a part in Great Commission?
iii. Matt 13:8, 23 – Concept of different aptitude given by God (Some bear fruits of thirty, sixty or hundred folds)
From i, ii, and iii, from the interaction of all these factors, how would the picture of a strong and biblical church who is in God’s be like? Does this picture comes naturally or it is achieved through cautious, meticulous, disciplined, and prayerfully planning and following of God’s leading? What’s the balance between responsibility of leaders in chartering directions of growth VS initiatives by members to meet certain gaps in human needs? How should church leadership lead church growth in such a way to facilitate such unity in diversity of service to meet different needs? What are the critical areas confronting us as a church now for us to continue to move towards a glorious church?Further thoughts that I have yet to pen down in details include “Understanding what is meant by Kingdom of God and for us to expand the Kingdom of God”. I welcome further thoughts and inputs to this comment.
_________________
Bro,
Thanks for your sharing on our fundamental. A good reminder of what we are actually called to be as children of God. Our ultimate end goal is to build strong and biblical christians who loves God and people wholeheartedly. In order to fulfill this goal, there are many different components involved, planting churches, outreaching, discipleship, etc.
Since we are along this line of reflection and thoughts, I have considered some verses and questions in an attempt for all of us to “consider” a larger and more encompassing worldview of God's will for us.1. How can we as Christians be balanced and move in step with Holy Spirit to fulfill the Great Commission in being urgent but at the same time not being too compulsive and overlook other areas of importance as instructed by the bible? The part of fulfilling the Great Commission in our lifetime - Is it specifically mentioned by the bible or is it advocated by man? There is definitely a difference between desiring to fulfill, willing to fulfill versus “die die” must fulfill in our lifetime.
2. 2 Tim 3:17, Eph 4:12-13 – We as Christians are called to works of service (to do something) so that the body of Christ (church) may be built up until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature (essence of discipleship), attaining to the whole measure of fullness of Christ. Essentially, we also have the calling of building the church strongly through discipleship. To me, this shows me a glimpse of how church growth should be like – Not through conversions after conversions of new believers but with no matured Christians to take care of, but with the following:-
i. Effective and efficient system, processes and structure to facilitate containment of growth
ii. Christians with strong character, wisdom and competencies to contain the growth
iii. Wise board strategic direction from leadership to mobilise everyone to serve together
In essence, the church delivered “great performance” in fulfillment of its mission, making deep and heartfelt impacts in changing lives of people and finally one that is “enduring and sustainable” in a long run. Our present church leadership will not be there all the time. Fulfilling the Great Commission means continuity – when the present leaders are gone, there are replacements from people on the ground. Some questions I asked aloud – Who are the new and uprising leaders nowadays in church, district, sub-district, unit and CG? Are they really competent as compared to the old guards? How long on the average does it takes to develop a leader? Given that our church size is about 4000 in congregational size, how many pastors, DLs, SDLs, Uls, CLs are needed for optimal functioning? How many actual leaders do we have now and what is the gap? What are we doing now to plug this gap? Are the leaders and members aware of such gaps? Are there any attempts to help all of us to see the actual gaps?
3. The bible also mentions specifically of:-
i. Jer 29:11, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4 - Specific plans for individual with different giftings and talents to serve differently
ii. Matt 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-27 - The concept of stewardship; The need for us to be faithful to ultilise our talents, giftings which God will call us to be accountable for. How does such different giftings play a part in Great Commission?
iii. Matt 13:8, 23 – Concept of different aptitude given by God (Some bear fruits of thirty, sixty or hundred folds)
From i, ii, and iii, from the interaction of all these factors, how would the picture of a strong and biblical church who is in God’s be like? Does this picture comes naturally or it is achieved through cautious, meticulous, disciplined, and prayerfully planning and following of God’s leading? What’s the balance between responsibility of leaders in chartering directions of growth VS initiatives by members to meet certain gaps in human needs? How should church leadership lead church growth in such a way to facilitate such unity in diversity of service to meet different needs? What are the critical areas confronting us as a church now for us to continue to move towards a glorious church?Further thoughts that I have yet to pen down in details include “Understanding what is meant by Kingdom of God and for us to expand the Kingdom of God”. I welcome further thoughts and inputs to this comment.
Inspiring Story of a Devoted Mum - Thank God for Mummies!
