Smell Check

By what we do couldn't bring us into eternal life, only through Christ’s salvation, as no one is perfect.

If a person "sincerely" accepts Christ in his/her heart, definitely people around that person will sense the "fragrant" of what one is doing and reacting towards people around him/her in this world.

The Ultimate Reality

Nowadays computer games players can wear electronics sense simulating goggles, gloves, and socks while standing in a controlled environment (sometimes the platform would able to release wind breeze, water splash and special smell to achieve close simulation). That is commonly known as virtual reality.

Living on earth, most people generally have

• two eyes to detect visible light (Frequencies: 4 - 7.5 x 1014 Hz; Wavelengths: 750 - 400 nm)
• two ears to receive human-audible signal (audible range spans from 20Hz to 20,000Hz)
• a nose to sniff (beside breathing) in order to sense smell
• a mouth (with vocal chord / box) to release human-audible signal
• a layer of skin wrapped to perceive sense of touch to help our hands and feet to react
  

Everyone knows that our bodily devices have their limit and constraint.

Our eyes normally cannot "see" any reflection from radio, microwave, IR (>750nm) and x-ray, gamma-ray (<400nm).>Our ears normally cannot "hear" and our vocal chord cannot "release" any sound falls outside the range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz.

Sensory cells in our nose, mouth, and throat usually won’t be as sensitive as pigs'.

Our sense of touch can normally sense only physical matters.

Therefore, there is much more going on around our world other than things that can be perceived or detected by our body. For example, normal people will not able to receive radio or TV frequency in the air. A device hasn’t been invented by humans to detect a certain substance in our world that does not imply that that certain substance does not exist.

Would our body be a form of virtual reality wearing for training our character inside, and the ultimate reality will be eternal lives?

Dimensions

Everyone on earth is aware at least 4 dimensions. Space by "x,y,z", there goes 3 dimensions. The forth one will time by "t". How about beyond these 4 dimensions? Would the fifth (or Xth) dimension being prayers "p"?

Yin Yang of Leadership & Servant-hood

Yin Yang of Leadership & Servant-hood

Many books talk about leadership, but leadership actually originated from servant-hood, and servant-hood gives birth to leadership. Leadership & servant-hood within a body must be balanced; otherwise, the body will become a tyrant or slave (I think I read this concept once from a book written by Dr. Arnold Yeung - 楊牧谷博士) - former profile is a result of over-leading, and the later profile is a result of under-powering.

Moses was a leader to Israelites on freeing from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, and judging on matters among God’s people. Please note that a leader never take ownership of his/her followers. Taking ownership of people is destructive to a leader’s health (physical, soul and spirit). Ownership is on matters but not people. The provider is from God but not the leader, Moses.

Exodus 15:22-25

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

Exodus 16:3-4

The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you.

Exodus 17:3-6

But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me."

The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink."

Plus more to leadership, articulate God’s law & order to people, for their well being (whether they choose to follow or otherwise).

Moses was also a servant to God’s people. Again, his master was God, and the people. He was not serving his own people, but God’s people. He serves God’s people daily and spiritual needs but he never served the people. If he served people, it would have been a disaster that all God’s people may be wiped out by God’s hand.

Exodus 32:19

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.

If Moses were servant of the people, he would have followed the people to praise the golden calf idol instead of God. It would then be a disaster, as God would have wiped out all His people - many times that God has mentioned that to Moses, but Moses negotiated with God for their existence.

Exodus 32:11-14

"I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation."

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "O LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

…

Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

From Moses’ acts, we can see the Yin Yang of leadership (not the ultimate provider) and servant-hood (not a compromiser of principles).

Political & Power Struggles - Commented on http://harrymorgan.blogspot.com/ with title "Lost"

Commented on http://harrymorgan.blogspot.com/ with title "Lost":

Being aware in the "Christians circle" for more than 20 years, definitely in the circle there are many political and power struggles originated from our sin of being selfish and boasting - as we are not in heaven yet. In general, if the subject involved is not offending principles stated the Holy Bible, I withdraw myself from the struggles. As Ephesians 2:10 said "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." I won't run out of Christian tasks, as God has prepared.

Yes, just believe and follow the acts of Jesus not from people. A Christian's hope should be towards heaven and bringing in with our well-trained Christ-like character strength while living on earth. After death, we cannot really carry anything away, except our Christ-like character strength.

Keep praying in Jesus name!

The Lord's Prayer & The Prayer of Jabez

Thanks to my cousin-in-law (MK) who had given me a book - “The Prayer of Jabez” by Bruce Wilkinson for reading.

