The Power of Our Brain!

Olny srmat poelpe can raed this.  I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty  uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig  to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in what oredr the ltteers in a word are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is that the first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm.   This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this psas it on!! 

Richest man in the Cemetery

"I saw no point in being the richest man in the cemetery."

Peter Drucker, "Managing Oneself", Harvard Business Review - Best of HBR 199, P.11, Par. 2


You can download this article in this blog.


This quote sort of came at me poignantly about the empty chases so many are after. Something so obvious yet we are so blinded. Having to counsel more men lately, filled with regrets in the way they had lived their lives, it is best to heed what Jesus Himself had said, which Drucker rephrased in the above quote:

Matthew 16:26 (NIV)

[26] What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Steven Covey said it in another way in First Things First, title of chapter one:

"How many people on their deathbed wish they’d spent more time at the office?"

Life Seasonings - Principle 10 of 10

Principle 10:  Reflect often 

(Make many pit stops)

Socrates, the Greek philosopher of the 5^th century BC said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” When Socrates was in his forties, he had the inquisitive mind to ask about the world around him. Some people were mad with him about the questions he would ask poignantly. “What is life? What is beauty? What is wisdom? What is the right thing to do?” and so forth. These were difficult questions and some tried to give him answers. Socrates would try to teach them how to think better by asking them more questions which revealed their problem in logical thinking. Often this upset many of them and some even tried to persecute him. Soon he had a group of young men who would listen to him and learn from him how to think. The famous Plato was one of these young men who wrote the book “Apology” in which he detailed how Socrates defended himself against his accusers. Socrates’ key contribution to the world was challenging people to do their own thinking. He dedicated his life to careful reasoning and was willing to call everything into question, which made him one of the earliest exponents of critical philosophy.

The wisest man on earth echoed the same sentiments. “What does a man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3) “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 12:8) Read for yourselves his conclusion on the matter in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

Jesus asked “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36-37) These are deep questions that need deep answers. If you would have noticed by now, real wisdom in life is not just about getting the right answers. We are already overwhelmed with information in this internet age. Real wisdom lies in asking the right questions for our lives.

“In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in ‘muchness’ and ‘manyness’, he will rest satisfied. Psychiatrist Carl Jung once remarked, ‘Hurry is not of the Devil; it is the Devil.” (Richard Foster, in his book “Celebration of Discipline, Chapter two, The Discipline of Meditation)

Slowing down enough to reflect and think is a luxury ill afforded by many. “Where have time gone to?”  is not just a light-hearted cliché. It is a stark reality today for many. We need to make regular pit-stops to refuel, renew our worn out body and reflect upon our lives. Regular adjustments take us away from serious and irreversible consequences later in life and slowing down enough to allow us to enjoy the ride of our life and hear clearly the voice of God.

How can we do that? This principle is laid out clearly by God and it is called Sabbath. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) Sabbath is about learning to let go and let God. It is a mandated weekly pit-stop which the whole world observe, whether Christian or otherwise. Sabbath is not to be a rule followed religiously without understanding why. Sabbath is implemented for our good, to help us celebrate God’s goodness. It is a day when we take our rest and celebrate by proclaiming “it is good”, just as God took a day’s rest and said everything He had created is VERY good (Genesis 1:31). God took a rest not because He is tired. He did it because the work of creation is completed.

What’s the implication for us today? We work very hard. We pride ourselves in doing more with less. Do you know part of Adam’s curse of work was to toil and produce little? (Genesis 3:17) God gives us the ability to produce wealth but He is also asking us whether our trust is in Him or in our wealth and abilities. The lack of Sabbath rest suggests a lack of trust in the Lord as we are constantly anxious about our work and provisions. Again, we may be religiously following Sabbath rest by coming to church, but we miss the spirit of it when we lack the joy in celebrating God’s goodness and grace. Sabbath rest is a reset button put by God in our lives to remind us to trust in Him and celebrate life. It is a day of reflection on the Lord’s gift of our life. Yet, many go to church worrying about their Mondays. We disobey Sabbath to our detriment.

Use your Sabbath well. Reflect and examine your life so that it’s worth living!

---------------------------------

Socrates (469-399 BC)

• I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.

• As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.

• I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.

• Beauty is a short-lived tyranny. 

• By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.

• He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.

• If a man is proud of his wealth, he should not be praised until it is known how he employs it.