20/05/09
The Straits Times
Kevin's a grad, thanks to mum
She quit job to be full-time caregiver to son, who has muscle-wasting disease
By Yeo Sam Jo
WHEN Mr Kevin Lee Yue Hong went on stage to collect his diploma in Temasek Polytechnic's auditorium yesterday, he shared the limelight with his mother, who was pushing him in his wheelchair.
And the certificate he received might as well have been shared with her, too. For three years, Madam Tay Et had a full-time 'job' accompanying her son to all his classes.
Mr Lee, 20, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a disease characterised by the rapid wasting of the muscles and limited mobility.
The graduation yesterday was an achievement for both mother and son, as his diploma in Internet and multimedia development was a culmination of their hard work.
When Mr Lee was diagnosed with DMD and became wheelchair-bound at 10, his mother quit her $1,000-a-month job at a manufacturing plant to become his full-time caregiver.
He could mostly manage on his own in primary and secondary school, with classmates helping him up the stairs. But his condition deteriorated after he entered the polytechnic, so Madam Tay decided to attend school with him.
Mr Lee gradually lost the ability to write and draw, and his speech became increasingly slurred. He began typing all his assignments on a computer. For exams, he would read out his answers to his teachers. By the end of 2007, he needed a portable ventilator to help him breathe.
Every day, his mother, a 52-year-old housewife, would wake up at 6.30am to get him ready for school. She would clear the phlegm from his throat, brush his teeth, feed him breakfast, bathe and clothe him, then take him from their Pasir Ris flat to Tampines in a London cab.
Madam Tay would also go with him to all his classes. There, she would prop him up against a table, ensuring he had a bolster for a cushion. She would help him to the toilet, collect notes on his behalf, and feed him when he was hungry.
'She was like our classmate,' said Mr Lee's classmate Nur Ashikin. 'She was always there for him, and the rest of us were really touched to see that.'
The one thing the Mandarin-speaking housewife could not do was help him with his lessons.
'I felt bad for not being able to help him more,' she said. 'But I have no complaints. I know I had to be there for him.'
To aid Mr Lee, the school let him have a room where he could lie down between classes as he is prone to fatigue. He was also given extra time to complete his assignments.
Despite his difficulties, he was very much a part of the class. Classmates and teachers said he would joke with them and participate in presentations.
'He inspires us lecturers and his classmates,' said his course manager N. Vijayan. 'He never gave up despite his condition.'
At yesterday's ceremony, Mr Lee could not stop smiling.
'I am excited that my hard work has paid off,' he said. 'But I couldn't have done it without my mum. She's like my buddy and I want to share this diploma with her.'
A cartoon and anime fan, he hopes to become an animator some day. But rather than put his mum through school again, he is pursuing the idea of attending online degree courses in multimedia.
'I am proud of him,' said Madam Tay, as she fought back tears. 'He wants to further his studies, but I'm not sure if we can afford it.'
His polytechnic education was paid for with savings. The family gets by on the $1,200 that Mr Lee's father brings home every month as a salesman. Mr Lee has a younger sister in Secondary 3.
The fighting pair refuse to believe doctors who tell him he has till maybe the age of 30 to live. Madam Tay said: 'Doctors tell me that one day, he will not be able to sit up at all. But I busy myself with chores so I don't have to think about it.'
The Straits Times
Kevin's a grad, thanks to mum
She quit job to be full-time caregiver to son, who has muscle-wasting disease
By Yeo Sam Jo
WHEN Mr Kevin Lee Yue Hong went on stage to collect his diploma in Temasek Polytechnic's auditorium yesterday, he shared the limelight with his mother, who was pushing him in his wheelchair.
And the certificate he received might as well have been shared with her, too. For three years, Madam Tay Et had a full-time 'job' accompanying her son to all his classes.
Mr Lee, 20, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a disease characterised by the rapid wasting of the muscles and limited mobility.
The graduation yesterday was an achievement for both mother and son, as his diploma in Internet and multimedia development was a culmination of their hard work.
When Mr Lee was diagnosed with DMD and became wheelchair-bound at 10, his mother quit her $1,000-a-month job at a manufacturing plant to become his full-time caregiver.
He could mostly manage on his own in primary and secondary school, with classmates helping him up the stairs. But his condition deteriorated after he entered the polytechnic, so Madam Tay decided to attend school with him.
Mr Lee gradually lost the ability to write and draw, and his speech became increasingly slurred. He began typing all his assignments on a computer. For exams, he would read out his answers to his teachers. By the end of 2007, he needed a portable ventilator to help him breathe.