I would like to parallel The Jabez' Prayer from the Old Testament to the Lord’s Prayer from the New Testament of the Holy Bible, to extract their commonality in concept.

The Jabez' Prayer (1 Chronicles 4:10):
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13):
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

One can see that the prayer of Jabez, a religious man, very much resembled the prayer from the teaching of Jesus, God our Lord. Jabez’ prayer was answered by God. Please note that a prayer is NOT to be answered by the person who prays. To clarify, please refer to the following Bible verse, and I think our prayer should be originated from:

For we are God’s workmanships, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
(Ephesians 2:10)

We have a life long journey to seek, search, find, plan and execute our works on earth by communicating with God our Lord; while doing that, we also need to ask for our God’s power to separate our mind, emotion and actions from evil.

• The Jabez' Prayer: Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!
• The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

• The Jabez' Prayer: Let your hand be with me
• The Lord’s Prayer: Give us today our daily bread

• The Jabez' Prayer: keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain
• The Lord’s Prayer: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

ping IP 23.23.23.23

Folks, here's my version of IP 23.23.23.23 after watching cable 23.

# ping 23.23.23.23

The PC is my pickle, sometimes I don't really want it to be.
It makes me lie down (bad posture) on the chair.
It leads me away from my gym time.
Sometimes it destroys my temper.
It leads me in the path of lies (telling the
end-users that there are no bugs and helpful to
them), for the sponsor's (customers' - whoever pay me $$) sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my users' requirements.
There will be no interruption, For the PC is with me.
It's mouse and keyboard, they control me.
It prepares many bugs before me In the presence of deadlines;
It anoints my head with unsolved mysteries and problems,
My sweat runneth over.
Surely bugs and users' complaints shall Follow me all days of my life:
And I shall dwell in the network of working through
my PC to countless virtual hosts forever.

If you felt so, please quickly turn to Psalm 23

Please note this is purely a re-write of Cable 23, nothing to do with Psalm 23 which I dare NOT to touch a word from my Lord.


--- LH emailed me:

>
>
>
>
> A friend sent me this poem.
> I'd like to share it with you:
>
> Cable 23
>
> The TV is my shepherd, I shall want.
> It makes me lie down on the sofa.
> It leads me away from the Scriptures.
> It destroys my soul.
> It leads me in the path of sex and violence, for the
> sponsor's sake.
> Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian
> responsibilities.
> There will be no interruption, For the TV is with
> me.
> It's cable and remote, they control me.
> It prepares a commercial before me In the presence
> of worldliness;
> It anoints my head with Humanism, My coveting
> runneth over.
> Surely laziness and ignorance shall Follow me all
> days of my life:
> And I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.
>
> Author Unknown
> http://www.bibleplace.com/p23pslm.htm
>
>
> For reference, I've included the original version of
> the poem here..
>
> Psalm 23
> A psalm of David.
>
> 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in
> want.
> 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
> he leads me beside quiet waters,
>
> 3 he restores my soul.
> He guides me in paths of righteousness
> for his name's sake.
>
> 4 Even though I walk
> through the valley of the shadow of death,
> [a]
> I will fear no evil,
> for you are with me;
> your rod and your staff,
> they comfort me.
>
> 5 You prepare a table before me
> in the presence of my enemies.
> You anoint my head with oil;
> my cup overflows.
>
> 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
> all the days of my life,
> and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
> forever.
>
> New International Version (NIV)
> Copyright � 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible
> Society
>
>
>
> Maybe we want to re-think our attitude about TV, and
> the mass media.
> ... Let's choose life ourself, in God's way; and not
> let the media brain wash us.
>

Win through perseverance less strength

“Win through perseverance less strength”

At work we have automatic nightly software build, and after each successful build the report always comes with a quote believed to be retrieved from an archive put up by my dev manager. Today's quote contains a worth-pondering sentence: "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins, not through strength but by perseverance." I found the saying is very true indeed, after almost 40 years of my earthly life. No matter building our profession, our relationship with God, our relationship with people; concentration and perseverance (keep on doing disregarding any interference) slowly mold ourselves to whatever we are building.

Landing to destination through habits

“Landing to destination through habits”

Nearly the end of this year AWANA term, another leader (LH) and I have given all T&T clubbers a voluntary assignment - each clubber to select a few items that he/she has learnt in AWANA during the term and practice onto daily life and made them into habits. I believe habits lead to destinations, may not be destinations one expected or fore-see, depends on whether one is “alert” of his/her own destination while molding oneself into certain habits. After setting one’s own destination in life, one should define and practice a series of habits to follow diligently in order to reach the destination successfully. Destination is abstract; habit is concrete media leading towards the destination.