• It is not living that matters, but living rightly.

Life Seasonings - Principle 9 of 10

Principle 9:  Rooftop principle 

(Don’t even go there)

I coined this principle while studying and teaching from the life of King David in 2 Samuel 11. Up to that point, David had reached the height of his glory as a king. He ruled over a vast empire and accumulated much spoils of war in his capital. In the midst of all these successes, he fell into the sin of adultery, which set off a chain of events that caused him to break almost all of the Ten Commandments.

Here’s a man, purported to be a man’s after God’s heart (1 Sam 13:14, Acts 13:22), yet in a simple careless act, he compromised his entire future. He forfeited his own personal right to build the Temple of God (2 Samuel 7:12-13, 1 Chronicles 22:7-8). The privilege went instead to his son Solomon. From 2 Samuel 12:7-12 we notice that to David, there was the withholding of financial blessings (v.8), the doors were opened to a spirit of violence (v.10), it brought about a curse (v.11), he was exposed to public shame (v.11-12) and a spirit of infirmity and death came upon the family (v.14-15). On top of that, he experienced the heartbreak of rape and murder within his own family. He lost his throne to his own son, Absalom, for a brief moment as well.

If you were to trace these tragedies to its very root, it came about from 2 Samuel 11:1-2. When kings were supposed to go to war during spring, David decided to take a holiday. An innocent thought no doubt yet was disastrous to the very core in its outcome. After siesta one evening, he walked on the rooftop of his palace, enjoying the cooling effect of a day coming to an end. We may not be looking for temptation but often it finds us at our unguarded moments. David saw a beautiful woman bathing and he sent someone to find out about her. Curiosity and lust got the best of him in spite of finding out that Bathsheba is Uriah’s wife. An unwanted pregnancy followed this adulterous affair. Hoping to cover his track, he invited Uriah back from the frontline in the pretense of finding out how the war was going. He sent him back home hoping that Uriah would sleep with his wife thus covering up the source of the pregnancy. Uriah being a man of honor refused to go back and instead slept at the servants’ quarters. David’s second attempt by making him drunk yielded the same result. What a man who held his honor even when he is drunk!

With that failure, David set in motion plan B by writing a letter to General Joab to sent Uriah to the frontline where the fighting was the fiercest. Uriah carried his own death sentence in his hand and after the mourning period, David married Bathsheba.

As I reflected upon this story, I can’t help but go in retrospect to the palace rooftop. What if David had not gone to the rooftop? Often we can place ourselves unwittingly on the rooftops of our lives, where we are most unguarded spiritually because everything seems to be going well. This reminded me of my early career years as a sales engineer. Being one of the top performers, we are regularly sent on incentive trips to places catering to a man’s sexual fancies like Bangkok, Haadyai or Cebu. Being an international conference, men would disperse to ‘tourist spots’ after dinner and I knew I had to pro-actively do something to prevent myself from even going near these places. Christians would often naively say that they can go to some of these places to identify with their non-Christian friends but they need not indulge in sinful activities. How one draws that moral line defies my logic. I know how wicked my heart can be and I don’t trust it. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

So I flee. I prayed for a Christian friend and God gave me a fellow engineer from Singapore whom I caught up with each time after dinner during these conferences. I suppose you can say we saved each other from our rooftops!

Being careful with our lives is not only about starting well, but finishing well too. A single careless and foolish act can cost us everything. No committed Christian seeks to sin deliberately but through an unguarded moment, we can compromise ourselves. Be very harsh and discipline with yourselves. What or where are the potential rooftops of your life? Don’t go there or near them! That’s wisdom in life!

An interesting note from a reader

Here's an interesting email from a reader. I have his permission to reproduce it here:

Hi Pastor Chris,

I've been following your blog all this while and it has been a real encouragement and support to my Christian life. I came across this analogy of spiritual life which was really good, thought of sharing it with you. An excerpt of it is below:  

When a track star is running a 10-kilometer race, he does not run the race at full speed. Running at full speed will deplete his energy prematurely, and he will be unable to finish. We should approach our Christian service the same way. We are not doing God any favors by pushing ourselves beyond our limits. We can do far more for God by living a long, consistent Christian life than by burning ourselves out in five years.