Every day, his mother, a 52-year-old housewife, would wake up at 6.30am to get him ready for school. She would clear the phlegm from his throat, brush his teeth, feed him breakfast, bathe and clothe him, then take him from their Pasir Ris flat to Tampines in a London cab.
Madam Tay would also go with him to all his classes. There, she would prop him up against a table, ensuring he had a bolster for a cushion. She would help him to the toilet, collect notes on his behalf, and feed him when he was hungry.
'She was like our classmate,' said Mr Lee's classmate Nur Ashikin. 'She was always there for him, and the rest of us were really touched to see that.'
The one thing the Mandarin-speaking housewife could not do was help him with his lessons.
'I felt bad for not being able to help him more,' she said. 'But I have no complaints. I know I had to be there for him.'
To aid Mr Lee, the school let him have a room where he could lie down between classes as he is prone to fatigue. He was also given extra time to complete his assignments.
Despite his difficulties, he was very much a part of the class. Classmates and teachers said he would joke with them and participate in presentations.
'He inspires us lecturers and his classmates,' said his course manager N. Vijayan. 'He never gave up despite his condition.'
At yesterday's ceremony, Mr Lee could not stop smiling.
'I am excited that my hard work has paid off,' he said. 'But I couldn't have done it without my mum. She's like my buddy and I want to share this diploma with her.'
A cartoon and anime fan, he hopes to become an animator some day. But rather than put his mum through school again, he is pursuing the idea of attending online degree courses in multimedia.
'I am proud of him,' said Madam Tay, as she fought back tears. 'He wants to further his studies, but I'm not sure if we can afford it.'
His polytechnic education was paid for with savings. The family gets by on the $1,200 that Mr Lee's father brings home every month as a salesman. Mr Lee has a younger sister in Secondary 3.
The fighting pair refuse to believe doctors who tell him he has till maybe the age of 30 to live. Madam Tay said: 'Doctors tell me that one day, he will not be able to sit up at all. But I busy myself with chores so I don't have to think about it.'
Parents Unaware of Kids' Net Risks
I've included the following article below as it may be interesting to some brothers and sisters, e.g. married couples who are thinking of having kids in future and those who are serving in Hope Kids ministry. It highlighted some of the pressing issues to do with the internet and our children. Hopefully all christian parents, bro and sis serving in the children ministry would be aware of such issues and take proactive actions to protect the children
_______________________
20/05/09
The Straits Times
Parents unaware of kids' Net risks
Study presses need for online monitoring
By Serene Luo
MANY parents in Singapore and across the globe have little idea of what their children are up to online, a worldwide survey has found.
They do not know whether their children have been a target of cyber-bullying, Internet paedophiles and online fraudsters, or have been exposed to pornography - or how their children are coping with these if they have become victims.
Ask parents and 92 per cent of them will say they have set ground rules for using the Internet. Ask the young ones, on the other hand, and only 66 per cent say these rules exist, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has found.
The ITU, the technology arm of the United Nations, revealed this and other findings in conjunction with World Telecommunications and Information Society Day last Sunday.
The day was marked in Singapore yesterday by about 80 industry professionals at a gathering organised by the Association of Telecommunications Industry of Singapore (Atis).
Other findings by the ITU include:
- One in three teenage girls who go online has been harassed in chatrooms, but only 7 per cent of them tell their parents because they do not want to lose their Internet access.
- One in five children is being targeted by a sexual predator or paedophile each year.
- Three-quarters of children are willing to share information about themselves and their families online in exchange for goods and services, such as contest prizes or downloads, opening themselves to cybercriminals who use the information to steal money or their identities.
The numbers from the survey are not specific to Singapore, which has one of the highest Internet and mobile penetration rates in the world, but these issues are likely to be encountered in the country as well, some industry players say.
Atis has urged parents to play a larger role in teaching their children to stay safe while online.
Its president, Mr John Shaznell, said some parents were 'thinking like dinosaurs' in their detachment from the Internet and needed to be educated.
'We parents have put so much faith and trust in schools, but we don't know what our own kids are doing,' he said.
Senior social worker Vivienne Ng said some parents contributed to the problem by treating the computer as a babysitter.
'They believe that it's better their child is at home and online rather than outside mixing with bad company. But online, you're exposed to anything and everything and everyone,' said the staff member of Hougang Sheng Hong Family Service Centre.
She said she had come across seven-year-olds visiting porn sites. The words 'sex' and 'porn' are easy to spell, she said, and a search engine like Google is all a child needs to enter that world. Some even swop stories about their online findings with their friends at school, she added.
Ms Ng is starting a support group for parents whose children are glued to their computers.
Mr Eugene Seow, who chairs the National Internet and New Media Advisory Committee, said what many people did not realise was that content seen online could affect a child's values and behaviour.
The executive director of Touch Community Services, a promoter of cyber-wellness, urged parents to get themselves educated on cyber-wellness before their children are exposed to the Internet.
Parents need to 'get there first', he said, so they can pass on the right values instead of letting their children absorb it on their own.
Separately yesterday, the ITU launched worldwide a draft document containing recommendations for parents, telcos, Internet operators and governments. The Child Online Protection initiative is open for feedback from the public between now and the end of next month. Its suggestions include the setting up of a national sex-offender database and denying offenders access to websites popular with children.
_______________________
20/05/09
The Straits Times
Parents unaware of kids' Net risks
Study presses need for online monitoring
By Serene Luo
MANY parents in Singapore and across the globe have little idea of what their children are up to online, a worldwide survey has found.
They do not know whether their children have been a target of cyber-bullying, Internet paedophiles and online fraudsters, or have been exposed to pornography - or how their children are coping with these if they have become victims.
Ask parents and 92 per cent of them will say they have set ground rules for using the Internet. Ask the young ones, on the other hand, and only 66 per cent say these rules exist, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has found.
The ITU, the technology arm of the United Nations, revealed this and other findings in conjunction with World Telecommunications and Information Society Day last Sunday.
The day was marked in Singapore yesterday by about 80 industry professionals at a gathering organised by the Association of Telecommunications Industry of Singapore (Atis).
Other findings by the ITU include:
- One in three teenage girls who go online has been harassed in chatrooms, but only 7 per cent of them tell their parents because they do not want to lose their Internet access.
- One in five children is being targeted by a sexual predator or paedophile each year.
- Three-quarters of children are willing to share information about themselves and their families online in exchange for goods and services, such as contest prizes or downloads, opening themselves to cybercriminals who use the information to steal money or their identities.
The numbers from the survey are not specific to Singapore, which has one of the highest Internet and mobile penetration rates in the world, but these issues are likely to be encountered in the country as well, some industry players say.
Atis has urged parents to play a larger role in teaching their children to stay safe while online.
Its president, Mr John Shaznell, said some parents were 'thinking like dinosaurs' in their detachment from the Internet and needed to be educated.
'We parents have put so much faith and trust in schools, but we don't know what our own kids are doing,' he said.
Senior social worker Vivienne Ng said some parents contributed to the problem by treating the computer as a babysitter.
'They believe that it's better their child is at home and online rather than outside mixing with bad company. But online, you're exposed to anything and everything and everyone,' said the staff member of Hougang Sheng Hong Family Service Centre.
She said she had come across seven-year-olds visiting porn sites. The words 'sex' and 'porn' are easy to spell, she said, and a search engine like Google is all a child needs to enter that world. Some even swop stories about their online findings with their friends at school, she added.
Ms Ng is starting a support group for parents whose children are glued to their computers.
Mr Eugene Seow, who chairs the National Internet and New Media Advisory Committee, said what many people did not realise was that content seen online could affect a child's values and behaviour.
The executive director of Touch Community Services, a promoter of cyber-wellness, urged parents to get themselves educated on cyber-wellness before their children are exposed to the Internet.
Parents need to 'get there first', he said, so they can pass on the right values instead of letting their children absorb it on their own.
Separately yesterday, the ITU launched worldwide a draft document containing recommendations for parents, telcos, Internet operators and governments. The Child Online Protection initiative is open for feedback from the public between now and the end of next month. Its suggestions include the setting up of a national sex-offender database and denying offenders access to websites popular with children.
Food for Thoughts - Morning Devotion
Cut your morning devotions into your personal grooming. You wouldnot go out to work with a dirty face. Why start the day with theface of your soul unwashed? – Robert A. Cook
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Which Biblical Verses Summarises Your Life?