There is an ancient Greek race where the winner is not the first one to cross the finish line. The winner is the first one to cross it with his torch still burning. Sometimes we are so busy with life’s activities that we are in danger of allowing the torch of our spiritual life to be extinguished. There is a real danger that we will run too fast and will be unable to keep our spiritual torch lit. Be aware of the barrenness of busyness and the busyness of barrenness.

Thanks again for the blog and do keep writing!

God bless,

Mun Yen

My reply:

Sure, you are welcome! Glad the articles are helpful. Can I post your comment below on my site? Thought it is good insight.

By the way, that’s the reason why Sabbath was instituted. If we learn to be rested in God every 7^th day, every 7^th year and every

7^th the 7^th year cycle, we can cross that finishing line with confidence!

Hi Pastor Chris,

Sure thing :) Sabbath every 7th year sounds fantastic! Lets see whether I can do it in 7 years time!

God bless,

Mun Yen

Life Seasonings - Principle 8 of 10

Principle 8:  Life is short 

(Don’t waste it)

One life verse that caught hold of me as a 22-year-old in university was this: “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14b) This verse is quoted as part of my email signature for many years. For the benefit of those who are unaware what a “life verse” is, it is simply a bible verse that has a special significance personally, that spoke to you at a special circumstance and a special time of your life, that profoundly change the way you think and the way you live your life. It acts as a daily reminder, and an underlying philosophy that guides you in all your decisions. You don’t try to make it “fits” you; rather, you make yourself “fit” to what it teaches and espouses!

At the young age of 22, I had anticipated a whole life time of opportunities and I could almost feel like time is limitless. Certainly, the finishing line was farthest from my mind as I dreamt about the journey of opportunities. The danger in thinking that way is the tendency to put things off, thinking there will always be a tomorrow. In a blink of an eye, I am now approaching 49 in three months, just one year from the Big Five-O, half a century! Maybe it’s something to do with aging and approaching the finishing line. Say what you like about thinking young, having a positive attitude and calling us as “matured and wise”, the body does show signs of deceleration and you know it. You are confronted with your mortality and it dawns on you that you are not going to live here on earth forever!

The Bible speaks about our life being 3 scores and 10 years, i.e. 70 years (Psalms 90:10). It is really not a very long runway compared with eternity. Those of us who had dabble with the term “infinity” in mathematics, with the symbol ∞, we recognize it is an immeasurable unit. A simple layman’s definition is this: “If you remove a part from infinity or add a part to infinity, still what remains is infinity.” Therefore the sense of urgency is very dependent on one’s worldview of eternity. If there’s no eternity, that life starts and ends on earth randomly, then what we do really doesn’t matter. We are just a fluke of nature. But if what we do matter for eternity, that changes the equation!

We are sojourners and pilgrims on this earth (1 Peter 2:11, NKJV) and Apostle Paul said it with absolute certainty in his desire that it is far better for him to be with Christ in eternity, but for our sake, to remain on earth with “fruitful labor” (Philippians 1:22-24). What drives some to forsake the pleasure of temporal earthly living to look forward to eternal rewards? This is what I call having an eternal perspective, or a balance and right perspective of life and eternity.

Often we are asked a hypothetical icebreaker question meant to provoke our minds: “If you have only one month to live, what would you do differently?” This may be hypothetical for us, but for those who had to literally live with that “death sentence” due to a terminal disease, it completely changed the way they live their lives. Two powerful books[1] come to mind and it would benefit your soul to read them.

With this perspective in mind, let me ask you the same question in a different way: “At whatever stage of your life journey right now, what would you do differently and how would this influence the way you will be living your life from now on until the finishing line?” It is not my intention to have you look back and then live with regrets. It is asking the hard question of changing course if there’s a need to. If we make regular and wise midcourse corrections, we can avert many life crises. Are we able to close our eyes and see in our mind what our final lap and the finishing line will be like? Some of us have a longer runway than others, but whatever it is, you can do something about it from here on.

What is your life verse that can help you to live life more deliberately and intentionally, not just for yourself, but for those you have influence over, especially your family members? King David prayed this way: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalms 90:12)

Have a great life!

---

[1] Fear no Evil (by David Watson) and Tuesdays with Morrie (by Mitch Albom)

Journal - 30 Mar 2011 - Luke 20:1-8 - Asking the Right Question

My journal entry yesterday from our Bible Reading Planner was fascinating as I look at how Jesus handled opposition.

For those who are unaware, DUMC encourages the use of a journal when we spend time daily with God, writing down our thoughts. We use the process SOAR (Scripture, Observation, Application and Response).