Recently I have been doing a lot of online quizes in facebook to know more about my own personality, values, motives and being. It's quite interesting to note the different metaphors and objects that are used to describe me. I guess that all these intriguing descriptions of me serve to highlight God's marvelous work in me and making me the only unique Dehua in this world. I'm so glad that even if we were called to become more and more like Christ in our character and attitude, we can still retain our individual being and not to conform to be uniform as Christians. There are also examples in the bible of characters who are known uniquely by one aspects of their character, instead of them being good in everything like Jesus. E.g.
Abraham - Father of Faith
Moses - The most humble man in the face of earth
David - A man after God's heart
Last week, I was having a discussion with Tracy on this topic of God's life purpose for us. I asked her what her favourite verse was and she mentioned that she had plenty. I explained to her that the reason I asked her was because there are different callings and individual life purposes for different christians. Not everyone ended up doing the same thing in order to serve God and to fulfill our life purposes. And there is an interesting correlation with some biblical verses we like and the type of christians we'll become. Take for example Pastor Jeff. His favourite verse is Acts 20:24 "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." As we reflect on this verse, we can see that there are a lot of his characteristics that are in alignment with the verse.
Upon reflection, she agreed and shared with me her favourite verse which symbolises her life. As for me, my verse would be Philippines 1:9-11
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight..."
It is not sufficient to love with our hearts only. A lot of times Christians love deeply and fully with their hearts but hurt and anger a lot of people along the way as they had not thought through fully and clearly some of the consequences and implications of their actions. While their motives are good, that doesn't mean that the method in which they show "love" is acceptable and blameless. E.g. a loving mother who cares and loves so much for her children that she refuses to allow them to experience hardships and failures in life to mould their character, or even the recent AWARE saga, which a group of Christian sister come together to want to take over AWARE in order to protect the children from their sexuality education programme. If our love for the other parties are genuine, we'll love them to the extent of being inconvenience to ourselves and think about the implications and consequences of our actions - that the love we show them makes them feel respected, loved and convinced of our love to them. As we mature in Christ, our love also matures with knowledge and depth of insight and wisdom.
"...so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."
Loving people through having knowledge, biblical wisdom and thinking through properly, so that we would discern what is best for the people we love and may be pure and blameless in the eyes of people and God. Our fruits will then come and fill us, from Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
What's your biblical verse in life?
Abraham - Father of Faith
Moses - The most humble man in the face of earth
David - A man after God's heart
Last week, I was having a discussion with Tracy on this topic of God's life purpose for us. I asked her what her favourite verse was and she mentioned that she had plenty. I explained to her that the reason I asked her was because there are different callings and individual life purposes for different christians. Not everyone ended up doing the same thing in order to serve God and to fulfill our life purposes. And there is an interesting correlation with some biblical verses we like and the type of christians we'll become. Take for example Pastor Jeff. His favourite verse is Acts 20:24 "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." As we reflect on this verse, we can see that there are a lot of his characteristics that are in alignment with the verse.
Upon reflection, she agreed and shared with me her favourite verse which symbolises her life. As for me, my verse would be Philippines 1:9-11
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight..."
It is not sufficient to love with our hearts only. A lot of times Christians love deeply and fully with their hearts but hurt and anger a lot of people along the way as they had not thought through fully and clearly some of the consequences and implications of their actions. While their motives are good, that doesn't mean that the method in which they show "love" is acceptable and blameless. E.g. a loving mother who cares and loves so much for her children that she refuses to allow them to experience hardships and failures in life to mould their character, or even the recent AWARE saga, which a group of Christian sister come together to want to take over AWARE in order to protect the children from their sexuality education programme. If our love for the other parties are genuine, we'll love them to the extent of being inconvenience to ourselves and think about the implications and consequences of our actions - that the love we show them makes them feel respected, loved and convinced of our love to them. As we mature in Christ, our love also matures with knowledge and depth of insight and wisdom.
"...so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."
Loving people through having knowledge, biblical wisdom and thinking through properly, so that we would discern what is best for the people we love and may be pure and blameless in the eyes of people and God. Our fruits will then come and fill us, from Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
What's your biblical verse in life?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Being Salt and Light in a Pluralistic Society
The AWARE saga finally ended last Saturday with the failure of the leadership coup led by Josie Lau. The widely publicised issue has drawn many thoughts and comments from Singaporeans of different walks of life, backgrounds and religions. As this issue settles and everything returns to normal, there is no doubt that we will again experience controverises of such kind, especially from different groups with different motives, agendas and causes. As Christians, we are called to be the Salt and Light of the society, and to uphold God's will and love in this society that is shared by pre-believers with different values and beliefs. How can we ensure that we are sensitive to feelings of pre-belivers, as well as not being in a position to forsake our calling as the Salt and Light? I believe that as a Christian community, we can draw some important lessons from the AWARE saga.