S

¹ One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ² “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

 ³ He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, ⁴ John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”

 ⁵ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

 ⁷ So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

 ⁸ Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

O

Although the context of this passage is in a negative sense of wanting to trap Jesus, let me turn it around positively.

Here we see the principle of  Matthew 10:16 "Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

Sometimes, it is not our answers that will solve the matter. It is the conclusion of the one who asks when asked back!

A

Often we are too quick to give an answer. If we are to take time to think about how to help the person by asking the right question, it would have benefitted him alot more because he owns the answer by thinking it through. What a powerful principle! The power is not in the answers because answers can be easily found in the days of internet. It is in the right question. I have often encourage those in my MAG (Mentoring and Accountability Group) to ask good questions. "What do you think?" is often my reply. We use the QC process, one question and one contribution from each person. What is one question you would like to ask the group for their collective wisdom and what is one contribution you would like to give to the group. This will encourage a culture of not just receiving, but giving as well to the group. It also encourage every person that learning to ask the right question in life is the key to our spiritual growth. Right question produces the right answer!

R

Lord, give me the wisdom of Matthew 10:16 when I deal with opposition. Teach me to listen well, pray and help the person come to his own conclusion where possible. Amen!

Life Seasonings - Principle 7 of 10

Principle 7:  Walk in freedom 
(Walk light)

If we can have the ability to see the unseen in people, what will we see? In my imaginative mind, I see people with black backpacks on their backs with all sorts of things imaginable that they have accumulated along their life’s journey. Some have their backpacks so stuffed up that they are struggling to move, fumbling under the sheer weight. Some have even collapsed to the ground and not able to move at all. Yet I see others skipping joyfully around on very light backpacks, almost empty, with tell-tale signs of a carefree life. They can stop, walk or run with absolute ease.

And there are many types of people somewhere in between these two extremes. Two persons may have the same redemptive experience in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet they are not the same in the way they walk (or run) their life’s journey. That’s why some Christians seem to be living their Christian life passionately whilst others drag their feet.

All Christians may start on the same line, that is, we are totally set free in Him. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) But not all will run at the same pace and the same distance. Others are totally distracted from the journey and some, sadly, go backwards. If we have spiritual eyes to see, we see Christians with differing passion and love for God, weighed down by heavy or light backpacks. What makes one Christian on fire for Him and another living mediocrely and half-heartedly?

As a pastor, I have counseled many people. One common trait among those seeking help is this: They carry very heavy burdens in their lives. Although technically they have been set free from their sins at the point of their conversion, yet they continue to stuff back the very things they have left behind as new Christians. Sometimes they add on many other things as well.  Jesus puts it another way in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23). The seeds that were scattered fell into four places: on the path, rocky places, among the thorns and on good soil. The seeds represent the message of God that was sown into the hearts of men. The seed that fell on the path is liken to a man who has heard the message, but it is snatched away immediately by the evil one. It has no chance to grow. The person remains unfruitful. The second seed is liken to a man who receives the message with joy but because there’s no depth or root in the way the message has an effect in his life, and when trouble comes, he too falls away. The third man is choked with the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth, he is unfruitful in his Christian life by default. But the fourth man, who hears the message, understands and applies it, becomes a fruitful man, passionate about life and useful for the kingdom of God.

It is good to inspect right now what kind of Christians you are at this stage of your life. Regular inspection of broken walls, as Nehemiah did before he re-built the walls in Jerusalem, is a necessary part of maintaining a passion for God and living fruitful lives. Which type are you?

a.      You made a profession of faith before but the devil stole everything from you even before you made a start?

b.      Were you discouraged along the way because you couldn’t handle problems and you have been blaming God and others ever since?

c.       Are you distracted by worldly cares and values, are distracted and living mediocrely as a result? Somehow things just don’t make sense in this unending pursuit.

All the three above are big time contributors to your backpack. This list is not exhaustive of course. We are talking here about every sin that you have disobediently committed that grieves the heart of God in every conceivable area of money, sex and power, or as Apostle John puts it in 1 John 2:16 (NKJV) – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. For every commission of sin, we add another item into our backpack.

Christ has set us free. Why have we robbed ourselves and allowing the evil one to rob us of that freedom? The passionate plea of Apostle Paul is “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” It is so easy to go back again to our old life. Repent from your ways, stand firm and be like the fourth man, and the journey that you will embark from then on will be an incredible one. So, walk light and walk free!