Proverbs 19:2 - It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. As Christians, we need to have the knowledge - understand the workings of our society well, to know what means are appropriate and acceptable in the society, and to know where to go, which authorities to approach in order to raise our concerns over certain matters. The society whenever we like it or not is a secular one, comprising of people with different values and beliefs.
While Josie Lau and the rest of her committee members from the same church disagreed with the contents taught in the sexuality education offered by AWARE, there are other avenues which are more appropriate to address their disagreements. Using the means, that is, attempting to take over control of AWARE whose vision and mission are totally outside of the issue of contention is certainly a poor way of justifying the ends. Moreover the takeover process isn't one that is transparent and percieved by others to be honorable.
1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
No matter how Josie Lau explained the legitimacy (in line legally with AWARE's constitution) the entire takeover process had been, ultimately it is the perception that counts. I do not agree that we should conclude on things based on perception but in reality that is how the world works. As Christians, we do have a choice - to accept that since the world behaves like this, we should be wise to use a means that is helpful and useful in engaging the world, or to disregard how the world works and continue to use whatever means which we are more comfortable with as Christians.
In addition, I wish to point out the fact that in a secular society, we do face disadvantages as Christians when trying to get people to be opened to our explanation over the beliefs we hold. People would have certain assumptions of us when they know that we are Christians and sometimes, such assumptions would not help us to get our messages across to other people. We need to be mindful of the existence of such communication gaps and not to let other people, or media play up the fact that we hold certain views because we are Christians. Being a Christian isn't the only identity we have. We all are Singaporeans and belong to the society of Singapore. Therefore I am concerned too over certain initiatives that would affect the social fabric of Singapore's society. We ought to rely more on universal values that is shared by the society in order to engage everyone, e.g. pro-family value (esp in Singapore), etc. Such engagement would be helpful and people will see Christians as being contributive to the society, rather than being divisive and enforcing its belief on other people.
Finally, quoting DPM Teo Chee Hean's comment on AWARE saga to Straits Times on 3 May 09:
"...I think that there will always be differences in society; it is a question of whether we can deal with them in a sensible way, learn how to accept one another's differences and still work together for the good of this society. There are people in our society with different views and if...we push them too hard, there will be a push back from the other side. You are not going to resolve some of the differences because they are strongly held and you risk polarising society if you push too hard.
I think if you believe that what you are doing is right, well, live a good life, do good work and persuade people by how you work and live rather than pushing your ideas in a much more pushy way. I think there are ways where we can engage with society and still live with our differences."
We should let our lives and consequences speak for the beliefs we hold, and progressively influence people towards our cause.
Proverbs 19:2 - It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. As Christians, we need to have the knowledge - understand the workings of our society well, to know what means are appropriate and acceptable in the society, and to know where to go, which authorities to approach in order to raise our concerns over certain matters. The society whenever we like it or not is a secular one, comprising of people with different values and beliefs.
While Josie Lau and the rest of her committee members from the same church disagreed with the contents taught in the sexuality education offered by AWARE, there are other avenues which are more appropriate to address their disagreements. Using the means, that is, attempting to take over control of AWARE whose vision and mission are totally outside of the issue of contention is certainly a poor way of justifying the ends. Moreover the takeover process isn't one that is transparent and percieved by others to be honorable.
1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
No matter how Josie Lau explained the legitimacy (in line legally with AWARE's constitution) the entire takeover process had been, ultimately it is the perception that counts. I do not agree that we should conclude on things based on perception but in reality that is how the world works. As Christians, we do have a choice - to accept that since the world behaves like this, we should be wise to use a means that is helpful and useful in engaging the world, or to disregard how the world works and continue to use whatever means which we are more comfortable with as Christians.
In addition, I wish to point out the fact that in a secular society, we do face disadvantages as Christians when trying to get people to be opened to our explanation over the beliefs we hold. People would have certain assumptions of us when they know that we are Christians and sometimes, such assumptions would not help us to get our messages across to other people. We need to be mindful of the existence of such communication gaps and not to let other people, or media play up the fact that we hold certain views because we are Christians. Being a Christian isn't the only identity we have. We all are Singaporeans and belong to the society of Singapore. Therefore I am concerned too over certain initiatives that would affect the social fabric of Singapore's society. We ought to rely more on universal values that is shared by the society in order to engage everyone, e.g. pro-family value (esp in Singapore), etc. Such engagement would be helpful and people will see Christians as being contributive to the society, rather than being divisive and enforcing its belief on other people.
Finally, quoting DPM Teo Chee Hean's comment on AWARE saga to Straits Times on 3 May 09:
"...I think that there will always be differences in society; it is a question of whether we can deal with them in a sensible way, learn how to accept one another's differences and still work together for the good of this society. There are people in our society with different views and if...we push them too hard, there will be a push back from the other side. You are not going to resolve some of the differences because they are strongly held and you risk polarising society if you push too hard.
I think if you believe that what you are doing is right, well, live a good life, do good work and persuade people by how you work and live rather than pushing your ideas in a much more pushy way. I think there are ways where we can engage with society and still live with our differences."
We should let our lives and consequences speak for the beliefs we hold, and progressively influence people towards our cause.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Assignment for my Graduate Diploma in Training and Development
Recently, we were made to read an article on using an smiley sheet to determine particpants' view on the trainer's performance. Here's my reflection.
I read with immense interest the article in “Training, Aug 2006” given by Nelson on the use of smile-sheet evaluation to determine trainer’s performance. The writer of the article cited a few examples from real-life organisations to point out that there is little correlation on ratings by the participants on trainers after the training sessions to participants’ performance outcome post-training. The most interesting example was the one done by Richard E. Clark, Professor of Educational Pyschology and Technology at the Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California. Professor Richard published in “Turning Research into Results: A Guide to Selecting the Right Performance Solutions” that “when used to evaluate performance improvement programs, reaction questionnaires, or ‘smile sheets’ often indicate the opposite of what happened”, which revealed there was even a negative correlation between Level 1 results and on-the-job performance (Level 3).
If what stated in the article was entirely true, then most organisations, including Social Service Training Institute (SSTI) where I am working in, are simply wasting their time and resources in compiling Level 1 data from the reaction questionnaires and linking their operation decisions to training based on this data. SSTI conducted over 300 short courses in FY08/09 with more than 6000 training places attended. This translated into SSTI staff having to compile over 300 individual post-training level 1 reports of our associate trainers’ performance. If it takes an average duration of half an hour per report to be generated by the training coordinating staff and to be reviewed by our management across SSTI, then about 150 hours or about 16 working days are wasted on level 1 data a year. Moreover, SSTI uses Level 1 data to evaluate the performance of its associate trainer. It is unfair for trainers who are responsible, doing a conscientious job of facilitating training and learning, but may not be “entertaining” and “interesting” to the participants to be “punished” under such evaluation system.
In order to determine whether Level 1 data are effective or not to evaluate the trainer’s performance, we would need to determine what the core performance areas of a typical trainer exactly consist and the final outcome as a result of the training session. The core businesses of a trainer are simply to enhance the transfer of learning in terms of knowledge, develop the attitudes of the participants to be interested in the subject matter, as well as to inspire them to apply what they know, and finally to develop certain skills that are relevant to the work of the participants. The final outcome from an organisation’s perspective should be improved performance of the participants at the workplace after training. Level 1 evaluation does not provide objective information related to key performance areas of the trainer (which is actually pertaining to Level 2 evaluation) and final outcome of training (related to Level 3 evaluation). Those who rely solely on Level 1 information for trainer’s evaluation are actually based on the hypothesis that there is correlation between learning and positive training experience (created by trainer) encountered by the participants. While this hypothesis may be true to some extent, there are other factors, which may affect the participants’ inclination to learn and apply the knowledge at the training session. These factors include the following:-
Learning Journal Reflection
If what stated in the article was entirely true, then most organisations, including Social Service Training Institute (SSTI) where I am working in, are simply wasting their time and resources in compiling Level 1 data from the reaction questionnaires and linking their operation decisions to training based on this data. SSTI conducted over 300 short courses in FY08/09 with more than 6000 training places attended. This translated into SSTI staff having to compile over 300 individual post-training level 1 reports of our associate trainers’ performance. If it takes an average duration of half an hour per report to be generated by the training coordinating staff and to be reviewed by our management across SSTI, then about 150 hours or about 16 working days are wasted on level 1 data a year. Moreover, SSTI uses Level 1 data to evaluate the performance of its associate trainer. It is unfair for trainers who are responsible, doing a conscientious job of facilitating training and learning, but may not be “entertaining” and “interesting” to the participants to be “punished” under such evaluation system.