Life Seasonings - Principle 6 of 10

Principle 6:  Grow Well and Deep 

(Be Like An Oak Tree)

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” A profound statement made at the very beginning by Richard Foster in his book “Celebration of Discipline”.

Often we want and desire to extend the breadth of our influence in our ministry or career and these are the obvious and tangible things we see in our outward accomplishments. The downside is that if we are not careful, we get sucked into this curse of superficiality. We are uncomfortable with these inconsistencies because we have an in-built integrity check called “conscience”, an innate desire in our spirit to operate ethically or morally and be the kind of person exhibiting godly character and strength. We would like to grow well in breadth but we also know, like a tree, if it is without a deep root system, we will fall and crumble when floods and wind come. The oak tree is a common symbol of strength and endurance and has been chosen as the national tree of many nations. From just a sapling, it grows into a giant that spread its branches, seeking light to nourish itself and searching with roots deep into the ground for water. What we can’t see are the hidden roots that feeds the majesty of the tree.

Many people may start well but they finish miserably at the end of their lives, or at best mediocrely. As the adage goes, “We live the first half of our life learning how to live the second half better.” With the experience of our first half, we hope to build a wealth and reservoir of godly wisdom, deep-rooted character that will enable us to live a remarkable second half. By remarkable I don’t mean the spectacular. I mean living life with a sense of destiny and purpose. I have always believed life really begins in our forties, the second half of our life. It will be much more exciting and significant because we would by then have the experience, wisdom, influence, respect and esteem to do what we can’t before when we were younger, and influencing many like-minded others alongside our cause. What many don’t realize are the bad decisions they had made in the first half which caused them to climb the corporate ladder, by hook or by crook, and having reached the top, to realize they are on the wrong wall! By then, climbing down and starting all over again on the right wall would be a little too late because the runway is so short and some consequences are irreversible.

Why is growing deep important? I have learnt earlier in ministry this important principle: “Don’t go places where your gifts take you but your character cannot sustain you.” It simply means that if you don’t intend to grow deep, then be very careful about going wide. If we take care of the depth of our life, God will take care of the breadth.

Why is it difficult to grow deep? Because it takes dedicated time, dogged determination and disciplined commitment. We live in an age that expects instant answers, gives up too quickly and easily distracted. We have more to eat, more to spend and more to enjoy, yet are we any better on the inside? There is certainly an ongoing search for a greater sense of purpose, fulfillment and significance. The world cries out for people with high ethical and moral standards.

We are all too familiar with the term IQ (Intelligent Quotient) that tells us something about our mental capability and capacity. Then someone invented the term EQ (Emotional Quotient) that reveals our abilities in handling our feelings and that of others. Now, another term emerges, SQ (Spiritual Quotient). It is about the ability to handle one’s life purpose, about growth, maturity, fulfillment and significance. As a Christian, this is not new. The concept of spirit, soul and body (1 Thes 5:23) and inward regeneration (Titus 3:5) is taught in Scripture and it is this regenerated spiritual man that is in tune with God who allows for that depth of life and character.

Why is growing in depth important for the Christian? Because it glorifies God and his life becomes a blessing to all those around him. He charges people up, rather than discharging them. His life becomes a source of refuge and strength. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7

Wouldn’t you want to go near a man or woman like this?

Thinking & Living Christianly (Rom. 12:1-3; Phil. 4:8,9)

Pr Daniel Ho's sharing at March 2011 Leaders' Meeting 1. Be aware of how we really think and therefore, believe and behave. How we think affects our living. 1 Cor 14:20 - think maturely. 2. Be aware of how God wants us to think He wants us to think after His thoughts - mind of Christ. Need to align our thinking and see if it is in line with the mind of Christ. 2 Peter 3:1 The best way is to read and understand His Word. Inconsistencies will show in our lives. 3. Renewal of the mind is a lifestyle, not an experience 2 Cor 3:15-18 4. Renewal of the mind involves putting off and putting on (Eph 4:22-25; Col 3:5-10) 5. Our mind must be focused on that which is right, good and positive (Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:2) 6. Our soul, mind and will prosper and emotion must prosper before our life will prosper (3 John 2) Our health has to do with our inside. Many diseases are psychosomatic in nature 7. Abundant life has been provided and we must possess it (John 10:10)