In order to determine whether Level 1 data are effective or not to evaluate the trainer’s performance, we would need to determine what the core performance areas of a typical trainer exactly consist and the final outcome as a result of the training session. The core businesses of a trainer are simply to enhance the transfer of learning in terms of knowledge, develop the attitudes of the participants to be interested in the subject matter, as well as to inspire them to apply what they know, and finally to develop certain skills that are relevant to the work of the participants. The final outcome from an organisation’s perspective should be improved performance of the participants at the workplace after training. Level 1 evaluation does not provide objective information related to key performance areas of the trainer (which is actually pertaining to Level 2 evaluation) and final outcome of training (related to Level 3 evaluation). Those who rely solely on Level 1 information for trainer’s evaluation are actually based on the hypothesis that there is correlation between learning and positive training experience (created by trainer) encountered by the participants. While this hypothesis may be true to some extent, there are other factors, which may affect the participants’ inclination to learn and apply the knowledge at the training session. These factors include the following:-
- Difficulty of the subject being taught – The more difficult the subject, the less inclined the participants to learn and apply
- Perceived relevancy to work – The better the participants’ perception that subject is relevant to their work, the more inclined the participants to learn and apply
- Perceived management support – The greater the endorsement of management to support the post-course changes, the more inclined the participants to learn and apply
- Perceived benefits linked to the training – If there are tangible benefits, e.g. salary increase pegged to the attendance of the course, the more motivated the participants to learn and apply
These factors interplay dynamically and influence each participant to either be motivated to learn or not to learn.
Having said this, some organisations may justify their current practice of using Level 1 evaluation to gauge trainer’s performance by saying that it is an easy and convenient way of getting immediate response of the training session. Level 2 evaluation is simply too time-consuming and takes organisational resources to implement. Time is needed from the participants to take written tests; training staffs are required to conduct and oversee the written test process, as well as to compile the test results. All these work and resources just to evaluate the effectiveness of the training may not be cost-effective for every training session. They argued that even though Level 1 evaluation may not be totally accurate in evaluating training effectiveness, at least it still provides some data on participants’ reaction, which theoretically would still relate to motivation to learn by participant. One suggestion I have to get the best of both worlds is to take into consideration participant ratings for difficulty of the subject, relevancy of subject to their work, and participant’s perception of the learning. We can look at these 3 areas and hopefully obtained a more realistic assessment of the effectiveness of the training session.
Another suggestion that I’ve is to include a part in the smiley sheet for the participants to rate for themselves how much they learn and know about the subject being taught before and after the training session. In this way, the focus is not so much on the trainer, but on themselves as learners. The participants would have to ask and judge for themselves whether they have learned anything, regardless of whether they like or dislike the trainer. Of course, this suggestion is also not fool-proof as in the article, it was already mentioned that learners were overly optimistic about predicting how much they will remember.
Personally, I prefer the method suggested by the writer to “employ muiltiple mechanisms” in order to “put that smile back into smile sheets”. The concept of having a mini-focus group sessions and asking the participants how they would redesign or improve the training is an excellent way of reinforcing they have learned and to clarify what wasn’t clear to them. Moreover, having tried out whatever they had learned at the training session previously, they would experience the impact at work and what new issues faced, they can highlight to the trainer, who can better tweak the training programme to be more relevant. Last but not least, they would understand the constraints and limitation faced by the trainer, and they would be more realistic about their expectations on trainers and learning in future.
Finally to conclude, my personal take is that Level 1 evaluation is still important and provides the most immediate and easiest way of getting training evaluation data. We should use Level 1 data as a form of feedback to improve on future training sessions, ranging from training environment, learning methodology and training delivery. If we were to use the Level 1 data for purposes, other than as feedback for the training session, such as evaluation of trainers, etc, we must take into consideration the limitation, the accuracy and the other factors that affects the correlation between participant’s perception of the training session to the item that we wish to evaluate for. Of course, pragmatic consideration, e.g. the investment of cost, time, resources for the evaluation process must also be considered so that whatever analysis we do on the training evaluation, the outcome for the organisation will be one that is of the most cost-effective with reliable conclusion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
